Charlie Spiering, Rep. Louie Gohmert, VA Delegate Tim Hugo and Washington Post’s Scott Allen joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C             WHY ARE MEN NOT HAVING SEX?

• CHRIS INGRAHAM: Stunning chart: the share of men under 30 who aren’t having sex has nearly tripled in the past decade

• VINCE: Combine this with the news that “no religion” is now the number one religious affiliation in the country. Not to mention record lows for marriage, birth rates & record highs for overdose deaths, suicides. These are some blaring sirens.

5am – D/E     OVERSIGHT HEARING ON SECURITY CLEARANCES:

• Rep. Jim Jordan during Oversight Committee hearing on security clearances: “I’ve been on this committee 10 years, I’ve never seen anything like this. Never seen anything like this. I haven’t.”
• AOC: “Every day that we go on without getting to the bottom of this matter is a day that we are putting hundreds, if not potentially thousands, of Americans at risk. I mean, really? What is next? Putting nuclear codes in Instagram DMs?”
• Rep. Elijah Cummings: “Over and over again I hear these comments about, ‘Oh, they’re just trying to embarrass the president.’ No, that is not true. What we’re trying to do is protect our secrets. We’re trying to make sure we have a process that works.”
• ‘What is next? Putting nuclear codes in Instagram DMs?‘ Ocasio-Cortez snaps at Jared’s foreign policy methods after he used WhatsApp to communicate as House Oversight Committee leaders spar over whistle-blower who exposed how White House overruled red-flags on security clearances. Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused White House adviser Jared Kushner of conducting foreign policy ‘via WhatsApp’. (Daily Mail) — Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez accused White House adviser Jared Kushner of conducting foreign policy ‘via WhatsApp’ and mocked him with a biting comment: ‘What is next? Putting nuclear codes in Instagram DMs?’ The freshman lawmaker snapped at the presidential son-in-law’s diplomacy skills during a debate in a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing Tuesday.  ‘Folks are suggesting that we are conducting foreign relations with folks with security clearances via Whats App. I mean, every day that we go on without getting to the bottom of this matter is a day we are putting hundreds if not potentially thousands of Americans at risk. I mean, really, what is next? Putting nuclear codes in Instagram DMs? This is ridiculous,’ she said.

6am – A         2020 DEM FUNDRAISING:

• First 2020 Democratic fundraising numbers give early snapshot of the competitive primary ahead. (ABC News) — Sen. Bernie Sanders raised $18.2 million from 525,000 individual donors in the first 41 days of his campaign. Sen. Kamala Harris raised $12 million from 218,000 individual contributions. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg rakes in $7 million despite starting off race virtually unknown.

6am – B         VA POLITICS:

• NY TIMES: ‘It Just Went Poof’: The Strange Aftermath of Virginia’s Cascade of Political Scandals
• Justin Fairfax accuser accuser Meredith Watson says she feels guilty for not coming forward sooner. Fairfax categorically denied both allegations and called for “a full investigation into these unsubstantiated and false allegations.”
• CALLS FOR PUBLIC HEARING: CBS released a portion of Gayle King’s interview with Tyson on “Face the Nation” Sunday morning where Tyson called for a public hearing at the Virginia General Assembly with testimony from herself, Watson and Fairfax. “Particularly for survivors, I think this is incredibly important,” Tyson said. “They need to be heard. We need to be seen. Right? And we need to be treated as the human beings that we are.”

6am – C         ‘Hoarder’ pleads guilty in one of biggest breaches of U.S. secrets. (Reuters) – A former U.S. National Security Agency contractor, portrayed as an eccentric hoarder by his lawyers, pleaded guilty in a Baltimore, Maryland court on Thursday to stealing classified documents in a deal likely to put him in prison for nine years. Harold Martin, 54, who worked for several private firms and had clearances to access top secret information, was arrested over two years ago for what may have been the biggest breach of classified information in history. When Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided his home south of Baltimore in 2016 they found stacks of documents and electronic storage devices amounting to 50 terabytes of files, including classified ones, prosecutors said. U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors said in a statement that Martin’s actions risked the disclosure of top secret information to America’s “enemies.” One of their allegations was that Martin talked online with people in Russian and other languages but they never found proof he shared stolen information with anyone. His lawyers said he was a hoarder who liked to take work home with him. “His actions were the product of mental illness. Not treason,” lawyers Deborah Boardman and James Wyda said in a statement.

