Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Jon Schweppe, Ed Meese, The Hill’s Joe Concha, Fairfax County School Board member Elizabeth Schultz and Washington Post’s Scott Allen joined WMAL on Monday!

5am – A/B/C RONAN FARROW’S NEW BOOK HAS DAMNING ALLEGATIONS ABOUT NBC AND MATT LAUER:

• Former Lauer colleagues Guthrie, Kotb address rape allegation: ‘Disturbed to our core’ (The Hill) – NBC’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb early Wednesday addressed a new rape allegation against former colleague Matt Lauer, with the current “Today” hosts telling viewers they are “disturbed to our core.” “I feel like we owe it to our viewers to pause for a moment,” an emotional Guthrie said Wednesday morning. “This is shocking and appalling. I honestly don’t even know what to say about it. I want to say I know it wasn’t easy for our colleague Brooke to come forward then, it’s not easy now and we support her and any women who have come forward with claims. And it’s just very painful for all of us at NBC and who are at the ‘Today’ show. It’s very, very, very difficult.” Kotb, who replaced Lauer in 2018 after his firing by the network, added: “These are not allegations of an affair, there are allegations of a crime, and I think that’s shocking to all of us here who have sat with Matt for many many years.” In a new book, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Farrow details allegations that Lauer raped NBC staffer Brooke Nevins in Sochi, Russia, during the network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics in 2014. Variety first reported the accusations contained in “Catch and Kill,” which will be released on Tuesday.

5am – D Defense Intelligence Agency worker arrested on charges of leaking top-secret information to reporters. (CNBC) – An employee of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested on federal charges that he leaked classified information, including details of a foreign country’s weapons systems, to two reporters in 2018 and this year. The worker, Henry Kyle Frese, 30, held top-secret clearance at the DIA. The Justice Department said that it appears that Frese and one of the reporters “were involved in a romantic relationship for some or all of that period of time” in which Frese allegedly leaked the information. A counterterrorism analyst for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that he leaked top secret and other classified information — including details of a foreign country’s weapons systems — to two reporters in 2018 and this year. The worker, Henry Kyle Frese, 30, held top-secret clearance at the DIA, where he began as a contractor in January 2017, and eventually became a full-time employee. One of the journalists who allegedly received secret information from Frese had apparently been involved in a romantic relationship with him, authorities said. That reporter ended up writing at least eight articles based on at least five compromised intelligence reports leaked by Frese, according to a criminal indictment. Frese retweeted a link to the first article that reporter wrote based on information he had allegedly leaked to her, the indictment says.

5am – E MS-13, 18th Street Gang members involved in fight inside high school in Hyattsville: Police. (Fox5DC) — HYATTSVILLE, Md. – There will be extra security at a Prince George’s County high school Thursday after a fight between rival gang members inside the school. Police say the fight happened at Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, putting two students in the hospital and three students under arrest. According to Hyattsville Police, an MS-13 gang member who is 16 years old tried to stab a 19-year-old student who’s part of the 18th Street gang. The fight happened in a stairwell around 10 a.m. Police say the 19-year-old student was cut in the chest and the 16-year-old cut his own hand with his knife. Both were hospitalized and released. Police say the 16-year-old and two other students, ages 14 and 15, were arrested. A letter from the principal and a robocall that went out to parents did not mention gang activity and describes what happened as an “altercation” between several students.

6am – A Biden Drops The Caveats, Says Trump ‘Should Be Impeached’ For Violating His Oath Of Office

• TRUMP: So pathetic to see Sleepy Joe Biden, who with his son, Hunter, and to the detriment of the American Taxpayer, has ripped off at least two countries for millions of dollars, calling for my impeachment – and I did nothing wrong. Joe’s Failing Campaign gave him no other choice!

6am – B/C CA OUTAGE: PG&E begins 2nd wave of California planned power outages to head off wildfire risk. (Fox News) – The largest utility company in California began its second wave of planned power outages to head off wildfire danger from downed power lines Wednesday evening, according to a report. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. delayed the outages planned for noon Wednesday in parts of Northern California until after 7 p.m. Around 234,000 customers were expected to lose power in the second wave, Saramento’s KCRA-TV reported. PG&E said it turned the power back on for some of the 513,000 customers in 22 counties who were left in the dark around midnight Wednesday for the company’s first wave of outages due to a “widespread, severe wind event.” Around 44,000 customers in the northeast Sierra Foothills had the power turned back on Wednesday afternoon, KCRA reported. The second waves of outages include Calaveras, Tuolumne, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties, which are all east of San Francisco. Other counties expected to lose power in the second wave include Alameda, Alpine, Contra Costa, Mariposa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Mendocino County, KCRA reported. PG&E has set up about 30 community centers offering air conditioning, restrooms, bottled water, and electronic charging stations during daylight hours.PG&E made the decision to turn off customers’ power because forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather, which up the risk of a rapidly spreading wildfire. The company said the weather event is expected to last through midday Thursday.

