Aaron Negherbon, Paul Carden, Larry Michael and Steve Moore joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, August 31, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

5am – A/B/C   President Trump’s tax speech yesterday: Trump says he doesn’t want to be disappointed by Congress. Will He Be?

• Trump Tax Speech In Springfield, Mo.:     In his tax reform speech today in Missouri, President Trump called on Congress to “get this job done” and repeatedly stated that he doesn’t want to be “disappointed.”     “I don’t want to be disappointed by Congress, do you understand me? Do you understand? I think Congress is going to make a comeback. I hope so. I’ll tell you what, the United States is counting on it.” He later instructed the crowd to pressure their Democratic senator: “Your senator, Claire McCaskill must do this for you, and if she doesn’t… you have to vote her out of office.” As Axios’ Jonathan Swan previewed, the speech was light on policy, but Trump signaled that he’s willing to play hardball to push tax reform through. The one tangible figure: Trump said he wants to bring the corporate tax rate down to 15%. But as Swan notes, the 15% figure is fantasy: “Nobody who is serious thinks this number is possible. Most tax experts in Washington say Republicans will be doing well to get the corporate rate down to 25%.

5am – D/E     AVERAGE AGE OF AMERICAN DADS IS CREEPING UP: American fathers keep getting older, raising the prospect of increased birth defects but also greater economic and emotional security for U.S. families, according to new research from Stanford University’s School of Medicine. The average age of the fathers of newborns in the United States has climbed by 3.5 years over the past four decades, growing from 27.4 years in 1972 to 30.9 years in 2015, said the study — the nation’s most detailed analysis ever of paternal age.

6am – A         HURRICANE NEWS:

• Vice President Mike Pence is expected to visit four locations around Corpus Christi, Tex., on Thursday, to meet with storm survivors, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of the trip were still being worked out.
• The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday night. It is expected move through central Louisiana on Wednesday night, then move through northeastern Louisiana and northwestern Mississippi on Thursday.
• Officials have repted at least 38 deaths that were related or suspected to be related to the storm. The victims include a police officer who died on his way to work; a mother who was swept into a canal while her child survived by clinging to her; a woman who died when a tree fell on her mobile home; and a family that is believed to have drowned while trying to escape floodwaters in a van.
• More than 32,000 people were in shelters in Texas, and 30,000 shelter beds were available, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said. Houston officials said the city’s largest shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center had 8,000 and was no longer accepting evacuees. New evacuees would be taken to NRG Center, a conference hall in Houston.
• Houston’s two airports reopened, and airport officials said on Wednesday night that United Airlines had boarded a flight from Los Angeles bound for Houston. Five more flights were on their way and three aircrafts were scheduled to leave the Houston area. International flights are expected to resume Thursday.
• The governor said 210,000 people have registered with FEMA for assistance.
• The National Guard has conducted 8,500 rescues since the storm began, Mr. Abbott said, and the police and firefighters in the Houston area have done a similar number. About 24,000 National Guard troops will soon be deployed for disaster recovery in Texas.
• Heart Break In Beaumont: Clinging to Her Drowning ‘Mama,’ a Little Girl Survives the Raging Flood. HOUSTON — Shivering from hypothermia, little Jordyn Grace was clutching her mother’s unresponsive body as the floodwaters rose around her. A rescue team in a Zodiac boat, on the lookout for those in distress in Beaumont, Tex., spotted the small pink backpack the girl was wearing and pulled her and her mother aboard. “Mama was saying her prayers,” the 3-year-old, recovering on Wednesday in a Beaumont hospital, told a relative, Antionette Logan, 38. “Jordyn told me they were in the yucky water for quite a while,” Ms. Logan said. “It’s a tragedy that her mama died, but it’s a miracle that Jordyn survived.”
• Poll: Public generally approves of Trump’s Harvey response

6am – B         Woman Tells Why She Threw Cup of Urine at DC Bus Driver. “I was provoked. I hate Metro,” the woman said. (NBC 4) — A woman who threw a cup of her own urine at a D.C. bus driver on Saturday turned herself in to police on Wednesday and told News4 the driver had been rude to her. “I was provoked. I hate Metro,” Opal L. Brown told News4’s Adam Tuss in a phone interview Wednesday morning. “I’ve been catching Metro for 35 years. They’ve never done s— for me,” the Southeast D.C. resident said. News4 was there as Brown, 38, was arrested Wednesday morning by Metro Transit Police. “Why did you do what you did?” News4’s Pat Collins asked. “I’m not going to say that. But I apologize to my community,” Brown said as officers led her away in handcuffs.

