Mark Levin, recess activist Barbara Larrimore, VA Delegate Karrie Delaney, Daily Caller’s Saagar Enjeti and allergy expert Susan Kosisky joined WMAL on Thursday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, May 3, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C Boy Scouts to drop ‘Boy’ from name. (The Hill) — The Boy Scouts of America is changing the name of its signature group, the Boy Scouts, for the first time in its 108-year history. The scouting organization, originally designed for boys ages 11–17, will be called Scouts BSA starting in February, The Associated Press reported. The move to a gender-neutral name arrives on the heels of the organization’s decision to accept girls into its ranks next year. Girls already started enrolling as Cub Scouts this year, and more than 3,000 have reportedly joined so far.

5am – D/E     TRUMP THREATENS TO USE ‘PRESIDENTIAL POWERS’ AGAINST DOJ:

• Trump threatens to use presidential ‘powers’ to intervene in ‘rigged system.’ The president didn’t specify the documents he says the DOJ won’t release. He also didn’t say which presidential powers he is referring to, though it could be anything from declassifying files to extracting documents sought by Congress to perhaps intervening in the Russia probe.
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: A Rigged System – They don’t want to turn over Documents to Congress. What are they afraid of? Why so much redacting? Why such unequal “justice?” At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved! 10:45 AM – May 2, 2018
• DOJ won’t give Congress memo about scope of Russia probe
• Trump suggests he may intervene in DOJ release of Mueller probe documents
• DiGenova Explodes — Rosenstein ‘Disqualified Himself From Further Service…’

6am – A         NORTH KOREA:

• 18 House Members Put Trump Up For Nobel Prize. House Republicans nominate President Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize (CNN) A group of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters in the House of Representatives have sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, formally nominating the President for a Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination was spearheaded by Indiana’s Rep. Luke Messer, who is locked in a fierce GOP primary battle in the Hoosier State for a Senate seat. In the letter, Messer and his Republican colleagues endorse Trump’s nomination by arguing that he deserves the award because of his work to end the Korean War and bring peace to the peninsula. “Since taking office, President Trump has worked tirelessly to apply maximum pressure on North Korea to end its illicit weapons program and bring peace to the region,” the letter reads. Joining Messer in the letter are conservative members like Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina and Rep. Steve King of Iowa. Six of the signatories are seeking higher office, including Rep. Marsha Blackburn, the presumptive Republican nominee for Senate in Tennessee; Rep. Diane Black, who is running for governor in Tennessee; Rep. Evan Jenkins, who is part of a three-way primary for Senate in West Virginia; Rep. Jim Renacci, who’s running for governor of Ohio; and Rep. Kevin Cramer, who is attempting to unseat Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota.
• North Korea to release 3 American prisoners in good faith gesture for Trump summit. North Korea has released the three Americans that were being held in labor camps in a sign of good faith ahead of the summit between President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Dong-cheol, Kim Sang-deok, and Kim Hak-seong were reportedly released from the detention centers in early April and have since been undergoing medical treatment and ideological education outside Pyongyang. They are still in North Korean custody. According to the one of the country’s top activists, Choi Sung-ryong, the three Korean-American detainees will allegedly be allowed to head back to the U.S. after the long-anticipated summit. “We heard it through our sources in North Korea late last month. We believe that Mr Trump can take them back on the day of the US-North Korea summit or he can send an envoy to take them back to the US before the summit,” Choi told the Financial Times.
• Dennis Rodman: Kim Jong-un Had ‘Change of Heart’ After Reading Trump’s ‘Art of the Deal’. Former basketball star Dennis Rodman, best known in the 21st century as North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s most outspoken friend in the Western world, claimed on Monday that Kim had a “change of heart” about his nuclear program after reading President Donald Trump’s 1987 book, Trump: The Art of the Deal. In an interview with TMZ, Rodman recalled presenting Kim with that very copy of Trump’s magnum opus during his June 2017 trip to Pyongyang. He gave the Trump book and some other gifts to North Korean Sports Minister Kim Il-guk, who looked as if Rodman had just handed him a live tarantula but presumably passed along The Art of the Deal to Kim Jong-un. “I think he didn’t realize who Donald Trump was at that time,” Rodman said of Kim. “I guess it felt good to read that book. It felt good to understand him, stuff like that.” “I don’t want to take all the credit,” Rodman said modestly. “I don’t want to sit there and say, ‘I did this. I did that.’ That’s not my intention. My intention was to try to go over there and be a sports ambassador to North Korea so that people understand how they are in North Korea. I think it has resonated into this whole point now.”
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s motorcade may not be as indestructible as Trump’s fleet of bombproof “Beast” limousines, but it reportedly offers one feature the U.S. president has to live without: a traveling toilet.