6am – D/E     MORE BIDEN FALLOUT:

• Biden accused by 2 more women of inappropriate touching. (Fox News) — Two more women have accused former Vice President Joe Biden of touching them inappropriately at events, bringing the total number of women who have complained publicly about the prospective 2020 Democratic candidate to four. The latest accusations were reported by The New York Times. One of the claims dated from 2012, while the other encounter was said to have taken place a few years later. In the 2012 incident, writer D.J. Hill said Biden put his hand on her shoulder, then dropped it down her back in a way that made her “very uncomfortable” while Hill and her husband posed for pictures with him at a fundraiser in Minneapolis. Hill said her husband noticed the movement and made a joke about it. “Only he knows his intent,” Hill told the Times, before adding, “If something makes you feel uncomfortable, you have to feel able to say it.”
• BIDEN DEFENDERS:
  • Speaker Nancy Pelosi says allegations against Joe Biden of inappropriate behavior are not “disqualifying,” but “it isn’t what you intended, it’s how it was received.” “To say, ‘I’m sorry that you were offended’ is not an apology.”
  • Meghan McCain @MeghanMcCain: Joe Biden is one of the truly decent and compassionate men in all of American politics. He has helped me through my fathers diagnosis, treatment and ultimate passing more than anyone of my fathers friends combined. I wish there was more empathy from our politicians not less. 7:23 PM – 1 Apr 2019
  • Alyssa Milano ‏@Alyssa_Milano: I am proud to call Joe Biden a friend. He has been a leader and a champion on fighting violence against women for many years, and I have been fortunate to accompany him to events with survivors where he has listened to their stories, empathized with them, and comforted them.

6am – F         BRYCE HARPER BACK IN DC:

• NBC SPORTS: Bryce Harper’s return could not have gone worse for the Nationals. WASHINGTON — A way to a bad day might look like this: Bryce Harper returns, homers, helps the Phillies beat on the Nationals. One of the home team’s best players is injured for an extended period. The staff ace is 0-2 after pitching half of the team’s games. The bullpen continued its bumbling ways.  That’s what Tuesday was, a noisy flop and dreary D.C. sports reminder during Harper’s return. The place he left — still dealing with how it happened, who to blame and moving forward — booed him with fervor. There was no thanks for the memories, now we’ll try to beat you. No final pat on the back. An oddly timed tribute video ran with the audio accompaniment of dissatisfaction. Harper was booed hard. It only leveled up his night of joy and an evening of eventual dismay for the Nationals.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – CHARLIE SPIERING – Breitbart News White House correspondent – discussed the latest White House news: Health Care delayed til after 2020, Border shutdown threats, Uproar over security clearances and recapped President Trump’s NRCC dinner speech last night.

7am – B         Chinese woman carrying thumb drive with malware arrested at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. (Washington Post) — Secret Service agents arrested a Chinese woman after she bypassed layers of security and gained access to the reception area of President Trump’s Florida resort this past weekend, saying they found she was carrying two passports and a thumb drive containing malicious software, according to court documents. The incident renews concerns about how secure the president and his advisers are during their frequent stays at his Mar-a-Lago Club, which stays open for its members and their guests when the president is there. Prosecutors say the woman, Yujing Zhang, first approached a Mar-a-Lago security checkpoint on Saturday shortly after noon and told security officials she was there to go to the swimming pool.

