Byron York, Peter Morici, Lanny Davis and Jake Tapper joined WMAL on Thursday!

Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B     DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW – BYRON YORK – Washington Examiner discussed the Sen. Sessions confirmation fight.

5am – C         Fisher House Radiothon Is Back: Once again, WMAL and the Fisher House Foundation are hosting the annual Fisher House Radiothon. This year’s special Radiothon event can be heard on WMAL on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. You’ll hear inspiring stories from the families who have benefited from your kindness in the past. Please join us and, once again, show your support for those who serve our great nation. Friday, December 2nd, 5am to 6pm / Saturday, December 3rd, 6am to 7pm / Join Brian Wilson, Larry O’Connor and Chris Plante live at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Saturday, December 3rd from 4pm to 7pm for the annual WMAL Fisher House Radiothon. We will be broadcasting live at the Dining Pavilion on the Metro level.

5am – D         Hillary Leaving Politics: McAuliffe said that he has spoken to the Clintons and that the loss has been hard on them. (Washington Post) – Asked if the Clintons are done with politics now, he said: “I think so, sure. I don’t think Hillary has any interest in running again. I’ll let her speak for herself. I haven’t asked her that. I think the president’s probably going to go back, working on all the good deeds he’s done before in helping people around the globe. You know, there are elections. We’ve got to move forward. As governor of Virginia, I’ve got to move forward.”

5am – E         D.C. Council’s Cheh plans ‘public’ hearing on possible political retaliation — but wants it closed to public. (Washington Post) — A D.C. Council member who promised to probe allegations of favoritism in city contracting plans to hold a “public oversight hearing” Thursday that she wants closed to the public. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) has taken the rare step, citing personnel issues related to the allegations. At issue is the abrupt Aug. 12 departure of Christopher Weaver, a retired Navy rear admiral who oversaw most government construction awards for the administration of Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D). Days later, the Bowser administration placed two of Weaver’s aides on administrative leave. An attorney for one subsequently alleged that his client was fired to appease donors to the mayor who lost out on city contracts to prepare sites for a planned soccer stadium for D.C. United at Buzzard Point and a practice facility for the Washington Wizards in Southeast Washington. That raised concerns from Cheh and others about possible political interference in city contracts, and she promised a hearing into the matter. But now, Cheh is facing mounting criticism for her decision to close Thursday’s meeting. Doing so is legal because the council exempted its committees from open-meetings laws in 2010.

6am – A         INTERVIEW — PETER MORICI – an economist and business professor at the University of Maryland

• Trump announces new picks for cabinet (Commerce/Treasury): Trump named key members of his economic team, tapping hedge-fund manager and campaign aide Steven Mnuchin as secretary of the Treasury and billionaire investor Wilbur Ross as secretary of Commerce.
• In an interview with CNBC, Mnuchin said his priority is cutting taxes, particularly corporate taxes. “By cutting corporate taxes, we’re going to create huge economic growth and we’ll have huge personal income,” Mnuchin said.

6am – B         Creator of McDonald’s Big Mac dies at 98, ate a burger a week. (CNN) — The man who created the Big Mac, which went on to be one of the world’s best known sandwiches, died Monday. Michael “Jim” Delligatti, who invented McDonald’s two-tiered burger at his Uniontown, Pa., franchise, was 98. Delligatti began tinkering with the store’s burger in the mid-1960s. He added a second burger and six other ingredients. But he labored for two years to come up with the right combo for his “special sauce.” Delligatti first introduced the seven-ingredient sandwich at his Pennsylvania restaurant in 1967. The burger — two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun — was available nationwide the following year.  Today McDonald’s sells 900 million Big Macs a year worldwide.

6am – C         Beaver caught Christmas shopping at Md. dollar store. CHARLOTTE HALL, MD. (WUSA9) – This beaver isn’t waiting to the last minute to finish his Christmas shopping. And it looks like he was trying to save a buck too. The critter perused through aisles at a dollar store in Charlotte Hall, Maryland. He was caught going through rolls of gift wrap and tree lights before someone called St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office about the disturbance. Animal control removed the beaver from the store and returned it to a wildlife rehabilitation center, according to the sheriff’s office. No injuries were reported in the extraction, minus a few crumpled packages.

