Byron York, Larry Kudlow and Jillian Barberie joined WMAL on Tuesday morning.

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Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C Shutdown talk creeps into debate over Planned Parenthood funding. (The Hill0 — Republican senators are tiptoeing around talk of a government shutdown in October after a failed vote Monday on defunding Planned Parenthood. A group of conservatives in the House have already pledged not to vote for any government funding bill that includes Planned Parenthood, creating the potential for a high-stakes battle against the White House this fall. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has pledged that there will be no shutdowns on his watch, but Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — a leading force behind the effort to defund ObamaCare in 2013 — is stirring the pot with talk of action. “I believe we should use every and any procedural tool available to defund Planned Parenthood,” Cruz, who is running for president, told reporters before Monday’s 53-46 vote on defunding. Asked if it would be worth shutting down the government over Planned Parenthood’s $528 million a year in federal funding, Cruz shifted the focus to Democrats.

5am – D         DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW – MARC MORANO of Climate Depot

• Obama’s new power-plant regulations to alter, challenge utilities. Obama unveils major climate change proposal. Washington (CNN)The Obama administration unveiled a major climate change plan on Sunday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation’s coal-burning power plants. On Monday, President Barack Obama started selling it to the public at a White House event. The “Clean Power Plan” is the final version of regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency, which President Barack Obama called “the biggest most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change,” in a video released by the White House on social media Saturday night. Under the plan, the administration will require states to meet specific carbon emission reduction standards, based on their individual energy consumption. The plan also includes an incentive program for states to get a head start on meeting standards on early deployment of renewable energy and low-income energy efficiency.

5am – E         BACON NEWS:

• Man Calls Police Because His Girlfriend Let Cat Eat His Bacon. A British man called the police––999 there as opposed to 911 here––because his girlfriend let his cat eat his bacon. No, seriously. The operator asked, “What would you like the police to do with regard to that, sir?” He said he wanted to press charges. When asked “against who, your girlfriend or the cat?”, he said “both of them.” The operator had to patiently explain that “it’s not a criminal offense to let a cat eat your bacon.”
• Ted Cruz Makes ‘Mmm … Machine-Gun Bacon.’ In a new video, presidential candidate Ted Cruz has manages to combine one of America’s near-universal loves with one of its more contentious pastimes: bacon and guns. The video is the latest in a stream of off-the-wall, YouTube-style videos featuring GOP presidential candidates. “There are few things I enjoy more than on weekends cooking breakfast with the family,” Cruz opens the video. Raw bacon and aluminum foil are then wrapped around the barrel of a machine gun at a firing range. “Of course in Texas, we cook bacon a little differently than most folks,” Cruz says. He fires a number of shots at a target, noting grease dripping on the ground, followed by the big reveal: Cruz unwraps the foil and eats a forkful of bacon, laughing “Mmm, machine-gun bacon.”

6am – A/B/C If Certain GOP Candidates Don’t Make It To The Top 10 In Polls, Do You Count Them Out?

Fox News Poll: New high for Trump, new low for Clinton

• Trump receives the backing of 26 percent of self-identified Republican primary voters — up from 18 percent in mid-July and 11 percent a month ago. That’s not only the highest level of support for Trump, but it’s also the highest any GOP candidate has received since the Fox poll began asking the question in December 2013.   Trump’s rise hasn’t hurt former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who garners 15 percent and is the only other Republican in double-digits. He was at 14 percent in mid-July and 15 percent in June. Behind Trump and Bush, it’s Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 9 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 7 percent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 6 percent each, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul at 5 percent a piece, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich get 3 percent each.

6am – D/E     Why Is Crime Spreading Nationwide?

• Major Cities Chiefs Association National Summit on Violence in America: (Washington, DC) – Major Cities Chiefs Association will convene for a National Summit on Violence in America on Monday, August 3, 2015. The Summit was organized after Chiefs of Police in major cities and counties across the country looked at the increase in violent crime, particularly the rise in homicides, and saw several commonalities. “In a conversation about what was going on in their cities, it was remarkable to me how many of them were seeing the same thing; some with very striking similarities. The goal of the Summit is to identify potential gaps and propose solutions that will help us stop this escalating violence. We have come too far to lose traction now.” Chief Lanier stated. The purpose of the Summit is to identify the critical issues, craft potential strategies and solutions, and focus national attention on the problem. Topics of discussion will include the various causes and factors contributing to the increase, such as the growing prevalence of synthetic drugs and the challenges posed by repeat violent gun offenders, as well as approaches that may be implemented across the criminal justice system.

7am – A         INTERVIEW – BYRON YORK – Chief Political Correspondent for the Washington Examiner – previewed the Fox debate.

7am – B/C    HitchBOT, the hitchhiking robot, gets beheaded in Philadelphia. (CNN) — HitchBOT, the cheerful hitchhiking robot that had made cross-country trips across Canada, the Netherlands and Germany, had intended to travel across the United States as well. Instead, it survived all of 300 miles on the mean streets of the U.S.A. Two weeks after beginning its U.S. trip in Boston, the robot was vandalized in Philadelphia, the team overseeing the robot said in a statement. “HitchBOT’s trip came to an end last night in Philadelphia after having spent a little over two weeks hitchhiking and visiting sites in Boston, Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City,” the hitchBOT “family” said on its website. “Unfortunately, hitchBOT was vandalized overnight in Philadelphia; sometimes bad things happen to good robots.” Frauke Zeller, one of hitchBOT’s creators, said the robot’s “family” was disappointed in the incident. HitchBOT — which consisted of bits of technology (including a GPS and a movable arm) and odds and ends such as Wellington boots and gardening gloves — was put together by researchers from Ontario’s McMaster and Ryerson universities.

7am – D         Bill Kristol Despises The Beach (Daily Caller/Betsy Rothstein) –The Weekly Standard‘s Bill Kristol just returned from a trip to Rehoboth, Del., where he did not enjoy the beach. He had a good time. But the beach is for people who like sand, heat, waves. In other words, the “uncivilized” parts of life. In a funny note to readers, Kristol went on and on about his summer vacation with family. “We’re back from a week at the beach, and I’m pleased to report that I survived. Indeed, I think I could paraphrase Faulkner and say that I did not merely survive, I prevailed. I prevailed because the family all had a good time. I prevailed because I managed to spend a respectable number of hours (by my lights!) on the actual beach–while, needless to say, spending much more time in the screened-porch or air-conditioned, wifi-friendly confines of the beach house. (Have other people noticed that beaches tend to be very hot, have lots of gritty sand that gets in one’s clothes, feature unpredictable waves, and are generally subject in an uncivilized way to the elements?)

7am – E         Celebrity Divorces:

• Reba McEntire and her husband, Narvel Blackstock, split after 26 years. (CNN) Country singer Reba McEntire and her husband, Narvel Blackstock, announced Monday that they would split after 26 years of marriage. In a joint statement, they said that they have been separated for a few months. Blackstock is McEntire’s manager. “Despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other. They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so. They have asked that you respect their privacy during this time,” the statement read. McEntire, 60, was born in Oklahoma. She shot to fame in the 1980s with such hits as “Can’t Even Get the Blues,” “Somebody Should Leave” and “Walk On.” She’s also made a name for herself as an actress, starting in the TV sitcom “Reba.” Blackstock and McEntire share one son.
• Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale file for divorce after 13 years of marriage. Another favorite Hollywood couple has called it quits. Gwen Stefani has filed for divorce from husband Gavin Rossdale after 13 years of marriage, E! News confirms. “While the two of us have come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage, we remain partners in parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our three sons in a happy and healthy environment,” the couple said in a statement. “To that end, we respectfully request privacy from the media during this time.” The singer has cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split, and is asking for joint custody of the couple’s three kids—9-year-old Kingston, 6-year-old Zuma and 1-year-old Apollo, according to court documents obtained by E! News.
• Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Hit With Divorce Rumors – Again. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are not going to announce a “split at the end of the summer,” despite a new webloid report. Gossip Cop can exclusively correct this story. We’re told it’s simply “not true.” According to RadarOnline, Will and Jada have decided to “pull the plug” on their 17-year marriage and already have a “secret divorce deal” in place to divide their $240 million fortune. An “insider” tells the webloid that Will and Jada are “exhausted from trying to maintain the facade of a happy union,” and have “decided to pull the plug in a carefully choreographed manner, [and] agree announcing their split at the end of the summer is the right move.”

