Mark Levin, Saagar Enjeti, Adam Tuss and Secretary Ben Carson joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, May 31, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C TRUMP TARIFFS ON MEXICO:

• Over 1,000 illegal immigrants apprehended in El Paso sector, largest group ever at single time, sources say
• Trump says U.S. will impose 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports beginning June 10 in dramatic escalation of border clash
• TRUMP TWEET: On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow.

5am – D/E     FBI didn’t tell Trump campaign that 2 aides were under investigation during 2016 briefing. Based on congressional letters, FBI text messages and sources familiar with the matter, the Trump team was not specifically warned that retired General Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos were already under FBI investigation in August 2016; chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge reports.

6am – A         Hillary Clinton to serve as keynote speaker at cyber defense summit. (Fox News) — Former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton will serve as a keynote speaker at the Cyber Defense Summit 2019, the cybersecurity company FireEye announced on Thursday. “We are pleased to announce that Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will be a featured keynote at our #FireEyeSummit in October! Secretary Clinton will engage in an intimate Q&A keynote discussion,” a tweet from the company read. FireEye’s website touted its “informative and insightful keynotes from industry thought leaders.” “Take this opportunity to share best practices, learn about the latest advancements, and enhance your cyber preparedness,” the company said of the event. The event is designed to inform executives on cybersecurity, as well as security practitioners on how to “mitigate, detect, and respond to cyber attacks.” Her comments will follow a slew of appearances in which she attributed her 2016 loss partly to Russian cyber activities used to interfere in the election. In May, she said the election was “stolen” from her.

6am – B/C     DC the 51st state? Congress edges closer to first vote in decades. (WTOP) — A legislative push to make D.C. the nation’s 51st state has moved a bit closer to a possible vote in the House — something that hasn’t happened in more than 25 years. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on D.C. statehood on July 24. Norton said she was grateful to the chairman of the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., for agreeing to hold “the hearing necessary to take H.R. 51 to the floor of the House of Representatives.” The hearing has long been sought by Norton, a Democrat, and statehood supporters. The shift in power to Democrats in the House has made it more likely that a floor vote could eventually be taken. In another development, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the veteran Democratic lawmaker from Maryland, announced he will support statehood. Hoyer is the last congressional Democrat from the Washington area to drop his opposition. Hoyer explained his new position on the issue in an op-ed in The Washington Post.

6am – D         North Korea executes envoy in a purge after failed U.S. summit: media. SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea executed its nuclear envoy to the United States as part of a purge of officials who steered negotiations for a failed summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper said on Friday. Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, along with four foreign ministry executives after they were all charged with spying for the United States, the Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the situation. “He was accused of spying for the United States for poorly reporting on the negotiations without properly grasping U.S. intentions,” the source was quoted as saying. The February summit in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, the second between Kim and Trump, failed to reach a deal because of conflicts over U.S. calls for complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and North Korean demands for sanctions relief. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report. Previously, some North Korean officials have reportedly been executed or purged only to reappear with a new title. U.S. State Department officials said they had no information to confirm the report. A spokeswoman at South Korea’s Unification Ministry declined to comment. An official at the presidential Blue House in Seoul said it was inappropriate to comment on an issue that should first be verified. A diplomatic source told Reuters there were signs Kim Hyok Chol and other officials were punished for the breakdown of the summit, such as by being sent to a labor camp for reeducation, but there was no evidence they were executed. Kim Yong Chol, Kim Jong Un’s right-hand man and the counterpart of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo before the Hanoi summit, had also been sent to a labor and reeducation camp in Jagang Province near the Chinese border, the Chosun Ilbo reported.

