Gary Shapiro, Cato’s Dan Mitchell, Heritage’s Bruce Klingner and tax expert Ryan Ellis joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C   North Korean threat to Hawaii is real now, commander says. (MSN) – WASHINGTON — The Pentagon needs to consider deploying new anti-ballistic missile systems and a defensive radar to Hawaii to protect against a growing threat from North Korea, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday. “Kim Jong Un is clearly in a position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion,” Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “I have suggested that we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii that … defend (it) directly, and that we look at a defensive Hawaii radar.” The U.S. currently has anti-missile interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and in Fort Greely, Alaska. Harris was repeatedly questioned by lawmakers from Hawaii on the threat posed to their state. The current defense architecture “is sufficient to protect Hawaii today, but it can be overwhelmed,” he cautioned. “Somewhere, we would have to make a decision about which missiles to take out, and that’s a hard decision.” Harris warned that North Korea’s testing is picking up speed and becoming more aggressive; the country conducted more than 20 ballistic missile tests last year. “North Korea vigorously pursued a strategic strike capability in 2016,” he told lawmakers on Wednesday. “Kim’s strategic capabilities are not yet an existential threat to the U.S., but if left unchecked, he will gain the capability to match his rhetoric.”

5am – D/E     Should You Tell Your Teen You Tried Alcohol or Drugs? (WSJ) — Being honest with your children without making any past recklessness sound entertaining can help them make smarter choices. The questions many parents dread begin as early as middle school: Did you do drugs when you were in school? Did you drink when you were a teenager? Parents’ natural reaction is often to clam up and try to hide youthful misdeeds. But there are ways to use stories about your own underage drinking, reckless driving or drug use to teach teens important lessons about health and safety. It requires listening carefully to what teens are asking and staying focused on what they need at the time. One of the most common mistakes parents make is to let their own past missteps prevent them from talking with their teens at all, says Marcia Lee Taylor, president of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, a New York nonprofit. Children who learn a lot at home about the dangers of drugs and alcohol are much less likely to use them, she says. Other parents err at the other extreme and spill too many details, says Madeline Levine, San Francisco, author of “Teach Your Children Well.” Saying, “ ‘I took LSD and ecstasy and this kind of pot and that kind of pot’ gives it a specificity.” Some teens may read that as a green light to try drugs themselves, Dr. Levine says.

6am – A/B/C What’s in the Trump tax plan that promises ‘massive’ cuts. (ABC News) —  The White House unveiled a sweeping tax reform plan on Wednesday that calls for dramatically cutting federal taxes for businesses and simplifying rules for individuals. The blueprint would slash corporate taxes to 15 percent for large and small businesses, as well as consolidate categories for individual taxes, lowering the top bracket from nearly 40 percent to 35 percent.  Gary Cohn, the White House’s chief economic adviser, said the proposed reduction would be “one of the biggest tax cuts” in U.S. history. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do something really big,” he said at a White House press briefing. “Under the Trump plan, we will have a massive tax cut for businesses,” said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, echoing the Trump campaign’s promise to slash the corporate tax rate to 15 percent. The current federal corporate tax rate ranges from 15 percent to 35 percent, according to the Government Accountability Office. The new plan would consolidate tax brackets for individuals into three rates: 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent. There are currently seven brackets for individuals, peaking at just shy of 40 percent. Also, the plan would double the standard deduction, meaning that a married couple would pay no taxes on the first $24,000 earned in a year.

6am – D/E     $137 Billion Of Student Loan Debt Is Over A Year Past Due. (Daily Caller) — Millions of parents who took out loans to pay for their kid’s college education are unable to pay them back, according to The Wall Street Journal. Nearly 8 million Americans holding some $137 billion in federal student loans are at least 360 days delinquent on their payments, WSJ reports. That figure is nearly equivalent to the number of people who lost their homes after the housing market collapse of 2007, according to The National Center for Policy Analysis. Another 3 million owing $88 billion are over a month late on their payments. The problem is not likely to improve anytime soon, as the majority of those who default on student loans are among those with weak credit, according to new research by economists at The Federal Reserve Bank. Federal laws do not allow for borrowers to rid themselves of student loan debt through bankruptcy. The federal government rarely grants borrowers the ability to skirt the law, but instead collects its payments through reducing tax refunds and deducting from Social Security.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — GARY SHAPIRO – president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

