Mornings on the Mall

Monday, November 25, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Trevor Matich, Joe diGenova, David Martosko, Mark Morgan, and Adam Tuss joined WMAL on Monday!

5am – A/B/C ARE AMERICANS TURNING ON DEMS OVER IMPEACHMENT?

• VANITY FAIR: “IT IS HARD TO READ THIS AS ANYTHING BUT A WARNING”: NEW POLLING SUGGESTS DEMOCRATS’ IMPEACHMENT PUSH COULD ALIENATE KEY VOTERS:  A late October Gallup poll put Independents in favor of removing Trump from office at 53% to 44%, and a Morning Consult poll in early November revealed an even greater gap, 49% to 34%, in favor of removal. […]     Alas, for the Democrats, the promising numbers of late October and early November rapidly dissipated, and polling numbers have reverted to a level more consistent with long-term opinions on President Trump. In the latest Politico/Morning Consult poll, released on November 19, Independents opposed impeachment and removal from office 46% to 39%, a number close to the rolling averages of the last few weeks. It is notable that the poll was fielded after the first public impeachment hearings. […]   The data, along with supplementary interviews, illustrates an electorate that believes the impeachment inquiry is connected to the priorities of politicians and the media—not of ordinary voters—and an electorate confused and dispirited by the nonstop parade of Washington scandals.  Three important factors are driving the views of Independents. The first is that, in their view, impeachment distracts from issues they care about. Twenty-seven percent of Independents described impeachment as a top priority, and another 10% agreed that it is a priority, just not a top one. In the abstract, 37% saying that an issue is a priority doesn’t sound too bad, but among the 11 issues that Politico and Morning Consult tested, impeachment ranked last, well below the deficit at 74%, health care at 72%, and infrastructure at 70%. Even Trump’s absurd border wall scored as a higher priority for Independents. Fundamentally, most Independents want Congress to focus on the issues that impact their lives. They have not been convinced that curtailing the bad acts of Donald Trump would have any tangible effect.    The second factor is the view among Independents that impeachment reflects the agenda of the political establishment and the media. Regardless of what they think about Trump’s behavior, Independents see impeachment as a continuation of the partisan bickering and media excess that began even before his inauguration. By massive margins, Independents say that the impeachment issue is “more important to politicians than it is to me” (62% to 22%) and “more important to the media than it is to me” (61% to 23%). It is hard to read this as anything but a warning to the Democratic leadership and candidates: Stop talking about issues that matter to you, not to me. Impeachment proceedings are viewed as bread and circuses for the anti-Trump crowd in Washington and the media—or, as Stanford political science professor Morris Fiorina described it to me, “entertainment and confirmation.” That’s a dangerous perception as Democrats approach one of the most consequential and fraught elections of our times.
• WAPO: Trump’s GOP support hardens despite damning impeachment testimony.   So far, the historic proceedings have exacerbated the political divide. Some moderate Republican lawmakers once seen as the most likely to break with Trump condemned his conduct but signaled in recent days that they would probably vote against his impeachment because they do not believe the president’s actions meet that threshold. […]  Trump said Friday that he was looking forward to an impeachment trial and expressed confidence he would prevail. “There has never been so much unity and spirit in the Republican Party, as there is right now!” the president tweeted.  Anecdotal evidence backs up his declaration. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), a former FBI agent who represents a swing district in the Philadelphia suburbs and was considered a possible defector, told reporters Friday that although Trump’s behavior was troubling and represented poor judgment, Congress in his estimation had not yet gathered enough evidence to warrant impeachment.   Another would-be impeachment fence-sitter, Rep. Will Hurd (R-Tex.), a former CIA officer who is retiring from Congress next year, made clear where he stood.    “An impeachable offense should be compelling, overwhelming, clear and unambiguous,” Hurd said last Thursday. “And it’s not something to be rushed or taken lightly. I’ve not heard evidence proving the president committed bribery or extortion.”
• WaPo’s Bade: Some Dems Getting “Cold Feet” As Worries Grow On Public Opposition To Impeachment (VIDEO)
• EVEN ADAM SCHIFF Isn’t Ready To Say He Supports Impeachment…  “I want to discuss this with my constituents and my colleagues before I make a final judgment on it. But there are a couple of important things we need to think about and one is are we prepared to say that soliciting foreign interference, conditioning official acts like $400 of taxpayer money and White House meetings to get political favors is compatible with the office?” Schiff asked. “Because if we do, it is basically carte blanche for this president and anyone who comes after him. But are we also prepared to say that Congress will tolerate the complete stonewalling of an impeachment inquiry or our oversight because if we do it means that the impeachment clause is a completely nullity and, more than that, our oversight ability is really an ability in name only.”  Tapper pressed Schiff on the issue, reminding the congressman he previously said what Trump has done “is far more serious than what Nixon did.”  “Explain how you have not come to the conclusion that the president should be impeached,” Tapper said. “It sounds like you think he should be impeached.”

