Hans Von Spakovsky, Joe diGenova, Susan Ferrechio, Trevor Matich and Burgess Owens joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, September 25, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C   REACTION: NFL Anthem Protests

5am – D         CONGRESS PREVIEW:

• GOP makes last-minute changes to ObamaCare repeal bill to try and win over senators
• Rand Paul: I won’t vote for Obamacare overhaul bill unless key provision is dropped
• Revised Cassidy-Graham health-care bill would send more help to Alaska and Maine — home of two holdout GOP senators
• Sen. Cruz on Graham-Cassidy bill: “Right now, they don’t have my vote and I don’t think they have Mike Lee’s vote”
• WH Dir. of Leg. Affairs Marc Short said on Meet The Press they were “planning” on a health vote this wk, likely Weds
• Trump says “We still have a chance” to pass Obamacare overhaul without John McCain
• TRUMP & REPUBLICANS PLAN TO CUT TOP TAX RATE TO 35%: President Trump and Republican leaders plan to cut the top tax rate for the wealthiest Americans to 35 percent and dramatically reduce taxes on big and small businesses, according to details leaked to Axios.

5am – E         TN CHURCH SHOOTING:

• GOOD GUY W/A GUN STOPS A BAD GUY W/A GUN IN TN: A woman was killed and at least six people suffered gunshot wounds when a man opened fire at a Tennessee church on Sunday morning before shooting himself as one of the worshipers confronted him with a firearm, officials said. The shooter, described as a man in his 20s, walked into Nashville’s Burnette Chapel Church of Christ wearing a ski mask and opened fire, spokesman Don Aaron of the Metropolitan Nashville Police told reporters. A church usher confronted the gunman but was quickly struck in the head with the gun. Although injured, the usher went to the parking lot, took a gun out of his vehicle and re-entered the sanctuary. The suspect then shot and wounded himself.
• Tennessee Church Shooting Suspect Is A Sudanese Bodybuilder. Nashville Police have identified the suspect of a mass shooting at a church Sunday morning as 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson. Samson is being charged with murder and multiple counts of attempted murder in the attack that killed one and left at least seven other people injured at the Burnette Chapel Church of Christ in Antioch, a town just south of Nashville, Tenn. Samson is a bodybuilder who attended high school in Tennessee and is originally from Karthoum, Sudan, according screenshots of the suspect’s Facebook page obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation before the account was taken down. Police say he is a legal resident and came to the U.S. in the 1990s.
• Nashville church shooting: Masked gunman kills woman, injures seven in Antioch, police say. One person was killed and seven others wounded Sunday after a man in a ski mask opened fire during at a church service in Antioch. The shooter, identified as Emanuel Kidega Samson, a 25-year-old Rutherford County man, accidentally shot himself after he was confronted by an armed member of the congregation and treated at the hospital. He has since been released and is being taken to jail, according to Metro Nashville Police. He will be charged with one count of murder, additional charges will come later, police said. Police say he previously attended the church. The woman has been identified as Melanie Smith, 39. Smith was a mother who lived in Smyrna. Police say the gunman wore a neoprene ski mask when he shot and killed a woman in the parking lot of Burnette Chapel Church of Christ, as the service was ending shortly after 11 a.m.

6am – A/B/C REACTION: NFL Anthem Protests

6am – D         INTERVIEW – HANS VON SPAKOVSKY- former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission from 2006 to 2007 and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation

• Hackers targeted election systems in 21 states, DHS says.  The federal government on Friday told election officials in 21 states that hackers targeted their systems last year, although in most cases the systems were not breached. The government told The Associated Press last year that more than 20 states were targeted by hackers believed to be Russian agents before the 2016 elections. But for many states, the calls Friday from the Department of Homeland Security were the first official confirmation of whether their states were on the list.
• DHS authority over state elections at stake in October meeting.  The Department of Homeland Security and election officials from around the country are expected to meet in October to begin working toward an understanding of what authority DHS has over the country’s election systems since it designated those systems as “critical infrastructure.”

6am – E         ‘You’re Not Our Homey,’ Howard University Protesters Tell Ex-FBI Director James Comey. If James Comey was looking for a smooth landing in his new job after his rocky departure from the FBI, he may not have found it as a lecturer at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Comey, whose firing by President Trump in May set off a political firestorm, delivered the keynote address Friday at the historically black college’s opening convocation. Just as he took the podium to speak, protesters at the back of the auditorium stood up and, with fists raised high, began singing the civil rights song “We Shall Not Be Moved.” They also chanted “no justice, no peace,” and “get out James Comey, you’re not our homey.” Students used a Facebook page and a Twitter account, both titled HUResist, to help organize the protests against Comey and his new position at the university. Protesters accused him of working against black communities during his time as FBI director.

