Weather Channel’s Ray Stagich, Joe diGenova, DC Department of Public Works Director Christopher Shorter, Washington Examiner’s Sarah Westwood, Amazon bestselling author Michael Knowles and Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang meteorologist Angela Fritz joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, March 13, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C   Daylight Saving Time: Do You Hate It Or Love It?

• Daylight saving time 2017 in Washington, D.C. began at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 12
• Governments began ‘Daylight Saving’ during WWI and WWII to save energy and resources during the war effort.
• Hate daylight saving time? You may have a point, researchers say. For most Americans, daylight saving time means only one thing: losing an hour’s sleep. So what is the point? This is actually a reasonable question, according to a growing body of scientific research. Daylight saving time is the practice of moving clocks forward by one hour during summer months so that daylight lasts longer into evening. Most of North America and Europe follows the custom, while the majority of countries elsewhere do not. When clocks in almost all of the United States spring forward by an hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, it will likely prompt an increase in heart attacks and strokes, cause more car accidents and reduce worker productivity, according to studies. It will also fail to cut the nation’s energy bill, contrary to what the experts once believed.

5am – D         INTERVIEW – RAY STAGICH – Radio Meteorologist for The Weather Channel – previewed DC’s Monday night snow fall.

• WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM MONDAY TO 2 PM EDT TUESDAY…
• Tonight |Cloudy with rain and snow. Becoming windy late. Low around 35F. Winds ENE at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precip 100%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

5am – E         ObamaCare Health Care Replacement News:

• PENCE IN KY: Vice President Mike Pence travelled to Kentucky to give a speech on the proposed Obamacare replacement plan. Pence says the road to health care reform will require a unified GOP.

• Ryan foresees ‘bloodbath’ if GOP fails to pass healthcare legislation. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Sunday said he agrees with President Trump that 2018 will be a “bloodbath” for Republicans if Congress does not pass legislation repealing and replacing ObamaCare. “I do believe that if we don’t keep our word to the people who sent us here, yeah,” Ryan told CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” when asked if he agreed with Trump’s reported comments about the 2018 midterm elections.

6am – A/B/C Sean Spicer ambushed while shopping at the Apple Store. (The Hill) — White House press secretary Sean Spicer was accosted while shopping at an Apple store in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. “How does it feel to work for a fascist? Have you helped with the Russia stuff? Are you a criminal as well? Have you committed treason too, just like the president?” a woman filming Spicer asks. “Such a great country that allows you to be here,” Spicer responded. Spicer tried to ignore the woman as she followed him around the store, continuing to ask him if he “feels good” about working for a “fascist” and about “lying to the American people.” The woman who supposedly recorded the video tweeted the confrontation.

6am – D         With March Madness upon us is it time to allow adults to bet on sports?

• End the madness: Let adults bet on sports. (By Michelle Minton / Fox News) — This month, millions of Americans will participate in March Madness—friendly betting pools on the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Men’s Basketball Championship.  People from diverse backgrounds and political ideologies will collectively fill out an estimated 70 million brackets. What they share in common is not only a fun pastime, but violating a federal law. A little known statute, enacted by Congress in the early 1990s, bans states from sanctioning sports betting in any way. Clearly, this has not stopped Americans, from the office janitor to a sitting U.S. President, from spending billions of dollars on illegal sports gambling each year.  What it has done is prevent states like New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware from regulating the activity, enacting consumer protections, and collecting the potential millions of dollars in tax revenue from licensed bookmakers. Worst of all, the law criminalizes the activity of otherwise law-abiding citizens.

6am – E         Pam Anderson can’t get enough of ‘sexy’ Julian Assange. (Page Six) — It was love at first leak! “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson has gone from slow motion runs on the beach to mysterious late night visits to the embassy where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is holed up. Anderson was most recently spotted entering the Ecuadorian safe space in London Thursday night wearing a camel overcoat, snug black top — and either a really short skirt, or no pants at all. Anderson, 49, is a regular at the facility, coyly smiling for photographers as she struts inside to see Assange, 45, whose rogue outfit has dumped some of the US government’s most closely guarded secrets. She refused to deny the dating rumors — saying he intellectually stimulates her more than all her “ex-husbands and lovers combined.” “I think he’s quite sexy,” she wrote in a blog post on Thursday. “He has tremendous strength and stamina — though vulnerable. Hard to imagine him that way — as capable as he is. But, he is up against the biggest super powers in the world.”

