The Vince Coglianese Show

INTERVIEW - TEVI TROY - Former White House staffer, presidential historian and author of new book "Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump"

BIO: Tevi Troy is the author of What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, and Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House and Shall We Wake The President? Two Centuries of Disaster Management From The Oval Office. He served as a senior White House aide in the George W. Bush administration from March 2005 to July 2007 and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services from August 2007 until January 2009.

Cutthroat White House Rivalries Didn’t Start with Trump. Former White House staffer and presidential historian Tevi Troy unveils infamous brawls in Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump (Regnery History; February 11, 2020; $29.99), giving readers ringside seats to the dramatic clashes within both Republican and Democratic administrations as their heavyweight personalities went head-to-head. Troy packs a punch as he unfolds the juiciest, nastiest, and most consequential administration rivalries in modern American history. From the presidency of Harry S. Truman—when the modern White House staff took shape—to Donald Trump’s, the White House has always been filled with ambitious people playing for the highest stakes and bearing bitter grudges.

Fight House pulls back the curtain on presidents and staffers duking it out over their differences. You’ll read how:

The gender and age divide disrupted the “No Drama Obama” administration

The revolving door of Trump’s White House staff is not without precedent

Kennedy’s “Camelot” was a nest of vipers

Dr. Henry Kissinger displaced other national security advisers to gain President Richard Nixon’s ear

The contrasting management styles of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan led to epic White House staff clashes

Lyndon B. Johnson ran his White House with an iron fist to prevent leaks, sowing discord among the staff

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Amb. Ric Grenell, Red Maryland’s Brian Griffiths, Tevi Troy, Ken Cuccinelli, and Newt Gingrich joined WMAL on Tuesday!

 

5am – A/B/CCAN BARR SAVE THE DOJ? Barr taps network of prosecutors to review Russia-Ukraine cases:     Attorney General Bill Barr has tapped a growing number of federal prosecutors across the country to review high-profile Russia probes involving Trump associates and consider emerging allegations tied to Ukraine, in a bold but risky move that comes as he faces mounting criticism and even resignation calls from congressional Democrats who allege he's protecting the president.    On Friday, Fox News reported that Barr appointed Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, to review the case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Justice Department officials told Fox News Jensen would be working hand-in-hand with Brandon Van Grack, the lead prosecutor in the case. It marked the latest example of Barr bringing on a federal prosecutor to examine a politically charged case. [...]    Federal prosecutors last week recommended a sentence of between 87 and 108 months in prison for Stone after he was convicted on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress on charges that also stemmed from Mueller’s probe.     But in a stunning reversal, as Fox News first reported, the DOJ overruled the prosecutors on the case, scaling back the proposed sentence for Stone, which immediately led Democrats to accuse Trump of interfering in the process by earlier tweeting about his displeasure with the Justice Department. Trump denied it. [...]

 

5am – D          Source: Democrat Senator Held Secret Meeting In Munich With Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif. (The Federalist/By Mollie Hemingway) -- Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and other Democratic senators had a secret meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference last week, according to a source briefed by the French delegation to the conference. Murphy’s office did not respond to repeated requests for comment by press time. Such a meeting would mean Murphy had done the type of secret coordination with foreign leaders to potentially undermine the U.S. government that he accused Trump officials of doing as they prepared for Trump’s administration. In February 2017, Murphy demanded investigations of National Security Advisor Mike Flynn because he had a phone call with his counterpart-to-be in Russia. “Any effort to undermine our nation’s foreign policy – even during a transition period – may be illegal and must be taken seriously,” Murphy said in 2017 after anonymous leaks of Flynn’s phone call with Russian ambassador Sergey Kisylak were published. He also strongly criticized the open letter some Republican senators sent Iranian leaders during the Obama administration’s campaign for a nuclear agreement. However, Murphy has previously defended rogue meetings if they’re done by Democrats such as former Secretary of State John Kerry. “Unless it was authorized by the president or secretary of state, conducting independent foreign policy sends mixed signals to our adversaries,” said Christian Whiton, former State Department senior advisor in the Trump and George W. Bush administrations. “It seems very unpalatable. If we want to talk to Iranians, they know how to reach us and they don’t need to go through an intermediary.” A State Department official who spoke on background said that the State Department was not aware of any side meetings with Iranian officials that Murphy was engaged in.

