Cal Thomas, Matthew Elliott, former attorney general Alberto Gonzales and J. Christian Adams joined WMAL on Wednesday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C What are you doing to survive the gov’t shutdown?

• PAWNSHOP OWNER SEEING MORE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: Twenty-four days into the government shutdown, a Chicago pawn shop owner says he sees 10 to 20 federal employees come in each day in order to continue feeding their families and paying their bills.

5am – D         Handcuffed, drugged with ketamine: Truth behind Thai cave rescue. Parents of the trapped Thai cave boys were told their boys were being taught to swim to freedom, but really they were handcuffed and drugged. It was the story that gripped the world: 12 boys from a Thai soccer team and their coach were trapped in a flooded cave so deep under ground a rescue was almost impossible. Then, as the world waited along with the boys’ anxious families, a brave yet difficult plan was hatched to bring the members of the Wild Boars team out alive. It was revealed during the rescue that the boys were mildly sedated to stop them panicking during the rescue, but the truth is more complex. The boys received far stronger drugs, and they were handcuffed behind their backs to stop them ripping off their face mask should they wake up. “To calm nerves, the parents were told the boys were being taught how to dive and the media reported that each of them would be tethered to an air hose and then swim out with one rescue diver in front and another behind,” Cochrane writes in his book. “This was untrue. “Those who’d been inside the flooded tunnels knew there was no way a child who had never dived before could make it through the muddy and treacherous obstacle course. “The only hope was to sedate them, put oxygen-fed masks with silicone seals over their faces and let the expert cave divers carry them out. “But it was crucial that the masks fitted tightly, otherwise they might drown.”

5am – E         Ocasio-Cortez set to join Maxine Waters on key financial services committee. (Fox News) — Self-described socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced on Twitter late Tuesday that she will join California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters on the influential House Financial Services Committee, which oversees Wall Street and the housing industry. California Rep. Katie Porter, Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, and Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley have also reportedly been tapped for the committee by Democratic House leaders, and a vote finalizing their appointments is expected within days. “I am very grateful for the opportunity to sit on this committee as a freshman, and look forward to working under the leadership of @RepMaxineWaters!” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter late Tuesday. “Financial Services is one of just four exclusive committees in the House. It oversees big banks, lending, & the financial sector.”

6am – A/B/C STEVE KING

• The House approved a Democratic measure critical of Iowa Congressman Steve King’s comments about white supremacy on a 416-1 vote. King supported the measure, saying the idea of white supremacy “never shows up in my head,” one week after saying “white nationalist, white supremacist…how did that become offensive?” Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush was the lone opposing vote, saying King should be censored, not simply the subject of a resolution. King has been removed from committee assignments.
• Rep. Steve King: “Let’s vote for this resolution. I’m putting up a ‘yes’ up on board here because what you state here is right and it’s true and it’s just. And so is what I have stated here on the floor of the House of Representatives.”
• Q: “Given Congressman King’s recent comments on white supremacy, should he resign? @GOPLeader: “I think that’s up to Steve King. The voters have elected him. The House Republicans denounce his language. We do not believe in his language…”

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CAL THOMAS – Syndicated columnist – discussed the William Barr hearing, the passing of Carol Channing and the growing 2020 Democratic presidential field.

6am – E         ‘Cut the Wire,’ a Toy Bomb Game, Is Discontinued After Criticism. (NY Times) — When it comes to feel-good, classic games there are the old reliables: Operation, Twister and Monopoly, among others. Then there is Cut the Wire, a game that asks children to defuse a toy bomb before it “detonates.” The game, which was recommended for children ages 6 and up, sets a timer and players have to defuse the faux bomb before time runs out. If a player cuts the wrong wire with the toy wire cutter, the game, which resembles banded sticks of dynamite, sounds an alarm and an explosion noise as it lights up and vibrates. Parents expressed concern about the game, which comes packaged in a box with a background that looks like flames in an explosion. Critics said it was difficult to imagine promoting the game when there was so much real-life violence in the world involving bombs. “So, we’re going to give children toy bombs to defuse. Because apparently this is fun for the whole family. How about ‘Duck And Cover: the Biological Attack Version’ next?” a Twitter user, Michael Bouck, tweeted. Another Twitter user with the handle Cardboard Icons tweeted a photo of the toy and wrote: “So this was a real toy?! A game in which the child has to cut the wire on a bomb?!” and added “#evenmy8yearoldknowsthatsodd.” At least two retailers, Walmart and Target, said they stopped selling the game. A Target spokeswoman said the retailer removed it from its shelves in the fall. A Walmart spokeswoman said the company appreciated “the concerns that have been raised regarding this item” and that it had no plans to reorder it. YULU, the game’s manufacturer, said it thought children would see themselves as heroes. It said it stopped making Cut the Wire in October, though it was still for sale on Amazon as of Monday. “We created Cut the Wire as a fun strategy game for kids where the object is to defuse the device and be the hero,” said Jochem van Rijn, the company’s president. “We’re very sorry for any concern the game may have caused and, therefore, we are no longer shipping new product in the market in North America.”

