Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Ken Cuccinelli, Larry Michael, Drew Harwell and Ray Stagich joined WMAL on Thursday morning!

5am – A/B/C Doorbell-camera firm Ring has partnered with 400 police forces, extending surveillance reach. (Daily Caller/By Drew Harwell) — The doorbell-camera company Ring has forged video-sharing partnerships with more than 400 police forces across the United States, granting them potential access to homeowners’ camera footage and a powerful role in what the company calls the nation’s “new neighborhood watch.” The partnerships let police request the video recorded by homeowners’ cameras within a specific time and area, helping officers see footage from the company’s millions of Internet-connected cameras installed nationwide, the company said. Officers don’t receive ongoing or live-video access, and homeowners can decline the requests, which Ring sends via email thanking them for “making your neighborhood a safer place.”

5am – D         OMAR’S AFFAIR:

• Divorce Filing: Wife Says Democrat Consultant Had Affair with Ilhan Omar. The wife of a Democrat consultant alleges her husband engaged in an extramarital affair with freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) in recent months, according to a report. Ilhan Omar stole my husband, DC mom claims in divorce papers. (NY Post) – A Washington, DC, mom says her political-consultant husband left her for Rep. Ilhan Omar, according to a bombshell divorce filing obtained by The Post. Dr. Beth Mynett says her cheating spouse, Tim Mynett, told her in April that he was having an affair with the Somali-born US representative — and that he even made a “shocking declaration of love” for the Minnesota congresswoman before he ditched his wife, alleges the filing, submitted in DC Superior Court on Tuesday. The physician, 55, and her 38-year-old husband — who has worked for left-wing Democrats such as Omar and her Minnesota predecessor, Keith Ellison — have a 13-year-old son together. “The parties physically separated on or about April 7, 2019, when Defendant told Plaintiff that he was romantically involved with and in love with another woman, Ilhan Omar,” the court papers say.
• Nearly one of every three dollars spent on Ilhan Omar’s campaign has gone to her alleged lover’s firm.  The New York Post reported Tuesday on a high-profile divorce. To be specific, a woman has claimed in court papers that her husband has been cheating on her, carrying on with married Rep. Ilhan Omar. Omar’s alleged paramour, Tim Mynett, has been a fundraising consultant for Omar’s 2018 and 2020 campaigns. Omar hasn’t commented on the accusations, but there’s a possible second scandal involving the more than $200,000 that her campaign has spent with Mynett’s firm. Of the $145,406 reported earnings by the E Street Group during the 2018 campaign cycle, $62,674 came from Omar’s campaign. Not counting payroll taxes and transfers to Minnesota’s Democratic Party, E Street Group was Omar’s second-largest vendor, according to FEC data. From Labor Day through the end of the year, E Street Group ate up more than 10% of her campaign’s spending (not counting transfers to other campaigns). Here’s the odd thing: The overwhelming majority of Omar’s funds spent on the E Street Group were paid after she won the contested primary and during the totally noncompetitive general election race in her D+26 district. Contrary to FEC rules, Omar’s filings did not designate whether her E Street Group disbursements (or any of her disbursements) were for the primary election or the general election.

5am – E         INTERVIEW – RAY STAGICH – The Weather Channel

• Hurricane Dorian: The storm battered the US Virgin Islands, and it’s now heading away from Puerto Rico, which dodged the worst of the storm.
• Florida: The storm is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Florida over Labor Day weekend.
• Where’s Dorian Now And Where Is The Current Track Of The Storm?

6am – A/B/C MISLEADING HEADLINE: Children of US troops born overseas will no longer get automatic American citizenship, Trump administration says. Some children born to U.S. service members and government employees overseas will no longer be automatically considered citizens of the United States, according to policy alert issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday.

