Joe Theismann, Martha Boneta, Christian Toto and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B   Hogan, Franchot to make ‘major announcement’ on school starting date. (Baltimore Sun) — The state’s two most powerful and prominent advocates for pushing the first day of school to after Labor Day have scheduled a joint “major announcement” for Wednesday about the start date for Maryland’s public schools. Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and Democratic Comptroller Peter Franchot will be in Ocean City that afternoon, the beachside town where both have publicly campaigned to delay school until after the traditional end of summer. Through spokesmen, Hogan and Franchot declined to elaborate on the announcement. The two have teamed up in the past, using their bully pulpit on the Board of Public Works to expedite the installation of air conditioning in public schools by withholding money from Baltimore County and city schools. Hogan has the authority to issue executive orders and push legislation in the General Assembly.

5am – C         High School reverses American flag ban at football stadium. Students at Travelers Rest High School in South Carolina will once again be able to wave American flags at football games. Principal Lou Lavely reversed his ban on Old Glory just a few hours after we posted a column about the controversial decision. The high school’s stadium is named after my great uncle — Chico Bolin, a decorated World War II Marine veteran. Uncle Chico restarted the football program at Travelers Rest in 1949 – and named the team the Devildogs in honor of the Marines.

5am – D         911 Outage:

• Contractor banned from District buildings after causing 911 outage in DC. WASHINGTON (AP) — Officials say a contractor who was trying to turn off an alarm and hit the wrong switch caused the 90-minute outage of the 911 system in the nation’s capital. Alan Etter, spokesman for the Office of Unified Communications, tells media outlets on Monday that the contractor’s mistake shut down the 911 system between 11 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday. Officials say the contractor has been banned from all District buildings.

• Communications between emergency dispatch, police and first responders affected during DC 911 outage. WASHINGTON – A 911 system meltdown in the District left callers unable to reach the emergency dispatch center for over an hour and a half over the weekend. FOX 5 has also learned some police and fire dispatch radios went down as well leaving those officers and first responders on the streets cut off from communication. While D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency said that didn’t happen, audio obtained by FOX 5 of the radio transmissions between dispatch and police are telling a different story.

5am – E         SPORTS NEWS:

• Trump calls Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for national anthem ‘terrible.’ Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick Monday, calling Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem “a terrible thing.” “I think it’s personally not a good thing,” Trump told Seattle radio station KIRO when asked about the controversy. “I think it’s a terrible thing, and you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him, let him try, it’s not gonna happen.” Kaepernick became the subject of national controversy over the weekend when he remained seated on the San Francisco bench during the playing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” prior to Friday night’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. While explaning his stance to reporters Sunday, Kaepernick criticized both Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
• Redskins-Bucs preseason game moved to Wednesday. (NFL) — This week’s preseason game between the Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium has been moved to Wednesday, August 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET. The change from the originally scheduled date of Thursday, September 1, is in order to avoid anticipated severe weather from Tropical Storm Nine. “We have been in regular communication with administrators from the Tampa Sports Authority, Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa and the National Weather Service over the past day as it has become apparent that the most severe weather associated with Tropical Depression Nine will likely make landfall on Thursday,” said Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford. “This decision was made by both teams in conjunction with the National Football League and local authorities in an effort to ensure the safety of our fans, players and stadium staff.”
• Alex Ovechkin is a married man. (Washington Post) — On Sunday, Alex Ovechkin confirmed what Russian tabloids had speculated for a week: The Capitals captain and fiancee Nastya Shubskaya got married. Ovechkin shared the news via an Instagram photo of the couple holding hands — and wearing wedding bands — and a caption that says, in Russian, “This is happiness.” Shubskaya, a model and the daughter of Russian actress Vera Glagoleva, has changed her last name on her Instagram page to Ovechkina, while NHL.com reports the couple was married at a “small private wedding” in Russia. Penguins fans reacted to the news by making lame jokes.

