AP’s Eric Tucker, Stuart Varney and Larry Gatlin joined WMAL on Thursday morning.

Listen here to Thursday’s show!

INTERVIEW – ERIC TUCKER – Reporter, Associated Press

INTERVIEW – STUART VARNEY – Anchor, Varney and Company, Fox Business Network, weekdays 9 am to 12 pm – discussed economy, Obamacare and Rick Perry’s announcement.

INTERVIEW – LARRY GATLIN – Grammy Award-winning country music songwriter and musician

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C Florida teacher suspended for jamming cellphones in class. LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. (AP) — A Florida science teacher has been suspended for running a signal jammer to prevent his students from using their cellphones in class. School board members in Pasco County approved Dean Liptak’s five-day, unpaid suspension on Tuesday. Liptak didn’t contest the decision. Officials say Liptak activated the jammer in his Fivay High School classroom from March 31 through April 2. He later told a school district investigator that he never intended to cause problems. He said he thought the jammers were allowed as long as they were not intended for malicious purposes. Superintendent Kurt Browning wrote in a reprimand letter that Liptak had potentially violated federal law and that the signal jamming could have potentially interfered with others trying to call 911 during an emergency.

5am – D         Hillary Shuts Out The Media: Campaign Reporters Told There Will Be ‘NO Opportunities To Interview Hillary Clinton’ (Daily Caller) — Reporters attending a Hillary Clinton speech in Houston on Thursday must remain within the confines of barricade and will not have a chance to interview the Democratic presidential nominee, they were informed in a note with big, bold red letters. “There will be NO opportunities to interview Hillary Clinton,” a press blast from Texas Southern University reads. “Her speech will be her interview.”

5am – E         AP Exclusive: FBI behind mysterious fleet of aircraft conducting surveillance over U.S. cities. WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the country carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology — all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, The Associated Press has learned. The planes’ surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge’s approval, and the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations. The FBI said it uses front companies to protect the safety of the pilots and aircraft. It also shields the identity of the aircraft so that suspects on the ground don’t know they’re being watched by the FBI. In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states across the country, an AP review found. Aerial surveillance represents a changing frontier for law enforcement, providing what the government maintains is an important tool in criminal, terrorism or intelligence probes. But the program raises questions about whether there should be updated policies protecting civil liberties as new technologies pose intrusive opportunities for government spying. U.S. law enforcement officials confirmed for the first time the wide-scale use of the aircraft, which the AP traced to at least 13 fake companies, such as FVX Research, KQM Aviation, NBR Aviation and PXW Services. Even basic aspects of the program are withheld from the public in censored versions of official reports from the Justice Department’s inspector general. The FBI also has been careful not to reveal its surveillance flights in court documents.

6am – A/B/C Country Music Consultant Advises Stations To Play Fewer Songs By Female Artists. (USA Today) — NASHVILLE — A radio consultant cautioned country-music stations against playing back-to-back songs by women, and the backlash began as word began spreading on Music Row here. In an interview with Country Aircheck Weekly, a website and newsletter that focuses on country radio, consultant Keith Hill of South Padre Island, Texas, also said stations shouldn’t play too many songs by women. “If you want to make ratings in country radio, take females out,” he told Country Aircheck. “The reason is mainstream country radio generates more quarter hours from female listeners at the rate of 70% to 75%, and women like male artists. “The expectation is we’re principally a male format with a smaller female component. I’ve got about 40 music databases in front of me, and the percentage of females in the one with the most is 19%. Trust me, I play great female records, and we’ve got some right now. They’re just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females.”

6am – D         Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to Seek 2016 Republican Presidential Nomination. ADDISON, Texas (AP) — Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched his presidential campaign four years ago as an instant front-runner — a proven job-creator with solid conservative credentials, formidable fundraising prowess and perhaps enough cowboy swagger to take Republicans by storm. Then came “Oops” and Perry’s tumble from powerhouse to punchline. Now he’s back, hitting Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina hard and early, and studying up on policy to become better prepared. A senior adviser to Perry tells The Associated Press that the former governor will make the widely expected announcement that he’s in the 2016 race on Thursday in Dallas. The adviser requested anonymity to speak ahead of the formal announcement. As Perry returns to presidential politics, the question remains: Will he get another solid chance? “It’s going to be hard to make a first impression a second time,” said Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist in Washington. Despite his brain freeze on a Michigan debate stage in November 2011 — he forgot the third federal agency he promised to close if elected, then muttered “Oops” — Perry still has the policy record that made him an early force last time.

