Legal analyst Joe diGenova, AEI Asia expert Michael Auslin, Fairfax County parent Andre Billeaudeaux, VA GOP Chair John Whitbeck and Washington Examiner’s Sarah Westwood joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, May 1, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B     Did you ever quit a job? HI-TECH TURNOVER: The study, by the Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit Kapor Center for Social Impact and Harris Poll, asked a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults who had voluntarily left a tech job in the past three years why they chose to abandon their cushy workplaces. Were they enticed by a better opportunity? Did they decide to take time off to care for children? Did they desire a shorter commute? Overwhelmingly, workers of all backgrounds cited “unfairness or mistreatment” within the work environment as the most common reason for leaving. Thirty-seven percent said it was a “major factor” in their decision to quit. Unfair treatment was cited twice as often as being recruited elsewhere. The study also compared workers in tech to other industries and found that people cite unfairness as a reason to leave a job in tech more frequently than people in other industries (42 percent compared to 32 percent).

5am – C         Lawmakers reach deal on massive spending bill to fund government through Sept. 30. (Fox News) — Republican and Democratic lawmakers have forged a $1.07 trillion spending package that would fund the government through the end of September, Fox News has learned. The House and Senate have until 11:59 p.m. Friday to approve the bill, which would avert a government shutdown. If passed, the catchall spending bill would be the first major piece of bipartisan legislation to advance during President Donald Trump’s short tenure in the White House. The measure is assured of winning bipartisan support in votes this week, but it’s unclear how much support the measure will receive from GOP conservatives and how warmly it will be received by the White House.

5am – D         WASH POST PAGE ONE MONDAY: Amid immigration setbacks, Trump strategy of ‘fear’ is working… “Amid immigration setbacks, one Trump strategy seems to be working: Fear”  (By David Nakamura/Washington Post) — In many ways, President Trump’s attempts to implement his hard-line immigration policies have not gone very well in his first three months. His travel ban aimed at some Muslim-majority countries has been blocked by the courts, his U.S.-Mexico border wall has gone nowhere in Congress, and he has retreated, at least for now, on his vow to target illegal immigrants brought here as children. But one strategy that seems to be working well is fear. The number of migrants, legal and illegal, crossing into the United States has dropped markedly since Trump took office, while recent declines in the number of deportations have been reversed.

5am – E         NORTH KOREA NEWS:

• NoKo fires another missile: North Korea reportedly test fired yet another ballistic missile just after 5 p.m. EST Friday.
• Trump: “I will not be happy” if North Korea conducts another nuclear test
• Trump invites Asian leaders to White House amid tensions with North Korea. President Trump on Sunday invited the leaders of Thailand and Singapore the the White House amid growing tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Trump talked on the phone with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, according to the White House. They “expressed a strong shared interest in strengthening” trade and economic ties, the White House said.

6am – A/B/C Effort To Remove Confederate General’s Name From Va. School Exposed. (Daily Caller) — An effort demanding J.E.B. Stuart High School in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Falls Church, Va., change its name has been plagued with clandestine conversations and deceptive tactics, according to emails obtained through Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Political correctness advocates behind the movement to remove the Confederate general’s name from the school worked in concert with with the Fairfax County School Board to downplay the estimated $1 million price tag associated with the name change. Public records, which were obtained by the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a D.C.-based government watchdog and taxpayer advocacy group, also indicate a desire to hold discussions about the matter in secret.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – MICHAEL AUSLIN – Asia expert, Resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute and author of new book “The End of the Asian Century: War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World’s Most Dynamic Region” (Yale University Press, January 2017)

• BIO: Michael Auslin, author of “The End of the Asian Century: War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World’s Most Dynamic Region” (Yale University Press, 2017), is a resident scholar and the director of Japan Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he specializes in Asian regional security and political issues. Before joining AEI, Dr. Auslin was an associate professor of history at Yale University. A regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and National Review, his books include “Pacific Cosmopolitans: A Cultural History of U.S.-Japan Relations” (Harvard University Press, 2011) and the forthcoming “The End of the Asian Century: War, Stagnation, and the Risks to the World’s Most Dynamic Region” (Yale University Press, 2016). He has advised both the US government and private business on Asian and global security issues.
• NoKo fires another missile: North Korea reportedly test fired yet another ballistic missile just after 5 p.m. EST Friday.

• Trump: “I will not be happy” if North Korea conducts another nuclear test
• Trump invites Asian leaders to White House amid tensions with North Korea. President Trump on Sunday invited the leaders of Thailand and Singapore the the White House amid growing tensions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. Trump talked on the phone with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, according to the White House. They “expressed a strong shared interest in strengthening” trade and economic ties, the White House said.

