Sen. Tim Kaine, CEI’s Chris Horner and ACU’s Matt Schlapp joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 5am – A/B/C Rand Paul Is Naming His Bill to End Selective Service After Muhammad Ali. Senator Rand Paul is pushing for legislation that would eliminate the draft entirely. All men are required to register for the Selective Service (there’s been talk of including women too) at 18, should the United States need to bring back the draft for any reason. Paul wants to eliminate the Selective Service entirely, and he is naming the legislation after Muhammad Ali. The heavyweight champion previously known as Cassius Clay famously refused to serve in Vietnam, saying that war is against his personal beliefs and he “ain’t got no quarrel with the Viet Cong.” In his anti-Vietnam speech, “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam, while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?” And so, Paul considers this legislation to end the draft an ideal way to honor Ali’s legacy. He told reporters this week he admired how Ali stood on principle for what he believed in.

5am – D/E     If DC had to evacuate, would you know what to do? Homeland Security says you need a plan. (Fox 5) – WASHINGTON – If there were a natural disaster or a terrorist attack in DC, how would you get out of the city? It’s a good question, and if you don’t already have an evacuation plan in place, DC Homeland Security officials say you should make one. Just as Metro embarks on its year-long SafeTrack program and repairs that will impact service system-wide, emergency officials say an evacuation crisis could erupt if the city doesn’t adjust its current plans to move people safely out of harm’s way in the event of an emergency. The city feels that the plan they have in place is a good one, but they’re worried that residents and those who work in the city might not be considering the difference that Metro’s construction plan, complete with service interruptions and closures, could have on their plans to get out fast if necessary. Since SafeTrack launched last Saturday, DC’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Command Center has been monitoring Metro and area roads. If a natural disaster or terrorist attack occurred in the city, evacuation routes would face a crush of vehicles, since Metro’s maintenance plan is underway. DC Homeland Security officials said Monday they could evacuate the city if disaster struck. They are prepared to deploy more than 130 traffic control officers onto DC streets, and would use more than 10,000 security cameras to control traffic lights and move people out of the District.

6am – A/B/C Hillary Clinton up big over Bernie Sanders in California. Hillary Clinton was leading Bernie Sanders by a wide margin in California’s presidential primary on Tuesday, hours after declaring victory in her party’s national nominating contest. With 73% of precints reporting, Clinton was leading Sanders 56.7 percent to 42.3 percent, disheartening Sanders supporters.

6am – D         Fairfax County Considering 4 Percent Tax on Meals. If approved, residents would vote on a measure calling for up to a 4 percent tax on prepared foods at restaurants and grocery stores. The tax would include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages served with a meal. The tax would not apply to groceries. Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to put a meal tax referendum on the ballot this November. If approved, Fairfax County residents would vote on a measure that calls for a tax of as much as 4 percent tax on prepared foods at restaurants and at grocery stores, such as those from a deli or salad bar. The tax would include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages served with a meal. The tax would not apply to groceries or to food purchased at vending machines. The tax is estimated to bring in almost $100 million to Fairfax County.

6am – E         DC Council OKs $15-an-hour minimum wage. WASHINGTON — The D.C. Council on Tuesday approved a $15-an-hour minimum wage bill. Mayor Muriel Bowser has promised to sign the measure, which will raise the wage by 2020. In a ceremonial news conference, the mayor and council announced they have come to an agreement on a $15 wage. The council formally voted on the bill Tuesday afternoon. Minimum wage workers in the District currently make $10.50. That rate will increase to $11.50 in July under legislation signed in 2014 by Bowser’s predecessor, Vincent Gray. “In addition we’ll have a tipped minimum wage that will increase to $5 in 2020. And thereafter, it will increase in pursuant to the Consumer Price Index,” said at-large Council member Vincent Orange before the vote.

Is a basic income possible in D.C.? The city is looking into it. (Washington Post) — Tucked into the plan the D.C. Council unanimously approved Tuesday to raise the city’s hourly minimum wage to $15 by 2020 was an amendment to study an even more radical idea: a basic income. Council member David Grosso (I-At-Large) successfully introduced an amendment that calls on the city’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer to study the possibility of providing a basic income in D.C. Universal Basic Income is a policy in which the government gives its residents a certain amount of money to spend as they wish. The amount of money each person and family receives is tied to the cost of living in that jurisdiction. The idea garnered international attention this week after voters in Switzerland overwhelmingly rejected a national proposal for a basic income. Ontario is rolling out a pilot program soon to test the policy, and countries such as Finland are considering the idea. Economists and columnists in the United States have been debating the idea in prominent forums in recent months.

7am – A         Trump-backed Rep. Ellmers becomes first GOP incumbent to lose primary. North Carolina Rep. Renee Ellmers became the first Republican incumbent to lose a primary on Tuesday just days after Donald Trump endorsed her. Trump backed Ellmers in a robocall that went out on Saturday calling her a “fighter” who could help him get things done in Washington. It was his first official congressional endorsement. But on Tuesday, she lost in a primary to Rep. George Holding after redistricting forced the two North Carolina incumbents to compete for the seat.

