Mornings on the Mall

Friday, February 14, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and guest co-host Beverly Hallberg with Independent Women’s Forum

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 Greg Conley, Wade Holland, Star Parker and Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!

5am – A/B/C BLOOMBERG NEWS:

• HOW BLOOMBERG IS TRYING TO BUY THE ELECTION... BLAKE ZEFF: The degree to which Michael Bloomberg is using his fortune to fundamentally alter & manipulate U.S. politics to his personal advantage extends way beyond ads. I’ve worked against him, covered him as a journalist & worked with his top aides. Here’s their playbook: (1/17)
• NYT’s HABERMAN Says MIKE BLOOMBERG Is Very Sensitive About His Height…     Typically people who are not bothered don’t put down the wrong height on their driver’s license.
• JOSH KRAUSHAAR: Apparently there’s a poll going around testing DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s favorability as a possible VP pick. Source passing along getting a poll on that topic (from a NY area code).
• RELATED… DC Mayor’s Support For Bloomberg Comes After A $4 Million Check:  “Mike Bloomberg is systematically buying off mayors across the country,” tweeted broadcast journalist Michael Tracey. “Bloomberg Philanthropies has given millions of dollars to Washington, DC during Bowser’s mayoralty.”   In 2015, Bloomberg Philanthropies indeed made a $4 million investment in DC Public Schools, along with the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, according to Muriel Bowser’s site.  “These investments will support Cornerstone Assignments, DCPS’ new curricular approach that exemplifies the Bowser Administration’s commitment to ensuring equity and increasing excellence in every classroom across the city,” reads the site.
• Mayor Bowser appeared on CNN Wednesday night to defend Michael Bloomberg amid backlash against his 2015 comments on stop and frisk. Over the last several days, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has been scrambling to contain a ballooning scandal related to a 2015 audio clip that surfaced online this week, in which the Democratic candidate can be heard defending his controversial stop-and-frisk policy as mayor. “Ninety-five percent of your murderers and murder victims fit one M.O. You can just take the description, Xerox it, and pass it out to all the cops. They are male, minorities, sixteen to twenty-five,” Bloomberg says in the clip. “You want to spend the money on a lot of cops in the streets. Put those cops where the crime is, which means in minority neighborhoods … And the way you get the guns out of the kids’ hands is to throw them up against the walls and frisk them.” On Wednesday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser jumped into the fray, appearing on CNN to defend Bloomberg in the wake of criticism stemming from the clip. She has thrown her political weight behind Bloomberg’s presidential run, officially endorsing his campaign last month. “Mike has expressed his mistake in supporting the policy,” Bowser said on CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront. “I know that before he left office, the practice stopped in New York City. And 95 percent of those types of stops stopped before he left office. “The story about how he also invested in young men of color needs to be explained as well,” she added when pressed by host Erin Burnett. Bowser also told Burnett that Bloomberg’s current focus is on how he can support young men of color who have been harmed by stop and frisk, pointing to homeownership, job, and educational opportunities.
• VCDL Action item: Protest at Democrat Gala in Richmond on Saturday night – Bloomberg and Northam at event. Action item: Protest at Democrat Gala in Richmond on Saturday night – Bloomberg and Northam at event. On Saturday, February 15, from 6 pm to 11 pm, there is going to be a Democrat Gala in Richmond, featuring Michael Bloomberg as a speaker.  Governor Northam and other Democrats who have been dodging gun owners will also be there.  This is a great opportunity for our polite, but firm voices to be heard:  Virginia doesn’t want any more gun control!  Leave law-abiding gun owners ALONE! We know that many of you want to make sure that the Democrats get the message, so we are getting the word out about this opportunity at the gala event. Time: 4:30 pm to 7 pm (we want to be there early, but don’t need to stay for the full event.) Location: Main Street Station, 1500 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219

