Actor Robert Davi, Governor Jim Gilmore, Drew Johnson, CNN host Jake Tapper, historian Richard Brookhiser and guest host Jessie Jane Duff joined WMAL on Friday morning!

Listen here to Friday’s show!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, July 3, 2015

Hosts: Larry O’Connor and Jessie Jane Duff

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A         INTERVIEW – ROBERT DAVI — award-winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer and jazz vocalist. His most notable film roles include his portrayal of the opera singing baddie in “Goonies” and the most popular James Bond villain, Franz Sanchez in “License to Kill”!! He is an extraordinary Jazz Vocalist and the “Capitol Fourth of July Concert” are paying Tribute to FranK Sinatra – Robert Davi will perform Frank Sinatra’s Biggest Hits on Fourth of July.

5am – B         Pocahontas’ tribe wins federal recognition. (RT) — The US Bureau of Indian Affairs is recognizing the tribe of Pocahontas more than 400 years after she encountered the first permanent English settlers in what is now the United States. Virginia’s Pamunkey Indian Tribe’s decades-long bid for recognition came to an end on Thursday, when they finally received federal designation. The designation is shared by hundreds of other recognized tribes around the country and allows Native American tribes to receive federal benefits, including education, medical care and housing. The process cost them more than $2 million. The decision, which goes into effect for the 200-member tribe in 90 days, allows for other special legal privileges such as the ability to sell tax-free goods on tribal land, which is located 25 miles east of the Richmond, the state’s capital. Additionally, the recognition opens the door for the Pamunkey to begin a separate process to open a casino. “We’re looking at all economic opportunities, but we have nothing on the table right now,” Bob Gray, Pamunkey’s assistant chief, told the Associated Press. The tribe’s quest for recognition was actively opposed by MGM Resorts, which is currently building a casino of its own in nearby Maryland. As part of its strategy to deny the tribe recognition, MGM pointed out that the Pamunkey had banned interracial marriage during their history, even though the practice was abandoned long ago.

5am – C         Man accused of using selfie stick to record female neighbor.  BETHESDA, Md. (AP) – Montgomery County police have accused a Bethesda man of using a selfie stick to record videos of the woman who lived above him.    According to police, 60-year-old Donald F. Beard attached a camera to a long metal pole and used the device to record videos through a window for more than a year.    While searching Beard’s electronic devices, detectives say they uncovered 16 videos of the woman, including one clip that showed her naked. Beard is facing four charges, including using a camera to record a private residence.    According to court documents, Beard told police he wanted to collect evidence of the woman spending time with married men so he could tell their wives.    Beard’s attorney Stanley J. Reed told the Washington Post on Wednesday that Beard will plead not guilty.

5am – D         DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW: GOVERNOR JIM GILMORE – Former Virginia Governor — discussed Jim Webb’s Presidential Candidacy Announcement.

5am – E         Styx Visit NASA. (Classic Rock) — NASA’s “Year of Pluto” includes a Day of Styx. The rock vets paid a visit to the team behind the New Horizons voyage yesterday, just days before the unmanned craft is scheduled to make its long-awaited flyby past the dwarf planet Pluto. And this wasn’t just any mere photo op either — as astronomy buffs know, Styx share a name with Pluto’s smallest moon. Among those on hand for the event was Dr. Mark Showalter, the SETI Institute scientist responsible for discovering Styx in 2012. “I wish Styx [had been] so easy to see from Hubble! Would have made our lives a lot easier,” he joked, pointing out that while the moon — and the band — take their name from the mythological river between Earth and Hades, he’s very much a fan. “When Pluto’s moon was named, it was for the river Styx,” he added, “but no kidding, we really had you guys in mind, too.” Launched in January 2006, New Horizons has had an eventful voyage to Pluto, setting a record for the highest launch speed of a human-made object from Earth (36,373 mph) before swinging past Jupiter and gathering data about the planet and its moons. The craft is scheduled to begin its first flyby of Pluto on July 14, hopefully bringing new information about the dwarf planet’s atmosphere, geology and interior makeup.

