The Vince Coglianese Show

INTERVIEW - CAL THOMAS - Syndicated Columnist -- discussed the upcoming Judiciary impeachment hearing and his thoughts on the 2020 election.

Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2019-11-27

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[01:00:17] 6:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

[02:00:28] 7:00 am - Mornings on the Mall

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Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and guest co-host HANS VON SPAKOVSKY - Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and Senior Legal Fellow at  The Heritage Foundation

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Cal Thomas, Newt Gingrich, Daily Caller's Henry Rodgers and guest co-host Hans Von Spakovsky joined WMAL on Wednesday!

 

5am – A/B/CSTUDENTS COMPLAIN ABOUT WASHINGTON AND LEE ON THEIR DIPLOMAS: These students want their Washington and Lee diplomas -- without the portraits of Washington and Lee. (Washington Post) - A group of law students is calling on Washington and Lee University to give future graduates the option of a diploma stripped of portraits of the school’s namesakes, George Washington and Robert E. Lee. The proposal, which is supported by more than half of students at the Washington and Lee School of Law and has sparked intense backlash from alumni, comes amid a national reckoning over the legacy of historic figures. That debate is deeply felt on the campus of this private university in Virginia: The school was named for Washington, an early benefactor, and Lee, an influential president of the university, who is buried in a chapel at the heart of campus. A commission examining how history shapes Washington and Lee suggested numerous changes last year but stopped short of recommending renaming the school. Students who organized the petition say Lee’s role as a Confederate leader has made him a symbol of white supremacy for many — especially after violence erupted in nearby Charlottesville in 2017 amid debate over a statue of the general. For that reason, and because Washington enslaved people working on his estate, they argue that the prominence of the portraits does not reflect the university’s values in 2019. Some alumni support the idea. Others oppose it for a host of reasons: Some admire Washington and Lee and their contributions to the school and the nation. Some argue that the debate oversimplifies the lives and complex legacies of the men. Some object to the idea of eliminating images that might offend, as though that could erase history. Tom Rideout, a 1963 graduate of the university who helped form the Generals Redoubt nonprofit group to combat pressure to change the school, said many of the alumni have a simple question about the students who support the petition: “Why are they there, if they don’t like these two people?”

 

5am – D         House Democrats Sue Trump Administration over Census Documents. (Breitbart) -- The House Oversight Committee has sued Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross for blocking its investigation into the administration’s decision to forgo adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who was recently elected as chair of the oversight panel, said she filed the lawsuit because the two departments have not handed over documents related to the squashing of the question. “Since the Supreme Court ruled against them — and the House of Representatives held them in contempt for blocking the Committee’s investigation — Attorney General Barr and Commerce Secretary Ross have doubled down on their open defiance of the rule of law and refused to produce even a single additional document in response to our Committee’s bipartisan subpoenas,” said Maloney. “I am filing this enforcement action today because the Trump Administration’s brazen obstruction of Congress must not stand,” she added. “President Trump and his aides are not above the law.” Trump abandoned the citizenship question last summer after the Supreme Court said the administration’s justification for the question “seems to have been contrived.” Trump diected agencies to try to compile the information using existing databases. The Justice and Commerce departments did not immediately comment on the lawsuit, although officials have previously said the documents Democrats are demanding are subject to executive privilege.

 

5am – E         DOJ moves to halt judge’s ruling that McGahn must testify. (Politico) - The planned appeal means impeachment investigators won’t likely hear from McGahn anytime soon. The Justice Department asked a federal judge Tuesday to put a temporary pause on her ruling that orders former Trump White House counsel Don McGahn to testify in the House impeachment probe, saying it needs the delay to pursue an appeal. While expected, the move from DOJ means that the primary congressional panel responsible for drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump likely won’t hear anytime soon from McGahn, one of the star witnesses in special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report. Also Tuesday, a lawyer representing two other key White House impeachment witnesses said his clients would keep resisting congressional subpoenas, arguing that Monday's decision didn't apply to their situation. Both actions have crystallized the next steps in the months-long legal battle, one day after U.S. District Court Judge Kentanji Brown Jackson issued her potentially precedent-setting decision. In her 120-page opinion, Jackson argued that Trump's advisers do not enjoy “absolute immunity” from facing lawmakers' questions about their work under oath. She found that “no one is above the law” and took issue with Trump’s efforts to stonewall congressional oversight via a blanket order directing aides not to testify. “Stated simply, the primary takeaway from the past 250 years of recorded American history is that Presidents are not kings,” Jackson wrote. But DOJ on Tuesday responded by requesting a new hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as well as asking Jackson for a temporary stay on her ruling for McGahn to testify.

 

6am – A/B/C #WAYSTORUINTHANKSGIVING / Taking Your Calls:

Dont Think So  @DontThinkso555: Ask everyone their thoughts about the border wall #WaysToRuinThanksgiving

HEED THE HERALD ‏ @KindaSquirrelly: #WaysToRuinThanksgiving Reveal who you voted for.

 

6am – D         INTERVIEW - CAL THOMAS - Syndicated Columnist -- discussed the upcoming Judiciary impeachment hearing and his thoughts on the 2020 election.

 

6am – E         INTERVIEW - Jeanette Casselano - Spokesperson for AAA

AAA: More Than 55 Million Travelers Taking to the Roads and Skies this Thanksgiving. – More than 55 million travelers are making plans to kick off the holiday season with a trip of 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving. This will be the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since AAA began tracking in 2000, trailing only the record set in 2005. Overall, an additional 1.6 million more people will travel compared with last year, a 2.9% increase. The vast majority of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations and, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects Wednesday afternoon to be the worst travel period nationally, with trips taking as much at four times longer than normal in major metros. “Millions of thankful Americans are starting the holiday season off right with a Thanksgiving getaway,” said Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel. “Strong economic fundamentals are motivating Americans to venture out this holiday in near-record numbers. Consumer spending remains strong, thanks to increasing wages, disposable income and household wealth, and travel remains one of their top priorities for the holiday season.”

For the 49.3 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts major delays throughout the week, peaking Wednesday with trips taking as much four times longer as commuters mix with travelers. DC Metro Area’s Worst Time on Wednesday, Nov. 27: 3:00-5:00 PM.

