Patrick Howley and Tim Burt joined WMAL on Monday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, February 4, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C EMBATTLED VIRGINIA GOVERNOR UNDER PRESSURE:

• Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam reportedly met with top aides Sunday night amid a growing chorus of Democrats calling on him to resign amid the uproar over his alleged appearance in a medical yearbook photo showing one man dressed in blackface and another in a KKK robe … The Democratic governor so far has refused to resign. He initially apologized but then denied being in the actual photo. Still, Democrats are concerned the controversy surrounding Northam could provide a distraction as they prepare for the 2020 presidential election and are skeptical that he can continue to effectively lead.

• Northam calls Sunday night staff meeting as he considers resignation – The Washington Post. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) called an unscheduled senior staff meeting Sunday night just before the start of the Super Bowl, as the governor considered resigning after two days of defiance amid a controversy over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook. People familiar with the meeting said the governor had not reached a decision. It was unclear who was present, but the group included senior staffers of color. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who would become governor if Northam resigned, was not there, the people said. Calling the Sunday night meeting was a clear signal of Northam’s effort to weigh support within the administration as he evaluates his options. Although he pledged on Saturday to stand his ground, he also said he would reconsider if he thought he could no longer be effective. Just a day later, resignation is an active consideration, the people said. The meeting was emotional, according to a Democratic official. Northam scheduled a larger meeting for Monday morning for administration staff, the official said.
• CALLS FOR NORTHAM TO RESIGN
  • Holder: Northam Should Resign, Discussion Needed About Racist Symbols. Former Attorney General Eric Holder called for Gov. Raph Northam (D-VA) to resign over an unearthed photo with racist imagery, and he said a nationwide discussion about modern-day racism is needed in America. “I have come to know Ralph Northam as a good, very decent man,” Holder’s statement shared to Twitter began. “I regretfully conclude that he does not now have the ability to effectively govern and effectively stand for the issues – moral and political – that Virginia and the nation must confront. The Governor should resign.” Holder then went on to say that while Northam’s resignation would be “correct,” it would not put an end to the matter. “We still need to have a difficult and necessary conversation about how racism and racist symbols still pervade too much of our society – and the pain they cause,” Holder said.
  • Northam loses Doug Wilder, the former VA governor – and first African American governor in the country – who was giving him deference this morning: L. Douglas Wilder ‏ @GovernorWilder: I stated, earlier, that Gov. Northam’s continuing in office was his choice to make. It is difficult for anyone who watched the press conference today to conclude that he has any other choice … but to resign.
  • VA Del. Kathy Tran on Facebook: I stand with my friends in the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and Virginia House Democrats in calling for Governor Northam to resign.
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‏@AOC Feb 2: Northam must resign, and those who try to help him stumble past this deserve scrutiny. If you can’t understand how painful + eroding this is to American society, let alone the state of Virginia, take some time to read up this weekend. To start, try “Between the World and Me.”
  • 2020 candidates, NAACP call for Northam’s resignation. Julian Castro and Sen. Kamala Harris, who have both announced they are running for president in 2020, denounced their fellow Democrat on  Twitter and called for his resignation.
  • President of NAACP calls for the resignation of Governor Ralph Northam: Derrick Johnson ‏@DerrickNAACP Black face in any manner is always racist and never okay. No matter the party affiliation, we can not stand for such behavior, which is why the @NAACP is calling for the resignation of Virginia Governor @RalphNortham 4:17 PM – 1 Feb 2019
  • Former Virginia governor McAuliffe predicts Northam will resign after racist yearbook photo. Terry McAuliffe on Ralph Northam: “If it wasn’t him in the photo, he should have said that on Friday. I have no idea what was going on in the governor’s office on Friday.”
  • Pelosi calls for resignation after reports that Northam is now saying he isn’t sure it’s him in the photo
  • JOE BIDEN: There is no place for racism in America. Governor Northam has lost all moral authority and should resign immediately, Justin Fairfax is the leader Virginia needs now.
  • CORY BOOKER: These images arouse centuries of anger, anguish, and racist violence and they’ve eroded all confidence in Gov. Northam’s ability to lead. We should expect more from our elected officials. He should resign
  • COMEY: Governor Northam should resign. Our Commonwealth is better than this and deserves better than this.
  • Elizabeth Warren says Northam should resign: “These racist images are deeply disturbing. Hatred and discrimination have no place in our country and must not be tolerated, especially from our leaders— Republican or Democrat. Northam must resign

