Astronaut Dr. Tom Jones, Breitbart White House correspondent Charlie Spiering, Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York, and Co-founder of The Federalist Sean Davis joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C Trump Announces Plans for Pentagon to Create ‘Space Force’ (VOA News) – Vowing to reclaim U.S. leadership in space, President Donald Trump announced Monday he is directing the Pentagon to create a new “Space Force” as an independent service branch aimed at ensuring American supremacy in space.  Trump envisioned a bright future for the U.S. space program, pledging to revive the country’s flagging efforts, return to the moon and eventually send a manned mission that would reach Mars. The president framed space as a national security issue, saying he does not want “China and Russia and other countries leading us.”  “My administration is reclaiming America’s heritage as the world’s greatest spacefaring nation,” Trump said in the East Room, joined by members of his space council. “The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers.”

5am – D SPLC Apologizes, Pays Settlement to Islamic Reformer It Wrongly Labeled ‘Anti-Muslim Extremist’ (National Review) – The Southern Poverty Law Center has reached a settlement with liberal Islamic reformer Maajid Nawaz and his organization, the Quilliam Foundation, for wrongly including them on its now-defunct list of “anti-Muslim extremists.”  The SPLC announced Monday that it has agreed to pay Nawaz and Quilliam $3.375 million “to fund their work to fight anti-Muslim bigotry and extremism.” The settlement was the result of a lawsuit Nawaz filed in April over his inclusion on the SPLC’s “Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists.”  The list, which was published in 2016 and was intended to serve as a resource for journalists, was deleted shortly after Nawaz filed the suit. The deletion came roughly two years after Nawaz first demanded a retraction.

5am – E Rapper XXXTentacion reported dead after shooting in Florida (Chicago Sun Times) – Rapper XXXTentaction, 23, whose real name is Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, is reported dead after a shooting in Florida, according to TMZ.  Police reportedly believe he may have been the victim of a robbery — dispatch audio report a Louis Vuitton bag was taken from his vehicle, witnesses heard multiple gun shots and found him sitting without a pulse inside the vehicle outside a Deerfield Beach motorcycle dealership.  XXXTentacion had been at RIVA Motorsports checking out inventory, the sheriff’s office said. He was in a black luxury vehicle and preparing to leave when two armed suspects approached him. At least one of them fired, and then both suspects fled the scene in a dark-colored SUV. Investigators don’t have a motive, and no arrests have been made.           

6am – A/B/C Separations at the border:

• White House: We won’t stop separating migrant kids from parents (New York Post) – The White House on Monday defiantly refused to abandon its policy of separating children from their asylum-seeking parents who crossed the border illegally despite a raging firestorm of bipartisan criticism. “I want to provide you an update on the illegal crisis on the southern border and the efforts the administration is taking to solve this crisis, and to stop the flood of illegal immigrants an drugs contraband and crime coming across the border,” Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen said during the White House press briefing.  “In the last three months we’ve seen illegal immigration on our southern border exceed 50,000 people each month, multiples over each month last year. Since this time last year, there has been a 325 percent increase in unaccompanied alien children and a 435 percent increase in family units entering the country illegally.”
• DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defends family separation in heated White House briefing (CBS News) – Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen addressed reporters Monday amid intense backlash on the Trump administration’s policy of prosecuting immigrants crossing the border that has resulted in the separation of families. She blamed Congress for a supposed “loophole,” calling on the legislative body to fix the issue, despite the fact that the situation has been spurred by the administration’s decision to expand prosecutions. “As long as illegal entry remains a criminal offense, DHS will not look the other way,” Nielsen said.  She argued that the Trump administration is merely continuing a policy from “previous administrations” that mandates separating a child who is “in danger, there is no custodial relationship between ‘family’ members, or if the adult has broken the law.”
• CBS News anchor reports from Texas that ‘the Statue of Liberty is weeping’ (Twitchy) – “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Gayle King, along with other journalists, visited a border patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, when children of illegal immigrants are being housed and promptly reported that “the Statue of Liberty, I think, is weeping right now.” At least it wasn’t as bad as the time CNN’s Jim Acosta read from the poem “The New Colossus” in a press briefing on immigration law and then tweeted it in full for those who didn’t get his point that a poem trumps immigration law.  

6am – D INTERVIEW – Dr. Tom Jones – astronaut and author of “Ask the Astronaut” – discussed new space force       

6am – E/F IG Hearing:

• Justice Dept. IG: ‘We Did Not have Confidence’ Peter Strzok Acted ‘Free From Bias’ (Free Beacon) – Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz told lawmakers on Monday that he is not confident that FBI agent Peter Strzok was unbiased during the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. Horowitz defended his report on the Clinton email probe, which he released last week, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The IG report in part discussed controversial text messages between Strzok and his lover, FBI lawyer Lisa Page. Strzok said “we’ll stop” Donald Trump from becoming president in one message and called Trump supporters “retarded.”  The report has damaged the FBI’s public image and trustworthiness, and many observers, including Trump and members of Congress, have taken the report’s findings as an indication that the FBI made mistakes during the investigation.  Earlier in his remarks, Horowitz said his report did not find evidence that FBI decisions directly resulted from bias, but he highlighted the damage their mistakes caused.
• Inspector General rejects the president’s claim that DOJ report ‘totally exonerates me’ of obstruction and collusion: ‘We did not look into collusion questions’ (Daily Mail) – The Department of Justice’s inspector general rejected President Trump’s claim on Monday that a report on the FBI’s conduct in the lead-up to the 2016 election ‘totally exonerated’ him. ‘We did not look into collusion questions,’ Michael Horowitz said today.  Testifying before a Senate committee, Horowitz, said his report ‘was focused on the FBI and Departments’s handling of the Clinton email investigation.’

