Ryan Sawyers, Jayme Metzger, Gwen Carlyle and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C   Prince William County School Board chairman’s tweet:

 Ryan Sawyers‏ @RyanSawyersVA: Ryan Sawyers Retweeted NBC News

“Attention PWCS students and staff. Your are not required to stand for the national anthem or pledge. There will be no action taken against you for choosing to not stand or participate.  Our President is a bonafide idiot but you are safe in PWCS.”

NBC News @NBCNews: President Trump has called on NFL Oakland Raiders to suspend player Marshawn Lynch “for remainder of season” if he refuses to stand for the National Anthem 8:51 AM – 20 Nov 2017

5am –D          NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS:

• FRANKEN: Woman Accuses Al Franken Of Inappropriate Touching In 2010. A woman has accused Sen. Al Franken of inappropriately touching her in 2010 as she was taking a photo with him at the Minnesota State Fair. Lindsay Menz told CNN that she wanted to share an “uncomfortable” interaction that left her feeling “gross.” Menz reached out to the network after California radio news anchor Leeann Tweeden said Thursday that Franken forcibly kissed and groped her in 2006, when Franken was a comedian. Menz told CNN she was at the Minnesota State Fair with her husband and father in 2010, two years after Franken was elected to the Senate, and posed for a photo with him.  As her husband held up her phone to take the photo she said Franken “pulled me in really close, like awkward close, and as my husband took the picture, he put his hand full-fledged on my rear,” Menz told CNN. “It was wrapped tightly around my butt cheek.”“It wasn’t around my waist. It wasn’t around my hip or side. It was definitely on my butt,” she said, adding the incident lasted three or four seconds. Franken told CNN in a statement that he did not remember taking the photo with Menz and that he felt “badly” that she felt disrespected. “I take thousands of photos at the state fair surrounded by hundreds of people, and I certainly don’t remember taking this picture,” Franken told the network. “I feel badly that Ms. Menz came away from our interaction feeling disrespected.”
• GLENN THRUSH: Star New York Times reporter suspended for alleged sexual misconduct.A star political reporter at the New York Times has been suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct involving younger, female journalists. n a statement, a spokesperson for the Times called the allegations against Glenn Thrush, one of the newspaper’s top reporters covering the Trump administration, “very concerning and not in keeping with the standards and values of The New York Times.”   “We intend to fully investigate and while we do, Glenn will be suspended,” the spokesperson said. “We support his decision to enter a substance abuse program. In the meantime, we will not be commenting further.” A story published Monday by the policy and politics website Vox.com said that Thrush, 50, has “a history of bad judgment around young women journalists.” The story included allegations from three women, as well as the article’s author Laura McGann, who together accused Thrush of “a range of similar experiences” that included unwanted groping and kissing and “hazy sexual encounters that played out under the influence of alcohol.”
• CONYERS: Report: Conyers settled wrongful dismissal complaint over ‘sexual advances’ Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), the longest-serving current House member, reportedly settled a wrongful dismissal complaint in 2015 after a former employee accused him of firing her for resisting his “sexual advances.” Four former staffers signed affidavits, three of which were notarized, saying that Conyers, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, repeatedly made engaged in unwanted sexual behavior with his female staff, BuzzFeed News reported Monday night.  Documents examined by BuzzFeed described a wide-range of inappropriate conduct, including making requests for sexual favors, caressing and touching, as well as having his staff contact and transport women they believed were sexually involved with him. Four unnamed sources who were involved with the case confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the documents are authentic. Two women wrote in their affidavits that they believed Conyers used office resources to pay for the travels of women with whom he was having affairs. Another staffer described the task of driving women to and from the lawmaker’s apartment and hotel rooms. The woman who claimed wrongful dismissal claims that Conyers would ask her to work with him in private rooms where he would allegedly start describing sexual fantasies to her, including encouraging her to “touch” his penis.
• CHARLIE ROSE: CBS has suspended Charlie Rose and PBS says it is immediately halting distribution of his show following sexual misconduct allegations. Charlie Rose is the latest public figure to be felled by sexual misconduct allegations, with PBS halting distribution of his nightly interview show and CBS News suspending him Monday following a Washington Post report with the accusations of eight women. The women, who all worked for Rose or tried to work for him, accused the veteran newsman of groping them, walking naked in front of them and telling one that he dreamed about her swimming nude. Rose, 75, said in a statement that he was “deeply embarrassed” and apologized for his behavior. “PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations,” the public broadcasting service said in a statement. “We are immediately suspending distribution of ‘Charlie Rose.'”
• MORE: Rose apologizes for ‘inappropriate behavior.’ “I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that.”
• Eight women say Charlie Rose sexually harassed them — with nudity, groping and lewd calls. Eight women have told The Washington Post that longtime television host Charlie Rose made unwanted sexual advances toward them, including lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas. The women were employees or aspired to work for Rose at the “Charlie Rose” show from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011. They ranged in age from 21 to 37 at the time of the alleged encounters. Rose, 75, whose show airs on PBS and Bloomberg TV, also co-hosts “CBS This Morning” and is a contributing correspondent for “60 Minutes.”

