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Mornings on the Mall
Tuesday, March 28,2017
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter
5am – A/B/C White House: Trump is serious about working with Democrats
President Trump is serious about working with Democrats to move his agenda forward and has already fielded phone calls from liberal lawmakers about healthcare reform, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday.
“Starting Friday afternoon through late yesterday, [Trump] has received a number of calls, as well as other members of the senior staff that have been working on healthcare, from members of both sides saying that they would like to work together, offer up ideas and have suggestions about how to come to resolution on this and get to a House vote on this,” Spicer said.
But Spicer also hit Democrats, saying they refused to come to the negotiating table on healthcare.
“Some of the Democrats who now say they were not involved early on in the process … they wanted nothing to do with this process, no way they would engage in any discussion of repeal,” Spicer said. “I think it is a two-way street. I think we’ve been willing to listen to folks and their ideas, and the president’s advice is weak can come up with a resolution on her way to move forward, we will certainly entertain that.”
Spicer cited a meeting Trump held last week with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on infrastructure, small business lending and education as an example of the president’s willingness to listen to Democrats.
“The president is eager to get to 218 [votes in the House] on a lot of his initiatives, whether its tax reform or infrastructure,” Spicer said. “There’s a lot of things and I think he’s going to be willing to listen to other voices on the other side to figure out if people want to work with him to get these big things done to make Washington work to enhance the lives of American people then he’s going to work with them.”
Spicer acknowledged that it would require a new approach.
“To some degree, sure,” Spicer said. “I think the president talked about that. We learned a lot through this process. We are obviously looking at ways that we can improve not only how we handled healthcare but other things, how we do everything … One of the traits of a successful organization is always examining how you do things. But I think there has been a lot of outreach from members of both sides with ideas the president is willing to listen to these individuals, and if they can come to resolution on a way forward, then obviously we are willing to listen and move forward.”
5am – D Sessions says he’ll punish sanctuaries, cities could lose billions of dollars (Washington Times)
The Trump administration officially put sanctuary cities on notice Monday that they are violating federal laws and could lose access to billions of dollars in Justice Department grants if they continue to thwart efforts to deport illegal immigrants.
And counties and cities that have taken money in the past, despite refusing to cooperate with federal agents, could have that money clawed back, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said. That would mean Chicago, Philadelphia and other prominent sanctuaries would not only lose money going forward, but might have to pay back tens of millions of dollars from their treasuries.
But Mr. Sessions didn’t say when he would actually start withholding money, making his announcement more signal than substance — and leaving Democrats to argue he was trying to change the subject from White House controversies and the failed Obamacare repeal effort on Capitol Hill.
5am – E ICE arrests father of Rockville High School student rape suspect
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested the father of the 18-year-old Rockville High School rape suspect on Friday after he was found to be in the country illegally.
Adolfo Sanchez-Reyes, 43, of Guatemala, was arrested after ICE reviewed his immigration history and found him to be unlawfully in the U.S., said Matthew Bourke with ICE in a statement made Monday.
Sanchez-Reyes is the father of Henry Sanchez-Milian, one of two students facing charges in connection to the rape of a 14-year-old student in a Rockville High School bathroom earlier this month. Jose Montano, 17, is the other student facing similar charges.
A U.S. Border Patrol agent encountered Sanchez-Milian in Texas in August 2016 and determined that he had unlawfully entered the country. He was then ordered to appear before an immigration judge, but a hearing was never scheduled. He is facing possible deportation.
Sanchez-Reyes’ lawyer has confirmed to WTOP that the Department of Homeland Security has “initiated removal proceedings” and that he is in DHS custody.
He has been issued a notice to appear in immigration court and is currently being held at the Howard County Detention Center in Jessup, Maryland, according to ICE.
The arrest of Sanchez-Reyes, the accusations of rape and other recent alleged attacks have some Montgomery County officials reassessing safety at Rockville High School.