6am – D/E     Trump to Announce Carrier Plant Will Keep Jobs in U.S. From the earliest days of his campaign, Donald J. Trump made keeping manufacturing jobs in the United States his signature economic issue, and the decision by Carrier, the big air-conditioner company, to move over 2,000 of them from Indiana to Mexico was a tailor-made talking point for him on the stump. On Thursday, Mr. Trump and Mike Pence, Indiana’s governor and the vice president-elect, plan to appear at Carrier’s Indianapolis factory to announce a deal with the company to keep roughly 1,000 jobs in the state, according to officials with the transition team as well as Carrier.

7am – A/B     Palin under consideration to head Veterans Affairs: report. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) is under consideration to serve as the secretary of Veterans Affairs in Donald Trump’s administration, ABC News reported Wednesday. A Palin aide told ABC News that Palin told Trump transition officials in recent days that she feels “as though the megaphone I have been provided can be used in a productive and positive way to help those desperately in need.” Palin posted the ABC News article saying she was under consideration for the VA position to her Facebook page on Wednesday. She also shared a post from her son-in-law, Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient, that touted her support for the country’s troops.

7am – C         Fisher House Radiothon Is Back: Once again, WMAL and the Fisher House Foundation are hosting the annual Fisher House Radiothon. This year’s special Radiothon event can be heard on WMAL on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. You’ll hear inspiring stories from the families who have benefited from your kindness in the past. Please join us and, once again, show your support for those who serve our great nation. Friday, December 2nd, 5am to 6pm / Saturday, December 3rd, 6am to 7pm / Join Brian Wilson, Larry O’Connor and Chris Plante live at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Saturday, December 3rd from 4pm to 7pm for the annual WMAL Fisher House Radiothon. We will be broadcasting live at the Dining Pavilion on the Metro level.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — LANNY DAVIS – former special counsel to former President Bill Clinton and columnist for The Hill

• TOPIC: State of the Democratic Party: Reflect on the election, Pelosi maintains leadership and what’s next for the Dems?

7am – E         Christmas Tree Lightings:

• Rain, extra security ruin Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting. Pounding rain and chilly conditions put a damper on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Wednesday night as thousands flocked to Midtown to catch a glimpse of the 94-foot-tall Norway Spruce in all it’s illuminated glory. The 56-feet wide, 14 ton tree — and all 50,000 of it’s energy-efficient, multi-colored LED lights — were lit up by Mayor de Blasio at 8:58 p.m. after performances from some of music’s biggest stars, including Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Josh Groban, Tori Kelly, Sarah McLachlan, Dolly Parton, Jordan Smith and Garth Brooks. NBC Today anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb provided live coverage of the 83rd annual ceremony as New Yorkers and tourists hunkered down in the pouring rain.
• Naughty or nice traffic? Plan ahead for Thursday night’s tree lighting commute. WASHINGTON — Road closures have been announced for the National Christmas Tree Lighting, set for Thursday, Dec. 1. The National Park Service, U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service announced the closures on Monday for the ceremony, also known as the 94th annual Pageant of Peace Ceremony. It starts at 5 p.m. Thursday.
• First Family to Light National Christmas Tree. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama will light the National Christmas Tree for the last time as president and first lady Thursday.  The 94th annual National Christmas Tree Lighting will take place on the Ellipse at the White House Thursday evening. Tickets are required and were available through a lottery in October.  Those without tickets can watch the ceremony on the Hallmark Channel on Monday, Dec. 5. The Lumineers, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, James Taylor and Yolanda Adams are just a few of the performers scheduled to perform at the ceremony.

8am – A         Kirk Cousins Really Loves Broadway Musicals, Was A Singer Himself. (Redskins) — During his weekly press conference Wednesday, quarterback Kirk Cousins discussed plenty of football related topics: tight end Vernon Davis, his recent success and his last game against the Arizona Cardinals. He also talked about Broadway, and his love for it. Thanks – or maybe no thanks – to Davis, the D.C. media was alerted to Cousins singing, and occasional rapping, to the Broadway hit, Hamilton. “I don’t know all the words, but I’m a big Broadway fan,” Cousins said. “I love musical theater – my mom kind of raised me on that. When the Super Bowl was in New York City a couple of years ago, I went to a Broadway show and just was blown away. I went to the Chicago Theater a lot growing up. With Hamilton now being out, I talked to, I believe it was Vernon, who said he had been and I said I wanted to go see that.” Hamilton would only add to the list of musicals that Cousins has seen before. He’s also seen Motown, Lion King, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jersey Boys, and Wicked. Cousins gave plenty of praise to the talents of the performers.

