Susan Ferrechio, Lanny Davis, Larry Michael, Warrior Canine Connection’s Rick Yount and “Weight of Honor” director Stephanie Seldin Howard joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, November 10, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C   ROY MOORE ALLEGATIONS:

• Senate majority leader calls on Roy Moore to exit Senate race if allegation of sexual encounter with teen is true
• Sen. John McCain on Moore allegations: ‘He should immediately step aside’

5am – D         BIDEN 2020?

• Ellen DeGeneres is practically begging former Vice President Joe Biden to make a 2020 White House bid. “Just remember that’s what I would like to see,” DeGeneres told Biden after asking him about the possibility of running. Biden appears as a guest on Monday’s upcoming episode of DeGeneres’s eponymous talk show to promote his new book, “Promise me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose,” a memoir about his late son, Beau Biden. “I — honest-to-God, I haven’t made up my mind,” Biden said in a preview clip from the show, repeating a sentiment he’s expressed in previous interviews. “I’ve done not a single thing to promote that or to organizationally do anything,” Biden continued. “My dad had another expression, he’d say, ‘Joey, don’t compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative.’” “I think the reason I am looking good now is the alternative.”
• Biden: ‘I regret that I am not president,’ but ‘it was the right decision’ for family.  Just over two years ago, then–Vice President Joe Biden announced that he would not run to succeed President Barack Obama in 2016. This week he admitted he regrets that he doesn’t occupy the Oval Office, given the potential he sees in the United States. “I regret that I am not president because I think there is so much opportunity,” Biden told Oprah Winfrey in a clip from an OWN interview aired exclusively by “Good Morning America” on Thursday. “I think America is so incredibly well positioned.” Biden, who served eight years as Obama’s vice president after 36 years in the U.S. Senate, said he did not have second thoughts, however, about the reasons he passed on the race. “I don’t regret the decision I made because it was the right decision for my family,” he said.
• Biden Didn’t Run in 2016 for Fear of Clinton’s ‘Stop at Nothing’ Opposition Research. In his new memoir, former Vice President Joe Biden says he knew he was capable of beating Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, but he decided not to run for fear of a “stop at nothing” campaign by her backers. “My numbers on trustworthiness, honesty, and empathy were as high as they had ever been. And I was strongest where the most formidable candidate, Hillary Clinton, was weakest: the key swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida,” Biden writes in “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.” He says that as the primary race was gearing up, he was still grieving his son Beau’s death. Although Biden does not mention it in his book, his family was also dealing with his other son Hunter’s messy divorce.

5am – E         Trump Bodyguard Keith Schiller Testifies Russian Offered Trump Women, Was Turned Down. (NBC News) — WASHINGTON — After a business meeting before the Miss Universe Pageant in 2013, a Russian participant offered to “send five women” to Donald Trump’s hotel room in Moscow, his longtime bodyguard told Congress this week, according to three sources who were present for the interview. Two of the sources said the bodyguard, Keith Schiller, viewed the offer as a joke, and immediately responded, “We don’t do that type of stuff.”

6am – A/B/C Sean Parker unloads on Facebook “exploiting” human psychology. (Axios) – Napster cofounder Sean Parker appears to have some regrets about the role he played in bringing social media to the world. Before speaking at an Axios event yesterday, he told reporters that he was now “something of a conscientious objector” on social media, according to Axios, and he shared a few thoughts on how he and others designed sites like Facebook to suck people in. “When Facebook was getting going, I had these people who would come up to me and they would say, ‘I’m not on social media.’ And I would say, ‘OK. You know, you will be.’ And then they would say, ‘No, no, no. I value my real-life interactions. I value the moment. I value presence. I value intimacy.’ And I would say, … ‘We’ll get you eventually,” Parker said.  And he added that the initial goals for companies like Facebook, which Parker served as the first president of, were to make sure users spent as much time on their sites as possible. Interactions such as likes and comments served to bring people deeper into the site, about which Parker said, “It’s a social-validation feedback loop … exactly the kind of thing that a hacker like myself would come up with, because you’re exploiting a vulnerability in human psychology.” He said that he, Mark Zuckerberg and others understood this, “And we did it anyway.” Now he wonders if the widespread use of social network sites like Facebook has altered our productivity just as it has our social interactions. “God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains,” he said.