5am – D         NAVY SEAL Eddie Gallagher – Navy Secretary’s Resignation:

• Navy secretary forced out by Pentagon chief over handling of Navy SEAL’s war crimes case.  Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper asked for the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer on Sunday after losing confidence in him over his handling of the case of a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes in Iraq, the Pentagon said.  Spencer’s ouster was another dramatic turn in the story of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL who was accused of committing war crimes during a 2017 deployment. Gallagher was acquitted of murder but convicted in July of posing with the corpse of an Islamic State prisoner.  President Trump weighed in on the decision on Twitter, accusing the Navy of mishandling the Gallagher case and mentioning cost overruns in unspecified contracts. “Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer’s services have been terminated by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper,” Trump wrote. “I thank Richard for his service & commitment.”  Rather than criticizing how the Navy pursued the case, however, Esper said that Spencer privately proposed to White House officials that he would ensure that Gallagher retired as a Navy SEAL, with his Trident insignia, if they did not interfere with a review board convened to determine his fitness to stay in the elite force.  Spencer’s proposal to the White House — which he did not share with Esper during several conversations about the matter — contradicted his own public position on the case, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement.    Esper said in the statement that he was “deeply troubled by this conduct.”
• TRUMP: I was not pleased with the way that Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher’s trial was handled by the Navy. He was treated very badly but, despite this, was completely exonerated on all major charges. I then restored Eddie’s rank. Likewise, large cost overruns from past administration’s….. ….contracting procedures were not addressed to my satisfaction. Therefore, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer’s services have been terminated by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. I thank Richard for his service & commitment. Eddie will retire peacefully with all of the….. ….honors that he has earned, including his Trident Pin. Admiral and now Ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated by me to be the new Secretary of the Navy. A man of great achievement and success, I know Ken will do an outstanding job!
• ‘Ego and retaliation’: SEAL Eddie Gallagher blasts Navy secretary for ‘meddling’ in his case. Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher claimed he is being retaliated against by military officials after President Trump stepped in to restore his rank and accused Navy Secretary Richard Spencer of “meddling” in his war crimes case. Speaking with Fox & Friends on Sunday, Gallagher slammed Navy Rear Adm. Collin Green’s attempt to take his SEAL Trident insignia away after he was convicted of taking a photo with the dead body of an ISIS fighter he was accused of killing. “This is all about ego and retaliation. This has nothing to do with good order and discipline,” he said. “They could have taken my trident at any time they wanted. Now they’re trying to take it after the president restored my rank and after we just filed an IG [complaint] exposing all of the corruption that’s been going on during my case, starting with ‘crying’ Craig Miller all the way up to Admiral Green.” He continued, “Just recently, we’ve come up with more evidence that we’ll be exposing next week that the secretary of the Navy was actually meddling in my case and trying to get organizations not to support me while I was incarcerated.”

