Rep. French Hill, Rep. Mark Meadows, Rep. Jim Jordan, Corey Stewart and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B     INTERVIEW – GERARD ROBINSON – Former Virginia Education Commissioner, AEI Resident Fellow, Education Policy Studies.

• Supreme Court Seems Poised to Deal Unions a Major Setback. WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed poised on Monday to deliver a severe blow to organized labor. (NY Times) — The justices appeared divided along familiar lines during an extended argument over whether government workers who choose not to join unions may nonetheless be required to help pay for collective bargaining. The court’s conservative majority appeared ready to say that such compelled financial support violates the First Amendment. Collective bargaining, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said, is inherently political when the government is the employer, and issues like merit pay, promotions and classroom size are subject to negotiation.

5am – C         David Bowie Dies: Madonna, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Many More Celebrities React on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. David Bowie passed away on Sunday, January 10, following an 18-month battle with cancer. After the devastating news was revealed, millions of tributes from fans and celebrities alike were posted across social media. On Twitter, more than 4.3 million tweets about Bowie were sent out in the seven hours after the singer’s son, Duncan Jones, confirmed the news on the social media platform.

• Paul McCartney: “Very sad news to wake up to on this raining morning,” McCartney shared via his blog on Monday. “David was a great star and I treasure the moments we had together. His music played a very strong part in British musical history and I’m proud to think of the huge influence he has had on people all around the world. I send my deepest sympathies to his family and will always remember the great laughs we had through the years. His star will shine in the sky forever.”
• Mick Jagger: “David was always an inspiration to me and a true original,” the Rolling Stones frontman told Us Weekly in a statement. “He was wonderfully shameless in his work. We had so many good times together … he was my friend, I will never forget him.”
• Madonna: “I’m devastated. David Bowie changed the course of my life forever,” the songstress shared on Facebook. “I never felt like I fit in growing up in Michigan. Like an oddball or a freak. I went to see him in concert at Cobo Arena in Detroit. It was the first concert I’d ever been to. I snuck out of the house with my girlfriend wearing a cape. We got caught after and I was grounded for the summer. I didn’t care. I already had many of his records and was so inspired by the way he played with gender confusion. Was both masculine and feminine. Funny and serious. Clever and wise … Thank you David Bowie. I owe you a lot … The world will miss you. Love M.”
• Elton John: “I am still in shock. Never saw it coming,” John wrote on Instagram. “My deepest condolences to Iman and the family. An amazing life. An amazing career.”

5am – D         Hillary Clinton’s Lead Over Sanders Nearly Vanishes. With just 21 days until the presidential primaries officially begin in Iowa, Hillary Clinton’s support among Democrats nationally has taken a serious tumble, falling eight points to 43%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll. Support for her chief rival, Bernie Sanders, rose six points to 39%. As a result, Clinton’s lead over Sanders, which had been 18 points, is now just four points. Other polls have shown the race tightening in Iowa, which holds its caucuses on Feb. 1, and New Hampshire, which has its primary eight days later. Two recent New Hampshire surveys have Sanders in the lead, and the latest NBC poll in Iowa has Sanders just three points behind Clinton. But the IBD/TIPP Poll is the first to show the race significantly tightening nationwide.

Biden praises Sanders on income inequality, calls Clinton ‘relatively new’ to the fight. Washington (CNN) Vice President Joe Biden offered effusive praise for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders Monday, lauding Hillary Clinton’s chief rival for doing a “heck of a job” on the campaign trail and praising Sanders for offering an authentic voice on income inequality. And while Biden said Democrats had a slate of “great candidates” running for president, he suggested Clinton was a newcomer to issues like the growing gap between rich and poor. “Bernie is speaking to a yearning that is deep and real. And he has credibility on it,” Biden said during an interview with CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger.

5am – E         Pennsylvania couple struggles to sell house used as home of psychotic killer in “The Silence of the Lambs” PERRYOPOLIS, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania couple is struggling to sell a house used as the home of psychotic killer Buffalo Bill in the 1991 film “The Silence of the Lambs.” Scott and Barbara Lloyd listed the house last summer, but they’ve dropped the asking price from $300,000 to $250,000. The three-story Victorian in Layton was the second-most clicked home on Realtor.com last year, but Scott Lloyd told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the publicity has attracted curiosity seekers, but no serious buyers. “We’re finally starting to see a little bit of motion,” Lloyd said. The home’s location in a tiny village about an hour’s drive southeast of Pittsburgh works against it. So does the fact that it has only one bathroom to go with its four bedrooms. “Even though it’s got notoriety, location still is a big deal,” said Erik Gunther, a senior editor and expert on unique homes for Realtor.com. The foyer and dining room were depicted in the film, but no, there’s no dungeon pit in the basement where the killer played by Ted Levine kept his victims before killing and skinning them. Those grisly scenes were filmed on a soundstage.