“They are conducting a comprehensive safety audit,” said Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner told WTOP.
He said he spoke with Superintendent Jack Smith about it.
“Dr. Smith raised the issue as to whether or not the bathroom doors should be more like airport doors — which is that you don’t have a closed door.”
6am – A/B/C Student suspected of planning shooting spree at Frederick County school (WBAL)
An 18-year-old student from Frederick County was arrested after law enforcement officials were alerted of a shooting plot at a school.
Nichole Cevario, of Thurmont, will be charged with possession of explosive material with intent to create a destructive device and possession of incendiary material with the intent to create a destructive device, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said.
Cevario, was immediately removed from class was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital for an emergency mental health evaluation, the Sheriff’s Office said.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, investigators had no doubt that Cevario was going to carry out a very violent attack, similar to a Columbine or Sandy Hook, and that it was her parents that helped make sure it didn’t happen.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, to be honest with you,” Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins said. “It shocks the conscious to see someone of that age could be thinking like that.”
The Sheriff’s Office said Cevario planned to execute her plan on April 5 at Catoctin High School. Evidence recovered from her home revealed that she was actively acquiring materials needed to execute the plot. Those items included a shotgun with ammunition, bomb-making materials to include pipes with end caps, shrapnel, fireworks, magnesium tape and fuse material, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators said Cevario’s parents called the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday after discovering disturbing entries in their daughter’s journal.
“I truly believe what they did averted a catastrophe at Catoctin High School, and they continue right now to be extremely cooperative,” Jenkins said.
Investigators said Cevario’s diary indicated that a mass shooting would take place on April 5. There was also evidence that she had been scoping out security at the school to time it out perfectly.
“I feel, based on what I read and what my investigator concluded, we thought this was going to be carried out. There’s no doubt in our minds that we averted a disaster up there,” Jenkins said.
School officials told 11 News that Cevario was not on their radar, and if it weren’t for her parents, the outcome most certainly would have been tragic.
“We had no prior indication before we got a warning from a parent,” said Michael Doerrer, with Frederick County Public Schools. “This is a great example of how communities come together with trusting relationships, open communication, to keep our schools safe, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
Investigators believe Cevario acted alone and that she planned on dying after the attack was carried out.
6am – D/E Illinois lawmakers see marijuana legalization as gateway to fiscal boost (FOX NEWS)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Marijuana advocates are trying to lay the groundwork for Illinois to become the first state in the Midwest and the ninth nationwide to legalize recreational pot, arguing the move will help solve the state’s notorious budget crisis.
Two Illinois state lawmakers introduced legislation last week that would allow residents 21 and older to possess, grow or buy up to an ounce of marijuana and license businesses to sell marijuana products subject to regulation. They say it would help fill Illinois’ multibillion-dollar budget hole with $350 to $700 million in new tax revenue.
A national advocacy group, the Marijuana Policy Project, based the estimate on the proposal’s $50-per-ounce wholesale tax, Illinois’ standard sales tax, federal marijuana consumption data and recreational pot prices in Colorado. The proposal earmarks 50 percent of wholesale revenues for the state’s general fund and divides the remaining half 30/20 between education and public health.
Every state to legalize pot to date has done so by voter ballot initiative, according to Chris Lindsey, a legislative analyst with the project. But Illinois advocates are not alone in holding out hope for lawmaker approval. Seventeen other states — including Missouri — are also considering legislative action.
Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat who co-sponsored 2014 legislation that legalized medical marijuana in Illinois, is sponsoring the proposal in the House. She said states that legalized marijuana have seen an economic boost from increased tax revenue, new jobs and bolstered tourism.
“We’re talking about all sorts of ways of raising revenue,” Cassidy said, referring to state lawmakers’ efforts to break a two-year budget logjam. “We might as well be talking about this, too.”
