Joe diGenova, AB Stoddard, Corey Lewandowski and Rep. Scott Taylor joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 22, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C   SCHUMER SHUTDOWN:

• THE WHITE HOUSE / Office of the Press Secretary / Statement by the Press Secretary. “Senate Democrats own the Schumer Shutdown. Tonight, they put politics above our national security, military families, vulnerable children, and our country’s ability to serve all Americans. We will not negotiate the status of unlawful immigrants while Democrats hold our lawful citizens hostage over their reckless demands. This is the behavior of obstructionist losers, not legislators. When Democrats start paying our armed forces and first responders we will reopen negotiations on immigration reform. During this politically manufactured Schumer Shutdown, the President and his Administration will fight for and protect the American people.”
• The government shutdown will continue into Monday. Senators inched toward a compromise on Sunday but failed to reach a deal. The government shutdown will enter its third day. Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, delayed a procedural vote on a stopgap spending bill until noon on Monday, as a bipartisan group of senators appeared to be inching toward a compromise. “We have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward that is acceptable to both sides,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he would be willing to debate immigration legislation if an agreement were not otherwise reached by early February.
• White House: Dems Throwing ‘Two-Year-Old Temper Tantrum’ With Shutdown
• House Republicans Open To 3 Week CR, Say DACA Negotiations Will Resume After Shutdown. As congressional leaders continue to struggle to strike a spending deal that can pass both chambers, House Republicans said Saturday they are open to a three-week stopgap spending bill that will help bring enough Senate Democrats on board to pass a continuing resolution (CR) and reopen the government. The House-passed four-week CR — which included a six year funding extension for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and delayed a number of the Obamacare taxes — failed on the Senate floor late Friday evening in a procedural vote. Democrats managed to block the measure from obtaining the 60 votes needed to send the bill to the president’s desk, arguing they would not vote for a spending bill until an immigration deal is reached that includes a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — the Obama-era initiative that extended temporary legal status to foreign nationals who illegally entered the country as minors. Top lawmakers in the upper chamber are weighing a three-week extension, with Democrats pushing for a shorter timeframe to complete negotiations on spending caps and DACA.
• NUCLEAR OPTION? Trump urges Senate Republicans to go nuclear to pass a budget if shutdown continues. TWEET: Donald J. Trump‏ @realDonaldTrump: Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our Military and Safety at the Border. The Dems just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51% (Nuclear Option) and vote on real, long term budget, no C.R.’s!    7:35 AM – 21 Jan 2018
• McConnell breaks with Trump: GOP opposes using “nuclear option” in budget debate. (The Hill) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Sunday expressed opposition to using the “nuclear option” to allow the Senate to pass a long-term budget with 51 votes.“The Republican Conference opposes changing the rules on legislation,” a spokesman for McConnell said.  President Trump earlier Sunday suggested Republicans should deploy the tactic if the Senate is unable to come to an agreement to fund the government.

5am – D         FBI / HILLARY NEWS:

FBI TEXT MESSAGES:

• FBI ‘failed to preserve’ five months of text messages between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. From Dec. 14, 2016 to May 17, 2017, the day that Mueller was picked as special counsel.
• Chuck Ross‏ @ChuckRossDC: This seems beyond an expression of a personal negative opinion about Trump. Suggests alarm at Trump’s surge. Raises questions about what other steps were taken to derail him.
• Congress seeks answers after FBI claims texts missing in Trump-Russia probe  by @byronyork // Investigators in both House and Senate were stunned late Friday when, receiving a batch of newly-released texts between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, they also received notice from the bureau that the FBI “failed to preserve” Strzok-Page messages from December 14, 2016 through May 17, 2017. Given the amount of texting that went on between Strzok and Page, who were having an extramarital affair, that probably meant thousands of missing documents.