• SATURDAY: MIKE BLOOMBERG TO MAKE SIXTH VISIT TO VIRGINIA: Mike will hold a campaign event and speak at the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Blue Commonwealth Gala. RICHMOND, VA — On Saturday, February 15, Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg will be in Richmond, Virginia where he will hold a campaign event and speak at the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Blue Commonwealth Gala, the party’s largest fundraising event of the year. This will be Mike’s sixth visit to Virginia since launching his campaign.  Mike announced his campaign in Virginia, and was most recently in Norfolk on February 7, where he rolled out his plan on military families and veterans. In his previous visits to the Commonwealth, Mike met with staff and supporters in Arlington, spoke alongside former Governor Terry McAuliffe in Richmond, and released his clean energy policy in Alexandria. “I launched my campaign for president in Norfolk for a simple reason: To defeat Donald Trump in November, we need to beat him in swing states like Virginia,” said Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg. “In 2019, I was glad to help Democrats take full control of the Virginia legislature for the first time in 26 years — and we’ll use the same blueprint to win in 2020. Our plan to unite and rebuild America starts with keeping the Commonwealth blue and I look forward to talking more about our vision for the country on the Democratic Party of Virginia’s big night.” Virginians head to the polls on Super Tuesday, March 3. Mike’s campaign has more than 80 staffers on the ground and six offices throughout Virginia, with more to open in the coming weeks.

5am – D/E     President Trump’s Valentine’s:

• Best Voice – Chuck Grassley: “He’s got this voice that scares people. Chuck Grassley, he’s looking at Comey, ‘Well, you tell me, what did you say?’ Now, he wasn’t being rough, that was just the way he talks. And that was when Comey, I think, that was when Comey announced that he was leaking, lying, and everything else. He choked because he never heard anybody talk like that….(all the way to) Chuck Grassley is an incredible guy.”
• Best Body – Jim Jordan: “When I first got to know Jim, I said, ‘Huh. He never wears a jacket. What the hell’s going on? He’s obviously very proud of his body… “Those ears have something going on there. This guy was a champion top, top wrestler.”
• Most Handsome – Steve Scalise: “A man who is braver than me and braver than all of us in this room, he got whacked,” Trump said. “He got whacked. My Steve, right? I went to the hospital with our great first lady that night — right, honey? — and we saw a man that was not going to make it. Honestly, I think you’re better looking now. You’re more handsome now. You weren’t that good looking. You look good now. He looks better now. Can you believe it?”
• Best Wife – Jennifer Scalise: “A lot of wives wouldn’t give a damn. A lot of wives would’ve said, how is he doing? She couldn’t even talk, she was inconsolable. Most wives would say, not good, listen I’m going home now. The doctor came in and the wife was a total mess. She was really devastated. It really looked like he had a 20, 25 percent chance.”

6am – A/B/C BARR SPEAKS OUT AGAINST TRUMP TWEETS:

• Barr blasts Trump’s tweets on Stone case: ‘Impossible for me to do my job.’ The AG spoke with ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas.
• Attorney General William Barr tells ABC that Trump’s tweets attacking DOJ officials and lawyers, cases, “make it impossible for me to do my job.” Adds: “I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody.”
• White House: President Trump not ‘bothered’ about Barr’s comments on his tweets amid Roger Stone controversy. The White House says President Trump isn’t “bothered” or deterred after Attorney General Bill Barr told ABC News on Thursday that the president’s tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job,” in an unusual swipe at the president — although Barr emphasized that Trump “has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case.” Barr’s unexpected comments came days after Trump, in a late-night tweet earlier this week, criticized career Justice Department prosecutors for recommending a nine-year prison sentence for his former adviser Roger Stone. Senior DOJ leaders then intervened and adjusted the sentencing recommendation downward, saying it was clearly excessive given Stone’s obstruction-related offenses. All four prosecutors on the case stepped down within hours.

