Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

KT McFarland, Brexit MEP Alexandra Phillips, John Solomon and NBC Washington’s Adam Tuss joined WMAL on Thursday!

5am – A/B/C/D         IG HEARING:

• DOJ watchdog Horowitz rips FBI ‘failure’ in Russia probe, says nobody vindicated by report. (Fox News) – Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in testimony Wednesday stressed that his newly released report on the FBI’s initial Trump-Russia investigation does not “vindicate” anyone as he cited “failure” by the entire “chain of command” in the probe. Horowitz called out “basic and fundamental errors” during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by its chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The tone of the testimony ran counter to much of the media coverage surrounding the report’s release that zeroed in on a core finding that investigators found no evidence of political bias and were indeed justified in launching the 2016 probe. Horowitz reaffirmed that finding, touted by congressional Democrats eager to defend the probe, at Wednesday’s hearing. But his testimony as a whole was tough on the FBI’s actions — and clarified that his two-year review of the Russia probe’s origins and use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants to surveil a Trump campaign aide did not close the book on the bias question either. Under questioning, Horowitz said he could not outright determine whether political bias was involved in the process of applying for a FISA warrant against former Trump adviser Carter Page.
• The Justice Department’s internal watchdog sharpened his criticism of the FBI on Wednesday, telling lawmakers he was alarmed that “so many basic and fundamental errors” occurred in the early months of the FBI’s probe into potential Trump-Russia collusion. But DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz also told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the FBI was justified when it launched the Russia probe in July 2016, and that he had seen no evidence that senior FBI officials were motivated by political bias against then-candidate Donald Trump.

5am – E         JERSEY SHOOTING:

• Jersey City shooters linked to earlier killing, ‘sophisticated’ pipe bomb found at market, investigators say. (Fox News) – Authorities have identified the victims from Tuesday’s deadly shooting that rocked Jersey City, N.J., and left a police officer dead along with five others, including three civilians and two suspected shooters. Jersey City police Detective Joseph Seals, 39, a married father of five, was on duty when he was fatally shot at the Bay View Cemetery before the suspects, identified as David N. Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, made their way to the JC Kosher Supermarket where an hours-long gun battle ensued. Officials identified the bystanders killed inside the market as Mindy Ferencz, 31; Douglas Miguel Rodriguez, 49; and 24-year-old Moshe Deutsch. Another person was shot and survived. Ferencz, 31, was the co-owner of the grocery store with her husband. They had three children, ages 11, 7 and 4. The couple had moved to Jersey City about three years ago to be part of a small Orthodox Jewish community in the area.
• JERSEY CITY SHOOTERS IDENTIFIED: (NBC New York) — David Anderson was a one-time follower of the Black Hebrew Israelites, a group whose members believe they are ancient Israelites’ true descendants. Francine Graham met him — and then turned into a ‘dark person,’ her neighbor says
• Joy Behar Implies New Jersey Shooters Were ‘White Nationalists’ … There’s Just One Problem. “The View” co-host Joy Behar implied Wednesday that two shooters who killed three civilians and a police officer in a Jersey City, New Jersey, shootout on Tuesday were “white nationalists.” The two shooters, one male and one female, were both African-American. The male shooter, 47-year-old David Anderson, reportedly posted anti-police and anti-Semitic rhetoric on his social media page and was once a follower of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, according to the New York Times. Members of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, per CNN, believe “blacks are the true descendants of biblical Jews.” Both Anderson and Francine Graham were killed during Tuesday’s shootout.