• Save Airbnb: Don’t let city council destroy D.C.’s home sharing economy. (Washington Examiner / by Gary Shapiro) — A few weeks ago, my organization had a problem: more people wanted to come to our annual Washington meeting than we had hotel space for. Since hotels marked up their rooms to as much as $1,000 per night during cherry blossom season, a number of our invited guests canceled, some shortened their trips and others pursued a third option – staying with area residents through the home sharing services such as Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO. Unfortunately, this safety valve alternative for D.C. visitors – and source of income for D.C. residents – may all but disappear, if the D.C. Council does the bidding of the hotel lobbyists in their now not-so-secret campaign to block home sharing nationwide. On April 26, the council is set to vote on a proposal that would arbitrarily restrict rentals to no more than 15 days and cap the number of homes D.C. residents can share. Also, violations of this measure would be punishable by fines up to $7,000. City council members should consider the benefits that home sharing services provide – to hosts, guests and the city. First and foremost, these services provide a source of income to the many D.C. residents who rent out their homes. And for many hosts, that income is crucial. Short-term rental income helps roughly 60 percent of Airbnb hosts stay in their homes and 70 percent of HomeAway owners cover more than half of their mortgages. More, this additional income serves as a source of tax revenue for D.C. The District’s 14.5 percent hotel tax also applies to home sharing. And rental income must be reported to and is taxed by D.C. if it is more than $12,000 during the year. Home sharing visitors also precipitate extra revenue to a diverse set of D.C. businesses, with the accompanying sales tax to the D.C. government. Visitors shop at stores, eat at restaurants and visit bars in the neighborhoods surrounding the homes in which they stay. Most of these homes are far from hotels and the additional revenue is significant for these D.C. businesses. In fact, 42 percent of spending by Airbnb guests is in the neighborhood in which they stay. Nationwide, residents overwhelmingly support home sharing. Research from the Consumer Technology Association found those who have participated in the sharing economy – as guests or hosts – are overwhelmingly supportive (85 percent) of the services and of their entrepreneurial neighbors.
• DC Council debates regulations for online home rentals. WASHINGTON – Legislation is starting to take shape in D.C. that would place rules on websites that offer homes and rooms for short-term stays. Some say it’s a great way to make money in an expensive city, while others are concerned online housing rentals pull too many homes off the market. The line to testify at the D.C. Council hearing about short-term rentals was out the door on Wednesday. “There are a lot of opinions on this bill and it seems no one has a subtle opinion on it,” said At-Large Councilmember Robert White. White is concerned that some commercial operators use companies like Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway to list multiple rentals that would otherwise be traditional, long-term housing. “I think there’s no question there is an effect on affordability when entire housing markets come off the market. You shrink the supply,” White said. A recent study by the Working Families Party found that online rental listings rose 38 percent between 2015 and 2016. At last check, more than 6,000 properties were listed online as hotel alternatives in the District. The grassroots political organization, which is active in D.C. and 10 states, advocates for affordable housing as part of its work. The bill’s author, Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said he recognizes that some residents use short-term rental services legitimately and rely on the rental income.

7am – B         Critter News:

• Wild boar stampede crushes ISIS fighters. (NY Post) — A herd of wild boars became the latest group to join the fight against ISIS — killing three jihadi barbarians during a stampede this week in Iraq, according to reports. At least eight ISIS fighters were taking cover among dense reeds in the al-Rashad region about 55 miles southwest of Kirkuk, preparing for a surprise strike on local anti-ISIS tribesmen when the hero boars charged them on Sunday, Newsweek reported. “It is likely their movement disturbed a herd of wild pigs, which inhabit the area as well as the nearby cornfields,” Sheikh Anwar al-Assi, a chief of the local Ubaid tribe and supervisor of anti-ISIS forces, told the Times of London. Refugees attempting to flee ISIS territory came across the mangled bodies of the three dead ISIS fighters, The Telegraph reported. Brigadier Azad Jelal, the deputy head of the Kurdish intelligence service in Kikuk, told The Telegraph that the three fatal victims may have been trying to defect from ISIS and were heading toward a Kurdish checkpoint, where they planned to surrender.
• Flight from Reagan makes emergency landing after bird strike. An American Airlines flight from Reagan National hit a flock of birds during takeoff Wednesday evening. ARLINGTON, VA (WUSA9) – An American Airlines flight from Reagan National hit a flock of birds during takeoff Wednesday evening. Flight 4411 was headed to Fort Myers, Fla., but diverted to Dulles International to make an emergency landing. The plane touched down safely after sustaining the bird strike. There were 56 passengers on board. No one was hurt. American Airlines is sending a standby aircraft from Reagan to Dulles to pick up the passengers and fly them to Florida. They’re expected to arrive Thursday morning. The bird strike damaged the plane, but it’s not known at this time how extensive it is, an American Airlines spokesperson said.
• Florida neighborhood on alert as hawks attack residents… Hawks attacking residents in Oviedo neighborhood. OVIEDO, Fla. – An Oviedo woman was taking out the trash Monday when a hawk swooped down and attacked, leaving her bloody and wounded. Beverly Bonadonna said she’s not the only person in the Whispering Oaks neighborhood to fall prey to the predatory birds and she’s worried that children could get hurt. Before the attack, Bonadonna said she saw the hawk out of the corner of her eye but never expected it to come at her the way it did. “As I turned out of the corner of the eye, I spotted it again and at that point, it hits me on the side of the head, not just hit, but grabbed, knocked me to the ground. I had to kind of shake my head loose,” Bonadonna said. “At that point, I started screaming for my husband … then it flew away, it finally let go. I started to stand up, my husband had me sit down.” The couple used paper towels to sop up the blood until they realized further medical attention was needed. Bonadonna went to the hospital where doctors treated her puncture wounds and gave her a tetanus shot.

