The Vince Coglianese Show

INTERVIEW - ANDY POLLIN with ESPN 630 – discussed the life and legacy of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant, daughter among 9 dead in helicopter crash. The five-time NBA champion died aged 41 when his private helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Sunday morning – his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who he often called Gi-Gi on social media, was also on board and died in the crash. The point guard, who also won two Olympic gold medals, played for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his 20-year NBA career before retiring in 2016. He is succeeded by his wife, Vanessa, and their three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. In his last Instagram post, made hours earlier on the night before his death, Bryant praised basketball star Lebron James, who had just surpassed him on the NBA's all-time scoring list to clinch the No. 3 spot.

INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed the Trump Defense team’s arguments in the impeachment trial, the Bolton book leak and the Parnas tape leak where Trump says to ‘get rid of’ Maria Yovanovitch.

THE TRUMP IMPEACHMENT DEFENSE BEGINS... 6-POINT DEFENSE:

“The transcript shows that the president did not condition either security assistance or a meeting on anything. The paused security assistance funds aren’t even mentioned on the call.”

“President Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that there was no quid pro quo and no pressure on them to review anything.”

“President Zelensky and high-ranking Ukrainian officials did not even know — did not even know the security assistance was paused until the end of August. Over a month after the July 25th call.”

“Not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting or anything else.”

The security assistance flowed on Sept. 11, and a presidential meeting took place on Sept. 25 without the Ukrainian government announcing any investigations.

The Democrats’ blind drive to impeach the president does not and cannot change the fact, as attested to by the Democrats own witnesses, that President Trump has been a better friend and stronger supporter of Ukraine than his predecessor.

WH COUNSEL PAT CIPOLLONE HIGHLIGHTS 'BURDEN SHARING'... Now, they didn’t talk a lot about the transcript of the call, which I would submit is the best evidence of what happened on the call and they said things over and over again that are simply not true. One of them was there’s no evidence of president Trump’s interest in burden sharing.

PAUSED SECURITY ASSISTANCE WASN'T DISCUSSED IN JULY 25 CALL... COUNSEL MICHAEL PURPURA EXPLAINS... There was no discussion of the paused security assistance on the July 25 call. House Democrats keep pointing to President Zelensky’s statement that, “I would also like to thank you for your great support in the area of defense.” But he wasn’t talking there about the paused security assistance. He tells us in the very next sentence exactly what he was talking about, Javelin missiles. “We are ready,” Presidents Zelensky continues, “to continue to cooperate for the next steps, specifically, we are almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes.” Javelins are the anti-tank missiles only made available to the Ukrainians by President Trump. President Obama refused to give Javelins to the Ukrainians for years. Javelin sales were not part, were not part of the security assistance that had been paused at the time of the call. Javelin sales have nothing to do with the paused security assistance, those are different programs entirely. But don’t take my word for it. Both former ambassador to Ukraine, Maria Yovanovitch, and NSC Senior Director, Timothy Morrison, confirmed that the Javelin missiles and the security assistance were unrelated. The house managers didn’t tell you about Ambassador Yovanovitch’s and Tim Morrison’s testimony. Why not?

Trump's lawyers make Schiff credibility part of defense strategy: President Trump’s defense team hit lead impeachment manager Adam Schiffover his contacts with the alleged whistleblower Saturday, suggesting Mr. Schiff’s conduct at the start of the impeachment inquiry in the House will be a sticking point in the defense’s strategy.

NY TIMES: Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says. WASHINGTON — President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton. The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office. Mr. Bolton’s explosive account of the matter at the center of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial, the third in American history, was included in drafts of a manuscript he has circulated in recent weeks to close associates. He also sent a draft to the White House for a standard review process for some current and former administration officials who write books. [...] Key to Mr. Bolton’s account about Ukraine is an exchange during a meeting in August with the president after Mr. Trump returned from vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Mr. Bolton raised the $391 million in congressionally appropriated assistance to Ukraine for its war in the country’s east against Russian-backed separatists. Officials had frozen the aid, and a deadline was looming to begin sending it to Kyiv, Mr. Bolton noted.

TRUMP Denies... I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the... ...transcripts of my calls with President Zelensky are all the proof that is needed, in addition to the fact that President Zelensky & the Foreign Minister of Ukraine said there was no pressure and no problems. Additionally, I met with President Zelensky at the United Nations... ...(Democrats said I never met) and released the military aid to Ukraine without any conditions or investigations - and far ahead of schedule. I also allowed Ukraine to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles. My Administration has done far more than the previous Administration.

BLOOMBERG: Trump Caught on Tape Saying ‘Get Rid Of’ U.S. Envoy in 2018.  President Donald Trump was recorded during a private meeting in April 2018 saying that the U.S. should “get rid of” then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a video provided by an attorney for Lev Parnas, an associate of the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The iPhone video, which is more than an hour long, shows Trump walking into a room with a number of other people, before the camera pivots to the ceiling while the group has a meal. At one point, an unidentified accented voice tells Trump, “We gotta get rid of the ambassador, she’s still left over from the Clinton administration.” The person adds, “She’s basically walking around telling everyone wait, he’s going to get impeached.” Trump responds, “Get rid of her. Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Take her out. OK? Do it.”