 

6am – F         Hunter Biden suspected of smoking crack in DC strip club’s VIP room. (PageSix) - Hunter Biden was suspected of smoking crack inside a strip club where he dropped “thousands of dollars” during multiple visits — at the same time he held a seat on the board of a controversial Ukrainian natural-gas company, The Post has learned. The incident, which took place at Archibald’s Gentlemen’s Club in Washington, DC, late last year, represents the most recent alleged drug use by Biden, 49, who has acknowledged six stints in rehab for alcoholism and addiction that included a crack binge in 2016. Workers at Archibald’s, located about three blocks north of the White House, said Biden was a regular there, with two bartenders and a security worker all instantly recognizing his photo and one worker identifying him by name. Security worker Ranko Petrovic said Biden — the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic front-runner to challenge President Trump next year — would routinely hole up in a VIP room and drink during his visits. Although Petrovic said the club “had no issue with him,” former Archibald’s managing partner James Ritter said one occasion in late 2018 was marred by a “suspicion of drug use.” “There was a smell of burning Styrofoam in the VIP room. We told him nothing illegal can go on here,” Ritter said. “We didn’t see anything illegal. After he was spoken to, the smell stopped.” “VIP employees suspected it was crack,” he added. Hunter spent “thousands and thousands of dollars in the Archibald’s VIP rooms,” and paid his bills with “credit cards that didn’t have his name on it.” The club generally required customers to use credit cards that matched official IDs, but “Hunter was a bit of an exception,” Ritter said. “Whenever he was in town he came in for two days in a row, disappeared and come back a month later,” Ritter said.

 

7am – A         Nadler Sets First House Judiciary Impeachment Hearing For December 4: The House Judiciary Committee next week opens its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry, as Democrats push closer to a possible vote on charges of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.  Chairman Jerry Nadler invited President Trump or his counsel to attend and ask questions of as-yet unnamed legal experts on an impeachment framework. The president's schedule calls for him to attend a NATO summit in London.

 

7am – B/C     Highlights of Trump’s Rally Tuesday Night

 

7am – 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" – discussed China, Hong Kong elections and his op-ed on Thanksgiving.

 

HONG KONG ELECTIONS

Hong Kong elections seen as win for pro-democracy candidates after massive turnout. (Fox News) - Anti-government protestors prevailed on Sunday after polls closed in Hong Kong and pro-democracy candidates clinched nearly half of the seats on the ballot. So far, pro-democracy candidates have won 269 out of 452 seats in 18 district council races, while pro-Beijing forces, who previously held 73 percent of the seats, have only won 30. Voters came out in droves -- with a 71 percent turnout -- up from 47 percent four years ago in the same elections, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission.

Hong Kong elections: Chinese media attempt to downplay results. (BBC) -- Chinese state media outlets have attempted to downplay the results of Hong Kong's district elections, which saw the pro-democracy camp score a landslide victory. The government had been hoping the election would bring a show of support from the so-called "silent majority" opposed to the protests.

THANKSGIVING HISTORY: Newt Gingrich: First Thanksgiving wasn’t like what you were taught in school – Here’s the true story. (By Newt Gingrich | Fox News) -- As we gather with family and friends later this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, I wanted to devote an episode of my "Newt’s World" podcast to the real history behind this uniquely American tradition. When most people imagine the first Thanksgiving, they think of the Mayflower Pilgrims, donning tall black hats with big buckles on their shoes, gathering outdoors with feather-wearing Native Americans at a long table near Plymouth Rock. They are celebrating with a grand feast of turkey, bread,and fall vegetables. This is a lovely image – and it carries nostalgia for the holiday – but it’s only partly true. In the episode, I have a great conversation with Melanie Kirkpatrick. She is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and is the author of "Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience." Kirkpatrick shared a tremendous amount of insight on the Thanksgiving holiday. For instance, what most consider the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in October 1621 after the pilgrims’ first harvest. The feast lasted for three days and included games and all-around good cheer. It was attended by 90 Wampanoag warriors and 53 Pilgrims, according to Pilgrim Edward Winslow’s account. It’s unclear whether the Wampanoag were expected to be there or even invited – although they did bring enough venison to feed the entire party for three days. It’s also likely that this was (at least in the beginning) a tense interaction. The Native Americans were all male warriors. They outnumbered the Pilgrims nearly 2:1, and many of the Pilgrims included women and children, who were not trained for battle. Nevertheless, the two groups gathered and gave thanks for the bounty of the harvest, and the rich natural resources of this American continent. There was plenty for which to be thankful. The Pilgrims and Wampanoag had settled on a peace treaty – and the English newcomers had a survived the winter largely because the natives had shown them how to plant corn, where to fish, and how to survive in the environment. However, no one ever called that celebration “Thanksgiving.” In fact, the first recorded “Day of Thanksgiving” happened two years later. It was July, and the English settlers were celebrating rain after a prolonged drought. From there, Kirkpatrick shares a fascinating story of how today’s Thanksgiving was born out of a series of political fights. That’s right. When President George Washington first proclaimed a national Day of Thanksgiving, it was hotly debated. Some in the Congress suggested the president lacked authority to impose a national holiday upon governors. Others suggested it was a religious holiday and shouldn’t be in federal purview. Again, in 1863, Lincoln proclaimed a nationwide Day of Thanksgiving as a means to bridge divides in our war-wracked country.

 

7am – E         THANKSGIVING NEWS:

Don't wash your Thanksgiving turkey this year. (Fox News) -- Grocery shopping and recipe preparations may be well underway ahead of Thanksgiving, but several health agencies have banded together to deliver one clear rule before the holiday: Don’t wash the turkey before cooking it. “You can’t wash off bacteria with water, and rinsing out the turkey risks splashing its juices all over the sink,” Amy Keating, R.D., a Consumer Reporters nutritionist, said in a food safety memo last week. Experts instead recommend opening the plastic wrap and draining any liquid into the sink before throwing the packaging out. They then suggest patting the turkey dry with paper towels, and washing your hands and utensils thoroughly with hot water and soap when done. According to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, washing raw poultry — and even beef, pork, lamb or veal — before cooking is not recommended because bacteria in the raw meat and juices can be spread to other foods, utensils and surfaces. Some of the bacteria are so tightly attached to the meat that they cannot be removed with washing. There’s also the risk of failing to clean all surfaces of the kitchen where the bacteria has spread, leaving open the possibility for cross-contamination.