HILLARY

• Newly released Clinton emails reveal ‘new smoking gun’ — and more classified information. Judicial Watch, a conservative government watchdog group, released another batch of emails from Hillary Clinton’s private email server on Friday and said a “new smoking gun” was revealed in the emails. The group received another round of emails from the State Department on Friday, which is releasing the emails on an ongoing basis as part of the group’s Freedom of Information Act request. The 78 new pages of emails released revealed that Clinton knew of the potential security risks that came with using a personal, unsecured server. The emails also contained three more messages with classified information. According to Judicial Watch, the emails also appear to be among those that Clinton’s staff tried to purposely hide or delete.
• REPORT: Loretta Lynch Knew In Advance That Comey Would Let Hillary Off The Hook. Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch knew well in advance of FBI Director James Comey’s 2016 press conference that he would recommend against charging Hillary Clinton, according to information turned over to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Friday. The revelation was included in 384 pages of text messages exchanged between FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, and it significantly diminishes the credibility of Lynch’s earlier commitment to accept Comey’s recommendation — a commitment she made under the pretense that the two were not coordinating with each other.
• Newly Released Text Messages Suggest Mueller Team Members Knew Hillary Wouldn’t Be Charged In Email Scandal  — Newly released texts between ex-Mueller team members suggest they knew outcome of Clinton email probe in advance. The Justice Department has given various congressional committees nearly 400 pages of additional text messages between two FBI officials who were removed from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

5am – E         RELEASE THE MEMO:

• Donald Trump Jr.‏ @DonaldJTrumpJr: The reality is that if the memo were damaging to the republicans the democrats would have leaked it by now. Why the double standard? #releasethememo 11:55 AM – 19 Jan 2018
• The FBI says Rep. Devin Nunes won’t show them the memo alleging agency abuses.  #ReleaseTheMemo // The FBI has yet to see a controversial memo alleging the intelligence community engaged in grave abuses. And that could make friction between the Hill and the bureau even worse.The FBI has not been permitted to see the memo Rep. Devin Nunes and his staff wrote about alleged abuses by the intelligence community, The Daily Beast has learned. “The FBI has requested to receive a copy of the memo in order to evaluate the information and take appropriate steps if necessary. To date, the request has been declined,” said Andrew Ames, a spokesperson for the FBI. Reached for comment, Nunes’ spokesperson Jack Langer said, “The Daily Beast has become America’s foremost publication for regurgitating the Democrats’ talking points.” Nunes, who heads the powerful House intelligence community, put together the four-page memo based on intelligence the FBI showed him and a few of his staff, as well as Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee. More than 150 members of the House have seen Nunes’ memo. Scores are calling for its release, while Democrats say it is “a misleading set of talking points attacking the FBI.” The fact that Republicans refuse to show the memo to FBI, which characterizes the intelligence they shared with Nunes, has Democrats concerned
• GOP congressman reveals House Intel Committee will release top secret FISA memo to public. The secret memo detailing alleged government surveillance abuses will be released to the public soon, according to a House Republican. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) said Saturday the House Intelligence Committee “plans to begin” the release process very soon, if not immediately. The process, he said, might take up to 19 congressional working days. According to the House’s 2018 calendar, that means the earliest the document could be released is sometime in mid-March. Source confirmed to the Washington Examiner that a meeting has taken place to discuss the memo’s potential public release.

6am – A/B/C The government shutdown will continue into Monday. Senators inched toward a compromise on Sunday but failed to reach a deal. The government shutdown will enter its third day. Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, delayed a procedural vote on a stopgap spending bill until noon on Monday, as a bipartisan group of senators appeared to be inching toward a compromise. “We have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward that is acceptable to both sides,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced that he would be willing to debate immigration legislation if an agreement were not otherwise reached by early February.

6am – D/E     DC Women’s March brings protesters to National Mall. Washington (CNN) The National Mall was filled with more than its usual crowd of tourists and joggers Saturday morning as protesters descended on the space in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the one-year anniversary of the Women’s March.

• Celebrities join women’s marches across the country.
  • Actress SCARLETT JOHANSSON speaks at the Women’s March in LOS ANGELES: “Gender equality can’t just exist outside ourselves — it must exist within. We must take responsibility not just for our actions, but for ourselves…”
  • Scarlett Johansson calls out JAMES FRANCO in Women’s March speech: ‘I want my pin back”How could a person publicly stand by an organization that helps to provide support for victims of sexual assault while privately preying on people who have no power?’
  • Natalie Portman said experiencing “sexual terrorism” at the age of 13 made her feel the need to cover her body and inhibit expression while addressing thousands in LA gathered for the Women’s March
  • At LA rally, producer and director ROB REINER Blasts Trump at Women’s March: ‘We Have a Racist in the White House!’
  • Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards urges white women to “do better” in fight for equality at the Women’s March rally in Las Vegas: “It is not up to women of color to save this country from itself. That’s on all of us.”

