Ed Klein, Corey Stewart and Steve Moore joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C   Facebook Is Battling Revenge Porn By Asking You To Send Them The Nude Photo.  (TechCrunch) — Facebook is testing a new method to combat revenge porn in Australia, the Australia Broadcasting Corporation reports. The strategy entails uploading your nude photos or videos to Messenger in order to help Facebook tag it as non-consensual explicit media. Facebook is doing this in partnership with Australian government agency e-Safety in order to try to prevent people from sharing intimate images without consent. If someone fears they are at risk of revenge porn, they can contact e-Safety. The organization might then tell them to send a nude photo of themselves to themselves via Messenger. Facebook’s hashing system would then be able to recognize those images in the future without needing to store them on its servers.

5am – D         RUSSIA NEWS:

• A Russian presidential aide says Trump and Putin will meet Friday in Vietnam. Sec. of State Tillerson told reporters in Beijing a short while ago that a meeting was not nailed down.
• FOUNDER OF FUSION GPS MET W/VESELNITSKAYA BEFORE & AFTER MTG W/TRUMP JR. (Fox News) – The co-founder of Fusion GPS, the firm behind the unverified Trump dossier, met with a Russian lawyer before and after a key meeting she had last year with Trump’s son, Fox News has learned. The contacts shed new light on how closely tied the firm was to Russian interests, at a time when it was financing research to discredit then-candidate Donald Trump.
• Judge issues gag order in cases against Paul Manafort, Rick Gates. A judge has issued a gag order in the Manafort case. Lawyers are “ordered to refrain from making statements” to the press. Glenn Simpson  met w/Hse Intel Cmte for 3 hrs. Expected to come back next Tuesday. GOP TX Rep Conaway: We;re looking forward to getting his comments and answers to the questions. We wanted to let everyone know we had that agreement
• Fusion GPS Partner Strikes Deal To Testify Before House Intel Committee. Fusion GPS co-founder strikes deal with House panel, will return for dossier testimony
• IS HILLARY SHOPPING A 2ND DOSSIER? ED KLEIN SAYS SHE IS. (Daily Mail) — Hillary Clinton is in secret negotiations with Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous Russian dossier, to purchase a second report that allegedly contains salacious new charges against President Trump, according to several sources with personal knowledge of the transaction.

5am – E         OBAMA REPORTS FOR JURY DUTY. CHICAGO (CBS) — Former President Barack Obama reported for jury duty Wednesday morning at the Daley Center downtown, but was in the courthouse less than two hours before he was allowed to go home. Obama worked the jury room, greeting and thanking other citizens for their jury service. At one point he looked over the room and said, “This looks like Chicago!” Obama spent the night at his home in Kenwood before leaving for jury duty shortly after 9:30 a.m., in a motorcade of four black SUVs, a marked Chicago police SUV, and a marked Illinois State Police SUV. After navigating through stop-and-go traffic in the Loop, he arrived at the Daley Center courthouse around 10 a.m., and entered the building through the basement.

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans greeted the former president when he arrived in the jury assembly room on the 17th floor of the courthouse. Shortly before noon, Evans announced Obama had been dismissed for the day. The former president had been selected for a jury panel that was not needed on Wednesday, and the entire panel was allowed to go home around lunchtime.

6am – A         Vince Shared Several Stories Of Good Guys With Guns

6am – B         VA RACE AFTERMATH:

• GILLESPIE LOST BY MORE THAN TRUMP OR CUCCINELLI. (Breitbart) — VA Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie’s loss to Ralph Northam represents a repudiation of the Republican establishment; Gillespie lost by more points than Donald Trump and Ken Cuccinelli. Ed Gillespie lost to Ralph Northam 45 percent to Northam’s 54 percent, a stunning nine-point loss. Gillespie rose in the polls in the last few weeks of the election by taking President Donald Trump’s approach to combat MS-13, ban sanctuary cities, and preserve Virginia’s historical statues. However, reports suggested that Gillespie kept his distance from conservative outlets such Breitbart News. During the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton won Virginia with 49.8 percent of the vote, while Donald Trump won 44.4 percent of the vote, a 5.4-point loss.
• Corey Stewart Calls for New Republican Leadership in Virginia. Woodbridge, VA – Republican Senatorial candidate Corey Stewart today called for new leadership at the Republican Party of Virginia in the wake of Ed Gillespie’s landslide loss to Ralph Northam. “Yesterday’s election results are what happens when you nominate weak Republicans who have no message, won’t embrace the President, ridicule his supporters, and lull the base to sleep,” Stewart continued. “The Establishment brought down the entire ticket yesterday, and have led us to Virginia’s largest Republican defeat in a generation.””This is not a failure, however, of the many Republican volunteers and staff, Stewart said. “I’d like to thank everyone at the Republican Party for their hard work, and I would stress that it’s time for a new vision, a new plan, and new new leadership,” Stewart said. “If we focus on shifting our party’s leadership and direction, Virginia can win again.” “While the leadership at the Republican Party deserve our gratitude for their service, it’s time for John Whitbeck and the leadership of the Republican Party of Virginia to move on. Today the rebuilding begins,” he concluded.