5am – D         Insider leaks Trump’s “Executive Time”-filled private schedules (Axios) — A White House source has leaked nearly every day of President Trump’s private schedule for the past three months. Why it matters: This unusually voluminous leak gives us unprecedented visibility into how this president spends his days. The schedules, which cover nearly every working day since the midterms, show that Trump has spent around 60% of his scheduled time over the past 3 months in unstructured “Executive Time.” We’ve published every page of the leaked schedules in a piece that accompanies this item. To protect our source, we retyped the schedules in the same format that West Wing staff receives them. What the schedules show: Trump, an early riser, usually spends the first 5 hours of the day in Executive Time. Each day’s schedule places Trump in “Location: Oval Office” from 8 to 11 a.m. But Trump, who often wakes before 6 a.m., is never in the Oval during those hours, according to six sources with direct knowledge. Instead, he spends his mornings in the residence, watching TV, reading the papers, and responding to what he sees and reads by phoning aides, members of Congress, friends, administration officials and informal advisers. Trump’s first meeting of the day — usually around 11 or 11:30 a.m. — is often an intelligence briefing or a 30-minute meeting with the chief of staff. Since Nov. 7, the day after the midterm elections, Trump has spent around 297 hours in Executive Time, according to the 51 private schedules we’ve obtained. For those same schedules, Trump has had about 77 hours scheduled for meetings that include policy planning, legislative strategy and video recordings. Some days, Executive Time totally predominates. For instance, he had 1 hour of scheduled meetings on Jan. 18 (with acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin) and 7 hours of Executive Time. The day after the midterms, Trump’s schedule had 30 minutes for a chief of staff meeting and more than 7 hours for Executive Time. Former chief of staff John Kelly introduced the concept of Executive Time because the president hated being locked into a regular schedule.

5am – E         COVINGTON LIBEL LAWSUIT: *The Kentucky Covington Catholic High School student seen in a viral video standing face-to-face with a Native American activist while wearing a MAGA hat during a class trip to DC has taken the first step toward suing several news outlets and dozens of people for libel and defamation. The list includes 50-plus names of organizations or individuals, from presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren to actress Alyssa Milano.

6am – A/B/C CALLS FOR NORTHAM TO RESIGN   

6am – D         HALFTIME SHOW CONTROVERSYL

• Stars boycott Super Bowl over NFL’s ‘racist treatment’ of Colin Kaepernick
• KAEPERNICK’S LAWYER LASHES OUT AT MAROON 5: “If you’re going to cross this idealogical or intellectual picket line, then own it, and Adam Levine certainly isn’t owning it,” Geragos fumed on “Good Morning America” on Friday. “It’s a cop-out when you start talking about, ‘I’m not a politician; I’m just doing the music.’ Most of the musicians who have any kind of consciousness whatsoever understand what’s going on here.”
• ADAM LEVINE EXPLAINS DECISION TO PLAY: “When we accepted the responsibility to perform at the SBHTS, I took out my pen and just wrote,” Levine, 39, captioned the photo. “Some of the words that came to me in that moment eventually made their way onto the incredible lanterns that flew high and low tonight. We thank the universe for this historic opportunity to play on the world’s biggest stage. We thank our fans for making our dreams possible. And we thank our critics for always pushing us to do better. One Love.”

6am – E         Democrat Elizabeth Warren apologizes to Cherokee Nation for DNA test. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren has apologized to the Cherokee Nation for taking a DNA test in a widely criticized effort to prove her claims to Native American ancestry, the tribe said on Friday. Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, called Bill John Baker, the principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, on Thursday to apologize for taking the DNA test last year, said Julie Hubbard, a Cherokee Nation spokeswoman. “It was a brief and private conversation but I understand that she did apologize for causing confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and the harm that has resulted,” Hubbard said in a statement. The chief and other tribal leaders appreciate that Warren “reaffirmed she is not a Cherokee Nation citizen – or a citizen of any tribal nation,” Hubbard said.

6am – F         BORDER NEWS:

• PENTAGON ANNOUNCES MORE TROOPS TO BORDER: The Pentagon announced Sunday the deployment of 3,750 more active-duty troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. The deployment will raise the total active duty forces to approximately 4,350.
• 2 MEMBERS OF THE BI-PARTISAN IMMIGRATION COMMITTEE TALK DIFFERENCES: Speaking exclusively to “Fox News Sunday,” a top Democrat on the bipartisan congressional committee negotiating a border security compromise indicated that his party would support “some sort of enhanced barrier” — but not a “wall” like the one President Trump has demanded. The government is currently funded through Feb. 15, and the committee is racing to reach an agreement to avert the possibility of another partial federal government shutdown over funding for a border wall. Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar insisted that local officials, instead of the head of the Border Patrol and other federal officers who have called for a wall, should make the final determination on what construction is necessary.

 

7am – A         Tran Cancels Town Hall After Pro-Lifers Organize Rally Protesting Virginia Abortion Bill. (Washington Free Beacon) – LORTON, Virginia—State Del. Kathy Tran (D.) canceled a Saturday town hall in her local district, citing “security concerns,” but a pro-life rally protesting Tran’s abortion proposal took place there as planned. This week Tran presented a bill to drastically reduce Virginia’s state regulations on abortion but quickly drew backlash when she said the bill would allow abortions as late as the day of delivery. The bill went down in the House of Delegates and two days later she claimed she “misspoke” about legalizing abortions on the day of delivery, but pro-life Virginians turned the bill and its support among Democrats into a rallying cry. One of the Democrats who supported Tran, Gov. Ralph Northam, inadvertently gave pro-lifers a slogan when he tried to defend the bill by seeming to endorse infanticide by saying some babies born alive could be subject to a “discussion” about whether they will live. “Resist Infanticide” was printed on signs distributed by the lead organizer, Susan B. Anthony List.

