WMAL’s Jamee Witten, Washington Post’s Laura Vozzella, The Hill’s Joe Concha and Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, September 29, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B   Interview – JAMEE WITTEN – WMAL’s Traffic reporter

• Worst traffic spot in US found on I-95 in northern Virginia. WOODBRIDGE, Va. — A study has found that northern Virginia is home to the single worst traffic hotspot in the U.S. That spot is the stretch of southbound Interstate 95 from the Fairfax County Parkway to Fredericksburg. The study published Wednesday by Seattle-based traffic data firm Inrix found the average traffic jam on that stretch lasted 33 minutes and covered six miles. Inrix counted 1,394 traffic jams there during the two-month period it conducted the study in March and April. While I-95 represented the single worst traffic spot, Inrix found that overall the D.C. area ranks third to New York and Los Angeles in terms of overall traffic congestion. The study analyzed more than 100,000 hotspots in 25 of the nation’s most traffic-congested cities.

5am – C         DC woman charged with throwing cup of urine on Metro bus driver fails to appear in court. (Fox 5) – WASHINGTON – A warrant has been issued for a D.C. woman charged with throwing a cup filled with urine at a Metrobus driver after officials said she skipped her court date Thursday. Opal Brown, 38, failed to appear or her misdemeanor initial status hearing, court records indicate. Police said Brown was riding on a Metrobus that was traveling near Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road in Northeast D.C. the evening of Aug. 26 when she doused the driver with urine that was in a purple cup. According to court documents, Brown was about to exit the bus when the driver told the suspect to “Have a nice day.” Brown responded saying, “Are you talking to me?” before throwing the urine on the female driver. After Metro Transit Police released surveillance video of the incident, the Southeast D.C. woman turned herself in to police and was charged with misdemeanor assault.

5am – D         Scalise returns to Capitol Hill for first time since shooting. (Fox News) – Majority Whip Steve Scalise made a surprise and triumphant return Thursday to the floor of the House of Representatives, for the first time since he was badly wounded in the June mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice.  Colleagues erupted in applause and gave Scalise a standing ovation as he entered the chamber on crutches, wearing a dark suit and a striped red tie. Colleagues embraced him as he walked to the podium, where he delivered a first-hand and emotional telling of the journey that brought him back to Washington these past three months.  “It starts with God,” Scalise said, recalling how when he was laying on the ballfield that day and unable to move, “I just started praying.” “Pretty much every one of those prayers were answered,” Scalise said. “He really did deliver for me and my family, and it just gives you that renewed faith and understanding that the power of prayer is just something that you cannot underestimate.”

He added, “I’m definitely a living example that miracles really do happen.”

5am – E         Most Packers Fans Seemed To Ignore The Team’s National Anthem Request.  The Green Bay Packers asked fans to link arms during the national anthem at Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bears to show “unity.” If the footage from the song’s performance is any indication, fans largely ignored that request. Quarterback Aaron Rogers even made a personal request, saying “we’ve got to come together and talk about these things and grow as a community, as a connected group of individuals in our society, and we’re going to continue to show love and unity, and this week we’re going to ask the fans to join in as well and come together and show people that we can be connected and we can grow together.”  The game was broadcast on the NFL Network, and the cameras panned the crowd during the anthem but only managed to capture a few people linking arms. Throughout most of the song, performed by country singer Tyler Farr, the cameras did not show close shots of the crowd. When they did, the crowd at Lambeau Field was mostly seen standing with their hands over their hearts with a few in attendance saluting.

6am – A/B/C Oprah Teases 2020 Presidential Run. (Daily Caller) — Oprah Winfrey might just run for president in 2020. The media mogul said in June that she “will never run for public office,” but she promoted an article Thursday saying she is the Democratic Party’s best hope for the 2020 election. “Thanks for your VOTE of confidence!” Oprah tweeted at conservative writer John Podhoretz with a link to his New York Post article: “Democrats’ best hope for 2020: Oprah.” The piece argued that Winfrey, 63, is effectively the perfect foil to President Donald Trump. “She is the mirror image of Trump, but more so. Of course, she’s female and he’s male; she’s America’s generous aunt and he’s America’s crazy uncle. And yes, she’s black and he’s white, she’s liberal and he’s whatever he is,” Podhoretz wrote. “It goes beyond that. He’s rich and she’s rich, but she made her $3 billion herself and with no controversy. She is, in herself, the embodiment of the American Dream. He got famous from TV, and so did she, but she became vastly more famous and vastly more successful at it.”

6am – D/E     How did marriage become a mark of privilege? (NY Times) – “Women don’t want to take a risk on somebody who’s not going to be able to provide anything,” said Sharon Sassler, a sociologist at Cornell who published “Cohabitation Nation: Gender, Class, and the Remaking of Relationships” with Amanda Jayne Miller last month. As marriage has declined, though, childbearing has not, which means that more children are living in families without two parents and the resources they bring. “The sharpest distinction in American family life is between people with a bachelor’s or not,” said Andrew Cherlin, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins and author of “Labor’s Love Lost: The Rise and Fall of the Working-Class Family in America.”

