Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Cal Thomas, J. Christian Adams, Josh Kraushaar, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and VCDL’s Philip Van Cleave joined WMAL on Wednesday!

5am – A/B/C IOWA CAUCUS RESULTS: The Iowa Democratic Party has released additional results of its kickoff presidential caucus after a long day of delay. The early results show former Pete Buttigieg with a slight lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the opening contest in the party’s 2020 primary season. Results late Tuesday followed hours of confusion caused by technical issues, forcing state officials to apologize. It’s still too early to call a winner, but the results, so far, are not good news for former Vice President Joe Biden, who’s shown in fourth place behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

5am – D         Rand Paul Uses Poster With Alleged Whistleblower’s Name On It During Senate Floor Speech. Sen. Rand Paul took to the Senate floor Tuesday to read aloud a question that identified the alleged Trump whistleblower that Chief Justice John Roberts blocked during the impeachment trial last week. The Kentucky Republican also used a placard with the question and the alleged whistleblower’s name printed on it. Paul said that he has no independent confirmation of the identity of the whistleblower, who is reported to be a CIA analyst who worked on the National Security Council. He instead said he was relying on press reports that the alleged whistleblower worked closely with Sean Misko, a staffer for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.

5am – E         Monique Worthy: ‘You don’t see real conservatives like me in Congress’ Republican congressional candidate Monique Worthy was in solitary confinement in jail when she found conservatism.  Worthy was searching the AM band for gospel music, but, instead, she discovered conservative talk radio in the form of The Mark Levin Show. And that was it.  “That’s what turned me into a conservative,” Worthy, 30, said. “I went in jail supporting Obama. I came out of jail supporting McCain.” The late Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain challenged former President Barack Obama for the White House in 2008.  Worthy is outspoken about her conservative beliefs, her history as a convicted felon — “I was a thief” — and her LGBTQ identity. She is almost certainly the first black, transgender woman to run for the 13th Congressional District.   But that is not what she has built her platform on.

6am – A/B/C STATE OF THE UNION: President Trump used his State of the Union address to praise the “Great American Comeback” he says is happening as a result of his three years in office. Trump also decried the land of “American carnage” he claims existed under his predecessor. The partisan discord in Washington was on vivid display as the first president to campaign for reelection while facing impeachment vigorously made his case for another term. Republican legislators chanted “Four More Years.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump’s speech as he ended his address.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CAL THOMAS – Syndicated columnist and author of new book “America’s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers . . . and the Future of the United States” — shared his thoughts on the State of the Union, impeachment trial and the Iowa caucus.

6am – E         Trump Awards Rush Limbaugh Presidential Medal Of Freedom At Trump State Of The Union Address. (RCP) – First Lady Melania Trump awarded conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address Tuesday evening. “Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is a special man, someone beloved by millions of Americans who just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet,” President Trump said to the broadcaster. “Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and you inspire and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor: The Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump said Tuesday night.

7am – A         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.

• TOPICS: VIRGINIA’S SENATE VOTED TO REPEAL THE STATE’S 2012 VOTER ID LAW…. Also, there is a bill to remove the citizenship and legal presence requirements for obtaining a driver’s license or special identification card in Virginia
• Virginia Senate votes 21-19 to repeal 2012 voter ID law; bill goes to House. — BILL S.B. 65: SB 65 Voter identification; repeal of photo identification requirements. SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED: Voter identification; repeal of photo identification requirements. Removes the requirement that voters show a form of identification containing a photograph in order to be allowed to vote. The bill requires a voter to show either his voter registration confirmation documents; his valid Virginia driver’s license, his valid United States passport, or any other identification issued by the Commonwealth, one of its political subdivisions, or the United States; any valid student identification card issued by any institution of higher education located in the Commonwealth or any private school located in the Commonwealth; any valid employee identification card containing a photograph of the voter and issued by an employer of the voter in the ordinary course of the employer’s business; or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows the name and address of the voter. The bill adds language regarding identification requirements for certain voters pursuant to the federal Help America Vote Act of 2002.

7am – B/C     More Highlights of The State of The Union

7am – D         INTERVIEW – JOSH KRAUSHAAR – political editor for National Journal – shared his thoughts on the State of the Union, impeachment trial and the Iowa Caucus.

7am – E         RECAP SPECIAL PRIMARIES IN MARYLAND ON TUESDAY: Democrat Kweisi Mfume and Republican Kimberly Klacik have won special primaries for the Maryland congressional seat that was held by the late Representative Elijah Cummings. The winners prevailed over a crowded field of candidates Tuesday. Twenty-four Democrats and eight Republicans were on the ballot for the Baltimore-area 7th Congressional District primary. Whoever wins a special election on April 28 will serve out the rest of Cummings’ term and would have to stand for election again in November to win a full two-year term.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – KEVIN MCCARTHY – House Minority Leader of the House of Representatives – shared his thoughts on the president’s State of the Union speech.

• President Trump used his State of the Union address to praise the “Great American Comeback” he says is happening as a result of his three years in office. Trump also decried the land of “American carnage” he claims existed under his predecessor. The partisan discord in Washington was on vivid display as the first president to campaign for reelection while facing impeachment vigorously made his case for another term. Republican legislators chanted “Four More Years.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up her copy of Trump’s speech as he ended his address.
• Nancy Pelosi broke tradition when introducing Trump at the State of the Union, leaving out the words ‘honor’ and ‘privilege.’  Previous House speakers have introduced the sitting commander in chief by saying they had the “high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the president of the United States.”
• “It was the courteous thing to do,” Nancy Pelosi told reporters after ripping up President Trump’s speech, “considering the alternative.”

8am – B/C     More Highlights of The State of The Union

8am – D         INTERVIEW – PHILIP VAN CLEAVE – gun rights advocate and the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) – discussed the gun-control bills working their way through the Virginia legislature.

8am – E         MAKE WASHINGTON ARCHITECTURE BEAUTIFUL AGAIN? REPORT: Draft Trump Executive Order Would Restore New Federal Construction To ‘Classical’ Style. ARCHITECTURAL RECORD has obtained what appears to be a preliminary draft of the order, under which the White House would require rewriting the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture, issued in 1962, to ensure that “the classical architectural style shall be the preferred and default style” for new and upgraded federal buildings. Entitled “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again,” the draft order argues that the founding fathers embraced the classical models of “democratic Athens” and “republican Rome” for the capital’s early buildings because the style symbolized the new nation’s “self-governing ideals” (never mind, of course, that it was the prevailing style of the day).