Rod Wheeler, Dan Bongino, Pat Herrity, Stuart Varney and ABC's Aaron Katersky joined WMAL on Thursday.

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, November 4, 2014

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

5am – A/B/C DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW – ROD WHEELER – Law Enforcement Expert and Former Washington DC Homicide Detective

>> No Indictment for Garner Chokehold case in NY

5am – D         Homeland Security already hiring 1,000 employees to carry out Obama amnesty  By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times – Department of Homeland Security officials wasted little time in ramping up for President Obama’s amnesty, posting 1,000 job openings the day after his announcement and announcing it already has space for hundreds of employees at a new location in Arlington, Virginia — an indication that it had laid its plans well before Mr. Obama’s announcement. And even though Mr. Obama said his policy is temporary, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is hiring the employees for permanent positions, at salaries of up to $157,000 a year, according to the job postings listed on the official federal jobs website.

5am – E         Economic news:

• First U.S. Gas Station Drops Below $2 a Gallon. $2 gasoline is back in the U.S. An Oncue Express station in Oklahoma City was selling the motor fuel for $1.99 a gallon today, becoming the first one to drop below $2 in the U.S. since July 30, 2010, Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy Organization Inc., said by e-mail from Chicago. “We knew when we saw crude oil prices drop last week that we’d break the $2 threshold pretty soon, but we didn’t know if it would happen in South Carolina, Texas, Missouri or Oklahoma,” said DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “Today’s national average, $2.74, now makes the current price we pay a whopping 51 cents per gallon less than what we paid a year ago.”

• Unsteady Incomes Keep Millions Behind on Bills. (NY Times) —  A 2012 study by Daniel Sichel, an economist at Wellesley; Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office; and Karen Dynan, who now heads the Treasury Department’ Office of Economic Policy, found that “household income became noticeably more volatile between the early 1970s and the late 2000s” despite a period of increased stability throughout the economy as a whole. A more recent national survey by the Federal Reserve, based on 2013 data, suggests the problem has not only persisted as the economy recovers but may even have worsened. More than 30 percent of Americans reported spikes and dips in their incomes. Among that group, 42 percent cited an irregular work schedule; an additional 27 percent blamed a span of joblessness or seasonal work.

6am – A/B/C Survey: One In Six People Expect Their Lover To Check In Every Hour! (CBS) — Does your significant other expect you to check in all the time??? A new survey says 41% expect their loved ones to be in touch several times a day. 1 in 6 say their partner expects them to check in every hour. REALLY??? The study also shows that Brits would rather have quality over quantity, saying they want close friends. Two thirds say they have no more than five best friends while one in eight say having fewer friends makes them feel healthier!

6am – D         DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW – DAN BONGINO – former NY Police officer, former Secret Service and former congressional candidate for Maryland – analyzed the chokehold case.

6am – E         Cat survives trip in moving box from Va. to Hawaii. (AP) — SUFFOLK, Va. — A cat has used up at least one of its nine lives after surviving a monthlong trip in a moving box with no food or water. Ashley Barth tells WAVY-TV her cat Mee Moowe disappeared in September as movers packed her family's belongings for a move from Suffolk, Virginia, to Hawaii. Thirty-six days later, the boxes arrived in Hawaii. Barth says she heard a faint "meow" as the boxes were unloaded. Mee Moowe was in one of the boxes. Barth says the cat had lost half her body weight and could barely walk. WAVY says a veterinarian office in Hawaii that treated Mee Moowe reported the cat exhibited classic symptoms of starvation. State veterinarian offices in Virginia and Hawaii told WAVY it's unlikely a cat could survive 36 days without food or water, but not impossible.

7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – Supervisor PAT HERRITY – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (R-Springfield)

• Fairfax Supervisors Considering Pay Raises for Board Members | The Centreville Independent. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-2 on Tuesday to launch a study that could result in raising compensation for board members from the current $75,000 a year. The study is part of the legal mechanism required by state law that is the first step to raising board members’ salaries, said Chairman Sharon Bulova (D), who brought the matter to the board meeting. Supervisors Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) and Linda Smith (D-Providence District) voted against the measure. Supervisor Michael Frey (R-Sully District) voted in favor of the measure. Under state law, a sitting board can’t increase its own salaries. Any increase has to be approved prior to adoption of the budget during an election year, which would be 2015. The salary increase would only go into effect for those sitting on the board after the election in November 2015. It has been almost 10 years since this issue was last addressed. The board in 2007 voted a 27 percent increase, from $59,000 to the current $75,000 annual salary that was effective when board members assumed office in January 2008. A similar 27 percent increase would mean a jump from $75,000 to about $95,000 a year.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – STUART VARNEY – host of Varney and Company, Fox Business, weekdays at 11 am

>> First U.S. Gas Station Drops Below $2 a Gallon. $2 gasoline is back in the U.S.

>> Unsteady Incomes Keep Millions Behind on Bill.

7am – E         Mariah Carey Butchers Her Own Song For An Appearance She Is 24 Hours Late For…

• Mariah Carey — She Did It Live … Finally! (TMZ) — Mariah Carey hit the stage at Rockefeller Center for the NBC special — nearly 24 hours late … but whatever. Mariah just performed her classic "All I Want for Christmas is You"  for the tree lighting special … and she did it LIVE … as promised. TMZ broke the story … Mariah pissed off fans and crew members by making them wait in the cold for 3 hours last night when the rest of the special was recorded — so NBC yanked her from the lineup. Mimi got a second chance today when the Peacock agreed to tack on her performance … but ONLY if she did it live.
• Isolated, Unedited Vocals Of Mariah Carey's Awful Holiday Performance. (Deadspin) —  Remember when Mariah Carey could sing? Most millennials probably can't. "All I Want For Christmas Is You," she sings, but we'd suggest adding "a new voice" to her letter for Santa.

8am – A         INTERVIEW: AARON KATERSKY – ABC News Correspondent, Staten Island @AaronKatersky

GRAND JURY VOTES DOWN INDICTMENT IN NYC CHOKEHOLD DEATH CASE. A lawyer says a grand jury in New York City has declined to indict a white police officer on criminal charges in the chokehold death of unarmed Eric Garner in July. Garner was stopped in Staten Island on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.  Amateur video shot by an onlooker showed Garner refusing to be handcuffed. Pantaleo responded by putting Garner in an apparent chokehold, which is banned under NYPD policy. At this hour, peaceful protests took place around Manhattan from Times Square to Rockefeller Center and Harlem.  Aaron will have the latest details of what transpired Wednesday night.

8am – B/C/D Taking your calls on the chokehold case.

TOMORROW:          Bret Baier, Trevor Matich and the Fisher House Radiothon!