Bryan Nehman, Brian Wilson, WMAL Host Larry O’Connor, Joe diGenova, Mary Katharine Ham, Eli Lake, Ron Kessler, Rep. Mark Meadows, and WMAL Host Chris Plante joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, April 9, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A         INTERVIEW – BRYAN NEHMAN- former WMAL morning show host – remembered our technical director Mike McKay after his passing this weekend

WMAL Remembers Beloved Teammate Mike McKay. (WMAL) — We are sad to share the news of the passing of our longtime friend and colleague – Mike McKay. Mike, who has served as the technical director for “Mornings On The Mall” and “The Chris Plante Show” for many years, passed away late last week. A 30+ year member of the WMAL family, Mike was a kind and generous friend. Before his radio career, Mike served our nation in Vietnam, and served his fellow servicemen and women as a combat medic. He is survived by his two sons and their families and by his friends at WMAL.

5am – B         Syrian monitoring group: 14 people killed, including Iranians, in early morning missile attack on Syrian air base.

• U.N. Security Council to meet on Monday after Syria attack (Reuters) — NEW YORK (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday following rival requests by Russia and the United States after a deadly chemical attack in Syria and a warning by U.S. President Donald Trump that there would be a “big price to pay.”
• Trump blames Obama for deadly chemical attack in Syria (NY Post) — President Trump on Sunday vowed “Animal Assad” would pay a “big price” for an apparent chemical weapons attack that killed dozens in Syria. And in a rare public rebuke, Trump also called out Russian leader Vladimir Putin for propping up the despot. Rescue workers said at least 42 people — mostly women and children — died in the gas attack on a rebel-held area of Douma, a suburb of the capital, and reported finding entire families suffocated in their homes with white foam covering their mouths. They warned the death toll could rise because the strong smell of chlorine gas has hampered efforts to look for other victims. Trump called for Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad to allow aid groups into the area and blamed Putin by name and Iran for supporting the government. ​”​Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world​,” Trump posted on Twitter.

5am – C         Florida woman blames cocaine in purse on windy day ‘It must have flown through the window and into my purse,’ Kennecia Wells says (Local 10) — A Florida woman who was arrested last month on drug possession charges blamed the cocaine found in her purse on the wind. Kennecia Posey, 26, was one of two passengers in a car that was swerving in the roadway when it was stopped by Fort Pierce police March 21. According to the police report, an officer approached the car and smelled an odor of marijuana coming from inside. During a search of the car, the officer found cocaine and marijuana in separate bags inside a purse that Posey had on her lap. When questioned about the drugs, Posey admitted that the marijuana was hers, police said. The cocaine was a different story. “I don’t know anything about any cocaine,” Posey said, according to the report. “It’s a windy day. It must have flown through the window and into my purse.” Posey was booked into the county jail on one felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession. She was later released on bond.

5am – D         Loretta Lynch to talk Clinton tarmac meeting, James Comey in Monday interview (Washington Examiner) — Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch will appear in an interview with “NBC Nightly News” host Lester Holt on Monday, where the two will discuss not only her controversial tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton in 2016, but also former FBI Director James Comey. “Lynch will discuss former FBI Director James Comey, her airplane meeting with President Bill Clinton during the 2016 campaign and more,” the show’s official Twitter account tweeted Friday. The tarmac meeting became a major campaign issue in 2016, and was reignited thanks to recent testimony from Comey in the summer of last year. Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Lynch requested he minimize Hillary Clinton’s email investigation and said that Lynch’s spontaneous tarmac meeting with Bill Clinton prompted him to announce that the FBI would not recommend charges be pressed against Hillary Clinton, although he called her actions “extremely careless.” Lynch, who the first black woman to lead the Justice Department, will appear on TV just before Comey is poised for a media blitz promoting his upcoming book, “A Higher Loyalty,” which is due to be released April 17.

5am – E         INTERVIEW – BRIAN WILSON – former WMAL morning show host – remembered our technical director Mike McKay after his passing this weekend and shared some memories of Mike over the years at WMAL

6am – A         London’s Mayor Declares New ‘Knife Control’ Policies… (Daily Wire) — An epidemic of stabbings and acid attacks in London has gotten so bad that London mayor Sadiq Khan is announcing broad new “knife control” policies designed to keep these weapons of war out of the hands of Londoners looking to cause others harm. The “tough, immediate” measures involve an incredible police crackdown, a ban on home deliveries of knives and acid, and expanding law enforcement stop-and-search powers so that police may stop anyone they believe to be a threat, or planning a knife or acid attack. Khan announced Friday that the city has created a “violent crime taskforce of 120 officers” tasked with rooting out knife-wielding individuals in public spaces, and is pumping nearly $50 million dollars into the Metropolitan Police department, so that they can better arm themselves against knife attacks. He’s also empowering the Met Police to introduce “targeted patrols with extra stop and search powers for areas worst-affected,” according to a statement. The mayor took to Twitter to announce his new policies.

Mayor of London @MayorofLondon

No excuses: there is never a reason to carry a knife. Anyone who does will be caught, and they will feel the full force of the law.

Strangely enough, Khan is responsible to decreasing the number of stop-and-searches, having previously declared the tactic racist and potentially Islamophobic. It’s also not clear what local Londoners will now use to cut their food. Parliament is also set to take up heavy “knife control” legislation when it resumes this week. The UK government is expected to introduce a ban on online knife sales and home knife deliveries, declare it “illegal to possess zombie knives and knuckledusters in private” — “zombie knives” are those defined as being manufactured for the purpose of being used as a person-to-person weapon — and ban sales of caustic materials to anyone under the age of 18, the Independent reports.

6am – B/C     INTERVIEW – LARRY O’CONNOR – WMAL host of the Larry O’Connor Show and former WMAL morning show host remembers Mike McKay – remembered our technical director Mike McKay after his passing this weekend and shared memories of him over the years

From Larry O’Connor, WMAL host, wrote on Facebook:

    I could not have asked for a more generous, supportive and talented teammate than I had with the legendary Mike McKay. His support, encouragement and talent made every morning at WMAL an adventure and a joy. It just won’t be the same without him. He will always be a part of DC radio… we will never forget him… “Its Friday… I’m in love.”

6am – D         Diamond and Silk Facebook Controversy:

• Zuckerberg to meet with U.S. lawmakers Monday: sources (Reuters) – Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg will hold meetings with some U.S. lawmakers on Monday, a day before he is due to appear at Congressional hearings over a political consultancy’s use of customer data, two congressional aides said on Sunday.
• Diamond and Silk Call on Trump to Probe Social Media Giants (Breitbart News) — The YouTube sensations known as Diamond and Silk, former Democrats who left the party to support President Donald Trump, called on the Trump administration to probe social media giants over allegations of singling out certain political viewpoints. The outspoken pro-Trump duo made the call two days after they took to their Facebook page on Friday to say that they were informed by Facebook that the Internet giant deemed their content and videos to be “unsafe to the community.” Diamond and Silk allege their reach on Facebook has been minimized and that a large number of their followers on the platform no longer receive notifications for new posts. Facebook did not immediately return a Breitbart News request for comment on the issue.

6am – E         Ronny Jackson, Trump’s pick for Veterans Affairs, may pass up $1 million to join the Cabinet (Washington Post) — President Trump’s controversial nomination of Ronny L. Jackson to head the Department of Veterans Affairs has grown further complicated by the Navy physician’s pending military promotion, which he could be forced to pass up — along with an estimated $1 million in future retirement income — if confirmed for the Cabinet post. Jackson, a one-star admiral and the president’s White House doctor, was nominated by Trump for promotion to be a two-star admiral in the days leading to VA Secretary David Shulkin’s departure late last month. The White House has said Jackson intends to remain on active duty until the Senate confirms him to become VA secretary, at which point he would retire from the service. A Navy spokesman said there has been no change in the admiral’s duty status

