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Mornings on the Mall

Monday, May 29, 2017

Guest Host: Dan Mandis

5am – A/B/C Mom wants government to honor son, other veterans whose PTSD led to suicide (Press Telegram) The U.S. Department of Defense publishes the names of fallen soldiers killed in the line of duty, and those are the names engraved on local, state and national memorials. The federal government has strict guidelines for whose names appear on that list. Debra is now petitioning U.S. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to change a policy she said is wrong and discriminatory. An online petition she started has quickly grown to over 37,000 supporters from around the nation. In it, she cites a staggering statistic: 22 veterans commit suicide every single day. “There is an epidemic in our country and we are losing our loved ones to it,” she wrote. It’s not just those individuals who she wants to see the federal government include on its list. “My thing is I want all the fallen soldiers who served, and who served honorably, to be included,” Debra said. Laura Hertzog, founder of Honoring our Fallen, a nonprofit that helped create the memorial wall at Rosie the Riveter Park, said she often works with widows and mothers who have lost loved ones to suicide. And while she wishes she could add each of those names to the wall, her hands are tied.

5am – D/E     Homeland’s Kelly says no ‘big deal’ if Kushner tried back-channel network with Russia, as WH fights back.  Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Sunday it’s not a “big deal” if White House adviser Jared Kushner indeed tried during the 2016 elections to set up back-channel communications with the Kremlin — as the White House this weekend fought back against the growing Russia collusion story. “Any channel of communication back or otherwise is a good thing,” Kelly told “Fox News Sunday.” “It doesn’t bother me.”

‘Is This a Prank?’ Fmr. Acting CIA Director Reacts to Jared Kushner-Russia Report

John McLaughlin, former acting director of the CIA, told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell last night what he believes the agency’s reaction would be to the report that Jared Kushner wanted to set up a secret communications channel with the Kremlin: “If that’s what it was, the first reaction would be ‘Is this a prank?’ It would be kind of disbelief because it’s not the sort of thing you would expect to happen in a normal transition.”

McMaster ‘Not Concerned’ With New Reports About Jared Kushner, Russia

6am – A INTERVIEW – SHANNON WALKER  – Northwest Battle Buddies

TOPIC: Solders and Veterans with PTSD

• How many are affected
• What the government is doing about it
• How to get help

6am – B/C     HOMELAND CHIEF SLAMS MANCHESTER LEAKS AS ‘CLOSE TO TREASON. (Newsweek) Secretary John Kelly said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday that the leaking of classified information following a suicide bomb attack at a Manchester Arena on May 22 was unacceptable. “I don’t know where the leak came from,” he added, “But I will tell you this, as I always do in cases like this, I immediately called my counterpart in the U.K. And after offering my condolences about the attack… She immediately brought this topic up. And, if it came from the United States, it’s totally unacceptable. And I don’t know why people do these kind of things, but it’s borderline, if not over the line, of treason.”

6am – D         John Kerry’s terror prevention advice to grads sends heads to desks (again) Former Secretary of State John Kerry hasn’t let go of his dream of ending terrorism by creating jobs for ISIS, and he advised graduates of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government this way

6am – E/F      Angela Merkel In Front Of Trump: It’s Not The ‘Building Of Walls That Make Us Successful’ (UPROXX) President Donald Trump today attended a ceremony for the new NATO headquarters led by Angela Merkel and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and ah, to have been a fly on the wall. The Berlin Wall, that is. It, and several leaders’ comments, seemed to cast quite a bit of shade on President Trump. Not to be deterred, Trump forged ahead with his position on NATO, in more ways than one.

7am – A INTERVIEW – ROBERT CALTABIANO – Former Secret Service Agent

Topic: Potential terrorism in the U.S.

• TERRORISM IN AMERICA: IF YOU KNEW WHAT I KNEW, YOU’D NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE, DHS’S KELLY SAYS
• ISIS sets sights on Vegas Strip properties as possible terror targets
• Police chief on Memorial Day security: ‘We intend to have a safe weekend’

7am – B/C ‘If You See Something, Say Something:’ What to Do If You Find Yourself in a Manchester Situation. (CBS) Counter-terrorism officers were everywhere at Times Square and other key locations in New York City. “At this time, we have no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving music venues in the United States,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.  “However, the public may experience increased security in and around public places and events as officials take additional precautions.” “What is so important is that everyone has to work together,” Zeins advises. “If you see something, say something.” Terrorism experts say targets like concerts are a hallmark of ISIS.

7am – D/E  Democrats try to enlist military veterans in fight for House majority (Denver Post) Democrats hope to enlist military veterans in another type of fight for majority control of the House. Looking ahead to next year’s elections, Democrats are trying to recruit at least two dozen military veterans to challenge Republican incumbents, arguing that candidates with military on their resumes appeals to independent voters and can help the party break the GOP grip on Washington.

8am – A  INTERVIEW –DAVID ZANOTTI –  President/CEO of the American Policy Roundtable

TOPIC: Trump returns to the White House

• Trump at conclusion of first foreign trip: ‘I think we hit a home run’
• Trump’s budget plan lands with a thud in Middle America
• US alliance with Gulf states reaffirmed

8am – B/C     Rahm Emanuel Gets Really Uncomfortable Over Questions About Clinton Potentially Running for President Again.  Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel had a hard time answering Sunday if Hillary Clinton should run for president again in 2020.

Appearing on CNN’s “State Of The Union”, Emanuel waffled over the question, ultimately insisting that Clinton “has to decide whether that’s in her heart

Could 2020 bring Bernie vs Hillary vs Trump rematch?

8am – D INTERVIEW – SHANNON WALKER  – Northwest Battle Buddies

TOPIC: Solders and Veterans with PTSD

• How many are affected
• What the government is doing about it
• How to get help

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8am – E President Trump’s speech to U.S. troops in Italy. President Trump concluded his first overseas trip on May 27 with a visit to U.S. military troops and their families at the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sigonella, Italy.