Rep. Tom Davis, Trevor Matich, Gov. John Sununu and Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday.

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, September 30, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C   Clinton: “If Not Paying Taxes Makes Him Smart, What Does That Make The Rest Of Us?” At an event Thursday in Des Moines, Hillary Clinton called out Donald Trump for his quip at Monday night’s debate suggesting that avoiding paying taxes “makes me smart.” At the debate, Clinton said that Trump is not releasing his tax returns because he doesn’t pay federal income taxes. “That makes me smart,” Trump offered.

5am – D         Britney Spears Hated Her 20s: Was On Suicide Watch, Battled Depression. Britney Spears hated her turbulent 20s and is much happier now, in her 30s, after overcoming drug addiction, manic depression and alcohol abuse. Spears, who suffered a series of public emotional breakdowns in her twenties, was forcibly hospitalized and placed on suicide watch in 2008, Celebrity Health Fitness reported. After seeking treatment through therapy, exercise, and medication, Britney is now healthier and happier than ever. “I like my 30s way more than my 20s,” Spears told ITV. “My 20s were horrible. “[Being] in my teens was fun, but I like the 30s. The thirties are great. You know who you really are.”

5am – E         Redskins News:

• Supreme Court Takes Up Case That Could Affect Redskins Trademark. The Supreme Court has decided to hear a case that might decide whether the government can deny Washington’s NFL team a trademark because it has deemed the team name is offensive. The court granted certiorari on Lee V. Tam. If you remember, The Slants, an Asian-American rock band, sued the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because it refused to trademark their name saying it proved offensive. In December of last year, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided that the band’s name was private speech and therefore protected by the First Amendment.
• Even without Robert Griffin III’s return, Redskins-Browns is plenty big. (CSN) – From the day the 2016 NFL schedule was released, Oct. 2 was a date all Redskins fans circled. And highlighted. And bolded. Because Oct. 2 marked a date with the Cleveland Browns, a game that was supposed to feature the return of Robert Griffin III. A familiar sight for Washington watchers, however — an injury to RG3, which he suffered in Week 1 against the Eagles — has prevented that storyline from coming true. Instead, the Browns will start Cody Kessler under center, meaning Kirk Cousins won’t get a chance to square off with his fellow 2012 draftee, meaning this Sunday doesn’t mean nearly as much as it would’ve if a healthy No. 10 was heading back to FedEx Field.
• Redskins-Browns: (Washington Post) — The Washington Redskins return Sunday to FedEx Field, where they will try to get their second win of the season and their first victory at home.

6am – A/B/C Should Arlington County regulate Airbnb rentals? WASHINGTON — The Arlington County Board is taking initial steps that could eventually lead to some rules for residents running Airbnb rentals out of their homes. Nearly 1,000 properties in Arlington County are currently listed on Airbnb, and the Arlington County Board has assigned the county manager the task of developing a proposed zoning ordinance amendment and community outreach plan to address the issue. County Manager Mark Schwartz says the calls they are getting aren’t just complaints. “’What’s going on with my neighbor? There seems to be a lot of traffic coming in and out. We think that person is running an Airbnb and it’s really causing some problems in the neighborhood.’ And then we have another set of questions from people who are saying ‘I run an Airbnb and I want to come out from under the shadows and I want to do it legally and I want to get it done right,’” Schwartz tells WTOP. The Arlington County Board will consider a Request to Advertise for public hearings on the proposed zoning ordinance amendment at its Oct. 15 meeting. It also plans to reach out to the community for input from advisory groups, commissions, businesses and residents.

6am – D/E     ‘Star Trek’ cast and crew unite against Trump. (Washington Examiner) — The cast and crew of various “Star Trek” television series and movies are boldly going where many have gone before: the Never Trump nebula. The Facebook page “Trek Against Trump” released a post featuring the names of many who worked on “Star Trek,” from the original TV series to last summer’s “Star Trek: Beyond” film uniting against the Republican nominee. Notable names to sign the treaty include director J.J. Abrams, Justin Lin, Bryan Fuller, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Wil Wheaton, George Takei and Kate Mulgrew. “Never has there been a presidential candidate who stands in such complete opposition to the ideals of the ‘Star Trek’ universe as Donald Trump,” the post said. “His election would take this country backward, perhaps disastrously.”