6am – A/B/C How Huma Abedin could become a Clinton liability. (Washington Examiner) — Hillary Clinton’s right-hand woman is in the news because of her husband’s misdeeds, but could become a liability in her own right as new light is shed on the cozy relationship Clinton’s State Department staff enjoyed with Clinton Foundation executives. Huma Abedin, a longtime Clinton confidante who presently serves as vice-chair of her campaign, has found herself at the center of controversy over allegations that foundation donors enjoyed special access to the State Department given her role as the most frequent liaison between the two Clinton networks. As the only other aide known to have hosted an account on the “clintonemail.com” server, Abedin’s work-related communications have become the focus of many of the same open records lawsuits that forced disclosures from Clinton’s official emails last year. In fact, the most recent revelations about contact between the State Department and the Clinton Foundation have emerged from Abedin’s inbox, not Clinton’s. And Abedin’s personal life thrust her into headlines once again Monday on the heels of reports that she had coordinated invitations to State Department events for prominent foundation donors. Abedin announced on Monday her intention to separate from her husband, Anthony Weiner, amid new reports that the disgraced former congressman had shared lewd photographs of himself with women on social media.

Clinton aide Abedin dumps Weiner after more lewd texts. The high-powered couple had been ‘estranged’ for about a year, a person close to Abedin said. Top Hillary Clinton adviser Huma Abedin on Monday announced she is separating from her husband, Anthony Weiner, after six rocky years of marriage during which the couple’s shared vision of a political future together has been disrupted multiple times by humiliating revelations of the former congressman’s compulsive sexting habit. “After long and painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband,” Abedin said in a statement. “Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy.”

6am – D         RIP Gene Wilder: Gene Wilder leaves behind a body of work that includes some of the greatest ever comedies. Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American stage and screen comic actor, screenwriter, film director, and author. Wilder began his career on stage, and made his screen debut in the TV series Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1962. Although his first film role was portraying a hostage in the 1967 motion picture Bonnie and Clyde,[1] Wilder’s first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This was the first in a series of collaborations with writer/director Mel Brooks, including 1974’s Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, which Wilder co-wrote, garnering the pair an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Wilder is known for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) and for his four films with Richard Pryor: Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989), and Another You (1991).[1] Wilder directed and wrote several of his own films, including The Woman in Red (1984).

6am – E         Election News:

• FBI: Foreign hackers broke into two different state election systems. Hackers based outside the United States have broken into two state election databases in recent weeks, according to a report from Yahoo News, which on Monday revealed a “flash” alert sent earlier this month by the FBI’s Cyber Division. The bulletin reported that the FBI had received information about separate IP addresses attempting to hack into two different states’ Board of Election websites.  The document itself does not disclose which states were affected, although Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff cited “sources familiar with the document” as saying they are Arizona and Illinois.  Yahoo reported that the Illinois hacking was more serious, forcing officials to shut down the voter registration system for 10 days in July, while the Arizona intrusion did not appear to be as successful.
• McCain challenge, Arpaio’s 7th term bid top Arizona primary. (AP) — PHOENIX – Primary challenges to two of the state’s longest-serving Republicans are drawing attention as Arizona voters head to the polls Tuesday. Sen. John McCain is facing a tough battle with a former state senator who is vowing to retire the five-term Republican a day after his 80th birthday.  And six-term Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio faces a trio of challengers in his primary. McCain has been campaigning hard in recent weeks and made one last stop Monday at a Phoenix fire station before meeting with campaign workers to urge them to make a final push to victory. The 2008 GOP presidential nominee is facing former Sen. Kelli Ward, who lags in the polls but has mounted an aggressive primary challenge. Ward has been mainly ignored by McCain, who is looking to November when he faces off against a well-funded Democrat in Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick — if he wins Tuesday’s primary election. Meanwhile, Arpaio is seeking a seventh term with a full war chest of nearly $10 million. He’s hoping voters ignore a federal judge’s recent order referring him for criminal contempt of court charges. U.S. District Judge Murray Snow’s Aug. 19 ruling came in a long-running case where the sheriff acknowledged he failed to stop his signature immigration patrols despite Snow’s order to halt them. He faces three Republican challengers on Tuesday: Former Buckeye Police Chief Dan Saban, retired sheriff’s Deputy Wayne Baker and Marsha Hill, former commander of a sheriff’s volunteer group. A Democratic challenger awaits in November if Arpaio wins the primary.

