Cal Thomas, Corey Lewandowski, Amb. John Bolton and Dr. Stephen Farnsworth joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C   TRUMP’S UN SPEECH: Amb. John Bolton says President Donald Trump’s address to the United Nations General Assembly was the “best speech of the Trump presidency.” Was it his best speech for you?

5am – D         SCHOOL NEWS:

• IS THE GRADING SYSTEM BROKEN? There is a growing consensus at some Bay Area private high schools that letter grades A through F are outdated. Instead they want to create transcripts with details about each student’s achievements.
• EXTRA CREDIT FOR EVALUATING YOUR WHITENESS: Students in a sociology class at San Diego State University can earn extra credit if they take a quiz to determine their level of “white privilege.” Professor Dae Elliott offered the option to her sociology class students, a “White Privilege Checklist” that includes 20 questions that aim to illustrate that “racial privilege is one form of privilege.”
• ROLLING STONE: Rolling Stone defamation lawsuit revived NEW YORK (AP) — A defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone over the magazine’s debunked article about a University of Virginia gang rape was reinstated Tuesday by an appeals court in a manner that one judge says would allow any member of a school fraternity to join the lawsuit.

5am – E         Man Vandalized Lincoln Memorial With Penny, Causing Permanent Damage. “Am I in trouble for doing this?” the 21-year-old from Kyrgyzstan asked, police say. (NBC Washington) – The Lincoln Memorial has been vandalized again, and this time a U.S. Park Police officer caught the vandal in the act, officials say.  Nurtilek Bakirov, 21, of Kyrgyzstan, is accused of vandalizing the memorial about 1:10 p.m. Monday, a police report says.  He was using a penny to etch “HYPT MAEK” into the fifth pillar on the north side of the memorial, the report says. The meaning of the etching was not immediately clear.  “This does represent permanent damage to the historic fabric of the memorial,” Park Service conservator Justine Bello said.  Bakirov, a student, avoided reporters as he left a court appearance Tuesday.  At the monument, the officer saw and heard Bakirov scratching the penny into the pillar and asked him what he was doing.  “Sorry,” Bakirov reportedly said, and then tried to walk away.

6am – A         RECAP THE VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE LAST NIGHT:

• Few fireworks in gentlemanly Virginia gubernatorial debate
• Va. gubernatorial contenders clash over monuments, taxes in first TV debate
• Gillespie Fully Supports Keeping Confederate Statues
• Va. gov. debate: Northam, Gillespie unite against hate, spar over statues

6am – B/C     OkCupid Now Lets You Know Which Dudes Support Planned Parenthood. (Glamour) — OkCupid may be the OG of dating sites, but that doesn’t mean it’s done innovating. The online dating service on Wednesday announced a new update that gives users the ability to let everyone know they stand with Planned Parenthood. It’s an easy way to figure out who’s worthy of a first date—or at the very least, a “u up.” “Today we’re introducing a Planned Parenthood Badge to help our members connect over what’s important to them,” the company announced in a blog post. “The badge will read ‘#IStandWithPP’ and will be prominently displayed on the profile of every OkCupid member who has publicly responded ‘no’ to the question ‘Should the government defund Planned Parenthood?'”

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CAL THOMAS – syndicated columnist

• Cal’s thoughts on the Graham-Cassidy repeal push
• Trump, White House go all-out for Graham-Cassidy Obamacare repeal bill
• Cal’s thoughts on Trump’s speech
• CAL’S PIECE: A recent poll conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center discovered that Americans are ignorant about the Constitution and the rights it protects. The poll found that 37 percent of those interviewed could not name any of the five rights protected by the First Amendment. Forty-eight percent got freedom of speech right. Thirty-three percent could not name one of the three branches of government and only 26 percent correctly named all three. One can’t have a country if citizens are ignorant of its origins and purpose. When I was in public school, civics was a required subject. That it is rarely taught today likely explains the disturbing Annenberg poll results. Adds Jamieson: “These results emphasize the need for high-quality civics education in the schools and for press reporting that underscores the existence of constitutional principles.”

