Robert Costa, Robert Thomson “Dr. Gridlock”, Larry Kudlow and guest host Jessie Jane Duff joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and guest host Jessie Jane Duff

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C HALF OF U.S. VOTERS EMBARRASSED WITH TRUMP AS PRESIDENT, QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL POLL FINDS; TRUMP AT TOP OF GOP PACK, BUT CRUZ CLOSES IN: Six weeks before the Iowa Caucuses open the 2016 presidential race in earnest, Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz lead the Republican field nationally, but Trump trails either Democratic candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and 50 percent of American voters say they would be embarrassed to have Trump as president, according to a Quinnipiac University National poll released today. Trump has 28 percent of the GOP pack, with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 24 percent. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has 12 percent and Dr. Ben Carson has 10 percent, the independent Quinnipiac University Poll finds. No other candidate tops 6 percent with 8 percent undecided. But 58 percent of those who name a candidate might change their mind.

5am – D         6 U.S. troops killed in motorcycle bomb attack in Afghanistan, officials say. (CNN) All six of the NATO service members killed Monday in a motorcycle bomb attack in Bagram, Afghanistan, were American, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. A suicide bomber on a motorbike carried out the attack on a joint patrol of Afghan and coalition forces at about 1:30 p.m. in the Bajawri area of Bagram district, said Waheed Sediqi, a spokesman for the governor of Parwan province. Two other U.S. service members and an American contractor were also wounded, officials said. The area is close to the U.S. base in the Bagram district of northern Parwan province.

5am – E         Fox News Announces Moderator Line-Up For Their Second Republican Debate. Fox News announced in a press release Monday that their moderators for the first Republican debate– Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace— would once again host the network’s second debate.The second Fox debate is set to air Thursday, January 28 at 9 PM ET.

6am – A/B     Besides Obama and Hillary, Who Deserves A Lump of Coal?

6am – C         Barack Obama to appear on Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.’ “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” will feel downright presidential when the popular Web series returns Dec. 30. President Barack Obama appears in an episode of Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.” That’s because Barack Obama will be Jerry Seinfeld’s guest for the premiere of Season 7, whose later episodes on Sony’s Crackle platform will feature a return to full-time comedians, including Will Ferrell and Steve Martin. The president can be heard — but not seen — supposedly answering a White House phone in a YouTube trailer posted Monday, but a Crackle press release photo appears to show Obama sharing a laugh with Seinfeld.

6am – D         President Obama says Donald Trump is “exploiting” Americans’ fears.

Reflecting on the rise of Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, President Obama said the real estate mogul is “exploiting” Americans’ anxieties about the economy and American society. “You combine those things and it means that there is going to be potential anger, frustration, fear. Some of it justified, but just misdirected,” Obama said in an interview with NPR released Monday. “I think somebody like Mr. Trump is taking advantage of that,” he continued. “That’s what he’s exploiting during the course of his campaign.” Trump earned the support of 41 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning registered voters in a recent Monmouth University poll, opening up a 27-point lead over his closest challenger, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. In a wide-ranging interview before leaving for Hawaii, Obama also discussed the fight against ISIS, and the threat the group poses to the United States.

6am – E         Smile … for your driver’s license photo. (InsideNoVa) — Rather your driver’s license photo not look like a mugshot? The Department of Motor Vehicles on Monday announced a new policy allowing smiles for license and identification card photos — replacing those old “neutral expression” mugs. “We heard loud and clear from customers that they prefer posing with smiles,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb in a news release. “There are a lot of reasons to smile about DMV. We want to capture those smiles on your cards.” In 2009, DMV adopted the neutral expression policy in preparation for the potential future use of image verification software. At the time, this type of identity theft deterrent software worked best when comparing similar images, the release said. But the DMV is no longer using that software, making way for toothy grins, if you’d like, on your license.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — ROBERT COSTA – National political reporter, The Washington Post @costareports

• Lindsey Graham suspends his presidential campaign
• Robert Costa ‏@costareports Dec 16: Donald Trump: “I really don’t want Jeb’s endorsement.”
• Robert Costa Retweeted: On Point – NPR ‏@OnPointRadio Dec 18: “‘Cruz is well organized when it comes to a longterm primary plan.’ @costareports

7am – B         Hillary News:

• Chelsea Clinton has another baby on the way. Chelsea Clinton got an early Christmas gift this year…She’s pregnant again! The 35-year-old just announced that she is expecting her second child with husband Marc Mezvinsky. She took to Twitter to share a photo of her daughter, Charlotte—who she welcomed into the world last September—and write: “Next summer, Charlotte is going to be a big sister! Feeling very blessed & grateful this holiday season.”
• Hillary Clinton to unleash her “not so secret weapon” in January. (ABC News) — Former President Bill Clinton joined his wife Hillary in a surprise appearance after the third Democratic debate at a watch party, in Manchester, New Hampshire, Saturday night. Clinton stood side by side with her husband, saying the former president will be out on the campaign trail in January. “I think this is fair to say that starting in January, I will have my not so secret weapon,” she said. “We’re going to cover as much ground as we possibly can.” It was the first time the former president made a public appearance immediately following one of the debates.