6am – A/B/C GUNS AND TURKEY: Would you be bothered if a Thanksgiving guest asked if you had guns in the house and demanded you have them locked up? As a parent, would you want to know if the host had guns? Is it a house guest’s business if you have guns, how many and how they are stored?

• Gun Control Activist: Ask Your Thanksgiving Host If They Have Guns. (Daily Caller)  Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, used the trending hashtag #ThanksgivingWeek to call on parents to inquire about guns in homes where their child may be visiting this year. “It’s #ThanksgivingWeek: Have you asked the friends and family your kids are visiting if there are guns in their homes and how they store them?” Watts tweeted on Monday. Watts has been an activist in fighting the National Rifle Association, pushing for gun control legislation and has encouraged businesses to adopt gun-free policies. She is also the board chair for Rise to Run, an organization focused on encouraging progressive young women to run for office. Her organization also posted a tweet with a photo of a sample text message conversation. “This #ThanksgivingWeek, help ensure the safety of children by asking about the presence of unsecured firearms in others’ homes. It could mean the difference between life and death. #BeSMART,” Moms Demand Action tweeted. One of the sample texts read, “Good morning! We are so excited about coming to Thanksgiving at your house this year. Just need to ask before the kids come over — if you have guns in the home, will they be locked up while we are there?”

6am – D         INTERVIEW — RYAN SAWYERS — Chairman, Prince William County School Board and  Candidate for Congress #VA01

• Prince William County School Board chairman’s tweet:  Ryan Sawyers‏ @RyanSawyersVA Attention PWCS students and staff. Your are not required to stand for the national anthem or pledge. There will be no action taken against you for choosing to not stand or participate.  Our President is a bonafide idiot but you are safe in PWCS.

6am – E         Lerner, Paz say they fear physical harm from enraged public, want IRS testimony sealed permanently. (The Washington Times) — Former IRS executive Lois G. Lerner told a federal court last week that members of her family, including “young children,” face death threats and a real risk of physical harm if her explanation of the tea party targeting scandal becomes public. Ms. Lerner and Holly Paz, her deputy at the IRS, filed documents in court Thursday saying tapes and transcripts of depositions they gave in a court case this year must remain sealed in perpetuity, or else they could spur an enraged public to retaliate. “Whenever Mss. Lerner and Paz have been in the media spotlight, they have faced death threats and harassment,” attorneys for the two women argued. Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz gave taped depositions in a class-action lawsuit brought by tea party groups demanding answers and compensation for having been subjected to illegal targeting for their political beliefs. The government settled the class-action lawsuit in Ohio and another tea party challenge in the District of Columbia in two agreements last month, admitting to the illegal behavior. The Ohio settlement also called for the government to pay $3.5 million to the tea party groups, according to one of the plaintiffs. Ms. Lerner came in for particular criticism, with the government admitting she not only didn’t stop the targeting — contradicting the Obama administration’s claims — but also hid it from her superiors in Washington. During the course of the Ohio case, the tea party groups filed thousands of pages of documents, but testimony from Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz was left out of the public record because of their earlier request for privacy. Now Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz say that since the case has been settled, there is no reason for their testimony to ever become public.