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 27, 2020

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C BOLTON’S BOOK:

NY TIMES: Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says. WASHINGTON — President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton. The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office. Mr. Bolton’s explosive account of the matter at the center of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial, the third in American history, was included in drafts of a manuscript he has circulated in recent weeks to close associates. He also sent a draft to the White House for a standard review process for some current and former administration officials who write books. [...] Key to Mr. Bolton’s account about Ukraine is an exchange during a meeting in August with the president after Mr. Trump returned from vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Mr. Bolton raised the $391 million in congressionally appropriated assistance to Ukraine for its war in the country’s east against Russian-backed separatists. Officials had frozen the aid, and a deadline was looming to begin sending it to Kyiv, Mr. Bolton noted. He, Mr. Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper had collectively pressed the president about releasing the aid nearly a dozen times in the preceding weeks after lower-level officials who worked on Ukraine issues began complaining about the holdup, Mr. Bolton wrote. Mr. Trump had effectively rebuffed them, airing his longstanding grievances about Ukraine, which mixed legitimate efforts by some Ukrainians to back his Democratic 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, with unsupported accusations and outright conspiracy theories about the country, a key American ally. Mr. Giuliani had also spent months stoking the president’s paranoia about the American ambassador to Ukraine at the time, Marie L. Yovanovitch, claiming that she was openly anti-Trumpand needed to be dismissed. Mr. Trump had ordered her removed as early as April 2018 during a private dinner with two Giuliani associates and others, a recording of the conversation made public on Saturday showed. In his August 2019 discussion with Mr. Bolton, the president appeared focused on the theories Mr. Giuliani had shared with him, replying to Mr. Bolton’s question that he preferred sending no assistance to Ukraine until officials had turned over all materials they had about the Russia investigation that related to Mr. Biden and supporters of Mrs. Clinton in Ukraine.

TRUMP Denies... I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the... ...transcripts of my calls with President Zelensky are all the proof that is needed, in addition to the fact that President Zelensky & the Foreign Minister of Ukraine said there was no pressure and no problems. Additionally, I met with President Zelensky at the United Nations... ...(Democrats said I never met) and released the military aid to Ukraine without any conditions or investigations - and far ahead of schedule. I also allowed Ukraine to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles. My Administration has done far more than the previous Administration.

 

5am – D  POMPEO vs NPR REPORTER:

Reporter Says Pompeo Cursed Her Out After She Asked About Ukraine, Demanded She Find The Country On A Map. An NPR reporter said Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo exploded on her following an interview where she asked him about Ukraine. NPR anchor Mary Louise Kelly said during “All Things Considered” Friday that Pompeo lashed out at her and demanded she find Ukraine on a map after an interview with him. The outburst lasted “about the same amount of time as the interview itself had lasted,” Kelly said. “He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine. He asked, ‘Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?’ He used the F-word in that sentence and many others,” Kelly told co-host Ari Shapiro. “He asked if I could find Ukraine on a map. I said yes, and he called out for aides to bring us a map of the world with no writing. I pointed to Ukraine. He put the map away. He said, ‘People will hear about this.'” The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller.

Pompeo blasts 'shameful' NPR reporter, claims she broke agreement reached before interview. (Fox News) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded Saturday following media reports that said he scolded an NPR reporter after they sat for an interview -- one that Pompeo claimed afterward had strayed from an agreement he had reached with the journalist. In the statement, Pompeo claimed Mary Louise Kelly lied to him, called her behavior “shameful” and insinuated she mistook a country in South Asia for Ukraine on a map. “NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly lied to me, twice,” Pompeo said in the statement. “First, last month, in setting up our interview and, then again yesterday, in agreeing to have our post-interview conversation off the record. It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency.”

 

5am – E         Remembering basketball legend Kobe Bryant:

Kobe Bryant, daughter among 9 dead in helicopter crash: The five-time NBA champion died aged 41 when his private helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Sunday morning – his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who he often called Gi-Gi on social media, was also on board and died in the crash. The point guard, who also won two Olympic gold medals, played for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his 20-year NBA career before retiring in 2016. He is succeeded by his wife, Vanessa, and their three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. In his last Instagram post, made hours earlier on the night before his death, Bryant praised basketball star Lebron James, who had just surpassed him on the NBA's all-time scoring list to clinch the No. 3 spot.

Pilot of helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, 41, and daughter Gianna, 13, was warned 'you're too low' as they flew through fog. Pilot of helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, was warned 'you're too low' as they flew through fog despite cops GROUNDING their fleet over safety fears as more of the nine victims of the Calabasas crash are named. Kobe Bryant's helicopter pilot was told he was 'too low' as he flew through thick fog moments before slamming into a hillside in a crash which killed all nine on board. The NBA legend and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died along with seven others yesterday when the Sikorsky S-76 came down in Calabasas, California, and immediately caught fire. Flight data shows the aircraft appearing to get into trouble near the LA Zoo, where it circled for 15 minutes amid foggy weather which had forced Los Angeles police to ground their fleet.

