Mornings on the Mall

Monday, March 9, 2020

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese  

5am – A/B/C    CORONAVIRUS NEWS:

• There are now 564 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to state and local health agencies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Top coronavirus expert Dr Fauci says four million tests should be available by end of week, before warning Americans to avoid crowds and brace for quarantines as number of infected hits 516 across 33 states
• Two more Maryland residents tested positive for the new coronavirus, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Sunday. A man in his 60s is the fourth Montgomery County resident diagnosed with COVID-19. He caught the virus while traveling abroad and was hospitalized briefly. A Harford County woman in her 80s also caught the virus while traveling abroad. She is in the hospital.
• Hogan on Meet the Press: “Look, I think it was a really smart move for the president to elevate Vice President Pence to work across all the different agencies and to coordinate. As a former governor, he knows the governors are on the front lines. He is doing, I think, a good job of coordinating everybody and communicating with us. I think that’s the way the messaging ought to go. Has the president been perfect in his communication? I would say he hasn’t communicated the way I would and the way I might like him to. But I think the rest of the team has been doing a pretty good job.”
• A Fairfax resident is the second “presumptive positive” coronavirus case that is being reported in Virginia. On Sunday, Virginia health officials say the person is in their 80s and had returned from a Nile River cruise.This news comes a day after the first positive case of coronavirus was reported in Virginia on Saturday. The Pentagon reported that a U.S Marine assigned to Fort Belvoir tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday.
• The DC Health Department is confirming two people have tested positive for the coronavirus, one man from the District and one man visiting from Nigeria. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the first case is a DC man in his 50s who was admitted to a DC hospital on Thursday, March 5. The man had no history of recent international travel and no close contact with any other confirmed cases. The first person to test positive for coronavirus in Washington, D.C., is the prominent leader of a historic Episcopal church in Georgetown, the church said Sunday. The Reverend Timothy Cole, rector of Christ Church Georgetown, was diagnosed at the hospital Saturday night and is in stable condition, according to the Reverend Crystal Hardin, the assistant to the rector, who spoke at a press conference outside the church Sunday.
•  CPAC STATEMENT: “We continue to work closely with the Maryland Department of Health since our conference was in the State of Maryland.
• The Dept of Health has screened thousands of employees from the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center and the Residence Inn. At this time, not a single person has reported any unusual illness.  Thus, the Dept of Health is not restricting the movements or interactions with others of those hotel employees. The Dept of Health has however encouraged these employees to take their temperature twice a day and to keep an eye open for any unusual symptoms. We think that is good advice and encourage our attendees and participants to do the same.  We continue to remain in close contact with the infected individual and he continues to be doing better.  Also, at this point, no other CPAC attendee, participant or staff has tested positive for coronavirus. If you are exhibiting symptoms, you should immediately contact your local Department of Health.”

5am – D Christopher Steele Refuses To Cooperate With US Prosecutor Looking Into Origins Of Trump-Russia Probe: Reuters reported on Friday that Durham’s team has recently approached Steele seeking an interview. The former MI6 officer rejected the request because he believes that he would not be treated fairly, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Numerous questions remain unanswered about how Steele collected information for his dossier, and how many of his allegations about Trump associates turned out to be inaccurate. […] The IG’s report provided a particularly harsh assessment of the FBI as well as of Steele. It said that the FBI failed to disclose information about Steele and the sourcing for his dossier that would have called the reliability of the document into question. The report said that Steele’s primary source of information for his investigation of Donald Trump met with FBI investigators in January 2017 and disputed much of what was in the dossier. Steele himself told his FBI contacts in an Oct. 3, 2016 meeting that he believed that a key sub-source for the dossier was a “boaster” and “egotist.” Despite those red flags, the FBI relied heavily on Steele’s information to assert that Carter Page was a Russian agent. And despite the apparent problems with the dossier, Steele defiantly defended his infamous report during his remarks at Oxford on Friday. “I stand by the integrity of our work, our sources and what we did,” he said.

5am – E  “Putin, sadly, has got all of our political class, every single one of us, including the media, exactly where he wants us.” Fiona Hill speaks to Lesley Stahl in her first interview since the impeachment inquiry.

6am – A/B/C 2020 NEWS:

• Kamala Harris endorses Joe Biden
• Sanders, Biden camps clash over Arizona debate format. A proposal to have the candidates seated for the first time sparks tension. Bernie Sanders wants to stand up at the next debate — and his campaign is accusing Joe Biden of wanting to sit down. After a private call Friday with CNN, which is moderating the March 15 debate with the Democratic National Committee, Sanders’ team balked at a new proposed format for debate, saying it gives his opponent Biden too much of a break in their first one-on-one face-off. Biden’s camp denied that it was pressing for a sit-down debate.
•  Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden stumbled over his words during a Saturday speech in Kansas City, Missouri, resulting in a video clip by White House social media director Dan Scavino that made Biden appear to endorse the reelection of President Donald Trump. After the video posted on Twitter, it was pointed out that it had been deceptivley edited to leave out Biden’s full comment and that the notion that Biden endorsed Trump’s reelection was false given the full context of his statement.
• Tulsi Gabbard, last female in Democratic race, booted from next debate Maybe it’s the Democratic Party that’s the misogynist one. Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard — the last remaining woman in the Democrats’ presidential race — has been shut out of the party’s next debate with a rule change that makes it mathematically impossible for her to claim a podium. “To keep me off the stage, the DNC again arbitrarily changed the debate qualifications,” Gabbard tweeted late Friday. “Previously they changed the qualifications in the OPPOSITE direction so Bloomberg could debate.”
•  Bernie Sanders Draws Crowd of 15,000 in Chicago: Trump Is ‘Moving this Country into an Autocracy’

