DC Deputy Mayor Kevin Donahue, Joe diGenova, Trevor Matich, Amb. John Bolton and DDOT Director Leif Dormsjo joined WMAL on Monday!

CLICK HERE to listen to Monday’s show!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, September 21, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Smith Hunter

5am – A/B/C Cancer-stricken children, parents ejected from park near White House. (Washington Post) — The U.S. Secret Service ordered hundreds of parents and their cancer-stricken children out of Lafayette Square on Saturday night, barricading the park for at least two hours and disrupting the group’s plans for a candlelight vigil to raise awareness and research funding for childhood cancer, participants said. Some of the parents and children expressed hurt and disappointment that the Secret Service and Park Police, citing security precautions, virtually shut down part of a two-day event called CureFest for Childhood Cancer. “We ended up waiting at the gates for two hours, and they never let us in,” said Natasha Gould, an 11-year-old Canadian girl who started a blog after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor this year. “And to be clear, the entire crowd was half kids. I cried last night in my hotel room because it was my first CureFest, and I couldn’t believe people were acting like they don’t care about children.” Public information officers for the Secret Service and the Park Police were not able to comment immediately. Closures of Lafayette Square have occurred periodically since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and security incidents at the White House. Organizers, aligned with the Truth 365 grass-roots child-cancer advocacy program, had obtained a permit to hold “A Night of Golden Lights,” in which participants would light electric candles. But as the closure dragged on, some of the sick children, fatigued by the wait or the need to receive medication, had to return to their hotel rooms, organizers said. Others began crying, and some parents became enraged. Attendees said the group of at least 700 people were not allowed access to personal items they left behind, such as chairs and blankets.

5am – D/E     If You Have Savings In Your 20s, You’re Doing Something Wrong. (Elite Daily/Lauren Martin) — I don’t have any savings, but I also don’t have any wants.I don’t know about you, but I like to enjoy my life. I like to go out to eat, buy clothes I don’t “need” and spend money with friends on memorable nights out. This goes back to a piece of advice a very successful friend gave me: “Don’t save money. Make more money,” he nonchalantly stated, pushing me into a taxi. Unlike most things people tell me, this advice did not go in one ear and out the other; it stayed with me and changed the way I look at everything from my career to my savings. Before this piece of advice, I was frantic. I was always doubting and always feeling guilty. I lived in the most exciting city in the world (also the most expensive) and had yet to experience it. I was trying to save, which meant trying not to eat. I wasn’t going out with friends, had yet to go to a club and had never seen the inside of a taxi. I couldn’t enjoy my life because I was too busy worrying about my bank statement. I was too busy watching my savings instead of savoring my youth. Why did I feel so guilty about spending money on myself and my life? When did our 20s start to feel like our 40s? When did we get weighed down with the same pressure and stresses as a woman with four kids and a second mortgage?

6am – A/B/C Carson says he does not agree with a Muslim being elected president. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson suggested Sunday that a Muslim should not be president, extending the new and unexpected religion debate on the 2016 campaign trail. “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation,” Carson, a Christian and retired neurosurgeon, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I absolutely would not agree with that.” Carson, a top-tier 2016 candidate and popular among the GOP’s evangelical wing, made the statement after fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump was addressed by a man during a rally Thursday in New Hampshire who said President Obama is a Muslim. “We have a problem in this country,” the unidentified man said. “It’s called Muslim. … You know our current president is one.” Obama says he is a Christian. But Trump has declined to address the issue, saying he is not “morally obligated” to set straight the record.

6am – D         INTERVIEW — KEVIN DONAHUE – DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety

• Donahue raised awareness of the scheduling of Pope events, discussed how the public can see the Pope and explained how the Pope visit will impact their commute and work schedule.

6am – E         ‘I lost part of my heart’: Beloved White House staffer Jake Brewer mourned. (Washington Post) — Jake Brewer, a 34-year-old White House staffer and father, died Saturday after losing control of his bike at a sharp curve, crossing the double yellow line and colliding with an oncoming car at around 3:40 p.m. The crash added a palpable sense of grief to Saturday night’s gathering at a campground in Mount Airy, where organizers announced that a participant had died in a crash, but said that the man’s family wanted the ride to continue. Brewer, of Alexandria, was a senior policy adviser in the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House and previously worked as the director of external affairs at Change.org. On Sunday, President Obama offered his condolences in a statement, calling Brewer “one of the best.” And he saw far beyond the political fault lines that frequently divide the city. As someone who skewed left politically, he married a woman on the opposite end of the political spectrum, Mary Katharine Ham, a journalist and political commentator. Ham, editor-at-large of Hot Air and a Fox News contributor, remembered her husband as optimistic and humble, focused on making the world a better place. He was serious at work, but had no trouble being “goofy” otherwise – dancing, singing Aerosmith, and opening his arms so his daughter could give him a “big bear hug” after work.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

• As a Catholic, Joe gave his thoughts on the Pope’s visit.
• Hillary Clinton laughs at possible criminal charges in email scandal: (Washington Times) — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton burst into laughter when asked Thursday about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie saying she should be prosecuted for using a private email account and home-based email server for official business as secretary of state. Mrs. Clinton kept shaking her head and chuckling when asked on CNN’s “The Situation Room” about the possibility that Russia, China or even 18-year-olds would have hacked into U.S. national security secrets that were stored on the email server in the basement of her home in New York. “There’s no evidence of that,” she said. “This is — you know, this is overheated rhetoric, baseless charges trying to somehow, you know, gain a footing in the debate and in the primary. And it really doesn’t deserve any comment.”

