Joe diGenova, Bill Gertz and David Drucker joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, April 17, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C KIDS AND MOBILE PHONES: Children as young as 13 are checking in to a US treatment centre to try to break their addiction to mobile devices.  How old should a kid be before they get their own phone.  And do you limit your child’s screen time?

• Children as young as 13 being treated for addiction to mobile phones. (Sky) — Technology brings many advantages but for some – especially children – it can have much more damaging effects, say experts. Children as young as 13 are checking in to a US treatment centre to try to break their addiction to mobile devices. Experts have warned that exposing children to electronic screens leaves them at risk of permanent damage. The reSTART Life Centre near Seattle is the only treatment unit of its kind in the western world and helps youngsters with addictions to digital technology, including video games. Its founder Dr Hilarie Cash told Sky News: “When you start handing these devices to young children and they’re distracted by the movement, the colour and sound coming from this device, that is mesmerising enough that it will override all those natural instincts that children actually have for movement and exploration and social interaction.” She advises people of all ages to restrict their use of devices to certain scheduled times and says families should confront their worries about the increasing influence of technology.

5am – D         NORTH KOREA:

• North Korean missile test fails, US and South Korea say
• US Vice President Pence visits DMZ amid high tensions with North Korea
• McFarland ‘no comment’ on reports US sabotaged North Korea missile launch, calls launch a ‘fizzle’
• China, Russia chasing US ship near Korean Peninsula

5am – E         Critter News:

• April the giraffe doing well, male calf nursing strongly. Contest will be held to decide on of name. (AP) — HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. — April the giraffe’s calf is nursing strongly and his mother is recovering “perfectly,” said officials with Animal Adventure Park on Sunday after a morning veterinarian check with the newborn. April gave birth to a healthy male calf Saturday at the privately owned Animal Adventure Park before an online audience of more than a million viewers. The 15-year-old giraffe delivered her calf shortly before 10 a.m. EDT in an enclosed pen at the zoo in Harpursville, a rural upstate village about 130 miles northwest of New York City. The calf weighs in at 129 pounds (58.5 kilograms) and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall. “April has recovered perfectly and is eating everything in sight!” the team posted on its official Facebook page. Seconds after birth, April tenderly licked her calf, which began to slowly pick his head up from the floor of the pen. About 45 minutes after he was born, he stood on wobbly legs while mom helped keep him steady. At least 1.2 million people watched the Adventure Park’s YouTube streaming of the event. Zoo owner Jordan Patch said both mom and calf were doing fine.

6am – A/B/C DC mayor wants to ban backyard chickens. (WUSA9) — WASHINGTON, DC – A Chevy Chase family is bracing for future legal battles to keep their family pets. Acting on an anonymous complaint last year, D.C.’s department of health gave Daniel McInnis and his wife, Allison Sheedy, 48 hours notice to get rid of the family’s four backyard hens. McInnis and his wife are both lawyers and argued they weren’t breaking any laws. “We had the chickens for three years, and then we were cited,” said McInnis. “They said the only thing we could do was to sue them, which we did. Once we sued them, they understood that we were right, and they settled and gave us a one year license. Now, that settlement may not matter. In this year’s budget, Mayor Muriel Bowser wants to make the laws around backyard chicken coops clear: by making it illegal to keep chickens in the city.

6am – D         UNITED NEWS UPDATE:

• Bride and groom are dragged off United Airlines flight by ‘US Marshal’ after moving to an empty row to let sleeping passenger nap in their seats. (Daily Mail) – A bride and groom were removed from a United Airlines flight after moving to an empty row to allow another passenger to stay asleep in their seats. Michael Hohl and his fiancée Amber Maxwell were flying to Costa Rica for their wedding on Saturday afternoon when they were told to disembark at Texas’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The couple from Salt Lake City, Utah, say they boarded the plane to find another passenger asleep in their seats.  Rather than wake them up, they went to sit in an empty row which they claim was in the same class.  When a United Airlines flight attendant approached them to ask if they were in their ticketed seats, they explained that they weren’t and asked for an upgrade but were turned down.
• United will no longer allow staff to take seats of boarded passengers. (The Hill) — United Airlines will no longer let its staff take the seats of already boarded passengers on overbooked flights, a policy change born of the aftermath of an incident earlier this month in which a passenger was violently dragged from his seat. “We issued an updated policy to make sure crews traveling on our aircraft are booked at least 60 minutes prior to departure,” spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin wrote in an email Sunday to The New York Times. “This is one of our initial steps in a review of our policies.” The policy change is intended to make sure incidents like the one earlier this month “never happen again,” the spokeswoman said.  The incident earlier this month in which a passenger was violently dragged off a United Airlines flight sparked nationwide outrage and calls for congressional hearings.

6am – E         Demand for home bunkers soaring amid fears over increasing military tensions with Russia, North Korea and Syria. (Daily Mail) — President Donald Trump’s recent military strikes in Syria, and escalating tensions between Russia, North Korea and the US, have sparked fears that World War III could be just around the corner. So as millions of Americans prepare for the worst, a Texas bunker manufacturer says he is struggling to keep up with orders of his subterranean shelters.  ‘If I took 30 people and I worked 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, I still wouldn’t be caught up right now,’ Clyde Scott of Rising S Bunkers in Murchison, Texas, told CBS.  Scott said that most of his buyers were in such a panic to buy a shelter for their family, they didn’t even ask him about the cost, just when he can install it. The homes are designed to last forever, and are able to hold a year’s worth of food per resident. Employee Gary Lynch said that new orders come in daily for the bunkers, whose costs start at $39,500 and go as high as $8,350,000 for the Aristocrat – though that number can grow even higher as customers can add-on unlimited features. Scott insists his bunkers aren’t just for ‘doomsday preppers’, and claims he has sold the subterranean shelters to famous athletes, Forbes 500 CEOs, and people on both sides of the political aisle. ‘I’ve sold to billionaires and I’ve sold to average Joes,’ said Scott, adding that even your unassuming neighbor could have invested in a doomsday backup plan. The most basic bunker comes complete with a toilet, shower, bunk bed and basic kitchen – while the Aristocrat offers features including a sauna, swimming pool, game room with billiards and a media room.

6am – F         White House Easter Egg Roll. (Roll Call) — The 139th annual White House Easter Egg Roll is happening today on the South Lawn. Festivities take place from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and both President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are expected to take part. The White House expects 21,000 attendees, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday. There will be more than a dozen activities for the children, who come from various schools, children’s hospitals, military families, and law enforcement families. On Tuesday, Spicer told reporters at the White House he expected to have an “egg-cellent” time.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed Comey’s new FBI TV series and Justice Neil Gorsuch’s first week on the bench.

• Neil Gorsuch’s first full week on the job: Religious liberty, voter ID laws.  (CNN)Fresh off a contentious confirmation hearing, Justice Neil Gorsuch will take the bench Monday at the Supreme Court for two weeks of oral arguments that include a significant religious liberty case. It will be the first time Gorsuch dons a black robe as a justice, and his presence brings the court back to full strength more than a year after the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia. It is a busy week as the justices will decide whether to add some important cases for next term — they will announce opinions Tuesday and Wednesday and they will hear arguments for the last scheduled sitting of the term.