6am – F         Kremlin spokesman: Russian ambassador met with advisers to Clinton campaign too. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman said in an interview Sunday that the Russian ambassador who met with Trump campaign officials also met with “people working in think tanks advising Hillary or advising people working for Hillary.” “Well, if you look at some people connected with Hillary Clinton during her campaign, you would probably see that he had lots of meetings of that kind,” Dmitry Peskov told CNN “GPS” host Fareed Zakaria. “There are lots of specialists in politology, people working in think tanks advising Hillary or advising people working for Hillary.” Peskov said it is the job of Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to meet with officials on both sides to talk about “bilateral relations.”

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

• Justice Dept. tells remaining U.S. attorneys from Obama administration to resign, a practice common in transitions. The Justice Department announced Friday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has asked all 46 remaining Obama administration U.S. attorneys to resign. “As was the case in prior transitions, many of the United States attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left the Department of Justice,” said Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores in a statement. Flores said that until new U.S. attorneys are confirmed, the career prosecutors in the nation’s 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices will investigate and prosecute cases.
• Intel panel calls for wiretap evidence by Monday. (The Hill) — House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and ranking member Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) have asked the White House to offer by Monday any evidence showing Trump Tower was wiretapped. A congressional aide confirmed to The Hill that Schiff and Nunes made the request in a letter to the White House. The letter was first reported by The Associated Press. Trump has kept his distance from the press since last weekend, when he accused former President Barack Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower before the November election.

7am – B         Trump News:

• Alec Baldwin returns as Trump on ‘SNL’ to fight aliens. Alec Baldwin returned to “Saturday Night Live” for its latest show, portraying President Trump fighting aliens from the planet “Zorblatt 9.” “Oh yes, what a beautiful day,” Baldwin’s Trump tells U.S. troops. “Who here loves Trump?” “Now here’s the deal. We’re going to beat these aliens because we’ve got the best military, but we don’t win anymore. And the aliens are laughing at us. They’re killing us and they’re laughing at us,” he says before a solider played by Kenan Thompson steps in and asks, “What should we do?” “Here’s what we’re going to do,” Baldwin replies. “We are going to bring coal back, okay? We’re going to have so much coal, you’re going to say ‘Where did all this coal come from? I never knew there could be so much coal.’ ” “But Mr. President, what about the aliens?” Thompson asks. “The just vaporized the entire state of California!” “So then I won the popular vote?” Baldwin responds.
• ‘SNL’ turns their sights on Ivanka, personally bashes her in skit for being ‘complicit.’ The actors of “Saturday Night Live” turned their sights on Ivanka Trump over the weekend in a skit slamming President Donald Trump’s daughter for being “complicit” in her father’s job as president. The skit features “SNL” host Scarlette Johansson portraying the first daughter in a mock ad for a new Ivanka perfume: Complicit. The ad begins showing Ivanka strolling through a high-scale ballroom during a black tie event. “Every man knows her name. Every woman knows her face,” a voiceover says. “When she walks into a room, all eyes are on her.” “She’s Ivanka,” the narrator says. “And a woman like her deserves a fragrance all her own. A scent made just for her. Because she’s beautiful. She’s powerful. She’s…Complicit.”
• Women in China are flocking to plastic surgeons looking to copy the ‘big eyes, pretty nose and flawless figure’ of Ivanka Trump. (Daily Mail) — Ivanka Trump and her daughter have become incredibly popular in China. Cosmetic surgery professionals reveal that the blonde bombshell has become a popular subject for customers demands. Two American women revealed in November that they had also spent tens of thousands of dollars on surgery to look more like the first daughter.  Ivanka Trump might be getting the SNL treatment in America, but in China, she is the next big beauty trend. According to cosmetic surgery professionals in the country, women are ga-ga over the first daughter’s good looks – so much so that they are going to great lengths to copy her look. Since Donald Trump’s inauguration, Chinese companies have been lodging applications to use Ivanka’s name to sell their business.

7am – C         Heavy snow likely in D.C. area Monday night, paralyzing blizzard from New York to Boston. (Washington Post) — Winter storm warning for areas along and west of Interstate 95 in D.C. area, including the District, 7 p.m. Monday to 2  p.m. Tuesday | Winter storm watch for Stafford, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. A powerful Nor’easter will roar up the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts Monday night and Tuesday, unleashing heavy snow and howling winds, and flooding some coastal areas. Snowfall totals may vary widely in the Washington region, with amounts exceeding 8 inches a good possibility just north of the city, but as low as two inches in southeastern suburbs. Inside the Beltway, 4 to 8 inches is most likely. Up and down the Interstate 95 corridor, the storm will hit fast but hard. In just 12 hours, it could generate historic snowfall amounts for March in some areas. The snow amount forecast in Washington is still quite uncertain, as the region is predicted to lie on the edge of the storm’s sweet spot, and slight changes in how it develops and moves could be the difference between a bust and a blockbuster.

