KT McFarland, Rep. Andy Harris, Rep. Tom McClintock and Rep. Duncan Hunter joined WMAL on Wednesday!
Mornings on the Mall
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor
Executive Producer: Heather Hunter
5am – A/B/C State of the Union: What is your GOP response to Obama?
5am – D Iran Says It Has Released U.S. Sailors Accused of ‘Trespassing.’ TEHRAN — Iran has released two United States Navy patrol boats and 10 crew members who were described as “trespassing” in Iranian waters near a major naval base, state news media reported on Wednesday. The Pentagon and the State Department said that one of the boats had experienced mechanical problems en route to Bahrain from Kuwait on a routine mission on Tuesday, and the Iranians appeared to have accepted that explanation. The release was announced shortly before 10 a.m. on an Iranian state-run news channel, IRINN. “The detained U.S. Marines, after it was realized that their entry into Iran’s territorial waters was unintentional, and after the Marines apologized, were released into international waters in the Persian Gulf,” the channel reported, attributing the statement to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
5am – E Major shakeup in DC Police Union leadership. A shrinking police force and crime concerns have raised questions of safety in the District of Columbia. DC Police Union president Delroy Burton has been outspoken on behalf of its members against how Police Chief Cathy Lanier has been doing business. But there has been a major shakeup Tuesday night. Whether residents live in D.C. or just come to visit, most want to know the city’s police force is up to the task of protecting people. For nearly a decade, Burton has been at the helm challenging city leadership on how best to reach that goal. This summer, Burton appeared on FOX 5 News Morning after a no-confidence vote for Chief Lanier. However, Burton is the one who is out as union president. Burton said if membership wants change, that is exactly what they are going to get. “I accept the fact that they have decided to go in a different direction and I’m pleased with the things I’ve been able to do, so no regrets and I just will move forward,” said Burton. He lost by a significant margin to Sergeant Matthew Mahl. FOX 5 received a picture of the election results showing Mahl received nearly double the votes.
6am – A/B/C Ann Coulter says that Donald Trump should deport Nikki Haley after governor’s pro-immigrant speech. (NY Daily News) — South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley urged decorum in her State of the Union response, though some of her fellow Republicans are more focused on calling for deportations – including hers. Riffing off of President Barack Obama’s calls for a less divided country, Haley said that voters should reject “the siren call of the angriest voices” and also urged acceptance of immigrants. Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter, a known supporter of GOP front-runner Donald Trump, took issue with the stance and unleashed a barrage of tweets against the governor and Muslims coming to the US. “Trump should deport Nikki Haley,” she said of the native South Carolinian born to parents from India.
Republicans Respond to Obama State of the Union — By Blasting Trump!… Resist ‘siren call of angriest voices’… ‘Turn down the volume’ A new CBS report ahead of President Obama’s last State of the Union address details how the Republican response– delivered by South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley– will serve as a rebuttal to the policies of GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. The new report seems to underscore prior reporting from the Washington Post that “Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is rapidly emerging as Republicans’ anti-Trump.” CBS writes: “The Republican response to the President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening appears to rebut… some of the policies espoused by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to excerpts released by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.”
6am – D Should you get in on the office lottery pool? Powerball Lottery: Benefits and drawbacks of office pools. (NEW YORK) — Want to join the office pool to increase your chances of winning the historic $1.4 billion Powerball lotto? Be careful — a win can draw people closer together — or land them in court. Past Cases Of Pooling Wins: There have been examples in the past of both situations. A group from a real estate company in Florida won $1 million in 2013. They not only split the winnings among the 12 employees who chipped in $20 for the pool, but they also gave a cut to an employee who had started just two weeks prior and hadn’t contributed. “The fact that we got to share in an experience that most never have in a lifetime — winning a Powerball — we grew closer,” said Laurie Finkelstein Reader, who works at that real estate office. While that situation worked out fine, there have been less positive examples. There was a situation in California in 2005 when a group of colleagues from Kaiser Permanente were sued by four of their fellow employees who said that they had oral agreements to get in on the winning lotto pool. According to a recent Orange County Register interview with the winners, the suits were dismissed.
6am – E Hillary Attacking Sanders, Polls Dropping.
7am – A/B State of the Union: What Is Your GOP Response To Obama?
