Ken Klukowski, Ed Henry, Ken Cuccinelli, Katie Phang, MD Senator Michael Hough and guest host National Review’s Jim Geraghty joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, February 10, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Jim Geraghty

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C   SEE YOU IN COURT! Which Court Would Be Better for President Trump’s Case?

• Appeals Court Blocks Trump Bid to Reinstate Immigration Order. A panel of federal appeals court judges ruled Thursday evening to keep a restraining order against Donald Trump’s controversial immigration action in place, foiling the administration’s attempt to get the action reinstated, according to court documents. The move capped a public campaign by the president to put pressure on the courts to rule in his favor, calling the decision “easy” and suggesting that the judge who made the original ruling could be to blame if a terrorist attack happens. Tonight, Trump lashed out against ruling from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in an all-caps tweet.
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE! 6:35 PM – 9 Feb 2017

5am – D         LATEST ON CONFIRMATION BATTLES:

• Senate confirms Tom Price as new health secretary. Georgia Republican Rep. Tom Price was confirmed early Friday as Health and Human Services secretary after an acrimonious Senate debate that focused on his conservative ideology and expected future role in tearing down Obamacare. The vote fell along party lines, 52-47. Price, a seven-term congressman and an orthopedic surgeon by trade, had solid backing from Senate Republicans. The chamber’s Democrats delayed the final vote by holding the floor for the full 30 hours permitted to them under Senate rules, continuing a tactic they utilized for two other Cabinet nominations this week.
• Senate kicks final vote on Mnuchin to Monday. The Senate is kicking a final vote on Steve Mnuchin’s nomination to lead the Treasury Department to next week avoiding a rare Saturday morning vote.  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced the schedule change from the Senate floor just before senators voted largely along party lines to move forward with Mnunchin’s nomination.  Democrats don’t have the ability to block President Trump’s nominees on their own. They only need a simple majority and Republicans have 52 seats. But they could have forced a rare weekend session and delayed a final vote on the longtime Goldman Sachs executive until approximately 8 a.m. Saturday. Under Senate rules, any one senator can object to a deal to speed up votes. nstead, senators will have up to seven hours to debate Mnuchin’s nomination on Monday, setting up a final vote by 7 p.m.
• Senate will hold short debate on nomination of David Shulkin to be VA Sec on Monday followed by a confirmation vote.
• Senate will debate nomination of WWE figure Linda McMahon to be SBA Administrator Tuesday. Confirmation vote at 11 am Tuesday.
• Schumer calls on Puzder to withdraw nomination.  White House officials insisted on Thursday that Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was not referring to Mr. Trump’s recent denigration of judges when he said privately that he was disheartened by attacks on the courts. Mr. Trump said on Twitter that the nominee’s remarks had been misrepresented, a sentiment echoed by the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, during a contentious briefing.
• Neil Gorsuch’s Criticism Wasn’t Aimed at Trump, Aides Say in Reversal. WASHINGTON — White House officials insisted on Thursday that Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was not referring to Mr. Trump’s recent denigration of judges when he said privately that he was disheartened by attacks on the courts. Mr. Trump said on Twitter that the nominee’s remarks had been misrepresented, a sentiment echoed by the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, during a contentious briefing. A day before, members of the White House team guiding Judge Gorsuch’s confirmation verified that the judge had expressed his dismay in response to questions about Mr. Trump’s insults of judges.
• DC Parents, Teachers to Protest DeVos During Her Visit to Middle School Today. Parents and retired teachers are planning to protest Friday morning outside a D.C. middle school during a visit by newly confirmed Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis told News4’s Tom Sherwood the union will hold a parent and teacher “vigil” at Jefferson Middle School Academy in Southwest at 9 a.m., when DeVos is expected to visit.
• Alan Simpson Is No Longer the Tallest Senator, and He’s OK With That. Newest senator, Alabama’s ‘Big Luther’ Strange, is 6 feet 9 inches tall. (Roll Call) — Former Sen. Alan Simpson was surprised to hear that he’d lost his title as the tallest senator in modern history.  “What son of a bitch did that?” he asked when reached by phone Thursday afternoon. But upon learning that Luther Strange, Alabama’s newly appointed senator, had claimed the honor, the Wyoming Republican was happy to step aside. “Oh, that’s quite a name right there,” Simpson said. “How tall is he?” Strange is 6 feet 9 inches tall, two inches taller than the record Simpson set when he was in the Senate. “Oh, Jesus. Well, tell him he’s got me beat hands-down. Not only was I 6 feet 7 inches, but I’m shrinking. Now that I’m 85, I’ve shrunk to 6 feet 5 inches. I’m willing to relinquish that title with great energy and spirit,” Simpson said.  Strange, 63, was appointed Thursday morning to replace newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Known as “Big Luther,” he received a basketball scholarship at Tulane.