 

5am – E         Boy Scouts of America files for bankruptcy amid wave of potential lawsuits. Facing a wave of lawsuits over sexual abuse allegations, the Boy Scouts of America filed for bankruptcy Tuesday in an effort to protect the future of the embattled century-old organization. The long-anticipated Chapter 11 filing will allow the Boy Scouts to keep operating as it reorganizes its finances and creates a trust to pay hundreds of potential victims. It will also give alleged victims a limited amount of time to come forward before being barred indefinitely from seeking compensation. The declaration sets the stage for what could be one of the country’s most complicated bankruptcy cases in history, lawyers say, and raises questions about the possible impact on local Boy Scout councils, which are independently corporated and offer programming to troops across all 50 states and U.S. territories. In the bankruptcy petition, the organization reported $1 billion to $10 billion in assets and $500 million to $1 billion in liabilities.

 

6am – A/B/C Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg has qualified for Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas. Mike Bloomberg has qualified for Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, setting up the first face-to-face showdown between the self-funding billionaire and the other top candidates for the nomination. Bloomberg, whose late entry has roiled the race, met the Democratic National Committee's criteria by earning at least 10 percent in four qualifying polls — including an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist survey Tuesday morning that showed the former New York City mayor at 19 percent. That placed him second only to the national leader, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and ahead of the former frontrunner, Joe Biden, who was in third place.

 

6am – D         INTERVIEW - AMBASSADOR RIC GRENELL - United States Ambassador to Germany – discussed the concerns about 5G.

Trump's Germany envoy warns countries against using 'untrustworthy' 5G vendors amid Huawei tensions. (The Hill) - President Trump’s ambassador to Germany warned Sunday against other countries using “untrustworthy” 5G vendors amid the tensions involving Chinese company Huawei. Ambassador Richard Grenell tweeted that the president called him from Air Force One to tell him to “make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardize our ability to share Intelligence and information at the highest level.”

TWEET: Richard Grenell @RichardGrenell: @realDonaldTrump just called me from AF1 and instructed me to make clear that any nation who chooses to use an untrustworthy 5G vendor will jeopardize our ability to share Intelligence and information at the highest level.

World must 'wake up to the challenges presented by China,' says Defense Secretary. Munich, Germany (CNN) Defense Secretary Mark Esper called on the international community to "wake up to the challenges presented by China," telling an audience of world leaders and top policymakers on Saturday that America's concerns about China should also be Europe's concerns. "It is essential that we -- as an international community -- wake up to the challenges presented by China's manipulation of the long-standing international, rules-based order," Esper said, adding that China is now the Pentagon's top concern. The Trump administration had been pressing European allies for a total ban on Huawei products, alleging that Beijing could use the equipment for snooping.

6am – E         INTERVIEW - BRIAN GRIFFITHS - Editor-in-Chief of RedMaryland.com, Maryland's leading news conservative news website

FREXIT: Brian Griffiths: “Frexit” Is a Silly Concept.  there’s a movement for “Frexit” in 2020. The idea, ostensibly, is to return Frederick County from charter government, which was instituted in 2014, back to commission government. The ringleader is, unsurprisingly, 2017 Red Maryland Least Valuable Conservative Kirby Delauter, who seems like he is on his way to competing for a second LVC award https://redmaryland.com/2020/02/frexit-is-a-silly-concept/

BLOOMBERG IN MARYLAND: Bloomberg’s Billions Trying to Sway Legislators Before Primary. Michael Bloomberg may be sitting in an advantageous position when it comes to the Democratic Presidential Primary, but it appears he is leaving nothing to chance. Bloomberg’s anti-gun front group Everytown for Gun Safety is inviting the members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee out for dinner on February 26th https://redmaryland.com/2020/02/bloombergs-billions-trying-to-sway-legislators-before-primary/

6am – F         NASCAR:

Trump ratings bump at Daytona 500? Viewership hits 5-year high | President Trump’s attendance at the Daytona 500 may have helped to rev up ratings at NASCAR’s flagship event on Sunday despite roan-soaked conditions that forced an early stoppage of the race. President Trump’s attendance at the Daytona 500 may have helped to rev up ratings at NASCAR’s flagship event on Sunday despite rain-soaked conditions that forced an early stop to the race. With Trump on hand to serve as grand marshal and give the order for NASCAR drivers to start their engines, the Daytona 500 drew an initial audience of 11.2 million viewers for the start of the race, Sports Business Journal reported. Viewership at the race start was up 32 percent compared to last year and was the highest at the Daytona 500 in five years.

Denny Hamlin won his second straight DAYTONA 500 and third overall, beating Ryan Blaney in an overtime photo finish marred by a terrifying crash that sent Ryan Newman to the hospital. NASCAR driver Ryan Newman's injuries 'not life-threatening' after fiery Daytona 500 crash, family says. NASCAR driver Ryan Newman was in serious condition after a fiery crash at the finish line of the Daytona 500 on Monday night, but his family said his injuries were "not life-threatening." Newman flipped several times; his car ultimately crossed the finish line engulfed in flames. Fortunately, his injuries were not life-threatening, according to NASCAR Executive Vice President Steve O'Donnell, who read a statement from Roush Fenway Racing Monday night.

Joe Gibbs apologizes: NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs apologized on Monday for his team’s Daytona 500 celebration that took place just moments after a driver was involved in a fiery crash at the finish line and rushed to the hospital. Gibbs — speaking in the Victory Lane at the end of the race — apologized on behalf of his driver Denny Hamlin, saying Hamlin did not know the extent of the crash of driver Ryan Newman. He added that he and his driver were not focused on the crash, but focused on the car that was winning the race and did not realize how bad the crash was. “I apologize to everybody, but we really didn’t know,” Gibbs said at a media event after the race.

 

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW - TEVI TROY - Former White House staffer, presidential historian and author of new book "Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump"

BIO: Tevi Troy is the author of What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, and Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture in the White House and Shall We Wake The President? Two Centuries of Disaster Management From The Oval Office. He served as a senior White House aide in the George W. Bush administration from March 2005 to July 2007 and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services from August 2007 until January 2009.

Cutthroat White House Rivalries Didn’t Start with Trump. Former White House staffer and presidential historian Tevi Troy unveils infamous brawls in Fight House: Rivalries in the White House from Truman to Trump (Regnery History; February 11, 2020; $29.99), giving readers ringside seats to the dramatic clashes within both Republican and Democratic administrations as their heavyweight personalities went head-to-head. Troy packs a punch as he unfolds the juiciest, nastiest, and most consequential administration rivalries in modern American history. From the presidency of Harry S. Truman—when the modern White House staff took shape—to Donald Trump’s, the White House has always been filled with ambitious people playing for the highest stakes and bearing bitter grudges.

Fight House pulls back the curtain on presidents and staffers duking it out over their differences. You’ll read how:

The gender and age divide disrupted the “No Drama Obama” administration

The revolving door of Trump’s White House staff is not without precedent

Kennedy’s “Camelot” was a nest of vipers

Dr. Henry Kissinger displaced other national security advisers to gain President Richard Nixon’s ear

The contrasting management styles of President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan led to epic White House staff clashes

Lyndon B. Johnson ran his White House with an iron fist to prevent leaks, sowing discord among the staff

           

