Thank you to @amber_athey for co-hosting on @WMALDC this morning! pic.twitter.com/vdZztg5Bae

— WMAL DC (@WMALDC) February 13, 2019

Cal Thomas, Susan Ferrechio, White House’s Adam Kennedy and guest host Amber Athey joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Amber Athey

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C Senate has found ‘no direct evidence’ Trump colluded with Russia: report. As it begins to wrap up its investigation, the Senate Intelligence Committee has not found “any direct evidence” that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election, according to a report on Tuesday. “After two years and interviewing more than 200 witnesses, the Senate intelligence Committee has not uncovered any direct evidence of a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia,” NBC correspondent Ken Dilanian told MSNBC anchor Hallie Jackson. She appeared stunned by the revelation. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but I want to make sure I’m understanding this,” Jackson said. “If and when the president, as he may inevitably do, point to this reporting, point to these conclusions and says, ‘Look, the Senate Intelligence Committee found I’m not guilty of conspiracy,’ he would be correct in saying that?” “He’ll be partially right,” Dilanian responded, adding that the committee doesn’t decide guilt.

The NBC report noted that the GOP chairman of the committee made similar comments last week about collusion. “If we write a report based upon the facts that we have, then we don’t have anything that would suggest there was collusion by the Trump campaign and Russia,” said Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina in an interview with CBS. NBC said the committee’s final report will question the campaign’s judgment after associates and some Trump family members had contact with a number of Russians.

5am – D         Bill Nye the Science Guy unapologetically misrepresenting the views of pro-lifers.

5am – E         Chicago Police: Jussie Smollett’s ‘Redacted’ Phone Records Not Enough for Criminal Investigation. The Chicago Police Department said Monday that it does not have enough evidence to launch a criminal investigation into the alleged assault of Empire actor Jussie Smollett after he turned over “limited and redacted phone records” to detectives. “We are very appreciative of the victim’s cooperation however the records provided do not meet the burden for a criminal investigation as they were limited and heavily redacted,” Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “Detectives may be following up with him to request additional data to corroborate the investigative timeline.” Smollett alleges two masked men attacked him along a street in the Streeterville neighborhood as he was walking home from a restaurant on January 29.  The 36-year-old alleges they punched him, hurled racist and homophobic insults at him, poured an unknown chemical substance on him, and wrapped a rope around his neck. Guglielmi said the actor told police that the alleged attackers shouted he was in “MAGA country,” an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. The police report noted that the actor said he initially didn’t want to report the attack, but another person convinced him to do so.  The name of the person who encouraged Smollet to call police was redacted in the report, which notes that the person was with Smollet when officers arrived at his Chicago apartment. When officers arrived at his apartment, Smollett still had a white rope draped around his neck. The report also noted that officers turned off their body cameras at Smollett’s request — a reasonable request from crime victims, according to police.

6am – A         Kamala Harris says she listened to Snoop Dogg, Tupac while smoking weed in college years before they made music. (Fox News) – California Sen. Kamala Harris claims she listened to Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur when she smoked pot in college – but the West Coast rappers weren’t putting out music until years after she graduated. “I have. And I inhaled. I did inhale,” Harris said when asked if she has smoked weed. “It was a joint.” Harris made her comments Monday on “The Breakfast Club,” the New York City-based nationally syndicated radio program hosted by DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne tha God. The program touts that it is “the world’s most dangerous morning show” and is popular in the hip hop community. The 2020 Democratic presidential contender was then asked what music she listened to when she smoked a joint. Charlamagne tha God bluntly asked, “What was you listening to when you was high? What was on? What song was on?” Harris quickly responded, “Definitely Snoop, Tupac for sure.” However, Harris graduated from Howard University in 1986 and was finished with law school by 1989. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1990.