6am – C         Newseum’s Executives Raked In Huge Salaries While Organization Lost Millions. (Daily Caller) — The Newseum, a hugely expensive museum celebrating the history of American media and the First Amendment, is again on shaky financial ground. Its principal benefactor, the Freedom Forum, announced Monday that Newseum president and CEO Jeffrey Herbst would step down after failing to lead the museum to financial self-reliance. “It has become obvious that the current model — where the Freedom Forum is the primary funder of the Newseum — cannot continue indefinitely at this level,” Freedom Forum chief executive Jan Neuharth said in a statement. “Left unchecked, this deficit spending rate would eventually drain the Freedom Forum’s entire endowment, and the annual cash drain prevents us from allocating any new capital to First Amendment programs that are at the heart of our educational mission.” The Freedom Forum has poured nearly $500 million into the Newseum since 1997, reports the Washington Post. By far the largest chunk of that expenditure came in 2008, when the museum moved from its modest digs in Arlington, Va. to a gleaming, $477 million glass-and-steel building on Pennsylvania Avenue, just a few block away from the U.S. Capitol. The Newseum has also spent lavishly on staff and salaries, even as attendance continues to fall well short of targets and the enterprise burns cash. Salaries, benefits and payroll taxes totaled more than $19 million for 263 employees in 2015, or about one-third of the museum’s $61 million in total expenses for that year, according to a Washington Post review of the Newseum’s tax filings.

6am – D         Ted Cruz Calls Chris Christie A ‘Desparate Politician’ (Daily Caller) — Sen. Ted Cruz didn’t respond kindly to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s criticism of his decision to vote no on a relief bill for Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Cruz has been accused of hypocrisy for voting against the Sandy bill — which he claims was “filled with pork” — while asking for federal aid to help Texas with Hurricane Harvey. Christie accused Cruz of voting against the bill to prove he was the “most conservative” Senator. “I’m sorry there are politicians out there who seem really desperate to get their names in the news,” Cruz responded on Fox News Wednesday morning, “and are saying whatever they need to do that.”    

6am – E         INTERVIEW – AARON NEGHERBON (Neer-Bon) — founder of TroopsDirect,  direct-response, military supply organization who is helping the TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD

• ABOUT WHAT TROOPS DIRECT IS DOING: It’s not just the citizen victims of Harvey who are in need. This past Sunday, TroopsDirect, (www.troopsdirect.org) the nation’s only direct-response, military supply organization, was contacted by the Texas National Guard. The troops were already in serious need of supplies. Over the past 36 hours, the civilian-run TroopsDirect has secured and shipped (at no charge) the following: 750,000 bottles of Gatorade, 200,000 Mylar rescue blankets, 800 cots, 10,000 Clif Bars, 10,000 squirt packets of Strike Force energy gel, Waterproof boots, Gloves and Computer printers
• Governor Abbott Activates Entire Texas National Guard In Response To Hurricane Harvey Devastation. Governor Greg Abbott today announced he has activated the entire Texas National Guard in response to Hurricane Harvey, bringing the total number of deployed guardsman to roughly 12,000. These National Guardsman will assist in the ongoing search and rescue effort for any Texans in immediate danger, and will be heavily involved in the extensive recovery effort in the aftermath of the storm. “It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm,” said Governor Abbott. “The Texas National Guard is working closely with FEMA and federal troops to respond urgently to the growing needs of Texans who have fallen victim to Hurricane Harvey, and the activation of the entire Guard will assist in the efforts already underway. I would like to thank FEMA Administrator Brock Long, as well as all our brave first responders for their hard work in helping those impacted by this terrible storm.”

