Father Frank Pavone, Arelis Hernandez, Christine Todd Whitman and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday.

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C             Cruz: Trump Will Not Be Nominee. At a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz said he does not believe Donald Trump will be president or the party’s nominee.

5am – D         Paul Ryan is growing a beard — and he’s the first House speaker in 90 years to do it. Ryan is apparently the first House speaker to sport a beard since 1931. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) had a productive post-Thanksgiving Monday, formally inviting President Obama to deliver his final State of the Union address Jan. 12. Afterward, he kicked back a little bit — by shamelessly showing off his beard on Twitter. Paul Ryan @SpeakerRyan: Hey @USHouseHistory, when was the last time a Speaker of the House sported a beard? https://www.instagram.com/p/-uTcuPsQL3/ 4:18 PM – 30 Nov 2015

PLANNED PARENTHOOD & BUDGET FIGHT: GOP leader defends House Planned Parenthood investigation. (AP) — A Republican congressional leader on Monday defended a House investigation of Planned Parenthood’s provision of fetal tissue to researchers, offering no suggestion that last week’s shooting deaths at one of the group’s clinics will cause the GOP to retreat from that probe. But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also indicated that the Republican-run Congress will not risk a government shutdown fight with President Barack Obama over GOP efforts to halt federal funding for the organization, which provides abortions and other health services to women.

5am – E         Road News:

• Rockville Pike lanes closures set to begin Tuesday for road work. (WTOP) — WASHINGTON — Road repairs along Rockville Pike will disrupt the drive for commuters through Bethesda starting Tuesday morning. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission says the repairs are scheduled to begin near Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where a 16-inch water main break caused significant damage to the road last month. The work will completely close two right, southbound lanes. A temporary Jersey wall will funnel traffic to the other two inbound lanes: one southbound through lane on Rockville Pike and a right turn lane onto West Cedar Lane. The lane closures are expected to last up to 10 days once the road repairs begin.
• Drivers inconvenienced by pothole near Pentagon. (WTOP) – WASHINGTON – ‘Tis the season for potholes, and a big one near the Pentagon caused a lot of trouble for drivers this past Saturday. “We were headed to a bar in Arlington,” said Brian Taylor. “All of [a] sudden, this humongous pothole. I hit it with my passenger’s side. Immediately, flat tire.” Taylor said he was trying to merge into traffic near the Pentagon when it happened. “I look at the back tire and sure enough, it’s flat, too,” he recalled. The pothole claimed two other cars and caught the attention of Pentagon Police. The area isn’t federal property, but when vehicles drive across that stretch, an officer is sent there to ensure there’s no risk.

6am – A/B/C Meeting in Rockville to halt Montgomery Co.’s monopoly on adult beverage sales. ROCKVILLE, Md. (ABC7) — Montgomery County — as the jurisdictions only alcohol wholesaler — makes around $30 to $35 million a year in profit from selling beer, wine and liquor to stores, restaurants and bars. A state delegate is sponsoring a bill that would allow alcohol establishments to buy right from private distributors instead of the county. Bill supporters say the problem is customer service. They argue the county is plagued with supply and delivery issues. “Getting orders on time, getting the right orders, just a lot of issues. So we support ending the monopoly so we can open it to competition,” says Heather Dlhopolsky, the chair of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce. If this bill passes the county fears the Department of Liquor Control would go away thereby jeopardizing some 250 jobs. In fact, bill opponents posted a fake $35 million check outside of the State Delegation’s public hearing. It signifies the amount of money they think the private sector will take away from the county if this proposal goes through.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – FATHER FRANK PAVONE – National Director of Priests for Life and author of “Abolishing Abortion”