6am – D         Nutella fans are freaking out over recipe change. (CNN Money) – Fans of Nutella are going absolutely nuts after the brand changed its recipe. Nutella said in a post on its German Facebook page on Tuesday that it was “fine tuning” its recipe. It said the addition of more powdered milk increased the spread’s sugar content. The brand’s U.S. Twitter page also confirmed the recipe had changed. The news was met with howls of rage on the internet, where loyal customers professed their love for the old recipe.  “OMG!! They are changing the recipe of #Nutella!!!,” wrote one Twitter user. “NOOOOOOOO HOW DARE THEY!! Leave the sugar & coco alone!!!”   The recipe change was first publicized by the Hamburg Consumer Protection Center, which said last week that the tweak had made the chocolate spread’s color lighter. The group said that, according to the ingredient list printed on Nutella packaging, the proportion of skimmed milk powder had increased to 8.7% from 7.5%.

6am – D         INTERVIEW — ED KLEIN – Investigative journalist and author of new book “All Out War: The Plot to Destroy Donald Trump” — joined WMAL’s “Mornings on the Mall” with Vince Coglianese and Mary Walter to discuss his latest book and Hillary Clinton’s alleged second dossier on President Trump.

6am – E         RACISM NEWS:

• CALIFORNIA NAACP IS PUSHING TO GET RID OF ANTHEM. SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The California NAACP is pushing to get rid of the national anthem that they’re calling racist and anti-black. “This song is wrong; it shouldn’t have been there, we didn’t have it ’til 1931, so it won’t kill us if it goes away,” said the organization’s president Alice Huffman. Colin Kaepernick started the NFL protests, which quickly spread to bring attention to systemic racial injustice in the country. But Huffman says Kaepernick’s message was lost when it turned into a debate about the flag. “The message got distorted, the real intentions got overlooked, it became something that’s dividing us, and I’m looking for something to bring us back together,” she said. Huffman adds that the protests did lead her to look at the lyrics of the “Star Spangled Banner” especially the parts of the anthem we don’t typically sing.
• AIR FORCE RACISM INCIDENT WAS ANOTHER HOAX: Air Force Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria was quick to react in Sept to allegations of racism at the Air Force Academy Prep School in Colorado Springs.  But now the incident that sparked the general’s reaction has been proven a hoax.

6am – F         Lift up your hearts, not your cell phones, pope tells priests, bishops.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Wednesday chastised priests and bishops who take pictures with their cell phones during Masses, saying they should focus on God instead. “The priest says ‘lift up your hearts’. He does not say, ‘lift up your cell phones to take pictures,'” Francis told tens of thousands of people at his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square, referring to a communion prayer in the Roman Catholic Mass. In his improvised remarks, he called using cell phones during Mass “a very ugly thing,” adding: “It makes me very sad when I celebrate (Mass) here in the piazza or in the basilica and I see so many cell phones held up. Not only by the faithful, but also by some priests and even bishops! “The Mass is not a show … so remember, no cell phones!” he said, prompting laughter and applause from the crowd.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — COREY STEWART — is a Republican Candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia, Former State Chairman for Donald Trump, and At-Large Board of County Supervisors Chairman of Prince William.

• Corey Stewart Calls for New Republican Leadership in Virginia. Woodbridge, VA –  Republican Senatorial candidate Corey Stewart today called for new leadership at the Republican Party of Virginia in the wake of Ed Gillespie’s landslide loss to Ralph Northam.  “Yesterday’s election results are what happens when you nominate weak Republicans who have no message, won’t embrace the President, ridicule his supporters, and lull the base to sleep,” Stewart continued. “The Establishment brought down the entire ticket yesterday, and have led us to Virginia’s largest Republican defeat in a generation.”

7am – B         Tucker Spars With Donna Brazile Over CNN And Wikileaks Revelations. Fox News host Tucker Carlson went head to head Wednesday with former DNC interim chair Donna Brazile over the Wikileaks revelation that she shared a debate question with Hillary Clinton during the Democratic primary as a CNN commentator. Carlson asked, “They’ve come after you and said, look, it’s a little much for you to criticize the DNC for colluding with the Hillary campaign when you conceded that you leaked questions to the Hillary campaign during a CNN town hall–before a CNN town hall. My question when I’m reading this is, did no one at CNN know that happened? Did they really learn for the first time when they read your book? How could they not have known that?” Brazile answered, “Well Tucker, I surely hope everyone will now go out and buy the book. It‘s called ‘Hacks,’ the inside story…’” The Daily Caller co-founder laughs, then asks, “Hold on, slow down, there was a question there, did nobody at CNN know that you did that? You apparently got them from…” “Oh, no Tucker, you cannot put words in my mouth. I got on some lipstick from Fox, but that has not forced me to not stand my ground,” Brazile said. Carlson said, “No but it’s not your ground, I’m asking about CNN, where you then worked… they are mad at you, obviously. Did they know that you leaked these questions, really simple question?”

