Steven Malanga, Eli Lake, Stuart Varney and Steven Camarota joined WMAL on Thursday.

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

5am – A         INTERVIEW: STEVEN MALANGA – a contributing editor to City Journal and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, which publishes City Journal

• Apple set a record on Wall Street Tuesday as the first U.S. company to have market value above $700B

5am – D         President Obama Requests War Powers for Global Fight Against ISIS.

President Obama formally unveiled his request for legal authorization to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria, declaring that the ongoing military campaign will succeed in destroying the extremist group. "Make no mistake this is a difficult mission, and it will remain difficult for some time," Obama said in a televised statement from the White House, "but our coalition is on the offensive and ISIL is on the defensive." "ISIL is going to lose," he said, flanked by Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Obama said the draft war-powers request would "strike the necessary balance" and give him "flexibility" to defeat the militants. But he sought to reassure Americans "it is not the authorization of another ground war like Afghanistan or Iraq."

5am – E         ‘I checked into the divorce hotel — to check out of my marriage!’ (NY Post) — It’s the first weekend in January, and Cathy and husband D. are at a romantic upstate New York resort in Saratoga Springs. Their itinerary is packed: a post-New Year’s brunch, followed by dinner dates in town, fireside time, walks to the geyser and luxurious spa treatments, complete with a mineral bath. “We laughed. We had a few drinks,” says 52-year-old Cathy, a nurse at NYU. “This is the best weekend we’ve had in years,” agrees D., a 53-year-old Wall Street banker. But the childhood sweethearts from Island Park, LI, who have been married 26 years and have two grown children, aren’t on an anniversary retreat. Instead, they’re on a trip to Splitsville. Welcome to the DivorceHotel — well, technically, the Gideon Putnam Resort & Spa — where you can check in as a married couple on Friday and check out divorced by Sunday. The entire package costs $5,000, and includes separate accommodations for two nights, a designated lawyer for each party and a mediator to draw up divorce papers. There’s also a welcome basket containing Saratoga sparkling water, red wine, dark chocolate and other goodies, as well as a DivorceHotel information packet.

6am – A/B/C Women who want to give birth at home seek to change restrictive Md. law. (Baltimore Sun) — Maryland is one of only six states that forbid midwives who aren't nurses to practice. Susannah Kipke, who is no fan of hospitals, had a wonderful experience when she gave birth to her first child at home with the help of a midwife 10 weeks ago. It wasn't a legal experience, however. Maryland is one of six states that forbid midwives who aren't nurses to practice their ancient profession. Kipke, the wife of House Minority Leader Nic Kipke, did her part to change that Wednesday by testifying in favor of a bill that would clear the way for midwives to assist at home births. "There are a lot of women like me who are going to have home births no matter what," Susannah Kipke told senators as her son, James, slept peacefully on her shoulder. She hopes to have any future babies at home but worries that if something goes wrong, her midwife could face legal consequences. For the past several years, Maryland lawmakers have been grappling with the reality that a small percentage of women — some for religious reasons — insist on giving birth at home if possible. And as the testimony of Kipke and others showed, there are trained midwives who are willing to risk legal consequences to help those mothers.

6am – D/E     Mother upset after she says teacher didn't intervene in school fight involving daughter. (Fox 5 DC) — WASHINGTON – The mother of a Washington, D.C. school student is upset after she claims a teacher did not intervene during a fight involving her daughter.  The incident happened Monday morning at Woodrow Wilson High School. The 14-year-old student told her mother she was attacked in the hallway. When her mother saw the video, she called FOX 5 upset about the fight and the lack of intervention by school staff. It happened right in the hallway with many students watching, including someone holding a camera. In the background, an adult walks up to the fight, but doesn't stop the fight and it continues and moves away from him. The 14-year-old student hits the ground and then she is pulled by her hair across the hallway. “When I saw that tape, my heart went numb,” said the girl's mother. “I was so angry.” This mother, who does not want to be identified, said she was concerned because her daughter told her two adults were there, but did not break the fight up. In the video, you can see other students jump in trying to separate them. We took the video to city hall and showed it to D.C. Councilmember David Grosso, head of the education committee, and Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh. Grosso called the fight “just awful.” “I think there should have been intervention right away,” said Cheh. “It's very disturbing and nothing upsets parents more than thinking that they may be sending their kids to school and they are not safe.”