6am – D/E/F  AWKWARD LOVE SONGS:

• STALKER LOVE SONGS:
  • Lionel Richie – Hello: I’ve been alone with you inside my mind And in my dreams I’ve kissed your lips a thousand times… I sometimes see you pass outside my door… Hello, is it me you’re looking for?… I can see it in your eyes, I can see it in your smile… You’re all I’ve ever wanted and my arms are open wide… ‘Cause you know just what to say, and you know just what to do… And I want to tell you so much, I love you… I long to see the sunlight in your hair… And tell you time and time again how much I care… Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow… Hello, I’ve just got to let you know… ‘Cause I wonder where you are and I wonder what you do… Are you somewhere feeling lonely or is someone loving you?… Tell me how to win your heart, for I haven’t got a clue… But let me start by saying, I love you…
  • Police – Every Step you take: Every breath you take and every move you make… Every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you.. Every single day and every word you say… Every game you play, every night you stay, I’ll be watching you… Oh, can’t you see you belong to me… How my poor heart aches with every step you take… Every move you make, and every vow you break…
• INSULT LOVE SONGS:
  • OutKast – Roses:  Caroline!(Caroline!) Caroline!… All the guys would say she’s mighty fine(Mighty fine!)… But mighty fine only got you somewhere half the time… And the other half either got you cussed out, or coming up short… Yeah, now dig this, even though(Even though!)… You’d need a golden calculator to divide(To divide!)… The time it took to look inside and realize that… Real guys go for real down to Mars girls, yeah!… I know you’d like to think your shit don’t stink… But lean a little bit closer… See that roses really smell like poo-poo-oo… Yeah, roses really smell like poo-poo-oo… I know you’d like to think your shit don’t stink… But lean a little bit closer… See that roses really smell like poo-poo-oo… Yeah, roses really smell like poo-poo-oo
• CHEESY LOVE SONGS: DAVID HASSELHOFF – Jump In My Car
• YOUR MOM IS HOT LOVE SONGS: Fountains of Wayne – Stacy’s Mom and Mrs. Robinson
• A LOVE SONG THAT INVOLVES EVERYONE CHEATING AND EVERYONE IS COOL WITH IT: Rupert Holmes – Escape (The Piña Colada Song)
  • He says he’s TIRED OF HIS OLD LADY and reads a personal ad that intrigues him
  • He responds to the newspaper ad despite having a girlfriend
  • They meet and discover they are cheating on each other and LAUGH ABOUT IT
• WEIRD LOVE SONG: Animals by Maroon 5: Baby I’m preying on you tonight… Hunt you down eat you alive… Just like animals… Animals… Like animals-mals… Maybe you think that you can hide… I can smell your scent for miles… Just like animals… Animals… Like animals-mals

7am – A         INTERVIEW – GREG CONLEY – president of the American Vaping Association – analyzed last week’s nationwide ban and discuss how Maryland and Virginia are trying to go after vaping.

• LAST WEEK: A nationwide ban on many flavored e-cigarette products went into effect on Thursday, but teenagers will still have access to nicotine vapes, experts say. A nationwide ban on many flavored e-cigarette products goes into effect Thursday, but teenagers will still have access to nicotine vapes, experts say. The ban covers a number of kid-friendly flavorings, such as mint and fruit, though menthol and tobacco flavorings will remain legal. However, the ban only applies to specific types of devices: cartridge or pre-filled pod devices, like the ones made popular by Juul. All other devices will be left on the market.
• MARYLAND: Maryland bill would ban sale of flavored vaping products.  Maryland bill under consideration in Annapolis would ban the sale of electronic smoking devices that contain flavors other than tobacco. Senate Bill 410 will be heard by the Senate Finance Committee. Maryland state Sens. Benjamin Kramer, James Rosapepe and Christopher West sponsored the bill. This week, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot banned the sale of disposable flavored electronic cigarettes. The move closed a loophole left by President Donald Trump’s administration, which exempted disposable products from a federal ban.
• Bills fail to snuff out flavored tobacco this session. Prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol, was also proposed in the House of Delegates, but a committee voted last week to delay the two bills until 2021. Gleyzer called that a good thing, and said the delegates will now have more time to research and discuss proposed legislation. “We can work with them to come up with the legislation that works for everybody,” Gleyzer said. Gleyzer, a board member of the Virginia Smoke Free Association, said if a flavor ban did become law, more than 400 vape shops would be forced to shut down. He said flavored products are meant to help adult smokers quit, and he doesn’t believe prohibition is necessary to prevent them from falling into the hands of teenagers. “We definitely don’t want to have kids have those products,” Gleyzer said. “It’s not meant for kids, it’s meant for adults. So whatever we can do to prevent kids having those products, we’re definitely gonna help.” Despite Virginia earning an “F” from the American Lung Association regarding its tobacco-control programs for the fifth year in a row, the General Assembly won’t be voting on whether or not to ban flavored tobacco products until the next session. Aleks Casper, the American Lung Association’s director of advocacy in Virginia, said her organization supported bills that would prohibit flavored tobacco and vaping products as well as require retailers to obtain a license for the sale of tobacco.