8am – A         INTERVIEW — LARRY KUDLOW – CNBC Senior Contributor and host of The Larry KUDLOW Show on WMAL Saturdays at 7 pm

• Fox News Poll: New high for Trump, new low for Clinton
• Obama’s new power-plant regulations to alter, challenge utilities. Obama unveils major climate change proposal. The “Clean Power Plan” is the final version of regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency, which President Barack Obama called “the biggest most important step we’ve ever taken to combat climate change,” in a video released by the White House on social media Saturday night. Under the plan, the administration will require states to meet specific carbon emission reduction standards, based on their individual energy consumption. The plan also includes an incentive program for states to get a head start on meeting standards on early deployment of renewable energy and low-income energy efficiency.

8am – B/C     Study: Offices use decades-old formula to set office temperatures.

WASHINGTON — We’ve all been there: It’s sweltering hot outside, but you can’t really dress for the weather, because you work in an office that’s always freezing cold. Long socks and boots won’t do; you’ll need that tweed blazer or wool sweater. A study published Monday shows that most office buildings set temperatures based on an old formula that uses the metabolic rates of men. “In a lot of buildings, you see energy consumption is a lot higher because the standard is calibrated for men’s body heat production,” Boris Kingma, a co-author of the study, told the New York Times. “If you have a more accurate view of the thermal demand of the people inside, then you can design the building so that you are wasting a lot less energy, and that means the carbon dioxide emission is less.” Researchers found the women’s average metabolic rate was 20 to 32 percent lower than the rates used to determine office temperature.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – JILLIAN BARBERIE – discussed her new reality show.

• Her new TBS series: “Jillian Barberie judges the new reality-comedy-competition-series Funny or Die Presents America’s Next Weatherman from Mark Burnett premiering on Saturday, August 8th at 11:00pm (ET/PT) on TBS. You can follow Jillian on Twitter and Instagram @askjillian.”
• Her KABC radio show: “The Drive Home with Jillian Barberie and John Phillips” which airs daily Monday thru Friday from 3:00p-6:00pm available on 790AM and online at www.kabc.com.

8am – E         Huma/Hillary News:

• Huma Abedin Accused of Taking $10K in Overpayments from Hillary Clinton’s State Department. (Free Beacon) — An investigation by the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General found that Huma Abedin, the longtime Hillary Clinton aide who now serves as the vice chair of the former secretary of state’s presidential campaign, accepted nearly $10,000 in overpayments from the government agency. According to the Washington Post, the investigation became public when Senate Judiciary Committee chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) sent letters to Abedin, Secretary of State John Kerry, and the OIG on the matter late last week. According to Grassley, the OIG “found at least a reasonable suspicion of a violation” of a law having to do with the “theft of public money through time and attendance fraud,” indicating that investigators accuse Abedin of accepting payment for time she was on vacation or sick leave. The letter alleges that records show Abedin never took vacation or sick time during her time working as an official in the State Department between January 2009 and February 2013. However, Grassley charges that Abedin was “on leave on numerous occasions,” including a trip to Italy and France in 2011, according to the investigation.
• Hillary aide Huma facing ‘criminal’ conduct investigation; BUSTED by using Clinton’s secret email. The swirling vortex of Hillary Clinton’s scandal-ridden past may sink one of her top aides for illegally dipping into the public trough, despite investigators’ being thwarted by Clinton’s missing emails. Investigators found that Huma Abedin, vice chairwoman of Clinton’s presidential campaign, probably was overpaid by nearly $10,000 because of violations of rules governing vacation and sick time while she served as an official in the State Department, according to a Washington Post story Friday. The finding emerged publicly after Sen. Chuck Grassley — chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee — sent letters, which were obtained by the newspaper, to Secretary of State John Kerry and others about an investigation into possible “criminal” conduct by Abedin.