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Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C RAISE Act (Washington Examiner) President Trump threw his support Wednesday behind a Senate bill that would cut legal immigration in half and implement a new merit-based system that emphasis English-speaking immigrants who can demonstrate job skills. Meeting at the White House with GOP Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the bill’s sponsors, the president said the revised legislation “would represent the most significant reform to our immigration system in half a century.” The measure, known as the RAISE Act, “will reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars,” Mr. Trump said.

5am – D/E Scientists edit disease-causing gene mutation in human embryos (CNN) Scientists are getting one step closer to snipping inherited genetic diseases out of human offspring using a gene-editing technique called CRISPR. For the first time, scientists said, they corrected a gene mutation linked to inherited heart conditions in human embryos using the approach. A study demonstrating the technique was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday (PDF). Last week, the MIT Technology Review released the first news of this scientific feat, describing the research as the first-known attempt at creating genetically modified human embryos in the United States. However, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a co-author of the study, described it as the first in the world to demonstrate gene-editing to be safe, accurate and efficient in correcting a pathogenic gene mutation in human embryos. Previous attempts by Chinese researchers were unsuccessful at achieving this without safety concerns. “This is the first that has been demonstrated as safe and working,” said Belmonte, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies’ gene expression laboratory in La Jolla, California. “All cells of the embryo were corrected,” he said. “It seems to be working from these samples that we have chosen, but we need to do much more basic research with many other genes.” The study was collaboration between the Salk Institute, the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland and Korea’s Institute for Basic Science. Scientists estimate that more than 10,000 human diseases may result from mutations to a single gene occurring in all cells of the body, according to the World Health Organization.

6am – A/B CNN’s Acosta, White House aide clash over immigration at briefing CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta clashed with White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller at the press briefing Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s support for legislation that would curb the level of legal immigration to the United States by instituting a skills-based immigration system. Invoking the famous poem inscribed in the base of Statue of Liberty which beckons the world’s “tired … poor … huddled masses yearning to breathe free” to America’s shores, Acosta asked Miller if the White House was “trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country.” “It doesn’t say anything about speaking English,” pressed Acosta. “[A]ren’t you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you are telling them they have to speak English?” Miller argued that speaking English is already a requirement for people seeking to become naturalized Americans, and dismissed Acosta’s citation of the words on the Statue of Liberty, saying they were a later addition to the statue.

6am – C Boy Writes Letter to Trump Asking If He Can Mow the White House Lawn (Fox News) Last week, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a touching letter a young boy sent to President Trump. Sanders explained that she will take time at some press briefings to read the occasional letter sent to Trump by American children. At today’s press briefing, Sanders read a letter from a boy named Frank who offered to mow the White House lawn. Sanders said that Frank “embodies the enterprising and ambitious spirit of America.” She said that she spoke to President Trump and he wanted to let Frank know that he’s doing a great job and he should keep working hard. She also said that Trump has invited Frank to spend a morning at the White House with the groundskeepers to see how the U.S. Parks Service maintains the 18 acres of the White House complex. “And he’d love to give you the opportunity to cut the grass in the Rose Garden,” Sanders said. “It’s our responsibility to keep the American Dream alive for kids like Frank, immigrants who are already here and those who dream of immigrating here in the future.”

6am – D INTERVIEW – MARK KRIKORIAN – Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies, and author of “The New Case Against Immigration, Both Legal and Illegal”

TOPIC: RAISE Act

– President Trump threw his support Wednesday behind a Senate bill that would cut legal immigration in half and implement a new merit-based system that emphasis English-speaking immigrants who can demonstrate job skills.

– Meeting at the White House with GOP Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the bill’s sponsors, the president said the revised legislation “would represent the most significant reform to our immigration system in half a century.”

– The measure, known as the RAISE Act, “will reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars,” Mr. Trump said.

6am – E WaPo Op-Ed: Trump’s Use of ‘Paddy Wagon’ Is Offensive to Irish Americans (Washington Free Beacon) A Washington Post op-ed published on Tuesday complained that President Donald Trump’s use of the term “paddy wagon” was offensive to the Irish. In a speech to law enforcement on Long Island Friday, Trump prompted criticism by joking about police officers manhandling gang members. “When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon — you just see them thrown in, rough — I said, please don’t be too nice,” Trump said. While most criticism focused on the seeming endorsement of police violence, John Jay College of Criminal Justice professor James Mulvaney complained that “President Trump’s reference to ‘paddy wagon’ insults Irish Americans like me.” “To many Irish Americans like myself, the phrase is insulting,” Mulvaney wrote. “It should not be used in polite discourse.” Mulvaney noted that the origin of the phrase is unclear. One theory is that it emerged in Boston and New York in the mid-19th century, when police vans would pick up large amounts of drunk “Paddies,” a slur for the Irish. But even Mulvaney admitted, “Etymologists are somewhat skeptical of that theory. In newspapers and other sources from the 1800s, ‘paddy wagon’ typically refers to a wheelbarrow. Merriam-Webster says that ‘paddy wagon,’ meaning police vehicle, came into use in 1909.” Still, he insisted the phrase is offensive. “That doesn’t take the sting out of the phrase when I hear it,” he wrote. This is not the first time Mulvaney complained about the phrase. In 2015, he protested when the New York Times included the term in its crossword. “Puzzle editor Will Shortz dismissed my objections, writing: ‘The Irish are not a group that’s discriminated against in the U.S.,'” he recounted. “That’s generally true. But each use of the phrase ‘paddy wagon’ evokes a time when they were.”