6am – A/B/C Stand on Left Side of Escalator, DC Tourism Campaign Says

“Be an Escaleftor.” (NBC Washington) — Does it drive you crazy when someone stands on the left side of an escalator? Maybe you just need to “live a little.” A new ad promoting “staycations” urges D.C. residents to imitate tourists and stand on the left side of Metro escalators. “Stay left, stay relaxed, stay local, DC,” the ad says. The 30-second video published Tuesday morning on Destination DC’s Twitter account starts with an agitated voice. “Could you move to the side? Move on the side so people can go?” a man says. We see a man standing on a Metro escalator, happily chatting with a woman on his right. Behind him is the agitated man. Behind the woman is an older man who stands directly behind her, also waiting but silent. “Escaleftor. Person who rides on the left side of the Metro escalator in Washington, DC,” text on the screen says.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – KT MCFARLAND – Former Deputy National Security Adviser for President Trump and author of upcoming book “Revolution: Trump, Washington and “We the People” (Hardcover – February 25, 2020)

• KT shared her thoughts on the IG report, IG hearing and the continued impeachment push.
• DOJ watchdog Horowitz rips FBI ‘failure’ in Russia probe, says nobody vindicated by report. (Fox News) – Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz in testimony Wednesday stressed that his newly released report on the FBI’s initial Trump-Russia investigation does not “vindicate” anyone as he cited “failure” by the entire “chain of command” in the probe. Horowitz called out “basic and fundamental errors” during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by its chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The tone of the testimony ran counter to much of the media coverage surrounding the report’s release that zeroed in on a core finding that investigators found no evidence of political bias and were indeed justified in launching the 2016 probe.
• The Judiciary Cmte begins day two of the impeachment markup at 9 am Thursday. The committee will be in session most of the day – as members debate and vote on proposed amendments to the two articles of impeachment put forth by Democrats.

 

6am – E         Maryland uses surveillance, data to track motorists, traffic. An electronic toll gantry on Route 200, the InterCounty Connector. (Capital News Service) Motorists in Maryland may be aware of the cameras that enforce speed and red-light violations, but the state’s tracking practices include other layers to assist in law enforcement efforts, and for traffic and planning purposes. Through the different practices, Maryland collects both anonymous and identifiable information — depending on the method — about driving patterns, raising concerns for privacy advocates. “I don’t think it’s really an issue of whether you have privacy in a particular moment in time,” said Dave Maass, senior investigative researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that defends civil liberties in the digital age. “But rather whether the government — and companies — should be tracking you over time and space, and then storing and selling that information.” The Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center assists “federal, state, local and private-sector partners in the collection, analysis and dissemination of criminal and homeland security within Maryland,” according to its mission statement. Pursuant to that mission, the center oversees the state’s license plate reader program.

6am – F         Maryland real estate firm surprises all employees with cash bonus based on tenure. St. John Properties says all of its 198 employees will share a $10 million bonus. (WUSA9) — FREDERICK, Md. — A Maryland real estate firm with offices in Frederick, Fulton, Glen Bernie, Windsor Mill and Baltimore is celebrating the theme of giving this holiday season, and it doesn’t come at a small price. The company surprised all of its employees with a cash bonus at its annual holiday party this year. St. John Properties said all of its 198 employees will share a $10 million bonus.  The company said on average, employees will receive about $50,000, which is based solely on the number of years of service. Some will receive upward of $250,000, reported CBS-affiliate KUTV. The bonus was given in celebration of the company achieving its goal of developing 20 million sq. feet of office, retail and warehouse space in eight states, the company said on its website. The company shared a video of the announcement being made at the party, with employees reacting in shock. According to St. John, only five employees knew about the bonus in advance of the surprise announcement. “To celebrate the achievement of our goal, we wanted to reward our employees in a big way that would make a significant impact on their lives,” company founder Edward St. John said. “I am thankful for every one of our employees, for their hard work and dedication. I couldn’t think of a better way to show it.” This bonus will be paid out in addition to the company’s annual year-end bonus.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – ALEXANDRA PHILLIPS – is a member of the European Parliament and a rising star of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. She is a former Nigel Farage’s chief of staff for more than a decade and is a former BBC journalist.