7am – A   INTERVIEW: TOM DAVIS – former VA congressman and former co-chair of the Fairfax County Meals Tax Task Force. He was the former chairman of the Board of Supervisors during the 1992 meals-tax battle

• Davis supported the meals-tax in 1992 but now has changed his mind on the tax.
• Should Fairfax County add a 4 percent tax on restaurant meals? Residents will get the opportunity this week to weigh in. Discussions on the proposed tax will be held Wednesday in Alexandria and Thursday in Falls Church. The meals tax referendum is up for a vote on Nov. 8. Voters will decide whether the county’s board of supervisors should levy a meals tax of no more than 4 percent on prepared food at restaurants. The tax also would apply to drinks served with meals and ready-to-eat food at grocery stores, among other locations. The tax would give the county a new source of revenue, which would decrease dependence on real estate taxes, the county says on its website. It would generate an estimated $99 million per year, the county says.

7am – B         Voting News:

• Cascade mall shooter isn’t a U.S. citizen, but voted in 3 election cycles. The Cascade Mall shooting suspect, Arcan Cetin, may face an additional investigation related to his voting record and citizenship status.
• Student admits to voter fraud in Harrisonburg, investigation ongoing. Authorities say a James Madison University student confessed that he acted on his own for nonpolitical personal reasons when he filed voter registration applications in the names of dead people, not on behalf of the voter registration organization he worked for.

• CBS4 Investigation Finds Dead Voters Casting Ballots In Colorado. Dozens Found On Voting Rolls Long After Deaths. DENVER (CBS4) – A CBS4 investigation has found multiple cases of dead men and women voting in Colorado months and in some cases years after their deaths, a revelation that calls into question safeguards designed to prevent such occurrences.
• Absentee voting in Va. receives massive response. FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. – Voting is already underway in the race for the white house – there are 39 days before election day, but absentee votes are being cast, and Fairfax county officials say they are having a massive response. Election officials were expecting this was going to be a busy election, but they frankly weren’t quite expecting the massive turn out they have had.  Election Day is November 8, but some voters in Virginia – either because they’ll be busy that day, or they simply want to avoid the lines – are turning out to cast absentee ballots right now, either in person or by mail. County election officials say that as of Wednesday morning nearly 1,000 people had cast in-person absentee votes.
• DC Accidentally Tells Nearly 6k Voters They’re Not Registered; Lists Birth Dates as 1800. Just weeks away from the presidential election, thousands of D.C. residents who have voted for decades have received a surprising note in the mail telling them they are not registered. Pat and Peggy Fleming have lived in northwest D.C. for 45 years. A postcard from the D.C. Board of Elections recently arrived to their doorstep that reads: “We hear you’re new in town… REGISTER TO VOTE!” “I’ve been registered to vote here and I’ve voted in every election during that time. So, clearly this is not right,” Pat Fleming said. The card goes on to say that Peggy is not registered to vote and lists her birth date as Dec. 31, 1800. Another longtime resident and voter, Mike Feinsilber, said his wife received the same card. When News4 asked him about the 1800 birth date, Feinsilber joked, “Yes, she’s getting on in years.” But it was no joke to D.C. council member David Grosso, who was frustrated that about 5,700 voters got the mistaken postcard, including one voter he knows. “She has voted…in every election since 1968. It’s a point of pride for her,” Grosso said. “The crazy thing about these cards is it says, ‘Welcome to the District of Columbia.’ I mean, she completely freaked out.”
• Maryland moves forward with online voting despite warnings from cyber-experts. Cybersecurity experts are warning that Maryland’s online absentee-ballot system is dangerously vulnerable to tampering and privacy invasions, both growing concerns in a year when hackers have breached the Democratic National Committee and attempted to access boards of elections in at least two states. The system allows voters who request an absentee ballot to receive the form by email and send back a printed hard copy, with their votes marked by hand or with a new online tool that allows users to mark the document with the click of a mouse or the touch of a keyboard, then print it for mail delivery. Until this year, in large part because of security concerns, the latter option was available only to people with disabilities. Critics say it is easy for impostors to use stolen credentials to request absentee ballots or for cyberthieves to hack in and retrieve data about who is requesting ballots or details of votes that were cast online. All registered voters in Maryland are allowed to request an absentee ballot, regardless of whether they will be away from their polling station on Election Day.

7am – C         No reason to fear Friday’s “black moon” (CBS News) — On Friday a relatively rare lunar event will take place – a shadowy phenomenon known as the “black moon.” Yes, it sounds apocalyptic, but a “black moon” is nothing bad. And while it will rise above the Western Hemisphere, there won’t really be anything to see.  What is it? A “black moon” is simply a spooky nickname for the second new moon to fall in a calendar month. A “black moon” occurs about once every 32 months. While a full moon happens when the moon’s Earth-facing side is fully illuminated by the sun, a new moon is when the side we see is fully covered in shadow. As a result, the new moon is basically invisible to Earthlings looking up at the sky, Space.com explains.  This “black moon” officially occurs at 8:11 p.m. ET on Sept. 30, 2016. 

7am – D/E     EXCLUSIVE: Jeb Bush suggests voting for Gary Johnson at luncheon (NY Daily News) — WASHINGTON — Maybe Jeb Bush can help him find Aleppo. The former Florida governor repeatedly suggested voting for Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson at a private luncheon on Wednesday, those present tell the Daily News, seemingly going further than his previous comments that he’d consider voting for Johnson. Bush joked about “President Johnson” during a lunch focused on education reform that was hosted by the Manhattan Institute, and in a private conversation before his speech strongly recommended another person present should vote for the gaffe-prone Libertarian nominee. “There was an old man talking to Jeb across the table and said, ‘I can’t bring myself to vote for Hillary and Trump,’ and Jeb looked at him and mouthed the word ‘Johnson,’ silently,” one person within earshot of the two told the Daily News. The person also said the former GOP presidential candidate joked about Johnson becoming president during his speech, comments the Daily News verified by obtaining audio of Bush’s remarks.  “If I did get a call several weeks after the election, what would I tell President Johnson — I mean, President whoever,” Bush said to laughs during the speech.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — TREVOR MATICH — Redskins elite long snapper, WMAL’s Redskins analyst and Comcast SportsNet co-host

• PREVIEW: REDSKINS vs BROWNS / Sunday, October 2, 1:00 PM on CBS / FedExField, Landover, Maryland
• Even without Robert Griffin III’s return, Redskins-Browns is plenty big. (CSN) – From the day the 2016 NFL schedule was released, Oct. 2 was a date all Redskins fans circled. And highlighted. And bolded. Because Oct. 2 marked a date with the Cleveland Browns, a game that was supposed to feature the return of Robert Griffin III. A familiar sight for Washington watchers, however — an injury to RG3, which he suffered in Week 1 against the Eagles — has prevented that storyline from coming true. Instead, the Browns will start Cody Kessler under center, meaning Kirk Cousins won’t get a chance to square off with his fellow 2012 draftee, meaning this Sunday doesn’t mean nearly as much as it would’ve if a healthy No. 10 was heading back to FedEx Field.
• Redskins-Browns: (Washington Post) — The Washington Redskins return Sunday to FedEx Field, where they will try to get their second win of the season and their first victory at home.

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – GOVERNOR JOHN SUNUNU – 75th Governor of New Hampshire and former Chief of Staff for President George H. W. Bush and author of The Quiet Man. And NOW TRUMP SUPPORTER

• Former New Hampshire Gov. Sununu endorses Trump. Former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu endorsed Donald Trump on Tuesday, hours after the Republican presidential nominee faced off against Hillary Clinton at their first presidential debate. In a statement released by Trump’s campaign, Sununu hailed the real estate mogul as the only candidate “who can bring bold change to Washington” and called for Americans to coalesce around his campaign. “Donald Trump is the only candidate in this race who can bring bold change to Washington D.C.,” he said. “I support the Trump-Pence ticket for their pro-growth agenda and commitment to protecting American interests. Republicans, Independents and smart Democrats need to come together to elect Donald Trump and Mike Pence.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW — BRET BAIER – Anchor of Special Report, weekdays at 6 pm AND Special Report on Sundays at 8 PM

• Is Trump losing the post-debate spin war?
• This week on Special Report, Bret revealed the cover of his new book: “Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission” coming out in January
• Heckling at the Ryder Cup? Bret retweeted this: ‏@BigSportGB : Justin Rose misses a putt. American heckler bets him he can make it. Rose puts up $100. Guy drains it! #RyderCup
• His SUNDAY SHOW is at 8 PM and he will be covering the VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE next week.

8am – E         AGs file suit in last-ditch bid to stop hand-off of internet control. (Fox News) — Republican attorneys general are making a last-ditch bid to block the Obama administration from ceding U.S. oversight of the internet’s domain name system, filing suit in federal court ahead of an imminent deadline for the hand-off.  The AGs from Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma and Nevada asked a judge late Wednesday to step in and stop the transition to an international oversight body, after GOP lawmakers failed to stall the move as part of a short-term spending bill.  “Trusting authoritarian regimes to ensure the continued freedom of the internet is lunacy,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “The president does not have the authority to simply give away America’s pioneering role in ensuring that the internet remains a place where free expression can flourish.” Paxton was among the four Republican AGs who filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, Galveston Division.  The U.S. government has been in charge of domain names for more than three decades, thanks to a Commerce Department agency’s oversight of an obscure, but powerful, Los Angeles-based nonprofit called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).