7am – B         DNC chair heckled with calls for more debates. (CNN) Calls for more Democratic presidential primary debates grew so loud at a party convention in New Hampshire Saturday that the party’s chairwoman had to raise her voice during her opening remarks and break from her speech to shout back at attendees. Chants of “More debates” and “We want more debates” — as well as some boos — greeted Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz when she took the stage at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention in Manchester. Although she largely stuck to her scripted remarks, which focused on how the party can retain the White House next year, she paused at one point to respond to the protesters. “What’s more important, drawing a contrast with Republicans, or arguing about debates?” she asked. “Let’s focus on our mission at hand. Let’s focus on our task at hand.” She added: “You know better than anyone that this race can’t be won from a stage or through a television screen. You want to see these candidates in your living rooms, in coffee shops, and at forums just like the one we’re having here today.”

7am – C         Brian recapped the Larry Gatlin event on Sunday night.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH — Redskins elite long snapper and WMAL’s Redskins analyst

• Avoiding 0-2 Start, Redskins, Matt Jones Run Past Rams 24-10. (AP) — LANDOVER, Md. — Coming off two seasons in which they won a meager total of seven games, and coming off Week 1 loss, the Washington Redskins were desperate for a victory to instill belief in coach Jay Gruden — and his emphasis on the run. “Nobody likes to be oh-and-anything,” Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams said. “So to get this win today, it was gratifying, it was satisfying.” With 123 yards and two touchdowns on the ground from rookie Matt Jones and an efficient and mistake-free Kirk Cousins, the Redskins dominated for a half and then held on to beat the St. Louis Rams 24-10 on Sunday.

7am – E         What to expect during Pope Francis’ visit to D.C.: Pope Francis visits Washington. (WTOP) — WASHINGTON — Excitement is growing ahead of Pope Francis’ first trip to the United States, particularly his first stop in D.C. The pontiff has a packed schedule during the 48 hours he’s in the District. Most events are ticketed, and those tickets are hard to come by.

Quick Facts:

The pontiff will visit D.C., then New York and Philadelphia.

It will be his first trip to the U.S.

He will be the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress, and perform a canonization in America.

The Archdiocese of Washington set up a text/email alert system for his visit.

Events will be live-streamed here at walkwithfrancis.org

The pope’s visit has two official hashtags: #WalkwithFrancis and #PopeinDC

8am – A         INTERVIEW — AMB. JOHN BOLTON – Former UN Ambassador – discussed Iran deal, migrant crisis and more.

8am – B         TRUMP NEWS: PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WEIGHED IN TRUMP’S MUSLIM CONTROVERSY

• CHUCK TODD asked DONALD TRUMP: could you imagine supporting a Muslim for president of the United States?
• GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS tries to press TRUMP about OBAMA’S FAITH
• Marco Rubio Calls Obama Faith Question a ‘Waste of Time”
• Kasich: If Someone Said Obama Was a Muslim, ‘I Would Correct Them Immediately’
• MSNBC’s Chris Matthews Tells Bill Maher: We “Nailed” Trump

8am – C         Emmy wins for Viola Davis, Jon Hamm ‘Transparent,’ ‘Veep.’ LOS ANGELES (AP) — Long-standing barriers fell at Sunday’s Emmy Awards as Viola Davis became the first non-white actress to claim top drama series acting honors, Jon Hamm finally won for “Mad Men,” and “Game of Thrones” overcame voters’ anti-fantasy resistance to snare the most trophies ever in a season. Sunday night’s 67th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. An emotional Davis, who won for her portrayal of a ruthless lawyer in “How to Get Away With Murder,” invoked the words and spirit of 19th-century African-American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. “I can’t seem to get over that line,” she quoted Tubman as saying. “The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” Davis added. “You cannot win Emmys with roles that are simply not there.” “Empire” star Tariji P. Henson, another black nominee in the category, stood and applauded Davis’ win. Other African-American actresses who prevailed Sunday were Uzo Aduba and Regina King, who won for supporting performances. “Mad Men” star Hamm claimed the best drama actor Emmy that eluded him seven times before. He bypassed the steps to the stage, scrambling onto it on his stomach.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — LEIF DORMSJO — (LAY-FF) – Director, District Department of Transportation (DDOT) – discussed how the Pope will affect DC commuters.

8am – E         Brian and Larry share their condolences on the passing of Mary Katharine’s husband.

TOMORROW: Larry Kudlow, Amb. Rooney, Sec. Jim Nicholson, Guy Benson and more!