6am – F Bottoms up! Queen Elizabeth II enjoys four alcoholic drinks every day, according to a resurfaced report by The Independent. (US Magazine) So what libations does the 91-year-old Queen enjoy? According to her cousin, Margaret Rhodes, Her Majesty has a gin and Dubonnet, a wine-based aperitif served over “lots of ice” with a slice of lemon before lunch. She’ll also have wine with her midday meal. In the evening, she has a dry martini and a glass of champagne. The Queen is a creature of habit, according to her cousin, who says her alcohol intake “never varies.”

7am – A INTERVIEW – JOSH KRAUSHAAR – Political Editor for National Journal

TOPIC: The Emerging Democratic Minority

– If Democrats can’t take advantage of Trump’s troubles in next year’s midterms, they could be out of power in Congress for a long time. Those were the sobering findings of a Democratic survey commissioned by the party-backed House Majority PAC, which Politico and McClatchy first reported. The poll surveyed working-class white voters in pivotal districts that Democrats are targeting in the midterms. Despite the Trump turmoil in Washington, Republicans held a 10-point lead on the generic ballot (43-33 percent) among these blue-collar voters.

– Democrats hold a whopping 61 percent disapproval rating among these voters, with only 32 percent approving. Even Trump’s job-approval rating is a respectable 52 percent with the demographic in these swing districts. Democrats maintain that with robust economic messaging, they can move those numbers in their favor. But the results show how difficult that task will be. By a stunning 35-point margin, blue-collar white voters believe that Republicans will be better at improving the economy and creating jobs than Democrats.

7am – B/C How Cry It Out Changes Your Baby’s Brain, According To Experts (Romper.com) The biggest fight I ever had with my mom was when she claimed that responding to my baby’s cries would spoil him. My mother, possibly similar to your own parents, believed that crying it out is how babies learn to cope. But does crying it out damage babies psychologically? If this is a question you — or people in your life — have asked, you’ll be happy to know several experts have answered this parental predicament. “Research has shown that crying it out — or other extinction approaches — have adverse effects on parents and on babies,” child and family therapist Shanna Donhauser tells Romper. “Some babies have higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, for days after an extinction experiment — such as crying it out for hours,” Donhauser says. Even more interesting, as Donhauser points out, is that something as simple as shutting the door on an upset infant can trigger the same stress reaction in babies. There’s one study, however, that proponents of Cry It Out tend to use as justification for the method. Research published by the American Academy of Pediatrics noted that, “graduated extinction and bedtime fading convey no adverse stress responses or long-term effects on parent-child attachment or child emotions and behavior. But it’s helpful to remember that this is just one study, and every baby has unique needs. One thing virtually everyone agrees on, however, is that, “cry it out should not be used for a child that has experienced trauma, neglect, or a recent major life change,” as licensed clinical social worker and sleep coach Ancy Lewis tells Romper. It makes sense that a baby who already has abandonment issues would be further psychologically damaged by being left to cry it out. To further unpack the problematic nature of this method, psychotherapist Dr. Kent Hoffman says to Romper, “at the heart of healthy emotional development is the regulation of emotions.” Remember, as an adult, it’s easy to identify and process what you’re feeling, but babies don’t have that skill set yet. The primary psychological issue with crying it out is that, “children can appear to have resolved the problem of getting over their distress because they finally go to sleep.” Looks, as you likely know, can be deceiving. “What they’ve actually learned to do is comply with our agenda while still feeling alone with overwhelming emotions — it’s central to insecurity.” Though people may still have varying perspectives on how letting your baby cry it out will affect them psychologically, these experts agree that the risk for emotional damage isn’t worth it. Ultimately, you as the parent will make the decision, but it helps to be informed.