But she and fellow Chicago Democrat Sen. Heather Steans, who sponsored legislation that succeeded in decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of pot last year, know their new pitch could be a tough sell. They plan to jumpstart conversations with lawmakers, interest groups and the public this spring but won’t move legislation forward in the current session.
Key players like the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police currently oppose the measure. Ed Wojcicki, the association’s director, called legalizing recreational pot “an enforcement nightmare.” He said existing science remains inconclusive about how to best identify impairment on the road and in other compromising situations.
Democratic Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie, lead sponsor of the medical marijuana proposal, suggested the staggered timeline could help lawmakers gain a more complete picture of potential benefits and consequences — especially as more data rolls in on Illinois’ pilot medical marijuana program, which launched in late 2015.
“I do think this might be in Illinois’ future,” Lang said. “I certainly support the idea of having a discussion.”
Illinois legalization advocates like Dan Linn, who directs the state chapter of a nonprofit lobbying group called NORML, have long been working toward this conversation. Linn said states where pot is legal have recorded no uptick in traffic fatalities. Instead of threatening public safety, he contended, regulating the already widely consumed substance will take the business out of the hands of criminals and impose important regulations like quality and age controls.
“There’s not a drug dealer in this country that asks for an ID when someone’s looking to buy drugs,” he said.
The proposal is launching at a time when the federal government, which still lists marijuana as an illegal drug, is considering ramping up enforcement against recreational use. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last month his department is reviewing an Obama administration memo that gave states flexibility in passing marijuana laws.
6am – F
Fanny packs are making a comeback (NY POST)
Every few years, “fanny pack” creeps into our fashion lexicon courtesy of a runway show or a celebrity testing the limits of good taste. Most recently, Kendall Jenner and Leonardo DiCaprio have treated us to a fad that conjures up images of criminally bad style dating all the way back to the 1980s when such bags became a phenomenon. Here’s a look at the way celebrities worked the dubious accessory in the last decade alone.
If there’s anyone who can pull off a fanny pack, it’s Kendall Jenner. Her long, lean frame is the perfect hanger for one, especially when she’s wearing it as a sporty crossbody bag like she did during Paris fashion week in February.
Also last month, Leonardo DiCaprio was in Thailand proving true the old axiom: When you’re rich and have hordes of models at your disposal, you wear whatever the hell you want.
Goldie Hawn channels a 1990s mall walker last summer with her fitness-inspired look and somehow still looks like someone we’d want to hang out with.
When dad duty called at Fenway Park in August 2014, Matthew McConaughey rocked what might have been the biggest, most utilitarian bum bag around — despite a million cameras pointed his way. That’s confidence.
That fall, Sarah Jessica Parker single-handedly made the fanny pack red carpet-approved with this sleek black Chanel number.
The first rule of fashion is that Rihanna makes anything look good — even the chunky, strapped-on sack emblazoned with gaudy gold dollar signs, which she wore in March 2012.
Drew Barrymore — a repeat fanny-pack offender — gets an “A” for consistency. This May 2009 concert-going outfit is bad all over.
7am – A/B INTERVIEW — Sheriff Chuck Jenkins — Frederick County Sheriff
Student suspected of planning shooting spree at Frederick County school (WBAL)
An 18-year-old student from Frederick County was arrested after law enforcement officials were alerted of a shooting plot at a school.
Nichole Cevario, of Thurmont, will be charged with possession of explosive material with intent to create a destructive device and possession of incendiary material with the intent to create a destructive device, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said.
Cevario, was immediately removed from class was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital for an emergency mental health evaluation, the Sheriff’s Office said.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, investigators had no doubt that Cevario was going to carry out a very violent attack, similar to a Columbine or Sandy Hook, and that it was her parents that helped make sure it didn’t happen.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, to be honest with you,” Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins said. “It shocks the conscious to see someone of that age could be thinking like that.”
