Legal analyst Joe diGenova, AEI’s Gerard Robinson, WJLA’s Jennifer Donelan and Frederick County Board of Education President Brad Young joined WMAL on Monday.

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, May 16, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C  DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW: Frederick County Board of Education President Brad Young

• Obama administration’s decree to order schools to have transgender bathrooms. Feds issue guidance on transgender access to school bathrooms.   (CNN) The Obama administration issued guidance Friday directing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity. A joint letter from the Departments of Education and Justice went to schools Friday with guidelines to ensure that “transgender students enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment,” the Obama administration said. The announcement comes amid a heated national debate over transgender rights in schools and public life. The administration is embroiled in a legal standoff with North Carolina over its controversial House Bill 2, part of which has to do with transgender bathroom access. Other states and local governments have attempted to draw lines around rights for transgender people with mixed results. This latest guidance for schools goes beyond the bathroom issue, touching upon privacy rights, education records and sex-segregated athletics, all but guaranteeing transgender students the right to identify in school as they choose. It echoes what members of the administration have previously said on the topic.

5am – D         More households reconsidering how they use the Internet. The biggest concern for Internet-connected households is identity theft, according to a study by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.  WASHINGTON — As more Americans are being affected by cyberattacks and security breaches, many are starting to change how they’re using the Internet in order to stay safe. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) found that nearly half of all American Internet-connected households have stopped at least one online activity because of a privacy or security concern. The study found that three in 10 households have stopped at least two online activities. Financial transactions was the most likely activity to see a dip, with three in 10 saying they stopped conducting this type of business online.  A quarter of respondents said they had stopped buying goods or services online because of these privacy or security concerns.

5am – E         Critter News:

• World’s oldest living cat Scooter – who only was revealed as the Guinness record holder this week – has died at age 30. (Daily Mail) — A Siamese cat recently cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest living cat did not live to enjoy the title. Scooter marked his 30th birthday on March 26. However, his longtime owner Gail Floyd of Mansfield, Texas, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Scooter had died by the time Guinness conferred its title on April 8. She told the newspaper: ‘He was so special. I don’t think I’m ever going to get over this.’
• Preakness is this weekend. Racehorse doping issue “has the potential to explode on the industry like a nuclear bomb.” Former Maryland Jockey Club CEO Joseph A. De Francis watches the Triple Crown races with growing anxiety, worried that an overmedicated horse will collapse in front of millions of viewers, sending the industry’s already tenuous fortunes tumbling along with it. Questions about drugs in the sport have “the potential to explode on the industry like a nuclear bomb,” said De Francis, 61, who spent 35 years in the business and once was a partner in Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, which will host the Preakness on Saturday. Some trainers, owners and industry insiders like De Francis warn the sport needs to adopt a potent, uniform drug policy to replace the state-by-state patchwork of regulations and to persuade a skeptical public to return more often to the grandstand and wager more money.

6am – A/B/C RNC Chair Says ‘People Just Don’t Care’ About Reports Donald Trump Mistreated Women. Trump impersonated a publicist years ago. He won’t release his tax returns. WASHINGTON — Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday said voters don’t care about reports that the party’s presumptive presidential nominee has disrespected women and made unwelcome advances toward them in the workplace. A New York Times investigation published Saturday included dozens of interviews with women and men who worked with Donald Trump over decades, detailing crude comments about the female form, disturbing workplace conduct and more.  “All these stories that come out — and they come out every couple weeks — people just don’t care,” Priebus said when questioned about the NYT report on “Fox News Sunday.” “I think people look at Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and say, ‘Who’s going to bring an earthquake to D.C.?’” Fox anchor Chris Wallace took another stab at the question, appearing flummoxed that Priebus assumed no one cares. “The question is whether or not he mistreated women, made unwanted advances, whether he humiliated women in the workplace — I don’t know why you say people don’t care about that,” Wallace said.

6am – D         Mark Zuckerberg to meet with conservative media figureheads. (CNN) —

Mark Zuckerberg invited prominent conservative media figures, including Glenn Beck and Dana Perino, to a meeting at Facebook’s headquarters this week. The meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, is aimed at addressing the alleged suppression of conservative news stories in Facebook’s “trending” stories section. Along with Perino and Beck, other confirmed attendees include Arthur Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute, CNN conservative commentator SE Cupp, and Zac Moffatt, co-founder of tech firm Targeted Victory. Moffatt was previously Mitt Romney’s digital director. “I’m going in with an open mind and an eagerness to learn more,” Cupp said. “Conservatives and Silicon Valley actually come down on the same side of many issues and share some common concerns. I’m sure we’ll find plenty to talk about, and I’m honored to have been included.”

