Amb. John Bolton, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C Trump announces new strategy for Afghanistan that calls for a troop increase President Trump outlined a revised vision for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Monday, pledging to end a strategy of “nation-building” and instead institute a policy aimed more squarely at addressing the terrorist threat that emanates from the region. “I share the American people’s frustration,” he said. “I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money — and, most importantly, lives — trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.” But Trump provided few specifics about his policy and how much the U.S. military commitment in the region would increase as a result, insisting that conditions on the ground would determine troop levels and strategy. Trump’s decision to further commit to the nation’s longest war, rather than withdraw, reflects a significant shift in his approach to Afghanistan since taking office and marks a new willingness to take greater ownership of a protracted conflict that he had long dismissed as a waste of time and resources. As a candidate, Trump denounced Afghanistan as a “total disaster” and railed that the costly conflict in Central Asia drained enormous resources at a time of more pressing needs at home for American taxpayers. “My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like to follow my instincts,” Trump said in his first prime-time address, delivered from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va. “I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk of the Oval Office.”

5am – D Secret Service depletes funds to pay agents because of Trump’s frequent travel, large family (USA Today) The Secret Service can no longer pay hundreds of agents it needs to carry out an expanded protective mission – in large part due to the sheer size of President Trump’s family and efforts necessary to secure their multiple residences up and down the East Coast. Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles, in an interview with USA TODAY, said more than 1,000 agents have already hit the federally mandated caps for salary and overtime allowances that were meant to last the entire year. The agency has faced a crushing workload since the height of the contentious election season, and it has not relented in the first seven months of the administration. Agents must protect Trump – who has traveled almost every weekend to his properties in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia – and his adult children whose business trips and vacations have taken them across the country and overseas. “The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law,” Alles said. “I can’t change that. I have no flexibility.” Alles said the service is grappling with an unprecedented number of White House protectees. Under Trump, 42 people have protection, a number that includes 18 members of his family. That’s up from 31 during the Obama administration. Overwork and constant travel have also been driving a recent exodus from the Secret Service ranks, yet without congressional intervention to provide additional funding, Alles will not even be able to pay agents for the work they have already done. The compensation crunch is so serious that the director has begun discussions with key lawmakers to raise the combined salary and overtime cap for agents, from $160,000 per year to $187,000 for at least the duration of Trump’s first term. But even if such a proposal was approved, about 130 veteran agents would not be fully compensated for hundreds of hours already amassed, according to the agency. “I don’t see this changing in the near term,” Alles said. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers expressed deep concern for the continuing stress on the agency, first thrust into turmoil five years ago with disclosures about sexual misconduct by agents in Colombia and subsequent White House security breaches. A special investigative panel formed after a particularly egregious 2014 White House breach also found that that agents and uniform officers worked “an unsustainable number of hours,” which also contributed to troubling attrition rates. While about 800 agents and uniformed officers were hired during the past year as part of an ongoing recruiting blitz to bolster the ranks, attrition limited the agency’s net staffing gain to 300, according to agency records. And last year, Congress had to approve a one-time fix to ensure that 1,400 agents would be compensated for thousands of hours of overtime earned above compensation limits. Last year’s compensation shortfall was first disclosed by USA TODAY. “It is clear that the Secret Service’s demands will continue to be higher than ever throughout the Trump administration,” said Jennifer Werner, a spokesperson for Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings.

5am – E It’s High Time Barron Trump Starts Dressing Like He’s In the White House (The Daily Caller) I’ve been on the Barron Trump train from the start, but it’s about time the president’s son starts dressing the part. Barron is the youngest son of Donald Trump and the only child the president shares with Melania Trump. Time and time again Barron has proved that he’s just a normal 11-year-old kid, despite the fact that his dad is the President of the United States and he lives in the White House. One thing that isn’t normal though is the way he dresses when he joins his parents for a public appearance. Barron was returning to the White House from New Jersey on Sunday and while the president and first lady traveled in their Sunday best, young Barron looked like he was hopping on Air Force One for a trip to the movie theater. Think about how many times your parents forced you to dress up when you were a kid for a special occasion. No matter how hard you resisted, it was inevitable, you weren’t leaving the house until you had your tie tied, your shirt tucked in nice and neat with your hair combed, and a blazer on. That’s not how it goes for the president’s youngest child. Donald Trump and Melania always depart the White House looking their best. The president wore a fine tailored suit and Melania wore an elegant dress just as jaw-dropping as the last. But then Barron steps out in a t-shirt, khaki shorts and some suede loafers. What am I missing here? Is Barron just better than I ever was at rebelling against my parents? Yeah, I’d put the blazer and tie on and comb my hair and all that, but as soon as my mom turned her head you better believe I was messing my hair up and loosening my tie. Hell I might even undo a couple buttons on my shirt if I was feeling like a real badass. Barron doesn’t have to worry about all that, but he should. His dad is always looking dapper and his mom has become a worldwide fashion icon since becoming first lady. The youngest Trump doesn’t have any responsibilities as the president’s son, but the least he could do is dress the part when he steps out in public.