• GOP leader defends House Planned Parenthood investigation. (AP) — A Republican congressional leader on Monday defended a House investigation of Planned Parenthood’s provision of fetal tissue to researchers, offering no suggestion that last week’s shooting deaths at one of the group’s clinics will cause the GOP to retreat from that probe. But House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also indicated that the Republican-run Congress will not risk a government shutdown fight with President Barack Obama over GOP efforts to halt federal funding for the organization, which provides abortions and other health services to women.
• After Shooting, Planned Parenthood Blames GOP Rhetoric for ‘Toxic Environment’ While many Republican presidential candidates have condemned the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic, Planned Parenthood today accused some of those same GOP candidates of contributing to the creation of a “toxic environment” that provoked the attack. “It is offensive and outrageous that some politicians are now claiming this tragedy has nothing to do with the toxic environment they helped create,” Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens said in a statement released today. Laguens singles out Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina by name, accusing them of “using this tragedy to repeat false claims about Planned Parenthood,” and says it’s not enough to denounce the tragedy without also stopping their rhetoric against the organization.

6am – E         How a Jim Webb independent presidential bid could actually matter (hint: Virginia) – (Stephen J. Farnsworth/Washington Post) – Former senator Jim Webb (Va.) never got any traction in the Democratic presidential primary. And by the end, his campaign was more of a punchline than a real factor — better known for Webb recalling a man he apparently killed in Vietnam than anything else. But if Webb proceeds with an independent run for president next year, as he has said he might, he appears likely to shake up the campaign in the state where he is known best — a state that just happens to be among the most vital swing states. Webb polled between 13 percent and 19 percent among registered Virginia voters in four three-way match-ups against leading Democratic and Republican candidates for president, according to a new survey sponsored by the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies.

7am – A         INTERVIEW: ARELIS HERNANDEZ – (Ah-reh-leez) – Prince George’s County Reporter, The Washington Post

• Kevin Durant’s new sneakers honor Prince George’s. Why is the county offended?
• PG NOT PC: Magic Johnson was corrected for using it. A county judge once chided a police officer on the witness stand for saying it. And now NBA star Kevin Durant, who grew up in Prince George’s County, is getting side-eye from county officials for putting the moniker on his high-priced new basketball shoe, Arelis Hernandez reports in the Post.

7am – B/C     Why Is Saying “PG” So Taboo?

7am – D         News outlets drop ‘Rodham’ when referring to Hillary Clinton. (The Hill) — The New York Times and The Associated Press on Monday both announced they would drop “Rodham” when referring to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner. The news outlets had referred to the former secretary of State as Hillary Rodham Clinton on first reference before her campaign confirmed Monday that she prefers Hillary Clinton. After keeping her maiden name during the initial years of her marriage, Hillary Rodham went by Hillary Rodham Clinton after Bill Clinton lost the race for Arkansas governor in 1980. Clinton has dropped “Rodham” or used some combination over the years as first lady and New York senator, and “HRC” became common shorthand for her name among staffers and Democrats. She ran for president in 2008 as Hillary Clinton, but the signature on the cover of her 2014 memoir, “Hard Choices,” included “Rodham.” Her 2016 campaign has been largely branded around “Hillary Clinton” on her website and social media profiles.

7am – E         Entertainment News:

• CBS is picking up a full season of Supergirl. The network must be happy with its piece of the DC universe. Supergirl is sticking around a little longer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, CBS is picking up seven more episodes of the oft-campy, feminist-friendly superhero show, bringing its first season up to a total of 20 episodes. (Its sixth episode is airing tonight.) That’s two episodes short of a traditional full season pick-up, a gap that’s being chalked up to Supergirl’s late start date and the expenses associated with its production. The network hasn’t yet commented on a potential second season of the show, but extending its initial run constitutes a vote of confidence. Supergirl’s premiere was one of this fall’s most-watched debuts, and the show has maintained decent ratings that pair well with its sterling critical reception.
• Mary-Kate Olsen married Olivier Sarkozy, according to reports. TV dad Bob Saget says he sent a ‘Mazel tov’ text: Mary-Kate Olsen is officially off the market. The fashion designer, sister to twin Ashley Olsen and former Full House child star married Olivier Sarkozy on Friday in New York, reportsPage Six. Bob Saget, Olsen’s Full House TV father, confirmed reports of the wedding during an appearance on the Today show on Monday. “I was not invited, but I’m very happy and I sent a ‘Mazel tov’ text,” said Saget. “I’m very happy. I love her very much. I hope they’re happy.” The wedding reception, which was held at a private residence, featured “bowls and bowls filled with cigarettes, and everyone smoked the whole night,” a source told Page Six.
• George Lucas explains why Han Solo did NOT shoot first. (USA Today) — If you’re unfamiliar, the query is about whether Harrison Ford’s Han, who we meet in a cantina in the 1977 movie, did, in fact, shoot at bounty hunter Greedo first. Or, did Greedo shoot first, and smuggler Solo (who would go on to become a hero and worthy of Princess Leia’s affections) only shoot back in defense? The answer to the question in the original Star Wars is Yes, Han Solo shot first. In later versions of the movie, however, the scene was edited to show Greedo shooting a split-second before Han. (Coincidentally, we just watched the Amazon digital version of A New Hope on a plane today, replayed that scene several times, and couldn’t actually tell who shot first.) Star Wars director George Lucas, himself, has finally explained why he made the first-shot change in an interview with Washington Post: “Han Solo was going to marry Leia, and you look back and say, ‘Should he be a cold-blooded killer?’… should he be a cowboy, should he be John Wayne? And I said, ‘Yeah, he should be John Wayne.’ And when you’re John Wayne, you don’t shoot people [first] — you let them have the first shot. It’s a mythological reality that we hope our society pays attention to.” So, in order for Han Solo to “be John Wayne,” he could not have shot first.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN — former Governor of New Jersey and former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush – discussed Obama’s Climate Summit in Paris.

8am – B         Trump News:

• Donald Trump said he saw ‘love’ from black pastors. An upbeat Donald Trump swept out of a closed-door meeting with African-American ministers Monday, claiming he had secured endorsements from the group and appearing confident that he would win the GOP nomination. “We have many, many endorsements that came out of the meeting,” Trump told reporters Monday afternoon during an impromptu news conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan. He called the gathering “absolutely amazing.”
• Trump mulls debate boycott unless CNN donates $5M. Donald Trump proposed demanding $5 million from CNN in order for him to participate in the next Republican presidential debate during a rally in Macon, Ga. on Monday. Trump felt the payment — which he promised to donate to “Wounded Warriors or the vets” — was in order because CNN “doesn’t treat me properly” and because he felt he was responsible for the high ratings CNN got during the GOP debate it hosted in September. “CNN had 23 million people. It was the biggest show in the history of CNN,” Trump said. And the billionaire businessman is reopening negotiations over whether he will lend his star power to the debate the network is hosting Dec. 15.
• Pastors Get Heated Over Trump Meeting: At Least ‘Prostitutes Get Money,’ You Got Nothing! Two African-American pastors––one of whom attended Donald Trump‘s meeting earlier today––clashed on CNN tonight over whether anything was actually accomplished from that meeting. And things got pretty personal. Pastor James Davis, who attended the meeting and is supporting Trump, said he didn’t feel pandered to. Reverend Jamal Bryant responded by telling Erin Burnett that Davis is a “pawn.” After going through all the reasons he can’t support Trump, Davis hit back and brought up how Bryant called him and all the pastors in the room “prostitutes.” Bryant said, “I want to apologize, because prostitutes get money. And the 100 that went in there walked away with nothing, they did it for free.”

8am – C         Misshapen Reese’s Christmas trees trashed on social media. Misshapen Reese’s Christmas trees trashed on social media. (NEW YORK) — The Hershey Co. has taken some heat for its seasonal Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Christmas Trees. Some dissatisfied customers took to Twitter this weekend to share sentiments and photos of their unusually shaped chocolaty treats, though the company says this is not a new issue. “It’s important to remember that these products are not solid chocolate made in molds, which would have a more distinct shape. They are soft peanut butter centers that are enrobed in chocolate, a process which, by its nature creates, a less-distinct shape,” Lingeris said.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm