Joe diGenova, Larry Michael and Ronna Romney McDaniel joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, October 23, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer Heather Hunter

5am – A/B     MEDIA’S HOSTILITY TOWARD TRUMP:

• Sarah Sanders: Never Before Seen ‘Hostility’ That Trump WH Gets from the Press. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders slammed the “hostility” of the press during an interview on Fox News Sunday today. Huckabee Sanders sat down for an interview with former White House press secretary and Fox News host Dana Perino, and their discussion focused a lot around Huckabee Sanders’ background and dealing with the job of press secretary on a day-to-day basis.
• Jimmy Carter: ‘Media Have Been Harder on Trump’ More than Other Presidents. Former President Jimmy Carter dished on President Trump in an interview where he said that the media have been a little rough with Trump compared with past presidents. “I think the media have been harder on Trump than any other president certainly that I’ve known about,” Carter said in an interview with the New York Times’ Maureen Dowd. “I think they feel free to claim that Trump is mentally deranged and everything else without hesitation.” Carter also came to Trump’s defense several other times during the interview, arguing that his aggressive style is not setting back U.S. relations with the world.
• Trump takes credit for discrediting media: “It is finally sinking through.” President Trump early Sunday said media organizations have “lost cred,” pointing to a recent poll that found almost half of voters think the media make up stories about him. “It is finally sinking through. 46% OF PEOPLE BELIEVE MAJOR NATIONAL NEWS ORGS FABRICATE STORIES ABOUT ME. FAKE NEWS, even worse!” Trump tweeted. “Lost cred.”

5am – C         Police investigate after 65 pounds of weed included with Orlando couple’s Amazon order. (WFTV) — ORLANDO, Fla. – Some Amazon customers in Orlando got a surprise when they opened the package that arrived on their doorstep. They ordered plastic storage bins, but the bins came with 65 pounds of marijuana.  “We love Amazon and do a lot of shopping on Amazon,” said the customer, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons.  When she and her fiancé needed to put some things in storage, they placed an order for 27 gallon storage totes. But when the packages arrived, they knew something didn’t feel right. “They were extremely heavy, heavier than you would think from ordering four empty bins,” she said. The marijuana was in boxes inside the totes and as soon as they opened the boxes, they were hit with a strong odor. “When the first officer got here, she was in disbelief,” the customer said.

5am – D/E     Republicans Consider Sharp Cut in 401(k) Contribution Limits. Wall Street pushed back hard on Friday against a report that congressional Republicans are weighing a plan to severely limit the amount of money Americans can contribute to their 401(k)s. The Capitol Hill lawmakers, searching for ways to pay for President Trump’s broad proposed tax cuts, are eyeing a $2,400 cap on pre-tax contributions to 401(k) plans, used by millions of US workers to save for retirement. Currently, the pre-tax limit for such contributions is $18,000 a year. Contributions to 401(k)s are tax-deferred, which means that the government won’t be able to get its cut until retirees start withdrawing money from those accounts — which they must do by age 70¹/₂. As the number of US workers covered by pension plans shrinks, 401(k) plans are becoming more widely used — and necessary.

6am – A         MUELLER NEWS:

• PJ MEDIA: Uranium One Means Mueller Must Recuse Himself from Russia Probe
• NY POST: Team Obama’s stunning cover-up of Russian crimes
• Jimmy Carter: The Russians didn’t steal the election from Hillary Clinton
• THE HILL: FBI discovered Russian spies attempting to get close to Clinton while she was secretary of state
• NBC NEWS: Mueller Now Investigating Democratic Lobbyist Tony Podesta. WASHINGTON — Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group are now the subjects of a federal investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, three sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

6am – B         BERGDAHL NEWS:

• Bowe Bergdahl, the Army deserter who walked off his base in Afghanistan, is whining that the US treated him worse than the Taliban. Bowe Bergdahl, the Army deserter who walked off his base in Afghanistan, is whining that the US treated him worse than the Taliban. The 31-year-old sergeant told British TV journalist Sean Langan in an interview reported in The Sunday Times of London: “At least the Taliban were honest enough to say, ‘I’m the guy who’s gonna cut your throat.’ ” That got him less upset than the “administrative duties” the Army assigned him while awaiting trial, he said. “Here, it could be the guy I pass in the corridor who’s going to sign the paper that sends me away for life,’’ he said. “We may as well go back to kangaroo courts and lynch mobs.”
• Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s sentencing hearing to begin Monday. (CNN) Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl spent five years held captive by the Taliban. And depending on the outcome of his sentencing hearing this week, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Bergdahl, 31, pleaded guilty last week to misbehavior before the enemy and desertion. His sentencing hearing begins Monday.

