Joe diGenova, Washington Post’s Scott Allen and DDOT’s Jeff Marootian joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, April 8, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C Mulvaney vows Dems will ‘never’ see Trump’s tax returns, despite renewed push | Fox News / Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told “Fox News Sunday” in an exclusive interview that Democrats will “never” see President Trump’s tax returns, days after a House Democrat committee chairman made the unprecedented demand that the IRS provide the documents. Mulvaney’s comments marked an apparent escalation in the White House’s rhetoric on the issue. On Wednesday, Trump responded with a dismissive taunt to Democrats’ renewed push for his tax information, but suggested he might be willing to provide the information pending the conclusion of an audit. “Oh no, never — nor should they,” Mulvaney told Bill Hemmer, who is filling in for host Chris Wallace, when asked if Democrats will ever see the president’s tax returns. “That’s an issue that was already litigated during the election. Voters knew the president could have given his tax returns. They knew that he didn’t and they elected him anyway.” Mulvaney added that Democrats “know” they won’t get the returns, and “just want attention on the issue because they don’t want to talk to us about policy.” A “fundamental” purpose of tax law, Mulvaney continued, is to protect the privacy of tax filers.

5am – D/E     LET PRISONERS VOTE? BERNIE SAYS YES! In Iowa, Bernie Sanders says states should allow felons to vote from behind bars. (Des Moines Register) – MUSCATINE, Ia. — While Iowa struggles on whether to restore voting rights to felons who have completed their prison sentences, Sen. Bernie Sanders said people convicted of felonies should never lose access to the ballot box in the first place. At a town hall meeting in Muscatine’s West Middle School gymnasium Saturday, the Vermont senator was asked whether the imprisoned should have the right to vote. Only his home state and Maine allow felons to vote from behind bars. “I think that is absolutely the direction we should go,” he said. While most states disenfranchise felons, Sanders said the convicted still have a right to participate in elections. “In my state, what we do is separate. You’re paying a price, you committed a crime, you’re in jail. That’s bad,” he said. “But you’re still living in American society and you have a right to vote. I believe in that, yes, I do.”

6am – A         DHS SECRETARY KIRSTEN NEILSEN RESIGNS:

• Kirstjen Nielsen quits as homeland security secretary after meeting with Trump
• WASHINGTON POST: Two senior administration officials said Nielsen had no intention of resigning when she went to the meeting, adding that she was forced to step down. The move comes as the Trump administration is dealing with an influx of migrants on the southern border.
• NIELSEN OUT AT HOMELAND SECURITY: President Trump announced Sunday that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen “will be leaving her position” after 16 months in the job. Nielsen tweeted Sunday evening that she had submitted her resignation. … The president said that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan will replace Nielsen as acting secretary, tweeting, “I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!” Nielsen met with Trump at the White House Sunday amid an ongoing influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that has been taxing America’s immigration system and sparking frustration within the administration. The Associated Press, citing two sources, reported that Nielsen had been frustrated with the difficulty of getting other departments to help deal with the growing number of families crossing the southwestern border.
• Kevin McAleenan, new acting DHS boss, has long record in border security
• Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan: Trump made the right move picking McAleenan for DHS
• DEMS POUNCE AFTER CHANGE AT DHS: Democrats – particularly those eyeing the White House in 2020 — were quick to respond Sunday after President Trump announced the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and the appointment of Customs and Border Protection chief Kevin McAleenan as acting head of DHS. … “About time,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted, adding that in her view, Nielsen’s “legacy of tearing innocent families apart will follow her for the rest of her life — and she should be ashamed of the role she played. She was completely unqualified to lead @DHS — and that’s why I voted against confirming her.” Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., wrote that, “Kirstjen Nielsen misled the American people and defended Trump’s inhumane policy of separating children from their parents. It was long past time for her to go.”
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 11h11 hours ago: Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service….
• Donald J. Trump ‏ @realDonaldTrump 11h11 hours ago: ….I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov. I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!
• Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen @SecNielsen 10h10 hours ago: Its been an honor of a lifetime to serve with the brave men and women of @DHSgov.  I could not be prouder of and more humbled by their service, dedication, and commitment to keep our country safe from all threats and hazards.
• Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen  @SecNielsen 10h10 hours ago: This afternoon I submitted my resignation to @POTUS and thanked him for the opportunity to serve in his administration.