7am – A   INTERVIEW – JOE THEISMANN – Former Redskin quarterback, football legend and Super Bowl champion

• Joe Theismann: Kaepernick’s Career Isn’t Over, But He was Disrespectful. (FOXBusiness) — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick caused a stir when he refused to stand during the national anthem before the team’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers to make a statement on race relations in America.  Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann weighed in on the controversy. “I don’t believe he’s ended his career, I think one of the things we have to understand is society has changed so dramatically that different individuals in different walks of life whether it be in music, whether it be in sports or in politics as you know, have really had the ability to step up and say the things that they want to say and they can continue on with their career.  The fact that Colin Kaepernick can still play the position of quarterback will probably be either a starter or a backup in San Francisco still exists.  I think he has every right in the world to express his opinion as an individual,” Theismann told the FOX Business Network’s Stuart Varney.

7am – B         Entertainment News:

• Rudy Giuliani Was Not Impressed by Beyonce at MTV VMAs 2016: ‘I’ve Saved More Black Lives.’ The former New York City mayor, 72, appeared on Fox & Friends on Monday, August 29, and cohost Ainsley Earhardt asked Giuliani about his opinion of the politically charged performance. “She walks the red carpet with the mothers of black men that were killed by police,” Earhardt said. “Then this performance that you see here. Her dancers were circling around her and one by one, they fell to the ground, and there were red lights underneath them, and that was supposed to symbolize cops killing black individuals.” Giuliani let it be known that he was not happy with Queen Bey’s statement on police brutality. “You’re asking the wrong person,” he replied, “because I have five uncles who were police officers, two cousins who were, one who died in the line of duty. I ran the largest and best police department in the world, the New York City Police Department, and I saved more black lives than any of those people you saw on stage by reducing crime and particularly homicide by 75 percent … of which, maybe four or five thousand were African American young people who are alive today because of the policies I put in effect that weren’t in effect for 35 years.”
• Taylor Swift Ends Brief Jury Duty Stint, Can’t Be ‘Impartial’ in Rape Case. Ever so briefly, Taylor Swift lived like the common people do by serving jury duty today in Nashville, Tennessee. But she was quickly relieved of her civic duty. The judge determined that she could not be an “impartial” juror for the case at hand. Called for an aggravated rape and kidnapping case, the judge determined that Swifty would be too biased to serve as a juror. She currently has a pending sexual harassment case in Colorado against a DJ who purportedly fondled her backstage. Alas, the remaining jurors will not pass the remainder of their jury duty hobnobbing with Our Blonde Bestie. But they did manage to squeeze in pictures today.
• Dancing with the Stars new cast. ET can also report that longtime DWTS pro and two-time champ Cheryl Burke will be returning to vie for the mirror ball trophy, after last competing on season 19 with partner Antonio Sabato Jr. in 2014. Burke and Hough join returning pros Maksim and Val Chmerkovskiy, Emma Slater, Witney Carson, Sharna Burgess, Artem Chigvintsev, Lindsay Arnold, Sasha Farber, Gleb Savchenko and Allison Holker. Former troupe member Jenna Johnson will make a her debut as a pro. ET can exclusively confirm that Jana Kramer, Marilu Henner, former Texas Governor Rick Perry and Vanilla Ice are the latest celebrities headed to DWTS. Retired football star Calvin Johnson and Indy race car driver James Hinchcliffe are also on tap for the fall season, ET has learned. They join a celebrity cast that includes Olympians Laurie Hernandez and Ryan Lochte, Brady Bunch star Maureen McCormick, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Amber Rose, Jake T. Austin and Little Woman: LA star Terra Jole. The full cast and pairings will be revealed on Good Morning America on Tuesday. ABC does not comment on casting. Dancing With the Stars premieres Monday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