6am – F         SUPER BOWL NEWS:

• Patriots headed to third Super Bowl in four years after late rally.  The New England Patriots did it again. On Sunday, the Patriots beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20, to advance to the Super Bowl, completing a 10-point fourth-quarter comeback to crush the Jaguars.
• Patriots author another incredible comeback to crush the Jaguars and return to the Super Bowl The New England Patriots beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 24-20, on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl.
• The Patriots trailed 20-10 in the fourth quarter before completing yet another incredible comeback.    While Tom Brady and Danny Amendola were crucial to the comeback, the defense was vital in shutting down Jacksonville’s offense in the fourth quarter.
• Trump may snub NBC’s Super Bowl interview: Report. President Trump may snub a Super Bowl ritual next month. The White House has indicated to NBC, the network broadcasting the game, that Trump will not take part in a pre-game interview, Variety reported Friday. Trump was interviewed last year by former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly ahead of the game. CBS News host Gayle King interviewed former President Barack Obama in 2016. The possible snub would bookend Trump’s repeated criticism of the NFL, as players continued to take a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality. Trump has also been at odds with NBC, at one point suggesting that network’s broadcast license should be revoked over “fake news.” The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 4 in Minneapolis, Minn.

7am – A/B/C             INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia — discussed #ReleaseTheMemo, Comey, new FBI text messages report latest on Hillary emails, and Menendez trial.

• COMEY: James Comey to teach course on “ethical leadership” at his alma mater. (washington Examiner) — Former FBI Director James Comey will teach a course on ethical leadership for the College of William & Mary. Comey graduated from the public university in Williamsburg, Va., in 1982 with a double major in chemistry and religion.
• RELEASE THE MEMO: GOP congressman reveals House Intel Committee will release top secret FISA memo to public
• FBI TEXT MESSAGES: FBI ‘failed to preserve’ five months of text messages between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. From Dec. 14, 2016 to May 17, 2017, the day that Mueller was picked as special counsel. Congress seeks answers after FBI claims texts missing in Trump-Russia
• HILLARY: Newly released Clinton emails reveal ‘new smoking gun’ — and more classified information. Judicial Watch, a conservative government watchdog group, released another batch of emails from Hillary Clinton’s private email server on Friday and said a “new smoking gun” was revealed in the emails. The group received another round of emails from the State Department on Friday, which is releasing the emails on an ongoing basis as part of the group’s Freedom of Information Act request. The 78 new pages of emails released revealed that Clinton knew of the potential security risks that came with using a personal, unsecured server. The emails also contained three more messages with classified information. According to Judicial Watch, the emails also appear to be among those that Clinton’s staff tried to purposely hide or delete.
• REPORT: Loretta Lynch Knew In Advance That Comey Would Let Hillary Off The Hook. Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch knew well in advance of FBI Director James Comey’s 2016 press conference that he would recommend against charging Hillary Clinton, according to information turned over to the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Friday.
• Newly Released Text Messages Suggest Mueller Team Members Knew Hillary Wouldn’t Be Charged In Email Scandal
• MENENDEZ: Justice Dept. will retry Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.). The bribery case against him ended in a mistrial in November.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – A.B. STODDARD – Associate Editor and columnist at RealClearPolitics — discussed the Schumer Shutdown.

7am – E         STORMY DANIELS:

• Stormy Daniels kicks off ‘Making America Horny Again’ tour with racy rendition of Love Shack to celebrate Trump’s year in office. Porn star Stormy, 38, performs raunchy strip show at South Carolina club where flyers read: ‘He saw her live, you can too!’
• Porn star: Trump really hates sharks and wants them all to die. (NY Post) — President Trump is “terrified” of sharks and hopes the entire species of fish “dies,” according to porn star Stormy Daniels.  In detailing her alleged 2006 sex affair with the future president to In Touch magazine in a 2011 bombshell interview — which was published in full Friday — Daniels commented on Trump’s fear of the sea creatures. The porn star told the mag that after she and Trump did the deed following a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada, she met him at the Beverly Hills Hotel the next summer for dinner and Trump was watching “Shark Week” on TV. “We had dinner once again in his room. I had swordfish that time. Once again, no alcohol,” Daniels told the outlet, adding that “the strangest thing about that night — this was the best thing ever.” “You could see the television from the little dining room table and he was watching ‘Shark Week’ and he was watching a special about the U.S.S. something and it sank and it was like the worst shark attack in history,” she said, according to the interview. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, added: “He is obsessed with sharks. Terrified of sharks.” “He was like, ‘I donate to all these charities and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die,’” Daniels claimed. “He was like riveted. He was like obsessed. It’s so strange, I know.” Oddly enough, Trump tweeted in 2013 how he isn’t a “fan of sharks.” “Sorry folks, I’m just not a fan of sharks – and don’t worry, they will be around long after we are gone,” the July 2013 tweet read. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Trump’s lawyer paid Daniels $130,000 weeks before the presidential election to keep quiet about the 2006 affair. Both Daniels and Trump have denied the tryst.
• Discovery Channel defends sharks after reports that Trump wants them all to die. The Discovery Channel, the network behind “Shark Week,” wants President Trump to know sharks are “critical” to the ecosystem. Trump, according to a second-hand report this week, once said that he wants all sharks to die. “Shark Week celebrates the wonder of these majestic creatures and their critical importance to the ecosystem,” a Discovery Channel spokesperson told Mashable in response. “Their safety and conservation is the most important message conveyed throughout the week.”

