Mornings on the Mall
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer
Executive Producer: Heather Hunter
5am – A/B/C About 900 State Department officials sign protest memo: source. About 900 U.S. State Department officials signed an internal dissent memo protesting a travel ban by U.S. President Donald Trump on refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a source familiar with the document said on Tuesday, in a rebellion against the new president’s policies. A senior State Department official confirmed the memorandum had been submitted to acting Secretary of State Tom Shannon through the department’s “dissent channel,” a process in which officials can express unhappiness over policy (bit.ly/2jOYW0y). White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Monday he was aware of the memo but warned career diplomats that they should either “get with the program or they can go.” A draft of the dissent memo seen by Reuters argued that the executive order would sour relations with affected countries, inflame anti-American sentiment and hurt those who sought to visit the United Spates for humanitarian reasons.
5am – D Trump White House Puts Iran ‘On Notice’ After Missile Launch
National Security Adviser Michael Flynn condemns Tehran, but doesn’t specify action. WASHINGTON—The White House sharply condemned a recent Iranian ballistic missile test launch and warned of consequences including the possibility of new U.S. sanctions, in a more confrontational approach to Tehran that lays the groundwork for a potential early clash between the two countries. Calling Iran a “destabilizing influence” in the Middle East, National Security Adviser Mike Flynn declared Wednesday: “As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.” The pronouncement marked a pivot away from the Obama administration’s policy of diplomatic engagement, which led to a 2015 multinational nuclear deal that has been denounced repeatedly by President Donald Trump and his aides. Iran has warned that new U.S. sanctions could constitute a violation of the nuclear deal, setting up a scenario in which the agreement could unravel—something that hardliners in both countries would welcome. Administration officials, while providing few specifics, said Mr. Trump has begun a process of reviewing current U.S. policy and is “considering a whole range of options,” including tougher sanctions. Asked if military force also was one of the options, the officials didn’t rule it out.
5am – E Senate Update:
- Democrats block confirmation votes for Sessions, Price and Mnuchin. (Washington Post) — Democrats intensified their opposition to President Trump on Tuesday by further delaying the confirmations of several of his Cabinet nominees, prompting a bitter showdown with Republicans who accused them of paralyzing the formation of a new administration. First, Democrats boycotted a Senate committee scheduled to take two votes, one on Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, and the other on Steve Mnuchin, his choice to lead the treasury. Then, they blocked a vote on Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
- Dems delay committee vote on Sessions AG nomination. Washington (CNN)The Senate Judiciary Committee delayed voting Tuesday morning on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general, a politically charged pick that’s receiving even more scrutiny in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration. The panel was expected to approve and advance Sessions for a vote in the full Senate, but Democrats used a procedural move to delay the committee vote until Wednesday, a move to further prevent Trump from getting his full Cabinet in place in a timely manner.
- Neil Gorsuch To Visit Capitol Hill Following Supreme Court Nomination. WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — Supreme court nominee Neil Gorsuch goes to Capitol Hill today to meet with lawmakers he hopes will confirm him. President Donald Trump announced his choice of the Colorado appeals court judge at the White House on Tuesday night. If Democrats decide to filibuster Gorsuch’s nomination, his fate could rest in the hands of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Trump has encouraged McConnell to change the rules of the Senate and make it impossible to filibuster a Supreme Court nominee — a change known in the Senate as the “nuclear option.”
- OTHER VOTES:
- Elaine Chao Wins Senate Confirmation 93-6
- Senate panel votes in favor of Betsy DeVos, Trump’s education secretary pick
- Senate panel approves former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve as Energy secretary in Trump administration
- The Senate Committee approves Rep. Ryan Zinke for interior secretary.
6am – A/B/C President Trump Threatens to Send U.S. Troops to Mexico to Take Care of ‘Bad Hombres’ (AP) — (WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump threatened in a phone call with his Mexican counterpart to send U.S. troops to stop “bad hombres down there” unless the Mexican military does more to control them itself, according to an excerpt of a transcript of the conversation obtained by The Associated Press. The excerpt of the call did not make clear who exactly Trump considered “bad hombres,” — drug cartels, immigrants, or both — or the tone and context of the remark, made in a Friday morning phone call between the leaders. It also did not contain Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s response. Still, the excerpt offers a rare and striking look at how the new president is conducting diplomacy behind closed doors. Trump’s remark suggest he is using the same tough and blunt talk with world leaders that he used to rally crowds on the campaign trail. A White House spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. The phone call between the leaders was intended to patch things up between the new president and his ally. The two have had a series of public spats over Trump’s determination to have Mexico pay for the planned border wall, something Mexico steadfastly refuses to agree to. “You have a bunch of bad hombres down there,” Trump told Pena Nieto, according to the excerpt seen by the AP. “You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.” A person with access to the official transcript of the phone call provided an excerpt to The Associated Press. The person gave it on condition of anonymity because the administration did not make the details of the call public.