6am – F         NATS NEWS:

• Strasburg dominates Marlins as Nationals breeze to sweep. Stephen Strasburg was already enjoying one of the best pitching performances of his career when he added another memorable moment: A go-ahead home run. Strasburg tossed a six-hitter in addition to his fifth-inning shot, Wilmer Difo added a home run and the Washington Nationals defeated the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Wednesday to complete a three-game sweep.

• Bryce Harper is ‘a long ways from running’ and frustrated by not being able to play. (Washington Post) — Bryce Harper has spent much of this week sitting at his locker or in one of the big leather chairs in the back of the clubhouse, Players Weekend hat pulled low, not smiling much. Harper isn’t usually a particularly vocal clubhouse presence and isn’t known for a perpetual smile. But something about Harper has been sullen this week — subdued, somehow. Even the return of his good friend Jayson Werth didn’t seem to perk him up. “I can sense a little frustration in his voice when I ask him, ‘How you doing?’ or say, ‘You’re walking good,’ ” Dusty Baker said. “Usually he’s not a smart aleck, but lately he’s been a little short in temperament and I can tell that’s because he wants to play.” But Harper is not close to playing. He is not even close to running. Asked what he has been able to do in the two-plus weeks since suffering a severe bone bruise, Harper shrugged and said, “Calf raises?” “If I wasn’t an athlete and was just an average person, I probably wouldn’t even be on it and doing anything,” Harper said.

7am – A         RACIST NEWS:

• Discarded Banana Peel Causes Racial Hysteria at Ole Miss. (By Todd Starnes) — There is a raging controversy within the University of Mississippi’s Greek Life community regarding race relations and bananas. A Greek Life leader accidentally sparked mass hysteria after he placed a banana peel on a tree in the woods — because he could not find a trash can. The Daily Mississippian reports that three black students found the banana peel — and were apparently triggered by what they saw. “To be clear, many members of our community were hurt, frightened, and upset,” the interim director of fraternity and sorority life wrote in a letter obtained by the newspaper.  The president of one sorority told the newspaper that “bananas have historically been used to demean black people.” It’s unclear how many were triggered by the banana peel – but the fear and trepidation was so great that a meeting was convened at the campground.  The Daily Mississippian described what happened: “The massive discussion session wrapped up as more and more students stood and left the room – some in tears, some in frustration. NPHC members began texting friends to come and pick them up from the camp since no one had been allowed to drive his or her car up to the retreat. The remainder of the retreat was canceled later that night,” the newspaper reported.
• Poll: Nation Split Over Whether Media Or White Supremacists Are Doing More Damage. The poll found that 47 percent of registered voters think white supremacists are a greater threat, 40 percent think the news media is, and nine percent believe both are equal threats. There was a significant split among Republican and Democratic voters on the question. Seventy-six percent of Democratic respondents said that white supremacists are the greater threat, while 69 percent of Republicans pointed the finger at the press.
• LA City Council votes to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. LOS ANGELES (KABC) — The Los Angeles City Council voted on Wednesday to replace the Columbus Day holiday with Indigenous Peoples Day. Councilmembers voted 14-1 to make the second Monday in October a day to commemorate indigenous, aboriginal and native people. It will be a paid holiday for city employees. The proposal had already been approved by a council committee.

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW — PAUL CARDEN – Regional Disaster Officer, American Red Cross National Capital Region  

• LOCATED IN CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS
• TOPIC: Discuss the efforts of local volunteers (particularly from the DC/MD/VA area), rescue teams heading to Texas to help with Harvey relief efforts and how people can help

7am – D         DEM CONFUSION:

• Pelosi Confuses ‘A Better Deal’ With FDR’s ‘New Deal’ (Daily Caller) — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi continued to struggle with gaffes in Colorado on Wednesday, as she flubbed the name of the Democrats’ newly launched campaign. Speaking during a roundtable discussion with the Colorado Democratic Party on Wednesday, Pelosi confused the Democrats’ new campaign slogan “A Better Deal,” with the President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” “We don’t want to be fear mongers. You’re going to see us taking the New Deal,” Pelosi said, before quickly correcting herself saying, “A Better Deal.”
• Dem Rep Confuses Sandy Hook And Hurricane Sandy (Daily Caller) — Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee awkwardly confused “Sandy Hook” with “Super Storm Sandy” during a Tuesday interview on CNN. Jackson Lee repeatedly assured the hosts that she had supported funding for Sandy Hook, the deadly school shooting, though she clearly meant that she supported funding for Hurricane Sandy. Both events occurred in 2012, but share literally nothing else in common beside having “Sandy” in their names. “Let me be clear,” Jackson Lee said before being very unclear. “I voted on many votes for Sandy Hook funding.” Jackson Lee continued to use “Sandy Hook” without any corrections from hosts Alisyn Camerota and Chris Cuomo.

7am – E         INTERVIEW – LARRY MICHAEL – the “Voice of the Washington Redskins”

• NFL Preseason: Washington Redskins  @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• WHEN: Today, 7:30 PM @ Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
• The Washington Redskins close out their preseason in Tampa on Thursday, taking on the Buccaneers in a matchup that will be dominated by bubble players. Fans, coaches, and players alike will be glad to see this preseason end. Despite a win in Week 3, it’s been a largely forgettable return to football for the Redskins starters. The offense has been stagnant, and the defense, although showing promise, has been inconsistent. Week 1 of the regular season offers a clean slate, but there’s still one more game to go. The Redskins take on the Buccaneers on Thursday at 7:30 PM. In that game, it’ll be the backups’ time to shine. The starters, despite the criticism they’ve endured, will likely rest in the final game of the preseason, in order to give the roster hopefuls time to prove themselves.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — STEVE MOORE – ECONOMIST at THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION

• Thoughts on President Trump’s tax speech yesterday
• GDP: The U.S. economy grew faster than initially thought in the second quarter, notching its quickest pace in more than two years, and there are signs that the momentum was sustained at the start of the third quarter.

8am – B         Sean Spicer getting a farewell party before he officially departs White House. (Washington Examiner) — Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer will officially leave his job in the West Wing this week. A Trump administration official told CNN that Thursday will be his official last day, and two other sources that colleagues will throw him a “farewell party.” Spicer announced his resignation in mid-July after Anthony Scaramucci was hired as the communications director — a move he opposed. Scaramucci was removed from his post a week and a half later, but Spicer said his departure would not change. The former Republican National Committee communications director was selected as Trump’s communications director and press secretary last December, days before Christmas. Spicer defended Trump countless times during his seven months of employment at the White House, including in Trump’s clash with the media over his claims about the crowd size at his inauguration. During Trump’s first foreign trip in May, Spicer, a devout Catholic, was deprived of meeting Pope Francis while Trump officials passed through the Vatican. Spicer was only able to meet the pope during a return visit to Europe in mid-August. In light of his leaving the White House, Spicer said he was interested in appearing on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” but also turned down an offer to be on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

8am – C         Giant inflatable Trump rat arrives in DC. (Fox 5 DC) – WASHINGTON – A giant inflatable rat that appears to resemble the likeness of President Donald Trump has popped up in Dupont Circle on Wednesday. The inflatable rat’s creator, John Post Lee, calls his creation satirical art. “Art that draws attention to the fact that this president uses ridicule constantly in his running of the country and belittling of people, and belittling even a person who is physically disabled to make fun of him,” said Lee.  “I don’t feel like I am ridiculing him as much as I am holding up a mirror to his personality and his character.” He said there have been some individuals who have told him they are not fans of his display, but for the most part, many have enjoyed it. Lee said he did obtain a permit to put up his inflatable rat in the nation’s capital.

A giant, inflatable ‘Trump Rat’ will tower over Washington. (Washington Post/By Michael Cavna) — AT FIRST glance, you might not notice. There’s the tangerine-tinted skin. The buttercream half-bouffante. The long red tie. Everything looks like standard-issue Trump caricature — till you get to the teeth. They jut out like a rodent’s, as if for chewing up opponents or gnawing on one’s own political tail.

