Hans Von Spakovsky, Byron York and Susan Ferrechio joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C SHUTDOWN BLAME POLL:

• Another poll shows voters blame Trump, GOP for shutdown
• New Quinnipiac Poll on the shutdown:

• 56% blame Trump and Republicans
• 36% blame Democrats

5am – D         Pentagon shipping jumbo cell to Guantanamo court for al-Qaida trial from hospital bed. (Miami Herald) — GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba – The Pentagon is shipping a handicapped-accessible cell big enough to accommodate a hospital bed and wheelchair that, in a first, would let an accused war criminal live at the court during proceedings as he tries to recover from multiple spinal surgeries. The Camp Justice sleepover plan represents a reversal in Guantanamo detention center policy, which required that a defendant be returned each night from the court complex to a section of the detention center called Camp 7, the top secret prison for former CIA captives. But the cascading health crises since the summer of 2017 of a 57-year-old inmate called Abd al Hadi al Iraqi have thwarted the efforts of two successive Marine Corps judges to bring him to trial. On Friday, prosecutor Marine Maj. Johnathan Rudy announced the plan to add an extra-large holding cell with a video feed and phone line to the court. That means Hadi could watch the proceedings from a cell with hospital bed adjacent to the courtroom, if he feels too unwell to sit in court, then telephone his attorneys if he wants to talk to them. Prison guard commander Army Col. Steven G. Yamashita testified Friday that the cell will arrive in Guantanamo in March.

5am – E         Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks she got under Trump’s skin. WASHINGTON — Her days as a bartender prepared her to deal with President Trump, says Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. On his way to New Orleans on Monday, Trump was asked about Ocasio-Cortez’s comment calling him a racist on national TV. “Who cares?” the president responded. Ocasio-Cortez claimed that shows he was irritated. “I bartended for years in New York City. I understand guys like this like the back of my hand,” the 29-year-old New York Democrat tweeted. “We got under his skin,” she said, adding a laughing-until-crying emoji and pointing to a tweet that quoted the president.

 

6am – A/B/C TRUMP-RUSSIA:

• NYT:  F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia
• Trump slams ‘total sleaze’ Comey, ‘corrupt’ FBI leaders, after report bureau launched probe after director’s ouster
• Brian Stelter thinks 2,000 minutes of Russia obsession from the network evening news is a pittance. Paltry. Insufficient. Who’s covering SNOW when we’ve got to get impeachment going?
• Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl said his sources “interacting with” special counsel Robert Mueller’s team said Mueller’s forthcoming report was “almost certain to be anti-climactic.”
• On Brian Kilmeade’s show, John Dowd: There Is A Coup Against President Trump By Rod Rosenstein, James Comey, Robert Mueller, Andrew McCabe
• Kellyanne claims Trump tore up notes of his meeting with Putin because other embarrassing calls to world leaders had leaked already. Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Donald Trump, says the president shielded a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017, because his administration was ‘suffering from a great number’ of leaks at that time. Conway told reporters at the White House on Monday that the White House that she had not talked with the president directly about the incidents detailed in a Sunday article in The Washington Post.

6am – D/E     STEVE KING LOSES COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS:

• House GOP leaders moved to strip embattled Rep. Steve King from his committee assignments on Monday, part of wave of congressional action over recent racist comments by the Iowa Republican. King will lose his seat on three panel, including the Judiciary Committee, where he served as chairman of the subcommittee on the Constitution and civil justice.
• GOP Leader to reporters — “We will not be seating Steve King on any committees in the 116th Congress.”
• Mitch McConnell signals it’s time for Steve King to go. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued a sharp rebuke of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, on Monday, strongly suggesting he should consider looking for work outside of Congress after backlash over past statements on white supremacy and white nationalism reached critical mass. “There is no place in the Republican Party, the Congress, or the country for an ideology of racial supremacy of any kind. I have no tolerance for such positions and those who espouse these views are not supporters of American ideals and freedoms. Rep. King’s statements are unwelcome and unworthy of his elected position. If he doesn’t understand why ‘white supremacy’ is offensive, he should find another line of work,” McConnell said in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner.
• Mitt Romney: Steve King doesn’t belong in Congress. Sen. Mitt Romney declared in no uncertain terms Monday that Rep. Steve King should resign for his comments about white supremacy. “I think he ought to step aside and I think Congress ought to make it very clear he has no place there,” Romney, R-Utah, told CNN. Romney is the latest prominent GOP lawmaker to join a bipartisan chorus of condemnation of King, R-Iowa, after he spoke with the New York Times last week and asked why the phrases “white nationalist” and “white supremacist” have become “offensive.”

