Marc Scribner, Steve Kastenbaum, Dan Bongino, and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C Trump administration wants to sell National and Dulles airports, other assets across U.S. (Washington Post) — The Trump administration is pushing federal officials to sell off, privatize or otherwise dispose of a broad array of government assets, from Reagan National Airport and the George Washington Memorial Parkway along the Potomac River to properties held by federal agencies across the country. The proposals are part of a long-awaited infrastructure initiative that President Trump has referred to repeatedly since the night of his election in 2016, when he struck a bipartisan tone in promising to “rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals.” In last month’s State of the Union address, he called for remaking the nation “with American heart, American hands and American grit.” The $200 billion infrastructure proposal, crafted over the past year but overshadowed by other priorities such as tax cuts and immigration, is focused on speeding up permitting by reducing environmental regulations. It also is geared toward trying to prompt state and local governments and private industry to spend more on projects without major new federal investments. It would achieve that with a mix of loan and grant programs, including those focused on rural areas and risky but potentially “transformative” projects.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS CONDEMN TRUMP’S PROPOSAL TO SELL OFF AIRPORTS ARLINGTON, Va.: Local lawmakers representing the Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport areas today expressed their strong opposition to President Donald J. Trump’s proposal to sell these two critical national assets as a part of his infrastructure plan. “President Trump is gambling with two of our country’s most important transportation assets without considering the high economic stakes,” said Delegate Richard C. “Rip” Sullivan, Jr. (D-McLean). “From Chicago’s Midway Airport to Newburgh’s Stewart International Airport, attempted airport privatization has failed repeatedly, costing taxpayers money and creating economic uncertainty. Taking this risk with airports so critical to Virginia’s economy, not to mention the operation of our nation’s Capital, is simply irresponsible.” “I am fully against any proposal to sell Dulles International Airport to a private entity. Keeping the airport public ensures access, safety, and reliability at one of the largest airports in the nation,” said Delegate John J. Bell (D-Loudoun). “It’s an obligation to provide for a public transportation asset like airports that support our nation’s Capital. Long-term viability of the airport must be maintained, as one of the only airports in the United States that has the opportunity for expansion. I condemn the President’s proposal and hope that Congress does not fall into the slippery slope of selling off national assets.”

5am – D         Donald Trump Jr.’s wife taken to hospital after opening envelope with white powder (Fox News) — Vanessa Trump was taken to the hospital as a precaution, police said. Two other people who were also exposed to the powder were taken to the hospital. A hazmat crew was called to the scene and began decontamination procedures shortly after the incident. Trump Jr. tweeted of the “scary situation” on Monday afternoon, and blamed the incident on people with “opposing views.” “Thankful that Vanessa & my children are safe and unharmed after the incredibly scary situation that occurred this morning,” Trump Jr. said. “Truly disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their opposing views with such disturbing behavior.”

5am – E         Byron York: Comey told Congress FBI agents didn’t think Michael Flynn lied (Washington Examiner) — In March 2017, then-FBI Director James Comey briefed a number of Capitol Hill lawmakers on the Trump-Russia investigation. One topic of intense interest was the case of Michael Flynn, the Trump White House national security adviser who resigned under pressure on Feb. 13 after just 24 days in the job. There were widespread reports that Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about telephone conversations that he, Flynn, had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition in late December 2016. On Jan. 24, 2017, two of Comey’s FBI agents went to the White House to question Flynn, and there was a lot of speculation later that Flynn lied in that interview, which would be a serious crime. “The Jan. 24 interview potentially puts Flynn in legal jeopardy,” the Washington Post reported in February. “Lying to the FBI is a felony offense.”

6am – A         Utah mom upset after school tells 6th grade students they can’t say no when asked to dance (KHQ) — A Utah mom says her daughter’s elementary school is sending the wrong message with a rule that won’t let students say no if they are asked to dance. The school says the rule is meant to promote inclusion. Natalie Richard said she thought her daughter had misunderstood misunderstood when she said she couldn’t turn down a dance during Kaneville Elementary School’s Valentine’s Day dance. “Oh no, no honey,” RIchard said. “You guys are misunderstanding again. That’s not how it is.” But Richard spoke with her daughter’s teacher and was blown away when she learned the rule was actually in place.