6am – B/C     Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx says ‘this is personal’ about calls for her to resign. CHICAGO (WLS) — Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx joined Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., on Saturday at Rainbow Push Headquarters to address calls for her to resign following her office’s decision to drop charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. “I’m committed to serving my term and should the people have me continuing forward,” Foxx said. On Thursday, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police and dozens of Cook County police chiefs banded together to announce a “no confidence” vote in Foxx.  They gathered at the FOP headquarters over what they claim is Foxx’s mishandling of certain felony case including Foxx’s office controversial decision to drop charges against Jussie Smollet over his alleged staged attack. However, Foxx said she is asking herself “what is this really about”. Foxx, who grew up in Cabrini Green and is the first African American woman to serve as Cook County State’s Attorney, said she is asking herself “what is this really about.” “We get into these positions somehow goal posts change,” Foxx said. The police chiefs claim the safety of citizens and officers are at risk because of Foxx’s decisions to allegedly under prosecute, especially when it comes to felony retail theft cases and battery to police officers.

6am – D/E     DC mayor declares war on confusing street signs — and wants you to join the fight. (WTOP) — It’s just about time to get in that spring cleaning mood, D.C. — and for Mayor Muriel Bowser, that means doing away with confusing street signs around the city. With #GoodSignDC, a new initiative Bowser will debut Wednesday morning, the city is determined to oust misplaced, contradictory or outright confusing road signs once and for all — and it needs your help to get it done. Bowser will kick off the new social media initiative at 11:30 a.m., along with a new, yearlong workforce training program designed to prepare D.C. residents for a transportation career as sign installers. But if you’re Twitter or Instagram-savvy and desperate at the opportunity to exact revenge on that migraine-inducing parking sign outside your window, you don’t have wait until 11:30 a.m. to do it. “Through April 15, residents are encouraged to share #GoodSignDC to alert the District about street signs, such as parking signs, that are confusing or are in need of replacement,” the District Department of Transportation said in a news release.

6am – F         Axios reporter says she was drugged at the bar inside of the St. Regis Hotel in D.C.

 

7am – A         INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former US Attorney to the District of Columbia

• MUELLER / RUSSIA CONSPIRACY:
  • Nunes to send eight criminal referrals to DOJ concerning leaks, conspiracy amid Russia probe. (Fox News) — House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes exclusively told Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that he is preparing to send eight criminal referrals to the Department of Justice this week concerning alleged misconduct from “Watergate wannabes” during the Trump-Russia investigation, including the leaks of “highly classified material” and conspiracies to lie to Congress and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court. The dramatic step comes as Republicans have pushed for the release of key documents to uncover the origins of the now-discredited narrative that the Trump campaign colluded improperly with the Russian government. President Trump recently told Fox News he would release the entirety of the FISA applications used to surveil one of his top aides, and other related documents. Nunes said he has been working on the referrals for more than two years, and wanted to wait until the confirmation of Attorney General Bill Barr.
  • Adam Schiff Still Sees ‘Ample Evidence’ of Collusion. (Breitbart) – Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said there was “ample evidence” of collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russians. Schiff said, “What I said on your show and others for over a year now, yes, there’s ample evidence of collusion in plain sight. That’s not proof of a conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. I would defer to Bob Mueller’s judgment, and I do. I think what we’re talking about here is the difference between conduct that rises to the level of criminality and conduct that is unethical, unpatriotic and corrupt but may not be criminal.”
  • Nadler: ‘There Was in Plain Sight Open Collusion with The Russians’ and Trump Campaign. (Breitbart) — Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said there was “open collusion” between President Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia despite special counsel Robert Mueller finding no evidence of criminal conspiracy. Nadler said, “There may very well not have been evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a very high judicial standard of criminal conspiracy with the Russians, but there was in plain sight open collusion with the Russians. When the president’s son and campaign manager and son-in-law go to a meeting with the Russians to receive “dirt on Hillary” as part of the Russian government’s attempt to help the Trump campaign, and that was in the e-mail inviting them to the meeting, they go to the meeting. They say, do you want that information? That is collusion, whether it’s criminal conspiracy is another question.”
• TRUMP’S TAX RETURNS:

• • Mulvaney vows Dems will ‘never’ see Trump’s tax returns, despite renewed push
  • Romney: ‘Moronic’ for Dems to go after Trump’s tax returns with legislative action

7am – B/C     AOC MOCKED FOR ‘ACCENT’ AT SHARPTON EVENT:

• While talking to a largely black audience at the National Action Network conference, AOC decided to adopt a Southern drawl. Ocasio-Cortez speaks in an accent that she never uses while telling a room of predominately black people that there is nothing wrong with them folding clothes, cooking, and driving other people around on a bus for a living.