6am – A/B/C George Takei’s Racist Rant: Clarence Thomas Is a ‘Clown in Black Face’ (Newsbusters) — George Takei unleashed a racist rant against Clarence Thomas, sneering that the Supreme Court justice is a “clown in blackface.” The Star Trek actor on Monday fumed, “[Thomas] is a clown in blackface sitting on the Supreme Court. He gets me that angry. He doesn’t belong there.” Talking to a local Fox affiliate in Phoenix, Takei snarled that the second African American on the Supreme Court is unqualified: “This man does not belong on the Supreme Court. He is an embarrassment. He is a disgrace to America.” The actor’s rage came from Thomas’s dissent in the gay marriage case. Takei saw the conservative justice as arguing that “slaves have dignity.” He added, “Doesn’t he know that slaves were in chains? That they were whipped on the back.” For context, here is what Thomas wrote in his dissent: “Human dignity has long been understood in this country to be innate. When the Framers proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” they referred to a vision of mankind in which all humans are created in the image of God and therefore of inherent worth. That vision is the foundation upon which this Nation was built. The corollary of that principle is that human dignity cannot be taken away by the government. Slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved. Those held in internment camps did not lose their dignity because the government confined them. And those denied governmental benefits certainly do not lose their dignity because the government denies them those benefits. The government cannot bestow dignity, and it cannot take it away.”

6am – D         What Ways Do You Teach Kids What July 4th Means?

• What is Independence Day? The Fourth of July is our country’s birthday. When grandchildren ask why, tell them what happened on July 4, 1776. That was the day our country’s founders declared independence from Great Britain. This meant they would no longer follow the orders of Britain’s king. To do this was extremely dangerous. At the time, Britain had one of the world’s strongest armies, and to go against the king was a crime punishable by death. But the king’s laws were unfair, so our founders decided it was worth the risk of war to win the freedom to govern themselves. In 1783, the new United States won that war, which we now call the Revolutionary War.
  • VISIT: The National Archives, home of the original Declaration of Independence, holds great Fourth of July festivities that are fun for the whole family. The celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with a ceremony, including a presentation of colors, patriotic performances and a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence.
• Why does the flag have those stars? At this time of year, American flags are easy to spot. Point one out to your grandchildren. Explain that each part of the flag stands for something. The 50 stars stand for the 50 states. The 13 stripes stand for the 13 British colonies, which declared their independence on July 4, 1776. Tell the children that the flag is a symbol — a way to show the world what we stand for. It also shows that we are connected to one another — that we’re on the same team. And because the flag is special, we treat it with respect.
  • VISIT NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY: If you want to see something really special this July 4th, head to the National Museum of American History to behold the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen The Star-Spangled Banner. The 30-by 34-foot flag is on display in a special chamber accompanied by an interactive table which allows you to learn fascinating details about the flag and how it was made. The exhibition also explores the flag’s history and the incredible influence of the song that it inspired.

6am – E         Iran takes possession of 13 ton hoard of gold. (USA Today) – Iran took possession of a 13-ton hoard of gold — worth nearly $500 million — held up by sanctions after working out a deal on the sidelines of nuclear talks in Vienna, the country’s central bank chief told Iranian media. “A sum of 13 tons of gold that had been purchased before and was deposited in South Africa in the past two years and could not be transferred to Iran due to the sanctions … was delivered to the Central Bank of Iran’s treasury last night,” Valiollah Seif, who heads the Central Bank of Iran, said Wednesday, according to the Iranian state-owned Fars News. Seif said the transfer is evidence the talks are having some success. Fars News reported the retrieval of the gold was the result of months of hard work. That much gold is worth about $485 million based on current price per ounce. The State Department said the timing was unrelated to the current talks but rather stems from an interim agreement reached in November 2013. That deal suspended sanctions on trade with Iran in gold and precious metals starting January 2014.

Kerry on Iran: “We Have Our Own Sense Of Deadline” (RCP) — At a press conference announcing the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba in Vienna on Wednesday, Secretary of State John Kerry was pressed about the deadline of nuclear negotiation with Iran. Kerry attempted to brush off a reporter, telling them he would not be taking any questions. “Mr. Secretary, will American diplomats have free access to talk to people,” a reporter began to ask before Kerry cut them off. “We’ll talk about all those details later,” Secretary Kerry said. “I’m not going to take questions right now, folks, but I appreciate very much your patience and interest.” “Just a few words about the negotiations here today, please,” the reporter pleaded. “Foreign Minister Zarif said there’s no deadline. Is there?” the reporter asked. “Is there a deadline, sir?” “We have our own sense of deadline,” Kerry answered.