• com: Here’s Who’s Affected by New Citizenship Policy for Children of Troops Serving Overseas: A policy clarification from the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service published Wednesday does not revoke automatic citizenship for children of U.S. citizens born abroad, including troops and  federal workers, Homeland Security Department officials said Wednesday.
• USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli @USCISCuccinelli : Folks who are going crazy rt now in the media, no changes have been made to citizenship – statement coming shortly. For those of you wondering what I’m talking about, … see next tweet…
• USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli @USCISCuccinelli …the highly technical policy manual used by career employees here as a reference was updated today to conform USCIS practices with the Dept. of State – that’s it. But some people are freaking out over nothing.
• USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli @USCISCuccinelli Here’s the statement I promised (1/3):The policy manual update today does not affect who is born a S. citizen, period. It only affects children who were born outside the US and were not US citizens. This does NOT impact birthright citizenship.
• USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli @USCISCuccinelli 13h13 hours ago (2/3) The policy update doesn’t deny citizenship to the children of US gov employees or members of the military born abroad. This policy aligns USCIS’ process with the Department of State’s procedures for these children – that’s it. Period. Background in next tweet…
• USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli @USCISCuccinelli 12h12 hours ago (3/3) US laws allow children to acquire US citizenship other than through birth in the US. Children born outside of the US to a US citizen parent or parents may be US citizens at birth under INA 301 or 309, or before age 18 through their US citizen parent(s) under INA 320.

6am – B/C     BYRON YORK: Justice Department inspector general has done separate report on James Comey. The Justice Department inspector general is preparing to release a report on the conduct of fired FBI Director James Comey in the Trump-Russia investigation, according to a number of sources with knowledge of the situation. The specific timing of the report’s release is not clear. The Comey report is separate from a larger inspector general report on the DOJ’s handling of the Trump-Russia probe. That report, sometimes referred to by Republicans as an investigation into “FISA abuse,” is expected to be released later. It is not clear why the inspector general, Michael Horowitz, chose to write a separate report on Comey. Among other things, Comey has been under investigation for his handling of several memos he wrote memorializing conversations with President Trump. The memos began in January 2017, when Trump was still president-elected, and continued until April 2017, the month before Trump summarily fired the FBI director.

• .. EARLIER THIS WEEK: DiGenova: Horowitz found FISA warrants used to spy on Carter Page ‘were illegal from the get-go’ “For the record, I can report categorically that the Inspector General has found that all four FISA warrants were illegal — they were based on false information supplied to the FISA Court,” diGenova said. “And that [IG] Michael Horowitz has concluded that all four FISA warrants were illegal from the get-go.”
• James Comey says he almost gave up on calling out Trump, but then an ex-colleague reminded him that America needs him to ‘speak out’ Tonight, I told a former colleague that I’m tired of being a Trump critic. He responded with encouraging words that apply to all of us: “Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country.” He’s right. Keep speaking out.    — James Comey (@Comey) August 28, 2019

6am – D         LAWRENCE O’DONNELL BACKTRACKS:

• NBC News Can’t Confirm O’Donnell’s Bombshell Trump-Russia Report. ‘This has not been confirmed by NBC News, I have not seen any documentation… that supports this.’ MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell issued an on-air clarification Tuesday after making shocking claims about President Donald Trump’s ties to Russian oligarchs that had not been vetted by NBC News. In response to a Democrat-controlled House committee subpoena, Deutsche Bank revealed Tuesday that it was in possession of tax returns “related to” Trump or his immediate family. While the partially redacted filings did not specify whose tax returns the bank possessed, O’Donnell opened The Last Word by claiming they were President Trump’s, based on “what one source close to Deutsche Bank has revealed to me.” O’Donnell claimed later in the segment that his source’s information “goes a few very important steps beyond” publicly available information, and that “the Trump tax returns reveal that the president pays little to no income taxes in some years.”
• Trump demands apology from NBC News over ‘false and defamatory’ report, threatens legal action in scorching letter. | Fox News President Trump’s legal team sent a harshly worded letter to NBC Wednesday demanding an apology and retraction for “false and defamatory, and extremely damaging” comments made by liberal MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, who ran with a singled-sourced, unverified report that Trump had loans co-signed by Russian oligarchs. The letter obtained by Fox News was sent by Trump’s legal counsel to NBC Universal executives. “We write concerning the false and defamatory statements published by Lawrence O’Donnell and NBC Universal,” the letter said. “Demand is hereby made that Mr. O’Donnell and NBCU immediately and prominently retract, correct and apologize for the aforementioned false and defamatory statements.” The letter, written by Charles J. Harder, asked for NBC to confirm in 24 hours: “O’Donnell and NBCU will immediately and prominently retract, correct and apologize for the aforementioned false and defamatory statements.”
• Lawrence O’Donnell @Lawrence 13h13 hours ago: Last night I made an error in judgment by reporting an item about the president’s finances that didn’t go through our rigorous verification and standards process. I shouldn’t have reported it and I was wrong to discuss it on the air. I will address the issue on my show tonight.