Will They Fly? Winds Could Ground Balloons For Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The floats and bands will march in the 93rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but will the balloons fly? Strong winds could weigh down the 16 large character balloons. “We had the same concerns last year. It’s going to be a game day decision,” NYPD Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison said Tuesday. The NYPD plans to make the call tomorrow morning. The department will use weather instruments placed along the route and work closely with parade officials. “We have supervisors assigned to each one of the 16 character balloons that are trained. We have seven anemometers throughout the route that will determine the wind gusts regarding the height of each one of the balloons,” said Harrison. The balloons cannot fly when sustained winds exceed 23 miles per hour with gusts over 34 miles per hour. The only time they were grounded for bad weather was back in 1971. Safety is paramount, especially after past incidents left spectators injured. In 1997, four people were hurt when the Cat in the Hat balloon whipped around, snapping a light pole. One woman spent a month in a coma. In 2005, an M&M balloon also snagged a pole, and the pieces fell on two sisters from Albany.

 

8am – A/B/C OBAMA SECRETLY WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES:

POLITICO: Barack Obama is meeting privately with 2020 Democrats to offer candidates advice — and to get intel about what matters most to him: who can beat Donald Trump.

Obama warned he would intervene to stop Bernie, had cutting words for Biden: report. (Fox News) - Former President Barack Obama once warned he would intervene to stop Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., from winning the Democratic presidential nomination, according to a new report that sheds light on Obama's personal views of the jam-packed primary field with no clear front-runner. Obama has largely stayed on the sidelines to date, refraining from any endorsements though he has issued general warnings to the party to avoid calls for radical upheaval in their policy pitches. These warnings were seen as a swipe at candidates like Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sanders. A new Politico Magazine report gives a clearer picture of what Obama is worried about -- claiming he has said in private he'd speak out against Sanders if it looked like he could actually win.

Obama once admitted Joe Biden 'doesn't have it' for 2020 bid: report. The same Politico report, meanwhile, addressed Obama's relationship with Biden, whom he has not yet endorsed, despite Biden serving as vice president in his administration -- and routinely touting their relationship on the stump. The Politico piece said Obama recalled to one candidate who came to him for advice how he himself had a bond with the voters that has since faded. He reportedly added, “And you know who really doesn’t have it? Joe Biden.”

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - HENRY RODGERS - Congressional Correspondent at The Daily Caller

Nadler Sets First House Judiciary Impeachment Hearing For December 4. The House Judiciary Committee next week opens its first hearing in the impeachment inquiry, as Democrats push closer to a possible vote on charges of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine.  Chairman Jerry Nadler invited President Trump or his counsel to attend and ask questions of as-yet unnamed legal experts on an impeachment framework. The president's schedule calls for him to attend a NATO summit in London.

Democrats Release More Transcripts Just As Thanksgiving Holiday Begins. The House Intelligence Committee has released the last two transcripts from its depositions of witnesses in the impeachment inquiry, including testimony from a White House budget official who detailed concerns among colleagues as Trump ordered them, through intermediaries, to put a hold on military aid to Ukraine. Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has said his panel’s report could be released soon after the House returns from its Thanksgiving break.

 

8am – E         THAT'S AN AWKWARD THANKSGIVING -- CUMMINGS'S DAUGHTERS ARE NOT ENDORSING THEIR STEPMOTHER FOR THEIR FATHER'S CONGRESSIONAL SEAT:

Wow. Rep. Cummings's daughters are NOT endorsing their stepmother Maya Rockeymoore Cummings to succeed the late Oversight chairman in Congress. Instead they are endorsing longtime Cummings aide Harry Spikes to replace their father in the Baltimore district

Maryland Rep. Cummings’ daughters endorse his longtime staffer for his congressional seat. (Baltimore Sun) - The late Rep. Elijah Cummings’ daughters are supporting one of the congressman’s longtime staffers in the crowded race for his seat — a race that also includes Cummings’ widow and nearly three-dozen others. His oldest daughter, Jennifer, wrote in a statement that she and her sister, Adia, are endorsing Harry Spikes to represent Maryland’s 7th Congressional District. ”Our father often said of himself that he was ‘an ordinary man called to an extraordinary mission,’ and Harry embodies that same spirit," she wrote in a statement. The two women appeared alongside Spikes last week when he formally announced his candidacy at the Umar Boxing Gym on North Avenue in Baltimore. Jennifer Cummings said Spikes, who is among the younger candidates in the race, “has the unique ability to build a multigenerational and diverse coalition of support.” After a long career fighting for civil rights, Cummings rose to the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Reform Committee and gained national prominence for his clashes with President Donald Trump as he pursued an impeachment inquiry. It was her father’s wish, Jennifer Cummings said, to get as many freshmen members of Congress assigned to his committee as possible so he could prepare the next generation to lead. ”Harry Spikes represents that next generation of leadership," Jennifer Cummings wrote.

INTERVIEW - Timothy Parlatore - a former Navy officer, is a lawyer representing Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher

Pres. Trump defends his decision to vindicate Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher when asked about the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer: "I have to protect my war fighters...it's about time"

Navy SEAL Gallagher to retire from active duty, no review board, thanks to orders from Trump. Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL at the center of a high-profile standoff between President Trump and some top officials in the Navy, will retire from active duty and will not take part in a review board over his conduct in 2017 while deployed, a Navy spokesman said late Monday. Gallagher, a highly decorated SEAL who received two Bronze Stars with V for valor, was acquitted of murder in the stabbing death of an Islamic State militant captive but was convicted of posing with the corpse. Lt. Cmdr. Clay Doss, the Navy spokesman, said there will be no additional information due to privacy concerns. The announcement was not a surprise. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said earlier that he was given a direct order by Trump to allow Gallagher to retire without losing his status as a Navy SEAL.

INTERVIEW - AMBER ATHEY - White House Correspondent at The Daily Caller – discussed the latest White House news.