7am – A         INTERVIEW: DREW JOHNSON – a columnist at The Washington Times and is a Senior Scholar at the Taxpayer Protection Alliance, a government watchdog organization that promotes smaller, more responsible government.

• Backyard grills & fireworks shows will be banned if Obama’s new EPA regulations take effect
• Will This Be The Last Fourth of July Celebration? EPA Ozone Rule Jeopardize BBQs and Fireworks. The EPA has proposed lowering the permissible levels of ground level ozone – a rule that will be nearly impossible to comply with in many parts of the country. It will also be the costliest rule of all time with a price tag of $140 billion annually, placing the equivalent of 1.4 million jobs at risk each year.   The proposed standards are so low that even several BBQ grills cooking simultaneously in the same area or a fireworks celebration on the Fourth of July, could send an area on the brink into “nonattainment,” meaning they would surpass federal ozone thresholds – and could be penalized by losing federal funding for highways. As Drew Johnson, a columnist at The Washington Times, notes in his recent column, “Could this be the last great American summer? It will be if President Obama and his grumpy band of killjoys at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) get their way.”

7am – B        Illegals Backlash:

• Ann Coulter on Book Event Protesters: At Least They ‘Weren’t Molesting Any 4-Year-Olds’ (Mediaite) – Ann Coulter’s signing this week at a Barnes and Nobles in Costa Mesa, California was met with some fierce resistance from immigration activists who loudly objected to the ideas put forward in her latest book, Adios, America. “Two, four, six, eight, we don’t need your racist hate!” protesters reportedly chanted, holding a banner that read, “Adios, Ann Coulter” and screaming at her to “Go back to Europe!” OC Weekly reporter Gabriel San Roman wrote that he confronted Coulter on a number of issues when he reached the front of the line, but was escorted out of the building by security when she realized he was a “foe, not a fan.”

• Schwarzenegger: Be ready for more “hideous” and “out there” things from Donald Trump. (USA Today) — Arnold Schwarzenegger believes Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump will eventually fine-tune his political message. But, in the meantime, Schwarzenegger believes Trump will continue to say “out there” and “hideous” things. When the two time Republican Governor Schwarzenegger was asked if Trump’s entry into the race hurt the Republican party, Schwarzenegger said: “We’ll find out. As (Trump) goes on he’s going to say things that are out there and are hideous and that will sometimes hurt the party and hurt himself.” But Schwarzenegger said that by the time the Republican debates come up, Trump will have worked out his message. “They will understand what they need to say to communicate,” said Schwarzenegger. “And not to say things that maybe are not appropriate.”

7am – C Douglas Legler ‘Doug Is Dead’ Obituary. Is This the Greatest Newspaper Obituary Ever? (Mediaite) — 85-year-old Fargo, N.D., resident Douglas Legler wanted to go out with a laugh, and his wish was granted. While everyone else writes hagiographic biographies for their obituaries, listing every major accomplishment in detailed fashion, Legler insisted his eventual obit be as succinct as humanly possible. “He said over and over, when I die I want my obituary to just say ‘Doug Died,’” Legler’s daughter, Janet Stoll, told WDAZ. “(Other people’s obituaries) would say ‘he was the president of this, a director of this’ and Dad would say, ‘What, couldn’t they hold down a job?’” And when Legler passed away this week. “He was very lighthearted and had a great sense of humor,” Stoll said of her father and his last laugh. “I’m sure he’s laughing up there now.”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – ROBERT DAVI — award-winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer and jazz vocalist. His most notable film roles include his portrayal of the opera singing baddie in “Goonies” and the most popular James Bond villain, Franz Sanchez in “License to Kill”!! He is an extraordinary Jazz Vocalist and the “Capitol Fourth of July Concert” are paying Tribute to FranK Sinatra – Robert Davi will perform Frank Sinatra’s Biggest Hits on Fourth of July.