6am – F         2020 Dems:

• Gillibrand expected to announce White House run on ‘Colbert’
• Cory Booker has been dating Rosario Dawson since last month
• William Barr, President Trump’s pick to be the next U.S. attorney general, is expected to be grilled this week during his Senate confirmation hearing before a sharply divided Senate Judiciary Committee … The committee has a new chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Barr on Tuesday will be facing several Democrats who may have 2020 presidential campaign ambitions, including Sen. Cory Booker on New Jersey, Kamala Harris of California and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

 

7am – A         INTERVIEW – HANS VON SPAKOVSKY — former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission from 2006 to 2007 and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation previewed WILLIAM BARR’S confirmation hearings.

• Attorney General nominee William Barr begins two days of hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee where he will pledge to allow special counsel Robert Mueller to complete his investigation of possible ties between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia. Barr is expected to also clarify earlier criticism of Mueller’s probe, which, if confirmed, he would supervise. He is expected to say the Mueller report should be made public.

7am – B/C     CLEMSON FAST FOOD

• The shutdown became part of the President’s celebration of the Clemson Tigers’ visit to the White House as platters of fast food were served. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says the College Football National Champions were given burgers and pizza “because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, much of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed—so the President is personally paying for the event.” 
• Trump Treats Clemson Tigers to Fast Food During Govt. Shutdown. President Donald Trump treated the 2018 College Football National Champions Clemson Tigers to fast food during their visit to the White House on Monday. After leaving Marine One, Trump told reporters, “Because of the shutdown, as you know, we have the great Clemson team with us … so we went out and we ordered American fast food paid for by me. Lots of hamburgers, lots of pizza, I think they’d like it better than anything we could give. And so, we’ll have a little fun and you guys are invited up there to look, but I think we’ll have a little fun.” “The President wanted to host a fun event to celebrate the College Football National Champion Clemson Tigers. Because the Democrats refuse to negotiate on border security, much of the residence staff at the White House is furloughed – so the President is personally paying for the event to be catered with some of everyone’s favorite fast foods,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. According to a White House press pool report, Trump was standing behind a table piled high with hamburgers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King. Another table was covered with Domino’s pizza and french fries. The president explained that this was “great American food” for them.

7am – D         GENIUS: WINE DRINKING OUT OF A PRINGLES CAN:

• Woman Banned From Walmart For Drinking Wine Out Of A Pringles Can On A Motorized Scooter. (Daily Caller) — A woman was banned from a northern Texas Walmart after she spent hours driving a motorized scooter around in the parking lot while drinking wine from a Pringles potato chip container on Friday. Wichita Falls police responded to a 911 call from the Walmart at 9:00 am Friday morning. She had apparently been drinking and driving the scooter generally used by people with physical disabilities since 6:30 am, according to the Time News Record. The police located the individual in question at a nearby restaurant and told her that she would no longer be allowed in the Walmart. She was not arrested.

• Woman drinking wine out of Pringles can at Walmart warms internet’s jaded heart
• Food and Wine magazine: “I Tried Drinking Wine from a Pringles Can.” Clearly, this viral story comes with a lot to unpack, so is it wrong that my first instinct was, “Wait… Can you really drink wine out of Pringles cans?” Obviously, there’s only one way to find out.

7am – E         Meghan McCain Clashes With Women’s March Leaders Over Farrakhan’s Anti-Semitism: ‘You Won’t Condemn It!’ The View‘s Meghan McCain clashed with two leaders of the Women’s March on Monday over allegations of anti-Semitism within the organization and their ties to famous bigot Louis Farrakhan — who got some applause from the View audience. Tamika Mallory and Bob Bland — who organized the massive Washington D.C. Women’s March in 2017 — appeared on The View to talk about the future of their organization as it weathers controversies.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – BYRON YORK – chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner – discussed the Trump-Russia NY Times report.

