Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 13, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Beverly Hallberg

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Joe DiGenova, Dr. Larry Arnn, Gen. Jack Keane, Col. Oliver North and Beverly Hallberg joined WMAL on Monday!

5am – A/B/C IRAN NEWS:

• Iranian protesters have taken to the streets for a second day, calling for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s resignation after the government admitted to accidentally shooting down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board, Reuters reports.
• The latest: Security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to break up protests in Tehran on Sunday, per the New York Times, which notes demonstrations have spread to other cities across the country.
• President Trump’s message to the leaders of Iran – “DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS. Thousands have already been killed or imprisoned by you, and the World is watching. More importantly, the USA is watching. Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!”

5am – D/E     AOC NEWS:

• New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is one of the most prolific Democratic fundraisers in the House, but she’s refusing to pay any dues to the Democrats’ House campaign organization. Ocasio-Cortez has failed to pay a penny of the $250,000 she owes in “dues” to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), according to a Friday Fox News report. Instead, she’s leveraging her own fundraising prowess to bypass the Democratic party apparatus and directly support progressive candidates, some of whom are running against her colleagues in the House.
• “Deadbeat Cortez should pay her bills,” an unnamed House Democratic aide told Fox News. “She’s always whining about people paying their fair share and here she is leaving her friends with the bill.”
• A top House Democrat repeatedly declined to say Sunday morning whether Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is good for the Democratic caucus. A news anchor asked Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), four times on CNN whether Ocasio-Cortez was “good for the Democratic caucus.” She declined to give a “yes” or “no” answer each time.

6am – A/B/C  IMPEACHMENT:

• Pelosi is expected to name House managers this week after consulting with her caucus at a meeting on Tuesday morning. She’ll deliver the articles shortly after, though the precise timing is still unclear.
• Washington Post congressional reporter Rachael Bade said on ABC’s “This Week” that Democrats “have privately said” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to delay sending impeachment articles to the Senate was a “failed strategy.” Although Pelosi herself has defended her decision to wait, host George Stephanopoulos told his panel, before turning to Bade, that there has been “a lot of skepticism on Capitol Hill.”

6am – D FISA court selects former Obama admin lawyer, left-wing blogger to oversee FBI’s surveillance reforms (Fox News) The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) has stunned court-watchers by selecting David Kris — a former Obama administration lawyer who has appeared on “The Rachel Maddow Show” and written extensively in support of the FBI’s surveillance practices on the left-wing blog Lawfare — to oversee the FBI’s implementation of reforms in the wake of a damning Department of Justice inspector general report last year. The development on Friday, first reported by independent journalist Mike Cernovich, has roiled Republicans who have demanded accountability at the FBI. House Intelligence Commitee ranking member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., told The Daily Caller that Kris’ appointment was “shocking” and “inexplicable.”

6am – E Popeyes gives ‘Family Feud Canada’ contestant $10,000 worth of food after her wrong answer goes viral

6am – F         After Prince Harry-Meghan Markle decision, Buckingham Palace aide has ‘never seen’ monarchy in such peril

• Queen Elizabeth II has reportedly called a private meeting with Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry to discuss the recent royal drama that has unfolded in the press.
• Buckingham Palace made headlines this week when Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they would be stepping down as “senior members” of the British royal family and splitting their time between the U.K and S. to become financially independent of the crown.
• Sky News tweeted Saturday about news of the reported family meeting, saying it was meant to help find “solutions” to help ease the tension of their departure.

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

TOPICS:

• • Pelosi: Articles of impeachment will be sent to Senate to allow Trump trial to begin next week
  • Ex-DOJ Official Picked To Assist FISA Reform Was Ardent Defender Of FBI’s Surveillance Of Carter Page 

7am – B/C Endangered Democrats sound the alarm on Bernie and Warren (Politico) A slate of endangered House Democrats is coalescing behind Joe Biden for president as the Iowa caucuses approach — a surge of support triggered by fears that Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren at the top of the ticket would cost them their seats. More than a dozen swing-seat freshmen have taken part in at least one private call session with Biden, Amy Klobuchar or Pete Buttigieg in recent weeks. A handful have already gravitated toward the former vice president, and more are expected to follow before Democrats start voting on Feb. 3, according to interviews with 15 lawmakers, aides and campaign strategists. […] “I’m looking at all the moderates in the race,” said Rep. Anthony Brindisi (D-N.Y.), who holds a GOP-leaning district in upstate New York. “If we’re going to campaign on issues like Medicare for All and free college for everybody, we’re not going to have a winning message in 2020.” […] “The wrong person at the top of the ticket — and I’m not saying who that is — there would be down-ballot carnage all across the country, and I think that people are starting to recognize it,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), a national co-chair of the Biden campaign. […] “I am definitely concerned that someone who’s more on the fringes would have a hard time winning our state themselves, and I want a Democratic candidate to win Pennsylvania and win the presidency,” said [Rep. Conor] Lamb, who endorsed Biden last week and is going to campaign with him this month in New Hampshire. Asked if Warren or Sanders — the top two candidates in a new Iowa poll released Friday — could win his district, Lamb said: “I think it would be really hard.” […]

7am – D         INTERVIEW – DR. LARRY ARNN – Hillsdale College president

Topic:  Hillsdale College launched the Steve and Amy Van Andel School of Government to serve working professionals seeking to expand their knowledge and skills through serious study of the American political tradition. The Graduate School of Government will offer a Master of Arts in Government, combining the study of political thought, American founding principles, and statesmanship.

7am – E         For transgender men, pain of menstruation is more than just physical (NBC News) When transgender model and activist Kenny Ethan Jones experienced his first period, he faced both physical and psychological pain. Initially, Jones, who had not yet come out as trans at the time, felt like he was losing control and didn’t understand what was happening to his body. However, one thing was clear: He didn’t feel like himself. “I didn’t believe that having periods would be a part of my lived experience,” Jones told NBC News. “I felt isolated; everything about periods was tailored to girls, yet me, a boy, was experiencing this and nothing in the world documented that.” He currently experiences a wide range of challenges with his monthly bleeding, especially when it comes to getting his hands on menstrual hygiene products. “Having a period already causes me a lot of [gender] dysphoria, but this dysphoria becomes heightened when I have to shop for a product that is labeled as ‘women’s health’ and in most cases, is pretty and pink,” Jones explained.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – GEN. JACK KEANE – Retired 4 star general Jack Keane is chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and Fox News Senior Strategic Analyst

Topic: US-Iran tensions  

8am – B/C     Rapper YG Gives Texas Fan the Boot for Refusing to Say ‘F— Donald Trump’

8am – D         INTERVIEW – COLONEL OLIVER NORTH – author of the new book “The Rifleman”

Topics:

• • • Iran Strategy
    • Gun Control in Vriginia

8am – E         Man rescued in Alaskan wilderness more than 20 days after fire destroys home, kills dog (USA Today) A man was rescued after surviving more than 20 days in the Alaskan wilderness after a fire burned down his cabin and killed his dog. Tyson Steele, 30, was spotted Thursday more than 100 miles from Anchorage by a police helicopter responding to a request from his family to check on him, said Alaska State Trooper Zac Johnson. “It’s a pretty routine call for us,” Johnson said. “This is the first time we’ve encountered somebody who’s been through something quite so harrowing.” Hours after his rescue, a shower and a “McDonald’s Combo Meal No. 2,” Steele told police he’d been stranded since his cabin caught fire on Dec. 17 or 18, according to a detailed release. “It started with a pretty hasty mistake,” he told police. “I put a big piece of cardboard in the stove to start the fire. … It sent a spark out through the chimney which landed on the roof.”