5am – E         Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized.     WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Friday night after experiencing chills and fever earlier in the day, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said on Saturday. Justice Ginsburg was initially evaluated at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington before being transferred to Johns Hopkins for further evaluation and treatment of any possible infection, the spokeswoman, Kathleen Arberg, said in a statement.  Justice Ginsburg’s symptoms abated after treatment with intravenous antibiotics and fluids, Ms. Arberg said, adding the justice expected to be released from the hospital as early as Sunday morning.  Justice Ginsburg, 86, has had a series of health scares lately, including surgery for lung cancer and radiation treatment for pancreatic cancer in the last year. Over the years, Justice Ginsburg has also had surgery for early-stage pancreatic cancer in 2009 and treatment for colon cancer in 1999.

6am – A         Warren Confronted by School Choice Activist Over Sending Son to Private School. (Washington Free Beacon) — The Democratic presidential candidate elided the inconvenient fact that her son attended a tony private school. Confronted by a school-choice activist Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) denied sending one of her children to a private school, though her presidential campaign later told the Free Beacon that her son, Alex Warren, did in fact attend private school. Sarah Carpenter, a pro-school choice activist who organized a protest of Warren’s Thursday speech in Atlanta, told Warren that she had read news reports indicating the candidate had sent her kids to private school. Though Warren once favored school choice and was an advocate for charter schools, she changed her views while seeking the Democratic presidential nomination. “We are going to have the same choice that you had for your kids because I read that your children went to private schools,” Carpenter told Warren when the two met, according to video posted to social media, which was first identified by Corey DeAngelis, director of school choice at Reason Foundation. Warren denied the claim, telling Carpenter, “My children went to public schools.” A school yearbook obtained by the Washington Free Beacon indicates, however, that Warren’s son, Alex Warren, attended the Kirby Hall School for at least the 1986-1987 school year, Warren’s final year as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. The college preparatory school is known for its “academically advanced curriculum” and offers small class sizes for students in grades K-12. The yearbook indicates that Alex Warren attended as a fifth grader. “Elizabeth’s daughter went to public school. Her son went to public school until 5th grade,” Warren communications director Kristen Orthman told the Washington Free Beacon. “Elizabeth wants every kid to get a great education regardless of where they live, which is why her plan makes a historic investment in our public schools. Every public school should be a great school. Her plan does not affect funding for existing non-profit charter schools, but she believes we should not put public dollars behind a further expansion of charters until they are subject to the same accountability requirements as public schools.”

6am – B/C     Hong Kong elections seen as win for pro-democracy candidates after massive turnout. (Fox News) – Anti-government protestors prevailed on Sunday after polls closed in Hong Kong and pro-democracy candidates clinched nearly half of the seats on the ballot. So far, pro-democracy candidates have won 269 out of 452 seats in 18 district council races, while pro-Beijing forces, who previously held 73 percent of the seats, have only won 30. Voters came out in droves — with a 71 percent turnout — up from 47 percent four years ago in the same elections, according to the Electoral Affairs Commission. “This is political annihilation for Beijing and it’s going to have consequences that are going to reverberate not just in Hong Kong itself, but perhaps in China as well,” Asia analyst and foreign affairs journalist Gordon Chang said on Fox News’ “America’s News HQ” Sunday. The history-making victory for pro-democracy candidates in the elections marked a win in what has largely been seen as a referendum on the protest movement and China’s response to it. Months of violent protests ravaged the city as demonstrators smashed storefronts of pro-nationalist businesses, lit toll booths on fire, shut down a major tunnel and engaged in battles with police, countering tear gas and water cannons with torrents of gasoline bombs, which resulted in more than 5,000 arrests.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH – WMAL’s Redskins Analyst

• TREVOR’S BIO: He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. He injured his ankle in his first game as a rookie and missed the rest of the season.  After four seasons with the Patriots, he went on to play for the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins. In all, he played in the NFL for 12 seasons, mainly as a long snapper. While playing for the Indianapolis Colts (1992–1993), he was nicknamed the “Hardest Working Man in Pro Football” due to his constant practicing and warming up on the sidelines.
• Redskins’ 19-16 win over Lions features a comeback, a selfie and maybe even some hope. Detroit Lions’ season goes from bad to worse after losing to Washington.
• ‘Unprofessional’ Dwayne Haskins misses final Redskins play for selfie.  Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins missed the final play of his first career win Sunday because he was too busy taking “selfie” photos with fans. “How do miss the last snap of a game because ur taking selfies,” tweeted Redskins legend Joe Theismann, who before the season gave Haskins his blessing to wear his former No. 7. “That’s unprofessional & wrong.” askins was 13 of 29 for 156 yards (no touchdowns and one interception) in the Redskins’ home victory over the Lions before missing the kneel-down thanks to his poorly timed photo op. Backup Case Keenum came into the game with Haskins out of the picture. “I was so hype, I broke a water bottle,” Haskins told reporters. “I look up and we’re in victory. I thought the game was over with already, but I’ll get it next time.” Interim head coach Bill Callahan said the team was looking for Haskins to take the snap.

6am – E         Maryland Sanctuary Counties to Free Accused Illegal Alien Child Rapists, Murderers, Child Abusers. (Breitbart News) —  Maryland sanctuary counties are expected to release into the United States six illegal aliens accused of child rape, assault, murder, and child abuse, federal immigration officials say. The sanctuary counties of Prince George County, Maryland, and Montgomery County, Maryland, may soon release six illegal aliens who are accused of a number of violent crimes against children and American citizens, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Jaycob Kidlat, an illegal alien, has been charged with five counts of sexual abuse of a minor, rape of a child under the age of 14-years-old, and third-degree sexual offense. ICE placed a detainer on him in June and it is unclear when he will be released, and if he will be freed rather than turned over to federal agents. Likewise, illegal alien Alpha Ibrahimbah Mansaray has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and reckless driving, as well as a series of drug crime charges. Mansaray was arrested in September and ICE has a detainer on him. Illegal alien Luis Miguel Cabrera was arrested in September 2018 in one of the two sanctuary counties on charges of child abuse resulting in the death of the child, child sex abuse, and rape of a child under the age of 14. ICE has placed a detainer on him. Illegal aliens Jaun Rivas-Montano and Manuel Carballos-Morales were both arrested this year on charges such as child sex abuse, child abuse, child molestation, and second-degree child abuse. Both have ICE detainers, but their release dates by the sanctuary counties are unknown. Illegal alien Mouhamadou Yatassaye was arrested by Montgomery County officials in April and charged with first-degree assault. He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, though ICE is unaware of when and if he will be released before trial. “The county leadership has chosen misguided politics over public safety,” Baltimore, Maryland, ICE official Francisco Madrigal said in a statement. “The individuals we have lodged detainers against have been arrested in the community and will likely be released directly back into that community under these dangerous policies.” “We aren’t asking Montgomery County or Prince George’s County to conduct immigration enforcement, we’re asking them to honor a lawful request to transfer these individuals into our custody where they can avail themselves of due process in the immigration court system,” Madrigal said.

6am – F         In Less Than A Year, 3/4 Of The ‘Squad’ Is Under Financial Investigation. (Daily Caller) — The three most prolific members of the “squad” of freshman representatives are the subjects of multiple Federal Election Commission complaints and ethics probes. The congresswomen have been accused of violating campaign finance laws for their personal or political benefit. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have promised to bring about a more equitable and just world. The three most prolific members of the so-called “squad” of freshman Democratic congresswoman face allegations of violating campaign finance laws and House ethics rules for their personal or political benefit 10 months into their terms. Below are the Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaints and House ethics inquiries that have been filed against Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan since they took Washington, D.C., by storm in January with the promise of bringing about a more equitable and just world.

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – shared his thoughts on last week’s impeachment inquiry hearings, upcoming IG report and on the Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher-Navy Secretary resignation situation.