7am – B/C     Liberal professor claims ‘Paw Patrol’ is pushing pro-capitalism ‘propaganda’ to kids | Fox News. Is your child’s favorite TV show propaganda? Kings College professor Liam Kennedy says his 2-year-old son isn’t allowed to watch the popular show “Paw Patrol” because of what he sees as the show’s harmful underlying messages. Created in 2013, “Paw Patrol” is an animated series about a group of do-good dogs and a 10-year-old boy named Ryder who rescue various people in tricky situations. But when the Canadian educator watched hours of the show during research for the journal “Crime Media Culture,” that’s not all he saw. Kennedy published a paper on the subject titled “‘Whenever there’s trouble. Just yelp for help’: Crime, Conservation and Corporatization in Paw Patrol.” In an interview with London Morning’s Rebecca Zandbergen, Kennedy said the depiction of the state and local government officials like Mayor Humdinger and Mayor Goodway are “portrayed negatively.” “Mayor Humdinger is portrayed as unethical or corrupt. Mayor Goodway as hysterical, bumbling, incompetent,” he noted. In addition, Kennedy takes issue with the “Paw Patrol” organization as a “private corporation” acting as a stand-in for a government-funded police force. “That’s problematic in that the ‘Paw Patrol’ creators are sending this message that we can’t depend on the state to provide these services,” he told Zanbergen. Kennedy also said he believed that Ryder should be in school and that — as time goes on — children who watch the show might be less likely to critique the capitalist system that “causes environmental harm in the first place and reproduces inequality.” He believes the show also ignores structural barriers in our society with an individualist message: “No job is too big; no pup is too small.” “Some people roll their eyes,” he admitted. “I think it’s a serious message but I also want to have fun in my job, so this was fun.” Fox Nation’s “Moms” host Rachel Campos-Duffy told “Fox & Friends'” Ainsley Earhardt Thursday that she thinks “Paw Patrol’s” “very American” message — keeping the American dream alive — was what was rubbing “Marxist, socialist,” Kennedy the wrong way. “So, in other words, we don’t want to teach our kids that they can do things for themselves and that, you know, the American dream…is alive and that you can lift yourself out of poverty or help yourself,” she said.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – Wade Holland, Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Initiative coordinator

• Montgomery County Police to Begin First Countywide Distracted Driving Enforcement Effort of 2020 on Friday, Feb. 14. Montgomery County Police will begin the Countywide distracted driving enforcement effort of 2020 on Friday, Feb. 14. The program, which will be done in conjunction with Maryland State Police, will involve officers from all six County police districts, with the heaviest concentrations based on areas with known high crash risks. The first event and media availability for ride alongs as part of the program will be from 8-10 a.m. on Friday Feb 14. Media can request attendance on ride alongs by contacting County Police in advance. “Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds—long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 miles per hour,” said Wade Holland, Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Initiative coordinator. “Distracted drivers are a danger not only to themselves, but also to pedestrians and cyclists. We try many ways to get this message to drivers. Enforcement programs send the message very loudly.” Approximately 27,000 people are injured or killed annually in Maryland because of distracted driving crashes. “One out of every two car crashes in Montgomery County involves some type of distraction,” said Holland. “Driving is a serious responsibility and requires your full attention. No call or message is worth risking your safety and everyone else on or crossing the roadway.” Penalties for being convicted of illegally driving while holding a cell phone in Maryland can include an $83 fine for the first offense, $140 for a second offense and $160 for third and subsequent offenses. The penalties in Maryland for writing, sending or reading a text or electronic messages while driving can include a $70 fine and one point on your license record. A driver who causes serious injury or death while talking or texting may receive a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine up to $5,000.