• All eyes on UK’s ‘Brexit Election.’ The United Kingdom’s 46 million voters are choosing 650 new lawmakers Thursday in elections for Parliament’s lower House of Commons. The national election will bring a new Parliament to power and may lead to a change at the top if British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party does not fare well with voters. On the last day of the campaign Wednesday, political leaders dashed around the U.K. trying to win over millions of undecided voters who will likely determine the outcome. Opinion polls suggested Johnson’s Conservatives had a lead over the main opposition Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn. But all the parties are nervous about the verdict of a volatile electorate fed up after years of Brexit wrangling. Britain’s first December vote since 1923 has been dubbed the “Brexit Election.” It is being held more than two years early in hopes of breaking Britain’s political deadlock over the country’s stalled departure from the European Union. Johnson has focused relentlessly on Brexit throughout the campaign, endlessly repeating his slogan “Get Brexit done.”  He says that if he wins a majority, he will get Parliament to ratify his “oven-ready” divorce deal with the EU and take Britain out of the bloc as scheduled on Jan. 31.
• Britain votes in a snap election that will likely decide the fate of Brexit. (Foreign Policy) — Britain Votes—But Will It Break Brexit Deadlock? British voters go to the polls today in a monumental election that will most likely determine the fate of Brexit, after years of deadlock. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the snap election to break the political logjam over Britain’s departure from the European Union. He is hoping to win a large majority with a mandate to “get Brexit done.” Meanwhile, leader Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour is doing everything he can to avoid talking about Brexit at all. As Anand Menon argues in Foreign Policy, “Corbyn is banking on Brexit fatigue and betting that voters will prioritize bread-and-butter issues such as jobs, investment, and health care.” While the Labour party has promised to negotiate a new Brexit deal with the EU and put it to a referendum, Corbyn is focused on making today’s vote about concrete social issues rather than “abstract promises of a post-Brexit future.”

• What do the polls say—and do they matter? The Conservatives are polling ahead of Labour, but all are wary of the predictions: Millions of undecided voters will likely sway the result. The polls do show that the race has narrowed considerably over the last two weeks, putting Johnson’s chances of winning an outright majority in doubt. “We absolutely cannot rule out the 2019 election producing a hung parliament—nor can we rule out a larger Conservative majority,” Anthony Wells, the head of political research at YouGov, told Reuters. On Wednesday, party leaders campaigned down to the last minute.
• Will Boris Johnson lose his seat? In 2017, Johnson won his own West London district by just over 5,000 votes—the narrowest constituency majority for any prime minister in more than 50 years, FP’s C.K. Hickey writes. Today, Johnson faces a challenge from Labour’s Ali Milani, a 25-year-old who came to the U.K. from Iran when he was five. The race is within the margin of error and an upset is possible, Stephen Paduano reports for FP. If Milani succeeds, he would be the first person to win the seat of a serving prime minister.
• What’s happening in Scotland? In 2017, the Conservatives won 13 seats—taking back many constituencies that the Scottish National Party had won in 2015. But the Scottish Conservatives have lost their popular and moderate leader, Ruth Davidson, and Johnson is extremely unpopular. The SNP is targeting all the Conservative-held seats and stands a good chance of winning many of them back, including the bellwether district of Stirling, Jamie Maxwell reports for FP.

 

7am – B/C     ONE TERM JOE BIDEN?