“Delegate Tran, Governor Northam, [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo—any legislator in this nation that is considering allowing abortion up until birth, until labor, and infanticide itself, here’s one thing we want you to know: If you seek to build women’s rights on the broken bodies of America’s children, you will fail,” said Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser.

7am – B/C     2020 News:

• Chris Christie Says He “Might Run For President Again”
• In Washington Post interview CHRISTIE Says Booker Could Have What It Takes… “He was someone who was pro-voucher, he was pro-charter school, he was somebody who was tough on crime in the city of Newark. If he stays in that lane, and is the articulate, inspirational guy that he is, then I think he’s got a legitimate chance to” beat Trump
• “I know him. I don’t think he has a chance,” President Trump on Sen. Cory Booker’s 2020 bid
• ON CNN: Terry McAuliffe on 2020 run for president: “I’ve said I’d make a decision by March 31st. I have been talking to other candidates. I want to see what the positions are out there. I am going through the process… I’d like to do it.”
• Kamala Harris learns the perils of presidential front-running (San Francisco Chronicle column by Willie Brown, published Feb 2) – “And I must admit, I was no help to Harris on the national front. “Sure, I dated Kamala Harris. So what?” I thought that little item would put the issue to rest. Not quite. Six months ago, it would have been just a chuckle among us locals. Harris’ emergence at the front of the presidential pack turned it into something that pundits from here to the Beltway parsed from every angle. Did I say that besides me helping her, she helped me? I honestly don’t think I would have made it through my first grueling run for mayor without her smarts and support. She loved me, and I loved me. It was a perfect relationship.”

7am – D         Northam calls Sunday night staff meeting as he considers resignation – The Washington Post. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) called an unscheduled senior staff meeting Sunday night just before the start of the Super Bowl, as the governor considered resigning after two days of defiance amid a controversy over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook. People familiar with the meeting said the governor had not reached a decision. It was unclear who was present, but the group included senior staffers of color. Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax (D), who would become governor if Northam resigned, was not there, the people said. Calling the Sunday night meeting was a clear signal of Northam’s effort to weigh support within the administration as he evaluates his options. Although he pledged on Saturday to stand his ground, he also said he would reconsider if he thought he could no longer be effective. Just a day later, resignation is an active consideration, the people said. The meeting was emotional, according to a Democratic official. Northam scheduled a larger meeting for Monday morning for administration staff, the official said.

7am – E         *”Empire” actor and musician Jussie Smollett managed to KEEP HIS SANDWICH! Jussie Smollett, the gay black actor who appears on the TV show Empire, wants the world to know he’s okay. He did a concert last night during which he addressed the alleged hate-crime assault he suffered early Tuesday morning near a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago. Smollett has previously said he was talking to his manager on his cellphone during the attack and still had that phone after the attack. Chicago reporter Rafer Weigel of Fox32 News tweeted that police sources had confirmed that Smollett also still had the Subway sandwich on him when he turned up at an apartment building shortly after the alleged attack. So Smollett underwent a vicious beating by two attackers that apparently lasted less than 60 seconds, since that is the reported gap in surveillance footage between an image of him without a rope around his neck and an image of him with the rope.  Smollett now says he fought back, but apparently he lost neither his Subway sandwich nor his cell phone in this brawl. Also he didn’t immediately call the police on that phone to describe the suspects and inform the police which way they had gone when they suddenly ran away from him, but instead waited about 40 minutes to inform the police.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – TIM BURT – Super Bowl ad guru / WEBSITE: Facebook.com/SuperBowlAdReview / https://www.timburtmedia.com/

TOPIC: Tim shares his best and worst picks of the 2019 Super Bowl commercials: This year’s advertising Super Bowl had, again, lots of celebrities and lots of dogs. It also had many ads featuring dogs, amirite? The recent trend toward sincerity continued with spots about environmentally responsible beer making and female empowerment in sports and in dating. Robots were plentiful enough to form an army, but please don’t. And tech giants Amazon and Google kept battling for the small pieces of our mind share they cannot already access.

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – PATRICK HOWLEY – Editor-in-Chief of Big League Politics @bigleaguepol @howleyreports

• Howley is the reporter who broke the Northam yearbook photo
• TOPIC: YEARBOOK: Ralph Northam In Blackface & KKK Photo https://bigleaguepolitics.com/yearbook-ralph-northam-in-blackface-photo/

8am – D/E     More on the Northam drama / listener calls