6am – E         Hollywood heavyweights like Netflix, Disney, NBC and WarnerMedia are all considering film production boycotts if Georgia upholds its “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban. (Axios) — Major media companies consider boycotts over Georgia abortion ban. Hollywood heavyweights like Netflix, Disney, NBC and WarnerMedia are all considering film production boycotts if Georgia upholds its “fetal heartbeat” abortion ban. Why it matters: Tax incentives for major film companies have made Georgia an East-Coast haven for major movie studios and production companies over the past decade. Driving the news: Both WarnerMedia (formerly Turner) and NBCUniversal said Thursday that the bill, if passed, could impact their ability to do business in Georgia. “We will watch the situation closely and if the new law holds we will reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions,” WarnerMedia said. “If any of these laws are upheld, it would strongly impact our decision-making on where we produce our content in the future,” NBCUniversal said. Netflix became the first major Hollywood studio to make a public statement about the boycott on Tuesday after several celebrities and filmmakers began protesting the bill. Disney CEO Bob Iger told Reuters on Wednesday that it would be “very difficult” to continue filming in Georgia if the ban goes into effect. “I think many people who work for us will not want to work there,” he said.

6am – F         New York Times bans reporters from CNN’s Don Lemon, MSNBC’s Maddow shows for being ‘too partisan:’ report. (Fox News) — The New York Times is cracking down on its own reporters, stopping them from appearing on certain primetime cable news shows seen as being “too partisan,” according to a new report. Vanity Fair published the explosive report, which alleged MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, as well as CNN anchor Don Lemon, made the newspaper’s no-go list. The magazine began its report by alleging the Times’ financial editor David Enrich had initially accepted an invitation to appear on “The Rachel Maddow Show” May 20 to discuss a report involving President Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s transactions with Deutsche Bank, but had to ultimately turn down the appearance after he informed the communications department. Vanity Fair’s report is based on information from sources inside the “Gray Lady,” according to the magazine. “The Times was wary of how viewers might perceive a down-the-middle journalist like Enrich talking politics with a mega-ideological host like Maddow,” Vanity Fair’s media correspondent Joe Pompeo wrote.

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – MARK LEVIN – host of the “Mark Levin Show on WMAL and author of new book “Unfreedom of the Press”

• BOOK SIGNING ON Saturday June 01, 2019 10:00 AM at the Barnes N Noble in Tysons Corner
• BARR’S INTERVIEW ON CBS: Barr said he believes special counsel Robert Mueller could have made a decision about whether President Trump obstructed justice.
• New York Times bans reporters from CNN’s Don Lemon, MSNBC’s Maddow shows for being ‘too partisan:’ report. (Fox News) — The New York Times is cracking down on its own reporters, stopping them from appearing on certain primetime cable news shows seen as being “too partisan,” according to a new report. Vanity Fair published the explosive report, which alleged MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell, as well as CNN anchor Don Lemon, made the newspaper’s no-go list.
• CNN MONEY PROBLEMS: CNN To Start Making Freelancers Wait 3 Months For Payment (Daily Caller) — CNN is reportedly set to impose a “net 90” payment term on freelance employees beginning in June, meaning the company’s freelancers will be paid just once every three months. “In a blow to their financial stability, CNN sent a letter to several of the network’s freelancers this week, extending their payment terms to net 90 (payment 90 days after invoice). The change is to ‘be better aligned with our corporate requirements,’” a Twitter user named Marcus DiPaola said on Tuesday night. CNN also eliminated more than 100 full-time employees this month via buyouts. “We have nearly 4,000 people at CNN,” a spokesman said at the time. “Around 100 of them exercised the option for a program that was offered. That’s it.”
• CNN’s Jim Acosta says media ‘neutrality’ doesn’t serve us in the age of Trump, admits to ‘showboating’ and ‘grandstanding’ (Fox News) — CNN’s White House star, and frequent Trump foil, Jim Acosta has declared that media ‘neutrality’ is no longer a possibility under this president. In his new book, “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America,” Acosta admits to occasionally “grandstanding” and “showboating” during White House press briefings and that he “opts for the bait.” “Neutrality for the sake of neutrality doesn’t really serve us in the age of Trump,” Acosta writes, according to excerpts from his upcoming book obtained by The Guardian.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – SAAGAR ENJETI – Chief Washington Correspondent & Host at The Hill