7am – C         State Prosecutor has opened investigation into Baltimore Mayor Pugh’s ‘Healthy Holly’ book sales, her lawyer says. (Baltimore Sun) — The Maryland State Prosecutor has opened an investigation into Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh’s sales of her self-published children’s books, Pugh’s lawyer said Tuesday. “The mayor will be cooperating with that investigation to the fullest extent possible,” attorney Steven D. Silverman said in an email. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan asked State Prosecutor Emmet Davitt on Monday to start an investigation of Pugh’s $500,000 sale of the books to the University of Maryland Medical System while she was on its board. Several members of the Baltimore City Council, all Democrats, said Monday that they supported Hogan’s request. Silverman revealed the investigation was underway after The Baltimore Sun asked for details about other sales of Pugh’s books to health insurer Kaiser Permanente and nonprofit Associated Black Charities. “As this matter is now being investigated by the state prosecutor’s office, I am not in a position to comment,” Silverman, a criminal defense attorney, said. Pugh, a Democrat, said Monday she was going on leave from her job as mayor to recover from pneumonia. City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young, also a Democrat, is filling in as mayor. The purview of the state prosecutor’s office includes investigation of political corruption and violations of election laws. The office said Tuesday that it does not confirm or deny the existence of investigations. Pugh is the second Baltimore mayor in a decade to be investigated by the office; it convicted former Democratic Mayor Sheila Dixon in 2009 of embezzling gift cards meant for the poor.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – CONGRESSMAN LOUIE GOHMERT – R-Texas – discussed the border crisis and the push for Mueller report to be public

• It’s a ‘Cat 5’ immigration crisis: Nielsen. (Fox News) — Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Tuesday that the Trump administration is treating the immigration crisis as a “Cat 5 hurricane disaster.” “We are bringing all of the agencies together; we’re asking everybody to chip in,” Nielsen said on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

7am – E         MARY’S RENT DISCRIMINATION STORY: Mary was renegotiating her rent to renew her apartment’s lease and then it turned hostile and raised her rent when they learned where she worked. Welcome to the Trump era.  Liberal tolerance is no more with peak Trump Derangement Syndrome.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – VA DEL. TIM HUGO — representing the 40th district, which includes the municipalities of Catharpin, Clifton, and Fairfax Station and is the Majority Caucus Chairman for the Virginia House Republican Caucus – discussed the Virginia Assembly reconvening today, the final day of the session.

• NY TIMES: ‘It Just Went Poof’: The Strange Aftermath of Virginia’s Cascade of Political Scandals
• Justin Fairfax accuser accuser Meredith Watson says she feels guilty for not coming forward sooner
• Statement of House Speaker Kirk Cox on potential legislative hearing on allegations against Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax. House Leadership efforts to establish bipartisan hearing requested by victims rebuffed by House Democrats. Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) released the following statement Tuesday regarding a potential hearing on the sexual assault allegations against Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax.  “For the last two days, we have watched excruciating first-hand accounts from two survivors of sexual assault who allege that Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax assaulted and raped them in separate incidents in the early 2000s.  “Over the course of the last few weeks, we have communicated with attorneys representing Dr. Vanessa Tyson and Ms. Meredith Watson. Through those conversations, they have told us that Dr. Tyson and Ms. Watson are prepared to share their accounts at a legislative hearing, but only if there is bipartisan cooperation to conduct the hearing.  “In February, Republicans in the House of Delegates offered to work with our Democratic colleagues to establish a bipartisan subcommittee of the House Courts Committee with an equal number of members from both parties to hold a hearing. In February, some of our Democratic colleagues stated their opposition to a hearing, but Democratic leadership said it was wary to commit without knowing the specifics of the proposal.

8am – B/C     An interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, former FBI Director James Comey:

• Commenting on AG Barr not charging Trump w/ obstruction, James Comey invokes his own prosecution of  Martha Stewart  — widely viewed as an abuse of prosecutorial power — to argue in favor of charging people with process crimes even if there’s no underlying crime.
• CNN’s Amanpour asks Comey if he should’ve used the FBI to censor “lock her up” chants because they amount to “hate speech.” She also says the chants could be “dangerous.” Comey reminds her that’s not how we do things in the United States.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – SCOTT ALLEN – Washington Post sports reporter – discussed the latest on D.C. Sports: Nats/Bryce and the Wizards leadership.

