Legal analyst Katie Phang, Washington Examiner’s Susan Ferrechio, Larry Michael, Washington Post’s Scott Allen and Fox’s Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, April 27, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C Bill Cosby found guilty of drugging, molesting woman. (NY Post) — Bill Cosby was found guilty of sexual assault on Thursday in a stunning verdict that cemented the shocking fall of a comedian and actor once revered as “America’s Dad” for his wildly popular brand of family-friendly humor. The Pennsylvania jury was just four hours into its second day of deliberations in the iconic “Cosby Show” star’s retrial when it handed down its decision to convict him of three counts felony aggravated indecent assault. Now 80 years old and legally blind, Cosby is facing an effective death sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The verdict was a vindication for the victim in the case, Andrea Constand, whom Cosby’s attorneys had tried to slime as a money-hungry schemer. It was also a victory for some 60 other women — including models, aspiring actresses and casual acquaintances — who have accused Cosby of sexual assault and rape over decades.

5am – D         CONGRESS / CONFIRMATIONS:

• GRENELL // Senate approves Trump’s new ambassador to Germany after months of delay.  (Washington Examiner) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Trump’s long-stalled nominee to serve as ambassador to Germany. Richard Grenell was approved in a 56-42 vote after pressure from President Trump and conservatives to clear him ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s arrival on Friday. Trump selected Grenell for the job in September, but his nomination languished, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blamed opposition from Democrats. They opposed Grenell over tweets critical of women, including Hillary Clinton, who Grenell once tweeted was “starting to look like Madeleine Albright.”
• Amb. Grenell Confirmed, to Meet With Trump, Germany’s Merkel.  Now, the same sources, say Amb. Grenell will participate in the Trump-Merkel meeting. In assuming the Berlin portfolio, Grenell also becomes the highest gay appointee in the Trump administration. Senate Democrats had held up Grenell’s nomination because of several controversial tweets he made. In hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the nominee apologized for the remarks and said he would be  careful about what he tweeted as ambassador. Although Grenell made it out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a straight party-line vote, no less than six Democrats voted to confirm him on the Senate floor: Sens. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; Doug Jones, D-Ala.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. All Republicans present voted for Grenell’s confirmation. The White House placed a high priority on Grenell’s confirmation.
• Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as Trump’s secretary of state. The Senate on Thursday confirmed Mike Pompeo to serve as secretary of state with the help of a few red-state Democrats facing tough re-election bids. Pompeo was approved in a 57-42 vote that cleared him to start work a day ahead of a critical NATO summit scheduled for Friday. Six Democrats ended up voting for Pompeo: Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also voted for him. Pompeo has been serving as CIA director, and earlier this month held a landmark meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to lay the groundwork for a summit with President Trump in the coming weeks. Republicans touted Pompeo as the most qualified and experienced candidate to fill the post, but he generated staunch opposition from Democrats, including those who approved him for CIA director last year. Democrats said they feared Pompeo is too hawkish and will not put diplomacy ahead of military solutions.

5am – E         NORTH KOREA NEWS:

• Kim Jong Un agrees to end war, agrees to denuclearization of Korean Peninsula
• Kim Jong-Un bringing own toilet to summit. (CBS News) — While Kim has agreed to a seat at the table, however, he is reportedly refusing to sit on any of the summit’s public toilets.

6am – A         MORE #METOO AT NBC:

• NBC News faces skepticism in remedying in-house sexual harassment
• Matt Lauer gives official mea culpa…
• BROKAW GETS #METOO’d
• Charlie Rose will reportedly host a series about men scandalized by Me Too

6am – B/C     Diamond and Silk say Facebook silencing conservatives, in Capitol Hill testimony. (Fox News) — Pro-Trump social media stars Diamond and Silk, testifying Thursday before a House committee on Capitol Hill, decried Facebook and other tech giants for what they described as their “aggressive” efforts to “silence” conservatives.  The women, who have gained a conservative following and sparred frequently with Facebook over its policies, spoke as part of a hearing on social media “filtering.”  “Facebook along with other social media sites have taken aggressive actions to silence conservative voices such as ourselves by deliberately restricting and weaponizing our page with algorithms that censor and suppress out free speech,” Diamond, whose real name is Lynette Hardaway, testified to the House Judiciary Committee.  The online sensations specifically claimed that Facebook’s new algorithms were wrongly categorizing their account as “liberal,” in turn causing it not to appear for conservative viewers.