• Biden signals to aides that he would serve only a single term. Advisers weigh the merits of a one-term pledge by the 77-year-old former vice president. (Politico/Ryan Lizza) – Former Vice President Joe Biden’s top advisers and prominent Democrats outside the Biden campaign have recently revived a long-running debate whether Biden should publicly pledge to serve only one term, with Biden himself signaling to aides that he would serve only a single term. While the option of making a public pledge remains available, Biden has for now settled on an alternative strategy: quietly indicating that he will almost certainly not run for a second term while declining to make a promise that he and his advisers fear could turn him into a lame duck and sap him of his political capital. According to four people who regularly talk to Biden, all of whom asked for anonymity to discuss internal campaign matters, it is virtually inconceivable that he will run for reelection in 2024, when he would be the first octogenarian president. “If Biden is elected,” a prominent adviser to the campaign said, “he’s going to be 82 years old in four years and he won’t be running for reelection.” The adviser argued that public acknowledgment of that reality could help Biden mollify younger voters, especially on the left, who are unexcited by his candidacy and fear that his nomination would serve as an eight-year roadblock to the next generation of Democrats.
• Joe Biden denies he is mulling a one-term pledge if elected president. A senior adviser for Biden’s campaign has also pushed back. Former Vice President Joe Biden denied discussing with his campaign advisers whether he would only seek one term in office if elected president– claims that were first published by POLITICO Wednesday. The report cited anonymous advisers to Biden who said there have been internal conversations about recent signals from the 77-year-old former vice president would only seek one term if elected in 2020. “No, I never have,” Biden said when asked by a reporter on Wednesday if those discussions were taking place. “I don’t have any plans on one term.” A senior adviser for Biden’s campaign has also pushed back on the report, calling it “just not true.” “Maybe there’s an alternative Biden campaign where these things are being discussed,” the adviser told ABC News. “You’ve heard him say how presumptuous it is to speculate about a VP. How much more presumptuous is it to say you’re only going to serve one term?” they added.

7am – D         Impeachment markup begins as Dems invoke MLK, Nadler says ‘we cannot rely on an election’ to oust Trump. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night began the first phase of a fiery “markup” process for the two articles of impeachment against President Trump it has settled on, barreling toward a final floor vote even as moderate Democrats in GOP-leaning districts have floated the idea of backing down in favor of a censure resolution. Almost immediately, the evening proceedings broke out into heated disagreement. House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., declared it would be unsafe to wait until after the 2020 election to remove Trump, and another Democrat claimed Trump’s actions were an “affront to the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.” Meanwhile, the ranking Republican, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, slammed Democrats for attacking Ukraine’s leader because he had undercut their case against Trump. The late-night markup session Wednesday consisted almost entirely of opening statements. The markup of the impeachment articles will resume in earnest at 9 a.m. ET Thursday.

7am – E         INTERVIEW – CAROL MALONEY – Host of The Carol Maloney Show on ESPN 630

• Anthony Rendon agrees to seven-year, $245 million deal with Los Angeles Angels, leaving World Series champion Washington Nationals. (Washington Post) – SAN DIEGO — Anthony Rendon and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a seven-year, $245 million deal, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, a move that sends the Washington Nationals into next season without a foundational piece of their World Series team. Rendon’s deal includes a full no-trade clause, no opt-outs and no options, according to a person with knowledge of the terms, and has zero payment deferrals. Payment deferrals proved to be a road block during negotiations with the Nationals and ultimately led Rendon into a contract that will pay him $35 million a season through his 36th birthday. Rendon, 29, was in the Nationals’ plans until he hit the free agent market this offseason. The sides couldn’t agree upon a deal during this past year, despite multiple rounds of negotiations, and that left the Angels to sign one of the best third baseman in baseball. Rendon finished third in MVP voting last season and, across seven years in Washington, established himself as one of the league’s most consistent hitters. He departs for Anaheim just two days after the Nationals signed right-hander Stephen Strasburg, the other key free agent off their championship club, also to a seven-year deal worth $245 million.
• TUESDAY: Nationals officially announce the Howie Kendrick and Yan Gomes signings, which now brings their 40-man roster up to 33.
• FLASHBACK: MONDAY: World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg has agreed to a seven year $245 million contract and will stay with the Washington Nationals. Its highest salary paid for an MLB pitcher, maxing out David Price’s $217 seven-year 2016 deal with Boston Red Sox.  Strasberg will make about $35 million/year.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – JOHN SOLOMON – Investigative reporter / His website is: JohnSolomonReports.com – analyzed the IG report, IG hearing and the impeachment push.

