Montgomery County Student School Board member Matthew Post, Fox’s Gregg Jarrett, Fairfax Police’s Sgt. Earit Powell and Brian McNicoll joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C ROY MOORE NEWS

• Roy Moore says he’s being ‘harassed’ by the media over allegations
• Hannity breaks with Moore: He has 24 hours to come up with an explanation or drop out of Senate race
• RNC pulls financial, ground game support for Roy Moore in Alabama Senate race The Republican National Committee has dropped out of a joint fundraising agreement with Roy Moore’s campaign and has pulled its field staffers out of the Alabama Senate race as the embattled Republican nominee battles allegations he sought romantic relationships with teenage females as an adult, Fox News has learned. According to a FEC document filed Tuesday, the RNC is no longer listed as part of a joint fundraising agreement with Moore. That follows a decision by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to sever the same agreement with the Moore campaign last week.
• McConnell has spoken to Trump and Pence about the Roy Moore allegations (axios) – Mitch McConnell has spoken recently to both President Trump and Vice President Pence about the allegations against Roy Moore, per the AP. McConnell has urged Moore to withdraw from the race, while Trump has yet to take a public stance on that issue.

5am – D/E     HIGHLIGHTS OF ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS HEARING:

• AG Jeff Sessions: “I will not accept and reject accusations that I have ever lied. That is a lie.”
• AG Sessions on what it would take to form a special counsel to investigate the Uranium One deal: “It would take a factual basis that meets the standards of the appointment of a special counsel.”

6am – A/B/C             Schools and cellphones: In elementary schools? At lunch? (Washington Post) — It’s been a long time since mobile phones arrived in the nation’s schools, but educators are still grappling with what to do about them. Should they be allowed in elementary schools? What about middle-schoolers using them at lunch? Which limits make the most sense for devices so ubiquitous? What has become a more settled matter for high school students is sparking questions and controversy in lower grades, some two decades after mobile phones became an inescapable part of the cultural landscape. The debate has emerged in Maryland’s biggest school system — in suburban Montgomery County — where some of the rules have been relaxed in recent months. It used to be that students through fifth grade could carry cellphones only with special permission. But over the years, an increasing number of parents wanted their elementary-age children to take phones to school, often believing kids would be ­safer — walking home or in an emergency — with the device at the ready. As the Maryland district recently moved to do away with the old rule, other parents objected — shocked that children as young as 6 or 7 would be permitted to bring smartphones to school. One father recalled his child’s school banning fidget spinners and Pokémon cards.

6am – D/E/F SPORTS BAN ON THE WASHINGTON MALL?

• Park Service wants to ban sports from Washington Monument The National Park Service said Thursday that it wants to permanently close the grounds of the Washington Monument to recreational activities and increase reservation fees for use of its 28 athletic fields on the Mall and in Rock Creek Park. The battered monument grounds were closed earlier this year for turf restoration, and the Park Service wants that closure to continue after the project is finished next year, spokesman Mike Litterst said in an email.
• Thousands sign petition against proposed National Mall sports ban. (WTOP) –Thousands signed an online petition over the span of about 24 hours in hopes to sway the National Park Service’s proposal to ban sports on a number of athletic fields along the National Mall this week. Last week, the park service announced that it wants to permanently prohibit sports and recreation on fields between 3rd and 17th streets, which includes the Washington Monument Those grounds were closed for recreational use earlier this year in order to begin a turf restoration project, and “will remain closed after the project is completed in 2018,” National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said.  “We’ve been working to maximize our athletic field space in non-memorial/monument areas,” Litterst added. But the plan has not gone over well with many D.C.-area residents or government officials. “This is a huge swath of land,” Kinsler said. “It’s uniquely Washington, D.C., and uniquely American to be able to play soccer or softball or kickball in the shadow of the Washington Monument.”

7am – A         CONGRESSIONAL CREEPS:

• ‘Creep list’ of men known for inappropriate behavior circulates in Congress: report. (The Hill) — Staff say an unwritten “creep list” of lawmakers and other Capitol Hill employees known for unwanted or inappropriate sexual behavior is being circulated through word-of-mouth, according to a new report in CNN. The list keeps track of the male members most known for their inappropriate behavior in the offices, where one former House aide said that many men “have no self-control” around their female colleagues.  More than 50 Hill staffers and lawmakers told CNN that they have experienced sexual harassment or unwanted advances while working in Congress.  Lawmakers are beginning to address the issue. The House Administration Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday, while the Senate unanimously passed a resolution last week requiring mandatory sexual harassment training for Senators and their staffs. CNN reported that more than a half a dozen people it interviewed said a California congressman pursued female staffers. Another half dozen accused a Texas congressman of inappropriate behavior. CNN said it was not naming either of those lawmakers because the stories are unverified.
• Mark Levin: ‘I’m Calling on Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan to Resign.’ Tuesday on his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative talker Mark Levin called on House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to resign over allegations made by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) earlier in the day. Speier had claimed two members of Congress had engaged in sexual harassment and remain members of the body. Levin said since these alleged incidents occurred on Ryan and McConnell’s watch, they should be held to account and resign. “I’m calling on Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan to resign,” Levin said.
• JACKIE SPEIER ALLEGES THERE ARE 2 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO ARE HARASSERS. (Breitbart) – During testimony before the Committee on House Administration on Tuesday, Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) stated there are two current members of Congress, one Republican, and one Democrat who have sexually harassed people. Speier said, “In fact, there are two members of Congress, Republican and Democrat, right now, who serve, who have been subject to review, or [have not] been subject to review, but have engaged in sexual harassment.”
• COMSTOCK ALSO WEIGHS IN: (WTOP) – Amid a daily deluge of stories about harassment in the workplace, female members of Congress detailed incidents of sexual misconduct involving current lawmakers at a House hearing Tuesday on how to prevent such abuse. Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., said she was recently told about a staffer who quit her job after a lawmaker asked her to bring work material to his house, then exposed himself.
• SPEIER CLAIMS $15 M PAID OUT IN CONGRESSIONAL HARASSMENT CLAIMS. Jackie Speier (D-CA) informed NBC’s Chuck Todd on Tuesday that $15 million in taxpayer money had been paid out over the years to settle sexual harassment suits filed against members of Congress.
• CONGRESS PROTECTS ITSELF FROM HARASSMENT CLAIMS W/TAXPAYER $$ & NON-DISCLOSURES. (Fox News) – A little-known law has been on the books for more than a decade that gives anyone accusing a federal lawmaker of sexual harassment the right to sue – but only if they consent to a lengthy drawn-out process that includes a written statement within 180 days of the incident, 30 days of counseling and another month or so of mediation.