 

6am – A/B/C             TRUMP’S TEAM BEGINS THEIR DEFENSE IN THE IMPEACHMENT TRIAL:

Deputy Counsel Mike Purpura Reading the 6 key facts of the case. 6-POINT DEFENSE:

“The transcript shows that the president did not condition either security assistance or a meeting on anything. The paused security assistance funds aren’t even mentioned on the call.”

“President Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that there was no quid pro quo and no pressure on them to review anything.”

“President Zelensky and high-ranking Ukrainian officials did not even know — did not even know the security assistance was paused until the end of August. Over a month after the July 25th call.”

“Not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting or anything else.”

The security assistance flowed on Sept. 11, and a presidential meeting took place on Sept. 25 without the Ukrainian government announcing any investigations.

The Democrats’ blind drive to impeach the president does not and cannot change the fact, as attested to by the Democrats own witnesses, that President Trump has been a better friend and stronger supporter of Ukraine than his predecessor.

PAUSED SECURITY ASSISTANCE WASN'T DISCUSSED IN JULY 25 CALL... COUNSEL MICHAEL PURPURA EXPLAINS... There was no discussion of the paused security assistance on the July 25 call. House Democrats keep pointing to President Zelensky’s statement that, “I would also like to thank you for your great support in the area of defense.” But he wasn’t talking there about the paused security assistance. He tells us in the very next sentence exactly what he was talking about, Javelin missiles. “We are ready,” Presidents Zelensky continues, “to continue to cooperate for the next steps, specifically, we are almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes.” Javelins are the anti-tank missiles only made available to the Ukrainians by President Trump. President Obama refused to give Javelins to the Ukrainians for years. Javelin sales were not part, were not part of the security assistance that had been paused at the time of the call. Javelin sales have nothing to do with the paused security assistance, those are different programs entirely. But don’t take my word for it. Both former ambassador to Ukraine, Maria Yovanovitch, and NSC Senior Director, Timothy Morrison, confirmed that the Javelin missiles and the security assistance were unrelated. The house managers didn’t tell you about Ambassador Yovanovitch’s and Tim Morrison’s testimony. Why not?

WH COUNSEL PAT CIPOLLONE HIGHLIGHTS 'BURDEN SHARING'... : Now, they didn’t talk a lot about the transcript of the call, which I would submit is the best evidence of what happened on the call and they said things over and over again that are simply not true. One of them was there’s no evidence of president Trump’s interest in burden sharing. That wasn’t the real reason, but they didn’t tell you that burden sharing was discussed in the call, in the transcript of the call. They didn’t tell you that. Why? Let me read it to you. Here’s the president and we’ll go through the entire transcript. I’m not going to read the whole transcript. We’ll make it available. I’m sure you have it, but we’ll make available copies of the transcripts so you can have it. The president said and they read this line. “I will say that we do a lot for Ukraine. We spend a lot of effort and a lot of time,” but they stopped there. They didn’t read the following, “Much more than European countries are doing and they should be helping you more than they are. Germany does almost nothing for you. All they do is talk, and I think it’s something that you should really ask them about. When I was speaking to Angela Merkel, she talks Ukraine, but she doesn’t do anything. A lot of European countries are the same way. So I think it’s something you want to look at. But the United States has been very, very good to Ukraine.” That’s where they picked up again, with the quote, but they left out the entire discussion of burden sharing.

 

6am – D         PARNAS LEAKED VIDEO:

BLOOMBERG: Trump Caught on Tape Saying ‘Get Rid Of’ U.S. Envoy in 2018. President Donald Trump was recorded during a private meeting in April 2018 saying that the U.S. should “get rid of” then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a video provided by an attorney for Lev Parnas, an associate of the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The iPhone video, which is more than an hour long, shows Trump walking into a room with a number of other people, before the camera pivots to the ceiling while the group has a meal. At one point, an unidentified accented voice tells Trump, “We gotta get rid of the ambassador, she’s still left over from the Clinton administration.” The person adds, “She’s basically walking around telling everyone wait, he’s going to get impeached.” Trump responds, “Get rid of her. Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Take her out. OK? Do it.”

In Secret Trump Recording, Lev Parnas Spoke Little, But Said A Lot. Lev Parnas said few words during an April 30, 2018, dinner with President Donald Trump and a small group of associates, according to an audio recording of the event, which Parnas’s lawyer provided the media Saturday. But what Parnas did say in the 84-minute recording could shed light on why the Soviet-born businessman might have been interested in the removal of Marie Yovanovitch as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. His remarks also appear to conflict with his claims in interviews earlier in January that his Ukraine-related efforts were merely intended to help Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Parnas made two main points during the event, in which attendees discussed golf, China, the border wall and other topics of the day: He and his partner, Igor Fruman, were in the process of purchasing a Ukrainian energy company, and Yovanovitch was bad-mouthing Trump and needed to be removed from her post in Kyiv. Parnas’s unprompted remarks about Yovanovitch are the first known evidence of Trump being told derogatory information about the career diplomat. His comments also raises the question of why Parnas was interested in getting rid of her.

 

6am – E         SANDERS IS RISING IN THE POLLS:

Poll: Sanders leads Biden by 9 points in Iowa. (The Hill) -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) holds a commanding lead over the Democratic field in Iowa just days before the state is set to hold its first-in-the-nation caucuses, according to a new poll. An Emerson College poll released Sunday evening of registered Democrats and left-leaning independents found Sanders in the lead with 30 percent of respondents planning to support him in the caucuses, while former Vice President Joe Biden (D) followed with 21 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has sunk to fourth place in the poll behind Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) at 11 percent and 13 percent, respectively, while former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg rounded out the top tier in fifth place with 10 percent. No other candidate registered above 5 percent support in the poll. Sanders's dominance in the poll comes after a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released earlier in the day showed Biden with a slight lead over Sanders in the state.

Bernie Sanders emerges as top Democratic presidential candidate in New Hampshire survey as he continues his polling surge ahead of former frontrunner Joe Biden. (Daily Mail) - Senator Bernie Sanders continued his poll surge in New Hampshire, the first primary state, earning 25 per cent support among more than 500 likely Democratic voters surveyed there. The new CNN/University of New Hampshire poll, which was released Sunday, shows the Democratic socialist earning more support than some of his more establishment Democrat competitors. The results come a little over two weeks before the state is set to hold the vote for the Democratic nominee they want to take on Donald Trump in November. Joe Biden, the usual front runner in the Democratic field, fell nearly 10 percentage points behind Sanders with only 16 per cent support.

 

7am – A/B/C             INTERVIEW - JOE DIGENOVA - legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed the Trump Defense team’s arguments in the impeachment trial, the Bolton book leak and the Parnas tape leak where Trump says to ‘get rid of’ Maria Yovanovitch.

THE TRUMP IMPEACHMENT DEFENSE BEGINS... 6-POINT DEFENSE:

“The transcript shows that the president did not condition either security assistance or a meeting on anything. The paused security assistance funds aren’t even mentioned on the call.”

“President Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said that there was no quid pro quo and no pressure on them to review anything.”

“President Zelensky and high-ranking Ukrainian officials did not even know — did not even know the security assistance was paused until the end of August. Over a month after the July 25th call.”

“Not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting or anything else.”

The security assistance flowed on Sept. 11, and a presidential meeting took place on Sept. 25 without the Ukrainian government announcing any investigations.

The Democrats’ blind drive to impeach the president does not and cannot change the fact, as attested to by the Democrats own witnesses, that President Trump has been a better friend and stronger supporter of Ukraine than his predecessor.

WH COUNSEL PAT CIPOLLONE HIGHLIGHTS 'BURDEN SHARING'... Now, they didn’t talk a lot about the transcript of the call, which I would submit is the best evidence of what happened on the call and they said things over and over again that are simply not true. One of them was there’s no evidence of president Trump’s interest in burden sharing.

PAUSED SECURITY ASSISTANCE WASN'T DISCUSSED IN JULY 25 CALL... COUNSEL MICHAEL PURPURA EXPLAINS... There was no discussion of the paused security assistance on the July 25 call. House Democrats keep pointing to President Zelensky’s statement that, “I would also like to thank you for your great support in the area of defense.” But he wasn’t talking there about the paused security assistance. He tells us in the very next sentence exactly what he was talking about, Javelin missiles. “We are ready,” Presidents Zelensky continues, “to continue to cooperate for the next steps, specifically, we are almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes.” Javelins are the anti-tank missiles only made available to the Ukrainians by President Trump. President Obama refused to give Javelins to the Ukrainians for years. Javelin sales were not part, were not part of the security assistance that had been paused at the time of the call. Javelin sales have nothing to do with the paused security assistance, those are different programs entirely. But don’t take my word for it. Both former ambassador to Ukraine, Maria Yovanovitch, and NSC Senior Director, Timothy Morrison, confirmed that the Javelin missiles and the security assistance were unrelated. The house managers didn’t tell you about Ambassador Yovanovitch’s and Tim Morrison’s testimony. Why not?

Trump's lawyers make Schiff credibility part of defense strategy: President Trump’s defense team hit lead impeachment manager Adam Schiffover his contacts with the alleged whistleblower Saturday, suggesting Mr. Schiff’s conduct at the start of the impeachment inquiry in the House will be a sticking point in the defense’s strategy.

NY TIMES: Trump Tied Ukraine Aid to Inquiries He Sought, Bolton Book Says. WASHINGTON — President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens, according to an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser, John R. Bolton. The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office. Mr. Bolton’s explosive account of the matter at the center of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial, the third in American history, was included in drafts of a manuscript he has circulated in recent weeks to close associates. He also sent a draft to the White House for a standard review process for some current and former administration officials who write books. [...] Key to Mr. Bolton’s account about Ukraine is an exchange during a meeting in August with the president after Mr. Trump returned from vacation at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Mr. Bolton raised the $391 million in congressionally appropriated assistance to Ukraine for its war in the country’s east against Russian-backed separatists. Officials had frozen the aid, and a deadline was looming to begin sending it to Kyiv, Mr. Bolton noted.

TRUMP Denies... I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the... ...transcripts of my calls with President Zelensky are all the proof that is needed, in addition to the fact that President Zelensky & the Foreign Minister of Ukraine said there was no pressure and no problems. Additionally, I met with President Zelensky at the United Nations... ...(Democrats said I never met) and released the military aid to Ukraine without any conditions or investigations - and far ahead of schedule. I also allowed Ukraine to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles. My Administration has done far more than the previous Administration.

BLOOMBERG: Trump Caught on Tape Saying ‘Get Rid Of’ U.S. Envoy in 2018.  President Donald Trump was recorded during a private meeting in April 2018 saying that the U.S. should “get rid of” then-U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, according to a video provided by an attorney for Lev Parnas, an associate of the president’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. The iPhone video, which is more than an hour long, shows Trump walking into a room with a number of other people, before the camera pivots to the ceiling while the group has a meal. At one point, an unidentified accented voice tells Trump, “We gotta get rid of the ambassador, she’s still left over from the Clinton administration.” The person adds, “She’s basically walking around telling everyone wait, he’s going to get impeached.” Trump responds, “Get rid of her. Get her out tomorrow. I don’t care. Take her out. OK? Do it.”

7am – D/E     INTERVIEW - ANDY POLLIN with ESPN 630 – discussed the life and legacy of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant, daughter among 9 dead in helicopter crash. The five-time NBA champion died aged 41 when his private helicopter crashed in Los Angeles on Sunday morning – his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who he often called Gi-Gi on social media, was also on board and died in the crash. The point guard, who also won two Olympic gold medals, played for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his 20-year NBA career before retiring in 2016. He is succeeded by his wife, Vanessa, and their three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. In his last Instagram post, made hours earlier on the night before his death, Bryant praised basketball star Lebron James, who had just surpassed him on the NBA's all-time scoring list to clinch the No. 3 spot.

8am – A         INTERVIEW - NATHAN BRINKMAN - Arlington, Virginia parent and school choice advocate

TOPIC: Virginia's Only Private School Choice Program Under Threat. Delegate David L. Bulova (D-37) has authored a bill that would abolish Virginia's only private school choice program. More than 4,000 students with special needs or from low-income families currently benefit from the program.

 

8am – B/C     GRAMMYS RECAP: Alicia Keys, the "Fallin'" singer, hosted the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles

KOBE TRIBUTE: AT GRAMMYS: ALICIA Keys spoke about Kobe: Kobe and his daughter and all those lost today are in our thoughts and prayers in this building. Alicia Keys brought Boyz II Men on stage for an acoustic rendition of "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday" to pay tribute to late NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

IMPEACHMENT MENTION: Singer Alicia Keys referenced President Trump's impeachment and called for rapper Cardi B to enter politics at Sunday night's Grammy Awards. Grammys on Impeachment feat. Alicia Keys: "Tonight we must unite, despite of all the news that we're seeing. Commander-In-Chief impeached, y'all get out let's bring Cardi B." Alicia Keys soothes Grammys audience because of the divisive times we live in.

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - MICHAEL PACK - Director of documentary "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words"

ABOUT FILM: CREATED EQUAL: CLARENCE THOMAS IN HIS OWN WORDS / Coming to Select Theaters January 31, 2020 JusticeThomasMovie.com / Although Clarence Thomas remains a controversial figure, loved by some, reviled by others, few know much more than a few headlines and the recollections of his contentious confirmation battle with Anita Hill. Yet, the personal odyssey of Clarence Thomas is a classic American story and should be better known and understood. His life began in extreme poverty in the segregated South, and moved to the height of the legal profession, as one of the most influential justices on the Supreme Court. Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words tells the Clarence Thomas story truly and fully, without cover-ups or distortions. The documentary will open in movie theaters nationally on January 31, 2020, followed by a national broadcast on PBS in May 2020. Educational use is forthcoming.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-1-27

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

[01:00:17] 5:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:28] 6:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

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

[04:00:49] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

Best of: Sen. Marsha Blackburn, VA State Senator Amanda Chase, Diamond & Silk, VCDL's Philip Van Cleave and Fox's Bret Baier

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" -- discussed the latest news on the impeachment trial.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 59m After having been treated unbelievably unfairly in the House, and then having to endure hour after hour of lies, fraud & deception by Shifty Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer & their crew, looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.

INTERVIEW - SENATOR MARSHA BLACKBURN - United States Senator from Tennessee - shared her thoughts on the impeachment trial.

INTERVIEW - Victoria Cobb - President, The Family Foundation of Virginia – discussed the radical pro-abortion proposals going through the Virginia General Assembly.