6am – F         WHITE HOUSE VISITS:

• STEPH CURRY INVITE RESCINDED: During a campaign event for Alabama Senator Luther Strange Friday night, Trump slammed the NFL for tolerating players who he said disrespect the United States by failing to stand up for the national anthem. “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, out, he’s fired. He’s fired!’” Trump said. “You know, some owner is gonna do that. He’s gonna say, ‘That guy disrespects our flag, he’s fired.’” Trump followed up on his criticism of athletes on Saturday morning by taking aim at Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry for “hesitating” to visit the White House.
• Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: Going to the White House is considered a great honor for a championship team.Stephen Curry is hesitating,therefore invitation is withdrawn! 8:45 AM – Sep 23, 2017
• WARRIORS RESPOND TO TRUMP: ‘There is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely’  The Golden State Warriors issued a statement in response to President Donald Trump’s tweet on Saturday in which he said he would not invite the Warriors to the White House after comments made by Stephen Curry. “While we intended to meet as a team at the first opportunity we had this morning to collaboratively discuss a potential visit to the White House, we accept that President Trump has made it clear that we are not invited. We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them,” the statement said. Curry told ESPN on Friday that he did not want to attend any White House visit due to his disagreement with Trump’s policies. The Warriors had not made a decision on the visit at that time nor had the White House extended an invitation.

• DC mayor invites Golden State Warriors to city after team cancels White House visit. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser invited the Golden State Warriors to visit the city, just hours after the team said they wouldn’t visit the White House because President Trump disinvited one of their star players. “While you’re here, Warriors, we are happy to identify ways for you to celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion — what we call DC values,” Bowser said in a statement Saturday. “And if anyone ever tells you that you cannot come to DC, tell them Mayor Bowser invited you.”
• North Carolina Basketball Will Not Visit the White House, Cites Scheduling Issues. College basketball’s defending champions will not go to the White House, and be honored by President Trump. The team cited scheduling issues as the reason why they will not make the trip. A team spokesman told the Observer, “We couldn’t find a date that worked for both parties. We tried about eight or nine dates and between they couldn’t work out that date, we couldn’t work out that date, so – we would have liked to have gone, but not going.” According to The Hill, the White House did not respond to a request for comment about North Carolina’s inability to attend. The timing of North Carolina’s decision to not attend is certainly curious. Especially considering the ongoing backlash from the sports world directed at President Trump.

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

• TRAVEL BAN: New Trump travel ban targets Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Supreme Court has option to duck travel ban ruling
• COMEY: Joe shared his thoughts on the disastrous Comey Howard University speech.
• NFL PROTESTS: Were the national anthem protests really FREE SPEECH / FIRST AMENDMENT?

7am – B/C     REACTION: NFL Anthem Protests

7am – D         INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – the chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner – discussed the latest on Congress agenda: Graham-Cassidy health bill and tax reform.

7am – E         Trump Admin Private Plane Controversy:

• Mnuchin on use of costly government jet to fly from NY to DC: “There are times when I need secure communications.”   Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sought to defend his controversial use of military jets for domestic business travel today, and challenged ABC News’ reporting that it costs $25,000 an hour to operate the aircraft by suggesting the network check those figures with the Pentagon. Pentagon documents show it costs $25,000 per hour to operate the Air Force’s C-37 jet — the same jet that flew Mnuchin from New York City to Washington D.C. on August 15.
• Trump Says Administration Is Looking Into Price’s Private Plane Use. President Donald Trump said the administration is looking into Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price’s use of private planes on the government dime while defending Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin’s travel Sunday. Price — a crusader for fiscal conservatism during his time in the House — has come under fire for reportedly taking five chartered jets over the course of a week earlier this month, spending roughly $400,000 on private planes since May. “As far as Secretary Price is concerned, that’s different [than Mnuchin]. We’re looking into it,” he told reporters, according to the pool report. Trump said he doesn’t think that Mnuchin, who is also being investigated for his use of a private jet in August, has misused federal dollars for his travel accommodations.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — TREVOR MATICH – WMAL’s Redskins Analyst, Comcast SportsNet co-host and former Redskins long snapper

• Oakland Raiders (2-1)   10  vs    Washington Redskins  (2-1)  27
• Kirk Cousins proves worth in Redskins’ win over Raiders. LANDOVER, Md. — The referendum arrives after every game, sometimes with each pass: Pay Kirk Cousins! Don’t pay him! He’s worth a bundle. He’s not worth much of anything. But the truth with Cousins is this: He’s capable of struggling but also of producing huge nights. That’s why those who made up their minds on Cousins a while ago haven’t really changed. Each side can offer proof as to why they think the way they do. However, if Cousins strings together more nights like Sunday, a lot of minds could change. He played one of the best games of his career, leading the Washington Redskins to a 27-10 win over the Oakland Raiders. He beat a good team in a prime-time game (much like he did a year ago against the Green Bay Packers) and was the best passer on the field.

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – BURGESS OWENS – former Super Bowl champion and author of “Liberalism or How to Turn Good Men into Whiners, Weenies and Wimps”

• BIO: Burgess Owens is a former Super Bowl champion who played ten seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders. Author of “Liberalism or How to Turn Good Men into Whiners, Weenies and Wimps”
• Share his thoughts on the national anthem protests in the NFL

8am – D/E     REACTION: NFL Anthem Protests