Cal Thomas, Bruce Klingner and Saagar Enjeti joined WMAL on Wednesday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C Should members of Congress be allowed to sleep in their office?

• ‘It’s almost nasty’: Dems seek crackdown on sleeping in the Capitol (Politico) — A bloc of House Democrats is calling for an ethics investigation into the widespread practice of lawmakers sleeping in their offices, arguing it’s an abuse of taxpayer funds. More than two dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus signed on to a letter obtained by POLITICO to Ethics Committee Chairwoman Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and ranking member Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) asking for a probe into the “legality and propriety” of such conduct by members of Congress. “There’s something unsanitary about bringing people to your office who are talking about public policy where you spent the night, and that’s unhealthy, unsanitary — and some people would say it’s almost nasty,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.

5am – D         Donald Trump believes North Korea’s nuclear disarmament offer is ‘sincere’ (Sky News) — Kim Jong Un is willing to give up nuclear weapons if the security of his regime is guaranteed, according to South Korea, after he reportedly said it was the last wish of his father. It comes after the US concluded the secretive state murdered Kim Jong Un’s half brother Kim Jong Nam, with the nerve agent VX. He died in February last year, shortly after two women sprayed his face with a liquid as he walked through Kuala Lumpur airport. The women are currently on trial in Malaysia, and claim they were tricked into becoming inadvertent assassins, thinking they were filming a prank TV show. An envoy from Seoul made the weapons announcement after meeting the North Korean leader, who is also said to be open to “frank” talks with the US. Speaking at a White House press conference, President Trump said: “I believe they are sincere. I hope they’re sincere.

5am – E         Immigration News:

• Trump DOJ sues California over ‘interference’ with immigration enforcement (Fox News) — The Trump Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday night against California, saying three recently-passed state laws were deliberately interfering with federal immigration policies. It marked the latest legal and political confrontation with the nation’s most populous state, which the federal government says has repeatedly stood in the way of its plans to step up enforcement actions in the workplace and against criminal aliens. “The Department of Justice and the Trump Administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional policies,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions was expected to tell California law enforcement officers on Wednesday. “We are fighting to make your jobs safer and to help you reduce crime in America.” The state’s Democratic governor, Jerry Brown, fired back: “At a time of unprecedented political turmoil, Jeff Sessions has come to California to further divide and polarize America. Jeff, these political stunts may be the norm in Washington, but they don’t work here. SAD!!!” Federal officials are seeking an injunction to immediately block enforcement of the three California laws, each enacted within the past year.
• Illegal immigrants with sex, robbery convictions among those who evaded capture after Dem mayor’s warning (Fox News) — A Democratic mayor’s warning to illegal immigrants of an incoming ICE raid in northern California may have led to a number of illegal immigrants with violent and sex-related convictions evading capture and deportation. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tweeted out an impending warning of the four-day raid last week, alerting targeted individuals to the imminent arrests, and infuriating Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, who say that many more could have been caught if they hadn’t been warned. The raid led to the arrest of 232 illegal immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area, 180 of which ICE said “were either convicted criminals, had been issued a final order of removal and failed to depart the United States, or had been previously removed” from the country and had come back illegally.

6am – A/B/C FATHER MAKES KID RUN IN THE RAIN FOR BULLYING – Do you agree with this type of parenting or is the father bullying his son?