6am – D INTERVIEW – JON SCHWEPPE is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for American Principles Project

• Video: Jon Schweppe ‏ @JonSchweppe Just had our “Free Hong Kong” sign confiscated at Capitol One Arena at the Wizards game against the Guangzhou Long Lions. #FreeHongKong #NBA #Censorship
• Wizards game against Chinese team draws Hong Kong supporters. (USA Today) – WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards’ Capital One Arena sits in the heart of the city’s Chinatown, which served as a unique backdrop to the chasm between the NBA and China over Houston Rockers general manager Daryl Morey’s pro-Hong Kong tweet, which infuriated China. On Wednesday, the Wizards played the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Loong Lions in a preseason game. Jon Schweppe, who was wearing a pro-Hong Kong shirt, confirmed this account. A few other fans had “Free Hong Kong” signs, and Schweppe, wearing one of those t-shirts, held a sign that read “Google Uyghurs,” a reference to Muslims who are under mass internment in China. Those signs were removed by arena staffers because Capital One Arena has a policy that says signs, banners and posters “may not be commercial or political in nature.” Lions players were not made available to reporters after the game. But those in support of Hong Kong were able to make their point.

6am – E CBS News has learned the full contents of what appears to be a memo written by the whistleblower one day after President Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in July. The memo, dated July 26, is based on a conversation the whistleblower had with an unnamed White House official who listened to the call.

6am – F Nationals eliminate Dodgers 7-3 on Kendrick’s grand slam in 10th inning. (Fox News) – LOS ANGELES — Howie Kendrick hit a tiebreaking grand slam off Joe Kelly in the 10th inning, and the Washington Nationals overcame a three-run deficit with a late rally to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 Wednesday night and advance to the NL Championship Series against St. Louis. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw blew a 3-1 lead by allowing homers to Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto on consecutive pitches in the eighth. The wild-card Nationals open the NLCS at St. Louis on Friday night. The seven-time defending NL West champion Dodgers, who led the NL with 106 wins, remain without a World Series title since 1988. Adam Eaton walked against Kelly leading off the 10th, Rendon doubled on a drive that lodged in the left field wall and Soto was intentionally walked. Kendrick fouled off a pitch, then hit a 97 mph fastball over the wall in center for his second career slam. The other one was a game-ending, 11th-inning drive against San Francisco in August 2017. Center fielder Cody Bellinger chased the ball all the way to the wall, putting his arms up against the fence as he ran out of room. Washington overcame a 19-31 start, finished 93-69, then rallied from a 3-0, eighth-inning deficit to beat Milwaukee 4-3 in the NL wild-card game.

7am – A INTERVIEW – ED MEESE — Former 75th U.S. Attorney General of the United States (1985–1988) in the President Reagan administration and currently The Heritage Foundation’s Ronald Reagan distinguished fellow emeritus. Mr. Meese discussed receiving the Medal of Freedom from President Trump and his thoughts as a former attorney general on the impeachment push by the Dems.

• Ed Meese Awarded Medal of Freedom. President Donald J. Trump awarded former Attorney General Edwin “Ed” Meese III the United States Medal of Freedom on Tuesday, the nation’s highest civilian honor. Meese served under President Ronald Reagan and has since been active in fighting for conservative principles in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the American people. “This prestigious award is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, which may be awarded by the President to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” the White House said in a statement. Edwin Meese III has long been a thought leader and strong conservative voice on matters of law and policy. As Counselor to President Ronald Reagan, Mr. Meese helped to craft a foreign policy strong enough to end the Cold War and played a pivotal role in securing historic tax cuts,” the statement continued.

7am – D INTERVIEW – JOE CONCHA – Media reporter, The Hill – discussed the latest news about the media coverage of the impeachment push, reporters sleeping with sources and Ronan Farrow’s scoops on NBC & Matt Lauer.