6am – F  Northam appointee who made derogatory and anti-Catholic statements on social media resigns. (Richmond Times-Dispatch) –A citizen appointee of Gov. Ralph Northam who made derogatory attacks on others and anti-Catholic posts on social media resigned Wednesday following an outcry from Catholics. Northam on Aug. 16 appointed Gail Gordon Donegan, a Democratic activist from Alexandria, to the 18-member Virginia Council on Women. A Richmond Times-Dispatch review of her public social media history showed a history of attacks on other people as well as jokes and statements about Catholics. Both of Virginia’s Catholic bishops on Tuesday urged Catholics in the state to call the governor’s office to express concern. Northam’s office initially defended Donegan, saying that while the governor did not condone her language, she had worked for years on women’s issues in Virginia. Alena Yarmosky, Northam’s press secretary, confirmed Wednesday that Donegan had resigned from the council. Donegan did not respond to an email.

7am – A         AOC’S WORDS OF WISDOM:

• AOC suggests ‘informed’ millennials are first generation to protest government, forgets about the ‘60s.
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: ‘Diseases Could Escape’ From Frozen Glaciers And Kill Humans https://dailycaller.com/2019/08/28/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-disease-glaciers-climate-change/

7am – B/C     Marriott banning little shampoo bottles by 2020. (AP) — It could be lights out for tiny toiletries. Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain, said Wednesday it will eliminate small plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel from its hotel rooms worldwide by December 2020. They’ll be replaced with larger bottles or wall-mounted dispensers, depending on the hotel. The move follows a similar announcement last month by IHG, which owns Holiday Inn, Kimpton and other brands. IHG said it will eliminate about 200 million tiny bottles each year by 2021. Last year, Walt Disney Co. said it would replace small plastic shampoo bottles at its resorts and on its cruise ships. Many smaller companies, like the five Soneva Resorts in Thailand and the Maldives, have also ditched plastic bottles.  Marriott has more than 7,000 hotels in 131 countries under 30 brands, ranging from SpringHill Suites and Residence Inn to Sheraton and Ritz-Carlton. It says it will be eliminating about 500 million small bottles each year, or 1.7 million pounds of plastic. Marriott has wanted to get rid of small bottles for years, President and CEO Arne Sorenson said. There are just too many of them, he said, and they’re difficult to recycle because of the time it takes to clean them out. But it took a lot of work to design tamper-resistant large bottles and get suppliers on board. High-end hotels, in particular, needed to have bottles that still felt luxurious, he said. “There were a lot of technical features to this that we had to get right,” he said. Rival Hyatt Hotels Corp. is going through a similar process now. The company says it’s been testing amenity dispensers in some rooms for the last year. Bethesda, Maryland-based Marriott started replacing small bottles early last year at some North American brands, including Courtyard and Fairfield hotels. About 1,000 of those now feature larger bottles or pump dispensers that are hooked to the shower wall.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of the Redskins — previewed last preseason game: Baltimore Ravens at Washington Redskins.

7am – E         INTERVIEW – RAY STAGICH – The Weather Channel

• Hurricane Dorian: The storm battered the US Virgin Islands, and it’s now heading away from Puerto Rico, which dodged the worst of the storm.
• Florida: The storm is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Florida over Labor Day weekend.
• Where’s Dorian Now And Where Is The Current Track Of The Storm?