6am – B         Ellison Attended Private Dinner With Iranian President and Louis Farrakhan in 2013 (Free Beacon) — Rep. Keith Ellison (D., Minn.), deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, attended a private event with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013, according to a newly resurfaced report. Anti-bigotry organizations have long pegged Farrakhan as both racist and anti-Semitic, citing his praise of Adolf Hitler, his obsession with Jews, and his belief that white people are subhumans created by an ancient African scientist. During the late 1980s through the 1990s, Ellison wrote a series of columns defending Farrakhan and embracing extremist black separatist positions. Writing under the name “Keith Hakim,” Ellison proclaimed that Farrakhan was “a role model for black youth” and defended a University of Minnesota campus speaker who claimed that “the Zionists joined with the Nazis in murdering Jews, so they would flee to Palestine.” When first running for Congress in 2006, Ellison apologized to Jewish leaders and wrote in a letter that “I have long since distanced myself from and rejected the Nation of Islam.” But despite that statement, the Nation of Islam newspaper the Final Call reported that both Ellison and Farrakhan attended a private dinner and “dialogue” hosted by Rouhani when the Iranian president visited the United States in 2013.

REVEALED: Three Democrats Attended Private Dinner With Iran’s President And Louis Farrakhan (Daily Caller) — Three Democratic congressmen attended a private dinner hosted by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013, a new report reveals. Reps. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Andre Carson of Indiana and Gregory Meeks of New York attended the private dinner, along with Louis Farrakhan, a notorious anti-Semite who leads the black supremacist group Nation of Islam. Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism, according to the United States government, which has listed the Islamic Republic as a state sponsor of terror since 1984. Rouhani was in New York for a United Nations meeting and held the dinner party just hours after speaking to the UN General Assembly. Final Call, a Nation of Islam publication, noted the three Democrats’ attendance at the time and included photos of Ellison and Meeks at the dinner party. But aside from the Final Call article, the three Democrats’ presence at the dinner remained secret until a Wall Street Journal column revealed it on Friday. None of the three congressmen’s offices responded to The Daily Caller’s request for comment for this article.

6am – C         Republicans consider the unthinkable: A gas tax increase to pay for infrastructure (Washington Examiner) — Republicans are weighing whether to raise the federal gas tax. It’s an idea they are prone to hate, but they may need it to pay for President Trump’s infrastructure investment plan. Supporters of the idea note that the tax hasn’t been raised since 1993 and have plenty of evidence that resistance to a hike is wearing down. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently called for the Trump administration and Congress to raise the gas tax by 25 cents per gallon to help pay for an infrastructure package, projecting it would generate more than $375 billion over a decade. For 25 years, the federal tax on gasoline has held steady at 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per gallon for diesel. It is not indexed to inflation. The Republican chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rep. Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, prodded colleagues at the recent GOP retreat to consider setting aside years of opposition and raise the tax.

6am – D         Susan Rice Sent ‘Unusual Email’ To Herself Moments Before Trump’s Inauguration (Daily Caller) — Two Republican senators say they’ve uncovered an “unusual email” that Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice sent to herself on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham say they find the email odd because of the timing and the substance of the message. They also noted that Rice suggested there was talk of withholding classified information from the incoming Trump administration. Rice sent the email at 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2017, her final day in office. In the message, she memorialized a Jan. 5 Oval Office meeting she attended with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. The topic was the ongoing investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion. According to press reports, Comey briefed Obama that day on the unverified Steele dossier. Grassley and Graham laid out their concerns with the email in a letter sent to Rice last week.

6am – E         Breakfast News: Happy Pancake Day 2018!

