Daily Mail White House correspondent Francesca Chambers, syndicated columnist Cal Thomas, Washington Examiner chief congressional correspondent Susan Ferrechio, Fox News’ Dr. Sebastian Gorka, and Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C  Schumer vows to use ‘everything I’ve got’ to stop nomination (Daily Mail) ­- Democrats could bring Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process to a halt with one simple demand – his paperwork.  And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to oppose President Donald Trump’s nominee with ‘everything I’ve got.’  Kavanaugh’s long record includes his 12 years as a judge with nearly 300 written opinions, a multitude of scholarly articles, a paperwork trail from his time in the Bush White House, and thousands of documents from when he served on the Starr investigation.

5am – D Man, 92, beaten with brick on street, told to ‘go back’ (NBC News) – A 92-year-old man who was thrown to the ground, stomped on by strangers on the Fourth of July was recovering Tuesday in his Los Angeles-area home.  “Who would do this to anybody?” the victim’s grandson, Erik Mendoza, told NBC Los Angeles.  “A 92-year-old senior citizen, what can he do to anybody?” Mendoza added. “There’s no harm that he meant.”

5am – E New game show ‘Paid Off’ offers chance to eliminate student loan debt (NBC News) – “Wheel of Fortune” contestants have a chance to win lavish vacations. If you score on “The Price is Right,” you can go home with a flashy sports car. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” occasionally makes good on its promise.  But a new game show on TruTV offers contestants an altogether more practical — and perhaps somewhat depressing — prize: the chance to get out from under mountains of crippling student loan debt.  “Paid Off,” a new trivia show that premieres on Tuesday, has a topical premise, to say the least. It debuts as some 45 million Americans find themselves buried under student debt — including roughly 60 percent of college graduates who owe an average of $37,172.

6am – A INTERVIEW – Francesca Chambers – White House Correspondent for Daily Mail – discussed the latest on the NATO summit.

• Trump, NATO head have testy exchange at summit. Trump blasts NATO allies, says Germany is ‘a captive of Russia.’ President Donald Trump on Wednesday had a testy exchange with the head of NATO when he asked about energy agreements between Russia and several European countries. Trump repeatedly pressed Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, on why the U.S. continued to pay money to the military alliance while countries continue to purchase energy from Moscow. “We are stronger together,” Stoltenberg insisted, but acknowledged that there can be differences among allies. Still, Trump persisted. “But how can you be together when you’re getting energy from the group you want protection from?” the president asked. Trump used Germany as an example. He asked Stoltenberg to explain why Berlin was getting energy from Moscow, and asserted that Germany was “totally controlled” by and “captive to Russia” over a pipeline project.

6am – B Lisa Page will not appear for Capitol Hill interview despite subpoena, attorney says (Fox News) – Former FBI attorney Lisa Page will not appear for a private interview with two House committees despite being subpoenaed, her attorney told Fox News Tuesday.  In a statement, Amy Jeffress said her client did not have enough time to prepare and had asked the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees to schedule another date.  “The Committees have not honored this request,” Jeffress said. “As a result, Lisa is not going to appear for an interview at this time.”

6am – C Trump administration reaches out to Texas land owners about surveying their property for a border wall (Daily Mail) ­- Property owners in Texas who live along the border with Mexico are receiving notices from the Trump administration about surveying their lands for a possible border wall.  Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar, who represents an area of the border that includes Rio Grande City, told a local CBS News station there have been over 200 survey requests made in his Congressional district.  And Cuellar told the Associated Press that last week he met with officials who told him they’re moving forward with trying to acquire land along the Texas border.

6am – D INTERVIEW – Cal Thomas – Syndicated columnist – discussed Democrat attempts to stop the Kavanaugh confirmation   

6am – E Stormy Daniels’ D.C. debut is overshadowed by Trump’s Supreme Court announcement as the adult film star failed to lure a crowd for both of her performances at a strip club (Daily Mail) – Stormy Daniels’s heavily-publicized strip club tour in Washington, D.C. had a modest turnout on Monday evening, after getting overshadowed by President Trump’s Supreme Court announcement the same night.  The 39-year-old adult film star failed to fill the venue for her Washington debut, even with a number of journalists buying $50 general admission tickets to attend the show.  Many of the VIP seats, which cost up to $3,500 and included free champagne and ‘Dark and Stormy’ shots, were unfilled at Monday’s show at the Cloakroom.

6am – F  Allies Come Out To Defend Rep. Jim Jordan:

• Republicans in Ohio Stick by Jordan Amid Allegations. Matt Gilmore, chairman of the Mercer County Republican Party, said the allegations did not affect his opinion of Jordan and said as a lawyer, there is no way he would take the case of the accusers.  Helen Hurst, chairwoman of the Lorain County Republican Party, said Jordan was a “fine, upstanding man.”
  “It’s more than coincidental that this comes up this many years later as an allegation when he’s being considered possibly as speaker of the House,” she said. “Everything is an allegation but it still leaves a mark and that’s unfair.”
• Freedom Caucus says it’s behind Jordan ‘100 percent‘. The House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday announced its full support of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who is being accused by several former Ohio State University wrestlers of turning a blind eye to sexual assault allegations while he was a coach there. “Jim Jordan is a man of integrity, and we believe him and stand with him 100 percent,” the Freedom Caucus tweeted. “If he had seen or heard something, he would have acted.”
• Scalise defends Jordan amid sex abuse scandal. “I have always known Jim Jordan to be honest, and I’m confident he would stand up for his athletes, just like he’s always stood up for what’s right,” Scalise said in the statement. “I’m glad that Jim is committed to working with the investigators to see that the full truth comes out and justice is served.”

7am – A INTERVIEW – Susan Ferrechio – chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner – discussed latest congressional news  

• SCOTUS NOMINATION BATTLE: Democrats demand access to potentially millions of files on Kavanaugh as Schumer vows to use ‘everything I’ve got’ to stop nomination. Democrats could bring Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation process to a halt with one simple demand – his paperwork. And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to oppose President Donald Trump’s nominee with ‘everything I’ve got.’ The White House said Democrats will do what ever they can to slow down a vote on Kavanaugh.  ‘Democrats are going to look for any reason that they can poke at and find to try to delay this nomination,’ said White House spokesman Raj Shah Tuesday morning.  Schumer pledged to use all the weapons in his arsenal to stop Kavanaugh from joining the Supreme Court.  ‘President Trump with the nomination of Judge Kavanaugh has fulfilled two of his campaign promises – first to undo women’s reproductive freedom and second to undo the ACA,’ Schumer told CBS’ ‘This Morning.’ ‘So I will oppose him with everything I’ve got.’
• JIM JORDAN ACCUSATIONS: Freedom Caucus says it’s behind Jordan ‘100 percent’. The House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday announced its full support of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who is being accused by several former Ohio State University wrestlers of turning a blind eye to sexual assault allegations while he was a coach there. “Jim Jordan is a man of integrity, and we believe him and stand with him 100 percent,” the Freedom Caucus tweeted. “If he had seen or heard something, he would have acted.”
• STRZOK / PAGE — Anti-Trump FBI lovebird defies subpoena: Ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page plans to defy GOP subpoena to testify on anti-Trump texts

7am – B  DOJ / SEPARATION OF FAMILIES:

• ‘FIRM DEADLINES’ FOR FAMILY REUNIONS: The Trump administration must expedite efforts to reunite illegal immigrant families who remain separated despite Tuesday’s court-ordered deadline for action, including by skipping DNA tests for many children, a federal judge ruled Tuesday … Government lawyers had argued that all parents and children should be tested. Their reasoning: DNA testing is faster than authenticating documents, and protects children — especially the youngest — from being handed to people who may not be their biological parents. But U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw, siding with the American Civil Liberties Union, said DNA testing needed to be done only when parentage couldn’t be proven through birth certificates or other ways, or when the lack of a DNA test would prolong family separation. Last month, Sabraw set Tuesday as the deadline for the Trump administration to reunite children under 5 with their families. He also set July 26 as the deadline to reunite nearly 3,000 children over age 5.
• Judge will not extend deadlines for Trump administration to reunite families
• Trump discussing solution for reunifying migrant families before departing the White House on his trip to Europe: “I have a solution. Tell people not to come to our country illegally! That’s the solution. Don’t come to our country illegally! Come like other people do, come legally.”
• DHS: Migrants are leaving their children with Trump’s agencies (Breitbart) – Many Central American migrants slated for deportation are choosing to leave their own children behind in U.S. government shelters, says an official at the Department of Homeland Security.  “We’re seeing many of these [migrant] parents who have been removed decline to take their child,” said Matthew Albence, the Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations division at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.        

7am – C  Mitch McConnell: Protesters waited until I wasn’t with my wife Elaine Chao to heckle me (Washington Examiner) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., joked Monday that protesters waited until his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, wasn’t with by his side to heckled him outside of a restaurant in Louisville over the weekend.  “I see what they did here. They waited until Elaine wasn’t around. -MM #dontleavehomewithouther,” McConnell tweeted from the Team Mitch Twitter account.  A few weeks ago, McConnell was yelled at by protesters outside of an event in Georgetown that he was attending with his wife.        

7am – D Trump blasts NATO allies, calls Germany ‘a captive of Russia’ (NBC News) – President Donald Trump targeted Germany on Wednesday in reiterating his demand that NATO countries step up their defense spending so that they shoulder a greater share of the burden in protecting Europe from Russia.  Speaking even before the NATO summit began here, and amid domestic political turmoil for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump said it is not fair to American taxpayers that Germany buys oil and gas from Russia while enjoying the umbrella of defense provided by U.S. dollars.  “Germany is a captive of Russia,” he said, pointing out that the country pays “billions and billions of dollars” to Russia for energy.

