Cliff May, Mark Krikorian, Astronaut Tom Jones, Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, Larry Michael, Diamond & Silk, Marc Lotter and Rep. Jim Jordan joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, December 21, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C             BORDER FUNDING FIGHT:

• House Republicans passed a stop-gap spending bill that delivers $5 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall, setting up a standoff with the Senate that significantly raises the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.
• President Trump: “I’ve made my position very clear: Any measure that funds the government must include border security … We have no choice.”

5am – D         MATTIS RESIGNS

• Trump announces Mattis will leave as defense secretary at the end of February. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned Thursday after clashing with President Trump over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan, saying in a parting letter that the president deserves someone atop the Pentagon “better aligned” with his views. The retired Marine general’s surprise resignation came a day after Trump shocked American allies and overruled his advisers, including Mattis, upon announcing a withdrawal from Syria. In the process, Trump declared victory over the Islamic State, even though the Pentagon and State Department for months have been saying the fight against the group in Syria isn’t over.
• SYRIA: Mattis is believed to have pushed back on Trump’s decision this week to abruptly withdraw American troops from Syria

5am – E         NYT: Planned Parenthood Is Accused of Mistreating Pregnant Employees

 

6am – A/B     Chuck Todd Says He Will Change The Direction Your Toilet Paper Hangs. Do not invite Chuck Todd to your holiday parties. Not only does the MSNBC host incorrectly believe that toilet paper should hang in the “under” position, but he will gladly come into your bathroom and change the direction of your toilet paper as he sees fit. As Todd passionately explained on “The Tony Kornheiser Show” last week, he believes toilet paper rolls should hang in the “under” position, for a number of foolish reasons.

6am – C         Washington Post reporter tries to shut down border wall GoFundMe — and gets denied.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CLIFF MAY – President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies – discussed Secretary Mattis resigning, Syria withdrawal and the possibility of withdrawal from Afghanistan.

• Trump announces Mattis will leave as defense secretary at the end of February
• Mattis is believed to have pushed back on Trump’s decision this week to abruptly withdraw American troops from Syria
• Jake Tapper reports Trump administration officials are bracing for the possibility Trump will announce a withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan soon, following his Syria decision.

6am – E         Gutierrez: ‘Thank God There Wasn’t a Wall’ When Jesus Fled into Egypt

• DHS secretary: Mary and Joseph would have been eligible for asylum. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Thursday that she believed that Mary and Joseph would have been eligible for asylum if they sought to enter the U.S. while fleeing King Herod with Jesus Christ. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) poised the question to Nielsen during a congressional hearing, after Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) earlier claimed that Jesus “would have perished” under the Trump administration’s immigration policies. “You mentioned that asylum is actually only found to be appropriate in about 10 percent of the people who claim asylum,” Gohmert said. “And for my colleague who left, if Mary and Joseph were trying to come into the United States under the situation that existed and King Herod was trying to kill everybody under two, would they be eligible for asylum in the United States?” Nielsen replied that they would be.

6am – F         Diamond & Silk’s Fox Nation analysis on Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

7am – A         INTERVIEW – MARK KRIKORIAN – nationally recognized expert on immigration issues, has served as Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS)

• House Republicans passed a stop-gap spending bill that delivers $5 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall, setting up a standoff with the Senate that significantly raises the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW — DR. TOM JONES —  veteran NASA astronaut and author of latest book, “Ask the Astronaut”  @TomJones_astro – discussed the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8 and Trump ordering the creation of US Space Command this week.

• 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF APOLLO 8: Apollo 8, the second manned spaceflight mission in the United States Apollo space program, was launched on December 21, 1968, and became the first manned spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and safely return.
• Launch date: December 21, 1968
• Orbital insertion: December 24, 1968, 9:59:20 UTC
• NASA’s 1st flight to moon, Apollo 8, marks 50th anniversary. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Fifty years ago on Christmas Eve, a tumultuous year of assassinations, riots and war drew to a close in heroic and hopeful fashion with the three Apollo 8 astronauts reading from the Book of Genesis on live TV as they orbited the moon. To this day, that 1968 mission is considered to be NASA’s boldest and perhaps most dangerous undertaking.
• They became the first human beings to see the Earth from space as an entire planet, traveled farther from home than anyone in history, and in the process all but ended the Space Race.
• SPACE COMMAND: Trump orders creation of US Space Command. President Donald Trump ordered the creation of “Space Command” on Tuesday, a move the administration is labeling a precursor to creating a US Space Force.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – LT. COL. TONY SHAFFER – a CIA trained former senior intelligence officer and the New York Times best-selling author of ” Operation Dark Heart.” @T_S_P_O_O_K_Y ‏– discussed Secretary Mattis resigning, Syria withdrawal and the possibility of withdrawal from Afghanistan.

• Trump announces Mattis will leave as defense secretary at the end of February
• Mattis is believed to have pushed back on Trump’s decision this week to abruptly withdraw American troops from Syria
• Jake Tapper reports Trump administration officials are bracing for the possibility Trump will announce a withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan soon, following his Syria decision.

7am – E         INTERVIEW – LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of The Redskins – previewed the Redskins game on Saturday vs. Tennessee Titans.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW – DIAMOND AND SILK — hosts of a new weekly “Fox Nation” series – shared their thoughts on Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, discussed their weekly Fox Nation series, the border wall funding fight and their CHIT CHAT TOUR coming to DC in February… can get tickets at DiamondandSilk.com.

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – MARC LOTTER – former special asst to President Trump and former VP Pence spokesman – discussed the border funding fight and Mattis resigning.  

• House Republicans passed a stop-gap spending bill that delivers $5 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall, setting up a standoff with the Senate that significantly raises the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.
• Trump announces Mattis will leave as defense secretary at the end of February

8am – D         INTERVIEW – REP. JIM JORDAN – (R-OH) — co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus @Jim_Jordan ‏– discussed his meeting at the White House yesterday about the border wall funding.

• House Republicans passed a stop-gap spending bill that delivers $5 billion for President Donald Trump’s border wall, setting up a standoff with the Senate that significantly raises the likelihood of a government shutdown this weekend.