• BRYCE HARPER BACK IN DC:
  • Recap Bryce Harper’s first game at Nationals Park as a Phillies outfielder
  • NBC SPORTS: Bryce Harper’s return could not have gone worse for the Nationals. WASHINGTON — A way to a bad day might look like this: Bryce Harper returns, homers, helps the Phillies beat on the Nationals. One of the home team’s best players is injured for an extended period. The staff ace is 0-2 after pitching half of the team’s games. The bullpen continued its bumbling ways.  That’s what Tuesday was, a noisy flop and dreary D.C. sports reminder during Harper’s return. The place he left — still dealing with how it happened, who to blame and moving forward — booed him with fervor. There was no thanks for the memories, now we’ll try to beat you. No final pat on the back. An oddly timed tribute video ran with the audio accompaniment of dissatisfaction. Harper was booed hard. It only leveled up his night of joy and an evening of eventual dismay for the Nationals. Pregame, Harper was relaxed, somewhat jovial, happy to answer questions under his black “positive vibes” hat. He hoped to stay here, it didn’t work out, he said. Walking toward the visiting clubhouse was odd for him. Like any employee visiting a former office, wading through something so familiar in a different skin needs time for full adjustment.  And his start pleased those upset with his presence. Max Scherzer struck him out twice during a laborious five-inning outing. The crowd sniped at him those first four innings, hammering him when he emerged from the dugout or settled under a fly ball. It was a bit odd for the District. Among pregame questions was how the crowd would react in a town often tagged as free from the most emphatic elements of sports fandom. They shouted displeasure. Even directed some at Andrew McCutchen for simply having the audacity to lead off the game.
  • D.C. mayor deletes tweet depicting Bryce Harper as Benedict Arnold ahead of Nats-Phillies. (USA Today) — On Tuesday, Bryce Harper will make his first trip to Nationals Park since joining the Phillies. Harper, as you have probably heard, signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies after an absurdly quiet free agency. He got booed in his Phillies debut but has hit two dingers since. Despite the Nationals brass not making a serious effort to keep the superstar in D.C., Harper will probably be greeted to a bitter reception in his first series back. That’s how it works in sports. Just look at how Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser welcomed Harper back to D.C. on Monday. She compared him to Benedict Arnold. You know, infamous Revolutionary War-era traitor Benedict Arnold. Bowser posted this Photoshop effort on Twitter before deleting it after several minutes.
• WIZARDS FIRE PRESIDENT: Wizards fire oft-criticized team president Ernie Grunfeld after 16 seasons shaping roster (Washington Post) — Ted Leonsis showed up Tuesday afternoon at the Washington Wizards’ practice facility. Ernie Grunfeld did not. Leonsis, the CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and majority team owner, rarely makes the trip to Southeast Washington to drop in on the Wizards. He prefers to stay out of the day-to-day business. But there was business Tuesday that had been a long time coming: Leonsis had fired Grunfeld after 16 years as team president. “This was a tough day for us,” Leonsis said during an impromptu session with reporters after the team released a statement on Grunfeld’s exit. Ultimately, the team’s inability to make the playoffs, after Leonsis had proclaimed before the season there would be “no excuses” not to, led to Grunfeld’s demise. The Wizards (32-46) are 11th in the Eastern Conference, and if they lose their final four games, they will reach 50 losses, a painful milestone for a team that entered the season with what many believed to be one of the best core groups of players in the East.

8am – E         TRUMP’S NRCC DINNER SPEECH: President Trump headlined the NRCC’s annual spring dinner.

• President Trump warns about socialism in the 2020 elections: “Don’t underestimate the power of socialism to get a vote. … It’s very seductive to people… We have to work. We can never take it for granted. We have to explain how bad it really is.”
• TRUMP says we should be easy on the Green New Deal — done by a “young bartender”…
• TRUMP jokes about JOE BIDEN: I was going to say to him ‘welcome to the world, Joe. You having a good time, Joe? President Trump had some fun at the expense of former Vice President Joe Biden at a GOP fundraiser here in Washington last night – commenting on Biden’s recent troubles with women…