7am – E Thai Soccer Team Rescued:

• Thai cave rescue: Soccer team all out of cave. A daring rescue mission in the treacherous confines of a flooded Thai cave saved all 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep within the labyrinth. It ended a grueling, 18-day ordeal that claimed the life of an experienced volunteer diver and riveted people around the world. Thailand’s Navy SEALs, who were central to the rescue effort, said on their Facebook page that the remaining four boys and their 25-year-old coach were all brought out safely Tuesday. Eight of the boys were rescued by a team of Thai and international divers on Sunday and Monday.
• Thailand cave movie: Hollywood producers already on the scene (news.com.au) – “THIS will make a great movie some day.”  It’s a sentiment that’s echoed around the globe as millions of people watch on and champion the ongoing rescue of 12 young boys and their soccer coach stuck in a Thailand cave, in the country’s north.  But for some Hollywood producers, there’s no time to waste, and “some day” may as well be now.
• Navy SEALs who rescued Thai soccer team from cave almost didn’t make it out, military officials say (ABC News) – Thai Navy SEALs who were clearing the flooded cave where 12 boys and their soccer coach were rescued, barely made it out after the main pump that had been siphoning water out of the cave failed, Thai military sources who were directly involved in the operation told ABC News.  The system, which had pumped hundreds of millions of gallons of rainwater out of the cave over the past 18 days, gave out soon after rescuers extracted the coach and the four Thai Navy Seals who had volunteered to stay with them. Thai SEALs and support teams, who were carrying air tanks from the third to the second chamber of the labyrinthine cave, soon noticed the waters rising. The third chamber filled, then the second and then the first, as crews scrambled to avoid the kind of cave flooding that had trapped the soccer team on June 27, according to Thai military sources.

8am – A INTERVIEW – Dr. Sebastian Gorka – Fox News national security strategist, NYT Bestseller author of “Defeating Jihad” – discussed NATO summit      

• NATO SUMMIT: President Trump is in Brussels for the two-day NATO summit. Trump took issue with the U.S. protecting Germany when the European nation is making energy deals with Russia – an arrangement, he said, is not in U.S. interests. “We’re supposed to protect you against Russia and yet you make this deal with Russia. You tell me, how appropriate is that?”
• UK TRIP: TRUMP HEADS TO UK THURSDAY AFTERNOON: The US president will fly into London following a Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday afternoon. He will travel straight to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, where Theresa May will host Mr Trump and his wife Melania for a black-tie dinner with 100 guests and ministers. The evening will start with a military ceremony in the palace’s Great Court performed by the bands of the Scots, Irish and Welsh guards. On Friday, Mr Trump and Mrs May will visit a defence site to watch a demonstration of the UK’s military capabilities and “integrated US military training”. They will then travel to the Prime Minister’s country home Chequers for bilateral talks on a range of foreign policy issues including trade.
• Trump Says Seeing Putin Easier Than Meeting Theresa May. (Bloomberg) — Donald Trump hasn’t even arrived in Europe, but he’s already making life difficult for Prime Minister Theresa May. He said the U.K. was in “somewhat turmoil” and thinks meeting Vladimir Putin — her geopolitical enemy — will be the easiest part of his trip.

 8am – B/C INTERVIEW – Doug Collins – Republican House of Representatives member from Georgia and House Judiciary Committee Member – discussed upcoming FBI testimony on the hill

• STRZOK / PAGE: Trump says FBI’s Strzok, Page getting ‘cold feet’ ahead of Capitol Hill sessions
• Lisa Page will not appear for Capitol Hill interview despite subpoena, attorney says. Former FBI attorney Lisa Page will not appear for a private interview with two House committees despite being subpoenaed, her attorney told Fox News … In a statement, Amy Jeffress said her client did not have enough time to prepare and had asked the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform Committees to schedule another date.
• Page was subpoenaed by the Judiciary Committee to appear for a closed-door deposition in front of both committees on Wednesday at 10 a.m.
• Both officials, who previously worked on the Russia probe, have faced congressional and internal scrutiny over anti-Trump text messages. FBI official Strzok, so far, is still expected to testify in a public House hearing on Thursday.

8am – D Furious Sarah Palin reveals she was tricked by Sacha Baron when he pretended to be a wounded veteran to interview her for his new show ‘Who Is America?’ (Daily Mail) – Sacha Baron Cohen has done his best to avoid the spotlight and hide behind the characters he plays for almost 20 years, but that may be about to change.  Sarah Palin revealed on Tuesday that she was duped into filming an interview with Sacha Baron Cohen in Washington DC for his new series Who Is America?, completely unaware of the comedian’s intentions.          

8am – E Shark attacks California Instagram model in Bahamas (NBC) – Katarina Zarutskie was floating calmly in the ocean off the Bahamas’ Staniel Cay when she suddenly felt her arm being yanked down.  Zarutskie, a 19-year-old nursing student and Instagram model from Laguna Beach, California, had been swimming with nurse sharks when one bit her arm and started to drag her under the water last month.  Her boyfriend’s father took several photos throughout the attack, capturing the exact moment that Zarutskie came in contact with the 5-foot-long shark.