6am – B/C     WALL NEGOTIATIONS:

• Trump says he is “extremely upset” with what the Democrats “have given us” on immigration funding. He said if the government shuts down again it will be “totally the Democrats fault.”
• President Trump says he will fund the border wall with money from ‘other sources’ apart from Congress. President Trump said Tuesday night that he’ll find sources of money for his border wall other than Congress, which has reached a tentative deal to give him $1.375 billion for border barriers. “Was just presented the concept and parameters of the Border Security Deal by hard working Sen. Richard Shelby,” Trump tweeted. “Looking over all aspects knowing that this will be hooked up with lots of money from other sources.” “Will be getting almost $23 BILLION for Border Security,” he added. “Regardless of Wall money, it is being built as we speak!”
• *Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke with President Trump and urged him to sign what he calls “a pretty good deal” that a 17-member bipartisan Congressional committee put together.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CAL THOMAS – Syndicated columnist

• TOPICS:
  • The latest on the agreement/wall
  • Could El Chapo’s seized drug money be used to build the border wall? Ted Cruz Calls for $14 Billion Seized from ‘El Chapo’ to Fund Border Wall
  • Senate has uncovered no direct evidence of conspiracy between Trump campaign and Russia

6am – E         McConnell Plans To Bring Green New Deal To Senate Vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a surprise announcement on Tuesday: He’s planning to hold a vote on the Green New Deal. But it’s not because he thinks it’s a good idea. The sweeping joint resolution to tackle climate change aggressively was proposed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) last week.  McConnell now wants to put Senate Democrats on the record about whether they support it. It’s an especially prescient political move, given how many Democrats in the Senate are running for president in 2020. “I’ve noted with interest the Green New Deal. We’re going to be voting on that in the Senate; it will give everybody an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal,” McConnell said during a Tuesday press conference. Nearly all the biggest 2020 names are co-sponsors on the Green New Deal — declared candidates Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) are all on the bill, as is Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is expected to make an announcement about running.

6am – F         Gov. Larry Hogan informs Redskins he is withdrawing effort to build new stadium at Maryland site ‘at this time.’ Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) informed the Washington Redskins that he is withdrawing from efforts to persuade the team to build its next stadium in Oxon Cove Park, adjacent to MGM ­National Harbor, “at this time,” his spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday night. Hogan’s decision represents a reversal after acknowledging in December that he had negotiated a nonbinding land swap with U.S. Interior Department officials that could have cleared the way for the Redskins to build their proposed 60,000-seat stadium on the parcel of federal land in Prince George’s County. Moreover, barring a change of heart, Hogan’s decision strips Redskins owner Daniel Snyder of significant leverage in getting his new stadium built — leverage Snyder was counting on when, and if, he starts negotiating with officials in the District on financial incentives and accommodations for the project. Hogan is not abandoning his effort to acquire the Oxon Cove site for other purposes, according to Amelia Chasse, his communications director. He is simply halting talks with the Redskins. “We are not continuing discussions with the Redskins regarding this site at this time, however we are moving full steam ahead with acquiring state control of the Maryland Gateway in Prince George’s County from the federal government,” Chasse wrote in response to an email from The Washington Post asking whether Hogan had withdrawn support of a new Redskins stadium in Maryland. “We believe this site holds significant potential benefits for the region and the state, as does the proposal to expand protected federal parkland in Western Maryland. We are working closely with our federal partners to finalize the transfer.” Snyder’s first choice of location for his new stadium is the RFK Stadium site in the District, where the Redskins played from 1961 to 1996 and won three Super Bowl championships under Hall of Fame Coach Joe Gibbs.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner

• WALL NEGOTIATIONS:
  • Trump says he is “extremely upset” with what the Democrats “have given us” on immigration funding. He said if the government shuts down again it will be “totally the Democrats fault.”
  • President Trump says he will fund the border wall with money from ‘other sources’ apart from Congress. President Trump said Tuesday night that he’ll find sources of money for his border wall other than Congress, which has reached a tentative deal to give him $1.375 billion for border barriers. “Was just presented the concept and parameters of the Border Security Deal by hard working Sen. Richard Shelby,” Trump tweeted. “Looking over all aspects knowing that this will be hooked up with lots of money from other sources.” “Will be getting almost $23 BILLION for Border Security,” he added. “Regardless of Wall money, it is being built as we speak!”
  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke with President Trump and urged him to sign what he calls “a pretty good deal” that a 17-member bipartisan Congressional committee put together.

