Robert Thomson aka Dr. Gridlock, Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday morning.

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW — KATIE PHANG – Fox News legal analyst, trial attorney, former prosecutor and Partner at Berger Singerman, based in Miami, FL.

• Obama Bans The Box: Obama wants federal agencies to stop asking about job applicants’ criminal histories. President Obama on Monday announced a new order to reduce potential discrimination against former convicts in the hiring process for federal government employees. It is a step towards what many criminal justice reformers call “ban the box” – the effort to eliminate requirements that job applicants check a box on their applications if they have a criminal record. While the rule was once seen as a common sense way for employers to screen for criminal backgrounds, it has been increasingly criticized as a hurdle that fosters employment discrimination against former inmates, regardless of the severity of their offense or how long ago it occurred. Banning the box delays when employers learn of an applicant’s record.

5am – D         Toddlers Are Already Pros With Tablets And Smartphones, Study Finds. Toddlers and preschoolers are often left to their own mobile devices, with half enjoying their very own TV by the tender age of 4 and more than three-quarters regularly using their own mobile devices, researchers said Monday. Most are starting before they are even a year old — and by age 3, they’re using the devices all by themselves, the team reports in the journal Pediatrics. The survey was done in a single urban pediatric clinic in Philadelphia, and the researchers note that the findings do not necessarily extend to the whole country. But they paint a troubling picture of populations of low-income and minority babies, and toddlers being kept quiet with televisions or tablet devices streaming cartoons. “At age 4, one-half of the children had their own television and nearly three-fourths their own mobile device. The most popular device was a tablet, owned by two-thirds of 4-year-olds,” Dr. Hilda Kabali of Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, and her colleagues, wrote in their report. The team surveyed parents of 250 children brought into the clinic in October and November of 2014.

5am – E         Keystone XL builder TransCanada asked the U.S. to suspend its review, putting the controversial project on hold. (USA Today) — TransCanada Suspends Request for Permit to Build Keystone Pipeline. WASHINGTON — The company seeking to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline asked the Obama administration on Monday to suspend its yearslong review of the project, potentially bringing an abrupt halt to a politically charged debate that had become part of a broader struggle over President Obama’s environmental policies. It was not immediately clear whether the administration would grant the request, which was swiftly denounced by environmental activists as a bid to dodge a near-certain rejection of the pipeline. Allowing the delay would push off a decision until after the 2016 presidential election. The company’s request introduced a new element of uncertainty into the administration’s decision-making process, offering the potential to free Mr. Obama from a politically difficult choice that has hung over much of his presidency. But if anything, it appeared to intensify pressure on him from crucial Democratic constituencies to reject the pipeline or risk being blamed for punting to another president. A delay would keep the issue alive in the presidential campaign.

6am – A/B/C Obama: If GOP Candidates Can’t Handle CNBC, How Will They Deal With Russia and China? President Barack Obama lampooned the GOP’s presidential candidates Monday, saying that their grumbling about last week’s debate signaled their likely ineffectiveness on the world stage. “Every one of these candidates says, ‘Obama’s weak, Putin’s kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out,'” Obama said during a democratic fundraiser in New York City. “And then it turns out, they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators,” he said. “If you can’t handle those guys, I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.”

6am – D         INTERVIEW — ROBERT THOMSON — aka The Washington Post’s Dr. Gridlock

• Metro board blasted for losing latest GM candidate. WASHINGTON — Local leaders are blaming Metro’s Board of Directors for losing another potential candidate for general manager. Last week, sources told WTOP that Neal Cohen was Metro’s pick for the job. On Monday, the agency announced the search is back on for a new GM, and that Cohen was no longer being considered for the gig. At least two officials claim the Metro board leaked Cohen’s name to the media. Because of that, they say, Cohen decided to forgo the job.