The Sheriff’s Office said Cevario planned to execute her plan on April 5 at Catoctin High School. Evidence recovered from her home revealed that she was actively acquiring materials needed to execute the plot. Those items included a shotgun with ammunition, bomb-making materials to include pipes with end caps, shrapnel, fireworks, magnesium tape and fuse material, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Investigators said Cevario’s parents called the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday after discovering disturbing entries in their daughter’s journal.
“I truly believe what they did averted a catastrophe at Catoctin High School, and they continue right now to be extremely cooperative,” Jenkins said.
Investigators said Cevario’s diary indicated that a mass shooting would take place on April 5. There was also evidence that she had been scoping out security at the school to time it out perfectly.
“I feel, based on what I read and what my investigator concluded, we thought this was going to be carried out. There’s no doubt in our minds that we averted a disaster up there,” Jenkins said.
School officials told 11 News that Cevario was not on their radar, and if it weren’t for her parents, the outcome most certainly would have been tragic.
“We had no prior indication before we got a warning from a parent,” said Michael Doerrer, with Frederick County Public Schools. “This is a great example of how communities come together with trusting relationships, open communication, to keep our schools safe, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
Investigators believe Cevario acted alone and that she planned on dying after the attack was carried out.
7am – C Frederick County opts to help federal immigration officials
Frederick is one of about three-dozen counties in the nation participating in the program — known as 287(g), for the section of federal law that authorizes it. The program has been thrust into the spotlight as President Trump ramps up immigration enforcement and Democrats push back with attempts to stop programs such as 287(g).
“I think people tend to think of the 287(g) program as something bad,” said Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, who’s operated the program in his jail’s central booking center for eight years. He maintains it is an important tool to improve safety locally while helping address illegal immigration.
But others say it’s an unnecessary foray by local governments into a federal issue, one that might sweep even minor offenders into federal immigration court or cause people to be held longer in local jails, even if they have posted bail or completed their sentence.
President Trump has made immigration enforcement a key focus of his administration — he plans to extend the border wall with Mexico and has pledged to deport more immigrants who are in the United States illegally. Trump has signaled he wants more counties to join 287(g), and there are indications he might revive a part of the program that links local police officers and sheriffs with federal immigration agents carrying out enforcement actions in communities.
Groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and immigrant rights group CASA support getting rid of the jail screening programs, saying they could sow fear among immigrants that they’ll be deported if they report crimes or ask the police for help.
“People are living under a veil of terror in Maryland and the rest of the country because of the Trump administration,” said Kimberley Propeack, politics and communications director for CASA.
While some aim to end the jail programs, other Maryland counties are gearing up to join Frederick County in helping immigration authorities.
Harford County’s jail is preparing to participate in the 287(g) program this year. Anne Arundel County has applied to participate, as well.
“I want all criminals off the street, if I had my way. This is one more step to take for people who are committing crimes against our citizens,” said Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler, a Republican elected in 2014.
Gahler emphasized that the jail will only screen people who have been arrested — which means there is probable cause to believe they committed a crime.
“We are just screening those offenders who are coming into the detention center,” he said.
A bill considered in Annapolis would have barred local and state governments from using their resources to assist immigration officials, but it was watered down. The revised measure allows jail programs to continue, though officials could hold people solely for immigration reasons only if a judge has signed a warrant.
Even with that change, Gov. Larry Hogan has promised a veto if the bill reaches his desk. Not cooperating with federal authorities “is a big part of the problem” when it comes to illegal immigration, the Republican governor said Friday.
Del. Marice Morales, who introduced the legislation, argues that police and correctional officers have enough tools to protect public safety and do not need to get involved in immigration matters.
“You don’t really need 287(g) to get violent offenders off the street,” said Morales, a Montgomery County Democrat.
In Frederick County, Jenkins maintains his program has found people arrested of serious and violent crimes who were also in violation of immigration laws.
Since 2008, jail officials have investigated the immigration status of 2,228 arrestees who said they were not born in the United States or were not U.S. Citizens. Of those, 1,444 were referred to ICE for possible action, according to data provided by Jenkins.