6am – B         KANYE NEWS:

• Reuters Poll: Black Male Approval For Trump Doubles In One Week
• POLL: Kanye West Is Building Up A Republican Fan Base
• “Today in unexpected political realignments: Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to like Kanye West.”
• Petition calls for Adidas to cut ties with Kanye West

6am – C         First death reported in romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak. (NBC News) — Three more states have been affected by the outbreak, bringing the total to 121 people sickened in 25 states. One person has died and 23 more people have been reported sick in an outbreak of E. coli food poisoning linked to romaine lettuce, federal health officials said Wednesday. Three more states have been affected by the outbreak, bringing the total to 121 people sickened in 25 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. “One death was reported from California,” the CDC said. It’s the worst outbreak of E. coli since 2006 when illnesses traced to spinach killed three and sickened more than 270. More than half of those who have become ill in the outbreak have been hospitalized, the CDC said. The E. coli strain that is making people sick produces a toxin called Shiga toxin that can damage organs and cause a severe form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome. The CDC says 14 people so far have this kidney damage, which can kill. All the contaminated lettuce has been traced to farms in the Yuma, Arizona area. “Do not eat or buy romaine lettuce unless you can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell any romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region,” the CDC said.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – MARK LEVIN — “The Great One” — WMAL host from 6 to 9 pm, host of Levin TV and host of new Fox show Life, Liberty & Levin – discussed what should be done next about the Mueller investigation.

• Mark Levin: ‘Mueller Cannot Be a Power Unto Himself’ (CNS News) — On his Facebook page Wednesday morning, nationally syndicated radio talk show host, TV host, author and American lawyer Mark Levin blasted “Special Counsel” Robert Mueller for “disrupting and threatening the presidency” and chided the GOP Congress for allowing it, saying, “Mueller cannot be a power unto himself.” “Here’s a thought […] Rather than try to pass legislation to protect ‘Special Counsel’ Mueller, the GOP Congress should subpoena Mueller and demand he answer legitimate questions about the course of his investigation—especially given its constitutional impact,” Mark Levin wrote on his Facebook page. “Congress need not wait for Mueller to issue his pronouncements. Surely Mueller cannot be a power unto himself, immune from legislative oversight while disrupting and threatening a presidency.”

6am – E         lack Gun Owner Will Give Birth in Prison After Trying to Protect 2-Year-Old Daughter from Assailant. Siwatu-Salama Ra used a legally purchased firearm to protect her family. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison. (Reason magazine / Robby Soave) — Siwatu-Salama Ra is a 26-year-old black mother who watched in horror as an angry assailant—a neighbor with whom Ra had a dispute—deliberately crashed her vehicle into Ra’s car while Ra’s two-year-old daughter was playing inside. Ra removed her unloaded, legally purchased handgun from the glove box and brandished it, scaring the neighbor off. The assailant, Channel Harvey, was never charged. Ra was arrested for felonious assault. She is now serving a mandatory two-year-sentence, even though Michigan is a Stand Your Ground state and Ra was clearly defending her family on her own property. Ra is pregnant, and she is expected to give birth in prison. The Detroit Metro Times, The Root, and Democracy Now! have all reported on the overwhelming criminal justice failures on display here. The jury in Ra’s trial evidently ended deliberations early in order to wrap the case up before a major snowstorm hit—and that’s not even the craziest thing about this case. The Detroit Police Department apparently treated Harvey as the victim, even though she rammed Ra’s car, for the sole reason that Harvey beat Ra to the station and filed a police report first. According to Ra’s attorney, Victoria Burton-Harris, Ra and Harvey’s nieces attended school together. These two girls had a disagreement; Ra contends that Harvey’s niece beat up Ra’s niece at school. On that basis, Ra decided that Harvey’s niece wasn’t welcome at the Ra household anymore. Harvey brought her over anyway. Harvey refused to leave, according to Burton-Harris, and eventually drove her car into Ra’s, which was parked on the street with Ra’s two-year-old daughter inside it.

6am – F         ‘It’s not too late!’ Meghan Markle’s brother Thomas pens extraordinary open letter telling Prince Harry ‘this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history’ – as he brands his sister ‘jaded, shallow and conceited’ (Daily Mail) — Meghan Markle’s estranged half-brother has shared a handwritten letter telling Prince Harry it’s ‘not too late’ to cancel the wedding to his sister. Elder sibling Thomas Markle Jr has warned the 33-year-old royal to ditch the May 19 union with the ‘Suits’ actress. Mr Markle slammed the American star, insisting that 36-year-old Meghan is a ‘jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage.’  The letter, shared with In Touch magazine reads: ‘As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.’ ‘Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you. ‘I’m confused why you don’t see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees. ‘Meghan’s attempt to act the part of a princess like a below C average Hollywood actress is getting old.’ The 51-year-old, who is from Oregon in the US, then went on to claim that their father went into debt in order to support Markle’s acting dream and is still struggling financially.

7am – A         INTERVIEW: BARBARA LARRIMORE – mom and activist for recess in Virginia – explained her attempts to lobby State Legislature to increase the amount of time for recess for children in Virginia.

INTERVIEW – VA DELEGATE KARRIE DELANEY – She is the one who carried the recess bill. She is also a mom with young kids.