6am – D Maryland Man’s Home Hit by Car for Fifth Time. (NBC Washington) — A car crashed into the home of an 88-year-old man early Wednesday — marking the fifth time a vehicle has hit the house in Prince George’s County. Leonard Miller was sleeping on a couch about 2 a.m. when he felt a crash nearby. A Honda had slammed into the front of the house on Cipriano Road in Lanham. “When that car came in, I jumped up and said, ‘Damn, another car hit my house,’” Miller said. He moved into the house in 1971. It’s on a curve on a fast street, and drivers often lose control. The front of the house used to have wooden pillars, but a car crashed into them and snapped them.
6am – E Speech by Milo Yiannopoulos Is Canceled Amid Protests at Berkeley. A speech by the divisive right-wing editor Milo Yiannopoulos at the University of California, Berkeley, was canceled on Wednesday night after demonstrators set fires and threw objects at buildings to protest his appearance. The university announced the cancellation on Twitter around 9:15 p.m., about an hour after a section of the campus erupted in protest. There were no immediate reports of arrests or injuries. All buildings on campus were in a lockdown, and the university police said on Twitter that those on campus should “shelter in place.” Mr. Yiannopoulos, an editor at Breitbart News, is known for his gleeful attacks on political correctness that can sometimes veer into offensive and racially charged language.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view – NO FEDERAL FUNDS? 3:13 AM – 2 Feb 2017
6am – F Critter News: ‘She Was Ready to Come Home’: Missing Bobcat Found on National Zoo Property. A visitor tipped off zoo staff after spotting the bobcat at a bird exhibit. The bobcat missing from the National Zoo since Monday morning has been found safe on zoo grounds, the zoo said Wednesday. Shortly before 5 p.m., the Zoo issued a press release about their find, including a photo of Ollie the bobcat in a cage. A visitor spotted the bobcat near the zoo’s birdhouse and tipped off zoo keepers, zoo staff said at a news conference Wednesday evening. Zoo curator Craig Saffoe said the zoo then set traps in the area. “[We] crossed our fingers, walked away and literally within 15 minutes the birdhouse keepers called us back and told us, ‘we have a bobcat in the trap up here,’” Saffoe said.
7am – A INTERVIEW — ALEX BOLTON – Staff writer, The Hill
- Latest on Trump’s confirmation battles in the Senate:
- Sessions approved by Senate committee.
- GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott. U.S. Senate panel suspends rules, backs Price, Mnuchin for Cabinet.
- Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary Dealt Confirmation Blow by Key GOP Senators
- Rex Tillerson Is Confirmed as Secretary of State Amid Record Opposition.
- Trump to McConnell: ‘Mitch, go nuclear’
7am – B Entertainment News:
- Beyoncé Is Pregnant with Twins and the Celebrity Beyhive Is Buzzing. (People) — Beyoncé broke the Internet on Wednesday when she announced on Instagram that she and husband Jay Z were expecting twins! The 35-year-old singer — already mom to 5-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter — shared a photo of herself kneeling in front of an overflowing wreath of flowers, wearing a long veil, blue panties and red bra while rubbing her baby belly. “We would like to share our love and happiness,” Beyoncé wrote. “We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes.”
- Johnny Depp Apparently Spends $30,000 a Month on Wine. We’ve all poured a glass of wine to get through a tough week (or year), and apparently actor Johnny Depp might be no different than the rest of us. Of course, as a movie star his booze budget is a little bigger. In a counter-lawsuit filed by his former management group, The Mandel Company (which he’s currently suing for $25 million for “self-dealing and gross misconduct”), documents reveal that the Pirates of the Caribbean actor allegedly spends upwards of $30,000 a month on wine. “Depp lived an ultra-extravagant lifestyle that often knowingly cost Depp in excess of $2 million per month to maintain, which he simply could not afford,” attorney Michael Kump stated in a document released by The Hollywood Reporter. “Depp, and Depp alone, is fully responsible for any financial turmoil he finds himself in today.”