7am – D/E     ‘I Can Teach Anybody … To Be A Farmer’: Bloomberg Once Belittled Agriculture And Factory Workers. At a 2016 business forum, Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg belittled farmers and factory workers, saying “I can teach anybody … to be a farmer.” Speaking to the Distinguished Speakers Series at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, Bloomberg was explaining why he believed there was a cultural and political divide in America: farmers and factory workers just didn’t have the “gray matter” to adjust to the information age. “The agrarian society lasted 3,000 years and we could teach processes. I could teach anybody, even people in this room, no offense intended, to be a farmer,” Bloomberg said. “It’s a process. You dig a hole, you put a seed in, you put dirt on top, add water, up comes the corn. You could learn that. Then we had 300 years of the industrial society. You put the piece of metal on the lathe, you turn the crank in the direction of the arrow and you can have a job. And we created a lot of jobs.” But the multi-billionaire businessman said the information economy is not so simple because “the skill sets that you have to learn are how to think and analyze” and that is “fundamentally different,” from agriculture or manufacturing, he told the audience. “You have to have a different skill set, you have to have a lot more gray matter. It’s not clear the teachers can teach or the students can learn, and so the challenge of society of finding jobs for these people, who we can take care of giving them a roof over their head and a meal in their stomach and a cell phone and a car and that sort of thing.” Bloomberg has been plagued of late by comments he made before announcing his presidential bid. His previous political experience has been as mayor of New York City, where he promoted the “stop and frisk” policy that targeted minorities when police stopped people on the street to search for weapons or drugs.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW - KEN CUCCINELLI - Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security

The Trump administration says it is preparing to deploy elite Border Patrol tactical units to sanctuary cities to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement teams to boost arrests and deportations. The specially trained officers are being sent to cities including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and others. The deployment of the teams will run from February through May.

 

8am – B/C     VIRGINIA GUN BAN REJECTED:

Virginia lawmakers reject assault weapon ban. A Senate committee killed a bill that would have banned certain assault weapons in the Commonwealth after the House of Delegates passed it last week. RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's push to ban the sale of assault weapons has failed after members of his own party balked at the proposal.  Moderate Democrats joined Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee Monday in rejecting legislation that would have prohibited the sale of certain semiautomatic firearms, including popular AR-15 style rifles, and banned the possession of magazines that hold more than 12 rounds. The bill was a top priority for Northam, a Democrat who has campaigned heavily for a broad package of gun-control measures. 

SENATOR AMANDA CHASE JUMPING IN TO RUN FOR VA GOVERNOR: Trump supporter and state Sen. Amanda Chase announces bid for Virginia governor. RICHMOND — State Sen. Amanda F. Chase, a Trump-style Republican at odds with both parties in Richmond, announced on Monday that she will run for governor next year as a Republican — and failing that, as an independent. “I can’t take it anymore,” Chase (Chesterfield), said, referring to “the liberal, socialistic agenda that has taken control of the Capitol.” She said she would seek the GOP nomination but would pursue an independent bid if the party denies her the nod. Chase, 50, made the announcement on the sunny South Portico of the state Capitol before a cheering crowd of more than 100 supporters, many wearing orange “Guns Save Lives” stickers. Chase first won attention last year for wearing a holstered .38 special on her hip on the Senate floor.  But Chase — who embraced the criticism as a proof of fearless, politically incorrect straight talk — easily won a second term. “People look at me and they say, ‘You know what? This girl’s got some brass balls,’ ” she said to laughs. “So you can throw whatever you want at me. ... I know with God, all things are possible and I won’t back down for anybody.”

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW – NEWT GINGRICH  – Former Speaker of the House, host of “Newt’s World” podcast and author of new book “Trump Vs. China: Facing America’s Greatest Threat” – shared his thoughts on the national security threat of 5G and weighed in on Bloomberg rising in the Democratic primary.

 

8am – E         Harvey Weinstein’s case might be too weak to convict: Devine.  (NY Post) -- The trial of Harvey Weinstein has provided ample evidence that he is a grotesque pig lacking empathy for the many women he preyed upon, but probably not enough to prove he should be convicted as a rapist. Prepare for an acquittal or a deadlock after the jury goes out Tuesday, because anyone who has sat through the trial can see the prosecution has struggled to prove its case. If Weinstein does walk, it will be a tragedy for his accusers, who at the very least were degraded by their association with him and have suffered brutal courtroom cross-examination. But it will be a well-overdue check on the power of the #MeToo movement that was spawned by the Weinstein case, and which depends on his guilt. What started as a reasonable comeuppance for a powerful movie producer who preyed on aspiring actresses went too far when it mutated into a toxic feminist movement designed to demonize all men. [...] At least 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual predation, but, in the end, this jury was told to consider the cases of only two. Jessica Mann, now 34, an aspiring actress from a dairy farm in Washington state, met Weinstein at a Hollywood party when she was 25 and testified that he raped her in 2013at a hotel in Manhattan. Yet she continued a relationship with him for several years afterward, during which time she had consensual sex with him, attended Oscar parties as his guest and sent hundreds of affectionate messages, some of which Rotunno read aloud to the court. In the weeks after the alleged rape, Mann emailed Weinstein to thank him for arranging an audition for a vampire movie: “I appreciate all you do for me, it shows.” “Miss you big guy,” she wrote six months later.