6am – A/B/C    Trump announces new strategy for Afghanistan that calls for a troop increase President Trump outlined a revised vision for the U.S. war in Afghanistan on Monday, pledging to end a strategy of “nation-building” and instead institute a policy aimed more squarely at addressing the terrorist threat that emanates from the region. “I share the American people’s frustration,” he said. “I also share their frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy, money — and, most importantly, lives — trying to rebuild countries in our own image instead of pursuing our security interests above all other considerations.” But Trump provided few specifics about his policy and how much the U.S. military commitment in the region would increase as a result, insisting that conditions on the ground would determine troop levels and strategy. Trump’s decision to further commit to the nation’s longest war, rather than withdraw, reflects a significant shift in his approach to Afghanistan since taking office and marks a new willingness to take greater ownership of a protracted conflict that he had long dismissed as a waste of time and resources. As a candidate, Trump denounced Afghanistan as a “total disaster” and railed that the costly conflict in Central Asia drained enormous resources at a time of more pressing needs at home for American taxpayers. “My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like to follow my instincts,” Trump said in his first prime-time address, delivered from the Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Va. “I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk of the Oval Office.”

6am – D Fox News’ vs. CNN’s Coverage of the Eclipse (Shephard Smith and Wolf Blitzer)

6am – E         COLLEGE CRAZINESS:

• University of Michigan frat scraps Nile River-themed party after cultural appropriation outcry (The Washington Times) A fraternity at the University of Michigan has torpedoed a Nile River-themed party to start the school year due to charges of cultural appropriation. Wolverines who wanted to dress up in costumes for an upcoming Delta Sigma Phi party will no longer have that option due to the Egyptian Student Association. “Delta Sig Presents: The Nile” was abandoned after ESA President Yasmeen Afifi complained on Twitter of “white umich back on their bull–- & culture appropriation.” An early advertisement for the party encouraged students to arrive as a “mummy, Cleopatra, or King Tut.” “We completely accept all responsibility for this ordeal,” the group said in a press release, The Washington Free Beacon reported Monday. “We will begin an education effort to teach ourselves how our actions have an effect on people from a wide variety of backgrounds,” they continued. “This situation will serve as a very teachable moment for every Brother of our chapter by beginning a very important dialogue with those affected. … We have learned our lesson.” Delta Sigma Phi’s president Samuel Finn declined to comment for a piece published Aug. 19 in the school newspaper. “As an Egyptian, and one that has respect for various cultures and civilizations, this party is extremely offensive and disrespectful … I take pride in the grandeur of my people’s legacy and will not allow my culture to be appropriated for your entertainment,” Ms. Afifi wrote Sunday on her Facebook page. “Imagine being one of the most advanced civilizations that has shaped the world we live in today with our architectural genius, literature, science, astronomy, mythology, religion, and mathematics just to be disrespected for white people’s entertainment. What exactly is your contribution to society?”
• War On Racist Horses: USC Commits Unforgivable Sin: Mascot’s Name is Similar to Robert E. Lee’s Horse. Gotta give it to this student group — they worked extra hard to find something racisty where none existed. From the LA Times: …the brief performance before USC kicked off its season against Georgia Tech turned into one of college football’s iconic traditions. A succession of white horses named Traveler have followed — Traveler IX debuts this fall — trotting out of the tunnel as “Conquest” plays and the costumed Trojan warrior atop the horse waves a sword. But during a rally earlier this week to show solidarity in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, Va., a USC campus group linked the name to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose favorite horse was Traveller.     At the rally, according to the student newspaper the Daily Trojan, Saphia Jackson, co-director of the USC Black Student Assembly, asked students not to be quiet, and reminded that “white supremacy hits close to home” and referenced the name of the Trojans mascot. The Black Student Assembly did not respond to requests for comment, but questions about the name’s provenance have increased on social media in the midst of the national discussion on race.