7am – C         SPORTS NEWS:

• Washington Nationals bash their way to 11-4 win over Colorado Rockies in Coors Field. Over the last 24 hours in Coors Field, the Washington Nationals (15-6) have scored 26 runs in 15-12 and 11-4 wins over the Colorado Rockies. Tanner Roark looked like he might be impervious to altitude through four scoreless in Coors Field tonight, but the right-hander ran into trouble in the Colorado fifth, giving up a single and three consecutive walks that got the Rockies on the board. Roark got up to 41 pitches in the fifth inning, and 104 overall, giving up a second run on a bases-loaded grounder to second, but he left the game with a 5-2 lead over the Rockies, and the Washington Nationals eventually won, 11-4.

• Wizards survive Hawks rally, take 3-2 series lead. (USA Today) — WASHINGTON – The pattern of the home team winning every game of an NBA playoff series doesn’t play out often. But it has in the Atlanta Hawks-Washington Wizards first-round Eastern Conference series through five games. The Wizards took Game 5 103-99 on Wednesday, grabbing a 3-2 series lead. If the Wizards want to win the series in six games, they must break the trend and win on the road. “Nobody has taken over the series because nobody has won on the opposing team’s court yet,” John Wall said. If the Hawks want to win the series, not only do they need to win Game 6 at home on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV), they must win Game 7 in Washington. And Game 7 road winners are rare with the home team winning 80% of those games.
• Cop to Caps Player: ‘Great Job, Here’s Your Speeding Ticket’ |  ALEXANDRIA, VA — Capitals player Justin Williams received a speeding ticket in Virginia after returning from Toronto Sunday, where the team won their first round playoff series. That wasn’t the welcome back he expected after scoring the overtime game winner in Game 5, which boosted the team to the Game 6 series win.Williams told WTOP that he thought the police officer that pulled him over recognized him. “She told me, ‘Great job, and here’s your speeding ticket,’” he said. The Capitals forward posted the ticket to Twitter.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — DAN MITCHELL – economist and senior fellow at the Cato Institute who specializes in fiscal policy, particularly tax reform, international tax competition, and the economic burden of government spending

• TOPIC: Explain what is in Trump’s tax plan and how it will impact everyday Americans and the economy:
• What’s in the Trump tax plan that promises ‘massive’ cuts
• Does the tax plan pay for itself?
• Trump’s tax reform: Individual rates 10, 25 and 35%, Childcare tax credit, 15% business rate, Repeal death tax, Repeal AMT,  repatriation, From 7 brackets to 3 brackets, Double standard deduction: A married couple will not have to pay taxes on the first $24,000 it earns, Personal deductions eliminated

7am – E         Ann Coulter cancels Berkeley event amid protests, says decision ‘a dark day for free speech in America’ (Fox News) – Conservative commentator Ann Coulter told Fox News on Wednesday she would no longer give a planned speech at UC Berkeley after Young America’s Foundation pulled its support for the event amid threats of violence, calling her decision “a dark day for free speech in America.” The speech was originally scheduled to take place Thursday – but Berkeley asked to postpone it until next month after protests over the planned speech grew into a nationally-watched firestorm.