7am – E         Bryce Harper: ‘My body feels pretty unbelievable’ (ESPN) — Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper spoke with reporter Stacey Pressman about expectations for the Nationals’ season, how he prepared this winter, and what it was like to take it all off for ESPN The Magazine’s Body Issue. Look for the full issue online on July 6 and on newsstands July 10.

• I worked hard this offseason to get my body where I needed to get it because, finally, I wasn’t hurt. I was able to work every single muscle in my body head to toe. In 2013, I had the knee injury; the year before that, I just wasn’t healthy. Now, I feel great. I feel light. My body feels pretty unbelievable.
• Everyone has talked about the Nationals as the World Series favorites this season. That’s pressure enough. But we’re not trying to live up to what other people think. We go into every single clubhouse and we think we’re going to win every single game we play.
• I’ve always had plate discipline. But being in the lineup every single day this season helps because you’re seeing pitches every single day. When you take two months off because you’re hurt, it hurts you.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – JAKE TAPPER – CNN host of State of The Union and The Lead with Jake Tapper

• Special guests on Tapper’s show: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mike Huckabee on Sunday
• Sen. Jim Webb joins 2016 race

8am – B         Gay Marriage News:

• Country’s First Gay Divorce Firm Opens In Philadelphia. PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A Philadelphia attorney has opened what he says is the first LGBTQ divorce firm. Philadelphia lawyer Conor Corcoran, who bills himself as the nation’s first gay divorce attorney, says he is ready to serve gays and lesbians that will need divorces following the Supreme Court’s ruling last week legalizing same-sex marriage across the country. Corcoran says he celebrated the Supreme Court decision to have marriage equality throughout the United States, but he quickly realized it was unlikely all of the new marriages would end in bliss. He says that is why he launched a new division entirely devoted to LGBT divorce. “The genesis of this idea began about a year ago when Judge Jones, out in Harrisburg, legalized marriage for all in Pennsylvania. I was out that night with a couple of friends and I came up with that idea. We were talking about the fact that, at some point down the line, there’s going to be a need for gays to get divorced, and I thought wouldn’t be funny if that website was called AdamVsSteve.com.
• Polygamous Montana Trio Applies for Wedding License. A Montana man said Wednesday that he was inspired by last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage to apply for a marriage license so that he can legally wed his second wife.       Nathan Collier and his wives Victoria and Christine applied at the Yellowstone County Courthouse in Billings on Tuesday in an attempt to legitimize their polygamous marriage. Montana, like all 50 states, outlaws bigamy — holding multiple marriage licenses — but Collier said he plans to sue if the application is denied. “It’s about marriage equality,” Collier told The Associated Press Wednesday. “You can’t have this without polygamy.” County clerk officials initially denied Collier’s application, then said they would consult with the county attorney’s office before giving him a final answer, Collier said. Yellowstone County chief civil litigator Kevin Gillen said he is reviewing Montana’s bigamy laws and expected to send a formal response to Collier by next week. “I think he deserves an answer,” Gillen said, but added his review is finding that “the law simply doesn’t provide for that yet.”

8am – C         Barack Obama jabs at GOP’s ‘Hunger Games’ (Politico) — President Barack Obama had a little fun on Thursday talking about the GOP presidential contenders, comparing the seemingly ever-growing field to a certain book and movie series. “They’re going to be making a whole bunch of stuff up, and when I say a lot of stuff, I mean a lot of stuff,” Obama told a crowd at the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, where he was delivering remarks. “You know, we’ve got some healthy competition in the Democratic Party, but I’ve lost count on how many Republicans are running for this job. They’ll have enough for an actual Hunger Games,” Obama cracked, to the audience’s amusement and applause. “That is an interesting bunch,” Obama said, also comparing the “bus full” of candidates to your crazy “Uncle Harry” at Thanksgiving who says stuff “that makes no sense.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW _ RICHARD BROOKHISER – journalist, biographer and historian. He is a senior editor at National Review. – discussed the meaning and history behind Independence Day. He is most widely known for a series of biographies of America’s founders, including Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, and George Washington. Several of his books include:

• Founders’ Son: A Life of Abraham Lincoln
• James Madison
• George Washington on Leadership
• What Would the Founders Do?: Our Questions, Their Answers

MONDAY: Joe diGenova, LT Col Tony Shaffer and bestselling author Daniel Silva