Weather Channel’s Ray Stagich, economist Peter Morici, MD Highway’s Charlie Gischler, AAA’s John Townsend, Fox 5’s Tucker Barnes, Fox’s Janice Dean, DC City Administrator Rashad Young, Rep. Frank Guinta and CNN’s Jake Tapper joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A         Snow Forecast and Last Night’s Nasty Commute:

• @CBSNews Transportation Correspondent Kris Van Cleave Verified account ‏@krisvancleave 1h1 hour ago: Last night’s commute proved you don’t need Congress to gridlock DC, all you need is less than an inch and a half of snow.
• Minor snowstorm leads to major tie-ups across region. WASHINGTON – For some in the D.C. region, Thursday morning’s rush hour began before Wednesday night’s commute ended. An inch or so of snow fell across the D.C. region on Wednesday evening, leaving many of the region’s roads untreated and slippery, leading to delays that WTOP listeners reported as running up to eight hours. Many roads were not pre-treated, and have been occluded by cars that have crashed or been abandoned by drivers who were stuck during the evening. Jack Taylor, in the WTOP Traffic Center, says that delays to the Wilson Bridge on the Outer Loop of the Beltway begin at Van Dorn Street; on the Inner Loop, at Branch Avenue. In Maryland, the worst section is the Outer Loop near Route 210, on the hill heading toward St. Barnabas Road. If cars are getting by, Taylor says, “they’re getting by on ice.” Interstate 95 toward Georgia Avenue, Taylor says, is “passable,” while the American Legion Bridge also “seems good.” Crews are treating the roads, Taylor says, but the worst danger is people “over-driving the conditions.” Cars are crashing all over the region, and Taylor urges extraordinary caution.

5am – B/C     JAMEE WHITTEN – WMAL’s Traffic Reporter – shares the latest on the nasty snow commute from last night.

5am – D         Calls on commute and snow preview.

5am – E         INTERVIEW — RAY STAGICH — Meteorologist for The Weather Channel – previewed the snow forecast for this weekend.

6am – A         INTERVIEW — PETER MORICI – economist and professor at the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland

• Dow closes with loss of 247 points after plummeting more than 500 on Wednesday as crude oil prices drop
• What on earth is going on with the stock market?

6am – B/C     INTERVIEW — CHARLIE GISCHLER — Maryland State Highway spokesperson

• Forecasted Snowfall and Strong Winds May Present Dangerous Driving Conditions; “Safe Havens” Available at 17 Ridesharing Lots Statewide.– The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) is warning professional truck drivers to keep an eye on the weather forecast for travel this weekend. If the current predictions are correct, trucking companies and truck drivers should consider altering travel plans to avoid Maryland this weekend due to potential snow-related hazardous driving conditions. SHA is also reminding truckers who may find themselves traveling during a severe storm that 17 park and ride lots are available for emergency truck parking to ride out heavy snowfalls and blizzard-like conditions. The lots are large enough to accommodate commercial trucks

6am – C         MD News:

• Governor Larry Hogan Unveils Fiscal Year 2017 Budget
• Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan enjoying sky-high approval rating.
• MD House votes to override Gov’s veto of bill restoring voting rights to ex-felons. Senate likely to do same Thurs.

6am – D         INTERVIEW — JOHN TOWNSEND – Manager of Public and Government Affairs of AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Washington office

6am – E         INTERVIEW – JANICE DEAN THE WEATHER MACHINE – Fox News senior meteorologist and author of “Freddy the Frogcaster and the Big Blizzard” — previewed the snow forecast for the DC area.

 

7am – A         INTERVIEW – MARYLAND DELEGATE NIC KIPKE – Maryland Minority Leader of the House of Delegates

• BIO: Republican member of the Maryland House of Delegates as of 2007 and is the Minority Leader in the House of Delegates. He is the House Republican Leader in the Maryland General Assembly, District 31B, Anne Arundel County
• Governor Larry Hogan Unveils Fiscal Year 2017 Budget
• Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan enjoying sky-high approval rating.
• MD House votes to override Gov’s veto of bill restoring voting rights to ex-felons. Senate likely to do same Thurs.

