Robert Thomson, Eleanor Clift and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B     Some Millennials Are Taking This Adulting School. PORTLAND, ME — For some, being an adult is like a full-time job you didn’t apply for.  And for those having trouble getting out of that Peter Pan philosophy, there’s always The Adulting School  to help you out! Founder Rachel Weinstein has found a way to turn a trending topic into life goals for millennials! The Portland, Maine-based school focuses on the things you might’ve tuned out before you turned 18.

5am – C         Fisher House Radiothon Is Back: Once again, WMAL and the Fisher House Foundation are hosting the annual Fisher House Radiothon. This year’s special Radiothon event can be heard on WMAL on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. You’ll hear inspiring stories from the families who have benefited from your kindness in the past. Please join us and, once again, show your support for those who serve our great nation. Friday, December 2nd, 5am to 6pm / Saturday, December 3rd, 6am to 7pm / Join Brian Wilson, Larry O’Connor and Chris Plante live at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Saturday, December 3rd from 4pm to 7pm for the annual WMAL Fisher House Radiothon. We will be broadcasting live at the Dining Pavilion on the Metro level.

5am – D         Critter News:

• Bei Bei Is On The Road To Recovery. WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Bei Bei, the one-year-old giant panda cub at the Smithsonian National Zoo, is all smiles during his recovery from an emergency lifesaving surgery on Friday to remove a piece of bamboo lodged in his intestine. Last Thursday, Zoo Keepers noticed that Bei Bei was behaving oddly. He was sleeping more than usual, was uninterested in food, and seemed nauseated after vomiting twice. Following the surgery, Bei Bei has reported to be bright and alert. Bei Bei is being currently being kept off bamboo because it is “too much for his digestive system.” His current diet consists of biscuits and sweet potatoes, and he has successfully nursed from his mother Mei Ziang three times. Authorities say that his black and white coat is already growing back.
• Inside Trump and Romney’s Jean Georges dinner: Frog legs and Lamb! Washington (CNN) If it was New Year’s Eve, they could have spent $888 per head on a tasting menu. But instead, President-elect Donald Trump met potential secretary of state nominee Mitt Romney Tuesday at Jean Georges, a three-Michelin star New York City restaurant inside his Trump International Hotel. Instead of being joined by their wives, which was the original expectation, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus was their only other guest. He was tapped by Trump to become his chief of staff when he enters the White House in January. The three men ordered a young garlic soup with thyme and sautéed frog legs, and diver scallops with caramelized cauliflower and caper-raisin emulsion as appetizers, according to a readout to reporters. Priebus and Trump ordered a prime sirloin with citrus glazed carrots for their main course and Romney ordered lamb chops with a mushroom bolognese sauce. All three of the men had a chocolate cake for dessert.

5am – E         Trump Cabinet News:

• Schumer “so disappointed” in Trump’s pick of Tom Price for HHS: “Republicans are plotting a war on seniors.
• Donald Trump to Pick Wilbur Ross for Commerce Secretary.
• Trump to tap Goldman Sachs alum to be treasury secretary.
• Trump Picks Elaine Chao for Transportation Secretary.
• Grassley planning rapid confirmation process for Sessions.

6am – A/B/C DC mayor wants to turn away homeless from other states. WASHINGTON – D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is asking the city council to act fast on a proposal to crack down on the homeless population in the city. If it passes, it would essentially make it easier to deny shelter to people who cannot prove they have lived in the District before they ended up on the streets. Homelessness is a big problem in the city. Despite the mayor declaring the District of Columbia as a sanctuary city earlier this month and welcoming immigrants with open arms, she wants to be able to turn away some homeless families looking for shelter. Bowser said immigrants will have to prove residency just like anyone else. “Anybody, regardless of their immigration status, would have to demonstrate that they are a D.C. resident,” she said. “So we will work with the council to determine the best ways to do that. Are the children, for example, enrolled in school? Do they have utilities? Do they have a lease? Do they have any way to demonstrate that they live here?”