7am – B/C     Interview – MATTHEW POST – Student Board Member of the Montgomery County School Board

• TOPICS: Latest on the Montgomery County school calendar and what should we do about cell phones in schools?
• School Board Approves 2018-19 School Calendar. Shorter Spring Break Set For Montgomery County Students
• Schools and cellphones: In elementary schools? At lunch? In Montgomery, school system officials say they are changing with the times, in an increasingly digital world where more parents buy their children phones and more children tuck them into backpacks, pockets and lockers. Students in all grades are responsible for using them appropriately. “Five or 10 years ago, many elementary school students didn’t have cellphones,” said Pete Cevenini, chief technology officer for the school system. “Now, many of them do.”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – GREGG JARRETT – legal and political analyst for Fox New Channel – discussed AG Sessions on the hill yesterday.

• Gregg Jarrett: Hillary Clinton must face the consequences of her actions and the scrutiny of a special counsel

7am – E         Papa John’s apologizes for criticizing NFL anthem protests, (AP) — Papa John’s apologized Tuesday night for comments made by CEO John Schnatter blaming sluggish pizza sales on NFL players kneeling during the national anthem. The company is a major NFL sponsor and advertiser, and Schnatter said on an earnings call Nov. 1 that “NFL leadership has hurt Papa John’s shareholders” and that the protests “should have been nipped in the bud a year and a half ago.” The company tweeted a statement offering to “work with the players and league to find a positive way forward.” “The statements made on our earnings call were describing the factors that impact our business and we sincerely apologize to anyone that thought they were divisive,” it said. “That definitely was not our intention. “We believe in the right to protest inequality and support the players’ movement to create a new platform for change. We also believe, as Americans, we should honor our anthem. There is a way to do both.”

8am – A         ROY MOORE NEWS

• Roy Moore says he’s being ‘harassed’ by the media over allegations
• Hannity breaks with Moore: He has 24 hours to come up with an explanation or drop out of Senate race
• RNC pulls financial, ground game support for Roy Moore in Alabama Senate race
• McConnell has spoken to Trump and Pence about the Roy Moore allegations

8am – B/C     INTERVIEW – SGT EARIT POWELL  (AIR-RIT) — of the Animal Protection Police with the Fairfax County Police Dept

• Residents Concerned About Fairfax County’s Use of AR-15s to Control Deer Population. (News4) — Some residents of Fairfax County, Virginia, say they’re concerned about how many deer police are killing and the weapons they’re using to do so. Fairfax County Police Department’s sharp shooting team plans to use AR-15 rifles to kill deer in Loftridge Park and Clermont Park in the Alexandria area of the county from mid November to mid March. “Even though the police say they shoot down as it’s supposed to be safe, we just feel that you can’t ever rule out weapons malfunction or human error,” Alexandria resident Nancy Schoenig told News4. “Would you want somebody firing an AR-15 near your house? I mean think about it.” Schoenig is one of about 200 people who live in homes around the perimeter of the parks where police will kill the deer. Other residents in the area said the deer come into neighboring communities and they are a nuisance.

8am – D/E     INTERVIEW – BRIAN MCNICOLL with Accuracy In Media and a longtime softball coach

• Brian has been coaching softball for games played on the National Mall for at least 10 years. 
• He coached the Heritage Foundation’s softball team, one of the most successful teams on the Think Tank Softball league. He coached softball for 10 years.
• Park Service wants to ban sports from Washington Monument grounds.  The National Park Service said Thursday that it wants to permanently close the grounds of the Washington Monument to recreational activities and increase reservation fees for use of its 28 athletic fields on the Mall and in Rock Creek Park. The battered monument grounds were closed earlier this year for turf restoration, and the Park Service wants that closure to continue after the project is finished next year, spokesman Mike Litterst said in an email.
• Thousands sign petition against proposed National Mall sports ban. (WTOP) –Thousands signed an online petition over the span of about 24 hours in hopes to sway the National Park Service’s proposal to ban sports on a number of athletic fields along the National Mall this week.  Last week, the park service announced that it wants to permanently prohibit sports and recreation on fields between 3rd and 17th streets, which includes the Washington Monument grounds. Those grounds were closed for recreational use earlier this year in order to begin a turf restoration project, and “will remain closed after the project is completed in 2018,” National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said.  “We’ve been working to maximize our athletic field space in non-memorial/monument areas,” Litterst added. But the plan has not gone over well with many D.C.-area residents or government officials.