• Byron York ‏@ByronYork: Reading Mark Warner CNN transcript on Trump-Russia. This the-latest-stories-are-very-troubling-but-I-can’t-say-what-I-know-because-it’s-a-super-duper-secret routine is getting really old…  ¼
• Byron York @ByronYork: Given seriousness of Trump-Russia allegations, there is a desperate need for radical transparency. Full Mueller report, plus all underlying testimony/interview transcripts, should be released. No classified versions. 2/4

• Byron York ‏ @ByronYork Full Senate Intelligence Committee report, plus all underlying testimony/interview transcripts, should be released. Everything. Plus all transcripts from House Intelligence Committee and Senate Judiciary.  No classified versions.  3/4

8am – B/C     Gillette chastises men in a new commercial highlighting the #MeToo movement — and some are furious. A new ad, called “We Believe” and lasting a minute and a half, encourages men to change their behavior. It directly invokes the #MeToo movement to confront America’s culture. “Gillette believes in the best in men — that by holding each other accountable, eliminating excuses for bad behavior, and supporting a new generation working toward their personal ‘best,’ we can deliver positive change that will matter for years to come,” Gary Coombe, the president of the Gillette parent Procter & Gamble’s global grooming business, said in a statement about the ad. The ad opens with audio of news anchors covering a simulated reporting on a #MeToo-related movement. A narrator then asks: “Is this the best a man can get? Is it?”

• Gillette ‏@Gillette: “Boys will be boys”? Isn’t it time we stopped excusing bad behavior? Re-think and take action by joining us at http://TheBestMenCanBe.org . #TheBestMenCanBe
• Dollar Shave Club is capitalizing on Gillette’s woke stupidity. Needless to say, Gillette’s finding themselves bleeding customers, so to speak. And Dollar Shave Club is only too happy to make the most of it:  Dollar Shave Club @DollarShaveClub  Welcome to the Club. 3:57 PM – Jan 14, 2019

8am – D         INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner – discussed the latest on the shutdown battle, Rep. Steve King getting his committee assignments stripped and previewed William Barr’s attorney general confirmation hearings.

• The confirmation hearing for William Barr, President Trump’s nominee to be the nation’s next attorney general, will begin Tuesday, and it may resemble an audition stage for Democrats hoping to run for president in 2020 … Several Democratic senators thought to be potential presidential contenders in 2020 — including Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Amy Klobuchar — are set to grill Barr. Although the 68-year-old nominee is expected to ultimately win confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate, Tuesday’s questioning affords Democrats another major opportunity to send sparks flying and promote their own White House ambitions. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the new chairman of the Judiciary Committee, will oversee the hearing. Barr’s views on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe will be a major topic, and he is expected to tell the committee that he believes Mueller should be permitted to conclude his investigation and that the findings should be made public.
• KING PUNISHED OVER ‘WHITE SUPREMACIST’ CONTROVERSY: Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, was stripped of his committee assignments by his fellow House Republicans Monday evening following bipartisan condemnation of King’s recent remarks on white supremacy and white nationalism … In a formal statement, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said King’s comments were “beneath the dignity of the Party of Lincoln and the United States of America. His comments call into question whether he will treat all Americans equally, without regard for race and ethnicity. House Republicans are clear: We are all in this together, as fellow citizens equal before God and the law.” In a statement of his own, King insisted that his comments had been “completely mischaracterized” and blasted McCarthy for what King called “a political decision that ignores the truth.”

8am – E         NEW HONDURAS CARAVAN:

• New migrant caravan in Honduras begins journey to US border. A new caravan of at least 500 migrants late Monday began its perilous journey from a rain-soaked bus station in Honduras to the United States border, members of the group told Fox News. The caravan left the northern city of San Pedro Sula earlier than expected. There was chatter on social media that the group would leave at 5 a.m. on Tuesday. It is unclear why the group left earlier, but rainy weather could have played a role. The scene was a familiar one: The group had a mix of people that included some mothers carrying their young children on their shoulders. It’s unclear where the group will rest, but past migrants have used the Honduran city of Quimistan, which is 35 miles from the bus stop, as an early checkpoint.
• DULLES CLOSES TSA LINES: Two airports in Virginia and Texas were forced to close screening lanes as the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta reported hour-long wait times due to Transportation Security Administration agents calling out sick during President Donald Trump’s partial government shutdown.