 

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-2-18

[00:00:00] 4:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 5:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:25] 6:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:34] 7:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[04:00:45] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

INTERVIEW - Andrew McCarthy is a contributing editor of National Review and author of "Ball of Collusion"

DOJ drops probe into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. "It is an absolute disgrace that they took two years and put my family through this experience," McCabe said Friday.

Andrew McCarthy: Why wasn't Andrew McCabe charged? (By Andrew McCarthy | Fox News) -- The Justice Department announced Friday that it is closing its investigation of Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s former deputy director, over his false statements to investigators probing an unauthorized leak that McCabe had orchestrated. McCabe was fired in March 2018, shortly after a blistering Justice Department inspector general (IG) report concluded that he repeatedly and blatantly lied — or, as the Bureau lexicon puts it, “lacked candor” — when questioned, including under oath. Why not indict McCabe on felony false-statements charges? That is the question being pressed by incensed Trump supporters. After all, the constitutional guarantee of equal justice under the law is supposed to mean that McCabe gets the same quality of justice afforded to the sad sacks pursued with unseemly zeal by McCabe’s FBI and Robert Mueller’s prosecutors. George Papadopoulos was convicted of making a trivial false statement about the date of a meeting. Roger Stone was convicted of obstruction long after the special counsel knew there was no Trump–Russia conspiracy, even though his meanderings did not impede the investigation in any meaningful way. And in the case of Michael Flynn’s false-statements conviction, as McCabe himself acknowledged to the House Intelligence Committee, even the agents who interviewed him did not believe he intentionally misled them. I emphasize Flynn’s intent because purported lack of intent is McCabe’s principal defense, too. Even McCabe himself, to say nothing of his lawyers and his apologists in the anti-Trump network of bureaucrats-turned-pundits, cannot deny that he made false statements to FBI agents and the IG. Rather, they argue that the 21-year senior law-enforcement official did not mean to lie, that he was too distracted by his high-level responsibilities to focus on anything as mundane as a leak — even though he seemed pretty damned focused on the leak while he was orchestrating it.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/andrew-mccarthy-why-wasnt-andrew-mccabe-charged

INTERVIEW - CRAIG SHIRLEY - historian and author of the new book "Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother"

TOPIC: For Presidents' Day, we'll reflect on the woman who created one of our greatest presidents

ABOUT BOOK: Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother: Mary’s influence on George was twofold. Though she raised her eldest son to become one of the world’s greatest leaders, Mary also tried many times to hold him back. While she passed down her strength and individuality to George, she also sought to protect him from the risks he needed to take to become a daring general and president. But it was this resistance itself which fanned the spark of George’s independence into a flame. The constant tug of war between the two throughout the early years helped define George’s character. In Mary Ball Washington, New York Times bestselling author Craig Shirley uncovers startling details about the inner workings of the Washington family. He vividly brings to life a resilient widow who singlehandedly raised six children and ran a large farm at a time when most women’s duties were relegated to household matters. Throughout, Shirley compares and contrasts mother and son, illuminating the qualities they shared and the differences that divided them. A significant contribution to American history, Mary Ball Washington is the definitive take on the relationship between George and Mary Washington, offering fresh insight into this extraordinary figure who would shape our nation—and the woman who shaped him.

https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ball-Washington-Untold-Washingtons/dp/0062456512

INTERVIEW – LT COL TONY SHAFFER – a CIA trained former senior intelligence officer and president of the London Center for Policy Research – discussed the Taliban deal.