6am – E         SHAVED CATS: Police aren’t sure what crime has been committed, but the owners “would just like it to stop.”  Mystery in Virginia: Someone is shaving other people’s cats. WAYNESBORO, Va. (AP) — Why would someone go around shaving other people’s cats? The mystery has the attention of police in Waynesboro, a small city in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley where someone has been taking cats and precisely shaving their underbellies or legs.  It’s happened to seven cats since December. Police Capt. Kelly Walker said Friday that all the cats have been returned otherwise unharmed, but some seem bothered. Walker says all the cats clearly had owners — they were well-groomed and wearing collars.

6am – F         White House Shake Up?

• Heritage Action chief won’t say if Bannon will take over Heritage Foundation. The CEO of Heritage Action on Sunday declined to respond to a question about whether White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon would lead the Heritage Foundation.  “There are a lot of stories out that Jim DeMint, the head of the Heritage Foundation, is going to be out and that Steve Bannon may become the new head, that this is going to be his safety net as he is forced out of the White House,” “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace asked Michael Needham. “What can you tell us?” “That there’s a lot of speculation and rumor in the media that never misses a chance to divide and attack conservatives,” Needham said.
• Sebastian Gorka Likely to Be Out of White House Role, Officials Say. Sebastian Gorka, a West Wing adviser to President Trump who has become a flash point for controversy, is likely to be moved out of the White House in the coming weeks for a different role in the administration, two senior administration officials said Sunday. It was not immediately clear where Mr. Gorka, an adviser on national security, would be headed. A spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said only that there was nothing to announce about Mr. Gorka at this time. His anticipated departure was reported earlier by The Daily Beast and The Washington Examiner.

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

• Susan Rice: Trump had ‘obligation’ to fully vet Flynn. Former national security adviser Susan Rice on Sunday said President Trump had an “obligation” to vet former national security adviser Michael Flynn properly, dismissing criticism that the retired general received a security clearance under the Obama administration.
• Ted Cruz: Another Supreme Court vacancy coming ‘very soon’ (Washington Times) – ATLANTA — Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday teased another looming U.S. Supreme Court vacancy, saying there’s a good chance there will be a chance for gun-rights activists to mobilize on the issue once more either this summer or next. “I believe very soon we’re going to see another vacancy,” Mr. Cruz told attendees at the National Rifle Association lobbying arm’s “Leadership Forum” in Atlanta. “I think the odds are significant that we’ll see another vacancy either this summer or next summer,” he said. “This next vacancy, I hope and pray that President Trump continues to honor his promise to nominate principled constitutionalist[s] who will ferociously defend the Bill of Rights.

7am – B         Climate March:

• DiCaprio, Gore spotted at Climate March.   Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Vice President Al Gore were spotted among the thousands of demonstrators who participated in Saturday’s Climate March in Washington, D.C. In photographs posted on social media, DiCaprio could be seen holding a sign that read “Climate Change is Real,” while Gore also took part in the march.
• Climate March Speaker: We Need To ‘Decolonize Our Minds’ (Daily Caller) – Dakota Access Pipeline protester and speaker Christine Nobiss had a solution for taking on climate change at the “People’s Climate March” in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. She called for “decolonizing our minds” because it destroyed femininity. “We are here today because we are here to talk about the future — what is happening with our climate. All of you are here because you can feel it, right? You can feel the change in the weather, see the changing landscape, you can see the violent storms, see the chemicals in our water. You can feel them. You are drinking them,” she said. “I want to let you know that we have a solution for this problem. One of our solutions is to decolonize our minds.” Nobiss pointed to a wagon structure at the rally as an example to explain decolonizing. The arrows on the wagon “represented the things we need to do to decolonize our minds.” She went on to explain how each arrow on the wagon is meant to show how we can “decolonize” and apparently help the climate. “Sovereignty is one of them. Sovereignty for indigenous people. You need to support the indigenous cause, right? Reparations! Language! Community! Education! To feminize! We need to bring the feminine back because colonization destroyed femininity and we need to bring that back!”
• Times subscribers are fleeing in wake of climate change column. People are still hating on New York Times columnist Bret Stephens — with a “#ShowYourCancellation” movement growing on social media over the weekend — following his controversial piece on climate change. “I’ve been a @nytimes loyalist for over 15 years. But hiring a ‘climate agnostic’ has gone too far,” Heather Randell tweeted Sunday. “I’m canceling.  #showyourcancellation.” Beth Holbrook wrote, “Cancelled @nytimes subscription. As a scientist, I take offense at BS opinion pieces misrepresenting scientific facts #ShowYourCancellation.” Marlene Amaro added, “Trusted NYT all my life……oh well.” Stephens, who worked at the Wall Street Journal before arriving at the Times earlier this month, penned his very first column for the paper last week — which was titled, “Climate of Complete Certainty.” It ran online Friday and print the next day. In it, Stephens argued that “claiming total certainty about the science” of climate change — and not accepting both sides of the argument — ultimately “traduces the spirit of science and creates openings for doubt whenever a climate claim proves wrong.” While he didn’t give his opinion on the subject, the piece sparked overwhelming outrage from what he described as “the nasty left.” The furor remained throughout the weekend, with countless media outlets, journalists, scientists and others calling on the Times to fire Stephens. Many cancelled their subscriptions and then posted proof online — taking pictures of the paper’s emailed responses to them leaving. “We’re sorry to see you go and hope we may be able to serve you again in the future,” the messages read. But not everyone was scrapping their subscriptions.

