DC Councilmember Tommy Wells, Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer, Crystal Wright and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday morning.
Mornings on the Mall
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor
5am – A/B?C DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW: DC COUNCILMEMBER TOMMY WELLS – weighed in on his support for Ferguson protesters blocking traffic in DC.
5am – D Krauthammer: "Republicans Are Ahead And Shouldn't Blow It" By Threatening A Shutdown Over Immigration. CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: There's reality and there's the way reality is reported in the media. And we know that you're right, if there were a government shutdown under these circumstances, it would be Obama shutting it down with a veto. However, we also know however that as night follows day, it will be reported everywhere as a Republican shutdown and they will suffer as they suffered last October 2013 and it was a disaster. Republicans are finally ahead of Democrats in the poll about who do you favor and this would be the worst time to blow it. I understand the pent up anger and the rage over the president's unconstitutional action, but the cure for that is to go see a psychiatrist not to vote in the Congress and shut down the government. I think what they ought to do is to pass a continuing resolution that will last through next year, through September, but for ICE, the immigration service, only and for the EPA, i would only have a three-month extension. At which point you would be fully funding the government but you would leave it in a position where in mid-March, where the Republicans have the high ground — in control of the House and in the Senate — they would be in the position to use the pressure to get what they want either on regulation, on EPA stuff, on environmental stuff, killing coal or on immigration issues. But you don't do it now when the other guy has the higher terrain and when you know how the president will report it. The Republicans are ahead, they shouldn't blow it.
5am – E McCain wants Lieberman for Defense secretary. (The Hill) — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is recommending the White House tap former Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to be the next Defense secretary. McCain, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Washington Post that White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough contacted him for suggestions on a replacement for outgoing Secretary Chuck Hagel. “I said Lieberman,” McCain told the paper. he two lawmakers were extraordinarily close when they served in the upper chamber together. McCain considered Lieberman for his vice presidential pick during the 2008 campaign. Last week, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also suggested President Obama pick Lieberman to helm the Pentagon.
6am – A/B/C White House plans to force business to pay more overtime. (Washington Examiner) — President Obama early next year will try to force employers to pay their workers more overtime by limiting which workers can be called managers. The administration in February is set to announce a proposed new rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act that would designate who is an “exempt employee” who cannot claim overtime for working more than 40 hours a week. The president and administration officials have indicated they plan to increase the $23,000 minimum amount a worker must make before his employer can opt to exempt him from federal overtime rules — also known as the “white-collar exemption.” The administration has not released details, though. Groups such as the liberal Center for American Progress, which has close ties to the White House, have called for the threshold to be raised to $50,000. Business groups are hoping it won’t be that high.
6am – D/E White House urges body cameras for police after Ferguson. (Fox News) — The White House is pushing a multi-million-dollar program to encourage local law enforcement agencies to use body cameras, on the heels of the police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. At the same time, President Obama is not seeking to pull back federal programs that provide military-style equipment to local law enforcement. The administration revealed details of a White House review after Obama met with members of his Cabinet about the situation. The president is pushing a three-year, $263 million program to expand training and resources for local police departments — the biggest component would be a $75 million fund during that period to help purchase 50,000 body cameras. The proposed Body Worn Camera Partnership Program would give a 50 percent match to state and local police forces that purchase small, lapel-mounted cameras to record police on the job. The White House has said the cameras could help bridge mistrust between law enforcement and the public. Obama's Cabinet meeting also focused on his administration's review of federal programs that provide military-style equipment to law enforcement agencies. The White House review found a "lack of consistency" in how these programs are structured. But on a conference call, senior administration officials offered no explicit position on the program.
7am – A INTERVIEW: LT COL TONY SHAFFER — a CIA trained former senior intelligence officer and the New York Times bestselling author of Operation "Dark Heart: Spycraft an Special Operations on the Frontlines of Afghanistan – And The Path to Victory.
>> McCain wants Lieberman for Defense secretary
>> ABC: Saga 'Emblematic of Everything That's Wrong with Obama's Management Style'
>> Holiday Terror Threat: Terrorists reportedly plot passenger jet attacks over Europe.
7am – B 5 guidelines for holiday gifts in the workplace. (WTOP) — Workplace holiday gifts can be tricky. To give or not to give, what to give, and how much to spend are common concerns. Here are some tips to help navigate the ins and outs of office gifts, to avoid inappropriate gifts that could potentially lead to legal issues.