US, Taliban reach truce agreement calling for 'reduction in violence.' American and Taliban officials have agreed Friday to sign a truce agreement that will see a seven-day “reduction in violence” in Afghanistan, in addition to possible U.S. troop withdrawals. A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News that the U.S. is hoping to sign the agreement by the end of the month in Doha, Qatar, where special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives have been meeting. The agreement, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters Friday, calls for a “very specific” stoppage of violence and covers the entire country, including Afghan forces. A Taliban official familiar with the deal said the withdrawal of foreign troops would start gradually and would be phased over 18 months. The developments come as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Friday in Munich with Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani. They spoke on the sidelines of an international security forum in Munich.

INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed McCabe, Vindman, Flynn and the Anonymous author.

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, February 17, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Joe diGenova, Lt. Tony Shaffer, Craig Shirley, and Andrew McCarthy joined WMAL on Monday!

 

5am – A/B/C/D/EBEST OF SHOW

 

6am – A/B/C LEGAL NEWS:

McCABE OFF THE HOOK: In addition, there are growing indications that the Justice Department had lost confidence in the U.S. attorney who was overseeing the probe, Jesse Liu. As I noted this week, while Liu was once seen as a rising Trump administration star, she was quietly edged out of her post last month, and the White House just pulled her nomination to fill an important Treasury Department post. There have been rumblings that the McCabe investigation was botched. Kamil Shields, a prosecutor who reportedly grew frustrated by her supervisors’ inordinate delays in making decisions about the McCabe probe, ultimately left the Justice Department to take a private-practice job. Another prosecutor, David Kent, quit last summer as DOJ dithered over the decision on whether to prosecute. Things became so drawn out that the investigating grand jury’s term lapsed. Meanwhile, the Justice Department endorsed Liu’s aggressive decision to bring a thin, politically fraught false-statements case against former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig, in connection with lobbying for a foreign country — the sort of crime that is rarely prosecuted. Craig was swiftly acquitted. Reportedly, Liu advocated charging McCabe, but the DOJ may have harbored doubts about her judgment.

DOJ TAPS OUTSIDE PROSECUTOR TO REVIEW FLYNN CASE: A senior Justice Department official told Fox News on Friday that Jeff Jensen, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, has been assigned to Flynn’s case. Jensen will be working hand-in-hand with the lead prosecutor of Flynn case, Brandon Van Grack, according to the official.

VINDMAN OFF THE HOOK: Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy made the announcement at an event just days after President Donald Trump said he imagined the military would “take a look at” whether Vindman should face disciplinary action for the “horrible things” he told House investigators about the president’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last July.

 

6am – D         TELEMUNDO Reporter Stumps KLOBUCHAR, STEYER By Simply Asking Who The President Of Mexico Is...

KLOBUCHAR Doesn't Know: The full Telemundo interview w/ Klobuchar is tougher. Good on Guadalupe Venegas for pressing. GV: Do you, I'm sorry to ask this, but do you know who he is? Do you know his name? AK: Yeah, yeah— I know that he is the Mexican president. GV: But can you tell me his name? AK: No.

VENEGAS kicks her one more time...     ALEX THOMPSON: Here's the end: GV: just one final question. How do you plan to win the support of the Hispanic vote in NV and the whole southwest if you can't tell me who the president of Mexico is?..... AK: Because my heart is with the people of this country and my heart is with immigrants...

STEYER Doesn't Know  ALEX THOMPSON: Steyer at least knew that AMLO was head of Mexico City's govt. but his interview isn't much better GV: I'm asking b/c I feel like a lot of the times, this is our neighbor to the south and a lot of ppl don't even know his name. So you know? You know his name? TS: I forget

BUTTIGIEG Knows:  when Pete tells him who the Mexican president it, Venegas just goes: "you're the only one whose been able to tell me that today."

6am – E         ‘Forced To Make At-Large Arrests’: Trump Admin Deploying Border Patrol Tactical Units To Sanctuary Cities Across The Country. (Daily Caller) - The Trump administration is deploying an elite unit of the Border Patrol, including 100 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehend illegal aliens in sanctuary cities. Members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) will be helping ICE officers arrest illegal aliens living at large in sanctuary cities, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, Lawrence Payne, confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Saturday. BORTAC officers — considered the SWAT team of the Border Patrol — are specially trained for high-risk operations and typically execute operations against violent targets.