• WHITE HOUSE REACTION TO IMMIGRATION CRISIS:
  • Over 1,000 illegal immigrants apprehended in El Paso sector, largest group ever at single time, sources say
  • Trump says U.S. will impose 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports beginning June 10 in dramatic escalation of border clash
  • TRUMP TWEET: On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow.
  • SAAGAR: Full statement from @POTUS on 5% tariff on Mexico: ‘I am invoking the authorities granted to me by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Accordingly, starting on June 10, 2019, the United States will impose a 5 percent Tariff on all goods imported from Mexico.”
• REPORT: Trump Considering Banning Asylum for Central Americans
• President Trump again claims that special counsel Robert Mueller “wanted to be the FBI director and I said no.” “And he loves Comey … whether it’s love or deep like, but he was conflicted, Look, Robert Mueller should have never been chosen,” he adds
• HOSTAGE IN TURKEY: Trump refers to NASA scientist Serkan Golge, who was jailed in Turkey, as a “prisoner, hostage, whatever you want to call him.” Hostage has a meaning. Then he compliments Erdogan: “He was great.”

7am – E         Pete Buttigieg ‘rags to riches’ story is false, brother-in-law tells Laura Ingraham. Pastor Rhyan Glezman, brother-in-law of Pete Buttigieg, said Thursday evening that the “rags to riches” narrative in a newspaper profile about the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and his husband is a lie. The “story couldn’t be further from the truth,” Glezman explained on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” about the Washington Post article, which claimed that Chasten Buttigieg — the candidate’s spouse — had been “shunned” by his family and even struggled with homelessness.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – ADAM TUSS – Transportation Reporter/Anchor NBC Washington @AdamTuss – recapped how week one went for DC commuters dealing with the metro summer shutdown

• NBC WASHINGTON: Many commuters navigating Metro’s summer shutdown say their shuttle bus drivers got lost
• ADAM TUSS: Metro’s largest union accuses the transit agency of pulling experienced Metrobus operators “off their normal routes” to service the Blue and Yellow Line shutdown – leaving passengers stranded and dealing with inexperienced contracted drivers #wmata @nbcwashington

8am – B/C     Eight National Spelling Bee co-champions named in unprecedented competition that goes 20 rounds. The eight finalists bested 564 other contestants ranging in age from 7 to 14 in Thursday night’s prime-time finals. The result is the first time more than two co-champions were named and came as the Bee has become increasingly competitive, with contestants training with coaches and some parents paying to bypass the traditional path to compete.  The winners are: Rishik Gandhasri, 13, of California; Erin Howard, 14, of Alabama; Saketh Sundar, 13, of Maryland; Shruthika Padhy, 13, of New Jersey; Sohum Sukhatankar, 13, of Texas; Abhijay Kodali, 12, of Texas; Christopher Serrao, 13, of New Jersey and Rohan Raja, 13, of Texas

8am – D         INTERVIEW – BEN CARSON – Secretary of Housing and Urban Development – discussed the HUD Housing Showcase in DC this weekend through next week.

• HUD is hosting the Innovative Housing showcase on June 1-5 on the National Mall. Discussion with Secretary Carson discussed how the event will highlight great innovations in affordable housing.
• You can find out more about he showcase here: https://www.hud.gov/Innovative_Housing

8am – E         Digital assistants like Siri and Alexa entrench gender biases, says UN

Female-voiced tech often gives submissive responses to queries, Unesco report finds. (The Guardian) — Assigning female genders to digital assistants such as Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa is helping entrench harmful gender biases, according to a UN agency. Research released by Unesco claims that the often submissive and flirty responses offered by the systems to many queries – including outright abusive ones – reinforce ideas of women as subservient. “Because the speech of most voice assistants is female, it sends a signal that women are obliging, docile and eager-to-please helpers, available at the touch of a button or with a blunt voice command like ‘hey’ or ‘OK’,” the report said. “The assistant holds no power of agency beyond what the commander asks of it. It honours commands and responds to queries regardless of their tone or hostility. In many communities, this reinforces commonly held gender biases that women are subservient and tolerant of poor treatment.” The publication was entitled I’d Blush if I Could; a reference to the response Apple’s Siri assistant offers to the phrase: “You’re a slut.” Amazon’s Alexa will respond: “Well, thanks for the feedback.” The paper said such firms were “staffed by overwhelmingly male engineering teams” and have built AI systems that “cause their feminised digital assistants to greet verbal abuse with catch-me-if-you-can flirtation”.