6am – E         ‘Colossal waste’: DOD slammed for $43M, US-funded gas station in Afghanistan. (Fox News) — Outrage over US spending $43M on gas station in Afghanistan. It might be the world’s most expensive gas station — not to mention a gross misuse of taxpayer money, according to a top government watchdog. The Department of Defense spent $43 million to build a gas station in Afghanistan that should have cost roughly $500,000, the lead oversight team monitoring U.S. spending in Afghanistan has found. The discovery came as part of a broader investigation into allegations of criminal activity within the DOD’s premiere program to kick-start the Afghan economy. “It’s fright-night at the Pentagon,” John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction (SIGAR), told FoxNews.com, calling the spending “outrageous to the taxpayer.” At issue is spending by the Task Force for Stability and Business Operations, known as TFBSO or the Task Force, which ended in March 2015. But most alarming, according to Sopko, is the DOD’s failure to answer questions about the $800 million program and its claim the Task Force’s employees no longer work for the DOD.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — DR. STEPHEN FARNSWORTH – Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA

• Virginia Election Preview: Va. elections for legislature, county boards and mayor drive voters to polls. (Washington Post) – Virginia voters head to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots in a raft of legislative races and local contests that will set the stage for the coming year in politics. All 140 seats in the General Assembly are on the ballot, and a handful of key races, including one in Prince William County, will determine which party controls the state Senate. Democrats must pick up one seat to flip the upper chamber to Democratic control and give Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) the leverage he has said he needs to negotiate with the Republican-dominated House in the final half of his term. Voters will also get their say in local races in Fairfax County, Prince William County, Arlington County and Alexandria.

7am – B         Entertainment News:

• Adele’s “Hello” is the first song to sell at least 1 million copies in a week and easily broke the record: Adele says Hello to No. 1 once again. The British singer’s newest single tops the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart its first week, selling a record 1.1 million downloads, according to Nielsen Music. It’s the first song ever to sell at least 1 million copies in a week and easily breaks the record set by the previous biggest seller: Flo Rida’s Right Round, which sold 636,000 downloads one week in February 2009, according to Billboard.
• Star Trek New Star Trek Series Premieres January 2017. New ‘Star Trek’ TV Series a Go at CBS All Access. (Hollywood Reporter) — Alex Kurtzman is attached to the new series, which will premiere in January 2017 on CBS before new episodes debut on its digital and VOD platform. Just in time for its 50th anniversary, Star Trek is returning to the small screen. Prolific producer Alex Kurtzman is developing a new take on the beloved sci-fi classic for TV, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The new Star Trek has been picked up straight to series at CBS, with the premiere slated for the network in January 2017. Subsequent episodes will air on its digital and VOD platform, CBS All Access. The premiere and all subsequent episodes will then be available in the U.S. on CBS All Access, the network’s digital subscription video on demand and live streaming service. Star Trek marks the first original series developed specifically for CBS All Access. The new Star Trek will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966.
• Theaters Are Banning Lightsabers and Masks from The Force Awakens Showings. Lightsabers, Masks Banned from Select ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Screenings. Cinemark has also forbidden theatergoers from wearing masks. Bad news for any budding Jedi out there: those showing up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens screenings at a certain theater chain won’t be able to bring their most prized possessions — lightsabers. The ban on lightsabers was revealed by Cinemark via posters advertising the December release; in small print below information about pre-sale for The Force Awakens is the legend, “Star Wars costumes are welcome. However, no face coverings, face paint or simulated weapons (including lightsabers/blasters) will be allowed in the building.”

7am – C         Guinness to become vegan-friendly as fish bladder isinglass filtration process ditched after 256 years. (Independent) — Guinness is set to become vegan friendly for the first time in its 256-year history, as the company announced its plan to stop using fish bladders in its filters. A spokesman for Guinness told The Times that the firm would now look at using a new filtration plant that would be vegan-friendly, having previously used isinglass – a by-product of the fishing industry used to help the yeast settle faster. The new system is due to be installed sometime in 2016. “Whilst isinglass is a very effective means of clarification, and has been used for many years, we expect to stop using it as the new filtration asset is introduced,” the spokesman told The Times.