6am – F Plans to ease ‘single biggest source of congestion’ in Northern Va. move forward (WTOP) Drivers who sit in one of the most agonizingly slow daily stretches of traffic in the D.C. region could get a new way around it. There are four potential options to cut down on traffic jams on and around Va. Route 28 from the area near Bull Run — the Fairfax County line — through Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County. Northern Virginia Transportation Authority Chairman Marty Nohe said two options tied to an extension of Godwin Drive appear the most promising. Godwin Drive runs parallel to Va. Route 28 just west of the city of Manassas. Under the plans, it could be extended along land once considered for part of a “Tri-County Parkway” past Prince William Hospital and Splashdown Water Park to connect to Route 28 either just south of Bull Run or just across the creek in Fairfax County, using Ordway Road to connect to the work already underway to widen Route 28 in Fairfax County. Any changes would also fit in with other Route 28 widening projects to the south. ‘The single biggest source of congestion’ The transportation authority has been studying options to help speed up traffic on the Route 28 corridor through the Manassas area for the last year and is now offering the four top alternatives, and a no-build scenario, for comments at a Sept. 7 public meeting. “Over the next few weeks and months, we’ll be reaching out to the community to get input on these to determine which one will not just provide the best cost-benefit, but also will provide the most congestion relief and help people get home from work faster at the end of the day,” Nohe said. “Route 28 has clearly become the single biggest source of congestion for traffic in all of Northern Virginia.”

7am – A INTERVIEW – AMB. JOHN BOLTON – Former Ambassador to the United Nations – discussed President Trump’s Afghanistan strategy

7am – B         ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

• Beyoncé will release a $300, 600-page coffee table book (The Los Angeles Times) Heads up, Beyhive: pop star Beyoncé Knowles is releasing a 600-page coffee table book that details the making of her landmark 2016 album, “Lemonade.” “How to Make Lemonade” is part of a limited-edition box set that also includes two vinyl LPs, Vogue reports. The set is being pre-sold on Beyoncé’s website for $299.99. “The 600+ page hardcover book includes hundreds of never-before-seen photos from the making of LEMONADE, and shows the inspiration and themes behind some of the film’s most provocative and cryptic moments,” the singer’s website says. In addition to the artwork, the book contains writing and lyrics from the former Destiny’s Child singer, as well as poetry by Warsan Shire, the British author whose work appeared on the “Lemonade” album. The foreword to the book was written by Michael Eric Dyson, the radio host, professor and prolific author of books like “Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster” and, most recently, “Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America.”
• Four down, one to go: Johnny Depp sells another of his five Los Angeles penthouses for $1.82 million (‘$600k less than the asking price’) amid divorce and financial woes. (Daily Mail) — The actor, 54, put his five downtown LA penthouses on the market last year for a total of $12.78 million. Sale comes in the wake of his pricey split from ex-wife Amber Heard, finalised in January this year. Johnny has already sold three of the penthouses and is looking to offload all five. Johnny Depp is slowly selling off the five luxury penthouses he owns in Los Angeles, having now offloaded the fourth. The expensive properties – all of which can be found in the Eastern Columbia Building in the downtown area of the city – were listed collectively at $12.78 million last year. His third apartment was listed earlier this year for an eye-watering $2,475 million – but the Pirates Of The Caribbean actor, 54, has sold the fourth for $1.82 million – suggesting the apartment has not met its asking price – not good news for the superstar who is reportedly still suffering financially from his divorce from Amber Heard. The condo has three-bedrooms and two-bathrooms and features high ceilings and extra large windows looking out across LA and the mountains that surround the Californian city. Inside, the stylish kitchen is bedecked in chrome and a feature staircase, in metallic red, spirals to another floor where there is a master bedroom decorated in industrual brickwork.
• Taylor Swift is definitely up to something (CNN) Buckle up Swifties, it looks like the Queen is set to return. Taylor Swift shared a cryptic video snippet Monday across her social media platforms of a snake. But what does it mean? Is she about to slither back into our hearts? Is Swift out for blood? Or is she just making fun of the popular “Taylor Swift is a snake” meme some haters have embraced? The internet is abuzz with theories. To add to the mystery, Swift’s music video collaborator Joseph Kahn retweeted the video snippet with a smiley face. The music lyrics site Genius posted a link to “Timeless,” listing it as being from Swift from the new album “TS6.”