- Matthew McConaughey calls on celebs, Trump-haters to ’embrace’ the president; time to shake hands. Actor Matthew McConaughey has called for celebrities and others who oppose President Trump to give him a shot. During an appearance this week on the BBC’s “Andrew Marr Show,” the Texas-born actor said, “He’s our president now, we must embrace, shake hands & be constructive with him.” “He’s our president now, we must embrace, shake hands & be constructive with him” Matthew McConaughey on Trump & new film ‘Gold’ #marr pic.twitter.com/EvCY7GhLp6 — The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) January 29, 2017
- Tamron Hall Leaves ‘Today’ Show and NBC. Tamron Hall is leaving NBC after it was revealed that Megyn Kelly’s forthcoming morning show would replace her “Today” show slot. About six months ago, Billy Bush and Tamron Hall were introduced by NBC as the new team for the 9 a.m. hour of “Today.” Now neither works at the network. NBC said on Wednesday that Ms. Hall left both her “Today” post and her MSNBC show. In a statement, the network said it was her decision. Her last day was Tuesday and her contract expires this month. (Mr. Bush left in October after the “Access Hollywood” imbroglio involving the 2005 video of Donald J. Trump making vulgar comments about women.)
7am – C Phil has ‘spoken’ : 6 more weeks of winter #groundhogday. EDITOR’S NOTE: Punxsutawney Phil saw hiw shadow and predicts six more weeks of winter. Watch the live video stream from Gobbler’s Knob here. PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — The handlers of Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog are set to announce whether the rodent will predict an early spring or six more weeks of winter. Members of Punxsutawney Phil’s top hat-wearing inner circle plan to reveal their forecast at sunrise, just before 7:30 a.m. Thursday. The festivities have their origin in a German legend that says if a furry rodent casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter continues. If not, spring comes early.
7am – D Trump reportedly accuses Australian PM of seeking to export next ‘Boston bombers’ President Trump reportedly had a fiery conversation over the weekend with Australia’s prime minister over a refugee deal agreed upon under the Obama administration. Trump reportedly blasted the agreement as “the worst deal ever” and accused Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of seeking to export “the next Boston bombers.” The call went so badly, Trump told Turnbull that he had spoken to Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and Russia’s Vladimir Putin and their call was his “worst so far.” The Washington Post, citing unidentified senior U.S. officials, reported that Trump cut their first call short with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull after the conversation turn to a deal that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the US. // Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal! 10:55 PM – 1 Feb 2017
7am – E Nation’s bacon reserves hit 50-year low as prices rise. Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer / The country’s bacon reserves are at the lowest levels in half a century. In other words, pig farmers can’t keep up with the world’s sizzling appetite for those fatty, smoky strips of sheer eating pleasure. The Ohio Pork Council, a Columbus-based non-profit, reported Tuesday that demand for frozen pork belly, frequently made into bacon, is outpacing supply. “Today’s pig farmers are setting historic records by producing more pigs than ever,” said Rich Deaton, president of the organization. “Yet our reserves are still depleting.” There are literally not enough little piggies going to market.
8am – A INTERVIEW — SUSAN CRABTREE – Senior Congressional correspondent focusing on Senate for Washington Examiner
- Latest on Trump’s confirmation battles in the Senate:
- Sessions approved by Senate committee.
- GOP changes rules to push through nominees after Dem boycott. U.S. Senate panel suspends rules, backs Price, Mnuchin for Cabinet.
- Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary Dealt Confirmation Blow by Key GOP Senators
- Rex Tillerson Is Confirmed as Secretary of State Amid Record Opposition.
- Trump to McConnell: ‘Mitch, go nuclear’
8am – B/C INTERVIEW — DR. SEBASTIAN GORKA — Deputy Assistant to President Donald Trump
- National security adviser puts Iran ‘on notice’
- Media obsession with calling refugee policy “a ban”
8am – D President Trump Threatens to Send U.S. Troops to Mexico to Take Care of ‘Bad Hombres’ (AP) — (WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump threatened in a phone call with his Mexican counterpart to send U.S. troops to stop “bad hombres down there” unless the Mexican military does more to control them itself, according to an excerpt of a transcript of the conversation obtained by The Associated Press.
8am – E Chocolate Triangle:
- Nestle USA is moving headquarters from California to Northern Virginia . ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) – Chocolate maker Nestle is moving its U.S. headquarters from California to Virginia, relocating to a part of the country where the company says it has more customers. Nestle USA, a subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle S.A., announced the move Wednesday in the Rosslyn section of Arlington County at an event with Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Nestle USA is currently based in Glendale, California. Lisa Gibby, a Nestle representative, said there are about 1,200 employees at the existing headquarters. About 750 jobs are moving to Virginia and the others will head to the company’s divisions in Ohio and Missouri. Nestle expects to complete the move by the end of 2018.
- Mars is an American global manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products, and a provider of animal care services, with US$33 billion in annual sales in 2015,[2] and is ranked as the 6th largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes.[3] Headquartered in McLean, unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, US
- The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation[3] and commonly called Hershey’s, is one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey’s Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894 as the Hershey Chocolate Company, a subsidiary of his Lancaster Caramel Company. Hershey’s products are sold in over 60 countries worldwide