7am – A         INTERVIEW – ELI LAKE – columnist for the Bloomberg View

• Eli discussed his recent trip to Iraq.
• President Obama Requests War Powers for Global Fight Against ISIS
• ELI LAKE: Foreign Recruits Are Islamic State's Cannon Fodder. Aspiring jihadists looking to join the Islamic State army are often lured to the front lines with promises of changing the course of history and reclaiming a lost Islamic empire. But at least for the less-skilled foreign recruits, the experience of fighting for the new caliphate is often brief and bloody. Kurdish and Iraqi commanders on the front lines of the war whom I interviewed in the last two weeks say that the suicide bombers and first-wave attackers deployed in Islamic State offensives are almost entirely made up of units of foreign fighters. These highly risky missions mean that the new "immigrants" fighting the infidels end up as cannon fodder, while the more prestigious organizational jobs and less-risky defensive assignments go to Syrian and Iraqi Arabs.

7am – B/C     Jackie Robinson West stripped of Little League World Series wins. (Fox Sports) — CHICAGO — A Little League team that captured the attention of the nation and the hearts of its hometown was stripped of its national title Wednesday after an investigation revealed that team officials had falsified boundaries so they could add ineligible players to the roster. Only last summer, the all-black Jackie Robinson West team was the toast of Chicago and was honored with trips to San Francisco and to the White House. But the sport's governing body announced that team officials had engaged in a Little League version of political gerrymandering. Instead of politicians redrawing district maps to pick up votes, it was local league officials who changed the boundaries that determined where players must live. And after learning that their scheme had been exposed, they scrambled to convince surrounding leagues to go along with what they had done. "This is so heartbreaking," said Stephen D. Keener, president and CEO of Little League International. "It is a sad day for a bunch of kids who we have come to really like … who did nothing wrong." But "we cannot tolerate the actions of some of the adults involved here." The organization suspended the manager, Darold Butler, and suspended the team from Little League tournament play until the local league's president and treasurer have been replaced. A district official who is believed to have helped change the boundaries was also removed.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — STUART VARNEY – Fox Business Network

• Gas price spike: up 20 cents in two weeks….gouging?
• $564 million Powerball numbers drawn: 3 winners: We spend 70 billion a year on lottery tickets!
• Apple set a record on Wall Street Tuesday as the first U.S. company to have market value above $700B
• Congress clears Keystone XL pipeline bill, setting up veto
• Don’t disrespect our president, black lawmakers tell Netanyahu

7am – E         DC Metro Update:

• Federal investigators: Fans pushed smoke toward DC subway. WASHINGTON (AP) — Instead of pushing smoke out of a subway tunnel, ventilation fans actually pulled it toward a stalled train, exacerbating the choking atmosphere aboard the train that led to the death of a passenger in downtown Washington, federal investigators said Wednesday. The National Transportation Safety Board detailed the ventilation failures as it issued urgent safety recommendations to the Metro transit authority and transit networks nationwide. The board’s description of what happened with the fans was the most detailed account yet of Metro’s failures during the Jan. 12 accident, which sent more than 80 people to hospitals. Investigators said the smoke was caused by an electrical malfunction. The Virginia-bound train stopped in a tunnel near the L’Enfant Plaza station during the early afternoon rush hour. The source of the smoke was ahead of the train, but the first ventilation fan activated by Metro was behind it, which pulled the smoke toward the train, the NTSB said. Also, the train operator did not immediately shut off the trains own ventilation system, which caused smoke to be drawn inside the railcars.
• Investigators Say D.C. Metro Ventilation Inadequate. WASHINGTON (WNEW/AP) — Federal investigators say Washington’s Metro transit authority did a poor job using ventilation fans to push smoke out of a subway tunnel during a fatal accident last month.  The National Transportation Safety Board issued recommendations on Wednesday urging Metro and other transit networks nationwide to improve their ventilation procedures during smoke or fire events. The NTSB provided new information about last month’s malfunction on the Yellow Line that left one person on a smoke-filled train dead and sent dozens to the hospital. WNEW’s Matt DelSignore reported the NTSB said Metro’s ventilation procedures are inadequate and that the agency can’t even pinpoint the exact location of smoke in a tunnel.  There is also no written procedure for smoke and fire events in tunnels. Investigators now say fans inside the tunnel pulled smoke toward the train. The ventilation fans are supposed to be able to push smoke out of tunnels and pump in fresh air.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — STEVEN CAMAROTA – Director of Research for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS)