6am – E         Baltimore Update: Baltimore police commissioner: looted drugs during riots causing spike in violence. (Fox 5) — BALTIMORE – The murder rate in Baltimore continues to skyrocket following the arrest of six officers in the death of Freddie Gray. The city’s police commissioner blamed the surge on drug wars following the looting of pharmacies during the riots in April. The city’s spike in killings has police scrambling to keep up. Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts is asking for help from federal officials and he said stolen drugs is the problem. “There are enough narcotics on the streets of Baltimore to keep it intoxicated for a year,” said Batts. He announced 27 pharmacies were looted during the riots following the death of Freddie Gray, including two methadone clinics. He is blaming the flood of drugs on the streets for the surge in murders since the unrest. “Criminals are selling those stolen drugs,” Batts said. “There are turf wars happening, which are leading to violence and shootings in our city.” The Drug Enforcement Administration said they already know more than 175,000 doses of prescription narcotics were stolen, but that number could as much as double as pharmacies are still assessing their losses.

Marilyn Mosby Seeks Protective Order To Block Release Of Freddie Gray’s Autopsy. (Daily Caller) — Baltimore City state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby hopes to block the release of the autopsy of Freddie Gray and other documents related to the investigation into the 25-year-old’s April 19 death. The protective order, filed Monday and reported by The Baltimore Sun, is raising accusations from an attorney for one of the six officers charged in the Gray case that Mosby’s request shows that the autopsy is her case. When Mosby announced charges against the officers on May 1, she said that Gray sustained a broken neck while riding in the back of a police transport van. She also said his death was ruled a homicide and that officers failed to properly restrain him and to provide him with adequate medical attention. Gray’s autopsy was released only to Mosby’s office, as required by state law. The Baltimore police department, which was conducting a parallel investigation at the same time Mosby’s investigators were conducting one of their own, was not provided the results of the autopsy.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – ERIC TUCKER – Reporter, Associated Press

• Look in the Sky, It’s the FBI. AP Exclusive: FBI behind mysterious fleet of aircraft conducting surveillance over U.S. cities. WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI is operating a small air force with scores of low-flying planes across the country carrying video and, at times, cellphone surveillance technology — all hidden behind fictitious companies that are fronts for the government, The Associated Press has learned. The planes’ surveillance equipment is generally used without a judge’s approval, and the FBI said the flights are used for specific, ongoing investigations. The FBI said it uses front companies to protect the safety of the pilots and aircraft. It also shields the identity of the aircraft so that suspects on the ground don’t know they’re being watched by the FBI. In a recent 30-day period, the agency flew above more than 30 cities in 11 states across the country, an AP review found.

7am – B        Sheryl Sandberg’s heartbreaking tribute to her late husband. NEW DELHI: Facebook chief operating officer Shreyl Sandberg has written an emotional post on Facebook on how life has been since the tragic death of her husband Dave Goldberg last month. Goldberg, CEO of online polling firm SurveyMonkey, passed away on May 3 after falling on a treadmill and striking his head at an upscale resort in Mexico. Below is the full text of Sandberg’s Facebook post on her husband’s passing away: “Today is the end of sheloshim for my beloved husband — the first thirty days. Judaism calls for a period of intense mourning known as shiva that lasts seven days after a loved one is buried. After shiva, most normal activities can be resumed, but it is the end of sheloshim that marks the completion of religious mourning for a spouse. A childhood friend of mine who is now a rabbi recently told me that the most powerful one-line prayer he has ever read is: “Let me not die while I am still alive.” I would have never understood that prayer before losing Dave. Now I do. I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning. These past thirty days, I have spent many of my moments lost in that void. And I know that many future moments will be consumed by the vast emptiness as well.But when I can, I want to choose life and meaning.”