8am – D/E     HURRICANE NEWS:

• Vice President Mike Pence is expected to visit four locations around Corpus Christi, Tex., on Thursday, to meet with storm survivors, according to a senior administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the details of the trip were still being worked out.
• The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday night. It is expected move through central Louisiana on Wednesday night, then move through northeastern Louisiana and northwestern Mississippi on Thursday.
• Officials have repted at least 38 deaths that were related or suspected to be related to the storm. The victims include a police officer who died on his way to work; a mother who was swept into a canal while her child survived by clinging to her; a woman who died when a tree fell on her mobile home; and a family that is believed to have drowned while trying to escape floodwaters in a van.
• More than 32,000 people were in shelters in Texas, and 30,000 shelter beds were available, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said. Houston officials said the city’s largest shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center had 8,000 and was no longer accepting evacuees. New evacuees would be taken to NRG Center, a conference hall in Houston.
• Houston’s two airports reopened, and airport officials said on Wednesday night that United Airlines had boarded a flight from Los Angeles bound for Houston. Five more flights were on their way and three aircrafts were scheduled to leave the Houston area. International flights are expected to resume Thursday.
• The governor said 210,000 people have registered with FEMA for assistance.
• The National Guard has conducted 8,500 rescues since the storm began, Mr. Abbott said, and the police and firefighters in the Houston area have done a similar number. About 24,000 National Guard troops will soon be deployed for disaster recovery in Texas.
• This shotgun-wielding Texan has no time for looters. A shotgun-wielding Houston resident has been protecting his neighborhood from looters — proclaiming that he’s “an ex-f–king SWAT deputy” who isn’t afraid to “cut yo ass in half.”
• Heart Break In Beaumont: Clinging to Her Drowning ‘Mama,’ a Little Girl Survives the Raging Flood. HOUSTON — Shivering from hypothermia, little Jordyn Grace was clutching her mother’s unresponsive body as the floodwaters rose around her. A rescue team in a Zodiac boat, on the lookout for those in distress in Beaumont, Tex., spotted the small pink backpack the girl was wearing and pulled her and her mother aboard. “Mama was saying her prayers,” the 3-year-old, recovering on Wednesday in a Beaumont hospital, told a relative, Antionette Logan, 38. “Jordyn told me they were in the yucky water for quite a while,” Ms. Logan said. “It’s a tragedy that her mama died, but it’s a miracle that Jordyn survived.”
• MATTRESS STORE HELPS SURVIVORS: Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale of Gallery Furniture said after the storm hit Houston, he gathered volunteers and his trucks to rescue people.  “We had several Penske rental trucks, 24-foot trucks that you can get in any flooded street. We sent volunteers out in Houston picking up people,” McIngvale said. McIngvale said the community has always supported him in the toughest of times. In 2009, someone lit his warehouse on fire that resulted in millions of dollars’ worth of damage. He said supporting Houstonians during this tragic time is his way of giving back. Currently, there are 400 adults and children at two of his stores. McIngvale said he is providing free breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the evacuees. “I was raised as a Catholic. I continued my Catholic faith throughout my life, trying to do the right thing and hopefully, you do the right thing and help people along the way,” McIngvale said. “Sitting in a perfectly normal house one day and then, 10 minutes later you’ve got three feet of water in it. So, it’s very stressful and we’re trying to help them out because they’ve done so much for us over the years,” McIngvale said. McIngvale is a household name in Houston, known for his commercials and a catchy phrase: “Gallery Furniture will save you money!”
• Nationals’ Max Scherzer and his wife are paying for D.C. adoption fees to make way for animals affected by Harvey. Washington Nationals’ Max Scherzer and his wife, Erica, are pitching in to help D.C. animal shelters make room for animals affected by Harvey. Max and Erica are covering adoption fees at both Humane Rescue Alliance adoption centers in D.C. Thursday through Sunday, a spokesman for HRA said. The fee waiver only covers animals currently at the shelters, the spokesman said. The HRA is among many organizations across the country that are volunteering to accept animals from Texas who became separated from their owners or were homeless strays before the storm.