Joe diGenova, Tom Bevan, General Jack Keane, and Judith Regan joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, March 12, 2018

Host: Vince Coglianese

Guest Host: Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer

5am – A/B/C BABY STEPS IN STOPPING SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: The White House announced a series of recommendations Sunday night meant to stop school shootings, including a full audit and review of the FBI tip line after warnings about a student who killed 17 people at a Florida high school last month were not acted upon … But the administration did not call for immediately increasing the minimum age for buying long guns to 21, as President Trump had previously advocated. It announced that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos would chair a federal commission on school safety to study the proposal. DeVos said in a statement that the commission would look at a “wide range” of ideas in order to ensure that “no student or family should ever have to live the horror of Parkland or Sandy Hook ever again.”

• NRA files lawsuit saying Florida gun bill approved by Gov. Scott violates 2nd Amendment
• National School Walkout planned by students worldwide on March 14

5am – D         NORTH KOREA NEWS: KIM SEEKS PEACE?: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hopes to sign a peace deal after the upcoming meeting with President Trump, which is tentatively set for May, Bloomberg reported, citing a South Korea report … Dong-A Ilbo, South Korea’s national newspaper, spoke to an unidentified senior official from President Moon Jae-in’s office, who said Kim will likely raise the possibility of the peace treaty. The report said Kim is also likely to voice his desire to establish diplomatic relations with the U.S. and consider nuclear disarmament, the report said. The regime wants a peace treaty to end the more than 60-year-old ceasefire between the two sides and to safeguard its sovereignty, Koh Yu-hwan, who teaches North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, told the outlet. CIA chief Pompeo says no concessions to Kim before talks. Trump on North Korea, from ‘Rocket Man’ to ‘fire and fury’. Sunday Morning Futures: House Majority Leader McCarthy: ‘Greater risks’ in not having talks with Kim. Harry Kazianis: Why a nuke-free North Korea is China’s worst nightmare

5am – E         Republican Jewish Coalition demands resignation of Democratic leaders with ties to Farrakhan (Fox News) — Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has answered those who denounced as anti-Semitic his recent “Jews are my enemy” quote with another broadside, this time tweeting a video clip where he says “The Jews have control over those areas of government” – in referring to the FBI. The clip featuring the latest remark was posted to Farrakhan’s official Twitter account on March 7, well after the controversy erupted over the remarks made earlier, at a Chicago event on Feb. 25. Those comments brought new attention to Farrakhan’s links with seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as to Women’s March co-president Tamika Mallory, who attended the Farrakhan event, and posted a photo of herself with him on her Instagram feed after the speech. The controversy sparked calls by many Republicans for Democrats to vigorously denounce Farrakhan’s remarks. Others who quickly condemned Farrakhan’s remarks also asked pointed questions on why much of the media was either slow to report the story, or have chosen to ignore it entirely.

6am – A/B/C President Trump holds a rally in Pennsylvania in support of Congressional candidate Rick Saccone

6am – D/E     Elizabeth Warren Refuses To Take DNA Test, Claims She’s Not Running For President In 2020 (American Lookout) — Elizabeth Warren appeared on Meet the Press this weekend and was actually grilled by Chuck Todd. She refused when asked if she would take a DNA test to prove she is Native American. She also said she isn’t running for president but wouldn’t answer when asked if she would serve a full term if reelected to the Senate. The New York Post reports: Elizabeth Warren refuses DNA test to prove Native American heritage. The Massachusetts Democrat has been under increased pressure to provide evidence of ​her ​Native American roots, with President Trump repeatedly mocking her as “Pocahontas” as recently as Saturday.

6am – F         Costco is selling a $6,000 doomsday meal kit (Fox News) — If you’ve ever fretted about what to snack on during an apocalypse, Costco has got you covered. The wholesale superstore has rolled out a $6,000 food kit featuring 36,000 servings of food that can feed a family of four for a year, according to its online listing. “Enjoy the comfort in knowing you have the essential foods your family will need to survive an emergency or natural disaster!” Issaquah, Wash. headquartered chain writes of the package. Offering roughly 2,000 calories a day per person and a shelf life up to 25 years for the freeze dried items, the Nutristore 1-Year Premium Food Kit averages out to $0.17 per portion, Costco says. From elbow macaroni pasta to instant milk, dehydrated potatoes, beef and chicken TVP as well as freeze-dried green beans, dehydrated apples and a mysterious “butter powder”, the kit certainly offers culinary creativity in its sheer size. Costco further sweetens the deal by including shipping and handling in the $6,000 price tag, delivering the 1,800 package straight to your door “packaged discreetly for privacy in shipping.” Though the New York Times points out that Costco has been selling emergency survival kits since 2010, interest in doomsday packages has spiked in the wake of rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea.