7am – A INTERVIEW – Charlie Spiering – Breitbart News White House correspondent – discussed the latest news from the border   

7am – B Richmond renaming school after Obama, scrapping Confederate general’s name (CBS News) – The Richmond Public School board voted Monday night to change the name of J.E.B. Stuart Elementary to Barack Obama Elementary School, reports the CBS affiliate there, WTVR-TV. The new name was chosen from a total of seven finalists. The vote was six-to-one.  The board voted 8-1 earlier this year to rename the school. J.E.B. Stuart was a Confederate general.  Students, parents, staff, and community members all submitted ideas for the school’s new name.  About 95 percent of the school’s student body is African-American. Many of the new school name options represented influential African-American civil rights leaders including Barbara Johns, Oliver Hill, and Henry Marsh.  The top three finalist names on Monday night were Barack Obama, Northside, and Wishtree.

7am – C Trump-bashing Puerto Rican mayor reportedly facing FBI corruption probe (Fox News) – The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, who shot to international fame after criticizing President Trump for not doing enough to help Hurricane Maria victims is being investigated by the FBI on corruption charges, according to multiple news outlets.  Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and her administration are under fire for allegedly obstructing critical supplies from reaching victims of the category-4 hurricane that leveled much of the tiny U.S. territory nearly nine months ago.  The FBI reportedly launched the investigation following a February lawsuit filed by Yadira Molina, the former director of procurement. Molina claims she was retaliated against for reporting “alleged irregular acts” to the local comptroller.  “On February 21, Molina sued the city council after reporting alleged acts of corruption in the shopping division in the town hall under the administration of Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz Soto,” according to El Vocero de Puerto Rico.  The report says Molina claims she was punished for reporting on the allegedly rigged system and that she was blocked from her right “to report wrongdoing in her capacity as a private citizen, not as a public employee.”

7am – D INTERVIEW – Byron York – Washington Examiner chief political correspondent – discussed yesterday’s IG report testimony   

7am – E Barry Trotz resigns as Capitals head coach (ESPN) – Washington Capitals head coach Barry Trotz has tendered his resignation from the team, becoming a free agent after leading the franchise to its first Stanley Cup on June 7.  “After careful consideration and consultation with my family, I am officially announcing my resignation as Head Coach of the Washington Capitals,” Trotz said in a statement Monday.  “When I came to Washington four years ago we had one goal in mind and that was to bring the Stanley Cup to the nation’s capital. We had an incredible run this season culminating with our players and staff achieving our goal and sharing the excitement with our fans. I would like to thank [Capitals owner] Mr. [Ted] Leonsis, [team president] Dick Patrick and [general manager] Brian MacLellan for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this great organization. I would also like to thank our players and staff who worked tirelessly every day to achieve our success,” Trotz said.

8am – A INTERVIEW – Sean Davis – Co-founder of The Federalist – discussed the IG report testimony at the Capitol  

8am – B/C/D/E Separations at the border:

• White House: We won’t stop separating migrant kids from parents (New York Post) – The White House on Monday defiantly refused to abandon its policy of separating children from their asylum-seeking parents who crossed the border illegally despite a raging firestorm of bipartisan criticism. “I want to provide you an update on the illegal crisis on the southern border and the efforts the administration is taking to solve this crisis, and to stop the flood of illegal immigrants an drugs contraband and crime coming across the border,” Department of Homeland Security chief Kirstjen Nielsen said during the White House press briefing.  “In the last three months we’ve seen illegal immigration on our southern border exceed 50,000 people each month, multiples over each month last year. Since this time last year, there has been a 325 percent increase in unaccompanied alien children and a 435 percent increase in family units entering the country illegally.”
• DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen defends family separation in heated White House briefing (CBS News) – Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen addressed reporters Monday amid intense backlash on the Trump administration’s policy of prosecuting immigrants crossing the border that has resulted in the separation of families. She blamed Congress for a supposed “loophole,” calling on the legislative body to fix the issue, despite the fact that the situation has been spurred by the administration’s decision to expand prosecutions. “As long as illegal entry remains a criminal offense, DHS will not look the other way,” Nielsen said.  She argued that the Trump administration is merely continuing a policy from “previous administrations” that mandates separating a child who is “in danger, there is no custodial relationship between ‘family’ members, or if the adult has broken the law.”
• CBS News anchor reports from Texas that ‘the Statue of Liberty is weeping’ (Twitchy) – “CBS This Morning” co-anchor Gayle King, along with other journalists, visited a border patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, when children of illegal immigrants are being housed and promptly reported that “the Statue of Liberty, I think, is weeping right now.” At least it wasn’t as bad as the time CNN’s Jim Acosta read from the poem “The New Colossus” in a press briefing on immigration law and then tweeted it in full for those who didn’t get his point that a poem trumps immigration law.