The Virginia March for Life is coming up in downtown Richmond t the Virginia State Capitol on Thursday, February 13th. http://www.familyfoundation.org/

Virginia Senate committee passes bill easing abortion restrictions. RICHMOND, Va. -- With a newly empowered Democratic majority at the Virginia General Assembly, abortion-rights advocates say the state has a chance to roll back decades of restrictions and become a “safe haven” for women in neighboring conservative states. Pro-choice groups are pushing to undo Republican-backed laws, including a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, requirements for ultrasound and counseling as well as eliminating regulations holding abortion clinics to the same standards as hospitals and expanding who can perform a first-trimester abortion. A Senate committee passed that bill Thursday, a day after a House committee advanced that chamber's version. “These laws have been about shaming women, stigmatizing abortion, shutting off access, discouraging doctors from providing this care,” Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, said. "They only serve to put up barriers to the access of care and actually shut down abortion providers around the state and they’ve been somewhat successful." Pro-choice groups said those restrictions injected politics into a decision that should be made by a woman and her doctor and made obtaining an abortion overly burdensome.

INTERVIEW - DENISE HARLE -- Legal Counsel for the leading pro-life legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – discussed the fight against abortion on the day of the March for Life in D.C.

BIO: Denise Harle serves as Legal Counsel at ADF. Harle’s litigation efforts focus on First Amendment freedoms in the pro-life space, defending pro-life legislation nationwide. She served as the lead role in drafting briefs for U.S. Supreme Court case NIFLA v. Becerra, a free speech victory in California pro-life pregnancy centers.

President Trump plans to address an annual rally of prolife demonstrators today in Washington, which will be the first appearance by a sitting president at the March for Life.  The event is in its 47th year, having taken place every year since the passage of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The president made the announcement via Twitter, writing, “see you on Friday…Big Crowd!”

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, January 24, 2020

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and guest co-host Beverly Hallberg with Independent Women’s Forum

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Denise Harle, Victoria Cobb, Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!

 

5am – A/B/CSupreme Court justices spar over major school-choice case. (Fox News) - The Supreme Court appeared closely split during oral arguments Wednesday in a case with potentially major implications for the school choice movement, as the justices -- including Chief Justice John Roberts, who presided over President Trump's impeachment trial the previous night until 2 a.m. -- sparred with the lawyers and each other. The case, Montana Department of Revenue v. Espinoza, centers around a tax-credit scholarship program passed in May 2015 that gave Montanans up to a $150 credit for donating to private scholarship organizations, helping students pay for their choice of private schools. The state's revenue department made a rule banning those tax-credit scholarships from going to religious schools before the state's Supreme Court later struck down the entire law.

5am – D         DOJ Concedes That Two Of Its Carter Page FISA Orders Were ‘Not Valid.’ The most serious errors laid out in the IG report occurred after the FBI obtained its first warrant renewal in January 2017. The report said that days after the renewal was granted, Steele’s primary source disputed information in the dossier during an interview with FBI agents. The source, who was not identified, told agents that Steele misrepresented and embellished information attributed to him in the dossier. The IG report documented other errors before the FBI applied for its first warrant on Page. It said that in August 2016, the FBI agent who led the investigation into Page failed to disclose information from the CIA that Page had been an “operational contact” for the spy agency.   The FBI also failed to disclose that Steele told agents during a meeting on Oct. 3, 2016 that he believed a key sub-source for the dossier was a “boaster” and “embellisher.”

5am – E         BIRTH TOURISM:

White House Rolls Out New Rules To End ‘Birth Tourism.’     The Trump administration will implement new rules that aim to prevent pregnant foreign nationals from visiting the U.S. for the sole purpose of giving birth on U.S. soil. The White House announced rules Thursday meant to crack down on “birth tourism,” where foreign pregnant women enter the U.S. on a tourist visa in order to give birth, giving their child automatic citizenship. Under the upcoming guidelines, pregnant women applying for B visas — otherwise known as nonimmigrant visitor visas — may have to prove that they have a specific purpose for traveling to the U.S. other than giving birth.

AOC WANTS ANCHOR BABIES: AOC defends Russian oligarchs trying to have anchor babies. (Washington Examiner) - Trump has missed the mark on immigration plenty of times, but this is certainly not one of them.  Russian elites regularly shell out tens of thousands of dollars to deliver their children in Miami. AOC wants that to continue.

 

6am – A         INTERVIEW - DENISE HARLE -- Legal Counsel for the leading pro-life legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) – discussed the fight against abortion on the day of the March for Life in D.C.

BIO: Denise Harle serves as Legal Counsel at ADF. Harle’s litigation efforts focus on First Amendment freedoms in the pro-life space, defending pro-life legislation nationwide. She served as the lead role in drafting briefs for U.S. Supreme Court case NIFLA v. Becerra, a free speech victory in California pro-life pregnancy centers.

President Trump plans to address an annual rally of prolife demonstrators today in Washington, which will be the first appearance by a sitting president at the March for Life.  The event is in its 47th year, having taken place every year since the passage of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The president made the announcement via Twitter, writing, “see you on Friday…Big Crowd!”

6am – B/C     SOROS NEWS

SOROS SPREADS CONSPIRACY THEORY... George Soros Says Facebook Is Conspiring to Re-Elect Trump. (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire George Soros said that nothing is keeping Facebook Inc. from spreading disinformation and the company may be in cahoots with President Donald Trump to get him re-elected.  “I think there is a kind of informal mutual assistance operation or agreement developing between Trump and Facebook,” Soros, 89, said Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Facebook will work together to re-elect Trump, and Trump will work to protect Facebook so that this situation cannot be changed and it makes me very concerned about the outcome for 2020.”

