Heritage Foundation’s Hans von Spakovsky, Heritage Foundation’s Mike Gonzalez, National Journal’s Josh Kraushaar joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Hosts: Joe Concha and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C/D Q & A with guest-host Joe Concha!

5am – E Paul Manafort trial Day 11: Defense rests, Manafort will not take the stand (Washington Post) – Paul Manafort, President Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, is on trial in federal court in Alexandria on bank and tax fraud charges. Prosecutors allege he failed to pay taxes on millions he made from his work for a Russia-friendly Ukrainian political party, then lied to get loans when the cash stopped coming in.  The prosecution rested on Monday, and today the defense rested, and Manafort will not take the stand. The courtroom was sealed for nearly two hours this morning, then reopened at about 11:30 a.m. with Manafort coming in 10 minutes later. The reason for the sealed court was not disclosed.

6am – A/B/C Report details sexual abuse by more than 300 priests in Pennsylvania’s Catholic Church (CNN) – A new grand jury report says that internal documents from six Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania show that more than 300 “predator priests” have been credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims.  “We believe that the real number of children whose records were lost or who were afraid ever to come forward is in the thousands,” the grand jury report says.               

6am – D/E Primary Results:

• Pawlenty loses comeback bid in Minnesota (The Hill) – Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) failed on Tuesday in his comeback bid for a third term, as state Republicans chose Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson (R) as their nominee to replace the state’s term-limited governor.
• Evers wins Democratic primary, will face Walker (Star Tribune) – Wisconsin state schools chief Tony Evers, a cancer survivor known for his even-keeled demeanor, won the Democratic primary for governor on Tuesday and will face Republican Gov. Scott Walker in November as he seeks a third term. Evers emerged from a field of eight Democratic candidates to win the primary, which comes as Walker has warned supporters that a blue wave could be coming if they aren’t vigilant. Evers had a nearly 2-1 lead over his nearest competitor based on early results.
• Democrat Keith Ellison wins Minnesota AG primary days after abuse allegations surface (Fox News) – Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison scored a victory Tuesday night in the Minnesota primary race for the state’s attorney general days after domestic abuse accusations against him surfaced.  Ellison, who serves as the deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee and is the first Muslim elected to Congress, was accused over the weekend of emotional and physical abuse by an ex-girlfriend.  Addressing the abuse allegations in his victory speech, Ellison said: “We had a very unexpected event at the end of this campaign that happened. I want to assure you that it is not true.”

6am – F Twitter suspends Alex Jones for seven days over tweet (New York Times) – Twitter on Tuesday suspended the account of the far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones for a week after he tweeted a link to a video calling for supporters to get their “battle rifles” ready against media and others, in a violation of the company’s rules against inciting violence.  The action effectively prevents Mr. Jones from tweeting or retweeting from his personal account for seven days, though he will be able to browse Twitter. The Twitter account for Infowars, the media website founded by Mr. Jones, was not affected.

7am – A INTERVIEW – Hans von Spakovsky – Heritage Foundation senior fellow – discussed Omarosa’s legal jeopardy           

7am – B/C Sarah Sanders “can’t guarantee” there are no tapes of Trump saying N-word (CBS News) – White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she “can’t guarantee” that there are no tapes of President Trump saying the N-word. Former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman claims she has heard such a tape dating from Mr. Trump’s time on “The Apprentice,” but the president insists he has never uttered the slur.  “I can’t guarantee anything, but I can tell you that the president addressed this question directly,” Sanders said in the White House press briefing Tuesday in response to a question about whether she could guarantee that Americans would never hear him use the word in a recording.

7am – D INTERVIEW – Mike Gonzalez – Heritage Foundation senior fellow – discussed his calls for Trump to end the National Advisory Committee on Race and Ethnicity

7am – E Decision nears on future of dockless bikes, scooters in DC (WTOP) – The District is set to lay out new rules this month for dockless bikes and app-based electric scooters.  The pilot program that started last year was extended through Aug. 31 after the companies that run the services complained about an initial proposal this spring that would have required payments to the city, continued data sharing and that the dockless rides be parked in proper areas.

8am – A INTERVIEW – Josh Kraushaar – National Journal – recap primary day results from races in key Midwest states       

8am – B Go Deeper: Ryan Zinke discounts climate change’s role in wildfires (Axios) – With some of the largest-ever wildfires on record burning in California and the death toll rising, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has blamed the massive fires on environmentalists refusing to allow more logging operations in federal forests.  Why this matters: Zinke, along with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, are in charge of land management policies for vast tracts of fire-prone forests in the West. How each official views climate change’s role in these blazes will help determine those policies.  During a tour of fire-ravaged areas in California this week and in a newspaper op-ed, both officials avoided emphasizing climate change as an important contributor to the current crisis.

8am – C Maryland parts ways with strength and conditioning coach Rick Court amid football scandal (Baltimore Sun) – Amid reports of a toxic coaching culture, the University of Maryland has parted ways with football strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, athletic director Damon Evans announced at a news conference Tuesday.  The dismissal comes less than a week after school sources told The Baltimore Sun that Court was among four staffers, including coach DJ Durkin, who were placed on administrative leave. The school is awaiting the results of an external review of the protocols and procedures relating to the death of Terps offensive lineman Jordan McNair, who was hospitalized after an offseason workout in late May.

8am – D/E ‘Like a dog’: Trump has a long history of using canine insults to dehumanize enemies (Washington Post) – In President Trump’s singular lexicon, there is no more vicious put-down than likening an adversary to a dog.“Choked like a dog.”  “Fired like a dog.”  “Sweat like a dog.”  Then there is what Trump said Tuesday of Omarosa Manigault Newman, his former reality television protege and White House staffer who is now scorned and telling all in her new book, “Unhinged,” and accompanying media tour.