5am – E         Critter News:

• Trump administration delays listing bumblebee as endangered. TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday delayed what would be the first endangered designation for a bee species in the continental U.S., one day before it was to take effect. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adopted a rule Jan. 11 extending federal protection to the rusty patched bumblebee, one of many types of bees that play a vital role in pollinating crops and wild plants. It once was common across the East Coast and much of the Midwest, but its numbers have plummeted since the late 1990s. Federal law requires a 30-day waiting period before most new regulations become effective. The addition of the bumblebee to the endangered species list was scheduled for Friday. The listing would require the service to develop a plan for helping the bee recover and provide more habitat. But in a Federal Register notice, the service announced a postponement until March 21 in keeping with a Trump administration order issued Jan. 20. It imposed a 60-day freeze on regulations that had been published in the register but hadn’t taken effect. The delay, according to the White House, was for the purpose of “reviewing questions of fact, law and policy they raise.” Fish and Wildlife Assistant Director Gary Frazer said the move was not expected to impact conservation efforts.
• Va. House passes bill relaxing ‘dangerous dog’ law. WASHINGTON — Virginia lawmakers have advanced a bill that could give a second chance to dogs that bite. On Monday, the House unanimously passed HB 2381, which would give animal control officers more discretion in determining whether the owner of a dog that inflicts a nip or scratch should have to appear in court. Currently in Virginia, when a dog injures or kills another person’s dog or cat, or has bitten a human, an animal control officer is required to summon the dog’s owner to district court to explain why the animal should not be considered dangerous. Under the bill, if the person’s injury “consists solely of a single nip or bite resulting only in a scratch, abrasion, or other minor injury,” the responding law enforcement officer or animal control officer would have the flexibility to not require the dog’s owner to appear in court.
• Strange orange alligator turns heads in South Carolina. (Fox News) — An alligator in a small South Carolina town is grabbing attention because of one weird quality: it’s orange. To be more accurate, it’s a rusty, clay, sweet-potato color, and no one is sure why. But one thing is for certain— it doesn’t have an alligator’s typical color. The little gator, reportedly about 4.5 feet long, lives in a pond in Hanahan, South Carolina. The Post and Courier reported that a post on Facebook about the strangely-colored animal has gotten plenty of attention, with one person commenting that the orange-ish animal was a “Trumpagator.”

6am – A/B/C Key lawmakers seek probe of Kellyanne Conway’s ‘go buy Ivanka’s stuff’ message. (USA Today) — WASHINGTON — In a rare bipartisan move, the top Republican and Democrat on a key congressional panel Thursday sharply rebuked White House adviser Kellyanne Conway for publicly promoting Ivanka Trump’s fashion line and asked the federal government’s chief ethics official to review her conduct. “What she did was wrong, wrong, wrong,” Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, tweeted Thursday afternoon as he and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., released the letter questioning Conway’s actions. Conway, a counselor to President Trump, pushed Trump’s clothing business during a television interview Thursday morning. “Go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” said during a Fox & Friends appearance from a White House briefing room. “I own some of it,” she said of Ivanka Trump’s clothing line.  “I’m … going give it a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.” “Conway’s statements clearly violate the ethical principles for federal employees and are unacceptable,” Chaffetz and Cummings said in their letter to Walter Shaub, director of the Office of Government Ethics.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – KEN KLUKOWSKI – Legal Editor, Breitbart News and Senior Legal Analyst with the American Civil Rights Union

• Trump furious after court upholds block on travel ban. (CNN) President Donald Trump’s travel ban will remain blocked, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel means that citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries will continue to be able to travel to the US, despite Trump’s executive order last month.