• Dad discovers son bullies kids. Video of punishment goes viral: ‘Don’t be a friend, be a parent’ (The Blaze) — Virginia father Bryan Thornhill made his 10-year-old son run to school in the rain after the child was suspended from riding the school bus for reportedly bullying other children. Thornhill filmed his son’s punishment, and the video — which was shared to Thornhill’s Facebook page just last week — has been viewed more than 1.7 million times so far. What happened in the video? Thornhill, who is driving his car behind his 10-year-old son, narrated the video and explained why he’s punishing his son. “Hey everyone, welcome to ‘You better listen to your Dad 2018,’” Thornhill began. “My son has finally got in trouble on the bus enough to where he was kicked off the bus for three days because he was being a little bully, which I do not tolerate, can’t stand.” Thornhill said that his son received a suspension from riding the bus and as a result must find his own transportation to school for a week. “We’re right about one mile from the school, so all week he’s got the experience of running,” Thornhill added. Thornhill continued filming and made a joke about the child’s running pace: “The good news is guys he keeps up a pretty good mile pace, six miles an hour so far. Yesterday he was apparently a little rude for Michelle in the morning, so even though it’s raining this morning he still gets to run.” Thornhill explained that his son’s school behavior over the week has improved, adding, “This right here is called ‘parenting.’”

6am – D         INTERVIEW: CAL THOMAS – Syndicated Columnist – discussed North Korea saying they may be willing to give up nuclear weapons and the bizarre interviews from Sam Nunberg

6am – E         WEST VA TEACHER STRIKE ENDS: West Virginia raises teacher pay to end statewide strike (Fox News) — With unanimous votes, West Virginia legislators raised teacher pay by 5 percent to end the nine-day walkout. Gov. Jim Justice and West Virginia’s Republican leaders had tentatively agreed Tuesday to end the strike and bring 277,000 students back to school and 35,000 employees back to work. Lawmakers will seek to cut state spending by $20 million, taking funds from general services and Medicaid, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Craig Blair said. “We have reached a deal,” Justice tweeted. “I stood rock solid on the 5% Teacher pay raise and delivered. Not only this, but my staff and I made additional cuts which will give all State employees 5% as well. All the focus should have always been on fairness and getting the kids back in school.”

6am – F         White House shakeups:

• Gary Cohn Resigns as White House Economic Adviser After Losing Tariffs Fight.
• Trump Confronted Cohn on Trade Hours Before Resignation, Sources Say
• TWITTER TRUMP: Will be making a decision soon on the appointment of new Chief Economic Advisor. Many people wanting the job – will choose wisely!
• White House Preparing for McMaster Exit —- JOHN BOLTON Considered Contender

7am – A          INTERVIEW — BRUCE KLINGNER – former CIA’s deputy division chief for Korea and a senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center – discussed new talks with North Korea and their history of breaking promises, and whether trump should get credit for these new talks

7am – B         CNN and MSNBC Get Blowback For ‘Exploiting’ Sam Nunberg:

• Tucker Carlson and Brit Hume discussed whether it was appropriate for CNN/MSNBC to have interviewed NUNBERG multiple times

• Yikes: Even ‘The View’ Felt Cable News Exploited Sam Nunberg (News Busters) — It finally seemed so exploitative that even the crew of The View felt the cable networks were being overly exploitive. Perhaps one of those rare times that The View seemed sympathetic towards someone who was in any way connected with the Trump campaign or administration.
• Fox’s Charlie Gasparino bashed the media for putting Nunberg drunk on air.
• Sam Nunberg Apologizes To Sarah Sanders, Is Complying With Mueller And Thinks The Media Was Fair To Him. (Daily Caller/Saagar Enjeti) – Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg told The Daily Caller he is sorry for attacking White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, will comply with special counsel Robert Mueller’s order to turn over some email correspondence and believes he was treated fairly by the media during his Monday media blitz. “It was wrong of me to attack Sarah,” Nunberg told TheDC. “Sarah’s very talented. It was a rude comment. I understand she was just doing her job, and I think she does a very good job under rough circumstances… I owe her an apology. I was having a rough day.” Nunberg told TheDC he is now undergoing the process of complying with Mueller’s subpoena by sifting through and copying his emails. He credited his decision to comply to the counsel of Professor Maya Wiley, whom he spoke with live on air during a Monday appearance on Ari Melber’s MSNBC show. Nunberg stressed he still “doesn’t know” if he will appear Friday before investigators as requested.