• IHOP Reminds Diners Its Omelettes Come With Pancakes

Comedic Spot From Droga5 Shows You Don’t Have to Choose (Creativity) — Anyone who’s eaten at IHOP, and even those who haven’t, know it’s known for pancakes. The restaurant’s name, after all, is an acronym for its original name, International House of Pancakes. Now, after an all-you-can-eat pancake push that ended Sunday, its moving some of the focus from pancakes to omelettes. In the DineEquity chain’s latest work from Droga5 a man and his horse come to a literal fork in the road. The wanderer contemplates which way to go to satisfy his hunger, flip flopping between pancakes and omelettes. The answer becomes clear thanks to a gentleman off to the side, who suggests going to IHOP. After all, IHOP’s many omelettes come with pancakes on the side, leaving him no need to choose between savory and sweet. And, lucky for the hungry horseman, there’s an IHOP right there. The “Wanderer” push is the family dining chain’s second campaign from Droga5, which IHOP announced as its new creative agency of record in November. Droga5’s first work on IHOP promoted the Jan. 2-Feb. 11 $3.99 all-you-can-eat pancake deal with a spot showing airline pilots replacing much of their usual preflight chatter with the word “pancakes.”

• Media Revives Fears Global Warming Will Make Maple Syrup An ‘Extinct’ Condiment (Daily Caller) — NPR is reviving a month-old study warming could lead to the “demise” of sugar maple trees, and thus maple syrup, if nothing is done to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Michigan study that NPR cited examined more than 1,000 trees in special federally-funded test sites set up to see how human nitrogen emissions affects maple tree growth. Researchers then extrapolated that data to about 80 years under different global warming scenarios. “The findings were sobering: Climate change has led to warmer, drier growing seasons, stunting the growth of sugar maples,” NPR reported Monday, adding that warming “could eventually render the sticky stuff extinct.” “The biggest trees will still be there, but won’t be growing as much and the little saplings won’t survive, [so] once the older trees start dying, there will be no new trees to replace them,” University of Michigan ecologist Inés Ibáñez told NPR. NPR isn’t the first to warn about the “demise” of maple syrup. Media outlets reported on the University of Michigan study when it was published in January. Science magazine ran a similar story suggesting warming could “bring an end to sugar maples.” NPR ended the article telling readers that “stocking up on maple syrup now will protect against dry pancakes in the future.”

6am – F         Chicago Station Mixes Up PyeongChang and P.F. Chang’s (Chicago Tribune) — Oh boy. The ABC station in Chicago, WLS, aired a graphic that should have said PyeongChang 2018, but it said P.F. Chang. Pyeongchang is a mountainous county 110 miles southeast of Seoul in South Korea, and the host of the 2018 Winter Olympics. P.F. Chang’s is an Asian-inspired chain restaurant with 210 U.S. locations, including ones in Chicago, Lombard, Northbrook, Orland Park and Schaumburg. PyeongChang and P.F. Chang’s are not the same thing, and beyond the fact that they both begin with the letter P and end in “Chang,” they have little in common. This distinction, however, appears to have eluded WLS-Ch.7’s news team, which on Saturday morning accidentally broadcast a report about the political backdrop to the Winter Olympics, illustrated with the graphic, “P.F. Chang 2018.” Jayme Nicholas, a spokesperson for the ABC affiliate in Chicago, told Inc. that the goof was the result of a mix-up. The graphic was created for a different “satirical piece” put together on Friday by sports anchor Mark Giangreco in which viewers were encouraged to invent their own Olympic sports, but it was mistakenly also used for the serious news story read on Saturday by weekend anchor Mark Rivera, Nicholas said. Nicholas apologized for the gaffe, which is the kind of screw-up that makes all of us in the news business touch wood and utter the phrase, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

7am – A          INTERVIEW – MARC SCRIBNER – senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) – discussed President Trump’s infrastructure plan, the plan to sell-off airports, and the Republican Plan to increase taxes on gas

BIO: Marc Scribner is a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Scribner joined CEI in 2008. He focuses on transportation, land use, and urban growth policy issues. These include infrastructure investment and operations, transportation safety and security, risk and regulation, privatization and public finance, urban redevelopment and property rights, and emerging transportation technologies such as automated road vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems. He frequently advises policy makers on these matters at the federal, state, and local levels.