6am – F         RECLINING CHAIR ON A PLANE DRAMA:

A viral video has sparked a conversation online about the etiquette involved in reclining one's airline seat.  The clip with more than 2 million views showed a man punching and pushing the back of the reclined seat of another passenger on an American Airlines flight. In a statement, the airline said it was "looking into the issue.  The safety and comfort of our customers and team members is our top priority." Wendy Williams, the recliner, says the airline defended the man who punched her seat and handed her a "passenger disturbance notice" when she refused to stop filming on her cellphone.

American Airlines passenger in seat recliner controversy wants to press charges, flight attendant fired

 

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed McCabe, Vindman, Flynn and the Anonymous author.

 

7am – D         INTERVIEW – LT COL TONY SHAFFER – a CIA trained former senior intelligence officer and president of the London Center for Policy Research – discussed the Taliban deal.

US, Taliban reach truce agreement calling for 'reduction in violence.' American and Taliban officials have agreed Friday to sign a truce agreement that will see a seven-day “reduction in violence” in Afghanistan, in addition to possible U.S. troop withdrawals. A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News that the U.S. is hoping to sign the agreement by the end of the month in Doha, Qatar, where special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban representatives have been meeting. The agreement, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke to reporters Friday, calls for a “very specific” stoppage of violence and covers the entire country, including Afghan forces. A Taliban official familiar with the deal said the withdrawal of foreign troops would start gradually and would be phased over 18 months. The developments come as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper met Friday in Munich with Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani. They spoke on the sidelines of an international security forum in Munich.

 

7am – E         Angry former Seattle punk rocker sings to save the city's trees. (KOMO News) - SEATTLE - A pioneering Seattle punk rocker is still angry after all these years. Just as she did back in the 1970s, she’s expressing her rage in song. Suzanne Grant has become a familiar face in City Council chambers, as she urges the councilmembers to update an ordinance protecting the city's legacy of big trees. She notes these are the very trees city dwellers depend on to scrub carbon from the atmosphere. "It's really important that we save the trees in our urban forest, if we want to save ourselves," Grant said. Forty years ago, Grant was angry for a living. She sang in one of Seattle's first punk bands, The Enemy. This week, she recaptured some of that punk rage with a new song called A Hole In The Sky. The title refers to what's left when developers cut down the city's grandest old trees, seemingly with the blessing of city leaders. The chorus goes: There's a hole in the sky where the tree once was - somebody's making money. Joined by a group of fellow tree activists, Grant belted out the tune at a council committee meeting. Laws protect exceptional trees, but the city grants exemptions to these! Grant was inspired, enraged really, by the removal of an exceptional tree - that's a legal designation - from her Queen Anne neighborhood when she wasn't there to object. "I came home and I was just so angry, I was so mad about it," Grant said. "And after fighting for two years to save it." The 90-year old tulip tree came down in December to make way for new homes. Grant and her fellow activists believe the city favors developers, who would rather remove exceptional trees than creatively build around them.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW - CRAIG SHIRLEY - historian and author of the new book "Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother"

TOPIC: For Presidents' Day, we'll reflect on the woman who created one of our greatest presidents

ABOUT BOOK: Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother: Mary’s influence on George was twofold. Though she raised her eldest son to become one of the world’s greatest leaders, Mary also tried many times to hold him back. While she passed down her strength and individuality to George, she also sought to protect him from the risks he needed to take to become a daring general and president. But it was this resistance itself which fanned the spark of George’s independence into a flame. The constant tug of war between the two throughout the early years helped define George’s character. In Mary Ball Washington, New York Times bestselling author Craig Shirley uncovers startling details about the inner workings of the Washington family. He vividly brings to life a resilient widow who singlehandedly raised six children and ran a large farm at a time when most women’s duties were relegated to household matters. Throughout, Shirley compares and contrasts mother and son, illuminating the qualities they shared and the differences that divided them. A significant contribution to American history, Mary Ball Washington is the definitive take on the relationship between George and Mary Washington, offering fresh insight into this extraordinary figure who would shape our nation—and the woman who shaped him.