• Whistleblower Linked to 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate, ABC and CBS Spike. On Tuesday, the Washington Examiner’s Byron York broke the news that the whistleblower that sparked the Trump-Ukraine impeachment push had a “significant tie to one of the Democratic presidential candidates.” Total broadcast news coverage of this stunning revelation: A meager 38 seconds on Wednesday’s edition of NBC’s Today show. So far ABC and CBS have spiked the story, even with President Donald Trump tweeting about it on Tuesday evening: “Wow, Just Breaking: “The (big deal) Whistleblower had a ‘PROFESSIONAL TIE’ to 2020 Democratic Candidate.” Washington Examiner, @ByronYork In other words, was working with someone who was potentially running against me. Why wasn’t this reported by the ICIG? A Witch Hunt Scam!”
• CNN’s Avlon Crudely Dismisses Benghazi Hearings as Not ‘Serious’ Like Impeachment. On Wednesday morning, CNN senior political analyst John Avlon: The problem is it is the Constitution at stake. This is not a Benghazi type hearing, this is really serious stuff. “
• CHUCK TODD gets hysterical at Sen. Ron Johnson: you’re pushing a FOX NEWS CONSPIRACY… SENATOR, PLEASE!!
• Former Lauer colleagues Guthrie, Kotb address rape allegation: ‘Disturbed to our core’ (The Hill) – NBC’s Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb early Wednesday addressed a new rape allegation against former colleague Matt Lauer, with the current “Today” hosts telling viewers they are “disturbed to our core.” “I feel like we owe it to our viewers to pause for a moment,” an emotional Guthrie said Wednesday morning. “This is shocking and appalling. I honestly don’t even know what to say about it. I want to say I know it wasn’t easy for our colleague Brooke to come forward then, it’s not easy now and we support her and any women who have come forward with claims. And it’s just very painful for all of us at NBC and who are at the ‘Today’ show. It’s very, very, very difficult.” Kotb, who replaced Lauer in 2018 after his firing by the network, added: “These are not allegations of an affair, there are allegations of a crime, and I think that’s shocking to all of us here who have sat with Matt for many many years.”
• REPORTERS SLEEPING WITH THEIR SOURCES: Defense Intelligence Agency Employee Arrested In Leak Case. Henry Kyle Frese, a 30-year-old Defense Intelligence Agency employee, faces two counts of willful transmission of national defense information. A counterterrorism analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency was arrested as he arrived at work on Wednesday morning and is facing two federal charges for leaking classified information to two journalists, including one with whom he had a romantic relationship.

7am – E Crowd cheers as Andrew Yang makes surprise appearance at hip hop concert. Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang made an appearance at a rap concert in New York on Monday, in the latest attempt to dispel criticism that he has been perpetuating Asian stereotypes and feeding into the “model minority” myth, NBC News reports. The Venture for America founder reportedly appeared at the concert of Rich Brian — an Indonesian-born rapper who’s part of the Asian-centric label 88Rising. Wearing his signature “MATH” (Make America Think Harder) hat, Yang shouted at the crowd “It feels like there’s a f—— Yang Gang here tonight.”

8am – A INTERVIEW – ELIZABETH SCHULTZ – Fairfax County School Board Member – discussed the importance of the upcoming school board election, the impact of One Fairfax and also talked about parents suing Fairfax schools.

• SCHULTZ ON FACEBOOK: 363 bus routes…boundaries, school names & priorities: this election is about issues versus agendas.
• Parents sue Fairfax schools, allege improper seclusion and restraint of students with disabilities
• SCHULTZ ON FACEBOOK: Minority and Students with Disabilities Achievement – Our Board has the ability to dedicate its time to making student academic achievement its priority – in what we seek from staff in terms of accountability, how the budget aligns to getting money into the classroom and how teachers are supported by, for example, effective teacher-led professional development centered on the needs of students in individual classrooms.

8am – B/C HONG KONG / CHINA TALKS:

• U.S. and Chinese negotiators to meet Thursday amid rising hopes for a partial trade deal that would mark the first step back from a worsening dispute, but would leave the thorniest issues for future talks continuing deep into a presidential election year.
• Wall Street will be watching developments in Washington where U.S. and China trade talks resume in an effort to make progress after five months of negotiation. Higher tariffs are a concern as investors and business leaders worry about a trade war with no viable solution that could send buyer confidence to a new low. President Trump and Chinese President Xi will be in Chile next month for a summit of world leaders, something negotiators hope could be a factor in finding common ground.
• Sixers Fan Claims He Was Ejected From Team’s Exhibition Vs. China’s Guangzhou For Supporting Hong Kong
• Wizards game against Chinese team draws Hong Kong supporters

8am – D INTERVIEW – SCOTT ALLEN – Sports reporter, The Washington Post

• SCOTT ALLEN story: Howie Kendrick’s grand slam sent euphoria from Dodger Stadium all the way to Nats Park.
• The Mystics have one game for the WNBA title and a simple plan to win it: Be themselves. Washington plays for the franchise’s first title on Thursday at Entertainment and Sports Arena.

8am – E Sanders says he ‘misspoke’ about scaling back rallies after heart attack, vows ‘vigorous’ 2020 campaign: “I misspoke the other day. I said a word I should not have said and media drives me a little bit nuts to make a big deal about it,” Sanders said during the interview alongside his wife, Jane Sanders. “We’re going to get back into the groove of a very vigorous campaign, I love doing rallies and I love doing town meetings.”