 

7am – D         INTERVIEW – David Martosko – U.S. Political Editor, DailyMail.com

• Reuters reporter Amanda Becker @AmandaBecker: Wowsers. Bloomberg News will not be investigating Bloomberg or any Democrat in the primary and senior members of the editorial board are joining his campaign
• Daily Mail’s David Martosko @dmartosko How do you wrap your mind around this? I can’t.  Editorial board members joining the boss’s campaign? A pledge to not investigate him? A parallel pledge to not investigate any other Democrats?  Is that newsgathering or a campaign contribution? What’s the in-kind value of this?
• BLOOMBERG ENTERS RACE: With former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg now running for U.S. president, the news service that bears his name said Sunday it will abstain from investigating him, or any of his Democratic rivals. Also, Bloomberg Opinion will no longer run unsigned editorials. Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait announced the new rules in a note to his news organization’s 2,700 journalists and analysts Sunday, shortly after Bloomberg announced his candidacy.
• A Note From Bloomberg Opinion: By Editorial Board November 24, 2019, 11:16 AM EST Mike Bloomberg, our owner and publisher, is running for president. This is uncharted terrain for an opinion section attached to a wider news organization. Here is how Bloomberg Opinion plans to approach the campaign: We will have no contact with the candidate or his campaign about what we’ve written or might write. We have also decided that it is wisest to suspend publication of our unsigned editorials so long as Mike is a candidate. Members of the editorial board will write and edit in other capacities within Bloomberg Opinion. Because our columnists have always spoken for themselves, they will continue as before — though columnists will still refrain from endorsing candidates, a policy we have had in place since we started in 2011. Finally, we will not publish op-ed articles that relate to or are affiliated with any candidate or any presidential campaign, including Mike’s.
• Bloomberg News Pledges Not To Investigate Democratic Presidential Candidates. The top editor says the company also won’t investigate its owner’s Democratic rivals.    Bloomberg News won’t conduct investigative reporting on any of the Democratic presidential candidates, the outlet’s editor-in-chief announced Sunday.  The announcement followed Michael Bloomberg’s official campaign launch Sunday. “We will continue our tradition of not investigating Mike (and his family and his foundation) and we will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries,” editor-in-chief John Micklethwait wrote in a note to staffers.     “If other credible journalistic institutions publish investigative work on Mike or the other Democratic candidates, we will either publish those articles in full, or summarize them for our readers — and we will not hide them.”

7am – E         PRINCE ANDREW / EPSTEIN NEWS:

• Prince Andrew tossed from Buckingham Palace. Duke of York’s bad week includes loss of royal duties and sponsors. Prince Andrew’s relationship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has cost him sponsors, his royal duties and is now costing him his digs at Buckingham Palace. (Fox Business)
• Queen cancels Prince Andrew’s birthday party over Epstein interview fallout. Queen Elizabeth II pulled the plug on Prince Andrew’s birthday bash as his connection to Jeffrey Epstein continues to embarrass the royal family. The prince was set to have a birthday bash at Buckingham Palace to celebrate his 60th birthday in February, but his mother has canceled the celebration in the wake of his controversial interview with BBC, according to The Times.
• FBI wants to grill Prince Andrew on ties to Epstein: report

8am – A         INTERVIEW – MARK MORGAN – Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – discussed what’s happening on the southwest border.  They’re making big progress on the wall (86 total miles), seeing huge seizure numbers of hard narcotics and there’s still an ongoing humanitarian and national security crisis down on the border.

• Border Update:
  • Nationwide, CBP’s enforcement actions in Fiscal Year 2019 totaled 1,148,024. That’s a 68% increase over FY 2018 – driven mainly by activity at the Southwest Border.
  •  Even with that number, we have proof that nearly 150,000 people “got away” from us, because too many of our agents were pulled off the line to cope with the humanitarian crisis.
  •  At the height of this crisis in May, up to 60% of our agents were pulled away from law enforcement operations to provide care for the unprecedented numbers of family units and unaccompanied children.
  •  Alien smuggling networks are exploiting, abusing, and profiting from the desperation of these vulnerable individuals and families.
  •  The transnational criminal organizations stand to make $2.5 billion from their criminal enterprise this year alone.
• Oct Stats / CBP Totals:
  
