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Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C             CNN Debate preview: Who Will Emerge? Should They Take On Trump? (USA Today) — Fiorina, front-runner Donald Trump, and other Republican candidates will gather Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif., for the second debate of 2016 election cycle, this one sponsored by CNN. In addition to Trump and Fiorina, the 8 p.m. ET session will include Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul. An earlier debate, at 6 p.m. ET, will feature Republicans who have finished outside the top 10 in an aggregate of polls: Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham, Bobby Jindal and George Pataki.

5am – D         Young adults living with parents: Big differences among nations. (Washington Examiner/Michael Barone) — It’s well known that an increasing percentage of young American adults are living with their parents, as the Pew Research Center has documented. Paul Ryan riffed on that in his acceptance speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention: “College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going in life.” Ryan’s remark is based on the assumption, shared by the Pew Research analysts, that young adults are constrained from moving out on their own by economic factors. But cultural factors may also be at work. Consider the wide variance in percentage of young adults 25-34 living with their parents in different European nations, as shown in this map, which I found on a tweet linked to by the indefatigable Tyler Cowen.

5am – E         Brian Tells The Story of His Broken Apple Watch and Apple’s Customer Service.

6am – A/B/C Emily Blunt regrets U.S. citizenship after watching GOP debate. (Fox News) – British-born actress Emily Blunt became a naturalized U.S. citizen in August, but she said one thing has made her question her decision–watching the Republican Presidential debate. “I became an American citizen recently, and that night, we watched the Republican debate, and I thought, ‘This was a terrible mistake. What have I done?'” she told the Hollywood Reporter while promoting the movie “Sicario” at the Toronto Film Festival. Last week on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Blunt expressed additional reservations. “I’m not sure I’m entirely thrilled about it,” she said. “People ask me about the whole day. They were like, ‘Oh, it must have been so emotional.’ I was like, ‘It wasn’t! It was sad!’ I like being British.”

6am – D         Russian Moves in Syria Widen Role in Mideast.

6am – E         Critter News:

• Agency nixes proposed rafts where walrus can rest off Alaska. ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declined for now to create artificial floating platforms for Pacific walrus that come ashore in Alaska because they lack summer sea ice. The agency’s decision came in response to a suggestion by a wildlife advocacy group to place experimental rafts over a prime Chukchi Sea feeding area 100 miles off Alaska’s coast, Geoffrey Haskett, Alaska regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a letter Monday. “We do not think such a measure is needed at this time,” Haskett said in the letter to Rick Steiner of Oasis Earth.
• Giant Panda Cub Finally Starting to Resemble a Panda. They grow up so fast. The National Zoo today announced several updates to the development of giant panda Mei Xiang’s surviving cub, who’s now just over three-weeks-old. The cub—a male who still hasn’t been named—has grown to 1.9 pounds (up from 1.3 on Sept. 8) and formed eye slits that will soon open: Giant-panda cubs are blind until six to eight weeks of age. This weekend, “the cub was visible on the panda cams and sleeping for much of the day, which is normal for a cub his age,” the zoo said in a press release.
• Maryland reports first West Nile death this year. BALTIMORE (AP) — Public health officials say the first confirmed death from West Nile virus in 2015 has been reported. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said in a news release Tuesday that the patient, identified only as an older adult who lived in Baltimore County, died on Sept. 8. Officials say the death was confirmed to be attributed to West Nile virus on Monday. The department says there have been 29 confirmed cases of West Nile virus infection so far this year in Maryland, compared with six last year.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JANE REDICKER — President & CEO, Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce

• Opening Date for Silver Spring Transit Center Set for Sept. 20.

7am – B        INTERVIEW – KT MCFARLAND – Fox News National Security Analyst @KTMcFarland

• SYRIA: Russian Moves in Syria Widen Role in Mideast.
• North Korea warns U.S. it’s ready to use nuclear weapons ‘any time‘
• IRAN: Senate Democrats Again Block Vote to Reject Iran Deal. — WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked another vote on a resolution disapproving of the Iran nuclear deal, reprising the result of a vote last week.

7am – C Florida State president fires back at Marco Rubio. (USA Today) — Florida State University President John Thrasher fired back at Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio, who yesterday dissed the university. “He’s a nice kid,” said Thrasher, who served with Rubio in Florida legislature. “I’m sure he’s frustrated by his low standing in the polls, which I believe could be a reflection of where he got his education.” On Monday, speaking to Iowa’s KXNO 1460 AM, Rubio said, “Look, I don’t have anything against Florida State. I think there has to be a school where people who can’t get into Florida can go to college.”