7am – C Latest Navy Ship News:

• Official: US Navy ship lost steering control before collision; Navy divers start searching US warship for 10 missing crew (CNN) US military divers have started searching the flooded areas of US destroyer John S. McCain for 10 sailors reported missing after a collision between the warship and oil tanker Monday. Ships and planes have been scouring seas east of Singapore since the early hours of Monday morning local time, when the warship and tanker crashed, injuring five other sailors. Navy and Marine Corps divers will also assess the extent of damage to the warship, which is docked at a Singapore naval facility, according to a statement from the US Navy. The incident has prompted the US Navy to order a rare, one-day operational pause in response to the collision, which was the latest in a string of accidents involving Navy vessels — with four occurring in Asian waters this year alone. “This trend demands more forceful action,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson said. At least seven vessels from the Malaysian and Singapore navies, plus military aircraft from the USS America, are involved in the search in the waters east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, where the collision took place. The area is near one of the world’s most congested shipping lanes. A Malaysian official said Monday the sea in the area was “quite rough,” with waves up to one meter (three-feet) high.
• Divers Find Remains in Search of U.S. Navy Ship Damaged in Collision Divers have found remains of missing American sailors in the flooded compartments of the Navy destroyer John S. McCain, which collided with an oil tanker on Monday off the coast of Singapore, the commander of the United States Pacific Fleet said Tuesday. The commander, Adm. Scott H. Swift, also said that “potential remains” had been located by the Malaysian Navy, which is involved with the search effort at sea for the 10 missing sailors. Ships and aircraft from five nations have been searching for the missing sailors near the site of the collision, in waters claimed by both Malaysia and Singapore. Each of those two countries claimed to be leading the search effort at sea, which includes ships and planes from the United States, Indonesia and Australia. The John S. McCain was docked on Tuesday at Changi Naval Base in Singapore, with a gaping hole in its port side at the waterline. The collision was the second in two months involving a destroyer from the Navy’s Seventh Fleet, which is based in Yokosuka, Japan. In June, the destroyer Fitzgerald collided with a cargo ship off Japan. Soon afterward, searchers found the bodies of seven missing sailors in its flooded berthing compartments.

7am – D         Confederate/Civil War News:

• Jefferson Memorial exhibit to feature update addressing slavery (Fox News) The Jefferson Memorial, the popular and majestic monument overlooking Washington’s Tidal Basin, is slated for an update that will address the “complexity” of America’s third president — reportedly including his history as a slave owner. Plans for the addition come amid a roiling debate nationwide over Confederate statues that foes say must come down because of their connection to slavery, stirring speculation over whether monuments to founding fathers who owned slaves could be next. The memorial to Thomas Jefferson in Washington is almost certainly safe. But The Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit partner of the National Park Service, is planning an exhibit update—one that’s been in the works for months.
• Texas man tried planting bomb on Confederate statue A Houston man has been arrested after he was allegedly caught trying to plant explosives on a Confederate statue at a Houston park, authorities said Monday. Prosecutors allege 25-year-old Andrew Schneck was caught on Saturday evening near a statue of Richard Dowling, a lieutenant in the Confederate army. A Houston park ranger found Schneck holding two boxes with duct tape and wires as well as a bottle and a small tube containing compounds that tests later revealed were explosive materials, according to a criminal complaint.
• 225-year-old Columbus monument vandalized in Baltimore (The Associated Press) A 225-year-old monument to Christopher Columbus was damaged by a vandal who took a sledgehammer to the obelisk in Baltimore. Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith said at a news conference that crime apparently occurred early Monday. A video of the vandalizing was posted on YouTube. The video included narration by a man who pummeled the base of the 44-foot-tall monument, shattering part of it. Smith says police have not identified suspects in the crime. According to the Maryland Historical Society website, the monument’s cornerstone was laid in 1792 at the north Baltimore country home of one of the first French consuls in the colonies. It was moved to its current location in 1964. Last week, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh ordered four Confederate statues removed.