6am – D         INTERVIEW — ROBERT THOMSON aka Washington Post’s DR. GRIDLOCK

• Latest Metro News:
• Metro Board Chair Throws Potential Wrench Into Plan for New Hours. (WMAL) — Now that it appears continuing 3am weekend closures is not in the cards, Metro Board Chairman Jack Evans is threatening to use veto powers to reject the new plan altogether. Metro announced its staff had settled on a plan to close the system at 1am Friday and Saturday nights starting next July, following months of public input on the issue. They say a plurality – 45 percent – of respondents favored the 1am option. Maryland and Virginia representatives were on board for the most part, but the District, which has more extensive hospitality and nightlife interests, balked at the idea. “My opinion is that we do not do anything on a permanent basis,” Evans told his colleagues on the D.C. Council Tuesday. “We will agree to a one-year extension, and at the end of one year, July 1, 2018, it reverts back to 3am.” He said if other Board members reject that idea, he would resort to using a jurisdictional veto, bringing back the 3am closures next year.
• Metro to recommend 1am weekend closings. Metro staff says more people favored the option that keeps the system open until 1am Friday and Saturday nights. It would close at 11:30pm Monday-Thursday.
• A Metro Board committee is set to vote on the new hours on Thursday, with the full Board voting in two weeks.
• Metro’s most intense SafeTrack surge yet began this week, impacting Orange, Silver lines. Work is being done between East Falls Church and West Falls Church, forcing trains to single-track and run only every 20 minutes. But unlike past surges, there will not be any extra trains added at an intermediate station like Ballston, meaning the impact will be felt from Reston to Largo, and from Vienna to New Carrollton for the first two weeks.
• Metro board member suggests killing Silver Line in apparent bid to pressure Va.  In an apparent effort to pressure Virginia and its suburbs to contribute more money to Metro, a board member said Tuesday that he will ask the agency to consider canceling the $5.8 billion Silver Line extension, which is expected to open in 2020. The proposal from board member Corbett A. Price, who represents the District, was immediately dismissed by Virginia officials, who said cancellation would break contracts and trigger lawsuits without necessarily saving any money. The second phase of the 23.1-mile line is well underway.

6am – E         ‘Hamilton’ sets Broadway sales record with a $3.3 million week. Hamilton’s most controversial week also turned out to be its most profitable. On Nov. 19, Vice President-elect Mike Pence attended a performance of Hamilton, which ended with actor Brandon Victor Dixon’s plea for equality that provoked criticism from Donald Trump and calls for a boycott. As the New York Times reports, audiences did the opposite of boycotting the hit Broadway production, which earned $3.3 million for eight shows last week, setting a new Broadway record for most money earned in a single week. The record was previously held by Wicked in 2013, grossing $3.2 million for a week with nine performances, one more than usual.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – ELEANOR CLIFT – politics writer for The Daily Beast

• House Dem Leadership Vote on Wednesday
• House Democrats to Vote on Leadership as Nancy Pelosi Faces Challenger. Pelosi challenger vows to ‘surprise’ people in Wednesday vote
• Dana Milbank: For Democrats to recover, Nancy Pelosi and her team should go

7am – B         Trump News:

• President-elect Trump’s “thank you tour” begins Thursday night with a rally in Cincinnati, Trump team sources confirm to NBC News. “Thank you tour” to celebrate Trump’s victory begins in Ohio on Thursday. 1st rally: 7 pm Cincinnati at US Bank Arena.
• The 2nd stop on Trump’s “thank you tour” is tentatively scheduled for Des Moines, Iowa in early December.
• Trump/Pence to visit Indianapolis Thursday with Carrier officials to announce new agreement to keep jobs there.
• Carrier Strikes Deal with Trump, Pence to Keep ‘Close to 1,000 Jobs’ in Indiana: Striking a Deal: Carrier Reaches Agreement with Trump, Pence to Keep ‘Close to 1,000 Jobs’ in Indiana. (Fox News) — Air conditioning company Carrier said Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with President-elect Donald Trump that would keep 1,000 jobs in Indianapolis. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Indiana’s outgoing governor, planned to travel to the state Thursday to unveil the agreement alongside company officials.

7am – C         War on Christmas: VA threatens to toss tree, ornaments. A Department of Veterans Affairs employee is threatening to throw away a Christmas tree that was found in the Philadelphia office. The threat was made in a Tuesday email, which was marked “Importance: High,” from an employee at the Veterans Service Center at the VA regional office in Philadelphia. “There is a Christmas tree, ornaments, and decorations in the cubicle across from Luis Stevenson’s desk (the same cubicle where the scanner is housed),” the staffer said, according to an email obtained by the Washington Examiner. “If this belongs to you, please claim it,” the staffer wrote. “Otherwise it will be discarded on Friday, 12/02/2016.”

7am – D         Presidential Perks: Students, Staff Complain About Spending at Montgomery College. Board of Trustees defends president’s spending. (NBC Washington) — A college president can be expected to spend some money to travel, but some students and staff at Montgomery College think their president is spending too much and asked the News4 I-Team to dig into the college’s spending records to find out where their tuition – and county tax dollars – are really going. With more than 56,000 students each year, Montgomery College is the biggest community college in Maryland. “A lot of people are on financial aid or they’re working,” student Thomas Linonetti said. The News 4 I-Team started investigating Montgomery College after receiving multiple letters from staffers throughout the summer complaining about the school’s president, Dr. DeRionne Pollard, and how much she spends on travel and transportation, including an armed driver recently hired by the school to protect her. The I-Team obtained a copy of Dr. Pollard’s contract after filing a public records request with the school, and it shows she receives a $281,000 salary with a possible 5 percent annual bonus, along with an additional $3,000 housing allowance each month for her home in Germantown, Maryland. According to the contract, the school’s Board of Trustees also agreed to pay for all of her work-related travel — and for all of her wife’s travel costs anytime she accompanied her on business trips. The records show Dr. Pollard spent more than $70,000 since 2013 traveling to cities like Napa, California; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and almost 40 other destinations, averaging 13 trips per year within the past two years.  The I-Team even found a hotel receipt showing a $1,792 charge for a five-day stay at the Marriott Wardman in northwest D.C. — about 20 miles from her home. A college spokesman said the stay was necessary because Dr. Pollard helped host a conference there.