TURKEY PARDON: TODAY AT 2PM: THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY participate in the presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The White House on Monday revealed the names of the two feathered contenders who will vie for the title of National Thanksgiving Turkey — Bread and Butter (via Politico)

CONAN THE HERO DOG: Donald Trump honors hero dog Conan in the Rose Garden.

White House flip-flops on gender of ISIS-fighting hero dog Conan.

AMBER ATHEY: Media Unleashes Criticism After Trump Brings Hero Dog To White House. The media went after President Donald Trump on Monday during Conan’s visit to the White House, attacking him for a litany of reasons, including making jokes to the press and not standing close enough to the dog.

CNN political contributor Joan Walsh appeared to feign surprise that President Trump didn't sexually assault the military canine that visited the White House: CNN'S Joan Walsh @joanwalsh: I am being slammed for my Conan tweets by MAGA and I do want to apologize: Conan is actually a female dog, God bless her. So I'm especially shocked Trump didn't...well, you know.

CHRISTMAS TREE: First Lady Melania Trump welcomes the White House Christmas tree.  

DON MCGAHN:  Judge rules Don McGahn must comply with House impeachment subpoena

ANIMAL CRUELTY LAW:  YESTERDAY: Trump signed into law a new federal ban on animal cruelty, called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act

PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE:  Tuesday, November 26, 2019:

12:30 PM - THE PRESIDENT has lunch with the Secretary of State

2:00 PM - THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY participate in the presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey

3:15 PM - THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart the White House

7:00 PM - THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at a Keep America Great Rally in Sunrise, FL

9:05 PM - THE PRESIDENT arrives in Palm Beach, FL

INTERVIEW - BILL GERTZ - National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times and author of new book "Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy" – discussed the latest about China and his new book.

ABOUT HIS BOOK: Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy. Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy details the failure to understand the nature and activities of the dangers posed by China and what the United States can do in taking needed steps to counter the threats.

THE CHINA THREAT:

GERTZ: Pentagon races to end China's dream of military domination in space. The United States and China are rapidly building space warfare capabilities as part of a race to dominate the zone outside Earth’s atmosphere. Bill Gertz takes a deep look into the race to build infrastructure in the stars.

GERTZ: U.S. intelligence agencies believe the missile has already been deployed, based on its appearance during the Oct. 1 military parade in Beijing, where it was the centerpiece. A total of 16 DF-41s were showcased and Beijing officials at the time boasted that the new missile will be a key element of China’s efforts to confront the U.S. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the Chinese missile test. A Chinese Embassy spokesman did not return an email seeking comment on the missile test. Separately, China watcher Henri Kenhmann, who operates the blog East Pendulum, reported a possible missile test was carried out around 6:30 p.m. in China on Friday, based on announced air closure zones. The missile was likely fired from a launch center in northwestern China and landed in a remote region of the Gobi Desert. “The impact zone is similar to those of previous DF-41 trials in December 2016 and November 2017 and January and May of 2018,” he tweeted.

HONG KONG ELECTIONS:

Hong Kong elections seen as win for pro-democracy candidates after massive turnout. (Fox News) - Anti-government protestors prevailed on Sunday after polls closed in Hong Kong and pro-democracy candidates clinched nearly half of the seats on the ballot. So far, pro-democracy candidates have won 269 out of 452 seats in 18 district council races, while pro-Beijing forces, who previously held 73 percent of the seats, have only won 30. Voters came out in droves -- with a 71 percent turnout -- up from 47 percent four years ago in the same elections, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission.

Hong Kong elections: Chinese media attempt to downplay results. (BBC) -- Chinese state media outlets have attempted to downplay the results of Hong Kong's district elections, which saw the pro-democracy camp score a landslide victory. The government had been hoping the election would bring a show of support from the so- called "silent majority" opposed to the protests. Instead, it saw some significant pro-Beijing candidates lose council seats. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has acknowledged public "unhappiness". In her first public appearance since the results, she said she recognised that people were concerned over "deficiencies in governance, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the unstable  environment". However, she offered no new concessions. 'No need to over-interpret the victory' Reaction from state media outlets has ranged from making no reference at all to election results to overt claims that "tampering" had taken place. However, the report also said there was "no need to over-interpret the victory of pan-democrats". The Global Times' editor Hu Xijin, known for his outspoken comments, mentioned on Chinese social media site Weibo that the pro-Beijing camp had failed, but added that the district council elections were on a very "local level".

INTERVIEW - KT MCFARLAND - Former Deputy National Security Adviser for President Trump and author of upcoming book "Revolution: Trump, Washington and “We the People” (Hardcover – February 25, 2020)

KT discussed why she went away from the Trump Administration, what she makes off the continued war on the administration and what has happened with the NSC: Don McGahn, what happened with Bolton, Mike Flynn, Fiona Hill / impeachment inquiry hearings.

Judge rules Don McGahn must comply with House impeachment subpoena

KT knew Fiona Hill and talked about what she thought of last week's hearings.

Mornings on the Mall Podcast - 2019-11-26

[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

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[04:00:47] 8:59 am - Mornings on the Mall

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Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Amber Athey, KT McFarland, Bill Gertz and Timothy Parlatore joined WMAL on Tuesday!

 

5am – A/B/CDemocrats are Doomed: Two Polls Show Support for Trump Among African Americans at 34%. (PJ Media) -- In what one can only describe as "disastrous news" for Democrats, two different opinion polls find that, among African Americans, support for President Trump is in the thirties. This number has been rising more or less constantly from a year ago, when it was in the mid-20s. Rasmussen Reports explains on Twitter that one of the biggest differences between them and most other polling organizations is that they look at likely voters instead of at voters in general. "All American Adults don't vote. A portion of Registered Voters also don't frequent national elections. That's why we invest the extra $$ to ask political questions to only Likely Voters," Rasmussen explains. "And we do this using techniques to assure privacy - just like in the voting booth." In other words, their polling mimics actual voting as much as possible. And yes, the result is that Rasmussen concludes that support for President Trump among African Americans is at 34 percent.