 

8am – B/C     TRUMP VISITS NASCAR:

NASCAR Fans Cheer Loudly as Air Force 1 Touches Down at Daytona

Trump and Melania make spectacular arrival at Daytona 500 with Air Force One flyover

President tells drivers to 'start your engines,' takes lap in 'Beast'; race later postponed due to rain

Trump greeted with applause, cheers from NASCAR fans upon arrival at Daytona 500

Trump buzzing the entire Daytona 500 with Air Force One.

The crowd at the DAYTONA500 welcomes President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump with chants of “Four More Years" and "USA!" 

Trump addressing the #Daytona500 audience pre-race to raucous applause -> "My fellow race fans, there is no greater thrill than to join you at the World Center of Racing for the 620nd second Daytona 500 -- so exciting!"

President Trump at DAYTONA500: “For 500, heart-pounding miles, these fierce competitors will chase the checkered flag, fight for the Harley J. Earl trophy and make their play for pure American glory and that is what it is pure American glory.”

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - Andrew McCarthy is a contributing editor of National Review and author of "Ball of Collusion"

DOJ drops probe into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. "It is an absolute disgrace that they took two years and put my family through this experience," McCabe said Friday.

Andrew McCarthy: Why wasn't Andrew McCabe charged? (By Andrew McCarthy | Fox News) -- The Justice Department announced Friday that it is closing its investigation of Andrew McCabe, the FBI’s former deputy director, over his false statements to investigators probing an unauthorized leak that McCabe had orchestrated. McCabe was fired in March 2018, shortly after a blistering Justice Department inspector general (IG) report concluded that he repeatedly and blatantly lied — or, as the Bureau lexicon puts it, “lacked candor” — when questioned, including under oath. Why not indict McCabe on felony false-statements charges? That is the question being pressed by incensed Trump supporters. After all, the constitutional guarantee of equal justice under the law is supposed to mean that McCabe gets the same quality of justice afforded to the sad sacks pursued with unseemly zeal by McCabe’s FBI and Robert Mueller’s prosecutors. George Papadopoulos was convicted of making a trivial false statement about the date of a meeting. Roger Stone was convicted of obstruction long after the special counsel knew there was no Trump–Russia conspiracy, even though his meanderings did not impede the investigation in any meaningful way. And in the case of Michael Flynn’s false-statements conviction, as McCabe himself acknowledged to the House Intelligence Committee, even the agents who interviewed him did not believe he intentionally misled them. I emphasize Flynn’s intent because purported lack of intent is McCabe’s principal defense, too. Even McCabe himself, to say nothing of his lawyers and his apologists in the anti-Trump network of bureaucrats-turned-pundits, cannot deny that he made false statements to FBI agents and the IG. Rather, they argue that the 21-year senior law-enforcement official did not mean to lie, that he was too distracted by his high-level responsibilities to focus on anything as mundane as a leak — even though he seemed pretty damned focused on the leak while he was orchestrating it.

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Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-2-17

[00:00:00] 4:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[01:00:16] 5:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:27] 6:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:38] 7:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[04:00:48] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

Listen here to the "Best of WMAL's Mornings on the Mall" this week with special guests Rep. Louie Gohmert, Newt Gingrich, Barry Manilow, Star Parker and more.

INTERVIEW - BRET BAIER - Anchor of "Special Report" on Fox News Channel weekdays at 6 pm and author of the latest book "Three Days at the Brink: FDR's Daring Gamble to Win World War II" – recapped the news of the week: Barr’s comments on Trump’s tweeting over Roger Stone and discussed the latest on the 2020 Dems battling it out this week.

INTERVIEW - STAR PARKER -  President of Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) and author of new book "Necessary Noise: How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why This Is Good News for America" - shared her thoughts on the 2020 Dem Primary candidates and how they are struggling to court the black vote, especially Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg and Mike Bloomberg.