7am –B/C      Trump Transparency:

• Trump asks why people are still talking about his taxes a day after protesters asked for his returns. (Washington Post) — President Trump lashed out Sunday at the protesters who took part in marches across the country Saturday to demand that he release his tax returns, declaring on Twitter that “The election is over!” Trump’s comments followed a nationwide Tax March that drew thousands of people in dozens of cities on the country’s traditionally recognized deadline to file taxes, April 15. As a candidate, Trump declined to voluntarily release his tax returns — a practice followed by other presidential hopefuls since the 1970s — claiming he couldn’t do so because he was under audit. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton hammered him on the subject. “I did what was an almost an impossible thing to do for a Republican — easily won the Electoral College! Now Tax Returns are brought up again?” Trump said in one tweet Sunday morning. In another, he suggested that someone “should look into who paid for the small organized rallies yesterday,” adding: “The election is over!”
• White House Says It Will No Longer Release Visitor Logs To The Public. The Trump administration says it will not make public the names of those visiting the White House, reversing the Obama administration’s policy. White House communications director Michael Dubke said in a statement that the decision was due to the “the grave national security risks and privacy concerns of the hundreds of thousands of visitors annually,” NPR’s Scott Horsley reports. Dubke added that the logs would be disclosed “as outlined under the Freedom of Information Act.” FOIA does not apply to the president or his immediate staff. Watchdog groups immediately criticized the decision, with Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington calling it a “massive step away from transparency.” “The only reasonable conclusion is to believe the Trump administration has many things it is trying to hide,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in a statement, also referencing the administration’s relationship with the media. Tom Fitton, president of the conservative-leaning watchdog Judicial Watch, said the organization was “disappointed” with the White House’s decision. “Unfortunately, this move is perfectly in line with the policy of the Obama White House to prevent these visitors logs from being processed and released under the Freedom of Information Act,” Fitton’s statement read.”This new secrecy policy undermines the rule of law and suggests this White House doesn’t want to be accountable to the American people,” Fitton said.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — BILL GERTZ – senior editor of the Washington Free Beacon and author of “IWar: War and Peace in the Information Age” (book can be found at iwarbook.com) – discussed the latest developments on North Korea.

7am – E         Washington, sends the most tax dollars per person to the U.S. government.  Last year, the District of Columbia paid Uncle Sam $37,000 per person in federal income, payroll and estate taxes. The next closest was Delaware, at $16,000 per person. “It’s where the money is,” said Roberton Williams, a fellow at the Tax Policy Center. “The reason the District pays so much in taxes is that there are a lot of high-income people there.” West Virginia, Mississippi and New Mexico have low median household incomes, which helps explain why they their residents pay far less in federal taxes. West Virginia paid $3,600 per person last year, while Mississippi paid $3,900 per person and New Mexico residents paid a little more than $4,000.

 

8am – A         INTERVIEW – DAVID DRUCKER –  senior political correspondent for the Washington Examiner

• Preview Georgia special election: Republicans fight over second place in Georgia special election
• Also what’s next in Congress for tax reform and healthcare — any progress coming?
• Republicans fight over second place in Georgia special election. (David Drucker) — Republicans running in a crucial special House election in Georgia are scrambling for second place and a spot in an expected runoff just days before the vote. Democrat Jon Ossoff is expected to win round one in the Republican-leaning, suburban Atlanta 6th district, previously held by Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price, in part because of the nasty GOP infighting. The crowded GOP field was warring with each other ahead of Tuesday’s jungle primary. Through television ads, mailers and robocalls, Republicans were arguing over who was more conservative, who was more loyal to President Trump, and who would be the strongest candidate in the runoff. A Republican has held the district since 1979, when New Gingrich, who rose to become House speaker, assumed office. Top contenders include Bob Gray, a businessman and city councilman; Karen Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state and a 2014 Senate candidate; Judson Hill, a state senator; and Dan Moody, a businessman and former state legislator.