7am – C         Protesters ‘Scream At The Sky’ On Anniversary Of Trump Election. Thousands “Scream helplessly at the Sky on the Anniversary of the Election” in Washington Square Park Wednesday night to mark one year since President Trump’s victory.

7am – D         Hidden Valley selling ranch-filled keg containing ‘year’s supply’ of dressing. Hidden Valley ranch fans don’t have to rely on buying bottles to stock up on their favorite sauce — now they can just buy a keg. The condiment company has unveiled a five-liter “mini” metal keg filled with what’s said to be a “year’s supply” of ranch, presumably if owners keep it “flowin’” at the right pace. “It isn’t a party unless the Hidden Valley Ranch is flowin’,” said Flavour Gallery, the website selling the party/holiday gift. Specifications on the Flavour Ranch website indicate that the keg is 9.7 inches tall and 6.3 inches in diameter, and it’s stackable if fans want to save space. It’s also got a “special inside coating [that] meets FDA specifications and keeps the ranch tasting fresh,” according to the website. The keg is priced at $50 and is currently available for preorder to ship out on Dec. 11, just in time for the holidays. If party hosts want to make ranch a centerpiece item at a December get-together, they can opt to purchase the “holiday ranch fountain with skirt,” which is exactly what it sounds like.

7am – E         RAND PAUL INJURIES:

• Rand Paul’s Neighbors Say Reports Blaming Savage Assault on ‘Landscaping Dispute’ Are Fake News 
• Sen. Rand Paul has 6 broken ribs following the alleged assault. Sen. Rand Paul shared an update on his medical status Wednesday, tweeting that he has six broken ribs following an incident last week where a neighbor allegedly assaulted the Kentucky Republican at his home in Bowling Green. “I appreciate all of the support from everyone. A medical update: final report indicates six broken ribs & new X-ray shows a pleural effusion,” Paul tweeted Wednesday. The attorney representing the man who was charged with assaulting Paul called it an “unfortunate occurrence” in a statement and said it had nothing to do with politics. “It was a very regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial,” a statement by attorney Matthew Baker said.
• Rand Paul’s Pumpkin Patch, Lack of Respect for Neighborhood Rules, Possibly Led to Six Broken Ribs. (Newsweek) – Was it the pumpkin patch? The compost pile? Or Senator Rand Paul’s apparent disregard for basic neighborhood civility that led one of his neighbors to reportedly tackle him from behind and crack six of the Kentucky lawmaker’s ribs? More than five days after the attack, very little is known about why Paul’s Bowling Green neighbor Rene Boucher reportedly attacked the senator—all that Boucher has said is the fight was not over politics but was a “regrettable dispute between two neighbors over a matter that most people would regard as trivial.” It’s been the talk of Washington—and Paul’s gated community—for days. But slowly, details are coming out that cast Paul as the villain in this neighborhood soap opera. Paul posted an update Wednesday on Twitter about his medical condition, which included that he actually broke six ribs—not five as originally thought—and had a fluid buildup around his lungs. “I appreciate all of the support from everyone,” he posted—but didn’t elaborate on what led to the violence Friday as he was mowing his lawn.​ A police report says only that Boucher, 59, tackled Paul, his neighbor of 17 years, from behind.  Neighbors say the pair have been fighting for years over plants, leaves and yard waste. The New York Times reported Paul grows pumpkins, and has a compost pile, on his property—and hasn’t shown much respect for the strict rules of his homeowner’s association. That echoed the thoughts of Jim Skaggs, the developer of the subdivision where the pair live. Paul “was probably the hardest person to encourage to follow the (regulations) of anyone out here because he has a strong belief in property rights,” Skaggs told the Louisville Courier Journal. “He wanted to actually own the property rights and build any kind of house he wanted. He didn’t end up doing that, but it was a struggle,” Skaggs added.
• McConnell expects Paul to return to Senate next week. The Hill – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is predicting that Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will return to the Senate next week after an altercation with his next door neighbor over the weekend.