7am – C         Taco Bell plans to offer beer and frozen alcoholic drinks this summer. FOX NEWS – Taco Bell has announced plans to begin serving beer at its newest Canadian locations as a way to draw more customers who would otherwise be flocking to a fast-casual chain restaurant. “Beer is something that goes well with Mexican food,” explained Amanda Clark, Taco Bell Canada’s general manager, to Financial Times.  Clark also said that the new Saskatoon location will serve as the company’s testing grounds for frozen alcoholic beverages, such as margaritas, which could eventually make their way to Taco Bell menus across Canada if they prove popular with customers.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — ANDRE BILLEAUDEAUX (BILL-A-DOO) — Parent of a former student at J.E.B STUART HIGH SCHOOL, his son transferred AND he’s a Fairfax School Board Ad-hoc Committee Member

• J.E.B. Stuart High School debates school name change. (Fairfax County Times May 27, 2016) — According to an information sheet passed out at the community workshop meeting, the Fairfax County School Board gave J.E.B. Stuart High School its name in 1958 while the building was under construction. The school officially opened in 1959. FCPS didn’t start integrating until 1960 and completed the process in the 1966-67 school year after Luther Porter Jackson, originally a high school for black students, was turned into a middle school in 1965. Supporters of a J.E.B. Stuart High School name change say that the name was chosen as part of Fairfax County’s passive resistance to desegregation, not to recognize Virginian or Southern history by commemorating Stuart.
• Effort To Remove Confederate General’s Name From Va. School Exposed. (Daily Caller) — An effort demanding J.E.B. Stuart High School in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Falls Church, Va., change its name has been plagued with clandestine conversations and deceptive tactics, according to emails obtained through Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Political correctness advocates behind the movement to remove the Confederate general’s name from the school worked in concert with with the Fairfax County School Board to downplay the estimated $1 million price tag associated with the name change. Public records, which were obtained by the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a D.C.-based government watchdog and taxpayer advocacy group, also indicate a desire to hold discussions about the matter in secret.

7am – E         Auditors: panel exposed voter records to potential hacking. BALTIMORE (AP) — A legislative audit has found that Maryland’s Board of Elections needlessly exposed the full Social Security numbers of almost 600,000 voters to potential hacking, risking theft of voters’ identities.  A report released Friday also criticized the board’s handling of ballot security, disaster preparedness, contracting and balancing its books. The Baltimore Sun reports that state lawmakers called for a hearing in response to the report, which prompted strong reaction from critics of the board and administrator Linda Lamone.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – JOHN WHITBECK – chairman of Republican Party of Virginia

• TOPIC: latest on the VA governor’s race (on the Democratic side):
• CANDIDATES:

–  Ralph Northam is an American physician and politician, currently serving as the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

– Tom Perriello – former congressman

• Northam and Perriello hold their fire in first Democratic gubernatorial debate in Va.
• When Northam was up, he lobbed something harder. He asked Perriello why he took campaign contributions from the NRA while in Congress, noting that it was after the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech. Perriello, who got an “A” rating from the NRA when he ran for Congress, noted he is no longer in the group’s good graces. “I called them a ‘nut-job, extremist organization’ and compared them to the John Birch Society,” he said. “I don’t imagine those checks are in the mail.”
• Tom Perriello pledges to raise income tax on Va.’s wealthiest. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Democrat seeking to be Virginia’s next governor is pledging to raise income tax rates on the wealthy while providing a childcare credit he said would help lower- and middle-class families. Tom Perriello unveiled his tax plan Friday, saying the state’s current system is outdated and favors the rich. He said as governor he would pursue increased tax rates for those making more than $500,000 a year and $1 million a year. Virginia’s current state income tax rate is 5.75 percent for any income more than $17,000 a year. Such increases would have to be approved by the General Assembly, which has generally been averse to tax increases.
• Last week: Sen. Elizabeth Warren endorses Perriello in Democratic primary for Va. gov. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma), a leader of the Democratic party’s progressive wing, endorsed Tom Perriello in the Democratic primary race for Virginia governor on Monday. Perriello is in a tight contest for the party’s nomination against Democrat Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, who is backed by nearly every Democrat in the state legislature, congressional delegation and statewide office. The primary is June 13. Warren gave the nod to Perriello during an interview with The Huffington Post in which she called Perriello, a former one-term congressman from Charlottesville, “an exciting guy.”