6am – F         EPA Head Scott Pruitt News:

• Trump defends EPA chief Scott Pruitt: “Doing a great job,” is “totally under siege” (Daily Mail) — Washington, D.C. government fining lobbyists who rented room to Scott Pruitt because they didn’t have a license. Vicki Hart and Stephen Hart, the power couple who let Pruitt lease a room in their Capitol Hill townhouse for just $50 a night, did not register as landlords under Washington D.C.’s laws. The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs issued a news release about the violation, which it said carries a potential fine of $2,034, having failed to procure the proper business license, CNN reported. Until this point, it has been Pruitt who has been taking the lumps for the special deal that White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump is not ‘okay’ with.

• Three Republican senators voice concern about EPA head Scott Pruitt’s conduct (Washington Post) — Three Republican senators expressed concern Sunday about embattled Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt amid growing scrutiny over his spending and management practices. Sens. John Neely Kennedy (La.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine) voiced worry about Pruitt’s conduct in interviews on morning television talk shows. Their comments came hours after President Trump defended Pruitt, writing on Twitter that he was doing “a great job.” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) also defended the EPA head. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin declined to comment on Pruitt’s situation but said he was certain the president had reviewed it. The sharpest Republican criticism came from Kennedy, who said Pruitt ought to hold a “full-blown press conference” to address the criticism he has received. “Stop leading with your chin,” Kennedy said in an interview with CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” “Now these are unforced errors. They are stupid. There are a lot of problems we can’t solve. But you can behave. I don’t mean to denigrate Mr. Pruitt, but doggone it, he represents the president of the United States, and it is hurting his boss and it needs to stop.”

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed the Facebook banning of Diamond and Silk, the upcoming Mark Zuckerberg testimony before Congress, and the latest on the Mueller Investigation

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW – MARY KATHARINE HAM – senior writer at The Federalist, CNN contributor and former WMAL morning show host – remembered our technical director Mike McKay after his passing this weekend and shared memories of him over the years

7am – D         INTERVIEW — ELI LAKE – Bloomberg View columnist – discussed the latest Syrian chemical attack, President Trump’s reaction to it, what the best course of action is, and his latest column on the subject

• Dozens of Syrians Were Killed in a Chemical Attack.
• Trump and others condemn chemical attack in Syria that Russia calls a ‘hoax’ Damascus, Syria
• Syria attack response looms over Bolton’s first week as national security adviser.
• McCain: Trump ’emboldened’ Assad with comments on US withdrawal from Syria.
• Expect Trump to Strike Syrian Forces Again, With the Same Result

7am – E         Remembering Mike McKay:

• From Vince Coglianese, WMAL morning show co-host, wrote on Facebook: I once asked Mike McKay what it was like to hear the word “medic!” shouted in the midst of combat in Vietnam. “Those are my mates,” he explained, “Those are my friends. Those are the people I’m with. And you respond. Stay down. You know, you don’t go standing up, running. You stay down, but you go.” Was there time for second guessing? “No. Not at all.” America truly sent its best when it sent Mike McKay, and I thank the good Lord that I got to even see a small part of that man’s greatness over the course of the last year and a half. He was everything a man should be: in love with his family, frank, selfless, conscientious, loyal, supportive, careful, and passionate. He found dignity and joy in his work, rarely complained about its rigors, and never lost his fascination in his craft. If he saw a problem, he fixed it. No job was beneath him, and few men stood above him. It was all of those traits which made me want to impress him each morning. I know there’s an audience out there when Mike flips the on-air light on, but it was his approval I sought. If he laughed, or his jaw dropped open in shock, or he quickly scribbled down his own thoughts and handed them to me, I knew he was engaged — and that told me that an audience I respected was engaged as well. If he was bored, well, that told me we probably needed to quickly shift gears. As you’d expect from a military man, Mike ran a tight ship. He was the traffic cop for every sound that made it through your radio, and had to catch every sound that shouldn’t. If it was time for us to talk, he’d let us know. And if it was time to shut up, he’d definitely let us know — one of the few ways to wear out his patience was to wear out his clock. And he was loyal to that clock. About a month ago, Mike was late to work. He’d overslept, which never happened. When he finally showed up about half an hour into the show, he began his ritual of laying out his things exactly the way he did every morning. “Are you ready to take over?” we asked him as he walked in. “Nope. Not yet,” he replied. Everything had to be just so before he could get back on the controls. Once he was finally in place, he turned to me on the first break and said, “You know, that’s the first time I’ve done that since 1976.” I believed him. He loved his work, and refused to miss it. Mike’s impact on the entire radio industry has been legendary. From his days at DC101, to working with the then-just-paired Howard Stern and Robin Quivers, to running the board for his personal “favorite disc jockey,” Chris Plante, Mike has brought joy, insight and entertainment to many millions of satisfied listeners. I personally owe a debt of immense gratitude to Mike. When I was merely guest hosting on WMAL, it was Mike who fought for the station to bring me in full-time. He was a passionate advocate for me, and told me regularly that he loved the radio that we were creating together. I will never forget that, or him. Mike, you may be gone now, but rest assured, I will always be aiming to make you smile. We love you, man.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — RON KESSLER – author of “THE TRUMP WHITE HOUSE: Changing the Rules of the Game” – discussed his upcoming book, what readers should expect, and how he was able to get an exclusive interview with President Trump

8am – B/C     Remembering Mike McKay with our Executive Producer Heather Hunter and WMAL Program Director Bill Hess:

8am – D         INTERVIEW — REP. MARK MEADOWS – (R-NC) – House Freedom Caucus Chairman – discussed the ongoing congressional investigation into DOJ and FBI handling of the Clinton probe and FISA, the continual slow walking of the DOJ to comply with congressional subpoenas, the possibility of impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and what’s next for Congress

• GOP plans major votes on tax cuts, balanced budget, welfare reform (Washington Examiner) — House and Senate Republicans are planning a slew of significant votes in the coming weeks on language making the individual tax cuts permanent, a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and a bill to reform the food stamp program, even in the face of looming fall elections that usually slow down the congressional agenda. Consideration of a dozen fiscal 2019 appropriations measures will also begin in House and Senate committees this spring. Republicans in both chambers are weighing whether to bring up a bill that would make permanent the individual tax rate cuts that are included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The bill permanently slashed the corporate rate to 21 percent, but the individual tax rate reductions expire after a decade.
• Impeachment For Rod Rosenstein? Rep. Mark Meadows Says It’s Possible (Daily Caller) — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein could soon be held in contempt of Congress or even impeached if he fails to produce Russia- and Clinton-related records to Congress, a top Republican lawmaker said Saturday. “I think that if he does not turn over the documents, that there are a growing number of us on Capitol Hill who believe that someone else needs to do the job. And what happens there is, constitutionally, we have some things that we can do,” North Carolina GOP Rep. Mark Meadows said to Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro in a Saturday night interview. Meadows was responding to the Justice Department and FBI’s failure to meet Thursday’s deadline to turn over 1.2 million documents related to surveillance warrants granted against President Donald Trump’s former campaign adviser, Carter Page, the Hillary Clinton e-mail probe, and the FBI’s internal report recommending the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Virginia GOP Rep. and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte subpoenaed the documents on March 22. The agencies missed the April 5 deadline to produce the records, Meadows told Pirro. Trump sounded off on the matter on Saturday. “What does the Department of Justice and FBI have to hide?” He asked in a tweet. “Slow walking — what is going on? BAD!” He continued.

8am – E         INTERVIEW — CHRIS PLANTE – host of WMAL’s “Chris Plante Show” – remembered our technical director Mike McKay after his passing this weekend and shared memories of him over the years