• Dr. Steven Camarota serves as the Director of Research for the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), a Washington, DC-based research institute that examines the consequences of legal and illegal immigration on the United States. The Center promotes an informed debate on comprehensive immigration reform by providing policymakers, academics, media, and citizens with fact-based information on immigration.
• Luke Broadwater of the Sun reports that MD Attorney General Brian Frosh and Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a campaign to help Baltimore’s immigrants take advantage of President Barack Obama’s recent actions to allow work permits.
• 55,000 Maryland immigrants qualified for Obama government's immigration reprieve. Some 55,000 individuals from the state of Maryland are eligible to apply for the reprieve being planned by President Barack Obama's administration for millions of illegal immigrants in the United States.This was according to estimates by a Washington-based nonprofit think tank, Migrant Policy Institute (MPI). According to data collated by group, Maryland hosts the 13th biggest population of illegal immigrants qualified for the Obama administration's reprieve. The state of California, has the highest number of parents eligible for the anticipated new deferred action program, based on the groups' figures. In a report published on its website, the MPI said as many as 3.7 million unauthorized immigrants, including those living in Maryland, could get a relief from deportation under the Obama administration's new deferred action program.
• A report on The Baltimore Sun showed how local advocacy groups in Maryland have been preparing for the program. CASA de Maryland has held dozens of workshops in Baltimore as well as Montgomery and Prince George's counties to prepare residents for the new program. The group intends to transition to a more hands-on effort — helping people fill out applications — in May.
• Two Immigrants For Every New Job Since 2000. (Daily Caller) — The United States has accepted two new immigrants for each additional job created since 2000, according to federal data. The data shows that 18 million legal and illegal immigrants settled in the United States from 2000 to 2015, while only 9.3 million additional jobs were created, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors a reduced level of immigration. After subtracting deaths, departures and retirements among the immigrants, the working-age population of immigrants has grown 12 million since 2000, according to data at the Bureau of Labor Standards, said Steve Camarota, the author of the CIS study.

8am – B         Entertainment News:

• Charlie Sheen comes out of political closet, says he’s a ‘constitutional Republican.’ Star of ‘Two and a Half Men,’ ‘Anger Management’ considering a run for president one day. (Washington Times) — Actor Charlie Sheen says he considers himself a “constitutional Republican” and that he’d like to use his celebrity to run for president.  “When I say to people, ‘Hey what if I run for president?’ it’s 100 percent,” Mr. Sheen said in a segment of the comedy show ‘The Flipside,’ offering a platform that includes a flat tax of 10 percent and the placement of skilled veterans in front of schools to protect students. The comedian shared his political aspirations with host Michael Loftus, a comedian who shows the ‘flipside’ of pop-culture, news and commentary. “Everybody relax – that should be a rule,” Mr. Sheen said, adding that “It’s important to put the constitution back in place.” Mr. Sheen says he would choose his father, actor Martin Sheen, as his vice president, employing the campaign slogan “Sheen and Sheen in ‘16.”
• Disney Cruise Line Introduces Star Wars Day at Sea on Select Disney Fantasy Sailings. (Disney) — Whether you’re a Jedi-in-training or the Jedi Master of the family, you’re in for an out-of-galaxy experience when you sail on the Disney Fantasy in early 2016! Today we announced a brand-new, day-long celebration aboard eight special sailings on the Disney Fantasy: Star Wars Day at Sea. Occurring one day during each of eight Disney Fantasy sailings, Star Wars Day at Sea will transport guests to a galaxy far, far away — in the Western Caribbean. The event features a full day of Star Wars celebrations, including a deck party, meet-and-greets with favorite characters, Star Wars-themed youth activities, unique food and beverage offerings, and special merchandise. Also featured will be exclusive at-sea screenings of the Star Wars films and the new Disney XD animated series, Star Wars Rebels. Star Wars Day at Sea will be on Disney Fantasy cruises sailing on January 9, 23; February 6, 20; March 5, 19; April 2 and 16, 2016. Departing from Port Canaveral, the seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary includes Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and our private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay.

8am – C         Bob Simon, ‘60 Minutes’ Correspondent And CBS News Veteran, Dies In West Side Highway Crash. NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Bob Simon, a longtime correspondent for CBS’ “60 Minutes” and a CBS News veteran of more than 45 years, was killed Wednesday night in a crash on the West Side Highway. “60 Minutes” confirmed Simon’s death Wednesday night. As CBS2’s Jessica Schneider reported, police said Simon, 73, was in the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car livery cab that lost control as it headed south on the highway. The driver struck a black 2003 Mercedes Benz that was stopped at a red light at 30th Street, and then struck the stanchions that separate northbound and southbound traffic on the highway, police said. The driver of the livery cab, a 44-year-old man, was also transported to Bellevue Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries, sources said. He suffered injuries to his legs and arms.

8am – D         Pope: Opting not to have children a 'selfish choice.' VATICAN CITY — Less than a month after sparking controversy for saying Catholics don't have to multiply "like rabbits," Pope Francis has once again praised big families, telling a gathering in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday that having more children is not "an irresponsible choice." He also said that opting not to have children at all is "a selfish choice." A society that "views children above all as a worry, a burden, a risk, is a depressed society," Francis said. Citing European countries where the fertility rate is especially low, the pope said "they are depressed societies because they don't want children. They don't have children. The birth rate doesn't even reach 1%."

TOMORROW:          Barry Manilow and Ed Henry