• Chris Christie: Hillary Clinton Is ‘Mrs. Happy Talk’ on ISIS. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accused Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton of trying to “happy talk her way to the presidency” for her suggestion in Saturday night’s debate that the U.S. is finally where we need to be in the fight against ISIS. “With dead bodies in Paris, dead bodies in San Bernardino and no plan from this administration to deal with it, we’re finally where we need to be?” Christie rhetorically asked ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview on “This Week” Sunday morning. “Mrs. Clinton is ‘Mrs. Happy Talk’ and she just wants to happy talk her way to the presidency,” he added. “She is a personification of this administration: Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes?”

7am – C         Success! SpaceX lands rocket after takeoff. SpaceX finally guided a reusable rocket safely back to Earth after liftoff on Monday. Traditionally, rockets are disposed of after they detach from the spacecraft. The ability to recycle them marks a big step toward making space travel cheaper. After three failed attempts at a rocket landing, it marks a major victory for SpaceX and CEO Elon Musk.

7am – D/E     Many Millennials see Christmas as more cultural than religious holiday. Is Christmas more a religious or cultural holiday? Millennials are less religious than older Americans and less likely to identify with a religious group, and those traits are reflected in the way they celebrate Christmas. Nine-in-ten Millennials say they take part in Christmas, but only four-in-ten say they do so mainly as a religious holiday, according to a survey we conducted in 2013. Belief that Jesus Christ was born to a virginThat stands in contrast to those in older generations, who in some cases are more likely to say they celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, attend religious services for Christmas and believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, according to a new look at the data. Instead, 43% of Millennials say Christmas to them is more of a cultural holiday – about as many as celebrate it as a religious holiday (40%).

8am – A         INTERVIEW – ROBERT THOMSON AKA DR GRIDLOCK at The Washington Post

• Latest transportation news, particularly previewing holiday travel and what to expect in the new year: About 100 million traveling this holiday, AAA projects

8am – B         Lindsey Graham suspends his presidential campaign. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) ended his long-shot presidential bid Monday, telling supporters in a web video that he succeeded in changing the conversation about how to fight the Islamic State.

8am – C         Artificial Christmas tree caused Annapolis Yacht Club fire, officials say. The fire that badly damaged a beloved boating club in Annapolis was sparked by an artificial Christmas tree, investigators determined. Capt. John Bowes of the Annapolis Fire Department said Monday that an electrical malfunction in the tree, which came pre-lighted with decorative lightbulbs, led to the blaze at the Annapolis Yacht Club on Dec. 12. The fire caused roughly $9 million worth of damage, officials said. The waterfront club is a landmark institution in the state capital, host to 1,600 members and 150 employees and to civic events enjoyed by many more.

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

8am – E         Entertainment News:

• Harrison Ford Paid 56 Times ‘Star Wars’ Co-Stars. (Fortune) — Walt Disney is paying a lot of money to get Harrison Ford to return to a galaxy far, far away. That’s the takeaway from a Guardian piece that claims Ford could make up to $34 million for reprising his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The salary includes a $25 million upfront with a slim share of the film’s gross earnings. Notably, Ford is getting paid 56 times the $450,000 flat fee received by British newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley—who each play new leading characters in the film. His salary is also far above the $1.5 million reportedly paid to Carrie Fisher to return to the franchise. “Harrison is the key to making this movie work,” a Disney source told the Daily Mail.
• Tina Fey is done explaining jokes after Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt backlash. Tina Fey: “There’s a real culture of demanding apologies, and I’m opting out of that.” Tina Fey and her Netflix show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt came under fire after some deemed a story line involving Jane Krakowski’s character racist. The Sisters star is done apologizing for it, and all her jokes in general. “Steer clear of the Internet and you’ll live forever,” Fey told Net-a-Porter in a recent interview. “We did an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt episode and the Internet was in a whirlwind, calling it ‘racist,’ but my new goal is not to explain jokes. I feel like we put so much effort into writing and crafting everything, they need to speak for themselves.” She continued, “There’s a real culture of demanding apologies, and I’m opting out of that.”