Paul Bedard, Larry Michael, Christian Toto, Bret Baier and guest host Sarah Westwood joined WMAL on Friday!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, December 15, 2017

Hosts: Vince Coglianese and Sarah Westwood

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C   Q & A With SARAH WESTWOOD – White House reporter for the Washington Examiner

5am – D         NET NEUTRALITY NEWS:

• FCC hearing on #NetNeutrality abruptly interrupted: “On advice of security, we need to take a brief recess.”
• FCC votes 3-2 to repeal Obama-era #NetNeutrality rules.
• CNN headline declares net neutrality repeal “end of the Internet as we know it” A CNN breaking news headline declared the “end of the Internet as we know it” after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Thursday afternoon to repeal its landmark net neutrality rules. “End of the internet as we know it,” the lead CNN.com headline read briefly after the FCC voted 3-2 along party lines to do away with its 2015 Open Internet Order that was implemented during the Obama administration.

5am – E         Comey edits revealed: Remarks on Clinton probe were watered down, documents show. (Fox News) – Newly released documents obtained by Fox News reveal that then-FBI Director James Comey’s draft statement on the Hillary Clinton email probe was edited numerous times before his public announcement, in ways that seemed to water down the bureau’s findings considerably. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, sent a letter to the FBI on Thursday that shows the multiple edits to Comey’s highly scrutinized statement. In an early draft, Comey said it was “reasonably likely” that “hostile actors” gained access to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email account. That was changed later to say the scenario was merely “possible.” Another edit showed language was changed to describe the actions of Clinton and her colleagues as “extremely careless” as opposed to “grossly negligent.” This is a key legal distinction.

6am – A/B/C Ranking America’s top 10 chain restaurants

(Washington Post) — Here’s how I rank the chains, in order from least favorite to most, along with letter grades.

10. Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar – Grade: F

9. IHOP – Grade: D

8. Outback Steakhouse – Grade: DRed Lobster – Grade: C-

7. Red Lobster

6. Chili’s Grill & Bar – Grade: C-

5. Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar – Grade: C

4. Olive Garden – Grade: C

3. Texas Roadhouse – Grade: B

2. Denny’s – Grade: B

1. Cracker Barrel – Grade: A

6am – D         TAX BILL:

• A top White House economist predicts Sen. Marco Rubio will ultimately be a “yes” on the GOP tax bill despite his threat to vote against it. During an interview on CNN’s “Erin Burnett OutFront,” White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Kevin Hassett said Rubio’s concern is “something that the people in the Senate will have to work out with Sen. Rubio.” He went on to predict that there would be an agreement and cautioned, “I don’t think anyone thinks Rubio is going to hold up this bill.”
• VP Pence is delaying a trip to Israel to stay in town for the Senate’s vote on tax cut legislation in case he needs to be the tiebreaker.  Vice President Mike Pence began planning a Christmastime trip to Jerusalem weeks before President Donald Trump decided to upend decades of U.S. policy by formally recognizing the city as Israel’s capital. The visit, which Pence announced at a ceremony for the 70th anniversary of the United Nations vote establishing Israel as a sovereign state, was designed not just as a move to reaffirm ties with a key ally but as a victory lap for Pence, who was instrumental in lobbying Trump to stick with his campaign promise on Jerusalem. But Pence on Thursday delayed the trip by three days, bowing to the reality that he can’t go anywhere until Trump’s top priority—tax reform—gets a Senate vote, expected to happen early next week.

6am – E         PUTIN NEWS:

• Trump calls Putin to thank him for praise of U.S. economy
• Russian President Vladimir Putin says the U.S. is in the grip of a fabricated spymania whipped up by President Donald Trump’s opponents
• Putin says claims that Donald Trump has ever colluded with Russia were ‘invented’ 

6am – F         Republican Tim Hugo survives recount to win in Northern Virginia House district. (Richmond Times-Dispatch) – Republican Del. Timothy D. Hugo’s 106-vote lead over Democratic challenger Donte Tanner fell only slightly to 99 votes during a recount this week, giving the GOP the first win in a series of four recounts that will decide control of the House of Delegates. The Fairfax County registrar’s office announced the results of the 40th District recount Thursday. Tanner congratulated Hugo on Twitter. “The fight’s not over, and I look forward to continuing the fight as a citizen,” Tanner said. House Republicans are clinging to a 51-49 majority after a wave election last month that saw Democrats flip at least 15 seats, mainly in the Northern Virginia and Richmond suburbs. The victory for Hugo, the chair of the House Republican Caucus, eliminates one of three chances Democrats have to pick up more seats in recounts before next year’s legislative session. Three more recounts are scheduled for next week. The tightest will be the Newport News-based 94th District, where Republican Del. David E. Yancey leads Democrat Shelley Simonds by just 10 votes. In the Fredericksburg-area 28th District, Republican Bob Thomas leads Democrat Joshua Cole by 82 votes. Democrats there have also filed a lawsuit seeking to have the election results thrown out because election system errors resulted in 147 people voting in the wrong House district. The suit, expected to be heard later this month, asks for a judge-ordered special election. In the 68th District, which covers parts of Richmond and its western suburbs, Democrat Dawn Adams leads Republican Del. G. Manoli Loupassi by 336 votes.