7am – D/E     Fairfax Co. schools halts open flames after Woodson HS fire. (Washington Post) — The superintendent of one of the nation’s largest school districts suspended all science experiments involving open flames Monday, days after a fire during a chemistry demonstration went out of control and burned five high school students, two of them seriously. Friday morning’s blaze at W.T. Woodson High School raised questions about safety protocols in science labs across Virginia’s Fairfax County, which has 22 high schools. Students who said they were in the class described a “splash of fire” when a teacher was using a flammable liquid to demonstrate how chemicals can change the color of a flame. Five students were hospitalized, the teacher running the demonstration was burned, and the school was evacuated. Students said neither the teacher nor the students were wearing protective gear. Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza announced the open-flame ban in an e-mail to parents late Monday afternoon, and the school system said it is poised to conduct a thorough review of the county’s science curriculum and its safety guidance to science teachers. The county also plans to require safety updates for all science teachers by the end of the semester.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — LT. COL TONY SHAFFER – a CIA trained former senior intelligence officer and the New York Times bestselling author of ” Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft an Special Operations on the Frontlines of Afghanistan – And The Path to Victory.”   His latest book is The Last Line. He is a senior fellow with both the London Center for Policy Research and the Center for Advanced Defense Studies

• HIS EVENT AT THE SPY MUSEUM THIS THURSDAY: Stealth Eye for the Spy with Stacy London & Tony Shaffer, Thu, November 05, 2015 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. The world of 007 is a remarkably stylish one—from Bond himself to his colleagues, his villainous adversaries, their henchmen, and the fabulous Bond girls, both good and evil. No one knows style better than Stacy London, and no one knows what works as an intelligence officer on the move like Tony Shaffer. London is the well-known fashion stylist and author, currently hosting her hit show Love, Lust or Run. Schaffer is a retired Lt. Col, a bestselling author, and former clandestine operative.
• RUSSIAN PLANE: Russian plane crash in Egypt: It’s too early to determine cause, officials say – CNN.
• U.S. Intel Chief James Clapper won’t rule out Islamic State attack on Russian jetliner. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said the United States doesn’t have any “direct evidence” that terrorists downed a Russian airliner in Egypt Saturday, but said he couldn’t conclusively rule out that the Islamic State had the capability to shoot down such a craft.

8am – B         Critter News:

• PETA to authorities: Seize Dez Bryant’s pet monkey. Dallas Cowboys wide receiver shared a photo of his new pet capuchin “Dallas” last week, which led PETA to contact local authorities in Texas in attempt to have the monkey taken away from Bryant. A DeSoto, Texas, municipal code prohibits residents from owning monkeys without a special permit, which PETA says Bryant is ineligible to possess. In a blog post, PETA wrote that it has already made arrangements for a new home for Dallas, and asked DeSoto Animal Control to impound the animal.
• How growing up with a pet dog affects kids’ asthma risk. A new study from Sweden found children were less likely to have asthma if they grew up with a pet dog. There’s some good news for dog owners who have young children or want to start a family. A new study suggests growing up with a pet pooch may lower the risk of asthma. The most common chronic disease among children, asthma affects 235 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 in 11 children and 1 in 12 adults has the condition, which makes it difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs, causing coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath.
• Prosecutor is suspended for pulling a gun on fake Halloween spiders (USA Today) — White, an apparently arachnophobic assistant prosecutor in West Virginia, is suspended indefinitely after he pulled a gun and threatened to shoot fake spiders that decorated his office for Halloween. Like they often do during holidays, Logan County prosecuting attorney John Bennett told the Charleston Gazette-Mail, secretaries decorated the prosecutor’s office at the beginning of October to mark Halloween. “Some black, some brown — but some pretty good sized” spider decorations were hung, Bennett said. White “told the secretaries that he was deathly afraid of spiders, got out a gun and walked down the hall into an office,” Bennett told the paper. “He pulled out a chair, put a fake spider down and threatened to shoot all of the spiders in the place,” adding that he was out of the office at the time but was told about the incident by shaken employees. “He said they had spiders everyplace and he said he told them it wasn’t funny and he couldn’t stand them, and he did indeed get a gun out,” Bennett told local TV station WCHS. “It had no clip in it, of course they wouldn’t know that, I wouldn’t either if I looked at it, to tell you the truth,” Bennett added.