8am – B         KASICH NEWS:

• John Kasich New Book: Trump Won Election Because America in Spiritual Decline. (Breitbart) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich claimed in his new book that the reason President Trump won the election was because America is in a moral decline. In Two Paths: America Divided or United, Kasich blamed Trump’s electoral win on groups ranging from the media to dishonest politicians, but he also said one of the main reasons Trump won was because of the spiritual decline in America. “I happen to believe that you can’t guide an entire society without a shared religious foundation,” Kasich wrote. “I saw Trump’s reckless entreaties as a weakening of our shared American values — even more so, a coarsening of our shared American values … Donald Trump gave the impression of a man who would do or say anything to get attention, even incite a crowd to violence.” Kasich also noted that Trump “gave millions of disenfranchised voters a voice.” “What the voters were telling us in this election was that they were angry, that they were feeling that their lives were out of control, that there was a sense of helplessness and hopelessness in the heartland,” Kasich wrote.

• Kasich finds it hard to rule out 2020. (The Hill) – Ohio Gov. John Kasich returned to the national spotlight this week with criticism for the GOP and President Trump, raising questions about the former Republican presidential candidate’s political future. It’s clear that the governor wants to distinguish his brand of conservatism from Trump’s, a point the governor made repeatedly during a presidential bid that saw him become the last option in the primary for “#NeverTrump” Republicans.  But what’s less clear now is what comes next for the governor, whose term expires in early 2019. While Trump may embody the opposite of Kasich’s school of conservative politics, Kasich’s options are limited as long as Trump sits in the Oval Office. “Kasich is kind of in limbo — his time as governor will end when he’s termed out, he doesn’t have a path toward any other office in Ohio, and if Trump runs for reelection, I doubt he’ll challenge him,” said Ryan Williams, a former aide on 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s presidential bid. “But he’s trying to keep his name in the mix in case President Trump decides not to run again … He, like many people, was counting on President Trump to lose in November, expecting to occupy a space in the effort to rebuild the party. But that evaporated the minute Trump won the election.” Every appearance Kasich has made this week on a promotional tour for his new book — including stops at “The View,” “The Daily Show” and a brief swing through New Hampshire, a key primary state — builds to the same question: Will he run in 2020? Each time, Kasich says a bid is “unlikely,” but he doesn’t say it’s impossible.  During a Friday breakfast with members of the media, one reporter asked Kasich what he will do if he doesn’t run in 2020. But Kasich cut the question off. “What I’m saying is it’s unlikely, but I don’t know what the future is going to bring for me, or what responsibility or obligation I might feel,” he said.

8am – C         SPORTS NEWS:

• NATS WIN: Rendon drives in 10, hits 3 HRs as Nationals rout Mets 23-5
• CAPS: Desperate times called for a players-only meeting in the Washington Capitals’ locker room after they fell behind 2-0 in their second-round playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• WIZARDS: Thomas’ 33, Celtics’ 3s Too Much For Wizards In 123-111 Win. BOSTON (AP) — Isaiah Thomas had 33 points and nine assists, and the Boston Celtics made 19 3-pointers to beat the Washington Wizards 123-111 Sunday and take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — SARAH WESTWOOD – White House correspondent, Washington Examiner – discussed the White House Correspondents Dinner, President Trump’s 100 days rally on Saturday and rumors about Seb Gorka possibly leaving the White House.

8am – E         Lawmakers reach deal on massive spending bill to fund government through Sept. 30. (Fox News) — Republican and Democratic lawmakers have forged a $1.07 trillion spending package that would fund the government through the end of September, Fox News has learned. The House and Senate have until 11:59 p.m. Friday to approve the bill, which would avert a government shutdown. If passed, the catchall spending bill would be the first major piece of bipartisan legislation to advance during President Donald Trump’s short tenure in the White House. The measure is assured of winning bipartisan support in votes this week, but it’s unclear how much support the measure will receive from GOP conservatives and how warmly it will be received by the White House.