• TOPIC: Prince William Co. schools will double recess time after new Va. Law. WASHINGTON — When the next school year begins in Prince William County, elementary students will get twice as much exercise and unstructured time as they currently get — and other school systems will likely add extra playground time. A new Virginia law, which goes into effect July 1, allows school systems to count recess as part of the instructional day. Until now, the law only dictated how many hours of instruction were needed, and school systems had to squeeze-in recess. Currently, Prince William County allots 15 minutes per day for recess — under the new law, students will be allowed 30 minutes daily for unstructured activity.

7am – B/C     RUDY ON HANNITY:

• Trump Repaid Cohen for Stormy Daniels Hush Money, Giuliani Says
• Giuliani Appears to Veer Off Script. A Furor Follows.
• Fox News’ Ingraham calls out Giuliani for contradicting Trump on Stormy Daniels’ payments: ‘That’s a problem’

7am – D         Mueller investigation ruining former Trump adviser’s life:

• ‘God damn you to hell!’: Former Trump campaign consultant explodes at Democratic Senate aides after he loses his house to legal fees in ‘witch hunt’ congressional Russia probe. Former Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo says he has spent $125,000 on lawyers to comply with the demands of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He lived in Russia for two decades but insists he knows nothing about any links between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin. Delivered a scathing rebuke to Senate aides Tuesday, saying ‘God damn you to hell’ for making him sell his house and jeopardize his children’s future. ‘I want to know who cost us so much money, who crushed our kids, who forced us out of our home, all because you lost an election,’ he told Democrats

• ON TUCKER: Caputo Says Mueller Is Intimidating Him From Speaking Out…

7am – E         APP HELPS ILLEGALS AVOID THE FEDS (Judicial Watch) — An open borders group that has benefitted from U.S. taxpayer dollars and is funded by leftwing billionaire George Soros launched a smartphone application to help illegal immigrants avoid federal authorities.  The app, Notifica (Notify), is described in a Laredo, Texas news article as a tool to protect immigrants living in the U.S. illegally by utilizing high tech and online social communications. With the click of a button, illegal aliens can alert family, friends and attorneys of encounters with federal authorities. “Immigration agents knocking at the door?” the news story asks. “Now, there’s an app for that, too.”

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW – SAAGAR ENJETI – White House reporter, Daily Caller – discussed the latest WH news.

• Rudy Giuliani: We’d Limit Trump’s Mueller Interview To Two To Three Hours Around A Narrow Set Of Question
• White House: Ty Cobb, White House lawyer representing Trump in Russia probe, retiring at end of May.
• COHEN TWEETS:
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are…..
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,……
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: …despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.
• CHINA TRIP: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: Great financial team is in China trying to negotiate a level playing field on trade! I look forward to being with President Xi in the not too distant future. We will always have a good (great) relationship!
• AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN N KOREA: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: As everybody is aware, the past Administration has long been asking for three hostages to be released from a North Korean Labor camp, but to no avail. Stay tuned!

8am – B/C     Trump threatens to use presidential ‘powers’ to intervene in ‘rigged system.’ The president didn’t specify the documents he says the DOJ won’t release. He also didn’t say which presidential powers he is referring to, though it could be anything from declassifying files to extracting documents sought by Congress to perhaps intervening in the Russia probe.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – SUSAN KOSISKY – allergy expert and chief microbiologist for the U.S. Army Centralized Allergen Extract Laboratory – discussed how bad pollen will get this season.

• ‘Pollen Tsunami’ in the forecast for spring, doctors say
• Eyes watering? Throat itching? Can’t breathe? Yep — pollen topped 2,000 Tuesday.
• Peak pollen started over the weekend when sunshine, warm temperatures and a breeze brought the trees out. The pollen count “soared to 1924.60 grains/cubic meter,” which is very high for the Washington region, according to Susan Kosinsky, chief microbiologist at the U.S. Army Centralized Allergen Extract Lab.

8am – E         FIRST LADY NEWS:

• Michelle Obama says she’s America’s “forever first lady.” Former first lady Michelle Obama said she’s America’s “forever first lady” at a college signing day event in Philadelphia on Wednesday. “If I can be standing here as your forever first lady,” Obama said smiling, “then you can do anything you put your mind to.” Obama made an appearance at Temple University in front of thousands of high school seniors to celebrate their decision to pursue higher education.  Obama’s comments about being the nation’s “forever first lady” drew massive applause from the audience. She later referred to herself as the “former first lady.”
• Hillary Clinton says being a capitalist likely hurt her among socialist Dems. Hillary Clinton agreed Wednesday that being a capitalist likely damaged her 2016 campaign because nearly half of Democrats say they are socialists. “Probably,” Clinton said at the Shared Values Leadership Summit in New York City, after being asked whether support for capitalism hurt her at the polls. “It’s hard to know, but if you’re in the Iowa caucuses and 41 percent of Democrats are socialists, or self-described socialists, and I’m asked, ‘Are you a capitalist?’ And I say, ‘Yes, but with appropriate regulation and appropriate accountability,’ you know, that probably gets lost in the ‘Oh my gosh, she’s a capitalist.'”