7am – D/E CNN’s Acosta, White House aide clash over immigration at briefing CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta clashed with White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller at the press briefing Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s support for legislation that would curb the level of legal immigration to the United States by instituting a skills-based immigration system. Invoking the famous poem inscribed in the base of Statue of Liberty which beckons the world’s “tired … poor … huddled masses yearning to breathe free” to America’s shores, Acosta asked Miller if the White House was “trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country.” “It doesn’t say anything about speaking English,” pressed Acosta. “[A]ren’t you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you are telling them they have to speak English?” Miller argued that speaking English is already a requirement for people seeking to become naturalized Americans, and dismissed Acosta’s citation of the words on the Statue of Liberty, saying they were a later addition to the statue.

8am – A Mueller Hires Yet Another Democratic Donor (The Daily Caller) Eight confirmed Democratic donors are now working for special counsel Robert Mueller’s legal team with the new addition of Greg Andres. Reuters reported that Andres, who most recently worked as white collar defense attorney for the New York firm Davis Polk, will be joining Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference. A search of federal election records shows that Andres has donated at least a total of $3700 to federal Democratic candidates, including $2700 to New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in March 2017.

Trump Signs Russia Sanctions (Daily Mail) President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday that slaps sanctions on Russia and limits his own ability to create waivers – but at the same time issued a furious statement calling it ‘flawed’. He signed the bill, which Secretary of State Rex Tillerson publicly said he wasn’t happy about, in private. Trump said despite some changes, ‘the bill remains seriously flawed – particularly because it encroaches on the executive branch’s authority to negotiate.’

Former FBI Director James Comey scores a book deal, scheduled for release in spring 2018 (CBS) Flatiron Books told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Comey is writing a book about leadership and decision making that will draw upon his career in government. Comey will write about experiences that made him the FBI’s best-known and most controversial FBI head in recent times, from his handling of the bureau’s probe into Hillary Clinton’s private email server to allegations of ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Trump fired Comey in May and soon after told NBC News that he was angered by the FBI’s investigation into “this Russia thing with Trump and Russia,” which he called a fake story. Comey has since testified before Congress that Trump asked him to end an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael T. Flynn and kept memos about his meetings with the president. According to Flatiron, Comey will cite “examples from some of the highest-stakes situations in the past two decades of American government” and “share yet-unheard anecdotes from his long and distinguished career.” The book is currently untitled and scheduled for next spring.

8am – B/C INTERVIEW – DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA – Deputy Assistant to President Trump

TOPIC: Trump endorses Senate bill to reform legal immigration into merit-based point system

– RAISE IMMIGRATION ACT : President Trump threw his support Wednesday behind a Senate bill that would cut legal immigration in half and implement a new merit-based system that emphasis English-speaking immigrants who can demonstrate job skills. Meeting at the White House with GOP Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, the bill’s sponsors, the president said the revised legislation “would represent the most significant reform to our immigration system in half a century.” The measure, known as the RAISE Act, “will reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars,” Mr. Trump said.

– CNN’s Acosta, White House aide clash over immigration at briefing. CNN Senior White House Correspondent Jim Acosta clashed with White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller at the press briefing Wednesday over President Donald Trump’s support for legislation that would curb the level of legal immigration to the United States by instituting a skills-based immigration system. Invoking the famous poem inscribed in the base of Statue of Liberty which beckons the world’s “tired … poor … huddled masses yearning to breathe free” to America’s shores, Acosta asked Miller if the White House was “trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country.” “It doesn’t say anything about speaking English,” pressed Acosta. “[A]ren’t you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you are telling them they have to speak English?” Miller argued that speaking English is already a requirement for people seeking to become naturalized Americans, and dismissed Acosta’s citation of the words on the Statue of Liberty, saying they were a later addition to the statue.

8am – D INTERVIEW – SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN – D-MARYLAND

TOPICS: “The Better Deal”, new proposed outsourcing tax, what will happen with the tax reform debate

– Senate Democrats set conditions for tax reform. In a letter to Trump and GOP leaders Tuesday, 45 of the 48 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus urged the GOP not to use arcane budget reconciliation procedures to shield any tax reform bill from a filibuster. As the Obamacare repeal effort fell apart, some Republican senators began calling for the inclusion of Democrats on a bill that could win 60 votes. “Using a fast-track process like reconciliation would undoubtedly result in outsized political influence on the process and significantly hinder lawmakers’ ability to close loopholes and end special interest favoritism that plagues our current tax system,” wrote the Democratic senators.

8am – E Stabenow: Kid Rock Will Be Too Busy Rocking To Campaign (The Daily Caller) Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow says Kid Rock’s interest in challenging her in 2018 does not concern her much because the four-way Republican Senate primary and concert schedule will be hard enough on him. A poll last week by Delphi Analytica showed the Michigan rock and roller, born Robert Ritchie Jr., four points ahead of Stabenow in a head to head match up. However, Stabenow discounted the poll.  A more recent Target-Insyght showed Stabenow just eight points ahead of Kid Rock, The Detroit News reported Tuesday.