6am – F         Federal judge ruling blocking Trump from adding census citizenship question. A federal judge in Manhattan ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census was unlawful. In his 277-page ruling, Judge Jesse Furman, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s decision to add the question to the census was “arbitrary and capricious” and enjoined the administration from including it on the questionnaire. Furman, an Obama appointee, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a statute that requires him to collect data through the acquisition and use of “administrative records” instead of through “direct inquiries” on a survey such as the census.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – MATTHEW ELLIOTT – Editor at Large at Brexit Central and was the CEO of the Vote Leave campaign — discussed the Brexit vote.

• Brexit movie coming out on HBO on January 19^th
• The UK Parliament rejects Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal with the European Union by  a vote of 432 to 202. The British Parliament rejected a Brexit deal to leave the European Union but there’s still about two months (March 29) to determine the next step. If there’s no agreement on a way to leave the EU, remain in the EU, or extend the deadline, Britain faces a no deal situation on trade and economic agreements with other countries.

7am – B/C     BARR HEARING HIGHLIGHTS:

• Attorney General nominee William Barr told Senate Judiciary Committee members it is “vitally important” special counsel Robert Mueller be allowed to complete his report, and he disagrees with President Trump calling it “a witch hunt.” He added he will make as much of Mueller’s report available as he can, while not allowing President Trump to make any edits to the completed document.  Barr returns to the Senate committee on Wednesday.
• Attorney General Nominee William Barr: “I believe it is vitally important that the Special Counsel be allowed to complete his investigation.”
• Feinstein to Attorney General nominee Barr: You must be able to tell Trump ‘no’
• Graham: Do you believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a “witch hunt” against anybody? Barr: I don’t believe Mr. Mueller would be involved in a witch hunt.
• Sen. Graham: Do you believe Attorney General Sessions had a conflict because he worked on the Trump campaign? Barr: I’m not sure of all the facts. But I think he probably did the right thing recusing himself. Graham: I agree.

7am – D         DEMS REFUSE TO MEET WITH WHITE HOUSE AND ANGEL MOMS:

• Democrats boycott White House border security meeting. Congressional Democrats on Tuesday rejected President Trump’s invitation to a lunch meeting at the White House to discuss border security, in the latest sign that both sides of the government shutdown standoff remain entrenched in their positions with no compromise in sight. A senior administration official told Fox News that the president had invited Democrats to join his lunch with members of Congress in the Roosevelt Room shortly after noon. But moments before the session, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that nobody took them up on the offer. “The President has a proposal on the table that includes additional technology at ports of entry, allows minors from Central America to seek asylum in their home country, and physical barriers between ports of entry made of steel instead of concrete,” she said. “Today, the President offered both Democrats and Republicans the chance to meet for lunch at the White House. Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend. The President looks forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government. “It’s time for the Democrats to come to the table and make a deal.”
• Nancy Pelosi Refuses to Meet with Angel Moms Protesting Inside Her Office. (Breitbart News) — A group of Angel Moms on Tuesday afternoon protested inside Capitol Hill office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who refused to meet with the grieving family members who lost loved ones to illegal aliens crime as Democrat leaders refuse to support a bill to fund a Southern U.S. border wall. “It’s a slap, it’s a stab, it’s a kick in the gut, in the groin,” Sabine Durden, whose son Dominic was struck dead in 2012 by an illegal alien, said of Pelosi’s and other Democrats’ decision not to meet with Angel Mothers. “It’s not a matter of if you’re going to be affected by illegal alien crime, it’s when you are going to be affected,” replied Mary Ann Mendoza, whose 32-year-old police officer Brandon Mendoza was killed by a drunk illegal alien driving on the wrong way down a Mesa, Arizona highway. Radio host Rose Tennent, who appeared to be filming the protest, asked the women how it feels to tell their story, only to be refused a meeting with Pelosi. Several Angel Moms said they felt “angry” and “insulted.”