8am – A         Interview – DREW HARWELL – is a technology reporter for The Washington Post covering artificial intelligence and the algorithms changing our lives.

• Doorbell-camera firm Ring has partnered with 400 police forces, extending surveillance reach. (Daily Caller/By Drew Harwell) — The doorbell-camera company Ring has forged video-sharing partnerships with more than 400 police forces across the United States, granting them potential access to homeowners’ camera footage and a powerful role in what the company calls the nation’s “new neighborhood watch.” The partnerships let police request the video recorded by homeowners’ cameras within a specific time and area, helping officers see footage from the company’s millions of Internet-connected cameras installed nationwide, the company said. Officers don’t receive ongoing or live-video access, and homeowners can decline the requests, which Ring sends via email thanking them for “making your neighborhood a safer place.” The number of police deals, which has not previously been reported, is likely to fuel broader questions about privacy, surveillance and the expanding reach of tech giants and local police. The rapid growth of the program, which began in spring 2018, surprised some civil liberties advocates, who thought that fewer than 300 agencies had signed on. Ring is owned by Amazon, which bought the firm last year for more than $800 million, financial filings show. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post. Ring officials and law enforcement partners portray the vast camera network as an irrepressible shield for neighborhoods, saying it can assist police investigators and protect homes from criminals, intruders and thieves.

8am – B/C  GILLIBRAND DROPS OUT:

• Kirsten Gillibrand drops out of 2020 presidential race. (CNN)Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination Wednesday afternoon, ending a campaign that failed to catch on despite the New York Democrat’s substantial campaign war chest and high profile position. “Today, I am ending my campaign for president,” Gillibrand said on Twitter. “I am so proud of this team and all we’ve accomplished. But I think it’s important to know how you can best serve. To our supporters: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Now, let’s go beat Donald Trump and win back the Senate.” Gillibrand’s decision to drop out comes as she was on the cusp of failing to qualify for the third Democratic primary debate as she was unable to meet the donor and polling thresholds outlined by the Democratic National Committee. The New York Times was first to report on Gillibrand’s announcement. A Gillibrand aide told CNN that the senator decided to end her presidential campaign last night after talking with her family and “after it was clear she would not make the stage.” Gillibrand viewed qualifying for the third debate as critical, and had spent millions on TV and digital ads aimed at boosting her support. But those efforts failed to break Gillibrand out of the pack of candidates polling under 1% nationally. Gillibrand informed her more than 100 campaign staffers on Wednesday that she was ending her campaign, according to a campaign aide. The senator came into her Troy, New York, headquarters and — with her early state staff on the phone — delivered the news.
• TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON GILLIBRAND: Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 11 hours ago: A sad day for the Democrats, Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out of the Presidential Primary. I’m glad they never found out that she was the one I was really afraid of!
• OTHER 2020 DEMS REACT TO HER DROPPING OUT:
• Andrew Yang @AndrewYang 11 hours ago Congrats @SenGillibrand on a run to be proud of. I met Kirsten several times on the trail and no one worked harder than her out there. Her service is just getting started. 👍🇺🇸
• Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris 11 hours ago My friend @SenGillibrand is a brave voice on some of the most critical issues facing our country today — from childcare to sexual assault. She is a champion and I know she’s not done fighting for women and families everywhere.
• Beto O’Rourke @BetoORourke 11h11 hours ago Thank you, @SenGillibrand, for always fighting for what’s right. Every day of this campaign, your leadership brought attention to the issues that matter most—and our party, and our country, are stronger because of it.
• Cory Booker @CoryBooker 11h11 hours ago Kirsten, you are my sister and one of the most righteous fighters I know. I’ll miss our run-ins on the trail, but women, New Yorkers, and all Americans are lucky to have you resolutely at their sides. @SenGillibrand

8am – D         Interview – Ken Cuccinelli – Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) – explained and clarified a new citizenship policy for children of troops serving overseas.