THE SOROS CURRICULUM... WSJ: Soros Commits $1 Billion to Educational Initiative. (WSJ) -  DAVOS, Switzerland— George Soros, the billionaire hedge fund manager-turned-philanthropist, said he was committing $1 billion to fund a loose network of universities around the world to help educate young people and promote “personal autonomy.”  Mr. Soros, 89 years old, used his annual dinner and speech at the World Economic Forum here to announce the initiative, calling it the most important one of his life. Soros deputies described the plan, called the Open Society University Network, as a collaboration of universities around the world that would work to foster a traditional liberal-arts education for students, while instilling in them an appreciation for living in, and fighting for, a free society. The endowment is “the most important and enduring project of my life,” Mr. Soros said. He asked other philanthropists to contribute.

FLASHBACK: Billionaire George Soros Lost Nearly $1 Billion in Weeks After Trump Election. (WSJ) -  Billionaire hedge-fund manager George Soros lost nearly $1 billion as a result of the stock-market rally spurred by Donald Trump’s surprise presidential election. [...]  Mr. Soros was cautious about the market going into November and became more bearish immediately after Mr. Trump’s election, according to people close to the matter. Mr. Trump has raised the possibility of tariffs on Chinese imports and other steps that could upend global trade, which had some money managers forecasting a move lower in stocks. The stance proved a mistake—the stock market has risen over the past two months on expectations that Mr. Trump’s proposed economic policies will boost corporate earnings and the overall economy.   As a result, some of Mr. Soros’s personal trading positions incurred losses approaching $1 billion, the people say. Mr. Soros adjusted his positions and exited many of his bearish bets late last year, avoiding further losses, the people added.

 

6am – D         Mnuchin knocks Greta Thunberg's activism: Study economics and then "come back" to us. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday dismissed Greta Thunberg's call for countries around the world to immediately divest from fossil fuel investments, saying that the teen climate activist should study college economics before making such requests. “Is she the chief economist? Who is she, I’m confused," Mnuchin said during a press conference on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, The Guardian reported.  Mnuchin added that his remark was a "joke." But he then continued to push back on Thunberg's credentials to speak on problems related to climate change and fossil fuel investments. “After she goes and studies economics in college she can come back and explain that to us,” Mnuchin said, echoing the sentiments that President Trump has expressed about Thunberg. Trump earlier this week described the Swedish teen as "very angry." Mnuchin also argued that divestment would significantly hurt the economy and jobs.  "Many economies are transitioning to more efficient and cleaner energy. That doesn’t have to be all renewables," he asserted.

Greta Thunberg hits back after Treasury Secretary Mnuchin tells her to study economics. The 17-year-old climate activist responded to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury on Twitter. "My gap year ends in August, but it doesn’t take a college degree in economics to realise that our remaining 1.5° carbon budget and ongoing fossil fuel subsidies and investments don’t add up."

6am – E         BLOOMBERG GAINING MOMENTUM:

Bloomberg’s ad spending up to a quarter-billion dollars. (Fox News) - ith the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump dominating political news coverage, Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is up this week with a new national TV commercial in which he declares “it’s time for the Senate to act and remove Trump from office.” “In 2016, I warned that Donald Trump was a dangerous demagogue,” the former New York City mayor and billionaire business and media mogul says in the ad before vowing that if the senators “won’t do their jobs, this November, you and I will.” loomberg’s presidential campaign says the 30-second spot is running on national cable on CNN and MSNBC, as well as in 27 states across the country. And the campaign touts that among those states are Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas, where Republican senators could face competitive re-elections bids.

Bloomberg rises to 4th place in new national poll. The Monmouth University poll found Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg continues to rise in the Democratic primary field, according to a new nationwide poll out Wednesday, as he plows his personal fortune into widespread advertisements for his last minute bid for the White House. The Monmouth University poll found Bloomberg polling at 9 percent nationally among Democratic voters — good for a distant fourth place among a still-crowded field. The former mayor's showing in the poll represents an increase of 4 points since a Monmouth survey conducted in December and the highest he’s registered in a national poll since jumping into the race late last year.

6am – F         Trump to become first president in history to speak at March for Life. (Washington Examiner) - President Trump will deliver an in-person speech on Friday at the March for Life, an annual rally held in Washington protesting the legalization of abortion. Trump will be the first president in history to appear at the march, one of the highest-profile events of the anti-abortion movement. March for Life is in its 47th year, having taken place every year since the passage of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Last year, Vice President Mike Pence made a surprise appearance at the march before roughly 100,000 attendees. The president also gave a message of support for the cause to attendees through a live video. Jeanne Mancini, president of the organizing group, celebrated the announcement in a statement, saying Trump had been loyal to the anti-abortion movement.

 

7am – A/B/C IMPEACHMENT TRIAL:

House Democrats wrap up their opening arguments in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump today.  Yesterday was spent focusing on the President’s alleged abuse of power, one of the two articles of impeachment approved last month by the House. The trial could wrap up by late next week if the White House decides not use its full 24 hours for opening arguments and if Republicans block the introduction of new witnesses and documents.