Arrestees who are waiting for their immigration status to be checked are kept in a separate part of the jail that looks indistinguishable from the rest of the facility, save for a homemade ICE seal on the wall.
A program supervisor — employed by ICE and assigned to the jail — makes the call on whether to proceed with an immigration case.
Last year, the program identified an MS-13 gang member charged with attempted murder, two people charged with second-degree rape and others charged with distributing heroin, human trafficking and burglary, Jenkins said.
Officials said that ICE often declines to take action if the person arrested is a low priority. For example, a person who has a medical condition, is nursing a child or is victim of a crime might not be sent to immigration court. “That’s 100 percent the ICE supervisor’s call,” said Sgt. David Green, supervisor of special operations in the Frederick County jail.
In other cases, trained correctional officers quickly figure out that an arrestee is in the country legally. Green said that often happens before the arrestee has their bail review hearing on local charges.
Three times, officers have informed arrestees who thought they were here illegally that they, in fact, had legal status, Jenkins said. He emphasized that the work is done only in the jail and does not involve sheriff’s deputies who patrol in the community.
The county sheriff’s office separately is being sued by Roxana Orellana Santos, a woman from El Salvador who said she was improperly arrested on an immigration warrant while eating a sandwich outside her work in 2008.
Jenkins, a Republican elected in 2006, said his deputies on patrol do not ask people about their immigration status, and is frustrated that critics tie the Santos case to his jail program.
Jenkins has attended meetings in Annapolis to make sure the 287(g) program can continue.
“It’s good for our country,” he said. “It’s a very effective program from where I sit.”
7am – D/E – Interview – Stuart Varney – Anchor of Varney and Company at Fox Business Network
Russian banker who met with Jared Kushner has ties to Putin
(CNN)The Russian bank chairman who met with Jared Kushner in December isn’t your ordinary banker.
His state-run bank has been under US sanctions for nearly three years.
He was appointed to his job by Russian President Vladimir Putin after eight years at Russia’s biggest state-owned commercial bank.
And he graduated from the Russian academy of Federal Security Service, which trains people to work in Russia’s intelligence and security forces.
Sergey Gorkov’s meeting with Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and one of his closest advisers, will be scrutinized by congressional investigators probing links between Trump associates and the Russian government. Gorkov is chairman of VneshEconomBank, or VEB, a Russian development agency that has been under US sanctions since July 2014.
The meeting is raising questions both because of the sanctions and because Kushner spent years as a real-estate developer and was trying to attract financing for a building project of his in Manhattan.
The White House said Kushner was acting as a Trump adviser — not as a private developer — when he met with Gorkov.
Sergei Gorkov’s bank has been under US sanctions for three years.
“He was a conduit and to — to leaders and that’s until we had a State Department, a functioning place for people to go,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Monday.
VEB confirmed the meeting with Kushner in a statement to CNN, though described Kushner in his role as head of Kushner Companies, not as a representative of Trump.
“During 2016 the bank’s management repeatedly met with representatives of the world’s leading financial institutions in Europe, Asia and America … including the head of Kushner Companies, Jared Kushner,” the VEB statement said.
A spokesman for the Kremlin said Tuesday the Russian government was not aware of the meeting, calling it “absolutely the bank’s prerogative” and stressed that the discussion was one of dozens held to discuss the bank’s long-term strategy.
Senate Intelligence Committee member Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, told CNN’s “New Day” Tuesday morning that it was “interesting” that VEB “seemed to contradict” Kushner’s statement that he was acting as a campaign official when he met with the bank president.
“I’m sure that that will be an issue that we’ll try to clarify,” Collins said.