7am – B/C     OBAMAS UNVEIL OFFICIAL PORTRAITS 

• The National Portrait Gallery on Monday unveiled portraits of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama – to a very mixed reception.  Even though Barack Obama praised Baltimore-based artist Amy Sherald “for so spectacularly capturing the grace and beauty and intelligence and charm and hotness of the woman I love,” many critics on social media slammed the rendition of the former first lady.

• Obama Portrait Painter Once Painted Piece Depicting A Black Woman Beheading A White Woman (Daily Caller) — Former President Barack Obama’s portrait painter once depicted a black woman holding the cutoff head of a white woman in a reimagining of a story from the book of Judith. Kehinde Wiley, the painter of Obama’s portrait for the National Portrait Gallery, reimagined the story of Judith beheading Holofernes from the deuterocanonical Book of Judith as a black woman beheading a white woman years ago. “It’s sort of a play on the ‘kill whitey’ thing,” Wiley told New York Magazine previously.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – STEVE KASTENBAUM – Correspondent in Pyeongchang, South Korea – recapped the Olympics

Winter Olympics 2018 Medal Count: Americans add gold on Day 4

Team USA had a good Monday, adding a third gold medal to its medal count and raising its total haul to six. A gold medal came for the Americans on Day 4 from 17-year-old snowboarder Chloe Kim, who stood atop the podium for her performance in the halfpipe. Team USA also earned the bronze medal in the event, as Arielle Gold joined Kim in the halfpipe top three. The only other country with more gold medals so far is Germany, which has four gold medals; the Netherlands is tied with the United States with three. Norway still leads the total medal count with nine.

7am – E         New York Times opinion writer and staff editor Bari Weiss dealt with a lot of online flak on Monday over a tweet she posted about U.S. Olympic skater Mirai Nagasu. (Mediaite) — New York Times opinion writer and staff editor Bari Weiss dealt with a lot of online flak on Monday over a tweet she posted about U.S. Olympic skater Mirai Nagasu. Nagasu impressed the world last night when she became the first American woman to land a triple axel at the Olympic figure skating competition. Weiss acknowledged the feat earlier today when she sent out this now-deleted message:

Bari Weiss @bariweiss

Immigrants: They get the job done.

Her tweet was in response to this tweet:

NBC Olympics @NBCOlympics

“HOLY COW!” You just witnessed a historic triple axel from Mirai Nagasu #WinterOlympics

Hamilton references aside, Nagasu is an American citizen, having been born to Japanese immigrants living in California. As it were, Weiss mixed it up with several online commentators after her tweet drew a lot of hate over what exactly she was trying to insinuate.

 Goth Ms. Frizzle @spookperson

was the poetic license in saying she looks asian so she must be an immigrant despite being born in california

 Bari Weiss

@bariweiss

Her parents are immigrants. The whole thing was a compliment. I deeply resent the implication of your tweet.

5:37 PM – Feb 12, 2018

 Ishaan Tharoor

@ishaantharoor

She’s not white… so she has to be an “immigrant”?

 james hirsh @jameshirsh

Replying to @bariweiss

She was born in California

 Bari Weiss

@bariweiss

Yes, yes, I realize. Felt the poetic license was kosher.

4:39 PM – Feb 12, 2018

Bari Weiss

‏@bariweiss

11h11 hours ago

Do you need another sign of civilization’s end? Here’s one: I tweeted “Immigrants: we get the job done” with a video of Mirai Nagasu’s triple axel. The line is a Hamilton reference. I know she was born in Cali. Her parents are immigrants. I was celebrating her and them. (1/2)

8am – A         INTERVIEW – DAN BONGINO – former Secret Service agent and author of “Protecting the President” and host of “The Dan Bongino Show” podcast – discussed Secret Service security, former CIA director John Brennan, and the Susan Rice email

• Pence and Kim Jung Un’s sister sat in the same box at the Olympics — what kind of security concerns does Secret Service have to think of?
• Susan Rice Sent ‘Unusual Email’ To Herself Moments Before Trump’s Inauguration
• Dan Bongino: John Brennan ‘In a World of Trouble’ Over Dossier Testimony