6am – A/B/C Rand Paul Tells CNN He Refuses to Compete in the Undercard GOP Debate: ‘I Will Protest.’ GOP candidate Rand Paul has revealed to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he has been left off of the next Republican Debate stage, scheduled for this Thursday night on Fox Business. The Paul campaign was suspected of falling short of the announced criteria for the debate, and ahead of the lineup announcement on Lou Dobbs Tonight, Paul has let his fate be known. Paul told Blitzer, “I will protest.” “It’s a mistake,” the Libertarian candidate continued. “We have been in the top five or six in most of the recent polls… it’s a mistake to try and exclude me from the national debate.” Senator Paul revealed that he “will not accept” competing in the undercard round Thursday.

GOP candidate lineup announced for Fox Business Network debate. (Fox News) — Fox Business Network on Monday announced the candidate lineup for the Jan. 14 Republican presidential debates – and already one candidate has said he will not participate after not qualifying for the prime-time event. The participants qualifying for the prime-time, 9 p.m. ET debate are: Billionaire businessman Donald Trump; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. The participants qualifying for the earlier, 6 p.m. ET debate are: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul; former HP CEO Carly Fiorina; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. However, the Paul campaign said Monday night it does not plan to participate.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – REP. FRENCH HILL – represents Arkansas’s 2nd congressional district. He was elected in the 2014 election and took office on January 3, 2015.

• Previewed the president’s State of the Union
• Obama offers only failed progressive politics. (The Hill/By Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) – In what will be his last State of the Union address, the president will stand in front of a Congress with a considerably different makeup than the one he was first greeted by in 2009 — and he has only himself and his “my-way-or-the-highway” leadership style to blame. When he came to office, his list of congressional allies was exhaustive, and they helped deliver to him his major legislative achievement during his presidency — ObamaCare. However, the president’s great victory on healthcare was ultimately a devastating blow to Congressional Democrats and gave way to major Republican gains in the House and Senate in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

6am – E         VA vs MD Immigration Raids:

• Montgomery Co. slams immigration raids, refuses to cooperate. Montgomery County officials says the county will condemn immigration raids. (WUSA) ROCKVILLE, Md (WUSA9) — Montgomery County leaders offering a blunt warning to the Obama Administration: Local police will not cooperate with new immigration raids to deport women and children who have fled violence in Central America. The raids continue across the country despite new criticism in Montgomery County and on the presidential campaign trail from Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. But Montgomery County’s response is also facing derision from some people. Prince William County Board Chair Corey Stewart, the leader of Donald Trump’s campaign in Virginia, said he’ll encourage undocumented immigrants to leave his community and head to Maryland. Reaction to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids is rolling across social media, with immigrants passing the word not to answer that knock on the door.
• Montgomery and Prince William, worlds apart on deportation raids. (Washington Post) — Two counties, two starkly different messages Monday about illegal immigrants and deportation. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) attempted to ease anxiety among Latinos — who make up about 18 percent of the county’s 1 million residents — over recent raids in several states by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Leggett encouraged Latino families to go about their daily routine “free of fear.” “We are proud of the people who have come to Montgomery County from every corner of the globe,” Leggett said in a statement. “You have enriched our community and you will always be welcome here.” In Prince William County, Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R) encouraged undocumented immigrants in his community to take advantage of Leggett’s welcoming stance.

 

7am – A         INTERVIEW — REP MARK MEADOWS — Representative (R-NC 11th District) since 2013 – previewed the president’s State of the Union.

7am – B         Critter News:

• Uptick in coyote sightings reported across Fairfax County, officials say. The number of coyote sightings in Fairfax County has increased in recent months and officials are warning that the predators could pose a threat to small pets, Fairfax County police said Monday. “The sightings are widespread and have been documented in most county parks and many communities,” said Lucy Caldwell, a Fairfax police spokeswoman. Coyotes have been in Northern Virginia for decades, but Caldwell said they are particularly active during January and February as the animals seek mates at the start of breeding season.
• A Farm in Virginia is Recruiting Volunteers to Snuggle With its Baby Goats. Looking for the cutest volunteer gig ever? A farm in central Virginia is looking for people to come snuggle with its baby goats. Caromont Farm in Esmont, Virginia is home to more than 120 goats, which provide its owners with fresh and aged cheeses. In February, an additional 90 kids will be born, and farmers are recruiting locals to love, feed, and play with the baby animals once they arrive in the world, bleary-eyed and bleating.       According to local news affiliate NBC-29, farmers bottle feed the baby goats four times a day. They’re outfitted with sweaters to keep them snug in the cool winter weather, and they’re separated by size and kept in heated pens.
• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to retire all touring elephants in May. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is ending its elephant acts a year and a half early, and will retire all of its touring elephants in May. The move comes amid increasing scrutiny of circus elephant acts with local governments passing “anti-circus” and “anti-elephant” ordinances in response to concerns over animal cruelty. The circus’s parent company, Feld Entertainment, told The Associated Press exclusively that all of the iconic elephants will be permanently retired to the company’s 200-acre Center for Elephant Conservation, located between Orlando and Tampa. The company announced in March that it would retire the full herd to the center by 2018. But once officials began planning details, they realized “we could actually do this a lot sooner” because building the new structures to house the retiring elephants didn’t take as long as they originally thought, said Alana Feld, Ringling’s executive vice president and show producer. It costs about $65,000 yearly to care for each elephant, Feld said. Eleven elephants currently tour with the circus.