6am – D/E/F  BRET BAIR – JAMES COMEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• BRET opens show noting that COMEY IS LATE
• BRET notes again COMEY is late: john roberts live on the north lawn. John, thank you. we are getting updates from james comey and his people street by street, really, as they are stuck in traffic we’re told here in washington. getting ready to arrive here in the washington bureau
• BRET asks COMEY if it was true that he decided to exonerate Hillary well before she was interviewed. Comey denies
• ON TUCKER’S SHOW, TREY GOWDY disagrees with COMEY for suggesting the dossier wasn’t a big part of the FISA APPLICATION: I’ve seen the application!
• Comey denies he leaked the memo
• TREY GOWDY: “Jim Comey has a definition of the word ‘leak’ that no one else has. What he says is a leak is what the rest of us call a felony.”
• COMEY says he doesn’t know who LEAKED to CNN and denies CLAPPER leaked
• Comey on Strzok-Page texts: ‘When I saw the texts, I was deeply disappointed in them, but I never saw any bias.’

7am – A         INTERVIEW – KATIE PHANG – NBC Legal Contributor, Trial Lawyer and a Partner at Berger Singerman, based in Miami, FL. – analyzed the Bill Cosby guilty verdict.

7am – B         British Doctor: Alfie Evans Must Die Because His Parents Have A Bad Attitude. (Federalist) — A doctor treating Alfie told reporters off the record his parents can’t take Alfie home to die unless there is a ‘sea change’ in their attitude.

A British doctor treating Alfie Evans told reporters off the record his parents won’t be allowed to take their child out of the hospital, even to die at home, unless there is a “sea change” in their attitude. Alfie’s parents are battling the hospital and the government of the United Kingdom to continue caring for their little boy, who is suffering from an undiagnosed condition that British doctors say has rendered him terminally ill. Although he was taken off life support Monday night, Alfie has continued to live with the help of an oxygen tank. The courts have ruled his parents cannot take him out of the country, and have allowed the hospital to keep Alfie in their “care” by force. A report from The Telegraph indicates the hospital staff is not interested in what’s best for Alfie, so much as proving a point to the parents, who have an “attitude” they don’t like. Here’s the revealing bit, buried in the Telegraph report: “Instead, the judge said the best Alfie’s parents could hope for was to “explore” the options of removing him from intensive care either to a ward, a hospice or his home. But a doctor treating Alfie, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said that for Alfie to be allowed home would require a “sea change” in attitude from the child’s family, and they feared that in the “worst case” they would try to take the boy abroad.” In sum: The doctors have determined Alfie must die, and he must die in the hospital, unless the parents change their attitude.

7am – C         KANYE / JOHN LEGEND:

• Kanye West: “I stand my ground” after tweeting criticism from John Legend about supporting Trump. (The Hill) — Kanye West on Thursday defended his support for President Trump while sharing concerned text messages he received from fellow musician John Legend. Legend apparently messaged West on Thursday to urge him to “reconsider” his support for Trump, saying that the rapper’s fans — particularly people of color — felt “betrayed” by West. “I hope you’ll reconsider aligning yourself with Trump,” Legend wrote in the text. “You’re way too powerful and influential to endorse who he is and what he stands for.” West wrote back, accusing Legend of trying to “manipulate” his “free thought.” “You bringing up my fans or my legacy is a tactic based on fear used to manipulate my free thought,” West wrote. The conversation between the two men unfolded on West’s Twitter account, where he posted screenshots of the messages. Legend eventually caught on that West was making the conversation public.  “I tweeted the John text to show that there are people around me that disagree with me and voice their opinion,” West tweeted. “I respect everyone’s opinion but I stand my ground.”
• On Fox yesterday, POTUS on Kanye: “He’s smart and he says, ‘You know what? Trump is doing a much better job than the Democrats did.'”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner – discussed the latest Congress news.