6am – E         Five major networks refuse to hire Sean Spicer as a contributor. (Washington Exminer) — The five major news networks will not be bringing Sean Spicer on as a paid contributor. Fox News, CNN, CBS News, ABC News, and NBC News have passed on the former press secretary for a full-time gig, according to a report Tuesday. “The news organizations might use him on round tables, but [a paid exclusive contributor job] is not happening,” an anonymous executive told NBC News. The report also said the networks were not interested because Spicer lacks credibility. Since leaving the White House, Spicer joined the paid speaking circuit, signing with Worldwide Speakers Group. He was also named a visiting fellow at Harvard University.

Networks Pass on Sean Spicer for Paid Contributor Role. (NBC News) — But “they won’t touch him,” said a media industry executive familiar with those conversations. “The news organizations might use him on round tables, but [a paid exclusive contributor job] is not happening,” the executive added.

6am – F         Starbucks robbery suspect may sue ‘Good Samaritan’ who subdued him. (Fox News) – The mother of a man who police said attempted to rob a Starbucks in California, but was thwarted by a Good Samaritan, reportedly said her son plans to sue because the hero used “excessive force.” The video of the July robbery went viral. Police released the footage showing Cregg Jerri, 58, struggling with a would-be robber in a Transformers mask who tried to stage a hold-up with a knife and toy gun at a Starbucks in Fresno. Jerri, at one point, approaches the robber from behind and bashes him over the head with a chair. Eventually the two hit the ground and grapple. Police said Jerri was stabbed in the neck as he tried to grab the knife. They said when Jerri took the knife away, he stabbed the robber several times. Police said Ryan Flores, 30, was the man in the mask. “The guy, in my opinion, went from a Good Samaritan to a vigilante,” Pamela Chimienti, Flores’ mother, told KSEE-TV. “Stabbing somebody that many times, it doesn’t take that many stab wounds to get somebody to succumb to you.” Mark Flores, the man’s father, told the Fresno Bee: “I understand he (his son) robbed the store but (Jerri) stabbed my son 17 times.”

7am – A         RECAP PRESIDENT TRUMP’S UN SPEECH

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW — COREY LEWANDOWSKI – Former Trump campaign manager and currently the senior advisor and spokesman for America First Action — discussed President Trump’s America first UN speech and the media criticism of his speech.

7am – D/E     INTERVIEW – AMB. JOHN BOLTON – former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a Senior Fellow for the American Enterprise Institute – shared his analysis of President Trump’s speech at the UN and thoughts on how to deal with North Korea. John Bolton says President Donald Trump’s address to the United Nations General Assembly was the “best speech of the Trump presidency.” Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, said the centerpiece of Trump’s speech was his criticism of the behavior of North Korea and Iran.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — DR. STEPHEN FARNSWORTH – Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA @drsfarnsworth

• Few fireworks in gentlemanly Virginia gubernatorial debate
• Va. gubernatorial contenders clash over monuments, taxes in first TV debate
• Gillespie Fully Supports Keeping Confederate Statues
• Va. gov. debate: Northam, Gillespie unite against hate, spar over statues

8am – B         Highlights of Hillary Clinton on Stephen Colbert’s Show: Russia, Trump’s speech: Hillary Clinton Calls Herself ‘Paula Revere’ on Russia Meddling.

8am – C         Ryan Zinke installs ‘Big Buck Hunter’ video game in Interior Department cafeteria. (Washington Examiner) — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke installed the video game “Big Buck Hunter” in the department’s cafeteria Tuesday to make a point about conservation. “To highlight #sportsmen contributions 2 conservation I installed Big Buck Hunter in the employee cafeteria. Get excited for #hunting season!” he tweeted. Zinke was referring to an executive order he signed last week to open up national parks and monument areas to more hunting and fishing. See for yourself if the game lives up to his intended expectations. Zinke posted the tweet with a photo of him standing by the 17-year-old arcade-style video game.

8am – D/E     RECAP PRESIDENT TRUMP’S UN SPEECH AND MEDIA CRITICISM