7am – C         Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall announce their engagement. (USA Today) — LONDON — Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and actress and former supermodel Jerry Hall announced their engagement Tuesday. The news was revealed in the births, marriages and deaths section of the Times of London, which is owned by Murdoch’s News Corporation media group. It reads: “Mr Rupert Murdoch, father of Prudence, Elisabeth, Lachlan, James, Grace and Chloe Murdoch, and Miss Jerry Hall, mother of Elizabeth, James, Georgia and Gabriel Jagger, are delighted to announce their engagement.” Australian-born Murdoch, 84, and Texas native Hall, 59, have been dating since the summer after they were introduced by one of Murdoch’s sisters and his niece in Australia.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — REP JIM JORDAN – R_OHIO and chair of the House Freedom Caucus” – previewed President Obama’s State of the Union.

7am – E         RGIII cleans out locker, leaves letter behind. ASHBURN, Va. – ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — A green Hulk doll poked its head out of a cardboard box stuffed with plastic action figures and other items Robert Griffin III collected from his stall in the Redskins Park locker room Monday. He peeled away four bits of paper with capital-letter phrases: “Tackle adversity!” ”Squad up!” ”Sacrifice!” ”Unleash the beast!” He left behind a sign filled with life advice printed over a Redskins logo, beginning with the line: “People are often unreasonable, irrational, & self-centered; forgive them anyway.” The player known as RG3 is expected to be let go by the team that dealt a trove of draft picks for the right to pick him No. 2 overall in 2012, then soared to a division title that season as he won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Griffin was replaced as the starting quarterback this preseason by Kirk Cousins. Now the most important topic of the offseason for NFC East champion Washington (9-8) will be negotiations to sign Cousins to a long-term deal.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW — COREY STEWART – Prince William County, Board of Supervisors Chairman

• Montgomery and Prince William, worlds apart on deportation raids. (Washington Post) — Two counties, two starkly different messages Monday about illegal immigrants and deportation. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) attempted to ease anxiety among Latinos — who make up about 18 percent of the county’s 1 million residents — over recent raids in several states by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Leggett encouraged Latino families to go about their daily routine “free of fear.” “We are proud of the people who have come to Montgomery County from every corner of the globe,” Leggett said in a statement. “You have enriched our community and you will always be welcome here.” In Prince William County, Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart (R) encouraged undocumented immigrants in his community to take advantage of Leggett’s welcoming stance.

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

• STATE OF THE UNION PREVIEW: White House press secretary JOSH EARNEST says that the SOTU will start with the economy
• MARKETS: (CNN) — China is buying U.S. companies Tuesday, and its markets are calm. But investors will be keeping a close eye on oil prices, and news of a deadly blast in Turkey. Crude futures are falling again, down around 1%, after a 6% fall Monday. RBS analysts say $16 oil is possible and advises its clients to… well, sell everything. “We think investors should be afraid,” the note cheerily warns. Still, U.S. stock futures are up more than 0.5% and markets are higher in Europe. Monday market recap: The Dow Jones industrial average gained 0.3%, while the S&P 500 inched up 0.1%. The Nasdaq was down 0.1%.

8am – E         2016 News:

• Biden praises Sanders on income inequality, calls Clinton ‘relatively new’ to the fight. Washington (CNN)Vice President Joe Biden offered effusive praise for Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders Monday, lauding Hillary Clinton’s chief rival for doing a “heck of a job” on the campaign trail and praising Sanders for offering an authentic voice on income inequality. And while Biden said Democrats had a slate of “great candidates” running for president, he suggested Clinton was a newcomer to issues like the growing gap between rich and poor. “Bernie is speaking to a yearning that is deep and real. And he has credibility on it,” Biden said during an interview with CNN chief political analyst Gloria Borger.
• Hillary Clinton’s Lead Over Sanders Nearly Vanishes. With just 21 days until the presidential primaries officially begin in Iowa, Hillary Clinton’s support among Democrats nationally has taken a serious tumble, falling eight points to 43%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP Poll. Support for her chief rival, Bernie Sanders, rose six points to 39%. As a result, Clinton’s lead over Sanders, which had been 18 points, is now just four points.
• Rand Paul Tells CNN He Refuses to Compete in the Undercard GOP Debate: ‘I Will Protest.’ GOP candidate Rand Paul has revealed to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that he has been left off of the next Republican Debate stage, scheduled for this Thursday night on Fox Business. The Paul campaign was suspected of falling short of the announced criteria for the debate, and ahead of the lineup announcement on Lou Dobbs Tonight, Paul has let his fate be known. Paul told Blitzer, “I will protest.” “It’s a mistake,” the Libertarian candidate continued.