7am – A         INTERVIEW: PAUL BEDARD – Washington Secrets columnist, Washington Examiner

• Trump ‘Miracle’ — over 10 regulations killed for every new one, billions saved
• Fired White House staffer Omarosa Manigault warns she will divulge administration’s secrets

7am – B/C     HOLLYWOOD HARASSER NEWS:

• GOLDEN GLOBES: Actresses set to wear all-black at Golden Globes to protest sexual harassment: report. Multiple top Hollywood actresses will attend the Golden Globes next month dressed in black to protest the film and television industry’s culture of sexual harassment, People Magazine reports. The rumored list of actresses who will join the protest reportedly includes multiple hosts and nominees. Some sources said that while it could begin at the Jan. 7 award show, the protest could continue throughout awards season.  “All female actresses attending the Globes are protesting by just wearing black gowns,” one source said.
• ‘The Chew’ spits out Mario Batali: Mario Batali has been kicked out of his TV kitchen. “ABC has terminated its relationship with him and he will no longer appear on “The Chew,” read a statement posted to the daytime show’s Facebook page on Thursday. “While we remain unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with our show, ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment and his past behavior violates our standards of conduct.” Sexual misconduct allegations against the famed chef emerged on Monday, leading the network to ask him to step away from the show while executives conducted a review. He also removed himself from his restaurant empire’s day-to-day operations. The 57-year-old didn’t deny the allegations.
• Dustin Hoffman Accused of Exposing Himself to a Minor, Assaulting Two Women. Cori Thomas was in high school when she says Dustin Hoffman exposed himself to her in a hotel room. Melissa Kester was a recent college graduate when Hoffman allegedly sexually assaulted her while recording audio for the film “Ishtar.” A third woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Hoffman assaulted her in the back of a station wagon and manipulated her into a subsequent sexual encounter that left her traumatized. Speaking to Variety, the women described predatory incidents involving Hoffman that fit into a pattern of alleged behavior that has emerged in the wake of previous sexual-misconduct claims against the now 80-year-old actor.

7am – D         PAUL RYAN TO RETIRE???

• House Speaker Paul Ryan denies reports he may leave Congress. (AP) – WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan is denying reports that he plans to leave Congress after the Republicans’ treasured tax bill is approved. Politico and The Huffington Post published stories speculating that Ryan would make this Congress his last or even resign after lawmakers approve the $1.5 trillion tax bill, which could happen next week.  When asked Thursday if he’d be quitting shortly, Ryan replied, “I’m not, no.”
• White House: Trump would be “very unhappy” if Speaker Ryan left.  (Politico) – President Donald Trump told House Speaker Paul Ryan he would be “very unhappy” if the Wisconsin Republican were to retire after the 2018 elections, the White House said Thursday.

7am – E         INTERVIEW — LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of the Redskins – previewed Redskins vs Cardinals.

• Cardinals have faint playoff hope while Redskins eliminated from contention.
• Redskins Place Three On Injured Reserve, Sign Three To Active Roster. The Washington Redskins announced on Tuesday that they have placed running back Byron Marshall, tight end Jordan Reed and linebacker Chris Carter on Injured Reserve.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – CHRISTIAN TOTO – Film Critic, HollywoodInToto.com and Host of “The Hollywood in Toto” podcast  (available on iTunes)