• John Solomon ‏@jsolomonReports: Reporters got too much wrong on Russia. There was no collusion. Carter Page wasn’t a Russian spy. Steele dossier wasn’t credible nor confirmed. Surveillance was illegal. FBI wasn’t vindicated. Time for a new type of news outlet. Stay tuned for big announcement next month.
• The Justice Department’s internal watchdog sharpened his criticism of the FBI on Wednesday, telling lawmakers he was alarmed that “so many basic and fundamental errors” occurred in the early months of the FBI’s probe into potential Trump-Russia collusion. But DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz also told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the FBI was justified when it launched the Russia probe in July 2016, and that he had seen no evidence that senior FBI officials were motivated by political bias against then-candidate Donald Trump.
• Impeachment markup begins as Dems invoke MLK, Nadler says ‘we cannot rely on an election’ to oust Trump. The House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday night began the first phase of a fiery “markup” process for the two articles of impeachment against President Trump it has settled on, barreling toward a final floor vote even as moderate Democrats in GOP-leaning districts have floated the idea of backing down in favor of a censure resolution. The late-night markup session Wednesday consisted almost entirely of opening statements. The markup of the impeachment articles will resume in earnest at 9 a.m. ET Thursday

8am – D         INTERVIEW – ADAM TUSS — Transportation Reporter/Anchor NBC Washington – discussed a new D.C. tourism ad promoting people to stand on the LEFT while going up an escalator and he talked about how the orange lines will be impacted in Virginia this summer.

• A new ad promoting “staycations” urges DC residents to imitate tourists and stand on the left side of Metro escalators. A new ad promoting “staycations” urges D.C. residents to imitate tourists and stand on the left side of Metro escalators. “Stay left, stay relaxed, stay local, DC,” the ad says.
• Metro to close 3 Orange Line stations in Virginia next summer. Adam Tuss @AdamTuss 11 hours ago Adam Tuss Retweeted Metro BREAK – Virginia gets another summer Metro shutdown – this time on the Orange Line. Vienna, Dunn Loring, East Falls Church will close between Memorial Day and Labor Day. West Falls Church has an extra platform so will be open but mainly to turn trains around @nbcwashington #wmata

8am – E         Eric Holder, once Obama’s ‘wingman,’ now calling out Barr for loyalty to Trump. (Fox News) – Eric Holder, who headed the U.S. Justice Department under former President Barack Obama, penned a column late Wednesday in which he calls Attorney General William Barr an unfit successor due to “nakedly partisan” actions and loyalty to President Trump. Barr has been a favorite target of Trump critics since becoming attorney general in February following the departure of Jeff Sessions. Barr’s detractors see him as a high-ranking enabler of the president who may use the department to serve Trump’s personal and political interests. In an interview with Fox News earlier this year, Barr said he was ready for the criticism. His supporters, however, see Barr as a major player in determining the origins of what became the Russia investigation. The White House and Republicans in Congress say they want to know more about why the FBI decided to investigate the Trump’s 2016 campaign’s possible ties to Moscow — what Trump has often called a partisan “witch hunt.” Writing in The Washington Post, Holder’s criticism of Barr is wide-ranging. He points to a comment Barr made last month at a Federalist Society event, asserting that Barr made the “outlandish suggestion that Congress cannot entrust anyone but the president himself to execute the law.” “This is a stunning declaration not merely of ideology but of loyalty: to the president and his interests,” Holder writes. “It is also revealing of Barr’s own intent: to serve not at a careful remove from politics, as his office demands, but as an instrument of politics — under the direct ‘control’ of President Trump.” Attorneys general and their relationship with presidents have long been closely watched. Kris Olson, a former U.S. attorney in Oregon, wrote about the close relationships that usually hang in the balance. A president can remove his attorney general at will, but the person is “also intrinsically tied with the politics of the administration.”