• CODE SWITCHING: CNN host defends AOC’s accent: It’s the difference between mocking someone and knowing your audience. CNN host Don Lemon defended Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., saying that “code-switching” is absolutely normal. “There is a difference between mocking someone, or a group of people, and knowing your audience,” Lemon said, adding that it’s acceptable for Ocasio-Cortez to mimic stereotypical African American accents because she grew up around black communities in New York. “You have hung out with black people and that’s not the first time she’s used that accent. Trust me.”
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ‏ @AOC Apr 5: Folks talking about my voice can step right off. Women’s March & Kavanaugh speech, same. Any kid who grew up in a distinct linguistic culture & had to learn to navigate class enviros at school/work knows what’s up. My Spanish is the same way. These conspiracy mills are

7am – D/E     2020 NEWS:

• BIDEN JOKING ABOUT BEING HANDSY: Joe Biden Jokes About Hugging in a Speech, Then Offers a Mixed Apology.  (NY Times) — WASHINGTON — Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Friday twice jokingly referred to complaints from several women that he had made them uncomfortable with his physical contact, and then offered a convoluted apology about their concerns and his behavior. Speaking at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers conference in Washington, the former vice president used his first public remarks since the complaints emerged to try to push past the weeklong controversy that has overshadowed his expected presidential campaign. In his address, he largely stuck to his long-running political themes, highlighting the importance of uniting a divided nation and restoring the “great American middle class” — save for two notable asides. As he took the stage, he hugged Lonnie R. Stephenson, the union’s president. “I just want you to know I had permission to hug Lonnie,” he said, and the largely male crowd burst into laughter.
• SNL’S BIDEN SKETCH: Former cast member Jason Sudeikis returned to “Saturday Night Live” to reprise one of his most memorable characters: former Vice President. Saturday Night Live’s “Joe Biden” attends sensitivity training over inappropriate touching allegations
• MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG WAS ON MEET THE PRESS: Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg talks his age and his experience in governing on MTP: ‘I would stack up my experience against anybody’
• MEET THE PRESS’s CHUCK TODD asked panelist Heather McGhee about his interview with Mayor Peter. Chuck gushed about Mayor Pete’s resume that he was 10 years old younger than Pete but wondered what he had done with his life compared to Pete’s accomplishments.
• Cory Booker getting smoked by Pete Buttigieg in fundraising. Sen. Booker on fundraising: “I feel incredible. We set goals for ourselves and we surpassed our own goals.” Booker campaign says it raised over $5 million in first quarter

8am – A         INTERVIEW – SCOTT ALLEN – Sports reporter, The Washington Post

• CAPS PLAYOFFS: Caps first best-of-seven matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes begins this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in DC. 
• The Caps ended their fourth season atop the Metropolitan Division with a 3-0 loss, ensuring the Islanders clinched second place in the Metro. The game gave the Caps a 2-2 series tie against the Isles.
• VA / NCAA: Virginia will face Texas Tech in the NCAA men’s final.  Virginia arrived ranked fifth nationally by surrendering 88.7 points per 100 possessions, a metric that factors out Virginia’s slower offensive pace and offers a better measure of performance than scoring averages depressed by low-possession games.
• Virginia Comes Up Clutch in Controversial Win to Bury Painful Tourney Memories. Virginia prevails after disputed foul call on late 3. MINNEAPOLIS — A controversial foul call on a 3-point attempt by Virginia’s Kyle Guy in the final seconds of Saturday night’s Final Four game against Auburn allowed the Cavaliers to pull out a dramatic 63-62 win and left at least one member of the Tigers fuming. Auburn junior guard Samir Doughty made contact with Guy on the desperation heave in the corner and was whistled for the foul by official James Breeding. Guy coolly sank all three free throws with 0.6 seconds left, sending Virginia to Monday’s championship game and Auburn home for the season.

8am – B/C     OBAMA SPOKE AT A TOWN HALL IN EUROPE FOR THE OBAMA FOUNDATION:

• Barack Obama warns Democrats against “circular firing squad” weakening progressive allies
• Obama Defends Assimilation, Says Immigrants Should ‘Learn The Language’
• Fmr Pres Barack Obama: “When we hear that young people aren’t voting or participating, we say to them, ‘You would not let your grandfather or grandmother decide what clothes you wear or what music you listen to, so why would you let them decide the world you’re going to live in?”
• Former President Barack Obama speaks at Obama Foundation in Berlin: “Nationalism, particularly from the far right, has reemerged. A politics that divides us into us and them — and we know where that leads.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW – JEFF MAROOTIAN – the Director of the District Department of Transportation — discussed the DC mayor’s war on confusing street signs #GoodSignDC and their efforts to take on potholes in the city during their annual Potholepalooza.

8am – E         Kirstjen Nielsen quits as homeland security secretary after meeting with Trump