7am – E        Fisher House Radiothon Is Back: Once again, WMAL and the Fisher House Foundation are hosting the annual Fisher House Radiothon. This year’s special Radiothon event can be heard on WMAL on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. You’ll hear inspiring stories from the families who have benefited from your kindness in the past. Please join us and, once again, show your support for those who serve our great nation. Friday, December 2nd, 5am to 6pm / Saturday, December 3rd, 6am to 7pm / Join Brian Wilson, Larry O’Connor and Chris Plante live at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Saturday, December 3rd from 4pm to 7pm for the annual WMAL Fisher House Radiothon. We will be broadcasting live at the Dining Pavilion on the Metro level.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — DAVEED GARTENSTEIN-ROSS –  Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

• Latest on Ohio State attack:
• Ohio State University attacker Abdul Razak Ali Artan likely inspired by ISIS and Anwar al-Awlaki, authorities say.
• ISIS Takes Credit For Attack at Ohio State University. @Reuters: UPDATE: Islamic State claims responsibility for Ohio State University attack by Somali student – group’s news agency 1:49 PM – 29 Nov 2016
• Ohio University attacker lived in Pakistan for seven years

8am – B         Trump Cabinet News:

• Schumer “so disappointed” in Trump’s pick of Tom Price for HHS: “Republicans are plotting a war on seniors.
• Donald Trump to Pick Wilbur Ross for Commerce Secretary. Donald Trump will name billionaire investor Wilbur Ross Jr. as commerce secretary, according to the Wall Street Journal. Ross, 79, got national attention in 2001 by swooping in and buying key assets from more than 30 steelmakers that were in bankruptcy during the steel industry crisis. Ross cut jobs and negotiated new deals with unions, putting mills back on their feet before selling them at a profit.
• Trump to tap Goldman Sachs alum to be treasury secretary. WASHINGTON  — President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Steven Mnuchin to head the Treasury Department, one of the senior-most positions in his administration, according to a person with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.
• Trump Picks Elaine Chao for Transportation Secretary. WASHINGTON — She is a woman and an immigrant, a fixture of the Republican establishment for two decades. She is a savvy and professional practitioner of the capital’s inside game. And now she is going to work for President-elect Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump named Elaine L. Chao on Tuesday as his choice to be the next secretary of transportation, elevating someone whose background and experience are in many respects completely at odds with the brash and disruptive tenor of his anti-Washington campaign.
• Grassley planning rapid confirmation process for Sessions. Senate Republicans are planning to move quickly on the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as U.S. attorney general under the Trump administration. Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who will move the Sessions nomination through his panel, said Tuesday that he plans to hold confirmation hearings for the Alabama senator before Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Previous attorney general nominees for presidents-elect — such as John Ashcroft for George W. Bush and Eric Holder for Barack Obama — had their confirmation hearings before the president was formally sworn into office, Grassley noted.

8am – C         Fisher House Radiothon Is Back: Once again, WMAL and the Fisher House Foundation are hosting the annual Fisher House Radiothon. This year’s special Radiothon event can be heard on WMAL on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. You’ll hear inspiring stories from the families who have benefited from your kindness in the past. Please join us and, once again, show your support for those who serve our great nation. Friday, December 2nd, 5am to 6pm / Saturday, December 3rd, 6am to 7pm / Join Brian Wilson, Larry O’Connor and Chris Plante live at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Saturday, December 3rd from 4pm to 7pm for the annual WMAL Fisher House Radiothon. We will be broadcasting live at the Dining Pavilion on the Metro level.

8am – D         House Dem Leadership Vote TODAY:

• Pelosi’s job on the line in leadership vote. House Democrats will decide Wednesday whether to re-elect longtime House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who faces a formidable challenge from a much younger and more disgruntled member of her caucus. Pelosi challenger vows to ‘surprise’ people in Wednesday vote
• Dana Milbank: For Democrats to recover, Nancy Pelosi and her team should go

8am – E         Donald Trump tweets that he will leave his business ‘in total’ to focus on presidency. Responding to worries over conflicts of interest, President-elect Donald Trump says “the presidency is a far more important task!”  He says he’ll hold a news conference with his children on the subject on Dec. 15.

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 2h2 hours ago: I will be holding a major news conference in New York City with my children on December 15 to discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total in order to fully focus on running the country in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! While I am not mandated to do this under the law, I feel it is visually important, as President, to in no way have a conflict of interest with my various businesses. Hence, legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations. The Presidency is a far more important task!