Close ties to Russian government
8am – A INTERVIEW — Eli Lake – Columnist, Bloomberg View on Nunes
Devin Nunes Explains His White House Visit
For the last few days, much of Washington has been obsessed with what Representative Devin Nunes did last Tuesday evening. That was the night before Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, made the explosive allegation that he had viewed dozens of intelligence reports obtained through government eavesdropping that inappropriately included details about the Trump transition team.
According to a Daily Beast report later over the weekend, Nunes went off the grid that night to meet a source and view dozens of intelligence reports, including accounts of meetings involving President Donald Trump’s advisers.
Then it gets weirder. CNN is now reporting that Nunes had in fact slipped off to the White House grounds last Tuesday to view the documents. And then on Wednesday, after briefing reporters on what he had found in those intelligence reports, he went back to the White House to inform the president.
On the surface, none of this looks good for Nunes, who is in charge of his committee’s bipartisan investigation into all things Trump and Russia. Why would Nunes need to brief the president on documents he viewed at a facility on White House grounds?
In an interview Monday, Nunes told me that he ended up meeting his source on the White House grounds because it was the most convenient secure location with a computer connected to the system that included the reports, which are only distributed within the executive branch. “We don’t have networked access to these kinds of reports in Congress,” Nunes said. He added that his source was not a White House staffer and was an intelligence official.
Nunes, it should be said, has a history of cultivating independent sources inside the intelligence community. He made contact, for example, with the U.S. intelligence contractors who ended up saving most of the Americans stuck in the Benghazi outpost when it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2012. More recently, Nunes has reached out to his network of whistleblowers to learn about pressure inside the military’s Central Command on analysts to write positive reports on the U.S. campaign against the Islamic State.
In this case, Nunes had been hearing for more than a month about intelligence reports that included details on the Trump transition team, and had been trying to view them himself. He told me that when he finally saw the documents last Tuesday evening, he made sure to copy down their identifying numbers so he could request access to them formally for the rest of the committee.
So let’s look at the bigger picture. Trump has claimed that what Nunes found out vindicates his tweets from more than three weeks ago accusing Barack Obama of illegally tapping his wires at Trump Tower. Nunes has repeatedly said this claim is literally false. Yet Nunes has also said the reports he viewed included information that should not have been widely distributed inside the government. In some cases, he said the names of Trump advisers caught up incidentally in the eavesdropping were not expunged from surveillance reports as those of U.S. persons should have been.
Most important, Nunes told me these reports were sent to the Obama White House among other executive branch agencies. Nunes until now had only said the reports he viewed were widely distributed inside the government. “The reports included details about the Trump transition, meetings of Trump and senior advisers, they were distributed throughout the intelligence community and to the White House,” Nunes said. “In some cases, there was additional unmasking of Trump transition team officials.”
This is suggestive, though not yet proof, that White House officials privy to the Russia investigation wanted keep tabs on Trump and his advisers in the period after the election and before his inauguration. It also fits together with other facts in this story as well. For example, on March 1, the New York Times reported that Obama White House officials sought to preserve intelligence in the final days and weeks of his presidency on Team Trump’s connections to Russia and Russia’s campaign to influence the election. Though Nunes says the reports he viewed had nothing to do with Russia.
In addition, we know that details about communications between Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, were leaked to news outlets by several current and former officials. That leak ended up forcing Flynn to resign last month.
Before getting too excited about oversharing intelligence, however, let’s remember that Nunes is the only member of his committee to actually read these documents. It’s possible that other people could have a different interpretation of what they mean or their pertinence to foreign intelligence collection, the legal standard that must be met to unmask the names of U.S. persons incidentally collected by the intelligence community.
The good news is that we will soon get a second and third opinion. Nunes told me that he expects that his committee’s members, including Democrats, will be able to read these documents themselves at secure locations outside of Congress as soon as this week.
If it turns out that intelligence about the Trump transition was included in dozens of reports that were sent to the White House, then the House Intelligence Committee really has two investigations. The first is of course a probe into how the Russian state meddled in the election and whether it did so with the aid of Trump’s associates or campaign. The second is about whether the Obama White House inappropriately spied on Trump and his advisers during the transition to power.