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW – RASHAD YOUNG – DC CITY ADMINISTRATOR – discussed last night commute issues and discussed the city’s snow preparations.

• BIO: Mr. Rashad M. Young was appointed the City Administrator of the District of Columbia on January 2, 2015. In this role, Mr. Young is charged with ensuring efficient, accountable and well-managed service delivery to all residents, business owners and visitors on behalf of the Mayor. Mr. Young previously served as City Manager of Alexandria, VA where he is credited with forming the Office of Performance and Accountability (OPA) to develop a culture and practice of performance management and data-driven decision making.

7am – D         Sarah Palin, in speech at Trump rally, blames President Obama for son Track’s PTSD and domestic violence arrest. (NY Daily News) — Trump backer Sarah Palin charged Wednesday that President Obama didn’t do enough for troubled U.S. war veterans — and more specifically, her recently arrested son. The former Alaska governor lobbed her verbal grenade at the White House after Track Palin was busted on domestic abuse charges for allegedly holding an assault rifle near his head during a booze-fueled fight with his 22-year-old girlfriend. “My son, a combat veteran … was fighting for you all, America, in the war zone. My son, like so many others, came back a bit different, they come back hardened,” she said at a Tulsa, Okla. Trump rally Wednesday, of her 26-year-old son Track, who spent a year deployed in Iraq with the Army. “They come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airman and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country,” she added. “And that starts from the top.” “That comes from our own President,” Palin said. “Where they have to look at him and wonder, ‘Do you know what we go through? Do you know what we’re trying to do to secure America?'” Track Palin enlisted in 2007, then spent a year deployed in Iraq with the Army’s Alaska-based 25th Infantry Division’s 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, known as the “Arctic Wolves.” Track, who according to court documents lives with his mother, allegedly punched his girlfriend in the eye, kicked her in the knee and then held an AR-15 assault rifle near his head, the 22-year-old woman told police who responded to the incident. Track Palin, shown in 2008, was arrested Monday in Wasilla, Alaska, court records show. At one point, Track was “holding onto a gun, yelling ‘do you think I’m a p—y?’ and ‘do you think I won’t do it,” according to the police report. The woman, whom the Daily News is not identifying, said he “cocked the gun” and was holding it near his face.

7am –E          INTERVIEW – TUCKER BARNES – Fox 5 Meteorologist — previewed the snow forecast.

• Superintendent calls snow day with Adele’s ‘Hello’

8am – A         INTERVIEW — REP. FRANK GUINTA — (Pronounced Ginta / hard G) — U.S. Representative for New Hampshire’s 1st congressional district

• Manchester’s former mayor, member of the House Financial Services Committee. Second term in Congress.
• Non-Republicans power Kasich surge in New Hampshire.
• Poll shows Kasich rising in New Hampshire.
• WMUR poll: Trump’s strong lead continues; Cruz jumps to second place in New Hampshire. and Ohio Gov. John Kasich Christie for fourth place.
• WMUR poll: Sanders is New Hampshire’s favorite general election candidate.

8am – B/C     Snow Update/DC Commute:

• JAMEE WHITTEN – WMAL’s Traffic Reporter – shares the latest on the nasty snow commute.
• Minor snowstorm leads to major tie-ups across region
• 10 to 18 Inches of Snow Possible in DC Fri., Sat.
• Snowball fight coming to Dupont Circle on Saturday.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — JAKE TAPPER – Anchor of “The Lead” and “State of the Union”

8am – E         INTERVIEW – JANICE DEAN THE WEATHER MACHINE – Fox News senior meteorologist and author of “Freddy the Frogcaster and the Big Blizzard” — previewed the snow forecast for the DC area.