8am – A         CMA Awards 2017: Winners, highlights and best moments. (CBS) — Eric Church kicked off the 51st annual Country Music Association Awards show in Nashville on Wednesday by singing “Amazing Grace,” a solemn reminder of last month’s deadly shooting in Las Vegas at a country music festival, setting a tone for an evening that strived to be hopeful amidst tragedy. Soon afterward, Hootie and the Blowfish took the stage to sing their classic “Hold My Hand.” The band was joined by Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Reba McEntire, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett and more of country’s biggest stars.  Then, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, who hosted the show for the 10th year in a row, took the stage to deliver a somber message about recent national tragedies. “Las Vegas, Charlottesville, New York, Sutherland Springs, historic storms in Texas, Puerto Rico and Florida — the list goes on and on,” said Underwood. “This has been a year marked by tragedy impacting countless lives, including so many in our country music family so we’re going to do with families do: cry together and sing together.” In the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, 58 people were killed and more than 450 were injured on Oct. 1 at the Route 91 Country Music Festival in Las Vegas when Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay. Country music star Jason Aldean was performing. Underwood said, “CMA has given us some guidelines with specific topics to avoid, so we can’t be doing any silly little songs because this year’s show is a politics-free zone.”  Paisley asked if he could sing songs like “Way Down Yonder on the Scaramucci” and “Stand by Your Manafort.” “Definitely not,” said Underwood. But soon the two launched into a version of Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.”

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW — STEVE MOORE – economist at the Heritage Foundation – discussed the GOP tax plan.

8am – D         SEXUAL HARASSMENT NEWS:

• Kevin Spacey cut out of film and replaced by Christopher Plummer. Veteran actor brought in to reshoot J Paul Getty biopic as new allegation of harassment is made against the disgraced double Oscar winner. Kevin Spacey is being cut out of Ridley Scott’s forthcoming film about oil magnate J Paul Getty and replaced by Christopher Plummer little more than a month before its release.
• Jeffrey Tambor Being Investigated by Amazon Following Sexual Harassment Allegation. hree weeks after Amazon Studios boss Roy Price resigned over sexual harassment claims, the company is conducting an investigation into allegations against Transparent star Jeffrey Tambor. An Amazon spokesperson confirmed to Deadline that the company has initiated an investigation. In a statement, Tambor himself calls the claims “baseless.”
• Former Boston TV News Anchor Says Kevin Spacey Sexually Assaulted Her Son (CBS Boston) –  (CBS) – Former Boston television news anchor Heather Unruh said actor Kevin Spacey sexually assaulted her teenage son, the latest in a series of disturbing allegations against the Oscar-winning actor. At a news conference late Wednesday morning with attorney Mitchell Garabedian in Boston, Unruh alleged it happened in July 2016 on Nantucket when her son was drunk at the Club Car restaurant. “To Kevin Spacey, I want to say this – shame on you for what you did to my son,” Unruh told reporters.
• Greta Van Susteren Says She’s Launching an App to Vet Apologies. Former cable news personality Greta Van Susteren announced that she’s launching an app next week that will let users accept — or reject — apologies from politicians, companies, celebrities and other public figures as well as friends. In a Facebook post Wednesday, Van Susteren said the free app — called Sorry — will launch Nov. 14. Users of the app will be able to vote on mea culpas from public figures, and will also be able to privately accept or reject apologies from their friends. “SNAPCHAT AND INSTAGRAM are about to get some competition!” she wrote in the post. “This will be fun and hopefully get us all thinking….”
• A journalist for The Root accused Rev. Jesse Jackson of sexual harassment after he allegedly grabbed her thigh at an event and said, “I like all of that right there!”
• Responding to what one travel expert categorized as “a wakeup call,” TripAdvisor has begun placing symbols next to hotels and resorts that have been identified as locations of sexual assault and other major concerns.

8am – E         CONGRESS NEWS:

• Trump’s DHS Nominee: Americans ‘Owe’ Amnesty to DACA Illegals. (Breitbart) — Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security says “we owe” amnesty to the nearly 700,000 illegal aliens who are shielded from deportation under the expiring DACA amnesty. In her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Kirstjen Nielsen confirmed her pro-amnesty, mass immigration views by saying that it is the United States’ responsibility to legalize illegal aliens shielded under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  “I believe that we must and we owe it to them to find a permanent solution,” she said of passing a DACA amnesty that could potentially lead to a chain migration of 9.9 million to 19 million foreign nationals pouring into the U.S. legally. “It’s no way to expect anyone to live a month or two months at a time,” said Nielsen, even though the DACA work-permits each last for two years.
• Rep. John Larson sings wrong lyrics to “Amazing Grace” in committee hearing. (Washington Examiner) — Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., broke into song Wednesday during the House Ways and Means Committee GOP tax bill markup, singing incorrect lyrics to “Amazing Grace.” In an attempt to calm a heated clash between members of the committee, Larson began to sing, “Amazing grace, how sweet thou art.” The correct lyrics are “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.” This is the third day of the House Ways and Means markup of the GOP tax bill, which Republicans are hoping will be approved on Thursday.