6am – D/E/F VIRGINIA ASSEMBLY:

• Virginia lawmakers approve background checks for all firearms sales, monthly limit for handgun purchases. The Virginia General Assembly voted Saturday to require criminal background checks on all firearms purchases and limit anyone who doesn’t have a concealed-carry permit to one handgun purchase a month. On the last day of their annual legislative session, the House and Senate must also decide the fate of bills to raise Virginia’s minimum wage, legalize casino gambling, offer driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants and more.
•  Virginia General Assembly approves higher gas tax, speed cameras and cellphone ban: Drivers in Virginia will probably pay more at the gas pump starting this summer after lawmakers voted to raise the state gas tax for the first time in more than three decades. The legislation, which Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is expected to sign, would add Virginia to the dozens of states across the country that have raised the tax in recent years to make up for losses in revenue because of lower gas prices and the proliferation of more fuel-efficient vehicles, among other things. The measure was among several transportation bills approved by the General Assembly in the legislative session wrapping up Sunday. Other transportation-related measures passed by lawmakers include a ban on cellphone use while driving, tougher penalties for reckless driving, and allowing the use of speed cameras on some state roadways. Virginia’s gas tax would increase 5 cents a year for two consecutive years and then be indexed to inflation. The tax increase, requested by Northam, is expected to shore up the state’s fund that pays for roads, transit and rail projects. “This is a giant step toward a modern, sustainable transportation system in Virginia,” Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said in a statement Sunday after both chambers approved the bill. “This once-in-a-generation package will boost our economy, reduce congestion, and dramatically transform rail and transit throughout the Commonwealth. It is a win for all Virginians.”
• Virginia lawmakers pass two more gun-control bills, Clean Economy Act, measure allowing plastic-bag tax: On Saturday, lawmakers completed action on measures to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2045
• On Saturday, lawmakers completed action on measures to give undocumented immigrants a way to drive legally and repeal the requirement that voters show photo identification at the polls.
• Virginia lawmakers decriminalize marijuana, legalize casinos as session winds down
• Under bills passed Sunday, the current minimum wage of $7.25 per hour would increase incrementally until it hits $15 in 2026. Though many Democrats ran for election last year on promises to increase the minimum wage, members of the House had clashed with the more conservative Senate over how to do it.

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW –  JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

TOPICS:

• • BURISMA PROBE: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) has scheduled a vote for the committee next Wednesday to subpoena former Ukrainian politician Andrii Telizhenko, who may shed insight into Hunter Biden’s potential role in trying to help Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings evade corruption charges.
  • Donald Trump Jr. tells #AxiosOnHBO he wants to debate Hunter Biden over who has benefited more financially from their father’s government service.
  • FERRECHIO: Spy bill set to expire without last-minute deal in Congress
  •  Christopher Steele Refuses To Cooperate With US Prosecutor Looking Into Origins Of Trump-Russia Probe
  • DOJ responds after judge slams AG Barr over Mueller report
  • TRUMP CAMP SUES CNN: Trump campaign sues CNN over ‘false and defamatory’ statements, seeks millions in damages

7am – D/E  CORONAVIRUS NEWS:

• • • Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar became the first two members of Congress to self-quarantine after interacting with a person at CPAC who tested positive for COVID-19
    • Amtrak cancels nonstop Acela service between Washington and New York amid coronavirus crisis
    • South by Southwest, the annual tech, film and music conference held in Austin, Texas, has been canceled due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus outbreak.
    • Pope livestreams Sunday services after coronavirus scare: Pope Francis livestreamed his Sunday address instead of delivering it from the ritual window overlooking St. Peter’s Square. The Vatican announced on Saturday that the pope would be leading the service via stream as the coronavirus continues to spread through Italy, according to Reuters. The pontiff was tested last week for the disease after coming down with flu-like symptoms but was found to only have a cold.
    •  Italy’s death toll rises by 133 to 366: Desperate scramble to flee quarantine zones in north as PM shuts off 16M citizens
    • Columbia University cancelling two days of classes over coronavirus concerns
    •  The coronavirus outbreak that’s spread to at least 25 states now means that Costco customers can say goodbye to free food samples while shopping, according to media reports. “Due to the outbreak of coronavirus, there are no food product samples,” a Costco representative in Nashville, Tennessee, told NBC’s Today.
    •  EBay has stepped up its efforts to prevent price gouging by banning all face masks and hand sanitizers from its site. The company sent a notice to sellers Thursday that said it’s blocking new listings for hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and surgical masks, including N95 and N100 masks, “effectively immediately.” The decision, which only applies to U.S. listings, was made due to concerns that inflated prices for these products could be in violation of price gouging laws. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Wednesday issued an alert to consumers reminding them of the state’s price gouging laws and other stat

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW –  Storm Watch 7’s Veronica Johnson. She’s channel 7’s morning forecaster on TV and on WMAL

8am – D INTERVIEW –  VIRGINIA SENATOR AMANDA CHASE – member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District, representing Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of Chesterfield County, AND candidate for Virginia governor

TOPIC: Recap busy weekend for Virginia Assembly

8am – E Sparkling wine flows from village taps after winery malfunction (NY Post) Villagers outside Modena enjoyed a brief gustatory surprise when their home sinks suddenly became wine taps, flowing with a fizzy pink-hued wine called Lambrusco, Italian newspaper Gazette di Modena reported. Home videos posted online show villagers attempting to wash dishes or quench their thirst, only to find the red wine-hued liquid pouring from their pipes. The Cellar Settecani Castelvetro winery, maker of Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro, has since come forward and apologized for the (un)sobering setback, caused by a leak in one of their wine silos, which began flowing into the local water main.