6am – E         Food News:

• Regular Gluten Free Diet should be avoided for health children: Study. For people suffering from Celiac disease, there is no choice but to eat gluten free products. However, recent market trends have suggested that sales of gluten free products has witnessed a rise and it could be quite possible that people without celiac disease, have started using gluten free products more often. Unless one suffers from celiac disease, long term use of gluten free products is not suggested by medical experts. In the case of adults, it might suit, but in the case of children, there are a few reasons for them to avoid it. There are many myths about gluten and there is need to clear them out. Foods are composed of three elements- fat, carbohydrate, and protein.  Gluten is a protein present in wheat, rye and barley. In 1% of adults and children, genetic and gluten combination leads to celiac disease that can damage the intestinal lining. It can also cause serious nutritional and gastrointestinal problems. But in the case of children, gluten travels through the intestine without leading to any disease. Another important thing to know is gluten-free diet is not equivalent to healthy food.  Fruits and vegetables are gluten free and should be generously incorporated in every child’s diet. But a gluten-free cookie remains a cookie.
• Don’t blame candy for childhood obesity. Contrary to the researchers’—and our own—expectations, their analysis of the data found that the children who ate the most chocolate and candy tended to be slimmer. In fact, in the kids who reportedly consumed the highest amount of chocolate and candy, the odds of being overweight or obese were 18 percent lower. Of course, the study doesn’t conclude that more sugar makes for a healthier child, but perhaps a different sugar source is more to blame for obesity: beverages. According to the National Cancer Institute, the average kid takes in 5 times more calories from sugary drinks than from candy. Since candy tends to be a special treat, whereas soda and juice might be a part of a child’s daily diet, the intake of candy itself might not be to blame for an unhealthy weight.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

• New email release shows Clinton chose not to use secure phone line, acknowledged Blackberry risk
• Squadron member speaks out on stalled Benghazi response.
• TREY GOWDY Discussed Allegations By New Benghazi Witness
• FBI Director Disputes Hillary’s Claim That Email Probe Is Just A ‘Security Inquiry’

7am – B         2016 News:

• Carson says Christie, Cruz, Kasich, Rubio and Palin are on Trump’s shortlist for VP. Ben Carson says Donald Trump’s list of possible running mates includes some awfully familiar names for anyone who’s followed the 2016 presidential race:  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. “Those are all people on our list,” Carson told the Washington Post. The retired neurosurgeon, who endorsed Trump after dropping his own presidential bid, said that while he’s a member of the presumptive Republican nominee’s vice presidential search committee, he has no interest in being considered himself. Carson “understands he’s a lightning rod for controversy,” the newspaper reported, “and Trump doesn’t need help sparking fires.” But just last week, one of those people on Trump’s shortlist — Palin — said that she doesn’t want to a “burden” for Trump, either.
• Trump: Rubio not under consideration for VP pick. Washington (CNN) Donald Trump is making it clear he’s not considering Marco Rubio as his running mate. The Florida senator is an oft-mentioned name as a vice-presidential choice for the presumptive GOP nominee. Speculation heightened after The Washington Post reported Sunday on five names that Trump surrogate Ben Carson suggested were under consideration. Trump took to Twitter Sunday evening to dismiss those claims. “The @washingtonpost report on potential VP candidates is wrong. Marco Rubio and most others mentioned are NOT under consideration,” Trump tweeted.
• Gingrich open to being Trump’s GOP running mate
• Trump on Warren: ‘You mean Pocahontas?’ Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is not reining in his attacks against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).  When New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd asked Trump if “he had been chided by any Republicans” for his Twitter war with the Democratic senator, the presumptive nominee said, “You mean Pocahontas?”  Trump earlier this week fired off insults on Twitter, calling the senator “Goofy Elizabeth Warren.”
• O’Malley talks Trump’s ‘fascist appeal’ and Baltimore crime in television interview

7am – C         ‘Casablanca’ actress Madeleine LeBeau dies at 92. ROME (AP) — French actress Madeleine LeBeau, best known for her small but impactful role in “Casablanca” as Rick’s pushed aside girlfriend Yvonne who passionately sings “La Marseillaise” at a pivotal moment in the film, has died. She was 92. The actress died May 1 in Spain, after suffering a thigh-bone fracture, Carlo Alberto Pinelli said. LeBeau was the second wife of Pinelli’s father, the late Italian screenwriter Tullio Pinelli. LeBeau had been living with a daughter, Maria Duhour, who informed the younger Pinelli of the woman’s death. Born in the southern suburbs of Paris in 1923, LeBeau first appeared on screen in the1939 French film “Young Girls in Trouble.” The next year, she and then-husband, actor Marcel Dalio fled France ahead of the Nazi invasion, eventually making their way to the United States.