8am – C         Nationals name Dusty Baker manager. The Washington Nationals named Dusty Baker as manager on Tuesday, agreeing to terms on a multi-year contract that makes him the sixth field manager in Nationals history. Baker, 66, brings nearly 50 years of professional baseball experience to the Nationals, including 20 years as a Major League manager, six as a coach, and a 20-year playing career that was highlighted by 19 decorated seasons in the Major Leagues. A three-time National League Manager of the Year (1993, 1997, 2000), Baker is the 17th-winningest manager in baseball history, and his 1,671-1,504 career managerial record slots him second in the win column among active managers behind only San Francisco’s Bruce Bochy (1,702). Washington is Baker’s fourth managerial stop, coming to the Nationals after time in San Francisco (1993-2002), Chicago (2003-2006) and Cincinnati (2008-2013).

8am – D         INTERVIEW – LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry Kudlow Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm

• Larry’s thoughts on CNBC’s GOP debate
• Obama Mocks the GOP: If GOP Candidates Can’t Handle CNBC, How Will They Deal With Russia and China? President Barack Obama lampooned the GOP’s presidential candidates Monday, saying that their grumbling about last week’s debate signaled their likely ineffectiveness on the world stage. “Every one of these candidates says, ‘Obama’s weak, Putin’s kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out,'” Obama said during a democratic fundraiser in New York City. “And then it turns out, they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators,” he said. “If you can’t handle those guys, I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.”
• Critics are wondering if #JebCanFixIt will repair Jeb Bush’s campaign. (USA Today) — Seeking to reset his struggling presidential campaign, Jeb Bush began a new phase Monday designed to stress his experience as governor of Florida and question the qualifications of his opponents. As part of the new tour dubbed “Jeb Can Fix It,” the Bush campaign released an e-book of emails Bush wrote during his years at the statehouse in Tallahassee (1999-2007), discussing various issues that ranged from changing lawsuit rule changes to a complaint about a raccoon in the attack.
• Trump’s campaign says he’ll negotiate directly with TV networks on debates. (Washington Post) — The format and content of upcoming Republican debates became increasingly uncertain on Monday after Donald Trump’s campaign said the real estate mogul would negotiate his terms directly with television executives instead of as part of a joint effort with his rivals. The move by Trump, coming just hours after his and other campaigns huddled in a Washington suburb to craft a three-page letter of possible demands, thwarts an effort to find consensus after what most candidates agreed was a debacle hosted by CNBC last week. As a celebrity billionaire who has been a leading factor in drawing record ratings, Trump has little interest in working to promote the wishes of his opponents, his allies said.

8am – E         Race News:

• Sir Tom Jones is planning a DNA test to find out if his ancestors are black after being told he is ‘just passing as white’. The 75-year-old singer has admitted he’s always wondered if he’s mixed race because of his olive skin and afro-style bright white hair. He is now keen to get a test done in the near future to gain a better understanding of his background. Getty Tom Jones at the Q Awards 2015 at The Grosvenor House Hotel on October 19, 2015 in London, England. He explained to The Times magazine: “A lot of people still think I’m black. When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me. Because of my hair, a lot of black people still tell me that I’m just passing as white.”
• Rachel Dolezal admits she was ‘born white’ on Fox talk show ‘The Real.’ (NY Daily News) — Rachel Dolezal, the former Washington state local NAACP leader who lied about her race, admitted the truth on national TV on Monday — to thunderous applause. “I was biologically born white, to white parents,” Dolezal told the co-hosts of “The Real.”
• Students accuse Yale SAE fraternity brother of saying ‘white girls only’ at party door. (Washington Post) — A Sigma Alpha Epsilon brother at Yale turned dark-skinned students away from a party this weekend, telling them, “No, we’re only looking for white girls,” according to a student who said she witnessed him standing on the front steps and blocking a group from entering. Those girls looked startled and walked away, said Sofia Petros-Gouin, a Columbia freshman who was visiting friends at Yale over the weekend. She described a stairway crowded with people trying to get into the Halloween party, and the fraternity brother, who was white, repeatedly saying, “White girls only,” and letting only blond women enter. “I was shocked,” Petros-Gouin said. “I was disgusted.” The allegation — echoed in another interview and on social media in several complaints about similar incidents at Yale’s chapter of SAE — was especially charged because Sigma Alpha Epsilon has been repeatedly accused of having racist traditions as part of its culture. The national chapter announced initiatives in the spring designed to ensure that racist behavior is not tolerated in its chapters across the country.

TOMORROW: KT McFarland and Governor Larry Hogan