 

5am – D         DON MCGAHN TO TESTIFY:

Judge rules Don McGahn must comply with House impeachment subpoena. "When DOJ insists that Presidents can lawfully prevent their senior-level aides from responding to compelled congressional process and that neither the federal courts nor Congress has the power to do anything about it, DOJ promotes a conception of separation-of-powers principles that gets these constitutional commands exactly backwards. In reality, it is a core tenet of this Nation’s founding that the powers of a monarch must be split between the branches of the government to prevent tyranny." — Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

Mark Levin blasts McGahn ruling, calls judge a 'disgrace.' "She's a radical leftist and this is truly outrageous," Levin said on his radio show. If McGahn wanted to assert executive privilege to avoid testifying as part of the House impeachment inquiry, U.S. District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled, he would need to appear before Congress and do it himself, likely on a question-by-question basis. "Now, this is what you need to understand, a president must be able to have legal advice. Must be able to have legal advice without Congress interfering," Levin said. "Whether it's an impeachment proceeding or any other proceeding. Otherwise, there's no balance of power because the House of Representatives, unless there's a criminal investigation, is not subject to any subpoenas." "If a president can't turn to a lawyer for legal advice, then it's a disaster," Levin added, saying the ruling would be appealed. Supreme Court grants emergency stay blocking subpoena for Trump tax returns. Between the lines: A Supreme Court ruling on the case would likely not come until mid-January, AP notes. If House Democrats are planning to vote to impeach Trump by the end of the year, as they have signaled, the tax return investigation will likely not play a role.

 

5am – E         George Papadopoulos Officially Announces Run For Katie Hill’s Vacated House Seat. (Daily Caller) - Former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos announced Monday morning during “Fox & Friends” that he is officially running for Democrat Katie Hill’s former House seat. Papadopoulos spent 12 days in prison in 2018 after being convicted of lying to investigators about his contact with Russians during the 2016 campaign. He filed for a House run at the end of October and officially launched his bid Monday for the California House seat. “When I go and talk around the districts, the state, the country, they tell me we need a candidate to represent the community that has an ‘America First’ agenda at heart that supports the president,” Papadopoulos, a Republican, said.

 

6am – A         'SNL' comedian Pete Davidson says he's done performing at colleges: 'You can't say anything.' Davidson told the magazine that doing college shows is no longer worth the risk of losing money or getting backlash for saying something potentially offensive. He was asked by Tommy Dorfman what it's like doing comedy in such a "hyper-sensitive" world. "It makes doing college [shows] really hard," Davidson said. "I refuse to do a college after this year 'cause it's like, you're just setting yourself up for trouble... Comedy is just, like, getting destroyed. Standup's about to be about, like, sneakers. Like, 'Hey, everyone like sneakers?' You can't talk about anything. You can't. The second you open your mouth and have an opinion, you lose money today. And I don't think that's a safe place to live in."

6am – B/C     POLITICO: Biden’s senior Latina adviser quits in frustration. A senior Joe Biden campaign staffer in charge of outreach to Latino, African-American and women’s groups has quit her post, telling two allies she was frustrated over her lack of input and with the presidential candidate’s immigration rhetoric. Vanessa Cárdenas, the most senior Latina Biden staffer, had been serving as national coalitions director since the campaign formally announced its existence April 25. She resigned last week and has since changed her bio on Twitter to say she was “formerly with @joebiden.”  Cárdenas did not return a call or text message, but two friends familiar with her thinking told POLITICO that she felt the campaign wasn’t heeding her advice on immigration as she tried to reach out to Latino groups that have had longstanding concerns with the former vice president’s rhetoric and record stemming from the Obama administration. “The campaign is just hyper-focused on whites in Iowa and African-Americans and it placed less value on Latino outreach,” an immigration activist and friend who spoke with her told POLITICO. [...] At a South Carolina event on Thursday, Biden ended up in a widely publicized clash with Carlos Rojas, an immigration activist with the group Movimiento Cosecha, who wanted the candidate to pledge to halt deportations. "No. I will not stop all deportations. I will prioritize deportations, only people who have committed a felony or serious crime,” Biden told Rojas. Rojas then told Biden that he had volunteered for the Obama-Biden campaign in 2008 but became disenchanted with the Obama administration because “over those 8 years, there were 3 million people that were deported and separated from their families.” “You should vote for Trump,” Biden cut in. The exchange, which occurred after Cárdenas had quit, underscored her concerns with the campaign, a second friend told POLITICO.

6am – D         CONAN THE HERO DOG:

Donald Trump honors hero dog Conan in the Rose Garden. White House flip-flops on gender of ISIS-fighting hero dog Conan

AMBER ATHEY: Media Unleashes Criticism After Trump Brings Hero Dog To White House. The media went after President Donald Trump on Monday during Conan’s visit to the White House, attacking him for a litany of reasons, including making jokes to the press and not standing close enough to the dog.

CNN political contributor Joan Walsh appeared to feign surprise that President Trump didn't sexually assault the military canine that visited the White House: CNN'S Joan Walsh @joanwalsh: I am being slammed for my Conan tweets by MAGA and I do want to apologize: Conan is actually a female dog, God bless her. So I'm especially shocked Trump didn't...well, you know.

 

6am – E         EDDIE GALLAGHER NEWS:

Pres. Trump defends his decision to vindicate Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher when asked about the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer: "I have to protect my war fighters...it's about time"

Navy SEAL Gallagher to retire from active duty, no review board, thanks to orders from Trump.  (Fox News) - Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL at the center of a high-profile standoff between President Trump and some top officials in the Navy, will retire from active duty and will not take part in a review board over his conduct in 2017 while deployed, a Navy spokesman said late Monday. Gallagher, a highly decorated SEAL who received two Bronze Stars with V for valor, was acquitted of murder in the stabbing death of an Islamic State militant captive but was convicted of posing with the corpse. Lt. Cmdr. Clay Doss, the Navy spokesman, said there will be no additional information due to privacy concerns. The announcement was not a surprise. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said earlier that he was given a direct order by Trump to allow Gallagher to retire without losing his status as a Navy SEAL.