6am – C         “Puppy dog eyes” may not be meant to be manipulative, but are simply a reaction to human expression. (Axios) — “Puppy dog eyes” — the pleading look a dog gives by lifting its inner brow and widening its eyes — has become synonymous with a sad pup hoping for a scrap of food off its owner’s plate. However a new study published Thursday in Scientific Reports suggests “puppy dog eyes” may not be meant to be manipulative, but are simply a reaction to human expression. Key findings: The study, conducted by researchers in Britain who closely monitored dogs’ facial expressions, found that dogs were much more expressive when a person was paying attention to them as opposed to when they were turned away. The presence of food didn’t make a difference in the dogs’ reactions. Why it matters: “This study is the first to show evidence that dogs adjust their facial expressions when humans are looking at them,” Angie Johnston, a graduate student at Yale university working in the Psychology Department’s Canine Cognition Center, told Axios. “This suggests that the methods dogs use to communicate with us may be more nuanced than we previously thought.”

6am – D/E/F  TRUMP RELEASING JFK ASSASSINATION PAPERS. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he doesn’t plan to block the scheduled release of thousands of never publicly seen government documents related to President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. “Subject to the receipt of further information,” he wrote in a Saturday morning tweet, “I will be allowing, as President, the long blocked and classified JFK FILES to be opened.” The National Archives has until Thursday to disclose the remaining files related to Kennedy’s 1963 assassination. The trove is expected to include more than 3,000 documents that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been previously released but with redactions. Congress mandated in 1992 that all assassination documents be released within 25 years, but Trump has the power to block them on the grounds that making them public would harm intelligence or military operations, law enforcement or foreign relations.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

• PJ MEDIA: Uranium One Means Mueller Must Recuse Himself from Russia Probe
• NY POST: Team Obama’s stunning cover-up of Russian crimes
• Jimmy Carter: The Russians didn’t steal the election from Hillary Clinton
• THE HILL: FBI discovered Russian spies attempting to get close to Clinton while she was secretary of state
• NBC NEWS: Mueller Now Investigating Democratic Lobbyist Tony Podesta. WASHINGTON — Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group are now the subjects of a federal investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, three sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

7am – B         ‘I deserved it’: ESPN’s Jemele Hill says her suspension was justified as she prepares to return to SportsCenter -but she will ‘never take back’ calling Trump a white supremacist. (Daily Mail) — Sportscaster Jemele Hill has spoken out, saying she deserved her suspension from ESPN for her controversial tweets but saying she stands by her remarks. SportsCenter co-host Hill, who will return from her two-week suspension on Monday, offered her reflections in an impromptu interview with TMZ Sports at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday. ‘Here’s the reality, ESPN acted what they felt was right, and I don’t have any argument or quibble with that,’ said Hill.  Hill drew a warning from the network last month after calling President Donald Trump a ‘white supremacist’ and was suspended from the air after calling for an NFL advertiser boycott after some team owners demanded players stand for the national anthem. ‘I would tell people, absolutely, after my Donald Trump tweets, I deserved that suspension. I deserved it. Like, absolutely. I violated the policy,’ said Hill. The sports commentator said she stood by her controversial remarks, however. ‘The only thing I ever apologized of is I put ESPN in a bad spot. I’ll never take back what I said,’ she added. ‘You can take that to mean what it means.’

7am – C         Maxine Waters Jokes That She Wants To ‘Take Trump Out’ (Daily Caller) – A video recently surfaced of California Rep. Maxine Waters joking about “taking [President Donald Trump] out.” Waters, speaking at a gala for the “Ali Forney Center,” said, “Wow, what a moving evening this is. I’m sitting here listening, watching, absorbing, thinking about Ali even though I never met him. And with this kind of inspiration, I will go and take Trump out tonight.” She reportedly made these comments on October 13, and video has only surfaced online now. Waters has made a name for herself since Trump’s election by being outspoken about him and his presidency, and she’s repeatedly pushed for his impeachment.

7am – D         TAX REFORM NEWS:

• Ivanka hits the road to sell tax reform, child tax credit. Ivanka Trump heads to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, on Monday to talk tax reform, according to a senior administration official. She’ll appear at a White House tax reform town hall, alongside U.S. Treasurer Jovita Carranza, and former New York Rep. Nan Hayworth will moderate the event.
• Trump budget chief: We want to have tax reform bill passed by December. White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney said Sunday it is “absolutely” realistic to have a tax-reform bill on President Trump’s desk by December. He was pressed on whether he believes it is realistic for the president to have a bill by December. “I absolutely do,” Mulvaney said.
• Republicans Ready to Move on a Tax Plan Few Have Seen. WASHINGTON — Almost no one on or off Capitol Hill has seen the tax overhaul bill that Republicans are drafting behind closed doors. Congressional staff members have not settled on many key details. Yet party leaders are preparing to move ahead on a timeline even more aggressive than their unsuccessful attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The swift pace to complete, release and quickly vote on a tax cut is aimed at leaving little time for the type of dissent that has scuttled previous tax proposals.  Senators approved a budget resolution for the 2018 fiscal year on Thursday night, setting up a rapid series of hearings and votes with the aim of getting a bill to President Trump by Christmas.
• Trump, in phone call to House GOP: Pass budget bill so we can get tax reform. (Politico) — President Donald Trump had a tough message for House Republicans on Sunday: Get to work on tax reform and pass the Senate budget immediately — or face a bloodbath in 2018. Trump sought on an afternoon conference call with the House Republican Conference to urge reluctant conservatives to move forward a budget plan they despise, according to three people on the call.
• Mulvaney: GOP House to adopt Senate budget plan, speed tax reform nearly two weeks. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said Sunday he expects the House to adopt the Senate’s recently passed budget plan — a significant and timesaving effort toward fulfilling President Donald Trump’s mandate for the GOP-led Congress to pass tax reform legislation by as early as Thanksgiving.     …suggests SALT deductions may be on the way out — it’s ‘fair’
• Republicans Consider Sharp Cut in 401(k) Contribution Limits. Wall Street pushed back hard on Friday against a report that congressional Republicans are weighing a plan to severely limit the amount of money Americans can contribute to their 401(k)s. The Capitol Hill lawmakers, searching for ways to pay for President Trump’s broad proposed tax cuts, are eyeing a $2,400 cap on pre-tax contributions to 401(k) plans, used by millions of US workers to save for retirement. Currently, the pre-tax limit for such contributions is $18,000 a year. Contributions to 401(k)s are tax-deferred, which means that the government won’t be able to get its cut until retirees start withdrawing money from those accounts — which they must do by age 70¹/₂. As the number of US workers covered by pension plans shrinks, 401(k) plans are becoming more widely used — and necessary.