8am – B
NOHO SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS DUE TO HIGH WHITE STUDENT PERCENTAGE SPARKS OUTRAGE
Outrage has grown at Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, as the school faces layoffs and increased class sizes due to a law limiting funds for schools with a higher white student body.
The Los Angeles Unified School District provides more funding for schools where the white population is below 30 percent.
In a letter to parents, the district noted the highly regarded middle school had been above the percentage for the past couple years.
The racial formula was a condition imposed by court decisions dealing with desegregation in the 1970s.
MORE: School apologizes over slave auction poster assignment
Parents, however, remain frustrated with what the cuts might mean for their children.
“When your class sizes are getting larger and you’re taking resources away from students, I mean ss parents, you do want your kid to go out to college,” one parent, Rosemary Estrada, said.
In an attempt to lessen the budget cuts, the district changed the school’s spending formula to one based on the number of students.
“Thankfully we’re going to keep our librarian. We’re going to keep our nurse, but we may lose a few teachers, but not as many as we once thought,” said Sheila Edmiston, one student’s parent.
Several jobs will still be lost and class sizes could grow. For many parents, the race-based reason of “too many white students” has made the cuts more difficult to swallow.
8am – C
Delta takes a swipe at United over leggings policy
Still confused about whether leggings are appropriate attire on an airplane? Delta wants you to know it’s all right by them.
The airline took a swipe at competitor United on Monday, one day after an obscure dress code requirement at that airline caused a kerfuffle on Twitter.
“Flying Delta means comfort,” Delta (DAL) tweeted. “That means you can wear your leggings.”
The airline added a winking emoji — just in case you didn’t catch the snark.
United (UAL) found itself at the center of a controversy Sunday after a woman tweeted about seeing a United gate agent refuse to allow “girls in leggings” to board a flight from Denver to Minneapolis “because spandex is not allowed.”
United later said that the passengers were using passes through the company’s travel perk program.
Longstanding policy requires those who enjoy the perks of airline employment, which include travel passes for family and guests, to present themselves in a way that represents the airline well.
That means no form-fitting lycra or spandex pants, nor anything “excessively dirty” or “inappropriately revealing.”
8am – D – Interview – Larry Kudlow – health care fallout / office of innovation politics
Kushner to lead ‘American Innovation’ office at White House
(CNN)President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, will lead a new White House office aimed at reforming the federal government through private-sector solutions.
On Monday, Trump will announce the establishment of a White House Office of American Innovation, which will be tasked with crafting ideas to reshape the federal bureaucracy to make it leaner and more effective, a White House official confirmed to CNN.
The office will look to build on Trump’s campaign promises to apply a business mentality to the federal government, which Trump has often decried as overly burdensome.
The announcement was first reported Sunday night by The Washington Post.
A White House spokesperson confirmed the new office would be announced on Monday, but declined to provide additional details about its mission.
“All Americans, regardless of their political views, can recognize that government stagnation has hindered our ability to properly function, often creating widespread congestion and leading to cost overruns and delays,” Trump said in a statement to the Post. “I promised the American people I would produce results, and apply my ‘ahead of schedule, under budget’ mentality to the government.”
The move asserts even further Kushner’s already broad portfolio within the West Wing, where he has an influential purview over a range of both foreign and domestic policy issues.
The new office will look to churn out new ideas to reform the federal government, with Kushner proclaiming to the Post that “we should have excellence in government.”
“The government should be run like a great American company,” Kushner told the newspaper.
8am – E
Aiming for inclusion, Pittsburgh moms create Muslim fashions for dolls
On the day of the Women’s March on Washington — Jan. 21, the day after Donald Trump took office as President — Gisele Barreto Fetterman and her 5-year-old daughter, Grace, held a march of their own in their Braddock home.
A doll march.