7am – D         Daylight Saving Time: Do You Hate It Or Love It?

7am – E         Interview – CHRISTOPHER SHORTER – DC Director of the Department of Public Works – previewed how DC is preparing the city in anticipation of the snow.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — SARAH WESTWOOD — White House Correspondent for the Washington Examiner

• Trump administration signals openness to amendments on Obamacare reform bill.
• PENCE IN KY: Vice President Mike Pence travelled to Kentucky to give a speech on the proposed Obamacare replacement plan. Pence says the road to health care reform will require a unified GOP.
• Ryan foresees ‘bloodbath’ if GOP fails to pass healthcare legislation.
• Intel panel calls for wiretap evidence by Monday.

8am – B         Sean Spicer ambushed while shopping at the Apple Store. (The Hill) — White House press secretary Sean Spicer was accosted while shopping at an Apple store in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. “How does it feel to work for a fascist? Have you helped with the Russia stuff? Are you a criminal as well? Have you committed treason too, just like the president?” a woman filming Spicer asks. “Such a great country that allows you to be here,” Spicer responded. Spicer tried to ignore the woman as she followed him around the store, continuing to ask him if he “feels good” about working for a “fascist” and about “lying to the American people.” The woman who supposedly recorded the video tweeted the confrontation.

8am – C         MARCH MADNESS NEWS:

• NCAA Tournament bracket: Villanova, Kansas, UNC and Gonzaga picked as number 1 seeds. (AP) — Villanova took the overall top seed on Selection Sunday, with Kansas, North Carolina and Gonzaga joining the defending national champions on the No. 1 line for the NCAA Tournament. Not many surprises there, though Duke — left at No. 2 despite a four-win-in-four-night performance in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament — and Syracuse and Illinois State, who got left out altogether, may have been searching for answers. Northwestern was plenty happy: Though it was no surprise, the Wildcats were jumping up and down, taking selfies and celebrating after being officially invited into March Madness for the first time in the program’s history. The Wildcats were seeded eighth in the West, and will open against Vanderbilt on Thursday. With the brackets set, the action begins Tuesday and Wednesday with opening-round games that will include matchups between the last at-large teams invited into the draw: No. 11 seeds Providence vs. Southern California and Kansas State vs. Wake Forest.
• Winter storm could wreak havoc on NCAA tournament travel for teams, fans. (Washington Post) — With a powerful Nor’easter forecast to slam the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts from Monday night through Wednesday morning, NCAA tournament selection committee chairman Mark Hollis is working to mitigate the effects of the storm on teams’ travel plans. “There’s concern about the Buffalo site,” Hollis said on a media teleconference, via USA Today’s Nicole Auerbach, after this year’s bracket was revealed Sunday. “The process is, we’re trying to get everyone in earlier. We’re maneuvering with our travel agents to make that happen for teams and officials.” The eight teams bound for first- and — they hope — second-round games in Buffalo are: Bucknell, Notre Dame, Princeton, Villanova, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the winner of Tuesday’s play-in game between Mount St. Mary’s and New Orleans.

8am – D        INTERVIEW — MICHAEL KNOWLES — author of Amazon bestseller “Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide” and Managing Editor of The Daily Wire

• “Reasons to Vote for Democrats” jumps to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list. But its pages are blank. Amazon best-seller ‘Reasons to Vote for Democrats’ book is just empty pages. To quote an excerpt from author Michael J. Knowles’ new book, the main reason to vote for a Democrat is “          .” The above is not a typo. Knowles’ tome, “Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide,” is 266 pages of absolutely nothing. Clean, blank, snow-white pages. And as of Thursday morning, it occupied the No. 4 slot on Amazon.com’s “Best Sellers” list. “What’s really great about this book, you can go cover-to-cover in about 15, 20 seconds,” Knowles’ told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday. Billed as “the most exhaustively researched and coherently argued Democrat Party apologia to date,” the spoof book was Knowles’ attempt to razz the party for a lack of direction. The conservative journalist released it last month and the book was listed at $9.99 on Amazon — but you can pick up a paperback on sale for $7.08. The project does, curiously, contain an extensive bibliography and a table of contents. But nothing else.

8am – E         INTERVIEW – ANGELA FRITZ – Meteorologist for the Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang – previewed DC’s Monday night snow fall.