Impeachment trial Day 3: Senator clashes with key Dem witness, Republicans turn to fidget spinners, and everything else you may have missed. As the third day of the ongoing impeachment trial of President Trump wrapped up in the Senate chamber, most of the drama was elsewhere -- with one witness for the Democrats accusing a Republican senator of "defamation" and "slander" after she questioned his patriotism and implicated him in a scheme to take down Trump from inside the White House.

Senators considering short morning-only impeachment session on Saturday. (CNN) Senators and aides in each party say there is an effort in the works to hold a short, morning-only impeachment trial session on Saturday to hear the beginning of the opening arguments from President Donald Trump's defense counsel and then allowing senators to leave town for the weekend. The plan is not finalized but seemed to be gaining steam on Thursday as word of the plan circulated through the Republican and Democratic caucuses.An early start is possible, in part, because Chief Justice John Roberts would not need to do his day job presiding over the Supreme Court on a Saturday, something he's done all week before presiding over the impeachment trial in the afternoon and into the night.One senator who asked not to be named told CNN that Roberts is amenable to the plan.

 

7am – D         INTERVIEW - Victoria Cobb - President, The Family Foundation of Virginia – discussed the radical pro-abortion proposals going through the Virginia General Assembly.

The Virginia March for Life is coming up in downtown Richmond t the Virginia State Capitol on Thursday, February 13th. http://www.familyfoundation.org/

Virginia Senate committee passes bill easing abortion restrictions. RICHMOND, Va. -- With a newly empowered Democratic majority at the Virginia General Assembly, abortion-rights advocates say the state has a chance to roll back decades of restrictions and become a “safe haven” for women in neighboring conservative states. Pro-choice groups are pushing to undo Republican-backed laws, including a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, requirements for ultrasound and counseling as well as eliminating regulations holding abortion clinics to the same standards as hospitals and expanding who can perform a first-trimester abortion. A Senate committee passed that bill Thursday, a day after a House committee advanced that chamber's version. “These laws have been about shaming women, stigmatizing abortion, shutting off access, discouraging doctors from providing this care,” Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, said. "They only serve to put up barriers to the access of care and actually shut down abortion providers around the state and they’ve been somewhat successful." Pro-choice groups said those restrictions injected politics into a decision that should be made by a woman and her doctor and made obtaining an abortion overly burdensome.

 

7am – E         SEN. BLACKBURN HAD LIBERAL HEADS SPINNING YESTERDAY:

CNN host and Sen. Richard Blumenthal talk about Blackburn's tweet about Vindman and they are appalled.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn @MarshaBlackburn: Adam Schiff is hailing Alexander Vindman as an American patriot.   How patriotic is it to badmouth and ridicule our great nation in front of Russia, America’s greatest enemy? 4:06 PM · Jan 23, 2020

Sen. Marsha Blackburn @MarshaBlackburn: It makes sense that Alexander Vindman leaked the July 25th phone call to his friend (aka the “whistleblower”). They both have lots in common: —Held the same NSC job   —Liberals who worked under Obama  —Wanted to take out Trump 6:07 PM - Jan 23, 2020

Sen. Marsha Blackburn @MarshaBlackburn: Vindman’s commanding officer, Army Lt. Col. Jim Hickman: “Do not let the uniform fool you. He is a political activist in uniform.” 8:01 PM - Jan 23, 2020

Dem impeachment witness Vindman unloads on Blackburn as Dems wrap 3rd day of Trump's trial.  As the third day of the ongoing impeachment trial of President Trump wrapped up in the Senate chamber, most of the drama was elsewhere -- with one witness for the Democrats accusing a Republican senator of "defamation" and "slander" after she questioned his patriotism and implicated him in a scheme to take down Trump from inside the White House.

Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn was spotted reading a book during the trial. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican from Tennessee, was spotted reading a book during the trial today. She revealed on Twitter this afternoon what the book it is: Kimberley Strassel’s latest, "Resistance (At All Costs): How Trump Haters Are Breaking America."  "It provides good insights into today’s proceedings. Second – busy mamas are the best at multi-tasking. Try it," Blackburn tweeted.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW - SENATOR MARSHA BLACKBURN - United States Senator from Tennessee - shared her thoughts on the impeachment trial.

 

8am – B/C     President Trump plans to address an annual rally of prolife demonstrators today in Washington, which will be the first appearance by a sitting president at the March for Life.  The event is in its 47th year, having taken place every year since the passage of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

 

8am – D         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" -- discussed the latest news on the impeachment trial.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump 59m After having been treated unbelievably unfairly in the House, and then having to endure hour after hour of lies, fraud & deception by Shifty Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer & their crew, looks like my lawyers will be forced to start on Saturday, which is called Death Valley in T.V.

 

8am – E         NY TIMES: Stress Really Does Make Hair Go Gray Faster. The same nerves involved in the fight-or-flight response can cause permanent damage to the cells responsible for producing hair color in mice, scientists have found.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2020-1-24

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

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

[02:00:26] 6:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

[03:00:37] 7:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

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