7am – D         Still waiting for a “dislike” button on Facebook? The social media giant is working on it, Mark Zuckerberg says. Facebook working on ‘dislike’ button, Zuckerberg says (USA Today) — SAN FRANCISCO — Coming soon to Facebook: a button that lets you express emotions beyond the iconic thumbs up. Founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement Tuesday during a Q&A session streamed live online from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Facebook has resisted creating a “dislike” button as a companion to its “like” button, fearing it would sow seeds of discontent on the world’s most popular social network. But in recent years Zuckerberg softened his stance, responding to popular demand from Facebook users who say “like” does not fit certain status updates and situations, say a death in the family or a crisis.

7am – E         MD/VA News:

• VDOT to roll out new congestion relief technology on I-66. (WTOP) — WASHINGTON — Interstate 66 is about to get a high-tech makeover to help ease congestion on the busy Northern Virginia commuter route. The Virginia Department of Transportation will roll out its new Active Traffic Management System on I-66 by noon Wednesday. The new signs, signals and cameras will try to tell drivers what’s ahead on their commute. The system will be in place from the District line to U.S. Route 29 in Gainesville. Whenever traffic becomes congested, any time of day, drivers will be able to use the shoulder lane between the Capital Beltway and U.S. Route 50. The red “X” lanes will turn to green arrows, opening up the shoulder to traffic. Between Nutley Street and Route 29 in Centreville, new lane control signals will alert drivers to which lanes are open or blocked ahead.
• Gov. McAuliffe reiterates plan to reappoint high court judge. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe says he plans to reappoint his pick to the Virginia Supreme Court over the objections of GOP legislative leaders. McAuliffe reiterated Tuesday his previously stated plans to reappoint Justice Jane Marum Roush to the high court on Wednesday, when her temporary appointment expires. The governor said he has the legal authority to do so. Republican leaders have warned McAuliffe against such a move, saying it could be unlawful. The General Assembly has the final say on supreme court appointments and did not vote to confirm Roush during a special session last month. McAuliffe and Republicans disagree whether the special session is over, since the GOP-controlled House did not adjourn.
• Va. Senate candidate misrepresents military record. (Virginian-Pilot) — Senate candidate McCollum says he’s in Army Reserve; Army says he is not. RICHMOND – State Senate candidate Gary McCollum of Virginia Beach has said in campaign and business writings he is “currently a major in the Army Reserve.” But Army records show he was discharged in September 2001.       Confronted with that information Tuesday, McCollum said he had mistakenly represented his status but said he believed he was in the reserves, even though he hadn’t had contact with the service for years, had not participated in drills and had not been paid. McCollum’s military record includes service in the regular Army, including as an Army Ranger. Ray Gall of the Army Human Resources Command public affairs office in Fort Knox, Ky., confirmed that McCollum was discharged in 2001 and is not in the Army Reserve. McCollum, a Democrat, is challenging Republican Sen. Frank Wagner in the 7th District, which includes parts of Virginia Beach and Norfolk.
• Governor Hogan Eliminates or Cuts Fees Statewide. (Daily Record) – Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that is eliminating and cutting fees statewide. He said the rollback will save Marylanders $51 million over five years. You can watch the announcement, below: According to the governor’s office, eight agencies will reduce or completely eliminate hundreds of individual fees currently levied by Maryland’s government. In total, the Hogan administration announced plans to reduce or eliminate 100 fees across state government, as well as 115 separate fees related to animal health diagnostics at the Department of Agriculture. The Hogan administration said it will reduce fees paid by Maryland taxpayers by approximately $10.2 million per year, or approximately $51 million over the next five years.       This includes the $5.9 million elimination of E-Z Pass maintenance fees, which took effect in July. Governor Hogan’s Fee Rollback, which will proceed as a series of changes to state regulations and won’t require new legislation, will not interrupt the delivery of services to citizens and business.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – MALLORY FACTOR – author of “Shadowbosses: Government Unions Control America and Rob Taxpayers Blind” and a professor at Oxford University and Citadel University

• ABOUT BOOK: SHADOWBOSSES (published 2013) reads like an organized crime novel, but it’s actually a true story of how labor unions are infiltrating our government and corrupting our political process. This compelling and insightful book exposes how unions have organized federal, state, and local government employees without their consent, and how government employee unions are now a threat to our workers’ freedoms, our free and fair elections, and even our American way of life.
• Scott Walker to call for ending federal employee unions, abolishing National Labor Relations Board. Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker announced a plan on Monday to rein in organized labor, returning to a battle that has brought the Wisconsin governor national attention as he tries to energize his struggling campaign. Walker’s four-part “Power to the People” plan calls for eliminating federal employee unions and the National Labor Relations Board, making every state a so-called “right to work” state and ending special-interest giveaways that drive up costs for taxpayers.

