Leonard Sax, Brandon Wetherbee, Byron York,  Frank Fiorina, Matt Schlapp and guest host Mercedes Schlapp joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Hosts: Larry O’Connor and guest host Mercedes Schlapp

5am – A           Get to know Mercedes Schlapp 

• Mercedes Viana Schlapp is co-founder of Cove Strategies, a governmental and public affairs firm based in Alexandria, Virginia.  She works as a consultant for clients from Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofit organizations.

5am – B/C       GOP News Roundup 

• George Pataki drops presidential bid. CNN — George Pataki ended his presidential campaign on Tuesday, dropping a bid to capture the Republican nomination that never caught traction with a voter base clamoring for more conservative and anti-establishment candidates.”While tonight is the end of my journey for the White House as I suspend my campaign for president, I am confident we can elect the right person,” Pataki said in a web video.
• Trey Gowdy endorses Marco Rubio for president. FOX – South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy on Tuesday endorsed fellow Republican and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president. “I found hope in the son of a barkeep and housekeeper,” Gowdy said at a town hall meeting in Clinton, Iowa. “I found my candidate. It’s Marco Rubio.” Gowdy, chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, said he’s backing Rubio largely on his strength and knowledge on national security and public safety issues. “What good is freedom of speech if you’re dead or living in fear?” Gowdy asked. 

5am – D//E      INTERVIEW – LEONARD SAX – MD PhD 

• CBSNews – Children today are growing up in a very different world than the one their parents experienced. Researchshows that 69 percent of 11 and 12-year-olds have a cellphone purchased by their parents, and 76 percent of teens use social media. In his new book, “The Collapse of Parenting,” Dr. Leonard Sax says that parents today are too often letting their kids run the show. “Fifty years ago, 30 years ago, parents would say, ‘No dessert until you eat your broccoli,’ but now it’s a question: ‘How about if you try three bites?'” Sax told “CBS This Morning” Monday. “I think in a certain way you need to expect kids to behave like adults, but you should not give them the authority of an adult.” According to Sax, the shift in authority can be explained by larger shifts in American culture. 

• WMAL takes your calls 

 6am – A/B/C   Carrie Fisher blasts Star Wars body shamers on Twitter.

• The Guardian —Carrie Fisherhas hit out at people who commented on her appearance in the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens. On 29 December, the 59-year-old actor tweeted that social media trolls should focus on more meaningful aspects of her return to the role of Leia Organa – now a general – for the first time since Return of the Jedi in 1983. “Please stop debating about whether or not I aged well,” she wrote. “Unfortunately, it hurts all three of my feelings. My body hasn’t aged as well as I have. Blow us.” Later Fisher added: “Youth and beauty are not accomplishments, they’re the temporary happy by-products of time and/or DNA. Don’t hold your breath for either.”
• Is there a double standard or does she actually look and sound very different? WMAL takes your calls.

6am – D/E       Donald Trump is quick to insult people and reactionary.

• Is this strategy purely for the campaign trail or will it carry over if he becomes President? If so, are you ok with that? WMAL takes your calls.

7am – A/B/C    INTERVIEW – BRANDON WETHERBEE – DC Managing Editor of Brightest Young Thing 

• Still need to make New Year’s Eve plans? Brandon gives WMAL a summary of ways to celebrate around the area.
• Has becoming a parent ruined NYE? WMAL takes your calls. 

7am – D/E       State Dept. counts ‘bringing peace’ to Syria as a 2015 win. 

• Politico –The State Department is counting “bringing peace” to Syria as one of its wins in 2015. A boastfulrecap of the State Department’s accomplishments, written by spokesman John Kirby, includes the bold subheadline of “Bringing Peace, Security to Syria” above a more modest entry talking about S. aid for those affected by the country’s turmoil and the U.S. push for a political transition from President Bashar Assad. While Secretary of State John Kerry has played an integral role in the Syrian peace talks, the country remains embroiled in a nasty civil war and terrorized by the Islamic State. “The United States and many members of the international community have stepped up to aid the Syrian people during their time of need — the United States has led the world in humanitarian aid contributions since the crisis began in 2011,” Kirby said.
• By the State Department’s definition of achievement, what did you achieve this year? WMAL takes your calls.

8am – A           INTERVIEW – BYRON YORK — Columnist for the Washington Examiner

• Analysis of political news of the day.

8am – B            Sports Update.

• Eagles Fire Chip Kelly. ESPN — The Chip Kelly revolution ended before it ever really began. ThePhiladelphia Eagles abruptly fired Kelly on Tuesday night, five days before the final game of the 2015 regular season. Kelly’s Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention when they lost to the Washington Redskins on Saturday night. That loss dropped the Eagles to 6-9. They were 2-5 over their past seven games, including losses in which they surrendered 45 points twice and 40 points once. Kelly’s record in nearly three seasons as Eagles head coach was 26-21. Kelly told Fox Sports on Tuesday night that he didn’t fight owner Jeffrey Lurie’s decision to fire him. He also told Fox Sports that he wants to stay in the NFL rather than return to college coaching.
• Tiger Woods turns 40. BBC — As the ailing 14-time major champion struggles to swing a club again, he can celebrate this landmark birthday by reflecting that no-one has had a bigger impact on the game.

• John Wall on All-Star Game voting: ‘It’s a joke’. YAHOO — John Wall will be the first to admit that he’s had an up and down year. With that in place, he’d also like to be the first to shout out that Cleveland Cavalier guardKyrie Irving has played fewer minutes all season than Wall played in October. Wall is fifth in NBA All-Star Game voting amongst Eastern guards, whilst Kyrie Irving is second. This no doubt rankles the Washington point man, and he didn’t hold back after being informed about his still-pending status when it came to the fans’ vote for the NBA’s midseason sometimes-classic. 

• Chargers fine Eric Weddle $10,000 for skipping locker room to watch daughter perform during halftime. Nydailynews– Eric Weddle’s career with the Chargers is likely over after the team fined him $10,000 for watching his daughter perform at halftime instead of being in the locker room on Dec. 20 against Miami. San Diego also placed the five-time All-Pro safety on injured reserve on Monday, reportedly against his wishes, after he aggravated a groin injury in the second half of their Thursday night loss to Oakland. Weddle and other injured players will not travel with the team for the season finale this Sunday in Denver, the Chargers announced. 

8am – C   Guns N’ Roses to Reunite for Coachella, Possible Stadium Tour    

• Billboard.com – Guns N’ Roses, with founding members Axl Rose and Slash, will headline the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., set for April 15-17 and April 22-24, according to multiple sources. The reunited band is also negotiating with promoters to play as many as 25 football stadiums in North America in the summer of 2016, and is scheduled to be one of the first acts to play the new Las Vegas Arena, set to open April 6. Guns N’ Roses is said to be asking as much as $3 million per show, with tickets topping out in the $250-$275 range. The last show Axl Rose and Slash played together was on July 17, 1993 at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. Guns N’ Roses’ most recent tour, which only included Axl Rose from the original lineup, took place primarily in South America and The Joint in Las Vegas, grossing $15.2 million.

8am – D    INTERVIEW – FRANK FIORINA – Husband of 2016 Presidential Candidate Carly Fiorina

• What does America need to know about Carly?

8am – E      INTERVIEW – Matt Schlapp –– Chairman of the American Conservative Union

• Update on CPAC 2016