7am – E         INTERVIEW – LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of The Redskins

• PREVIEW: Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles / today, 8:30 PM on ESPN, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• PREVIEW: Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles: PHILADELPHIA — For the second week in a row the Eagles will be taking center stage for the entire NFL to see, as they are just hours away from taking on the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday Night Football.  As is the case with almost division games, this contest is a big one. Even though the Eagles are 5-1, a loss to the 3-2 Redskins would tie the two in the loss column. A win, however, would move the Eagles to 6-1 and 3-0 in the NFC East — a commanding grip on a division very few picked them to win.

8am – A         GOLD STAR NEWS:

• Gold Star father Khizr Khan says John Kelly shouldn’t have rushed to Trump’s defense. Gold Star father Khizr Khan took issue Sunday with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, saying Kelly and President Trump disrespected military servicemen and women with their comments over the past week. Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” to publicize his memoir entitled, “An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice,” Khan said Kelly “indulged in defending behavior of the president and made the situation even worse.” He criticized Kelly for standing by President Donald Trump, who engaged in a very public feud on TV and Twitter last week over Gold Star families.
• Sgt. La David Johnson’s Wife Myeshia Johnson Speaks Out on GMA THIS MORNING
• Trump: Rep. Frederica Wilson’s Statement Was ‘Sickening’ [VIDEO] President Trump said Sunday that Rep. Frederica Wilson’s statement about him allegedly disrespecting a Gold Star widow was “sickening.” Trump, in an interview with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, said, “[Gen. John Kelly] doesn’t need this job, in fact he didn’t even really want this job.” He added, “[Kelly] is a man that felt it would be important for the country. He does it for the country. He‘s not doing it for what he wants. He does it for the country–a very unusual man. So when she made that statement, I thought it was sickening actually.”
• Trump slams ‘wacky’ Rep. Wilson, says she’s ‘disaster for the Dems’
• Rep. Frederica Wilson: John Kelly ‘Was a Puppet of the President,’ He Should Apologize. Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said this morning that Gen. John Kelly owes her an apology for his “character assassination” last week. Wilson spoke with MSNBC’s Joy Reid one day after Sgt. La David Johnson‘s funeral. The congresswoman’s comments about what President Trump said to Myeshia Johnson set off a serious back-and-forth between the Florida Democrat and the White House, especially when Kelly weighed in. Video has surfaced debunking one of Kelly’s claims about Wilson.

8am – B/C     HILLARY NEWS:

• Jimmy Carter: The Russians didn’t steal the election from Hillary Clinton – Hillary Clinton admits she tried to skip Trump’s inauguration
• FBI discovered Russian spies attempting to get close to Clinton while she was secretary of state
• Hillary Clinton responds to Book TV question about uranium and Sean Hannity. Clinton mentions Fox News

8am – D         INTERVIEW – RONNA ROMNEY MCDANIEL – chairwoman of the Republican National Committee

• TOPICS: VA gubernatorial, latest on budget/tax reform and GOP fundraising.
• RNC FUNDRAISING: NOTE FROM RNC: The RNC also had another great month of fundraising—small donor numbers are very high.
• POLITICO: Close Virginia governor polls set Democratic nerves on edge.  Democrat Ralph Northam is leading most polls of the Virginia governor’s race. He has millions more to spend in the closing weeks of the race than Ed Gillespie, the Republican nominee. And he’s aired more television ads than Gillespie over the last month.

8am – E         HALLOWEEN NEWS:

• At a dentist office in New Jersey, kids can trade their bags of Halloween candy for $5—and, of course, a toothbrush
• Prince George’s County haunted house ranked top in Maryland. 
• Colleges Gear Up For Halloween With Warnings And ‘Cultural Appropriation’ Workshops