7am – A   INTERVIEW- JOE DiGENOVA – legal analyst and former US Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed Sam Nunberg complying with Mueller investigation subpoena, the Erik Prince secret Seychelles meeting, and the increased number of calls of appointment of a second special counsel

7am – B/C     Trump will get the military parade he wanted — just not the tanks (Washington Post) — President Trump’s wish for a military parade in Washington on Veterans Day has been granted. But it won’t resemble the Bastille Day celebration in France that Trump had leaned on for inspiration. To minimize damage to Washington’s streets, the parade will include only wheeled vehicles — and not the heavy military vehicles, like tanks, that line the streets of Paris on Bastille Day, according to a Pentagon memo released Friday and first obtained by CNN. The parade will also include a “heavy air component,” the memo said, with military planes flying overhead at the end of the parade. Trump had directed the Pentagon to plan a parade for later this year, possibly on Veterans Day, to showcase the U.S. military’s strength. The idea came to him after attending the Bastille Day celebration last year with French President Emmanuel Macron. His original vision for the parade, in which soldiers would march down boulevards alongside tanks, was expected to cost between $10 million and $30 million, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said last month. Trump acknowledged the expense but insisted it would be “great for our country.” “We’ll see if we can do it at a reasonable cost, and if we can’t, we won’t do it, but the generals would love to do it, I can tell you, and so would I,” Trump said while calling in to a Fox News show in late February.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – TOM BEVAN – Publisher of realclearpolitics.com – discussed the Pennsylvania special election tomorrow night, how the outcome of this election could affect the 2018 midterms, and the accuracy of polling leading up to this election

• Moment of truth for Trump in Pennsylvania (The Hill) — President Trump and the GOP are playing for high stakes in Tuesday’s special election in Pennsylvania. A loss in a district Trump carried by 20 points in 2016 would amplify Republican anxiety about November’s midterm elections and sharpen questions about the damage the president’s low approval ratings are doing to the party.
• Poll: Dem leads by 4 points in Pennsylvania House race (The Hill) — Democrat Conor Lamb has a four-point lead over Republican Rick Saccone in a new poll released Friday, days before a special election for the House seat in Pennsylvania. Lamb, a former federal prosecutor and Marine veteran, leads the GOP state legislator by 48 percent to 44 percent in the new RABA Research poll. It was first published by Talking Points Memo.

7am – E         Kasie Hunt Scolds Scaramucci — ‘We Don’t Use the Term Fake News on This Show’ (Breitbart) — MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt interrupted former White House Communications Chief Anthony Scaramucci Sunday after he used the term “fake news” on “Kasie DC.” “We don’t use the term fake news on this show,” Hunt told Scaramucci. Scaramucci responded, “However you want to say it, inaccurate news. Let’s say inaccurate news.”

8am – A         INTERVIEW – GEN. JACK KEANE – retired 4-star general, former Vice Chief of staff of the US Army, Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War and a Fox News military analyst – discussed the upcoming meeting between President Trump and North Korea, the history of these meetings with North Korea, and the likelihood that this meeting will lead to anything meaningful

8am – B         Trump pardons, congratulates Navy sailor who took illegal submarine photos (CBS News) — The White House announced Friday that President Donald Trump has pardoned a Navy sailor who took photos of classified areas inside a submarine and served a year in federal prison.  White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Kristian Saucier was pardoned by Mr. Trump and the president was “appreciative” of his service to the nation. “He has been recognized by his fellow service members for his dedication skill and patriotic spirit,” Sanders said. On Saturday, the president congratulated Saucier on his “newly found” freedom. Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

Congratulations to Kristian Saucier, a man who has served proudly in the Navy, on your newly found Freedom. Now you can go out and have the life you deserve! Mr. Trump has referenced Saucier’s case often when criticizing Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server. In a January tweet, he referred to the “Deep State Justice Dept” and criticized the federal system for going after a sailor instead of a top Clinton aide.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Crooked Hillary Clinton’s top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others

8am – C         ABC’s ‘American Idol’ premiere soured by Perry, Seacrest scandals (Fox News) — ABC may be hoping that a rebooted “American Idol” turns into ratings gold, but the debut in prime time Sunday comes as the network tries to deal with a series of embarrassments surrounding the show. After a 15-year run on Fox, the groundbreaking singing contest is returning following a two-year hiatus on a new network shadowed by Idol judge Katy Perry’s ongoing battle over property that has pitted the “Roar” pop star against a group of nuns. On Friday, an 89-year-old nun involved in the lawsuit, Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, collapsed in a courtroom and died just hours after a heartfelt appeal to Perry, asking that the singer “please stop” the path of destruction the sisters say Perry has created in trying to purchase the $14.5 million 8-acre hilltop estate in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood, where the religious community lived until 2011, when they were evicted by the archdiocese. “And to Katy Perry, please stop,” Holzman told Fox 11 Los Angeles hours before her death in what turned out to be her final interview. The Perry drama plays out as she is being rewarded with a $25 million salary, and as ABC and its parent company, Disney, deal with sexual harassment claims against the show’s host Ryan Seacrest. The station had stopped Holzman for a sidewalk interview in which she decried a judge’s ruling that cleared the way for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to sell the convent to Perry.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – JUDITH REGAN – Book publisher and host of “Judith Regan Talks” podcast coming soon to Westwood One – discussed her bombshell 2006 Fox News interview with OJ Simpson

8am – E         More from the Pennsylvania Trump rally