7am – E         Justice Dept. Is Investigating C.I.A. Resistance to Sharing Russia Secrets. (NY Times) — The prosecutor was assigned by the attorney general to scrutinize the agents and analysts who sought to understand Russia’s covert operation to help Donald J. Trump win the 2016 election. WASHINGTON — Trump administration officials investigating the government’s response to Russia’s election interference in 2016 appear to be hunting for a basis to accuse Obama-era intelligence officials of hiding evidence or manipulating analysis about Moscow’s covert operation, according to people familiar with aspects of the inquiry. Since his election, President Trump has attacked the intelligence agencies that concluded that Russia secretly tried to help him win, fostering a narrative that they sought to delegitimize his victory. He has long promoted the investigation by John H. Durham, the prosecutor examining their actions, as a potential pathway to proving that a deep-state cabal conspired against him. Questions asked by Mr. Durham, who was assigned by Attorney General William P. Barr to scrutinize the early actions of law enforcement and intelligence officials struggling to understand the scope of Russia’s scheme, suggest that Mr. Durham may have come to view with suspicion several clashes between analysts at different intelligence agencies over who could see each other’s highly sensitive secrets, the people said. Mr. Durham appears to be pursuing a theory that the C.I.A., under its former director John O. Brennan, had a preconceived notion about Russia or was trying to get to a particular result — and was nefariously trying to keep other agencies from seeing the full picture lest they interfere with that goal, the people said. But officials from the F.B.I. and the National Security Agency have told Mr. Durham and his investigators that such an interpretation is wrong and based on a misunderstanding of how the intelligence community functions, the people said. National security officials are typically cautious about sharing their most delicate information, like source identities, even with other agencies inside the executive branch.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – STAR PARKER –  President of Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) and author of new book “Necessary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This Is Good News for America” – shared her thoughts on the 2020 Dem Primary candidates and how they are struggling to court the black vote, especially Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg.

8am – B/C     HOW BLOOMBERG IS TRYING TO BUY THE ELECTION and THE DC MAYOR

8am – D         INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of “Special Report” on Fox News Channel weekdays at 6 pm and author of the latest book “Three Days at the Brink: FDR’s Daring Gamble to Win World War II” – recapped the news of the week: Barr’s comments on Trump’s tweeting over Roger Stone and discussed the latest on the 2020 Dems battling it out this week.

8am – E         Airline passenger films man punching her economy seat after she reclines. An airline passenger’s video of a man punching the back of her seat sparked an online debate: Is it OK to recline when sitting in economy?  Wendi Williams said on Twitter that she was on an American Airlines flight from New Orleans to Charlotte, North Carolina, when she decided to put her seat in the recline position. The man behind her responded by repeatedly punching her seat, she wrote. “Here’s a great jackhole! He was angry that I reclined my seat and punched it about 9 times — HARD, at which point I began videoing him, and he resigned to this behavior,” Williams tweeted Saturday with a video of the man behind her hitting the back of her seat. It’s not clear what happened before or after Williams started filming. “The other jackhole is the @AmericanAir flight attendant who reprimanded me and offered him rum!” Williams added. American Airlines responded to Williams on Twitter by asking her to direct message the company. Williams responded that she had tried to reach out to the airline. “You clearly want me to do this quietly through a DM,” she said. “I’m done being quiet! I’ve had extensive neck surgeries – my cervical spine is completely fused … I’ve lost time at work, had to visit a doctor, got x-rays, and have (had) horrible headaches for a week,” Williams wrote.