7am – E         TRUMP TO PHOENIX TUESDAY

• Trump To Visit Marine Base In Yuma Before Phoenix Rally. (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit a Marine Corps base in Arizona along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump is set to visit Marine Air Station Yuma on Tuesday afternoon before he travels to Phoenix to hold a rally. Yuma’s location along the U.S.-Mexico border touches on one of Trump’s signature issues: his call for putting up a border wall to stem illegal immigration from Mexico. The rally in Phoenix will take place at the city’s convention center. Trump tweeted about the event last week with a link for ticket availability. The president has been holding campaign-style events in Trump-friendly areas since he took office. The rally will be his first in the West.
• Why Gov. Doug Ducey won’t attend President Donald Trump’s Phoenix rally. (AZCentral) – Gov. Doug Ducey will greet President Donald Trump on the tarmac after Air Force One touches down Tuesday afternoon for his first presidential visit to the Grand Canyon state. But the Republican governor, who like many in the GOP has diplomatically sidestepped Trump and his more divisive rhetoric, will not attend Trump’s campaign-style rally at the Phoenix Convention Center. Daniel Scarpinato, Ducey’s spokesman, wrote in a statement to The Arizona Republic that Ducey looks forward to welcoming Trump. But, he added, “Gov. Ducey’s focus has been working with law enforcement toward a safe event in downtown Phoenix for all those involved and in the area. That will continue to be his priority during the event and afterwards.” Ducey will be working and will be receiving updates from law enforcement. In the lead-up to the rally, the governor joined law enforcement last Friday for a public-safety briefing,
• Trump Phoenix rally to highlight feisty feud with senator. (AP) – President Donald Trump takes the stage this week at a rally in Arizona, the state’s junior senator will be nowhere to be seen. But Trump is likely to save some choice words for Sen. Jeff Flake. The senator is currently in an escalating feud with the president — a spat that illustrates the upside-down world of Republican politics heading into the 2018 elections. Flake is a Republican incumbent who is beloved by many high-ranking party officials and he is trying to hold onto a seat that the party needs to keep control of Congress. Meanwhile, the president from his own party is actively campaigning against him and Flake is returning the punches. The dynamic highlights the ongoing turmoil in the GOP over how to closely to align with a deeply unpopular president who still retains a devoted base of supporters — voters candidates like Flake will need to win. Flake, who published a book last month questioning Trump’s conservative values, says he mainly backs the president. But he’s shown he’s willing to slam his party’s leader despite knowing the president will hit back — and hard.

• Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump: Great to see that Dr. Kelli Ward is running against Flake Jeff Flake, who is WEAK on borders, crime and a non-factor in Senate. He’s toxic! 3:56 AM – 17 Aug 2017
• Trump set to hold campaign-style rally in Phoenix (CNN) President Donald Trump is trying to turn the page on a disastrous week in which his comments responding to white supremacists’ actions in Charlottesville, Virginia, were condemned across the political spectrum by all but his adoring base. So he is heading west Tuesday to revel in the cheers of thousands of those core supporters. Less than 24 hours after delivering a primetime speech outlining his Afghanistan strategy, Trump will hold a campaign-style rally in Phoenix. In anticipation of Trump’s trip, the political world was buzzing about not just whether the President would set off controversy in Phoenix — but which specific hot-button clash he could wade into. Will Trump pardon Joe Arpaio, the controversial former Arizona sheriff who was convicted of contempt by a federal judge last month in a case that stemmed from racial profiling allegations? Could he endorse Kelli Ward or another Republican challenger to Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, who recently wrote a book decrying Trump’s corrupting influence on the party?

8am – A/B INTERVIEW – LT. COL. RALPH PETERS – Fox News Strategic Analyst and author of the new book “JUDGMENT AT APPOMATTOX”

TOPIC: Trump announces new strategy for Afghanistan that calls for a troop increase

8am – C Officials: 42 injured in train crash at Philadelphia-area station (USA Today) Dozens of people were injured, at least four of them seriously, when a high-speed train crashed into an empty train at a suburban station near Philadelphia early Tuesday. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said the incident happened at around 12:15 a.m. SEPTA spokeswoman Heather Redfern said an inbound Norristown High Speed Line train crashed into an unoccupied stationary train at the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby, injuring 42 people. She said none of the injuries are life-threatening. The driver was treated at a hospital and released, she added. Upper Darby Mayor Nicholas Micozzie said four casualties were taken to area hospitals with serious injuries. “The conductor is in the hospital right now, I can’t release his condition,” he told a news conference. Redfern said Norristown trains are operating as normal, but no express trains are running and commuters can expect some delays. The cause of the crash is being investigated. In February, four people were injured in an accident near the 69th Street Terminal involving three out-of-service commuter trains. At the time, SEPTA said one train rear-ended another on a loop where trains turn around to get back into service. Cars from that accident derailed and hit a third train on nearby tracks. In May 2015, eight people died and more than 200 were injured when an Amtrak train that was en route from Washington, D.C. to New York City derailed in Philadelphia.

8am – D INTERVIEW – LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm and author of “JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity” — discussed Trump’s speech

8am – E Fox News’ vs. CNN’s Coverage of the Eclipse