8am – B         SPORTS NEWS:

• CAPS LOSE, METRO MESS: Capitals-Maple Leafs Game 2 best and worst: Leafs even series with double overtime goal. Worst gut punch: It took nearly 32 minutes of overtime hockey, but it was Toronto that landed the decisive jab Saturday night. Capitals fans withstood repeated reminders that the Metro would, in fact, close by midnight — and no later — in hopes of seeing a second game-winning goal in as many contests. But this time, it was the Maple Leafs that skated off the Verizon Center ice with extra pep, having claimed the 4-3 victory thanks to a goal from Kasperi Kapanen in the second overtime.
• WIZARDS WIN: John Wall and Markieff Morris spark Wizards’ 114-107 Game 1 playoff win over Hawks. During the Washington Wizards’ playoff opener, John Wall wanted to stay in the present but be inspired by the past. The point guard still hasn’t gotten over what happened in the playoffs two years ago against the Atlanta Hawks: He suffered fractures in his left hand and wrist, then turned into a spectator for three games as the Wizards lost in the second round. As a new series with the Hawks began Sunday, Wall reminded himself that vengeance doesn’t need to be personal. “I can’t come in here with that all on my mind and try to do it by myself,” he said. But in moments like this, Wall shines brightest. During the Wizards’ 114-107 win over the Hawks, he stood out among the stars. Wall scored a playoff career-high 32 points to go with 14 assists and performed at his peak in the third quarter, altering a sluggish offensive game with a series of heart-pounding plays. Although Wall said he needed to temper his desire for redemption by depending on his teammates, after one of his flashes of brilliance, he couldn’t help but point to the Verizon Center floor, delivering an unmistakable message. John Wall scored a playoff career-high 32 points and added 14 assists, giving him reason to high-five fans after a win in Game 1 of the Wizards’ first-round series with the Hawks. “This my house,” Wall said. “I’m letting them know, this my house.”
• Bryce Harper homers Nationals over Phillies, 6-4. Harper’s bottom-of-the-ninth bomb powers Nationals past Phillies. The Nationals have the luxury of a roster studded with players who can contribute at any given moment in any given game. They traded highly regarded prospects for Adam Eaton. Ryan Zimmerman has gotten off to a hot start. Daniel Murphy looks to be an even better player than last year. Sometimes, though, you just need your best player to dictate the game. Bryce Harper did just that Sunday. Harper hit a two-out, three-run homer 423 feet in the bottom of the ninth to give the Nationals a 6-4 walk off win over the Philadelphia Phillies (4-7). With the count full, Harper ripped one to center field off Phillies pitcher Joaquin Benoit. It was his second homer of the day.

8am – C  Search for suspect in Facebook homicide video widens to 5 states. Cleveland, Ohio (CNN) A manhunt for a suspect who authorities said killed an elderly man and then posted the video on Facebook expanded outside Ohio, with authorities calling on residents of nearby states to be on alert. Steve Stephens, 37, is suspected of killing 74-year-old Robert Godwin on Sunday in a residential area east of Cleveland, police said. An aggravated murder warrant has been issued for Stephens. Police said Sunday night that Stephens “may be out of state at this time,” and called on residents in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and Michigan to be vigilant. Stephen’s cell phone ping was detected about 100 miles east of Cleveland in Erie, Pennsylvania, law enforcement in the area told CNN. “He is considered armed and dangerous, so we want people to be careful out there,” Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams told reporters.

8am – D         Do You Procrastinate On Taxes?

8am – E         21 arrested as hundreds of Trump supporters and counter-protesters clash at Berkeley rally. (LA Times) — Hundreds of pro-Trump demonstrators and counter-protesters clashed Saturday at a “Patriots Day” rally in Berkeley, the third time the groups engaged in violent confrontations on city streets in recent months. Fistfights broke out near Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, where Trump supporters had scheduled a rally. Fireworks and smoke bombs were thrown into the crowd, and a few demonstrators were doused with pepper spray. Both groups threw rocks and sticks at each other and used a large trash bin as a battering ram as the crowd moved around the perimeter of the park. One bank boarded up its ATMs before the rally as a precaution. About 250 police officers were deployed to the scene by mid-afternoon after officials sought assistance from the neighboring Oakland Police Department. Twenty-one people were arrested, including some on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to Officer Byron White of the Berkeley Police Department. Eleven people were injured with at least six taken to a hospital for treatment, including one stabbing victim.