• Lawmakers seek answers after Ryan asked House chaplain to resign. Washington (CNN) House Speaker Paul Ryan requested the House chaplain resign from his post earlier this month, and several prominent Democratic lawmakers want to know more information as to why the Jesuit priest was asked to step down. Father Pat Conroy resigned April 15 after he spent nearly seven years praying at the outset of House sessions. He wrote two versions of his resignation letters, which were both obtained by CNN by a congressional source. In the first letter, he wrote “as you requested, I hereby offer my resignation…” The second letter didn’t include that he was requested to resign. The first letter also said that Ryan should consult with his chief of staff on a resignation date, but the second letter stated his last day would be May 24.
• GRENELL // Senate approves Trump’s new ambassador to Germany after months of delay.  (Washington Examiner) — The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Trump’s long-stalled nominee to serve as ambassador to Germany. Richard Grenell was approved in a 56-42 vote after pressure from President Trump and conservatives to clear him ahead of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s arrival on Friday. Trump selected Grenell for the job in September, but his nomination languished, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blamed opposition from Democrats. They opposed Grenell over tweets critical of women, including Hillary Clinton, who Grenell once tweeted was “starting to look like Madeleine Albright.”
• Amb. Grenell Confirmed, to Meet With Trump, Germany’s Merkel.  Now, the same sources, say Amb. Grenell will participate in the Trump-Merkel meeting. In assuming the Berlin portfolio, Grenell also becomes the highest gay appointee in the Trump administration. Senate Democrats had held up Grenell’s nomination because of several controversial tweets he made. In hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the nominee apologized for the remarks and said he would be  careful about what he tweeted as ambassador. Although Grenell made it out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a straight party-line vote, no less than six Democrats voted to confirm him on the Senate floor: Sens. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind.; Doug Jones, D-Ala.; Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.; Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. All Republicans present voted for Grenell’s confirmation. The White House placed a high priority on Grenell’s confirmation.
• Senate confirms Mike Pompeo as Trump’s secretary of state. The Senate on Thursday confirmed Mike Pompeo to serve as secretary of state with the help of a few red-state Democrats facing tough re-election bids. Pompeo was approved in a 57-42 vote that cleared him to start work a day ahead of a critical NATO summit scheduled for Friday. Six Democrats ended up voting for Pompeo: Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Doug Jones of Alabama, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, also voted for him. Pompeo has been serving as CIA director, and earlier this month held a landmark meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to lay the groundwork for a summit with President Trump in the coming weeks. Republicans touted Pompeo as the most qualified and experienced candidate to fill the post, but he generated staunch opposition from Democrats, including those who approved him for CIA director last year. Democrats said they feared Pompeo is too hawkish and will not put diplomacy ahead of military solutions.

7am – E         INTERVIEW – LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of the Redskins – discussed the NFL draft.

• Redskins draft DL Da’Ron Payne at No. 13: ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Taking a defensive lineman from Alabama in the first round for the second consecutive year, the Washington Redskins chose tackle Da’Ron Payne with the 13th overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night. The Redskins have seven other picks in this year’s draft, starting in the second round with No. 44 overall. They do not have a choice in the third round, because it was sent to Kansas City in the Smith deal.