7am – E         CNN PANEL MELTS DOWN OVER TRUMP’S ‘SEXIST’ SALAD JOKE. (Daily Caller/Amber Athey) — A CNN panel accused President Donald Trump of being “sexist” Monday night because the president made a joke about first lady Melania Trump making salads. The president cracked the joke to the national championship-winning Clemson football team during their Monday visit to the White House. Trump noted that because of the shutdown, he had to personally purchase a spread of fast food for the team’s visit, and joked that his food choices were better than having the first lady make them “some quick little salads.” CNN anchor Erin Burnett and analyst Joan Walsh accused the president of being sexist for assuming that the first lady would prepare the salads. “That’s appalling,” Walsh said. “It seems to me that the president will not be happy until there is one single female Republican voter in the country. It’s incredibly sexist.” “Sometimes what people say when they’re being funny exposes exactly who they are and what they think,” Burnett agreed. Scott Jennings, the lone Republican on the panel, tried to defend the president’s attempt at humor but was shut down by the two women. “I certainly didn’t take his comments to be sexist,” Jennings said. “So then Mike Pence maybe could have made the salads?” Walsh shot back. “How in the world do you not perceive that as sexist?” Burnett scoffed.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW – JUDGE ALBERTO GONZALES –  former United States Attorney General and the former Counsel to President George W. Bush, is currently the Dean at Belmont University College of Law and the author of “True Faith and Allegiance” – shared his thoughts on how the Attorney General confirmation hearings are going.

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – J. CHRISTIAN ADAMS – President and General Counsel of the Public Interest Legal Foundation. He served from 2005 to 2010 in the Voting Section at the United States Department of Justice.

*** CHRISTIAN filed briefs in this citizenship question case.

• Federal judge ruling blocking Trump from adding census citizenship question. A federal judge in Manhattan ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census was unlawful. In his 277-page ruling, Judge Jesse Furman, of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s decision to add the question to the census was “arbitrary and capricious” and enjoined the administration from including it on the questionnaire. Furman, an Obama appointee, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross violated a statute that requires him to collect data through the acquisition and use of “administrative records” instead of through “direct inquiries” on a survey such as the census.

8am – D         2020 DEMS FIELD GROWING:

• Gillibrand tells Colbert she’s forming presidential exploratory committee. (Fox News) — New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced during a taping of Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” on Tuesday night that she has formed an exploratory committee for a 2020 presidential run, reversing her previous reassurances that she would continue to serve in the Senate instead. Gillibrand, 52, will be entering an increasingly crowded field of Democrats seeking to unseat President Trump. She spoke largely in generalities on Tuesday, as she vowed to take on powerful “special interests” and work on behalf of children. “I’m filing an exploratory committee for president of the United States, tonight,” Gillibrand said, holding Colbert’s hands as she spoke, in a video posted by CBS Tuesday afternoon. “I’m going to run for president of the United States because as a young mom, I’m going to fight for other people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own — which is why I believe health care should be a right, not a privilege.” Fox News has learned that Gillibrand is heading to Iowa, which hosts the pivotal first-in-the-nation caucuses, on Friday for a meeting and fundraiser with local Democrats.
• Beto O’Rourke mocked after offering few answers in wide-ranging policy interview. Former Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke faced across-the-board criticism on Tuesday after an unflattering interview in The Washington Post portrayed him as equivocal and unsure on a variety of substantive policy issues. O’Rourke, 46, is widely considered a possible 2020 presidential contender, after falling only a few percentage points shy of dethroning incumbent Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2018 midterm elections. But his relative lack of experience and expertise has emerged as a central objection to his prospective candidacy. Speaking to Johnson in El Paso, Texas, O’Rourke added fuel to those concerns by repeatedly demurring when asked for a direct answer on his positions on everything from visa overstays to whether President Trump should withdraw military forces from Syria. At one point in the two-hour chat with The Post’s Jenna Johnson, O’Rourke openly wondered whether the U.S. can “still be managed by the same principles that were set down 230-plus years ago” in the Constitution. The article even included an apparent shot by at O’Rourke from former Illinois Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who told The Post he was “very pleasantly surprised” that O’Rourke — who represented a mostly Hispanic district during his three terms in the House of Representatives — was “suddenly interested” in immigration reform efforts last year. Asked what could be done about illegal immigrants who overstayed their visas,  O’Rourke told Johnson simply, “I don’t know.”
• Kamala Harris releases ‘mixtape’ on ‘The Late Show’ amid 2020 speculation. California Sen. Kamala Harris (D) released a “mixtape” of her favorite songs on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Monday night as amid reports that Harris herself was planning to announce a bid. In a video segment recorded for the show, Harris listed several songs she enjoys in different settings including Beyonce’s “Lemonade” and Prince’s “Purple Rain.” Other entries in the “mixtape” included “Check the Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest and “Push It” by Salt-n-Pepa. The senator tweeted the video Monday evening, highlighting what she called her “presidential song:” Funkadelic’s album “One Nation Under a Groove.”