8am – B         Food News:

• Chalupas and beer? Taco Bell to serve alcohol at new Cantina restaurants. Taco Bell begins selling beer, wine and booze at Chicago location. CHICAGO — Taco Bell is ready to pour you a drink. The official grand opening of the first booze-selling Taco Bell isn’t until Sept. 22, but company officials opened their doors — and liquor cabinet — to customers on Tuesday for a “soft opening” of the fast-food chain’s new location in the city’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Taco Bell, which has earned a reputation over the years as a good place to get a bite after a night of drinking, announced plans in June to experiment with selling beer, wine, sangria and spiked frozen drinks at the new Chicago location as it looks to gain a foothold in urban markets. A second location that will sell only beer and wine near San Francisco’s AT&T Park is slated to open later this month, the company says. The fast-food chain, owned by Yum Brands (YUM), boasts more than 6,000 outlets, mostly located in suburban areas. That model has worked well for the company, which gets roughly 70% of its sales from its drive-thru windows. But the company knows that its Millennial customers increasingly are attracted to urban areas, where real estate is pricey. Company officials think that selling a stiffer drink might pad the receipts — the typical Taco Bell receipt is in the $7 range — and in turn help make their urbanization push more doable.
• Strawberry, grape, orange. Little kids are ingesting ‘flavored’ hand sanitizers and it’s dangerous: Just a few squirts of hand sanitizer could cause alcohol poisoning in children 12 and under: Little kids getting drunk on fruity hand sanitizers. (NEWSER) – Think you’re good at locking up common household poisons from young kids? You may be forgetting one that looks surprisingly appealing to a small child: hand sanitizer. The number of cases of kids younger than 12 reported to poison control centers for ingesting hand sanitizer, which now comes in “fun” scents such as grape and strawberry, nearly quadrupled across the U.S. in just a few years, according to an analysis by the Georgia Poison Center. Cases jumped from 3,266 cases in 2010 to 16,117 in 2014, reports CNN.
• Target starts testing grocery delivery with Instacart. Target has become yet another passenger on the food-delivery truck. The retailer said Tuesday that it is testing grocery delivery in the Minneapolis area. Target is partnering with grocery-delivery service Instacart for the pilot, which allows customers to place Target orders online or through the Instacart app for a range of grocery items as well as household products, cosmetics, pet and baby items.

8am –C          FLYING NEWS:

• Too fat to fly? Air India grounds 130 flight attendants for being overweight. (Washington Post) — For years, airlines have penalized luggage for weighing too much. Now at least one carrier is applying that same logic to its flight attendants. Air India is grounding about 130 of its flight attendants — mostly women — because they are overweight, the company announced late last week. The state-owned airline said the decision was based on safety concerns and recent government regulations, but critics said it was “ridiculous” and “shockingly sexist.” The mass grounding is just the latest in a 10-year-long tug-of-war between the airline and its larger flight attendants. Weight limits for Indian flight attendants date back to the 1980s, when Air India began circulating height and weight charts, according to a 2014 opinion by Delhi High Court Judge Rajiv Shakdher. In 2006, Air India grounded nine female flight attendants deemed “exceptionally overweight,” the BBC reported. “Being grossly overweight does have a bearing on reflexes and can impair agility required to perform the emergency functions,” the airline claimed. The hostesses sued, but a Delhi court backed up the carrier in 2008. The women appealed, only for the airline to fire them in 2009 as the country’s Supreme Court was still considering the case.
• WOW Air once again offering dirt cheap transatlantic flights. Make no mistake about it: this is no mistake airfare. The recently announced sale from Iceland’s low-fare WOW Air will surely leave you saying “wow” once you reach the checkout page on the budget airline’s website. Airfare between its U.S. destinations of Baltimore/Washington and Boston to London Gatwick are as low as $150 each way, including taxes. Budgeteers willing to eat before the flight, travel light, and risk the wrath of being assigned a middle seat are in luck. Food on board, checked baggage, and seat assignments (including the option to block the middle seat next to you) all raise the needle on the overall price.

8am – D/E     DEBATE PREVIEW: Who Will Emerge? Should They Take On Trump?