6am – E         Republicans Walk Out of Senate During Debate. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP/WMAL) – Republicans walked out of the Maryland Senate in protest during a debate on a resolution to enable the attorney general to sue the federal government without the governor’s permission in response to actions taken by President Donald Trump. Republicans took the unusual step of walking off the floor during Thursday’s debate after asking for more time to consider the resolution. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted 28-18 to reject the request to delay action for another day. Sen. J.B. Jennings, the Senate minority leader, says he walked off the floor in frustration over the procedure. He says there was no need to rush. Other Republicans also walked out. Sen. Michael Hough, who also walked out, tells WMAL, “If it goes forward, they’re talking about giving 3, 4 million dollars, maybe even an unlimited amount of money to a very partisan, far-left Attorney General to go out and sue the President of the United States on every and any issue he wants. Historically, that’s not how we’ve done it.” The Senate gave the resolution preliminary approval. A vote is scheduled for Friday.

6am – F   NBC’s Bob Costas being replaced by Mike Tirico at Olympics. NEW YORK — NBC’s Bob Costas is saying goodbye to the Olympics. The network says the veteran sportscaster is stepping down as the prime-time host of NBC’s Olympics telecast, starting at the next winter games in South Korea. He’ll be replaced by Mike Tirico, who has been the heir apparent since joining NBC from ESPN last year. Costas has been the prime-time host for 11 Olympics televised by NBC since 1992. He is 64 years old. He said he felt the time was right and that he was grateful NBC let him decide that on his own.

7am – A   INTERVIEW — ED HENRY – Fox News Chief National Correspondent; Author of upcoming book “42 Faith” (to be released in April)

• Discuss latest on confirmation battles in the Senate: Price, Mnuchin, Puzder, Gorsuch
• Trump tells Chinese president US will honor ‘one China’ policy. (Fox News) – President Donald Trump told China President Xi Jinping the U.S. would honor the “one China” policy months after Trump suggested he might use American policy on Taiwan as a bargaining chip between the two sides. Trump “agreed at the request of President Xi,” to honor the policy, the White House said in a statement late Thursday.

7am – B         County Preparing To Allocate $4.2 Million for Silver Spring Transit Center Lawsuit Costs. Suit targets developers that county believes were negligent in building the structure. The Montgomery County Council is scheduled to vote next week on a $4.2 million supplemental appropriation to fund ongoing legal costs associated with the county’s lawsuit over problems with the construction of the Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center. County Executive Ike Leggett said in a memo sent to the council in January the lawsuit aims to “recover direct, indirect, and delay costs resulting from required project remediation” at the transit center.  The county made repairs to the $140 million bus depot after construction was completed when structural issues were identified by engineering consultants hired by the county.  The county is aiming to recover about $47 million in cost overruns and about $20 million in damages from the developers of the project, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Foulger Pratt and engineering testing company The Robert B. Balter Co. Deputy county attorney John Markovs said Wednesday the parties in the case are currently in the discovery process. He said the funds allocated by the county will be used to pay for legal costs through the trial and possibly for any appeals as well.

7am – C         Six Patriots plan to skip Super Bowl celebration at Trump White House. It’s only been a few days since the New England Patriots won their fifth Super Bowl with a remarkable comeback against the Atlanta Falcons, but already six New England players have announced they will not take part in the traditional White House visit with President Donald Trump. Running back LaGarrrette Blount announced his decision Thursday on the “Rich Eisen Show.” “I will not be going to the White House. I don’t feel welcome in that house. I’ll leave it at that,” said Blount, who led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 2016. Defensive end Chris Long announced on Twitter that he would not attend either. Long was responding to New York Daily News sports reporter Chuck Modi, who called on Long to skip the event in an open letter. Defensive lineman Alan Branch said during a radio interview on Sirius XM that he would spend time with his family instead. Running back James White, on the same station, said he was undecided about attending. No date has been set for the visit. The Patriots are the first major American sports team to win a championship since Trump won the election and was inaugurated. New England rallied from 25-point deficit in the Super Bowl, scoring the game’s final 31 points, a comeback that some Trump supporters found similar to his unlikely win in November. Tight end Martellus Bennett and defensive back Devin McCourty previously announced they would not attend because of political reasons.  McCourty told Time that, “I don’t feel accepted in the White House. With the president having so many strong opinions and prejudices I believe certain poeple might feel accepted there while others won’t.” Linebacker Dont’a Hightower said he won’t go because he’s already been there as a member of college football national champion Alabama.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – KEN CUCCINELLI – president of Senate Conservatives Fund and the former Attorney General of Virginia