6am – D/E     HILLARY NEWS:

• HILLARY’S LETTER TO HER YOUNG SELF: Teen Vogue Features Hillary Clinton’s Gushy Letter to Her Young Self.  Now Clinton has written a letter to her teen self, and Teen Vogue actually published it. In it, Clinton tells herself, “when you find yourself standing on a stage in Philadelphia on a historic night in July 2016, accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination for president of the United States, give yourself a moment to take it all in. Don’t forget to enjoy the balloons.”
• WASHINGTON POST IMAGINES HILLARY WINNING: What if Hillary had won? A jolly trip down memory lane, alternate-timeline edition. What if Clinton had won? Let’s pretend. (Washington Post) — On Inauguration Day, President Hillary Rodham Clinton took the oath in a headband and a pantsuit. Hey, it was rainy, and what does she care what you think anymore? That night, Lin-Manuel Miranda brought the house down with a freestyle rap at her first inaugural ball, while new White House co-chief strategists/toasts of the town Robby Mook and Donna Brazile set Twitter afire with their exuberant choreographed dance. The following day, dozens descended on the Mall for the “Men’s March.” Three fistfights broke out over who forgot to secure a rally permit. It all coincided with a major shake-up at Fox News. The New York Times had taken advantage of the post-election news lull to ramp up its investigation of Bill O’Reilly, who was forced out by early December. Fox then rebuilt its lineup around its new highest-paid star; Megyn Kelly’s two-hour show, which debuted Jan. 23, fillets the new president every night for a record-breaking viewership. Tagline: “Hey, she’s a woman, so you can’t say it’s sexist.”

6am – F         O.J. Simpson Thrown Out of Vegas Cosmopolitan Hotel for Belligerence (TMZ) — O.J. Simpson was booted from the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas Wednesday night after allegedly getting wasted and then being extremely unruly. Simpson had been frequenting bars at the hotel since his release from prison. Hotel staff tells TMZ … at around midnight last night, Simpson was drunk and became disruptive at the Clique bar. We’re told Simpson was angry at hotel staff and glasses broke at the bar.     Security showed up and removed Simpson from the hotel. We’re told Simpson was nice to responding security guards. Still, we’re told he’s been permanently banned from the Cosmopolitan.

7am – A         CHRISTMAS MUSIC TOO EARLY AFFECTS YOUR MENTAL HEALTH: Clinical psychologist Linda Blair claims the constant barrage of Christmas tunes too early in the season forces people to remember all the things they have to do before the holiday. Blair says the songs are a reminder to buy presents, cater parties, organize travel, and all the more stressful chores during Christmas.

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW – SUSAN FERRECHIO – the chief congressional correspondent for the Washington Examiner

• ROY MOORE: Senate majority leader calls on Roy Moore to exit Senate race if allegation of sexual encounter with teen is true. Sen. John McCain on Moore allegations: ‘He should immediately step aside’

7am – D         INTERVIEW – LANNY DAVIS – former Special counsel to President Clinton, columnist for The Hill newspaper and author of forthcoming book to be published early next year: “The Unmaking of the President 2016: How FBI Director James Comey Cost Hillary Clinton the Presidency”

• Lanny writes in his latest column in The Hill that President Trump’s base is shrinking: “The latest polls show that Trump and his core political advisors who celebrate how well he is doing with his “base” are wrong. His base is shrinking – every week, every month. The big Democratic win Tuesday night by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam, rejecting the Ed Gillespie campaign, which tried to out-Trump Trump in its hateful, fear-mongering, misleading ads, means Trumpism without Trump has been repudiated. The Democratic win was statewide – not only lieutenant governor and attorney general, but also, substantial gains in the state legislature. Donald Trump can lie to himself and everyone else that this wasn’t a personal repudiation of his presidency.  But alternative facts won’t work here. Turn out among Trump base voters was down.”

7am – E         INTERVIEW — LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of the Redskins

• PREVIEW GAME:Sun, Nov 12 – Redskins vs Vikings @ 1:00 PM
• Kirk Cousins, Redskins can pull off upset against Vikings, but it won’t be easy. The Washington Redskins shouldn’t be alive. They should be finished already after an unfair fight against the Seahawks. But somehow, they’re alive — only just barely — and breathing. We thought they were sunk, but they’re floating on and on. On Sunday, the Redskins went to Seattle down nearly an entire offensive line and managed to return home with a come-from-behind 17-14 win, which means they’re not out of the playoff picture just yet at 4-4. Did the Redskins get lucky? Absolutely, considering Seahawks kicker Blair Walsh missed three field goals. But Washington also deserves credit for the win. Unfortunately, it won’t get much easier. That’s because on Sunday, the Redskins will host the 6-2 Vikings, who are coming off their bye week with a four-game winning streak. Just like the Seahawks, the Vikings’ defense will also present problems for the shorthanded Redskins.

8am – A         RAND PAUL UPDATE:

• Rene Boucher, the neighbor accused of attacking Sen. Rand Paul and breaking six of his ribs, pleads not guilty
• Rand Paul’s office calls ‘violent’ attack a ‘blindside,’ knocks down reports of yard dispute
• Suspect in Rand Paul assault pleads not guilty. Washington (CNN)The man who allegedly assaulted GOP Sen. Rand Paul outside his Kentucky residence pleaded not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor assault in the fourth degree at his arraignment in Bowling Green. Rene Boucher allegedly tackled Paul, breaking six of his ribs and sustaining bruised lungs. There was no change to the charges and no change in bond. Doug Stafford, a senior adviser to Paul, told CNN Thursday that Boucher attacked the senator without any prior conversation. “Last week, Sen. Paul was vigorously assaulted by someone in his neighborhood. This is a serious criminal matter involving serious injury, and is being handled by local and federal authorities,” Stafford told CNN in a statement. “As to reports of a longstanding dispute with the attacker, the Pauls have had no conversations with him in many years.” He continued: “The first ‘conversation’ with the attacker came after Sen. Paul’s ribs were broken. This was not a ‘fight,’ it was a blindside, violent attack by a disturbed person. Anyone claiming otherwise is simply uninformed or seeking media attention.” Boucher’s attorney, however, told CNN that Paul has hired a personal injury attorney to file a claim for damages against his client When pressed for a motive, attorney Matt Baker told CNN that “we should believe” Jim Skaggs, the developer and neighbor who sold both men their homes. While he did not witness the incident, Skaggs has said Boucher and Paul have been quibbling over lawn maintenance for years. “It was absolutely and unequivocally not about politics, not about right versus left and not about Democrat versus Republican,” Baker said. Baker added that Boucher has been interviewed by US Capitol Police, who he said were interested in whether the incident was politically motivated. Baker said Boucher cooperated fully and reiterated that Boucher’s liberal beliefs have nothing to do with the alleged assault. “It’s a personal dispute between two neighbors,” Baker said He added: “If (Boucher) had to do it over again, I can assure you that it might have been handled much more diplomatically.” Paul tweeted Wednesday night, “I appreciate all of the support from everyone. A medical update: final report indicates six broken ribs & new X-ray shows a pleural effusion.”

8am – B/C       INTERVIEW – Warrior Canine Connection Executive Director Rick Yount

• Program that pairs service dogs with veterans booted from Fort Belvoir and Walter Reed. GERMANTOWN, Md. — The Warrior Canine Connection, a program that uses an army of volunteer puppy raisers, dog trainers and veterans to prepare service dogs for wounded veterans and their families, has been partnering with military facilities in the D.C. region since 2009. But suddenly — and without explanation — that came to a stop, says Warrior Canine Connection Executive Director Rick Yount. He said his trainers and puppy raisers at Fort Belvoir and at two locations on the campus of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, were told on Oct. 27 to vacate their offices that afternoon. “At 2 o’clock in the afternoon, I received a phone call saying there was a stop work order. There was no explanation whatsoever as to why that was the decision,” Yount said. Asked if there had been an issue with the program, problems with staff or an incident at either of the military sites, Yount said he hasn’t heard anything. “We’re trying to get answers. Why would — all of the sudden — a program be halted that was serving patients?” Yount asked. If a dog had bitten someone or if there had been an incident, he said he could understand why there would be concerns about the program or even an interruption in the activities that his staffers and volunteers provide. “We’ve heard absolutely nothing,” he said. WTOP has contacted Fort Belvoir and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Warrior Canine Connection had two offices at the Bethesda campus, one at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence and one at Building 11. Public affairs officials at both facilities have been contacted. Jimmie Cummings at Fort Belvoir said he was trying to track down information on the contract, which Yount said was not set to expire until 2019.       

8am – D          INTERVIEW – STEPHANIE SELDIN HOWARD – Director / Producer, Weight of Honor

• The Weight of Honor is a documentary about the caregivers for our wounded vets. Filmed over five years, The Weight of Honor follows the lives of the caregivers of veterans who have been catastrophically wounded in America’s longest war. Their lives are transformed overnight to 24/7 caregivers tasked with caring for their war-wounded. The film reveals the family dynamic, their relationships before the wounds of war, and now, the uncertainties that lie ahead. https://theweightofhonormovie.com/
• Film screening of the Alexandria Film Festival: Core Issue Productions is an official selection for the Alexandria Film Festival and will be screening The Weight Of Honor as one of two films showing during the “Salute to Service Members #2” showcase.  The Weight of Honor Screening At Alexandria Film Festival /  What: Salute to Service Members #2 Showcase / When: Showcase runs from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, November 12, 201 /  Where: AMC Hoffman Town Theatre 22

8am – E VETERANS DAY NEWS / MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY / 10 November

The United States Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on 10 November with a traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony. On that day in 1775, the Continental Marines were established.

• Here’s What Former SEAL Ryan Zinke Is Drinking On Veterans Day. (Daily Caller) – Former Navy SEAL and current Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is cracking open a “Legacy Lager” from Dog Tag Brewing Foundation on Veterans Day, Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift confirmed to The Daily Caller News Foundation. Zinke keeps a mini-fridge in his office stocked with the brewery’s beer, and he will be enjoying one, maybe more, Friday to honor those who have served and are still serving the United States military. The Dog Tag Brewing Foundation was founded in late 2015 by former marine Seth Jordan. Jordan started the nonprofit to raise money for charities selected by Gold Star families, relatives of U.S. military servicemen who died in battle. “The premise for Dog Tag was to create a beer that was designed to toast fallen warriors, raise awareness for who they were in their lives, and make their families proud,” Jordan told TheDCNF. Dog Tag donates 100 percent of its profits in the form of grants to charities picked by Gold Star families.