Trump Tells Allies He Wants Absolved War Criminals to Campaign for Him. (Daily Beast) - Fallout from the clemency cost the Navy secretary Richard Spencer his job, but a former Pentagon deputy chief backs the ousted official. If Donald Trump gets his wish, he’ll soon take the three convicted or accused war criminals he spared from consequence on the road as special guests in his re-election campaign, according to two sources who have heard Trump discuss their potential roles for the 2020 effort. Despite military and international backlash to Trump’s Nov. 15 clemency—fallout from which cost Navy Secretary Richard Spencer his job on Sunday—Trump believes he has rectified major injustices. Two people tell The Daily Beast they’ve heard Trump talk about how he’d like to have the now-cleared Clint Lorance, Matthew Golsteyn, or Edward Gallagher show up at his 2020 rallies, or even have a moment on stage at his renomination convention in Charlotte next year. Right-wing media have portrayed all three as martyrs brought down by “political correctness” within the military. “He briefly discussed making it a big deal at the convention,” said one of these sources, who requested anonymity to talk about private conversations. “The president made a reference to the 2016 [convention] and where they brought on-stage heroes” like former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who refused to execute detained civilians ahead of a devastating Taliban attack.

 

6am – F         Kanye West’s ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ opera was a loud flop. (NY Post) - Kanye West is continuing to alienate fans. Attendees were disappointed by the artist’s only performance of “Nebuchadnezzar,” his first-ever opera, on Sunday. The hourlong gospel-take about the longest-reigning king of Babylon started late, had rough acoustics and didn’t sell out, the audience reports. A livestream of the opera on the platform Tidal was delayed over an hour, with West instead playing older songs on repeat — a move one watcher referred to as “the most Kanye thing ever.” Those there in person to see the show live at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl had to wait in real time: Although the show was slated to begin at 4 p.m., it didn’t start until 6:14, USA Today writes. And when it did start, it was a scream. After waiting double the performance’s length for the show to begin, West presented the opera by bellowing and moaning — to show the struggle of King Nebuchadnezzar. He then narrated the performance from his annotated Book of Daniel from the sidelines, only making an appearance on stage for the final bow.

 

7am – A         Rudy Giuliani consulting firm eyed in federal subpoenas, report says. (CNBC) - Federal subpoenas have been issued seeking information about the consulting firm of Rudy Giuliani, the personal lawyer for President Donald Trump, a new report said Monday. The Wall Street Journal reported that Giuliani Partners is one of the entities named in the subpoenas issued to potential witnesses in a case that appears to involve possible money laundering, obstruction of justice and campaign finance violations, as well as other crimes. The subpoenas, which went out to people with ties to Giuliani, “suggest that prosecutors are looking closely at the work of Mr. Giuliani himself, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Journal reported. The newspaper also reported the subpoenas seek materials related to two pro-Trump groups, America First Action and America First Policies. The Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, which is conducting the investigation, already is prosecuting two of Giuliani’s associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, who are charged with campaign finance crimes. Giuliani, a former New York mayor who previously headed that same Manhattan federal prosecutors’ office, has not been criminally charged.

 

7am – B/C     2020 NEWS:

BLOOMBERG ORDERS DECAF COFFEE --WHAT???

Dan Merica @merica And so it begins. His order: A decaf coffee.

‘And so it ends’: Democrat 2020 Michael Bloomberg orders Decaf Coffee At First Bus Tour campaign stop gets dragged by a bipartisan farewell to out of touch Bloomberg's presidential hopes

Lachlan Markay @lachlan And so it ends.

Alex Thomas @AlexThomasDC he’s disqualified on this alone

2020 DEMS RIPPING ON BLOOMBERG FOR JUMPING IN: Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren blasted billionaire Michael Bloomberg for launching his White House bid with a $37 million TV advertising blitz, accusing him of trying to buy American democracy.

Sen. Warren: "Michael Bloomberg is making a bet about democracy in 2020: He doesn't need people, he only needs bags and bags of money ... If [his] version of democracy wins, then democracy changes -- and it's going to be about which billionaire you can stomach going forward."

Democrat presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg claims that "climate change" was a cause of the Syrian Civil War

 

7am – D         INTERVIEW - KT MCFARLAND - Former Deputy National Security Adviser for President Trump and author of upcoming book "Revolution: Trump, Washington and “We the People” (Hardcover – February 25, 2020)

KT discussed why she went away from the Trump Administration, what she makes off the continued war on the administration and what has happened with the NSC: Don McGahn, what happened with Bolton, Mike Flynn, Fiona Hill / impeachment inquiry hearings.

Judge rules Don McGahn must comply with House impeachment subpoena

KT knew Fiona Hill and talked about what she thought of last week's hearings.

 

7am – E         Woman buys Cameo from Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath to break up with boyfriend. (NY Post) -- This breakup was a little Sugar Ray-coated. But turns out, it was all a joke. A woman who didn’t want to dump her boyfriend on her own found a crafty way to get out of the dirty deed: hiring someone else to break up with him for her. But Cheyenne didn’t have just anyone shatter her now-ex boyfriend Brayden’s heart. She used personalized shoutout app Cameo to get Sugar Ray’s frontman Mark McGrath. And no, he didn’t recite the lyrics to the band’s 2001 hit “When It’s Over.” Instead, McGrath, 51, who is still sporting his signature frosted tips, delivered a very upbeat performance in a video that runs more than two minutes long, which now has 575,000 views (and counting) on Twitter. “She wants you to know you mean a lot to her. You mean the world to her,” he says in the video. “But she’s having difficulty staying in this long-distance relationship.” McGrath said he understands how hard it is to date while on the road and let Brayden know he completely empathizes because it’s sometimes difficult for him and his wife, beautician Carin Kingsland, 45. “Cheyenne is trying to let you know, Brayden, it’s very, very tough for her to stay in this relationship,” he continued. “She still cares about you a lot. You never know what the future may hold and she still wants to be friends with you.” The singer also let Brayden know that Cheyenne hopes he does well on his thesis. “Probably not the best timing, Cheyenne, when he’s doing his thesis,” McGrath scolded. McGrath ended his man-to-man with a frank “Life goes on.”

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW - BILL GERTZ - National Security Correspondent for The Washington Times and author of new book "Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy" – discussed the latest about China and his new book.

ABOUT HIS BOOK: Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy. Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist China's Drive for Global Supremacy details the failure to understand the nature and activities of the dangers posed by China and what the United States can do in taking needed steps to counter the threats.

THE CHINA THREAT:

GERTZ: Pentagon races to end China's dream of military domination in space. The United States and China are rapidly building space warfare capabilities as part of a race to dominate the zone outside Earth’s atmosphere. Bill Gertz takes a deep look into the race to build infrastructure in the stars.

GERTZ: U.S. intelligence agencies believe the missile has already been deployed, based on its appearance during the Oct. 1 military parade in Beijing, where it was the centerpiece. A total of 16 DF-41s were showcased and Beijing officials at the time boasted that the new missile will be a key element of China’s efforts to confront the U.S. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the Chinese missile test. A Chinese Embassy spokesman did not return an email seeking comment on the missile test. Separately, China watcher Henri Kenhmann, who operates the blog East Pendulum, reported a possible missile test was carried out around 6:30 p.m. in China on Friday, based on announced air closure zones. The missile was likely fired from a launch center in northwestern China and landed in a remote region of the Gobi Desert. “The impact zone is similar to those of previous DF-41 trials in December 2016 and November 2017 and January and May of 2018,” he tweeted.

HONG KONG ELECTIONS:

Hong Kong elections seen as win for pro-democracy candidates after massive turnout. (Fox News) - Anti-government protestors prevailed on Sunday after polls closed in Hong Kong and pro-democracy candidates clinched nearly half of the seats on the ballot. So far, pro-democracy candidates have won 269 out of 452 seats in 18 district council races, while pro-Beijing forces, who previously held 73 percent of the seats, have only won 30. Voters came out in droves -- with a 71 percent turnout -- up from 47 percent four years ago in the same elections, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission.

Hong Kong elections: Chinese media attempt to downplay results. (BBC) -- Chinese state media outlets have attempted to downplay the results of Hong Kong's district elections, which saw the pro-democracy camp score a landslide victory. The government had been hoping the election would bring a show of support from the so- called "silent majority" opposed to the protests. Instead, it saw some significant pro-Beijing candidates lose council seats. Chief Executive Carrie Lam has acknowledged public "unhappiness". In her first public appearance since the results, she said she recognised that people were concerned over "deficiencies in governance, including unhappiness with the time taken to deal with the unstable  environment". However, she offered no new concessions. 'No need to over-interpret the victory' Reaction from state media outlets has ranged from making no reference at all to election results to overt claims that "tampering" had taken place. However, the report also said there was "no need to over-interpret the victory of pan-democrats". The Global Times' editor Hu Xijin, known for his outspoken comments, mentioned on Chinese social media site Weibo that the pro-Beijing camp had failed, but added that the district council elections were on a very "local level".

 

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW - AMBER ATHEY - White House Correspondent at The Daily Caller – discussed the latest White House news.

TURKEY PARDON: TODAY AT 2PM: THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY participate in the presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey. The White House on Monday revealed the names of the two feathered contenders who will vie for the title of National Thanksgiving Turkey — Bread and Butter (via Politico)

CONAN THE HERO DOG: Donald Trump honors hero dog Conan in the Rose Garden.

White House flip-flops on gender of ISIS-fighting hero dog Conan.

AMBER ATHEY: Media Unleashes Criticism After Trump Brings Hero Dog To White House. The media went after President Donald Trump on Monday during Conan’s visit to the White House, attacking him for a litany of reasons, including making jokes to the press and not standing close enough to the dog.

CNN political contributor Joan Walsh appeared to feign surprise that President Trump didn't sexually assault the military canine that visited the White House: CNN'S Joan Walsh @joanwalsh: I am being slammed for my Conan tweets by MAGA and I do want to apologize: Conan is actually a female dog, God bless her. So I'm especially shocked Trump didn't...well, you know.

CHRISTMAS TREE: First Lady Melania Trump welcomes the White House Christmas tree.  

DON MCGAHN:  Judge rules Don McGahn must comply with House impeachment subpoena

ANIMAL CRUELTY LAW:  YESTERDAY: Trump signed into law a new federal ban on animal cruelty, called the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act

PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE:  Tuesday, November 26, 2019:

12:30 PM - THE PRESIDENT has lunch with the Secretary of State

2:00 PM - THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY participate in the presentation of the National Thanksgiving Turkey

3:15 PM - THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart the White House

7:00 PM - THE PRESIDENT delivers remarks at a Keep America Great Rally in Sunrise, FL

9:05 PM - THE PRESIDENT arrives in Palm Beach, FL

 

8am – D         INTERVIEW - Timothy Parlatore - a former Navy officer, is a lawyer representing Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher

Pres. Trump defends his decision to vindicate Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher when asked about the firing of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer: "I have to protect my war fighters...it's about time"

Navy SEAL Gallagher to retire from active duty, no review board, thanks to orders from Trump. Eddie Gallagher, the Navy SEAL at the center of a high-profile standoff between President Trump and some top officials in the Navy, will retire from active duty and will not take part in a review board over his conduct in 2017 while deployed, a Navy spokesman said late Monday. Gallagher, a highly decorated SEAL who received two Bronze Stars with V for valor, was acquitted of murder in the stabbing death of an Islamic State militant captive but was convicted of posing with the corpse. Lt. Cmdr. Clay Doss, the Navy spokesman, said there will be no additional information due to privacy concerns. The announcement was not a surprise. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said earlier that he was given a direct order by Trump to allow Gallagher to retire without losing his status as a Navy SEAL.