1. Establish a budget and don't play favorites. If you're a manager, spending about $20 is standard. You do not want to give extravagant gifts that could make an employee feel compelled to reciprocate the gesture. Also remember to avoid the perception of favoritism. That means giving relatively innocuous gifts of roughly equivalent value.
2. Know your company culture. You know your company best, so it's up to you to decide what gifts may be misconstrued. To be safe, avoid giving gifts that traditionally have romantic undertones or which could be offensive to the recipient, such as giving a bottle of wine to someone struggling with alcohol abuse.
3. Don't go overboard with managers. If you're an employee and gifts are traditionally given to managers in the company, speak with your co-workers to get an idea of what gifts have been given in the past and what your budget should be. If gifts are not usually given to managers, then you should probably refrain from buying the manager a gift. Stick to the general rules regarding a modest budget and avoiding gifts that could be misinterpreted.
4. Avoid gifts that may be too intimate/personal. For example, clothes, jewelry, items of personal hygiene, handmade items, perfume/cologne, etc. A good rule of thumb is if you are unsure as to whether the gift is too personal, err on the side of caution. Also, avoid giving gag gifts, because you never know whether the recipient will take offense.
5. Identify appropriate gifts. Examples can include gift cards, coffee mugs/tumblers, pens, business card holders, cube calendars, three-way earphone splitters for music/movie fans and portable charging sticks for mobile devices.
7am – C "House of Cards" announces season 3 premiere date. 'House of Cards' Season 3 to debut in February. WASHINGTON — Frank Underwood will be back in business in a few months. On Monday, Netflix announced that the "House Of Cards" Season 3 will premiere Feb. 27.
7am – D INTERVIEW – CRYSTAL WRIGHT -Twitter: @GOPBlackChick
Website: Conservative Black Chick.com
>> Obama vows to address 'simmering distrust' between police, minorities
>> Ferguson Protesters Snarl D.C. Traffic
7am – E The Wonder Years memorabilia heading to the Smithsonian. FRED SAVAGE and his former THE WONDER YEARS co-stars are set to present memorabilia from their beloved U.S. TV series to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. The former child star, who played lead character Kevin Arnold in the coming-of-age sitcom, along with castmates Jason Hervey and Josh Saviano, will be on hand to donate props and costumes to the prestigious museum in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday (02Dec14). Among the items being donated are an iconic New York Jets jacket worn by Savage during the first three seasons, along with scripts and other memorable wardrobe pieces worn by leading cast members. A representative for the Institution praises The Wonder Years for its lasting legacy in TV history, in a statement which reads: "Identified as playing an important part in documenting and sharing the role of entertainment in the broader American experience, the acquisitions will join the museum's permanent entertainment collections."
8am – A/B/C Girl Scouts biting into digital for cookie sales. NEW YORK (AP) — Watch out world, the Girl Scouts are going digital to sell you cookies. For the first time since sales began nearly 100 years, Girl Scouts of the USA will allow its young go-getters to push their wares using a mobile app or personalized websites. But only if their scout councils and guardians say OK. "Girls have been telling us that they want to go into this space," said Sarah Angel-Johnson, chief digital cookie executive for the organization covering about 2 million girls. "Online is where entrepreneurship is going." And the best news for these digital natives: They can have cookies shipped directly to your doorstep. More than 1 million scouts, from kindergarten-age Daisies to teens, were expected to opt in as cookie-selling season cranks up this month and the scouting organization gets digital sales underway. But the tactic is intended to enhance, not replace, the paper spreadsheets used to generate an estimated $800 million in cookie sales a year — at anywhere from $3.50 to $5 a box, depending on scout council.
8am – D INTERVIEW: LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm
>> White House plans to force business to pay more overtime
>> Larry Kudlow makes the case in The Washington Times about why marriage is important for the economy. His op-ed is "Marriage is pro-growth. The economy can’t do without it."
>> Russia warns of recession in 2015. The Russian government has warned the economy will fall into recession next year as Western sanctions, in response to its role in eastern Ukraine, and falling oil prices begin to bite. Russia's economic development ministry estimates the economy will contract by 0.8% next year. It had previously estimated the the economy would grow by 1.2% in 2015. Russia's reliance on tax revenues from the oil industry makes it particularly sensitive to price movements.
TOMORROW: KT McFarland, Blair Lee and Susan Ferrechio