7am – C         GET YOUR D.C. METRO SWAG? Metro Yoga Pants So Hot. Metro pop-up store coming to Metro Center (Fox 5 DC) — A Metro pop-up store will be offering Metro-branded clothing, totes, umbrellas, coffee mugs and more beginning Wednesday. Metro announced the pop-up “M Shop” would be opening inside Metro Center near the entrance of 12th and F streets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. From mugs and maps to yoga pants and bags, the shop will feature a plethora of Metro-inspired swag. “M Shop represents another potential source of revenue to help support Metrorail and Metrobus operations,” Metro General Manager and CEO Paul Wiedefeld said in part of a written statement. Following the grand opening of the store, Metro said M Shop will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

7am – D         School shooting activists:

• Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Sarah Chadwick said in a video posted to social media telling NRA their time is running out. (The Hill) — A survivor of last month’s mass shooting at a Parkland, Fla., high school on Tuesday shared a video and tweet imitating a National Rifle Association (NRA) ad and warning politicians that their “time is running out” to enact gun law reforms. “We are done with your agenda to undermine the safety of our nation’s youth, and the individual voices of the American people,” Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Sarah Chadwick said in a video posted to social media. She directed her message to “every government official unwilling to take action and make change,” and “those who refuse to accept commonsense gun safety as a bipartisan issue.” She also mentioned “every spokeswoman with an hourglass who uses their free speech to alter and undermine what our flag represents,” a reference to NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch.
• Parkland Student David Hogg says he spoke to the White House and said “Trump Must “Listen To The Screams Of The Children”
• Parkland Survivor Kyle Kashuv Calls Out David Hogg’s Hypocrisy.
• VICTIM OF FL SHOOTING FILES FIRST LAWSUIT (Daily Mail) — A 15-year-old who was grievously wounded in the Florida school shooting has filed notice that he will sue authorities to seek money to cover the cost of his recovery. A lawyer for Anthony Borges and his family says the sheriff’s office, the school resource officer, the Broward County school system and the principal at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School failed to protect students from the teen gunman who killed 17 people and wounded more than a dozen others on Valentine’s Day.

7am – E         Food News:

• Starbucks drive-thru refuses to serve horse-riding teen.  (Fox News) — Starbucks drive-thru refuses to serve horse-riding teen. A teenager learned the hard way that a Starbucks in Anthem, AZ, does not allow animals through the drive-thru. Aspen Cline was visiting the coffee chain with her friend to get frappuccinos when they were informed they wouldn’t be allowed to order. “We weren’t given a reason. Just, ‘we can’t take your order.’ My friend and I were going to get frappuccinos for us and a cup of whipped cream for the horses,” Cline said, FOX 6 reported.

• McDonald’s quarter-pounders get fresh makeover (Fox Business) — McDonald’s is now offering fresh beef rather than frozen patties in some burgers. The switch was announced last year as more people wanted fresher foods. McDonald’s says it’s launching quarter-pounders made with fresh beef in about 3,500 restaurants, which will be available in eight cities, including Atlanta, Miami and Salt Lake City, and then roll out to most U.S. McDonald’s by May.

8am – A         INTERVIEW: SAAGAR ENJETI – White House reporter, Daily Caller – discussed news that North Korea may be willing to eliminate nuclear weapons, shakeups at the White House, and Sam Nunberg.

8am – B         Robert Mueller Investigation Update:

• Trey Gowdy: ‘There Are Far Fewer Leaks From Bob Mueller Than There Are From Adam Schiff’ (Daily Caller) — Republican South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy went after Adam Schiff in a Fox News interview Tuesday. “There are far fewer leaks from Bob Mueller than there are from Adam Schiff.” Following the news that Gowdy and Rep. Bob Goodlatte are calling for a second special counsel to investigate alleged FISA abuse at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Fox News’ Bill Hemmer asked why Congress couldn’t just investigate the matter themselves. Gowdy responded, “Anyone who’s watched Congress over the last 12 months–we leak like sieves. And I say ‘we’ only because I’m a member of Congress.” “That’s pretty common for this town however,” Hemmer said. “It is, but serious investigations don’t leak,” Gowdy responded. “The executive branch investigations, whether its your local district attorney or whether its Bob Mueller–there are far fewer leaks from Bob Mueller than there are from Adam Schiff. So, we don’t have the tools. We don’t have access to a grand jury. We can’t grant immunity, we can’t compel testimony. And–we’re not–we don’t prosecute crime. So, there are 1,000 reasons to let the executive branch or special counsel handle this as opposed to Congress.” Gowdy said on Fox News Sunday that a second special counsel to investigate the DOJ “may be unavoidable.”
• Gowdy, Goodlatte demand appointment of special counsel, citing FISA abuses (Fox News) — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Rep. Trey Gowdy on Tuesday demanded the appointment of a special counsel to investigate “conflicts of interest” and decisions “made and not made” by current and former Justice Department officials in 2016 and 2017, noting that “the public interest requires” the action. Gowdy, R-S.C., and Goodlatte, R-Va., penned a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. “Matters have arisen—both recently and otherwise—which necessitate the appointment of a Special Counsel. We do not make this observation and attendant request lightly,” Gowdy and Goodlatte wrote. In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Gowdy and Goodlatte spoke about the discovery of new information as their reasoning behind calling for a second independent counsel. “What changed for me was the knowledge that there are two dozen witnesses that Michael Horowitz, the [DOJ] Inspector General, would not have access to,” Gowdy said. “When I counted up 24 witnesses that he would not be able to access were he to investigate it, yeah only one conclusion, that’s special counsel.” That list of witnesses included former FBI director James Comey, Gowdy confirmed.

8am – C         TEXAS PRIMARY:

• George P. Bush avoids runoff election in Texas after late Trump endorsement (The Hill) — George P. Bush, Texas’s current land commissioner, has won his GOP primary race outright, fending off a tough challenge from a former office holder and avoiding a runoff. Bush bested former land commissioner Jerry Patterson with help from a late endorsement from President Trump. The Associated Press projected him the outright winner shortly after 10 p.m. Central Time when he had about 58 percent of the vote.
• Cruz, O’Rourke easily win Texas Senate primaries (The Hill) — Sen. Ted Cruz (R) and his Democratic challenger, Beto O’Rourke, coasted to primary victories in Texas on Tuesday, setting the pair up for a November showdown. The Associated Press called each of the U.S. Senate primary races for Cruz and O’Rourke less than an hour after the polls closed.  As of 10 p.m. Eastern time, and with less than 10 percent of votes tallied, O’Rourke led his nearest challenger by roughly 40 percentage points.  Cruz had an even wider margin, leading his nearest challenger by nearly 80 percentage points with 10 percent of the vote totaled. O’Rourke, an El Paso resident, raised $2.3 million in the first six weeks of 2018, compared to Cruz’s $800,000 over the same time period.

8am – D/E     Congressional Black Caucus Members Aren’t Happy That Fellow Lawmakers Sleep At The Capitol. ‘It’s almost nasty’: Dems seek crackdown on sleeping in the Capitol. (Poltico) — The practice of lawmakers bunking in their offices is unsanitary — and an abuse of taxpayer funds, according to members of the Congressional Black Caucus. A bloc of House Democrats is calling for an ethics investigation into the widespread practice of lawmakers sleeping in their offices, arguing it’s an abuse of taxpayer funds. More than two dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus signed on to a letter obtained by POLITICO to Ethics Committee Chairwoman Susan Brooks (R-Ind.) and ranking member Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) asking for a probe into the “legality and propriety” of such conduct by members of Congress. “There’s something unsanitary about bringing people to your office who are talking about public policy where you spent the night, and that’s unhealthy, unsanitary — and some people would say it’s almost nasty,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.