6am – F         In an interview with The Daily Caller, Peter Bailey, journalist and producer, discussed how CNN was looking for lawlessness in St. Thomas.

7am – A         Interview – LAURA VOZELLA – Washington Post

• Clinton to help raise money for Va. gubernatorial candidate RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is helping raise money for the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s closely watched race for governor. In invitation obtained by The Associated Press says Clinton is the featured guest at a fundraiser for Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam in New York on Oct. 4. Northam is facing Republican Ed Gillespie in one of only two off-year gubernatorial contests in November. The swing state contest is viewed as a possible referendum on President Donald Trump’s first year in office.
• Gillespie quietly rolls out second ‘Kill Rape Control’ attack ad against Northam (Washington Post/ By Fenit Nirappil and Laura Vozzella) — Virginia GOP gubernatorial contender Ed Gillespie has quietly released a second ad tying his Democratic opponent, Ralph Northam, to MS-13 gang violence after Democrats and Latino groups blasted the first commercial as racist and inflammatory. The latest ad, which started airing Tuesday in the Roanoke market, begins with a dark hooded figure in a home holding up a baseball bat as the MS-13 motto “Kill, Rape, Control” flashes on the screen. Then, a narrator warns of violent crime linked to the street gang in Virginia — and accuses Northam of putting Virginia families at risk. “Ralph Northam cast the deciding vote in favor of sanctuary cities that let illegal immigrants who commit crimes back on the street, increasing the threat of MS-13,” the narrator says — a claim that the nonpartisan FactCheck.org calls “misleading.”   

7am – B/C     Interview – JOE CONCHA – Media reporter, The Hill

TOPICS: How Media covered Puerto Rico crisis, Megyn Kelly and the anthem protests

• Daily Caller: The Media Narrative Trump Is Failing Puerto Rico Is Bogus
• CNN’s Cuomo: Trump is telling NFL owners ‘control your dog’
• Megyn Kelly’s NBC morning debut delivers mixed ratings results

7am – D         LIBRARIAN RETURNS BOOKS MELANIA GIFTED TO THEIR SCHOOL. Massachusetts librarian turns down ‘cliche’ books donated by Melania Trump. (NY Daily News) —  A librarian at an award-winning Massachusetts school declined books donated by the first lady, suggesting she instead send them to students who are truly in need. The White House selected a school from every state to receive ten Dr. Seuss books in recognition of “National Read a Book” Day — among them, a Cambridge public school where Liz Phipps Soeiro works as a librarian. In an open letter to Melania Trump on Horn Book’s Family reading blog, Soeiro thanks the first lady for recognizing her school but then explains why her students do not need the donation. “My students have access to a school library with over nine thousand volumes and a librarian with a graduate degree in library science,” she wrote. “Multiple studies show that schools with professionally staffed libraries improve student performance.” Soeiro continues on to point out how libraries across the country are being shuttered while schools in “cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit are suffering through expansion privatization, and school ‘choice’ with no interest in outcomes of children, their families, their teachers and their schools. “Are those kids any less deserving of books simply because of circumstances beyond their control?” She urged Trump instead to send books to “underfunded and underprivileged communities that may continue to be marginalized and maligned by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.” The librarian also criticized the book selection in general, which boasted titles including “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” and “Cat in the Hat.” “You may not be aware of this, but Dr. Seuss is a bit of a cliche, a tired and worn ambassador for children’s literature,” Soeiro said. “As first Lady of the United States, you have an incredible platform with world-class resources at your fingertips.”

7am – E         Price Says He Will Pay Taxpayers Back After Private Jet Controversy. (NBC News) – WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Thursday he will write a personal check to the U.S. Treasury to reimburse taxpayers for thousands of dollars in private flights. “I will take no more private charter flights as Secretary of HHS. No exceptions,” Price said in a statement. “Today, I will write a personal check to the U.S. Treasury for the expenses of my travel on private charter planes. The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for my seat on those planes.” A department spokeswoman told NBC News that Price would pay back a total of $51,887.31. “What the Secretary has done is say that while all of this travel was approved by legal and HHS officials, the Secretary has heard the taxpayers’ concerns and wants to be responsive to them. That’s why he’s taking the unprecedented step of reimbursing the government for his share of the travel,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

8am – A         ANTHEM NEWS:

• Most Packers Fans Seemed To Ignore The Team’s National Anthem Request.    The Green Bay Packers asked fans to link arms during the national anthem at Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Bears to show “unity.” If the footage from the song’s performance is any indication, fans largely ignored that request.   Quarterback Aaron Rogers even made a personal request, saying “we’ve got to come together and talk about these things and grow as a community, as a connected group of individuals in our society, and we’re going to continue to show love and unity, and this week we’re going to ask the fans to join in as well and come together and show people that we can be connected and we can grow together.”
• The Pittsburgh Steelers Will Stand For The National Anthem This Sunday. (Daily Caller) — After receiving some heavy criticism for remaining in the locker room for the national anthem last Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will take the sidelines and stand for it this Sunday. Former Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva was the only member of the Steelers team to stand for the national anthem ahead of their game against the Chicago Bears last week. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said earlier this week that the team will stand going forward, which center Maurkice Pouncey confirmed on Wednesday.
• Denver Broncos Announce They Will No Longer Kneel. (Daily Caller) — The Denver Broncos announced Thursday afternoon that the team will no longer have players kneel during the national anthem. The team released the following statement on Twitter: “Last week, members of our team joined their brothers around the NFL in a powerful display of unity. It was an emotional time for everyone, including the fans who support us each and every week. As controversial as it appeared, we needed to show our collective strength and resolve.
• Bush, Clinton, Obama Stand For National Anthem At Presidents Cup. (Daily Caller) — Former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all stood and put their hands over their hearts during the national anthem at the open of The Presidents Cup golf tournament Thursday. The moment was the first public appearance for the group of former presidents after NFL players ignited controversy by kneeling or locking arms during the anthem. President Trump called on NFL owners to fire players who would not stand for the anthem.
• NFL TICKET SALES ARE DOWN: The National Football League is feeling the impact of the “Trump Effect.” Ticket sales since he called on team owners to fire players who take a knee to protest the National Anthem have cratered.  The online ticket reseller TickPick told Secrets that sales have dropped 17.9 percent, far more than the usual Week Three fall.
• TN TITANS TELLS FANS TO NOT COME TO THE GAMES. (USA Today) — Titans’ Delanie Walker: ‘No one’s telling you to come to the game.’ UPDATE: Titans tight end Delanie Walker said he and his family have received death threats since he made comments defending the team’s decision to skip the national anthem Sunday. Don’t come to the game. That’s the message a couple of the Titans’ star players have for any outraged fans threatening to turn their back on the team, after the Titans and Seahawks remained in the locker room during the national anthem before their game Sunday at Nissan Stadium. They were among three NFL teams, along with the Steelers, that skipped the anthem in response to President Donald Trump’s inflammatory remarks about players who kneel to protest social inequality and police brutality.

8am – B         Trump delays Air Force One to call officer injured in motorcade crash. (Fox News) — President Donald Trump delayed Air Force One’s departure from Indianapolis on Wednesday until after he was able to talk with a motorcycle officer who crashed in the motorcade to the airport. Initial reports said Trump called the officer during the flight back to Washington, but the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police tweeted Thursday that the president delayed the flight. “#BREAKING: Thank you @Potus for delaying wheels up to speak with injured Officer Turner. #ThankYou,” the tweet read. Robert Turner, a police officer from Indianapolis, broke an ankle in the fall on Interstate 70. A photographer captured the officer on the ground with his uniform ripped.  Police released a cellphone video of Turner in the hospital taking the call from the president. He was wearing a neck brace, but laughed and appeared to be in good spirits.

8am – C         Liam Neeson ‘unretired’ from action movies. Speaking to Variety at the red carpet premiere of Neeson’s new film, “Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House,” the actor addressed previous comments about retiring from being an action-thriller star and seemed to do a complete 180. “It’s not true, look at me! You’re talking in the past tense. I’m going to be doing action movies until they bury me in the ground. I’m unretired.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of Special Report, Fox News Channel – discussed Sec. Tom Price and disaster relief in Puerto Rico.

• Price Says He Will Pay Taxpayers Back After Private Jet Controversy. WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Thursday he will write a personal check to the U.S. Treasury to reimburse taxpayers for thousands of dollars in private flights. “I will take no more private charter flights as Secretary of HHS. No exceptions,” Price said in a statement. “Today, I will write a personal check to the U.S. Treasury for the expenses of my travel on private charter planes. The taxpayers won’t pay a dime for my seat on those planes.” A department spokeswoman told NBC News that Price would pay back a total of $51,887.31.
• PUERTO RICO:  Bret Baier‏ @BretBaier 12m12 minutes ago / Bret Baier Retweeted Donald J. Trump: He said the same to us yesterday on @SpecialReport  Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello just stated: “The Administration and the President, every time we’ve spoken, they’ve delivered…… 7:14 AM – 29 Sep 2017

8am – E         Pumpkin spice pizza triggers heated debate about nationwide fall obsession. (ABC News) — Would you eat pumpkin spice pizza? Comedian Jimmy Kimmel slammed the concept of pumpkin spice flavoring on pizza during a taping of his show Tuesday night, saying, “Pumpkin spice is not good on pizza, is nothing sacred?” “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to pick up your phones and call your senators,” he added. “Tell them we will not stand for pumpkin spice pizza.” Slow cooker surprise: Pumpkin spice latte. Kimmel’s crusade against the nationwide autumn obsession with all things pumpkin has triggered a heated debate on social media. Some people can’t seem to get enough of it, while others are saying it has gone too far.   This fall, pumpkin spice has found its way into everything from pet food to deodorant. Villa Italian Kitchen, the restaurant chain serving the pizza that Kimmel blasted on his show, responded to his comments in a Facebook post, saying they “respectfully disagree!”