Mornings on the Mall

Friday, March 6, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Tony Shaffer

5am – A/B/C    CORONAVIRUS NEWS:

• Coronavirus in Maryland: Three Montgomery County residents contracted the virus
• Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that three people from Montgomery County have been diagnosed with the coronavirus: a husband and wife in their 70s and a woman in her 50s. The three patients contracted the virus while traveling overseas and are “in good condition,” Hogan said. They are quarantined in their homes in the county, a large and affluent suburb of about 1 million people just outside Washington. The woman is not related to the couple.
• Hogan (R) declared a state of emergency to speed the delivery of funding and other resources to address the virus. So far, no cases of the coronavirus have been diagnosed in Virginia or the District.
• The Senate on Thursday easily passed more than $8 billion in funding to fight the coronavirus, sending the measure to President Trump, who is expected to sign it.  Senators voted 96-1 on the bill, which was finalized and cleared the House the day before. The bill provides $7.76 billion to agencies combating the coronavirus. It also authorizes another $500 million in waivers for Medicare telehealth restrictions, bringing the total figure greenlighted under the bill up to $8.3 billion.

5am – D/E  Schumer denies threatening Supreme Court justices, but says, ‘I shouldn’t have used the words I did’ Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday that he regretted saying that two Supreme Court justices “won’t know what hit” them if they vote to uphold abortion restrictions, but insisted he was not making a threat and offered no apology. “I shouldn’t have used the words I did, but in no way was I making a threat. I never, never would do such a thing, and Leader McConnell knows that. And Republicans who were busy manufacturing outrage over these comments know that, too,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “I should not have used the words I used yesterday — they didn’t come out the way I intended to. My point was there would be political consequences — political consequences,” Schumer said. “Of course I didn’t intend to suggest anything other than political and public opinion consequences for the Supreme Court, and it is a gross distortion to imply otherwise. I’m from Brooklyn. We speak in strong language.” McConnell calls Schumer’s response to Supreme Court not ‘much of an apology’

6am – A/B/C Republicans Prepare Full Court Press On Joe Biden’s Mental Fitness (Daily Caller) Republicans are preparing a full court press on former Vice President Joe Biden’s mental fitness for office in the event that he wins the Democratic presidential nomination, GOP sources told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Biden’s formerly rival candidates made a handful of references to the issue over the course of the campaign: former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro made a veiled jab at Biden’s mental fitness before walking it back; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker questioned Biden’s “ability to carry the ball across the end line without fumbling;” and Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan said Biden is “declining” and lacks “clarity” when he speaks. But by and large, Biden’s fellow Democrats have been hesitant to press the issue beyond making passing comments.

Republicans, meanwhile, are preparing to highlight questions about Biden’s fitness if he becomes the Democratic nominee. A Trump campaign official told the DCNF that Biden’s “capacity” will be an issue in a potential general election matchup, echoing language used by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

6am – D/E President Trump’s Town Hall in Scranton Pennsylvania

6am – F MEDIA MESSUPS

• Andrew Yang Has To Explain To Joy Behar That Ocasio-Cortez Is Too Young To Be VP
• MSNBC’s Brian Williams, NY Times editor marvel at tweet that got Bloomberg math really wrong

7am – A INTERVIEW –  CHARLIE SPIERING – White House Correspondent for Breitbart News

Topics: 2020 news and Trump town hall on Fox tonight

7am – B/C ‘I did it to manage my anxieties.’ Bill Clinton reveals in Hillary Hulu doc that he had oral sex with Monica Lewinsky to ease pressures of the job, feels ‘terrible’ scandal defined her life and confessing to Chelsea was the worst

7am – D  INTERVIEW – Maryland State Senator JUSTIN READY – a Republican from Carroll County

TOPIC: ‘Spring forward and stay there’: Permanent Daylight Saving Time bill touted in Maryland Senate. A state senator testified on Thursday that his bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Maryland was aimed at helping the state “spring forward and stay there.”  Sen. Justin Ready, a Republican from Carroll County, told the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee that making the change would be beneficial to public safety and economic activity — and that “folks like” having the extra hour of daylight in the evening.

7am – E INTERVIEW – JONATHAN O’CONNELL – Washington Post reporter

TOPIC:  WashPost: Washington Mystics owner Sheila Johnson pursuing Trump hotel lease

Virginia business executive Sheila Johnson, owner of luxury resorts and the Washington Mystics WNBA team, is among the bidders trying to acquire the lease to President Trump’s hotel in downtown Washington, according to two people familiar with the proposal. In a brief phone conversation Johnson acknowledged being interested in the project but declined to discuss it. “I don’t want to comment on any of that right now,” she said. The two people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by Johnson’s firm to discuss the bid. Interested bidders also signed nondisclosure agreements. It is unclear how many companies are pursuing the lease, which Trump signed with the federal government before his election. Trump’s adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, announced in October they planned to sell the lease and set a Jan. 23 deadline for initial bids. Industry experts say the lease could sell for between $300 million and $350 million. Although that’s less than the $500 million the Trumps said they were seeking for the 263-room hotel, such projects typically include multiple investors. It is unclear if Johnson has any outside backing for her bid. Jan. 23 deadline set for bids on Trump D.C. hotel

8am – A INTERVIEW – DAVID BAHNSEN – author of new book Elizabeth Warren: How Her Presidency Would Destroy the Middle Class and the American Dream

TOPIC: Reaction to Elizabeth Warren dropping out

8am – B/C Warren on sexism in the 2020 race: “That is the trap question for every woman. If you say yeah, there was sexism in this race, everyone says, ‘Whiner.’ And if you say no, there was no sexism, about a bazillion women think, ‘What planet do you live on?’

8am – D/E CORONAVIRUS NEWS:

• Starbucks is banning “for here” ceramic mugs and reusable personable cups as a precautionary measure against the deadly coronavirus.
• Health official goes viral after licking finger during coronavirus briefing
• James Bond film, ‘No Time To Die,’ release pushed to November due to coronavirus concerns
• Tito’s Vodka clarifies it cannot be used as hand sanitizer during coronavirus outbreak (Washington Examiner)