 

8am – A         NORTH KOREA NEWS:

• Kim Jong Un agrees to end war, agrees to denuclearization of Korean Peninsula. (NBC News) — The leaders of North and South Korea also agreed to “cease all hostile acts” and to “transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone.” SEOUL, South Korea — With small steps, the leaders of North and South Korea took a giant leap forward Friday, crossing each other’s borders in a historic meeting that could mark a turning point in one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in later signed a declaration stating there would be “no more war on the Korean Peninsula” and heralding “a new era of peace.” The countries technically remain in a state of war. Kim and Moon also agreed to “cease all hostile acts against each other” and to “transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone.” The countries also agreed to the common goal of “complete denuclearization” on the Korean Peninsula. Moon said he would visit Pyongyang in the fall.
• South Korea credits Trump for opening door to talks with North. (CNN) South Korea’s foreign minister has said she believes President Donald Trump is largely responsible for bringing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the negotiating table. Speaking ahead of Friday’s historic summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, Kang Kyung-wha told CNN that the US President had played a significant role in bringing the two sides together. “Clearly, credit goes to President Trump,” Kang told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in Seoul. “He’s been determined to come to grips with this from day one.”
• FIRST ACROSS THE LINE: (Foreign Desk News) — Earlier, Moon greeted Kim at the military demarcation line where the men smiled and shook hands. In an unplanned move, Kim invited Moon to step briefly across into North Korea, before the two leaders crossed back into South Korea holding hands. “I was excited to meet at this historic place and it is really moving that you came all the way to the demarcation line to greet me in person,” Kim said, wearing his customary black Mao suit. “A new history starts now. An age of peace, from the starting point of history,” Kim wrote in Korean in a guest book in the South’s Peace House before talks began. During a private meeting in the morning, Kim told Moon he came to the summit to end the history of conflict and joked he was sorry for waking Moon up with his early morning missile tests, a senior presidential official said. Moon and Kim released their joint declaration before attending a dinner banquet. The United States was hopeful talks would make progress on achieving peace and prosperity, the White House said in a statement as the two men began their summit.
• Amid Trump’s diplomatic thaw, Otto Warmbier’s parents sue North Korea for having ‘brutally tortured and murdered’ their son
• Kim Jong-Un bringing own toilet to summit. (CBS News) — While Kim has agreed to a seat at the table, however, he is reportedly refusing to sit on any of the summit’s public toilets.

8am – B         INTERVIEW – SCOTT ALLEN –  Sports reporter, Washington Post – discussed the latest on the Capitals playoffs.

• Capitals Fall to Penguins 3-2 in Game 1. Patric Hornqvist, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel scored in a 4:49 span to help the Pittsburgh Penguins rally to beat the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Thursday night in Game 1 of the second-round series.

8am – C         Chelsea Manning unveils Senate platform: ‘Abolish’ Border Patrol, ICE. Maryland Democrat also calls for national single-payer health care system. (The Washington Times) — Senate hopeful Chelsea Manning said she’ll work to abolish federal immigrations and customs agencies if successful in her bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, Maryland Democrat.  Ms. Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst convicted of leaking classified documents to the WikiLeaks website, listed eliminating both the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) as top priorities on her platform unveiled Thursday. “We believe the solution to the so called ‘immigration’ issue, which amounts to nothing more than justification for ethnic cleansing in America, is not to reform but to abolish I.C.E.,” reads a portion of Ms. Manning’s newly launched Senate campaign website. “History has proven that border walls will inevitably be used to keep people in as much as they’re used to keep people out. We need to tear down the border walls. We need to abolish the C.B.P.,” added Ms. Manning, 30.

8am – D/E     INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – host of Special Report on Fox News Channel and author of upcoming book “Three Days in Moscow” – discussed his James Comey interview.

• Bret Baier Holds Comey’s Feet to the Fire Over Dossier: You Still Don’t Know it Was Funded By DNC?
• Comey denies release of memo contents was a ‘leak,’ addresses Dem-funded dossier in Fox News interview
• Comey doesn’t know if Clapper leaked the Trump Tower meeting.