There was a black doll, a doll in a wheelchair, a doll with glasses … Fetterman has made it a point to raise Grace and her two other children in an environment of acceptance and inclusion, so nearly everyone was represented.
“Anyone missing?” she asked her daughter as they studied the lineup of dolls.
Only then did they realize an obvious omission:
There were no Muslim dolls.
“That seemed wrong,” said Fetterman, who is married to Braddock Mayor John Fetterman. “The refugee population coming in is mostly Muslim, and they are not welcomed by everyone, which is painful to see. Of course, there are children among the refugees. But there are no dolls for them.”
So Fetterman talked to friends, including Safaa Bokhari, 30, of Oakland, a Muslim woman from Saudi Arabia who is in the United States while her husband studies at the University of Pittsburgh. Bokhari also has a 5-year-old daughter, Salma. She and Grace play together often.
Fetterman and Bokhari searched online for Muslim dolls, found none and decided to fix that.
Enter “Hello Hijab,” a small colorful piece of cloth that can be folded into hijabs for Barbie-sized dolls.
“My dream is that every school, with all the dolls they have, will have at least one,” Fetterman said as Grace and Salma played nearby with Barbies wearing hijabs. “If they play with it as children, when they become adults and see someone with a hijab they’ll be more accepting.”
The hijabs are locally made, by hand, the first batch by Rankin resident Cindy McCune. Future production will be completed by Muslim seamstresses in Pittsburgh who will be paid $15 an hour.
The hijab will cost around $6 and be available April 1.
Hello Hijab is one of many altruistic efforts Fetterman is involved in, all of which will be found at the recently launched website www.forgoodpgh.org. Fetterman runs the site with Kristen Michaels, 34, of Edgewood; they met when Michaels visited Fetterman’s Free Store in Braddock — in which goods donated by individuals and businesses are given to those in need — and decided to launch one in Wilkinsburg.
All proceeds from Hello Hijab will go to the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, ACLU and Community Blueprint Pittsburgh.
Mattel, the toy company that makes Barbie, did not respond to an email asking whether the company has ever produced or has plans to produce a Muslim doll.
Though Hello Hijab did not go public until Monday, word has already spread. Fetterman said she received two donated adult hijabs, to be cut up and turned into doll-sized hijabs, from an anonymous donor.
“She heard about the project through a friend at a birthday party,” Fetterman said. “It made my heart explode.”
The project is particularly important now, Fetterman said, because of what she and others see as a growing sense of animosity toward immigrants.
Plus, it enforces her belief in finding value in the devalued.
Originally from Brazil, Fetterman’s mother decided in 1990 that she wanted to raise her kids in a safer environment. She told her children to pack their favorite belongings into a single suitcase, then flew them to New York. Her mom cleaned houses and checks coats at a night club to support her family. Fetterman and her brother chipped in by rolling newspapers. The family furnished their tiny apartment by salvaging “garbage” left out by neighbors on bulk garbage day.
“I want my children to know that the whole world is different,” she said. “I’m sure many people will be offended by this, but why can’t we all love each other and accept each other?”
Michaels and Bokhari are prepared for pushback.
And they vowed not to look at the reader comments following this story.
“It’s just noise,” Michaels said.
“Haters gonna hate,” Bokhari said.
“I think there will always be people who find the negative, but we choose to find the positive in all things and that includes all people from all parts of the world,” Fetterman said. “My 5-year-old will say, ‘Why can’t they all move here? It’s more people for me to play with!’ I feel the exact same way.”
Nearby, Grace and Salma played with dolls.
“Would you like some juice?” said Grace, speaking for her Barbie. “Yes? Ok, I’ll get you some strawberry juice.”
“Thank you,” Salma replied through her Barbie.
“Here you go!” Grace said, and the dolls sat down together in the doll house.
It was a scene played out in little girls’ rooms around the globe.
Only in this room, the Barbies wore hijabs.