7am – D/E     Obama: Election Day should be a holiday. (USA Today) — President Obama says the United States should look at what other countries do to encourage voting, including automatic registration, voting on weekends, or making Election Day a national holiday. “We are the only advanced democracy that makes it deliberately difficult for people to vote,” Obama said in an interview with the student newspaper at Rutgers University, where the president delivers a commencement address this weekend. Obama noted that “some of it has to do with the nature of our history and our Constitution, where we allow individual states to determine their own processes for structuring elections within certain boundaries.” By working together we can help keep your account safe. During a discussion of low voter turnout, a student reporter had asked the president: “In many other countries, the government automatically registers voters and holds elections on days that are weekend days or national holidays. Do you think it’s time for the U.S. to follow their lead?” “Absolutely,” Obama said.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – GERARD ROBINSON – Resident Fellow, Education Policy Studies at American Enterprise Institute and formerly served as COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION FOR the State of FLORIDA and SECRETARY OF EDUCATION for the Commonwealth of VIRGINIA

• Obama administration’s decree to order schools to have transgender bathrooms. Feds issue guidance on transgender access to school bathrooms.   (CNN) The Obama administration issued guidance Friday directing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity. A joint letter from the Departments of Education and Justice went to schools Friday with guidelines to ensure that “transgender students enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment,” the Obama administration said. The announcement comes amid a heated national debate over transgender rights in schools and public life.

8am – B         OBAMA Made Digs At Trump During His Commencement Address at RUTGERS: Rebuking Trump, Obama tells graduates walls won’t solve ills. PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — President Barack Obama on Sunday urged college graduates to shun those who want to confront a rapidly changing world by building walls around the United States or by embracing ignorance, as he delivered a sharp and barely concealed critique of Donald Trump. Obama used his commencement speech at Rutgers University to illustrate a world view antithetical to the ideas espoused by the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Looking out at a sea of red and black gowns, Obama told the roughly 12,000 graduating students that the pace of change on the planet is accelerating, not subsiding, and that recent history had proved that the toughest challenges cannot be solved in isolation. “A wall won’t stop that,” Obama said, bringing to mind Trump’s call for building a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. “The point is, to help ourselves, we’ve got to help others — not pull up the drawbridge and try to keep the world out.”

8am – C         Russian Official Apologizes for Doping Problem but Says Athletes Shouldn’t Be Barred. (NY Times) – Russia, facing deepening scrutiny over accusations that it orchestrated a doping campaign during the Sochi Olympics in 2014, on Sunday made a public plea for its track and field athletes to be allowed to compete in this summer’s Games in Rio de Janeiro. Writing in The Sunday Times, a British newspaper, the Russian sports minister said Russian officials, coaches and athletes made “serious mistakes,” but he stopped short of specifying them or admitting to any state role. “We are very sorry that athletes who tried to deceive us, and the world, were not caught sooner,” wrote the sports minister, Vitaly Mutko. “We are very sorry because Russia is committed to upholding the highest standards in sport and is opposed to anything that threatens the Olympic values.” But he added: “It cannot be right that clean athletes should suffer for the behavior of others. In no other walk of life would this happen.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW – JENNIFER DONELAN — WJLA 7 On Your Side Crime Investigator

• Tonight Jennifer is reporting on a story about Fitbit Privacy and it will air tonight at 11pm.

8am – E         DC Parking Tickets:

• Maryland Drivers Receive the Most Parking Tickets in DC. (Washingtonian) – There’s a long-held debate around Washington over which jurisdiction is home to the worst drivers. With jobs in DC split about evenly between the city and the suburbs, the District sees drivers from all over put to the test with its one-way streets, traffic circles, back-in-only spaces, and parallel parking.  That insight can open data provide into the prowess of the region’s drivers? Newly released parking-ticket data sheds some light. The District issued more than 1.5 million parking tickets in 2015, generating more than $73 million in fines. While DC residents received a little less than one-third of the tickets, they were not actually the top recipients.  That honor goes to motorists from Maryland, who accrued more DC parking tickets than drivers from anywhere else in the country. Maryland drivers received 120,000 more DC parking tickets than DC residents, for a total of 554,265 parking tickets worth over $25 million in fines.
• D.C. parking meter rates set to increase in June. WASHINGTON — Beginning next month, it will cost more to park at a metered space in the District. Parking rates at all of D.C.’s nearly 15,000 meters will be $2.30 an hour for commercial and passenger vehicles effective June 1, 2016.  The District Department of Transportation is making the rate changes as part of the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Support Act, which D.C. Council approved last year. The change will be a 30-cent increase from the current $2 rate for premium-demand zones, which include the busiest commercial districts. It’s a more than $1.50 more to park in what DDOT defines as a normal demand zone — up from $.75.