ACLU defends Coulter: ‘We must protect speech.’ The American Civil Liberties Union defended Ann Coulter Wednesday after the conservative pundit cancelled a speech at the University of California, Berkeley, citing security concerns. ACLU National @ACLU: “ The heckler’s veto of Coulter’s Berkeley speech is a loss for the 1st Amendment. We must protect speech on campus, even when hateful.” 5:49 PM – 26 Apr 2017 / Coulter announced earlier Wednesday that she would no longer appear at Berkeley after conservative group sponsoring her remarks withdrew their support.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – BRUCE KLINGNER – Senior Research Fellow, Northeast Asia, Heritage Foundation, specializes in Korean and Japanese affairs.

• Klingner’s analysis and writing about North Korea, South Korea and Japan, as well as related issues, are informed by his 20 years of service at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
• North Korean threat to Hawaii is real now, commander says. (MSN) – WASHINGTON — The Pentagon needs to consider deploying new anti-ballistic missile systems and a defensive radar to Hawaii to protect against a growing threat from North Korea, the top U.S. military officer in the Pacific told Congress on Wednesday. “Kim Jong Un is clearly in a position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion,” Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. “I have suggested that we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii that … defend (it) directly, and that we look at a defensive Hawaii radar.”
• Senators describe ‘long and detailed’ White House briefing on North Korea. (ABC News) –  Several Senate Republicans described the full Senate briefing on North Korea at the White House Wednesday as a thorough accounting of the administration’s diplomatic and military options when it comes to dealing with Kim Jong Un. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called it “a long and detailed briefing.” “The military is obviously planning for a number of options, as they should — minimal military action to more significant action,” Cruz said. “It’s of course the hope of the administration and Congress that military action isn’t necessary. If there’s a clear and imminent threat to the U.S., our military needs to be prepared to act and I believe they are prepared to act to keep our country safe.” The senators were invited at the personal invitation of President Donald Trump after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, requested a briefing. The president stopped by the briefing at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House grounds. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, said that one takeaway from the meeting was that “we are a long ways away from exercising all of our options on the diplomatic side.” “There were great questions within the briefing from both sides of the aisles,” Gardner said. “It shows how important this issue is, to have that team assembled to talk about this and make sure North Korea knows they won’t get away with this.”

8am – B         CONGRESS NEWS:

• House GOP plans to buy another week on budget. (Washington Examiner) — The House Appropriations Committee released a continuing resolution late Wednesday that would keep the federal government funded through May 5. “This Continuing Resolution will continue to keep the government open and operating as normal for the next several days, in order to finalize legislation to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year,” House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen said in a statement. The funding bill would buy Congress another week past Friday to work out a long-term budget deal.
• Pelosi breakdown? Garbles words, mispronounces countries in short speech. Nancy Pelosi’s mission on Tuesday was to give a brief speech and not renew questions about her health. She couldn’t do it. During Pelosi’s brief 7-minute speech to Refugees International, the House Democratic Leader garbled names, other words and even mispronounced countries. She congratulated honorees for their well-deserved “resc — recognition.” Pelosi complimented Refugees International’s “strong moral varce — voice.” She said America “degrades our values and our security when we slam the door in the face of children freeing — fleeing atrocities.” She botched country names as she read them from her notes. “With the specter of famine looming in, over northeast Nigeria, Somalia, south “Sudon,” and “Yuma — Yamen,” she said, flubbing “Yemen.” Pelosi asserted cutting the foreign aid budget would “only deepen the crisis fighting — facing the children.” “Children, America, children need America to be their champion,” she said moments later. Pelosi thanked Refugees International for “channeling — challenging us to honor our values.”