7am – B         Cory Booker: ‘This Planet Simply Can’t Sustain’ People Eating Meat. Democrat 2020 hopeful is vegan because eating eggs ‘didn’t align with my spirit’ (Washington Free Beacon) — Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) said the planet “can’t sustain” people eating meat, as the 2020 hopeful aims to become the first vegan president. Booker told the vegan magazine VegNews earlier this month that he became vegan after coming to the realization that eating eggs “didn’t align with my spirit.” While claiming he does not want to lecture Americans on their diets, Booker says Americans need to be nudged into fake cheese because the planet cannot sustain the “environmental impact” of the food industry. “You see the planet earth moving towards what is the Standard American Diet,” Booker said. “We’ve seen this massive increase in consumption of meat produced by the industrial animal agriculture industry.” “The tragic reality is this planet simply can’t sustain billions of people consuming industrially produced animal agriculture because ofnvironmental impact,” he said. “It’s just not possible.” Booker says the “devastating impact” of greenhouse gases produced by the meat industry is “just not practical.” Booker argues all his nonvegan friends “love” vegan food like his favorites, “vegan pancakes” and “vegan stuffed French toast.”

7am – C         Howard Schultz says he wants to confiscate semi-automatic firearms from law-abiding Americans: “What I believe is that there should be some sensible approach to removing” semi-automatic firearms. Schultz says criminals shouldn’t be allowed to own guns…that’s already the law.

7am – D/E     Georgetown students vote to tax themselves reparations for slavery. (Washington Examiner) — Students at Georgetown University are considering paying reparations for slaves that Georgetown University sold more than 180 years ago. Earlier this month, the Georgetown student government authorized a campus-wide student referendum that will ask students to establish a fund for the descendants of these 272 slaves. If the referendum passes, a fee would be collected each semester, starting in the fall of 2020. The semesterly fee proposed is $27.20 per student “in honor of the 272 people sold by Georgetown,” according to the student government resolution approving the referendum, obtained by the College Fix. Students receiving financial aid will be able to opt out of the reparations payments, according to student news outlet the Hoya. The student government resolution approving the campus-wide referendum passed by a vote of 20 in favor and four against. “It’s manifestly Georgetown University’s obligation to make financial commitments regarding its legacy with slavery, not student’s,” student senator Evan Farraras said at the senate meeting. “Additionally, student money should only be used towards student’s purposes, even if non-student purposes are meaningful, as in today’s referendum.”

8am – A         INTERVIEW – ADAM KENNEDY –  White House Deputy Director of Communications – discussed the latest news about the border negotiations.

8am – B/C     2020 KLOBUCHAR:

• FNC’s Bret Baier asks Klobuchar about alleged mistreatment of her staff: BB; “Ever throw a binder at anybody?” AK: “If you look at the story, it said something about me throwing a binder down, not at someone.”
• Klobuchar Reportedly Called New Employers of Her Departing Staffers to Have Their Job Offers Rescinded
• Veep Writer Confirms: Rumor About Staffer Shaving Amy Klobuchar’s Legs Inspired Joke on HBO Show. A Veep writer confirmed the HBO show’s jokes about leg-shaving was inspired by rumors that the newest Democratic presidential contender for 2020, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), forced staffers to shave her legs. “It is a well-known rumor that we were told a million times by millions of people,” Veep writer David Mandel told Slate‘s Jeremy Stahl after tweeting a clip of the scene in which the joke is made.

8am – D         Senate has found ‘no direct evidence’ Trump colluded with Russia: report.

8am – E         Have four or more babies in Hungary and you’ll pay no income tax for life, prime minister says (CNBC) –  Prime Minister Viktor Orban has unveiled measures to boost the birth rate. The nationalist government is anti-immigration and has fallen out with the EU over migrant quotas. Hungary’s prime minister has announced a raft of measures aimed at boosting the country’s declining birth rate and reducing immigration. Giving his annual State of the Nation address Sunday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced a seven-point “Family Protection Action Plan” designed to promote marriage and families. Measures announced included waivers on personal income tax for women raising at least four children for the rest of their lives and subsidies for large families to buy larger cars. The ‘action plan’ also extended a loan program to help families with at least two children to buy homes. Every woman under 40 will also be eligible for a preferential loan when she first gets married. The government has also said it will spend more on Hungary’s heathcare system and will create 21,000 creche places. In addition, grandparents will be eligible to receive a childcare fee if they look after young children instead of the parents, Orban said. “There are fewer and fewer children born in Europe. For the West, the answer (to that challenge) is immigration. For every missing child there should be one coming in and then the numbers will be fine,” Orban said, Reuters reported.  “But we do not need numbers. We need Hungarian children,” he said, announcing the incentives program. Referring to the action plan, Orban said “this is Hungary’s answer (to challenges) rather than immigration,” he said, according to English-speaking news service Daily News Hungary.