8am – A         INTERVIEW – COREY LEWANDOWSKI – senior advisor for America First Action, former campaign manager of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and co-author of the new book “Let Trump Be Trump”

• SCHUMER SHUTDOWN: Corey Lewandowski: ‘Schumer Shutdown’ Puts Illegal Aliens Ahead of Americans Who ‘Serve Our Country’ //  (Breitbart) — Now that Schumer and the Democrats shot down the spending bill, the government shut down. Republicans blamed Schumer for the shutdown, calling it the “Schumer Shutdown.”
• RUSSIA PROBE:
  • LAST WEEK: Lewandowski rebuffs House committee’s questions in Russia probe.  WASHINGTON — A top Trump administration official answered a full range of questions from House investigators Wednesday, just one day after former White House strategist Steve Bannon told them he was under instructions from the West Wing to remain silent, sparking new negotiations between Congress and the White House that could lead President Trump to formally invoke executive privilege for the first time in the Russia probe. Though lawmakers described White House deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn as fully cooperative with the House Intelligence Committee during more than four hours of questioning, the same could not be said of the day’s second witness, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, told reporters that it was “completely unacceptable” that Lewandowski refused to address questions both about events during the Trump campaign and his conversations with the president since, even whether he personally discussed his impending testimony with Trump in the last 24 hours.
  • CNN Reporter: Russia Is ‘All We Talk About At CNN,’ But Voters ‘Don’t Care’  (Daily Caller) — A CNN reporter admitted on Sunday that her network’s obsession with Russia is out of touch with most of the American public. “I’m so interested to see how the Russia investigation affects things, because so far, out in these districts when you talk to people about Russia, and that’s all we talk about at CNN basically, they say they don’t care,” Maeve Reston, a national politics reporter at CNN, said on “Inside Politics.” “It doesn’t have any effect on their lives.” CNN, along with MSNBC, have focused heavily on the Russia investigations being conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and three congressional committees.
• RELEASE THE MEMO: – GOP congressman reveals House Intel Committee will release top secret FISA memo to public. The secret memo detailing alleged government surveillance abuses will be released to the public soon, according to a House Republican. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) said Saturday the House Intelligence Committee “plans to begin” the release process very soon, if not immediately. The process, he said, might take up to 19 congressional working days. According to the House’s 2018 calendar, that means the earliest the document could be released is sometime in mid-March. Source confirmed to the Washington Examiner that a meeting has taken place to discuss the memo’s potential public release.

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – Congressman SCOTT TAYLOR – (R-VA, Virginia Beach) – a former American Navy SEAL and the United States Representative for Virginia’s 2nd congressional district – discussed the Schumer shutdown and the memo.

8am – D         Celebrities join women’s marches across the country.

8am – E         UVA Tells Students to Call 911 if They See Offensive Flyers on Campus. (Daily Caller) — The University of Virginia instructed students Friday to call 911 if they see “offensive flyers.” The school told students that it was aware of an initiative to distribute “offensive flyers and memes” on campus Saturday and Sunday, according to an email obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. “The reports indicate that the organizations are specifically interested in buildings and centers for under-represented groups, particularly Women’s Studies,” said Patrick D. Hogan, chief operating officer and executive vice president at the University of Virginia in the email. “If you witness individuals engaged in suspicious activity, including posting offensive flyers or other material in violation of the University’s Policy on Exterior Posting and Chalking, please call 911,” instructed Hogan. “The University Police Department and the Ambassadors … will be maintaining an enhanced security environment across Grounds this weekend.” TheDCNF reached out to UVA for comment regarding the exact nature of the reports and why students should call 911 if they see “offensive flyers,” but received no comment in time for press.