• CUCCINELLI’S ANALYSIS: Appeals Court Blocks Trump Bid to Reinstate Immigration Order
• Local VA News: Carly Fiorina ‘certainly looking at’ Virginia Senate run. Former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina said she is considering running for Senate in Virginia next year. In an interview with local Virginia radio show,” Fiorina was asked if she would run against incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D). Fredericks grilled Fiorina about recently attending several local events in Virginia. “Look, I’m certainly looking at that opportunity,” she said. “It’s a little early to be making that decision. We’re two weeks into a new administration.”

7am – E         Food News:

• Domino’s launches wedding registry for pizza-loving couples. Forget the fine china from Tiffany’s. And who needs towels from Bed Bath & Beyond? Domino’s thinks warm, delicious pizza will make the perfect wedding gift– and keep the marriage spark alive. The nation’s second-largest pizza delivery chain has just launched a wedding registry site that allows couples to order the pie of their dreams. “Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so we wanted to give recently-engaged couples that are passionate about pizza the chance to register for something they both truly love as much as their partner,”  Company spokeswoman Jenny Fouracre said in a statement. The registry, says Domino’s, “aims to bring couples together over their shared love of pizza.” Fouracre says the idea was born from customers who said pizza played a big part in their big days.
• McDonald’s testing its new crab meat sandwich fast food company. McDonald’s is giving some diners a sneak peek at its newest monstrosity: a crab meat sandwich. McDonald’s is currently selling the new menu item at four of its San Jose-area locations.   The sandwich, which consists of snow crab meat, mayonnaise, tomato, herbed butter, and lettuce on sourdough, was developed by “Top Chef” contestant Ryan Scott, who last year opened a tavern restaurant called Finn Town in the Castro district of San Francisco.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – KATIE PHANG – NBC & MSNBC Legal Contributor, Trial Lawyer and a Partner at Berger Singerman, based in Miami, FL.

• KATIE’S ANALYSIS: Appeals Court Blocks Trump Bid to Reinstate Immigration Order

8am – B/C     Key lawmakers seek probe of Kellyanne Conway’s ‘go buy Ivanka’s stuff’ message. (USA Today) – WASHINGTON — In a rare bipartisan move, the top Republican and Democrat on a key congressional panel Thursday sharply rebuked White House adviser Kellyanne Conway for publicly promoting Ivanka Trump’s fashion line and asked the federal government’s chief ethics official to review her conduct.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — Maryland State Senator MICHAEL HOUGH (pronounced HUFF) — representing Frederick & Carroll Co.

• BIO: Michael Hough serves in the Maryland Senate representing District 4, which covers portions of Frederick and Carroll Counties. He was formerly a Delegate and chairman and of the Frederick County Republican Central Committee
• Republicans Walk Out of Senate During Debate. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP/WMAL) – Republicans walked out of the Maryland Senate in protest during a debate on a resolution to enable the attorney general to sue the federal government without the governor’s permission in response to actions taken by President Donald Trump. Republicans took the unusual step of walking off the floor during Thursday’s debate after asking for more time to consider the resolution. The Democrat-controlled chamber voted 28-18 to reject the request to delay action for another day.

 8am – E        Aretha Franklin to retire after one more album. NEW YORK (AP) — At 74, the Queen of Soul has decided to take it a little easier. Aretha Franklin is planning to retire this year, she told Detroit TV station WDIV Local 4, the city’s NBC affiliate. The singer says she will make one more album, with several tracks produced by Stevie Wonder, and will otherwise limit herself to “some select things, maybe one a month, for six months out of the year” as she devotes more time to her grandchildren. She also says 2017 will be her “last year in concert.” “This will be my last year,” Franklin said. “I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it.” On Thursday, a representative for Franklin confirmed her remarks made to WDIV. Franklin, whose many hits include Respect and Think, added that she did not want to do “just nothing.” But she said that she is otherwise “very satisfied” with her career and is ready to step back. She has had health problems in recent years, including surgery in 2010 for undisclosed reasons that left many fearing her life was in danger.