8am – B         Immigration News:

• Senate begins debate on immigration and the fate of “Dreamers” (CBS News) — WASHINGTON — The Senate begins a rare, open-ended debate on immigration and the fate of the “Dreamer” immigrants on Monday, and Republican senators say they’ll introduce President Donald Trump’s plan. Though his proposal has no chance of passage, Trump may be the most influential voice in the conversation. If the aim is to pass a legislative solution, Trump will be a crucial and, at times, complicating player. His day-to-day turnabouts on the issues have confounded Democrats and Republicans and led some to urge the White House to minimize his role in the debate for fear he’ll say something that undermines the effort. Yet his ultimate support will be vital if Congress is to overcome election-year pressures against compromise. No Senate deal is likely to see the light of day in the more conservative House without the president’s blessing and promise to sell compromise to his hard-line base.

• Republican leaders say Senate immigration debate may end Thursday (CNN) — Senate Republicans on Monday night declared they would only allow immigration to be on the Senate floor for one week — pressuring Democrats to show their hand as the Senate inched closer to opening its debate. Senators took a key step toward opening debate on immigration Monday evening, kicking off an exercise with little modern precedent that could affect millions of lawful and undocumented immigrants. The procedural vote, which passed 97-1, allows the Senate to next vote to officially open debate — a vote expected on Tuesday. But Senate Republican leadership said Democrats would have to act fast if they wanted to offer proposals. “This is Sen. (Dick) Durbin and Democrats’ opportunity and so far they kind of seem to be a little confused about what they’re planning on doing — but they better get it done quick because it’s this week or not at all,” said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn. “We need to get it wrapped up by Thursday,” Cornyn said.

8am – C         Obama adviser pleaded guilty to trying to take pictures up women’s skirts on the train (Washington Examiner) — A senior adviser to former President Barack Obama resigned in the final days of the Obama administration, and was later convicted of following women on the D.C. Metro and trying to take pictures up their skirts, newly released documents reveal. William Mendoza stepped down after being arrested and charged with attempted voyeurism in November 2016, according to the Daily Mail. The former executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education, who was also a Department of Education official, attempted to take photographs and videos up women’s skirts at least four times while using his government issued iPhone in July 2016.

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” @larry_kudlow – discussed President Trump’s proposal to impose reciprocal taxes, infrastructure, and a potential gas tax.

8am – E         Parents boycott ‘Peter Rabbit’ movie over food allergy scene

• Allergy bullying: When food is a weapon (CNN) — “Peter Rabbit” has found itself in the middle of a food allergy controversy that has prompted some parents to boycott the animated children’s film and Sony Pictures to issue an apology.The uproar began with a bundle of blackberries. Now, due to that scene, parents of children with life-threatening allergies are condemning the movie and expressing their concerns on Twitter with the hashtag #boycottpeterrabbit. “For them to mock something so serious is irresponsible and dangerous,” said Dr. Purvi Parikh, an allergist and immunologist at NYU Langone Medical Center and an allergist with the nonprofit Allergy & Asthma Network.
• Sony apologizes as ‘Peter Rabbit’ movie makes parents hopping mad  (NBC News) — There’s nothing funny about anaphylactic shock, even when it’s caused by a cute little bunny, according to a group of concerned parents and allergy activists. In “Peter Rabbit,” the new Sony Pictures movie based on the children’s book, a family of bunnies fight for access to the infamous Tom McGregor’s backyard. In one scene, Peter Rabbit attacks McGregor where he’s weakest — his allergy to blackberries. After Peter flings a blackberry into McGregor’s mouth, McGregor suffers from anaphylaxis and is forced to use an adrenaline injector. That scene from the surprisingly contentious movie released on Friday has now prompted some parents and allergy awareness organizations to boycott the children’s film and petition for an apology from Sony Pictures. Globalaai, an Australian not-for-profit charity for allergy awareness, calls it a “socially irresponsible depiction in a movie aimed at children.” The classic children’s book “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” on which the movie is based does not include this scene.