• Freedom Caucus will support new ObamaCare repeal bill. (The Hill) — The House Freedom Caucus on Wednesday announced it will back the GOP’s healthcare plan now that an amendment allowing states to opt out of key ObamaCare rules is included. The group of roughly 30 hard-line conservatives held out for weeks, scuttling a planned House vote on the bill last month after it became clear there was’t enough Republican support to pass it. The group said it sees the new amendment, brokered by Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) and centrist Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), as the best option short of fully repealing the 2010 law. “While the revised version still does not fully repeal Obamacare, we are prepared to support it to keep our promise to the American people to lower healthcare costs,” the Freedom Caucus said in a statement. “We look forward to working with our Senate colleagues to improve the bill. Our work will continue until we fully repeal Obamacare.” The MacArthur-Meadows amendment lets states apply for waivers from ObamaCare provisions that ban insurers from charging sick people higher premiums and mandate minimum insurance coverage requirements, as long as the state offers high-risk pools as an alternative.
• Jason Chaffetz Will Miss Weeks of Work in Washington for Foot Surgery. (TIME) — Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz is set to miss more than three weeks of work as he undergoes surgery, according to a post on his Instagram account. Chaffetz chairs the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the main investigative committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. His absence could rule him out of important votes on issues such as health care and tax reform. In his Instagram post, published Wednesday, Chaffetz described a foot injury he sustained some 12 years ago after falling off a ladder. He said the injury needed 14 screws and a metal plate to fix. Beside two X-rays showing the screws and plate in his foot, Chaffetz wrote, “doctors now recommend immediate surgery to remove all the hardware or I could be at risk for serious infection.” “This is not an opportune time to be away,” Chaffetz continued, noting that his recovery was expected to take three to four weeks.

8am – C         Reebok trolls $425 fake ‘muddy’ jeans with fake $425 ‘sweaty’ T-shirt. (ABC News) — Reebok has taken a cue from a pair of $425 men’s jeans with a fake mud coating that lit up the Twittersphere Tuesday because of their lack of authenticity. The heavily-distressed, straight-leg blue denim jeans have “seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you’re not afraid to get down and dirty,” according to Nordstrom’s website.   Reebok entered the fray on Wednesday by adding the “Reebok Authentic Sweat Shirt” — complete with fake sweat stains — on its website, among its legitimate offerings. The faux soiled shirt’s price? $425, of course. “Created by the hard working Reebok employees who always find time to sweat it out during the day,” reads the shirt’s description. “We’re putting in the hard work for you and giving you a pre-sweated tee for that post-workout look and smell.” As for its features, Reebok writes, “Authentic sweat for those who don’t have time to put in the real work … Actual stains that will last forever (do not wash) … Accurate placement of stains created by sweaty employees after workout for maximum visibility.” As of early Thursday morning, the website says the shirt is “sold out.” Again, the Reebok shirt is fake.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – RYAN ELLIS – Forbes columnist, tax policy expert and owns a tax preparation service in the Washington, DC area

• TOPIC: His takeaways of what is in Trump’s tax plan and how it will impact everyday Americans and the economy

8am – E         METRO NEWS:

• Service suspended along portion of Metro’s Red Line after reports of smoke in tunnel at Metro Center. (Fox 5 DC) — WASHINGTON – Service has been suspended along a portion of the Metro’s Red Line after firefighters arrived to investigate reports of smoke in tunnel. The incident was reported around 7:30 a.m. at Metro Center. Service has been suspended between Gallery Place and Dupont Circle. Shuttle buses have been put into place to carry passengers to and from the station. The locations of the buses are at Gallery Place at 7th Street and H Street, NW and at Dupont Circle at 20th Street and P Street, NW. The Green line between Fort Totten and Gallery Place can also be used as an alternative.

• Metrorail Info‏ @Metrorailinfo 2m2 minutes ago: Red Line: Train service restored. Single tracking btwn Farragut North & Judiciary Sq following earlier fire at Metro Center. Expect delays.
• Metrorail Info‏ @Metrorailinfo 26m26 minutes ago: Red Line: Service suspended btwn Dupont Circle & Gallery Place. Use alternate travel options if possible. Shuttle buses established. #wmata
• Porzeezus‏ @FalconPUUNNCH 14m14 minutes ago: @unsuckdcmetro today is take your kid to work day. Metro just lost a whole generation of riders
• Megan McGrath‏Verified account @MeganMcGrath4 19m19 minutes ago: Large crowd waits for shuttle bus outside Metro Center following report of smoke in tunnel. Red line closed btwn Gallery Place &Dupont Cir.
• 500 Metro Workers’ Sick Day Requests Denied in Advance of Planned ‘Sick Out’ (NBC Washington) — Metro is pumping the brakes on its employees’ plan to hold a “sick out” this weekend. The transit agency said it received nearly 500 sick day requests from employees for Friday, which is many more requests than it normally receives. Metro said it denied all of the requests and expects to offer full bus and rail service on Friday. Metro management and its largest union, ATU Local 689, are in a tense and ugly contract dispute. A union spokesman told News4 that members are “outraged” at the negotiations over the contract. Sources told News4 that Metro employees have been telling their supervisors they will not be going to work Friday. According to their contract, however, union members are not permitted to strike.