 

8am – E         'He picked the wrong house': Bodybuilder, 82, fights break-in suspect. (Fox Baltimore) -- Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) – An 82-year-old woman found herself in danger after she says a man broke into her home – until she turned the tables on the intruder. Willie Murphy says she was getting ready for bed Thursday night, just after 11 p.m., when a man began pounding on her door.  “He was outside and saying, ‘Please call an ambulance,’ saying, ‘I’m sick, I’m sick,’” she said. She called the police, but wouldn’t let him inside. That, she says, is when he became angry. “I hear a loud noise,” she said. “I’m thinking, 'What the heck was that? The young man is in my home. He broke the door.” What the suspect likely didn’t realize is Murphy is an award-winning bodybuilder who works out at the YMCA almost every day. “He picked the wrong house to break into,” she said. Murphy says it was dark, so she was able to hide as the suspect walked through her house. She acted quickly and grabbed the closest thing she could find. “I picked up the table, and I went to work on him,” she said. ‘The table broke.” “And when he’s down,” she continued, “I’m jumping on him.” She says, once the suspect was injured, she ran and grabbed a bottle of shampoo – and started pouring it on him. “I grabbed the shampoo,” she said. “Guess what? He’s still on the ground. In his face, all of it, the whole thing.” “I got the broom,” she continued. “He’s pulling the broom. I’m hitting him with the broom.” Finally, officers arrived. The man was sent to the hospital and Murphy was applauded by first responders. “The officers that came wanted to go on my front porch and take selfies with me,” she said. Friday, she returned to the YMCA and got a hero’s welcome. For the record, Murphy says she can deadlift 225 pounds. She hopes this story inspires people of all ages.

INTERVIEW - Adam Tuss -- Transportation Reporter for NBC Washington – discussed the latest about 395 Express Lanes and upcoming Thanksgiving Travel.

New toll lanes opened up in Northern Virginia on Monday, marking a major change for drivers who regularly use Interstate 395.  The 395 Express Lanes are three lanes in the middle of I-395, stretching from near Edsall Road in Fairfax County to the 14th Street Bridge in the District. They replaced lanes that used to be HOV lanes. All drivers using the 395 Express Lanes are required to have an E-ZPass of some kind. Those who use the lanes without an E-ZPass will get a bill in the mail. Vehicles with at least three people in them can ride free with an E-ZPass Flex, but all others must pay to use the lanes.

Adam Tuss @AdamTuss Nov 20: Sheesh Tysons to 395/95 on the Express Lanes nearly $30 one way tonight! @nbcwashington #dctraffic

Adam Tuss ‏@AdamTuss: THANKSGIVING TRAVEL: Traffic tracking company @INRIX says the worst time to be on the road here in the DC region for T-Day is next Wednesday between 3:00 and 5:00. But we all know it’ll be bad for much longer than that

INTERVIEW - MARK MORGAN - Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – discussed what’s happening on the southwest border.  They’re making big progress on the wall (86 total miles), seeing huge seizure numbers of hard narcotics and there’s still an ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis down on the border.

Border Update:

 

Nationwide, CBP’s enforcement actions in Fiscal Year 2019 totaled 1,148,024. That’s a 68% increase over FY 2018 – driven mainly by activity at the Southwest Border.

 

Even with that number, we have proof that nearly 150,000 people “got away” from us, because too many of our agents were pulled off the line to cope with the humanitarian crisis.

 

At the height of this crisis in May, up to 60% of our agents were pulled away from law enforcement operations to provide care for the unprecedented numbers of family units and unaccompanied children.

 

Alien smuggling networks are exploiting, abusing, and profiting from the desperation of these vulnerable individuals and families.

 

The transnational criminal organizations stand to make $2.5 billion from their criminal enterprise this year alone.

Oct Stats / CBP Totals:

 

CBP total enforcement actions declined 14% in October compared to September – totaling 45,250 (35,444 apprehensions and 9,806 inadmissible aliens).

 

This decline includes a 19% decline in inadmissible aliens at ports of entry and a 12% decline in USBP apprehensions.

 

October total enforcement actions has been higher than September for the last 7 years.

 

FY20 total CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Actions in October are 45,250 and are 26% lower than last fiscal year.

 

CBP Total UAC Enforcement Actions are 3,237 (88% of which are USBP apprehensions), a 9% decline from September levels.

 

Border Wall

 

We’ve already built over 86 miles of new wall and we expect the pace of building to continue to grow as these new projects come on line.

 

This critical capability helps USBP stop the people trying to evade us—often times carrying drugs to the interior of the U.S.

 

In fact, we’ve started building in RGV, which is by far our busiest sector on the SWB where last year we seized 11lbs of deadly Fentanyl—enough to kill over 2 million people.

INTERVIEW - David Martosko. U.S. Political Editor, DailyMail.com

Reuters reporter Amanda Becker @AmandaBecker: Wowsers. Bloomberg News will not be investigating Bloomberg or any Democrat in the primary and senior members of the editorial board are joining his campaign

Daily Mail's David Martosko @dmartosko How do you wrap your mind around this? I can't.  Editorial board members joining the boss's campaign? A pledge to not investigate him? A parallel pledge to not investigate any other Democrats?  Is that newsgathering or a campaign contribution? What's the in-kind value of this?

BLOOMBERG ENTERS RACE: With former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg now running for U.S. president, the news service that bears his name said Sunday it will abstain from investigating him, or any of his Democratic rivals. Also, Bloomberg Opinion will no longer run unsigned editorials. Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait announced the new rules in a note to his news organization's 2,700 journalists and analysts Sunday, shortly after Bloomberg announced his candidacy.

A Note From Bloomberg Opinion: By Editorial Board November 24, 2019, 11:16 AM EST Mike Bloomberg, our owner and publisher, is running for president. This is uncharted terrain for an opinion section attached to a wider news organization. Here is how Bloomberg Opinion plans to approach the campaign: We will have no contact with the candidate or his campaign about what we’ve written or might write. We have also decided that it is wisest to suspend publication of our unsigned editorials so long as Mike is a candidate. Members of the editorial board will write and edit in other capacities within Bloomberg Opinion. Because our columnists have always spoken for themselves, they will continue as before — though columnists will still refrain from endorsing candidates, a policy we have had in place since we started in 2011. Finally, we will not publish op-ed articles that relate to or are affiliated with any candidate or any presidential campaign, including Mike’s.

Bloomberg News Pledges Not To Investigate Democratic Presidential Candidates. The top editor says the company also won’t investigate its owner’s Democratic rivals.    Bloomberg News won’t conduct investigative reporting on any of the Democratic presidential candidates, the outlet’s editor-in-chief announced Sunday.  The announcement followed Michael Bloomberg’s official campaign launch Sunday. “We will continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and his foundation) and we will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries,” editor-in-chief John Micklethwait wrote in a note to staffers.     “If other credible journalistic institutions publish investigative work on Mike or the other Democratic candidates, we will either publish those articles in full, or summarize them for our readers — and we will not hide them.”