• TOPICS: preview Last Jedi, upcoming films for Christmas-time and thoughts on the Disney-Fox merger
• ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ will be a force but likely not enough to lift box office sales over last year (LA Times) — The North American box office is projected to be down at least 2% from the record set in 2016, despite the surely astronomical performance of the Walt Disney Co.’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Ticket sales in the United States and Canada are estimated to clock in at $10.95 billion to $11.15 billion, according to ComScore, a data firm that tracks box office.
• USA TODAY OPINION PIECE IS ANNOYING STAR WARS FANS: “Why Anakin Skywalker should’ve been removed from the Jedi Order for sexual harassment” (USA Today / Hayden Frye, Opinion contributor) “The Jedi Council’s inability to remove a toxic, misogynistic predator from their ranks ultimately brings about their downfall. In anticipation of the Star Wars: The Last Jedi movie release, like many others, I’ve been rewatching the series. To my horror, while viewing Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, I realized that Anakin Skywalker (even before overtly becoming evil) was a sexual predator in the workplace!  Skywalker’s role in the destruction of the Jedi Order and the establishment of the Galactic Empire is the impetus for the ensuing movies in the franchise. There would be no bad guys in a majority of the films if the Jedi Order had removed a workplace predator from their ranks.  While this may have happened a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, it deserves to be called out now. By allowing a predator in the workplace, and not doing enough to fight sexual harassment, the Jedi Council ultimately engineers its own demise.
• Disney-Fox Merger: ‘Kingsman’ Creator Says Disney Merger “Bad For Fox,” OK For ‘X-Men’ Reboot. (Deadline) – Now safely ensconced at Netflix, Kick-Ass and Kingsman creator Mark Millar today took aim at the $66 billion mega-merger between The Walt Disney Company and 21st Century Fox for the latter’s film and TV assets, including those lucrative Marvel licenses to the likes of Deadpool and The X-Men. In a twitter storm, the one-time writer for The Avengers, Civil War and X-Men comics bluntly said that he thought the deal was “good for Disney, bad for Fox’ as extra levels of bureaucracy creep into creative. Seemingly taking a bit of a dig at the tightly controlled and Kevin Feige run Marvel Studios, the Millarworld boss also pondered that “one area Disney could help” was a “fresh start” for the well-worn mutant franchise and its very successful Wolverine spinoff franchise.

8am – B         Fired White House staffer Omarosa Manigault warns she will divulge administration’s secrets. Omarosa Manigault, outgoing director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, hinted Thursday she plans to tell the public about inappropriate things she witnessed while a member of President Trump’s White House this year. Manigault told ABC News on Thursday there “were a lot of things that I observed during the last year that I was very unhappy with.” “But when I have my story to tell as the only African-American woman in this White House, as a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people and when I can tell my story, it is a profound story that I know the world will want to hear,” Manigault added. Manigault, once named “Greatest Reality TV Villain of All Time” by TV Guide, was reported Wednesday as having been “physically dragged” out of the first family’s residence quarters in the White House following her termination.

8am – C         White House press secretary Sarah Sanders ends #PieGate.  Wednesday night, Sanders followed up on her #PieGate promise to bake a pie for April Ryan and the White House press corps.  Thursday, Sanders brought the pies in for the press to behold. “Piegate is over! It’s over!” April Ryan said, putting an end to the lighthearted Twitter war.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — BRET BAIER – Anchor of Special Report, Fox News Channel and author of “Three Days in January: Dwight Eisenhower’s Final Mission”

• TOPICS: Mueller probe’s conflicts of interest becoming a larger issue, Fox had a lot of scoops on DOJ this week…. and upcoming tax bill vote, rumors of Paul Ryan resigning
• TAX BILL: A top White House economist predicts Sen. Marco Rubio will ultimately be a “yes” on the GOP tax bill despite his threat to vote against it. VP Pence is delaying a trip to Israel to stay in town for the Senate’s vote on tax cut legislation in case he needs to be the tiebreaker. 
• PAUL RYAN: House Speaker Paul Ryan denies reports he may leave
• COMEY EDITS: Comey edits revealed: Remarks on Clinton probe were watered down, documents show.
• FOX SCOOPS THIS WEEK: Rosen scoop: Wife of demoted DOJ official worked for firm behind anti-Trump dossier. ‘F TRUMP’: Texts between ex-Mueller team members emerge, calling Trump ‘loathsome human,’ ‘an idiot’

8am – E         Pastor Hits Trump To Save Him From Spider, Tells Secret Service ‘Don’t Shoot’ (Daily Caller) — An evangelical pastor hit President Donald Trump in the White House Monday to save him from a spider, asking Secret Service agents not to shoot him. Pastor Mark Burns of South Carolina gathered with other evangelical leaders Monday to present an award to Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel when Burns noticed a white spider the size of half-dollar crawling up Trump’s back, according to the Washington Post. Burns, who hates spiders, took action and loudly smacked the arachnid with his bare hand on Trump’s back, to the surprise of everyone in the room. Burns quickly tried to justify his slap, saying “Security, please don’t shoot me! He had a spider on his back.” Trump, according to Burns, remained calm throughout the whole affair, and simply asked “Well, did you kill the spider?” Burns joked with Trump afterwards that he deserved a medal. “I just said to the president, I said, you know, ‘I still got your back.’ He said, ‘I know you got my back,’” Burns said, according to WaPo.