7am – C Virginia farm seeking goat cuddlers gets overwhelming response so will host #Goatapalooza. WASHINGTON — An Albemarle County farm is no longer seeking volunteers to snuggle its baby goats after an “overwhelming response” from interested cuddlers. Caromont Farm in Esmont, Virginia, expects 90 baby goats, or kids, will be born by mid-February and asked for volunteers to provide extra hands to cuddle and feed the baby goats. The farmers make goat cheeses, so 24 hours after the kids are born, the farm starts bottle feeding the babies and milking the mothers. The kids have to be bottle fed four times per day. The farm posted a message on its Facebook page Tuesday saying its volunteer scheduled was already full through the needed time period. Caromont Farms adds that it is hosting a “Goatapalooza” on April 3. During the event, the farm will open its doors from noon until 4 p.m. to anyone “who would still like to come get some goat love in.”
7am – D INTERVIEW – KT MCFARLAND – Fox News National Security Analyst
Twitter: @KTMcFarland
- KT’s thoughts on Obama’s State of the Union
- Iran Says It Has Released U.S. Sailors Accused of ‘Trespassing’
7am – E INTERVIEW — CONGRESSMAN ANDY HARRIS – R-MD (M.D.) – shared his reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union.
8am – A INTERVIEW — REP TOM MCCLINTOCK — Representative for California’s 4th congressional district – shared his thoughts on the State of the Union.
8am – B VA and MD Legislature Come Back:
- Legislature returns in Virginia; governor to outline vision. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Lawmakers are returning to Richmond to kick off the 2016 legislative session and to hear Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s State of the Commonwealth speech. The Democratic governor is entering his third year in office and will be seeking support from state lawmakers to support his $109 billion proposed budget that includes a billion-dollar increase in education spending, small corporate and individual tax cuts, and a 2 percent raise for state employees.
- What to expect when Maryland lawmakers return for 2016 session. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) will greet the lawmakers returning to Annapolis this week with a proposal for tax relief and a demand for more control over spending decisions. Meanwhile, the Democratic-controlled legislature will try to overturn the six vetoes Hogan issued last spring. The 90-day legislative session that begins Wednesday is an opportunity for Hogan to capitalize on a highly successful first year as a red governor in a blue state at a time of increasing polarization among governments at both the state and federal levels. For Democratic lawmakers, it is a chance to prove their relevance. “For both sides, there’s danger. Hogan doesn’t want to come across as too demanding and too partisan,” said Todd Eberly, a political science professor at St. Mary’s College. “The Democrats face a similar challenge while they figure out, was Hogan a fluke? Or were voters sending a larger message? . . . I expect to see the testing on both sides to see what they can get away with and what they can’t.” Much of the session will focus on the budget, an issue that caused a major rift last year between Hogan and the two longtime leaders of the General Assembly, House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D-Anne Arundel) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert). Lawmakers will also debate whether Maryland should join a handful of other jurisdictions in the country that allow assisted suicide and require paid sick leave. They will consider bills to address poverty and other problems in Baltimore, reform the criminal justice system, improve the business climate, increase college affordability, boost retirement security and expand early voting. All this will unfold as Maryland prepares for a late-April primary that will decide the nominations for one open U.S. Senate seat and two open U.S. House seats. Several state lawmakers are running.
8am – C Apple’s Siri has a hidden beatboxing talent. (NEW YORK) — Apple’s voice-powered personal assistant has a hidden beatboxing talent. Tell Siri to beatbox and she’ll reply: “Here’s one I’ve been practicing” before busting a beat by saying the phrase “boots and cats” over and over again. According to various beatboxing tutorials, the silly phrase is a popular one for beatbox beginners.
8am – D INTERVIEW — REP DUNCAN HUNTER – (R., Calif.)
- Congressman Hunter’s thoughts on the president’s State of the Union
- Iran Says It Has Released U.S. Sailors Accused of ‘Trespassing’
8am – E Ohio fugitive who sent police a selfie is arrested. (CNN) Donald “Chip” Pugh didn’t like the mugshot the cops posted of him online. So he sent them a better one, a selfie with a note that read: “Here is a better photo that one is terrible.” The 45-year-old Pugh was wanted by police in the northwestern Ohio city of Lima because he’s accused of failing to appear in court on a DUI charge. Police said he’s also a person of interest in other cases involving vandalism and an arson. Tuesday morning, Pugh was arrested in Century, Florida, according to a Facebook post from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