6am – F         VA ELECTION:

• Demi Lovato’s plus-one at the AMAs was openly transgender lawmaker Danica Roem: (E! Online) — Demi Lovato is a warrior, so it’s no surprise that the singer hit the 2017 American Music Awards red carpet at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles with a fellow trailblazer, history making transgender lawmaker Danica Roem, who was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates earlier this month. Lovato, who is performing “Sorry Not Sorry” at the award show, told E! News’ Jason Kennedy that she connected with Roem, who takes office on Jan. 10, after she was inspired by her headline-making election. The “Confident” singer said, “We connected because I heard her story. She is actually the first out and seated transgender state legislator in American history and when I heard that I was just completely inspired by it.” The performer explained, “My story with ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ is about bullying and I wanted to have her in the audience with me tonight because I feel like we have been through some of the same things and now we get to share this experience together.”
• 2 VA HOUSE RACES STILL NOT CERTIFIED: Virginia’s State Board of Elections formally certified Ralph Northam’s election as governor on Monday morning, but declined to certify results in two House of Delegates races. Control of the state House may hinge on the outcome of the 28th district, where Republican Bob Thomas leads Democrat Joshua Cole by 82 votes. Department of Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortes said that his staff had identified 83 voters from the 28th District who were wrongly listed and that there could be more.

7am – A         NORTH KOREA:

• President Donald Trump announces he’s designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.  (CNN)President Donald Trump, in the latest demonstration of increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula, placed North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Trump announced the move Monday during a public meeting with his Cabinet at the White House and said the Treasury Department will announce new sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday. “Today the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. Should have happened a long time ago. Should have happened years ago,” Trump said. North Korea was removed from the list by President George W. Bush in 2008.
• Trump Hurt Kim Jong Un’s Feelings, And North Korea Won’t Stop Freaking Out
• North Korea: The US will regret “letting such a depraved and stupid guy occupy the Oval Office”

7am – B         LaVar Ball seems confused by his Donald Trump feud. LaVar Ball responds to Trump.  (CNN) LaVar Ball denies being in a feud with President Donald Trump, but repeatedly refused to issue a “thanks” to the President for his involvement in the release of his son from China. “Why would I be in war with a guy … the most powerful man in the world?” Ball said Monday night when asked about his back-and-forth with the President by CNN’s Chris Cuomo. “Did he help the boys get out? I don’t know. … If I was going to thank somebody I’d probably thank President Xi (Jinping),” LaVar Ball said. His comment came a day after Trump tweeted that he “should have left them in jail,” referring to Ball’s son and two other UCLA basketball players who were arrested on suspicion of stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store while their team was in China. “Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal,” Trump tweeted. “I should have left them in jail!” Last week, Trump questioned on Twitter whether he would receive any thanks for his role in the players’ release. “Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!” Trump wrote on Twitter. And although the players themselves expressed gratitude to the President at a news conference, LaVar Ball minimized Trump’s involvement in the matter. “Who?” he told ESPN when asked about Trump’s role in the situation days after their release. “What was he over there for? Don’t tell me nothing. Everybody wants to make it seem like he helped me out.” In an interview with CNN Monday, LaVar Ball defended his son’s actions and talked around thanking the President. “It wasn’t like he was in the US and said, ‘OK, there’s three kids in China. I need to go over and get them.’ That wasn’t the thought process,” he told Cuomo.

7am – C         Fox News host Jeanine Pirro ticketed for speeding at 119 mph. (The Hill) —  Fox News host Jeanine Pirro was ticketed for excessive speeding Sunday afternoon in upstate New York after state police clocked her driving 119 mph, nearly double the speed limit.  A State Police spokesman said Pirro was in a 65-mph zone when she was pulled over by a state trooper in Nichols, N.Y., for driving 54 mph above the speed limit.  “I had been driving for hours to visit my ailing 89-year-old mom and didn’t realize how fast I was driving,” Pirro, a former judge, said in a statement provided by Fox News. “I believe in the rule of law, and I will pay the consequences.” A state police spokesman said Pirro was only charged with speeding. It is not known what kind of car Pirro, 66, was driving.  The Department of Motor Vehicles in New York says anyone convicted of going more than 40 mph above the speed limit could receive up to 11 points added to their driver’s license.