  • CBP total enforcement actions declined 14% in October compared to September – totaling 45,250 (35,444 apprehensions and 9,806 inadmissible aliens).This decline includes a 19% decline in inadmissible aliens at ports of entry and a 12% decline in USBP apprehensions.
  •  October total enforcement actions has been higher than September for the last 7 years.
  •  FY20 total CBP Southwest Border Enforcement Actions in October are 45,250 and are 26% lower than last fiscal year.
  •  CBP Total UAC Enforcement Actions are 3,237 (88% of which are USBP apprehensions), a 9% decline from September levels.
• Border Wall
  •  We’ve already built over 86 miles of new wall and we expect the pace of building to continue to grow as these new projects come on line.
  •  This critical capability helps USBP stop the people trying to evade us—often times carrying drugs to the interior of the U.S.
  •  In fact, we’ve started building in RGV, which is by far our busiest sector on the SWB where last year we seized 11lbs of deadly Fentanyl—enough to kill over 2 million people.

8am – B/C     Rick Perry: Donald Trump is ‘the Chosen One’ Sent by God to Lead Us. Outgoing Secretary of Energy Rick Perry revealed in an interview over the weekend that he believes President Donald Trump is “the chosen one” who was “sent by God” to lead us. The former Governor of Texas recently sat down with Fox News, portions of the interview aired this weekend on Fox & Friends.  “God’s used imperfect people all through history,” Perry said, naming several Biblical figures. “King David wasn’t perfect, Saul wasn’t perfect, Solomon wasn’t perfect.” Perry added that he gave Trump “a little one-pager on those Old Testament kings” about a month ago. “I shared it with him and said, ‘Mr. President, I know there are people that say you said you were the chosen one and I said, ‘You were,’” Perry noted. “I said, ‘If you’re a believing Christian, you understand God’s plan for the people who rule and judge over us on this planet in our government.’”

8am – D         INTERVIEW – Adam Tuss — Transportation Reporter for NBC Washington – discussed the latest about 395 Express Lanes and upcoming Thanksgiving Travel.

• New toll lanes opened up in Northern Virginia on Monday, marking a major change for drivers who regularly use Interstate 395.  The 395 Express Lanes are three lanes in the middle of I-395, stretching from near Edsall Road in Fairfax County to the 14th Street Bridge in the District. They replaced lanes that used to be HOV lanes. All drivers using the 395 Express Lanes are required to have an E-ZPass of some kind. Those who use the lanes without an E-ZPass will get a bill in the mail. Vehicles with at least three people in them can ride free with an E-ZPass Flex, but all others must pay to use the lanes.
• Adam Tuss @AdamTuss Nov 20: Sheesh Tysons to 395/95 on the Express Lanes nearly $30 one way tonight! @nbcwashington #dctraffic
• Adam Tuss ‏@AdamTuss: THANKSGIVING TRAVEL: Traffic tracking company @INRIX says the worst time to be on the road here in the DC region for T-Day is next Wednesday between 3:00 and 5:00. But we all know it’ll be bad for much longer than that 😉@nbcwashington #thanksgiving #travel #dctraffic

8am – E         Will Ferrell says Christopher Walken is annoyed by ‘SNL’ cowbell sketch. (Fox News) –  Christopher Walken would really prefer less cowbell. The 76-year-old cult film icon apparently feels scarred from a popular “Saturday Night Live” skit he was part of during the 25th season of the late-night NBC show in 2000. In it, the guest host played Blue Oyster Cult producer Bruce Dickinson, who instructs fictional band member Gene Frenkle — portrayed by then-cast member Will Ferrell — to use “more cowbell” on the group’s landmark hit “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” The skit also featured Chris Kattan, Chris Parnell, Horatio Sanz and Jimmy Fallon (who has a hard time keeping himself from laughing throughout the sketch). “Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell!” Walken implores before the group records the track during the nearly six-minute-long skit. Ferrell, 52, who returns to host the show for the fifth time this Saturday, shared Walken’s feelings Thursday during a visit to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” He said he visited Walken backstage at a theater performance many years after the sketch aired and the actor told him, “You know, you’ve ruined my life.”