7am – B/C     INTERVIEW — SENATOR TIM KAINE — U.S. Senator in Virginia and

• Tuesday was primary day. Secretary Clinton is now historic. What should Sen. Sanders do? Time for Sanders to drop out?
• A USA Today panel of democratic strategists picked Sen. Kaine as their top VP pick for Sec. Clinton. Does he have any interest in being veep?
• USA TODAY: USA TODAY VP Power Rankings: Tim Kaine tops the list for Clinton’s running mate. USA Today’s panel of experts thinks her most likely vice presidential pick is Tim Kaine, the moderate Virginia senator and former governor who is the consummate party insider, having once served as Democratic National Committee chairman. USA Today’s experts — the same folks who provided our weekly GOP Power Rankings in the fall and winter — offered a variety of candidates who could help Clinton shore up support with minority voters and liberals: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who is young, African-American and the king of social media; Rep. Xavier Becerra, the only Latino holding a Democratic leadership post in Congress; and Secretary of Labor Tom Perez, a hero of organized labor. “Tim Kaine is far and away the best choice — former mayor, governor, Spanish speaking, highly regarded from a swing state.” said Dallas Morning News columnist Carl Leubsdorf. “I expect Hillary Clinton to pick someone clearly qualified to be president, to increase the contrast with Trump.” Former Democratic congressman Dan Maffei said Kaine “helps a little with Obama insiders but could really help win Virginia.”
  • The Clinton emails investigation is always lingering. Are democrats concerned about her as nominee if the investigation grows into a bigger issue?
  • Tim Kaine: Trump Would Pose ‘Unprecedented Danger’ as Commander In Chief. What are Sen. Kaine’s concerns about Trump?

7am – D/E     Bringing back driver’s ed could be just the thing to get teens behind the wheel. (Washington Post/By Courtland Milloy) — According to the Federal Highway Administration, only 449 teenagers in the District had a D.C. driver’s license in 2014, the most recent year such figures were available. (There are an estimated 13,608 teenagers in Washington between the ages of 16 and 19 who are eligible to drive.) Back in 2001, before driver’s education was dropped from the public school curriculum, the District had 10,917 licensed drivers 19 years old and younger. In 2014, among the 346 male teens and 103 female teens with a D.C. driver’s license was President Obama’s older daughter, Malia, who was taught to drive by the U.S. Secret Service. Surely she isn’t the only teen who wants to drive a car. Lucinda M. Babers, director of the District’s Department of Motor Vehicles, says the decision to drop driver’s education from D.C. public schools “resulted in many teen drivers, who make up most first-time drivers, being ill-equipped to safely navigate the roadways which require driving knowledge and skills, combined with sound judgment.” The District uses a graduated licensing system for beginning drivers — starting with a learner’s permit at age 16, a provisional license at 16 1/2, and a full driver’s license with conditions at 17. First-time drivers ages 20 and older are exempt.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – CHRIS HORNER – Senior Fellow, Center for Energy and Environment. Competitive Enterprise Institute and author of Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud and Deception to Keep You Misinformed and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming and Environmentalism

• California‘s climate denier bill and DC’s war on fossil fuels investments
• California Senate shelves bill enabling lawsuits against climate “deniers” — for now
• C. pension board ignites debate after pulling ‘direct’ investments from fossil fuels

8am – B         2016 News:

• Trump to Give Major Hillary Speech Monday. Donald Trump announced tonight that he’s giving a major speech on Hillary Clinton on Monday.
• Hillary Clinton up big over Bernie Sanders in California. Hillary Clinton was leading Bernie Sanders by a wide margin in California’s presidential primary on Tuesday, hours after declaring victory in her party’s national nominating contest. With 73% of precints reporting, Clinton was leading Sanders 56.7 percent to 42.3 percent, disheartening Sanders supporters.

8am – C         Burger King introduces the ‘Whopperitto’ a burrito-Whopper mashup. (AOL) — Burger King has unveiled the “Whopperitto,” which is a mash-up of a cheeseburger and a burrito. The home of the Whopper introduced all the makings of one, like cheese, meat and lettuce, into the home of a burrito aka a tortilla. Burger King has been showing their creativity recently, even unveiling the Whopper dog! That’s just a hot dog with cheeseburger toppings on it.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — MATT SCHLAPP – Chairman of American Conservative Union, the organization that hosts the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) every year

• Hillary Clinton up big over Bernie Sanders in California
• Donald Trump uses teleprompter for victory speech.

8am – D         Critter News:

• What’s your name, man? Alexander Camelton. His name is Alexander Camelton. There’s a million things he hasn’t done. But just you wait. A month-old Bactrian camel named Alexander Camelton at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo has become a social media star. The gangly brown camel has Twitter abuzz over his name, a play on Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States and the inspiration for the smash Broadway musical “Hamilton.”
• Kenya nationwide blackout caused by rogue monkey. (BBC) — A single monkey caused a nationwide blackout in Kenya after falling on to a crucial piece of equipment. The monkey fell on a transformer at the Gitaru hydroelectric power station on Tuesday, electricity provider KenGen said in a statement. The transformer then tripped, resulting in the loss of 180 megawatts of power and triggering a blackout across Kenya. Power was restored almost four hours later and the monkey survived its adventure, KenGen said. It has now been taken in by the Kenya Wildlife Service.
• ‘Sea lice’ stinging swimmers off Florida’s Santa Rosa Beach. SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Swimmers at a Florida Panhandle beach are dealing with painful rashes from stinging jellyfish larvae, more commonly known as “sea lice.” The News Herald reports the sea lice are almost invisible to the naked eye, but they leave an unmistakable sting. They’ve been reported along Walton County’s Santa Rosa Beach this week. Scott Jackson, a sea grant extension agent in nearby Bay County, says some scientists have compared the larvae to specks of pepper. They typically float harmlessly in the water, but sometimes they get trapped inside swimsuits. That’s when they sting.