Amassing 11 points on a license may result in driving privileges being suspended.   “The Driver Violation Point System gives the New York State DMV a way to identify and take action against high risk drivers,” reads the passage on New York DMV website. “The DMV assigns points for certain traffic violations. If you get 11 points in an 18-month period, your driver license may be suspended.” Pirro served as a Westchester County district attorney for 12 years after serving for three years as a county judge.  The registered Republican once ran against Andrew Cuomo for state District Attorney in 2006 but lost. Cuomo went on to become New York governor in 2011.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – JAYME METZGAR – Senior Contributor, The Federalist

• How The Civil War Gave Us Today’s Thanksgiving, And What It Can Teach Us

7am – E         HISTORIAN PARIS HILTON: Paris Hilton is convinced that she is the one who invented the selfie with a little help from Britney Spears.  “11 years ago today, Me & Britney invented the selfie!” she wrote on Twitter with two pictures of the pair posing for a casual shot.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — GWEN CARLYLE – Butterball Turkey expert

• What are some of the top Turkey help questions?  What are some of the top weirdest questions? Butterball has “experts” available by phone or online to help with people’s needs. For over thirty years, the ‘turkey experts’ at Butterball have been helping people all over the country with their turkey-related questions. If you find yourself with a turkey question that you can’t answer, feel free to call them at 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372).

8am – B/C     NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS:

• FRANKEN: Woman Accuses Al Franken Of Inappropriate Touching In 2010.
• GLENN THRUSH: Star New York Times reporter suspended for alleged sexual misconduct.
• CONYERS: Report: Conyers settled wrongful dismissal complaint over ‘sexual advances’
• CHARLIE ROSE: CBS has suspended Charlie Rose and PBS says it is immediately halting distribution of his show following sexual misconduct allegations.
• MORE: Rose apologizes for ‘inappropriate behavior.’ “I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that.”
• Eight women say Charlie Rose sexually harassed them — with nudity,

8am – D         INTERVIEW —  LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm and author of “JFK and the Reagan Revolution: A Secret History of American Prosperity” @larry_kudlow

• Taxes, ATT and what is Larry thankful for?
• The Justice Department is suing AT&T to block its $85 billion bid for Time Warner
• Trump promises Americans ‘huge tax cut’ for Christmas.

8am – E         WHITE HOUSE NEWS:

• First Lady Melania Trump, along with her son Barron Trump, receives White House Christmas tree. First lady Melania Trump, joined by her son Barron, welcomed this year’s White House Christmas tree on Monday, kicking off the holiday season in Washington, D.C. The tree, presented by the Chapman family of Wisconsin, will be decorated and displayed in the Blue Room of the White House. This isn’t the Chapman family’s first time being bestowed such an honor. The Chapman’s provided trees to the White House in 1998 and 2003. This year, the Chapmans won a national tree contest hosted by the National Christmas Tree Association, whose members have presented the official White House Christmas Tree for display in the Blue Room since 1966. The association hosts a national tree contest every year, and growers, industry experts and consumers vote to choose the Real Christmas Tree grower who will provide the official White House Christmas Tree. Growers must first win their local competitions in order to qualify for the national contest. The tree was presented in a traditional horse-drawn carriage ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday as the Trump family departs for Florida on Tuesday evening to celebrate at their Mar-a-Lago estate.
• Here’s the early proposal for Anthony Scaramucci’s book, which is now dead in the water. (Business Insider) — Anthony Scaramucci shopped a book about his time in the White House. He doesn’t plan on publishing anything because he doesn’t want to write a tell-all. President Donald Trump’s short-lived communications director Anthony Scaramucci didn’t have much luck shopping his book with major publishers. In the months after getting ousted from the White House, Scaramucci sought a publisher to put out a book, which at one point was titled “I Did It My Way,” about his 10 days as Trump’s communications director. A proposal for the book that was circulated to several major publishers earlier this summer and shared with Business Insider promised a “tell-all” to dish on his bizarre ouster from the White House as well as his “countless other interactions involving Sean Spicer, General McMaster, Sarah Huckabee and even the Vice President.” The news leaked last week to Page Six, which said Scaramucci was attempting to sell a book on his time in the White House with the help of Trident Media Group. But in a text message to Business Insider on Monday, Scaramucci struck a different tone. He said he was no longer interested in publishing a book, saying he was not willing to write the kind of tell-all that would create buzz but damage his standing with the president and the White House.