7am – C        Anger over Caitlyn Jenner being chosen over Lauren Hill for ESPY courage award. (Fox News) — NEW YORK – Caitlyn Jenner excitedly wrote on Twitter “What the hell am I going to wear?” when it was announced that the reality star was to be honored at next month’s ESPY’s with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. Caitlyn is the new female identity of former Olympic gold-medal winner Bruce Jenner, which was revealed Monday. But now some are crying foul over ESPN’s decision to choose Jenner, 65, instead of Mount St. Joseph basketball player Lauren Hill, who courageously battled brain cancer while staying on the university team. The 19-year-old lost her fight against cancer on April 10. Several fans took to twitter to vent their frustration. But Hill wasn’t the only overlooked candidate people were made about. Iraq veteran Noah Galloway, who lost most of an arm and a leg fighting, but still competes in extreme sports and almost won this season’s “Dancing With the Stars,” also had hundreds of tweets from fans irate over Jenner’s choice.

7am – D         INTERVIEW – STUART VARNEY – Anchor, Varney and Company, Fox Business Network, weekdays 9 am to 12 pm – discussed economy, Obamacare and Rick Perry’s announcement.

7am – E         Immigration News:

• IRS finally admits illegals can get back taxes under Obama amnesty. (Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times) —IRS Commissioner John Koskinen has confirmed to Congress that illegal immigrants granted amnesty under President Obama’s new programs could claim back refunds even when they never filed returns to pay their taxes in the first place. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who had pressed Mr. Koskinen over the issue, released written responses Wednesday in which the commissioner admitted he’d botched the question earlier and, in fact, illegal immigrants granted the amnesty will now be able to claim refunds on tax returns they never even filed, thanks to the Earned Income Tax Credit. “To clarify my earlier comments on EITC, not only can an individual amend a prior year return to claim EITC, but an individual who did not file a prior year return may file a return and claim EITC (subject to refund limitations under section 6511 of the Internal Revenue Code),” Mr. Koskinen said. He insisted, however, that he doubts many illegal immigrants will take advantage of the loophole because they would have to be able to prove their earnings for those years they never filed returns.
• King seeks to forbid federal funds for Obama legal defense. (Radio Iowa) — Most of the Republicans in the U.S. House have endorsed Iowa Congressman Steve King’s latest attempt to block President Obama’s executive actions that shield some undocumented immigrants from deportation. King’s amendment to a bill that outlines spending for the U.S. Justice Department forbids the agency from using federal funds to defend legal challenges to the president’s action. “A lot of money has been spent and wasted in an attempt to — let’s say the gracious way to say it would be to stretch the constituion beyond any bounds it had been stretched before,” King said during remarks on the House floor today.
  

8am – A/B/C Lincoln Chafee, Announcing Presidential Campaign, Says U.S. Should Adopt Metric System. The politician announced on Wednesday his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. (National Journal) — A deeply longshot presidential candidate has announced his campaign with a deeply longshot proposal: Let’s adopt the metric system. Lincoln Chafee, the former Republican, independent, senator and governor of Rhode Island, joined the race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday with a plea to change the way Americans measure stuff. “Earlier, I said let’s be bold,” he said from George Mason University in Virginia. “Here’s a bold embrace of internationalism: Let’s join the rest of the world and go metric. I happened to live in Canada. And they’ve completed the process. Believe me, it’s easy. It doesn’t take long before 34 degrees is hot. Only Myanmar, Liberia and the United States aren’t metric, and it will help our economy.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW – LARRY GATLIN – Grammy Award-winning country music songwriter and musician

• Country Music Consultant Advises Stations To Play Fewer Songs By Female Artists. NASHVILLE — A radio consultant cautioned country-music stations against playing back-to-back songs by women, and the backlash began as word began spreading on Music Row here. In an interview with Country Aircheck Weekly, a website and newsletter that focuses on country radio, consultant Keith Hill of South Padre Island, Texas, also said stations shouldn’t play too many songs by women.

Tomorrow: Bret Baier, Mary Katharine Ham and DC Councilmember Chairman Phil Mendelson