8am – B         Trump Cabinet Update:

• Good Heavens, We’ve Never Had Wealthy Cabinet Members Before! (National Review/Jim Geraghty) – Former Hillary Clinton spokesman Jesse Ferguson scoffs at the billionaires and millionaires among Trump’s cabinet selections.   Jesse Ferguson @JesseFFerguson: working ppls cabinet… 1) Betsy Devos – $5.1B, 2) Wilbur Ross – $2.9B, 3) Steve Mnuchin -$40M, 4) Tom Price – $13.6M and 5) Elaine Chao – >$22M 7:01 PM – 29 Nov 2016  // Yes, yes, if only we could keep the current salt-of-the-earth, working-class cabinet members like Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (net worth about $2.4 billion); Secretary of State John Kerry, who enjoys the fruits of the Heinz fortune, about $200 million; Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, whose net worth is estimated at $12 million; Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, worth anywhere from $11 million to $51 million, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, worth $6.6 million to $25 million; Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, worth $5.4 million to $18.1 million . (All estimates from 2014.)
• Mnuchin outlines ‘largest tax change since Reagan’ (USA Today) — Americans should expect the “largest tax change since Reagan,” with federal tax cuts for average income earners as well as U.S.businesses, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Treasury secretary said Wednesday. “There will be a tax cut for the middle class,” banker, movie producer and former Goldman Sachs partner Steven Mnuchin told CNBC’s Squawk Box in his first public comments on the incoming administration’s economic priorities. “Any tax cuts that we have for the upper class will be offset by less deductions to pay for it.”  Tax deductions for charitable contributions would still be allowed, he said. There would be a cap on mortgage interest payments, though  “some deductibility” would continue, said Mnuchin.
• Trump to meet with John Bolton on Friday for Secretary of State! Fox News reported that Bolton met with Pence Wednesday and will meet with Trump on Friday as a contender for the position.

8am – C         Alexandria’s Confederate symbols will stay put for now.  (NewsLeader) — Alexandria’s dramatic attempt to revisit its Civil War-era history appears to have stalled, two months after the City Council voted to remove the name of Jefferson Davis from a major highway and move a controversial statue of a Confederate soldier from a busy Old Town intersection. State legislators who represent the city told the council Tuesday night that they won’t introduce a bill in Richmond, Virginia, to relocate the “Appomattox” statue because to do so would diminish their effectiveness on other issues. As for the proposed renaming of Jefferson Davis Highway, city officials have yet to announce how they will solicit community suggestions on what to call the roadway, although city spokesman Craig Fifer said he hopes to have a process in place by the end of December. The all-Democratic council voted unanimously in September to rename the roadway and try to move the statue.  On Wednesday, Chapman – who has since started a tour company that focuses on freed slaves in Alexandria – said he was disappointed that state lawmakers would not seek permission to move the statue from the Republican-majority General Assembly. “What we heard last night is they don’t want to go forward with it for political reasons, because it would hurt their personal standing,” he said. State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), the senior local legislator, told the council that there was no reason to think the legislature would approve an exemption from a state law that prohibits the relocation of war memorials. “It wouldn’t help us advance the rest of our priorities, and it’s not a productive use of our time,” Ebbin said.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — JAKE TAPPER – Anchor of CNN’s THE LEAD and STATE OF THE UNION

• Trump’s Secretary of State up in the air
• Pelosi fends off challenger
• Tapper is at Harvard today interviewing ROBBY MOOK and KELLYANNE CONWAY for STATE OF THE UNION THIS SUNDAY
• McAuliffe said that he has spoken to the Clintons and that the loss has been hard on them. Asked if the Clintons are done with politics now, he said: “I think so, sure. I don’t think Hillary has any interest in running again. I’ll let her speak for herself. I haven’t asked her that. I think the president’s probably going to go back, working on all the good deeds he’s done before in helping people around the globe. You know, there are elections. We’ve got to move forward. As governor of Virginia, I’ve got to move forward.”

8am – E         Fisher House Radiothon Is Back: Once again, WMAL and the Fisher House Foundation are hosting the annual Fisher House Radiothon. This year’s special Radiothon event can be heard on WMAL on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd. You’ll hear inspiring stories from the families who have benefited from your kindness in the past. Please join us and, once again, show your support for those who serve our great nation. Friday, December 2nd, 5am to 6pm / Saturday, December 3rd, 6am to 7pm / Join Brian Wilson, Larry O’Connor and Chris Plante live at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Saturday, December 3rd from 4pm to 7pm for the annual WMAL Fisher House Radiothon. We will be broadcasting live at the Dining Pavilion on the Metro level.