7am – C   DC is Getting an All-Male Burlesque Brunch. (Washingtonian) — Sax is home to DC’s first all-male burlesque brunch.  DC’s brunch scene has many things to offer, but all-male burlesque isn’t one of them—at least until September.  Sax, the gilded downtown cabaret owned by the group behind Lost Society, plans to spice up Sunday afternoons with a cast of minimally-clad male pole performers, aerialists, and dancers, all to the tune of bottomless mimosas. Local choreographer Derek Brown (not to be confused with local bartender, Derek Brown) saw a gap in DC’s female-friendly entertainment lineup—at least when it comes to the Magic Mike variety. “You can find countless places to go see women do everything,” says Brown, the live entertainment director for Sax. “There’s nowhere for you to go see a male show where women can cut loose, feel empowered, feel sexual, and be in a safe environment.”

7am – D         INTERVIEW — MARTHA BONETA – Virginia Farmer, a farmer at Liberty Farm in Paris, Virginia

• Virginia farmers rally against birthday party fine
• The 2016 Liberty Farm Festival is coming up on September 10^th. Please join us for an afternoon of music, BBQ, local wines, farm goods, hay rides, pumpkin patch fun (including a pumpkin chucker), 9/11 & police tributes, silent auction, children’s face painting (and inflatables!), numerous vendors, and our Virginia republican November election candidates! LOCATED: Liberty Farm, 1037 Gap Run Rd, Paris, Virginia / https://libertyfarmfestival.com/
• One such farmer who outrageously faced up to $2 million in potential fines for hosting a birthday party on her own property appeared on “Fox & Friends” to share her predicament. “We were threatened with up to $15,000 a day in fines for engaging in farming and traditional family practices and activities and agri-tourism that family farmers have engaged in since forever,” explained Virginia farmer Martha Boneta. “We are witnessing a war against family farmers all over the country,” she added, saying her family was hit with zoning violations and told she must have a site plan and various permits. Boneta said “our farm was shut down when we were in full-on harvest,” adding that she never imagined her dream of being a farmer would include “miles and miles of red tape.”

7am – E         Kerry: ‘Media Would Do Us All a Service If They Didn’t Cover’ Terrorism as Much (CNS) – Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday during an appearance in Bangladesh that the media could “do us all a service” if they didn’t cover terrorism “quite as much.” “No country is immune from terrorism,” Kerry said at a press availability in Dhaka, Bangladesh. “It’s easy to terrorize. Government and law enforcement have to be correct 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But if you decide one day you’re going to be a terrorist and you’re willing to kill yourself, you can go out and kill some people. You can make some noise. Perhaps the media would do us all a service if they didn’t cover it quite as much. People wouldn’t know what’s going on.” Kerry referenced the July 1st attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, calling it an “an outrage clearly designed to divide Bangladesh, designed to try to cut off this welcoming society from the outside world.” “Dozens of smaller-scale attacks have been carried out during the past several years, often directed at members of religious minorities, foreigners, bloggers, and security officials, and the reason for this is obviously they want to divide you. They want to push people apart. They want to create internal strife,” he said.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – CHRISTIAN TOTO – Film Critic, HollywoodInToto.com —  reflected on the life and legacy of GENE WILDER.

• Gene Wilder leaves behind a body of work that includes some of the greatest ever comedies

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

• KUDLOW has a new book coming out “JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity” on September 5th (NEXT WEEK)
• Thoughts on Huma separating from Anthony Weiner. Long overdue? Is she still a liability to Hillary Clinton?
• Donald Trump Says Immigration Speech Coming Wednesday in Arizona.

8am – E         How a former extremist became a counterterrorism analyst. Federal prosecutors once regarded Jesse Curtis Morton as a threat to national security. The FBI said the pro-jihadist website he helped found, RevolutionMuslim.com, inspired a number of terrorist plots. On that website, militant training videos, bomb-making instructions, praise for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and chat rooms for discussions among members created a multi-media stew of toxic content, they said. In 2012, Morton was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his role in running the site. Now, just four years later, Morton is free and has been hired as a terrorism analyst at a George Washington University-based think tank.