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Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C Gay couples ask judge to punish defiant clerk. MOREHEAD, Ky. — Defying the Supreme Court, a county clerk says she was acting under “God’s authority” Tuesday while continuing to deny marriage licenses to gay couples, whose lawyers asked a federal judge to hold her in contempt of court. The Supreme Court refused Monday to allow Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis’ office to deny the licenses because of her religious beliefs. However, on Tuesday morning, she turned away at least four couples. “To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience,” Davis said in a statement on the website of her lawyers, Orlando-based Liberty Counsel. “It is not a light issue for me. It is a Heaven or Hell decision. For me, it is a decision of obedience.” David Moore and his partner, David Ermold, confronted Davis over the clerk’s counter for more than 5 minutes as crowd of supporters shouted for Davis to do her job.

5am – D         War on Cops News:

• Cops hunt 3 suspects in shooting of Illinois police officer identified as 30-year vet. CHICAGO — (CNN) An Illinois police officer was shot and killed in Lake County on Tuesday, authorities said, and a search is on for three suspects. Law enforcement on foot and in helicopters are combing the area, said Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt. Christopher Covelli. The shooting happened about 10 minutes before 8 a.m., according to the sergeant. The slain officer worked for Fox Lake Police, a community of about 60,000 people in Lake County, about 60 miles north of Chicago. The officer radioed that he was pursuing three suspects on foot, according to Cavelli. The officer described them as two white men and one black man, he told CNN. Radio communication dropped off and backup officers were sent. They found the officer with a gunshot wound. He was a 32-year veteran of the police force, CNN learned from a law enforcement source. Canine units have also been dispatched. U.S Marshal officials and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting.
• Baltimore officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death headed to court. (CNN) Six Baltimore police officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death are due in court Wednesday as the city braces for what could happen afterward. The pretrial hearing comes almost five months after Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury while being transported in a police van. “Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the (Baltimore Police Department) wagon,” Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore, said in announcing the charges. The six officers face charges ranging from false imprisonment to involuntary manslaughter. All six have pleaded not guilty. And the case could get more complicated, as attorneys representing the officers have called for Mosby to drop the charges — or at least recuse herself. They say Mosby’s office had issued orders for police to crack down on the area where Gray was arrested.

5am – E         Bring on the hot cakes! McDonalds starts serving breakfast all day on Oct. 6. The long wait for McDonald’s breakfast lovers is almost over. Company officials announced Tuesday that they will begin serving breakfast all-day nationally on Oct. 6. Restaurant operators approved the move in a vote Tuesday. McDonald’s has been testing all-day breakfast in select markets for several months after hearing for years from customers that they wanted to be able to get an Egg McMuffin no matter what time of day.

6am – A/B/C Idris Elba ‘too street’ to play James Bond, writer says. (CNN) The writer of the new James Bond novel “Trigger Mortis” has set off a firestorm with a remark about Idris Elba. Anthony Horowitz recently told the Daily Mail that he believes Elba is “probably a bit too ‘street’ for Bond. Is it a question of being suave? Yeah.” Elba has long been touted as the fans’ choice to become the first black Bond. For some, the reference to Elba as “too street” was code for “too black.”

6am – D         INTERVIEW – MIKE TANNER – SENIOR FELLOW, CATO INSTITUTE and author of new book “Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt, and the Entitlement Crisis.”

• Md. welfare benefits better than most European countries, think-tank claims. (MarylandReporter.com) — A new report by libertarian think-tank Cato Institute asserts that Maryland’s welfare benefits are higher than almost every European country, with the exception of Denmark and the United Kingdom. “It’s clear that welfare benefits in Maryland are sufficiently high that they can act as a disincentive to work,” said Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and lead author of the study. “Maryland should be re-examining its welfare policies to put more emphasis on work.” The study used calculations from a 2013 Cato Institute report that assumed a single parent with two children received most major sources of aid, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), SNAP (food stamps) and housing. It found such a family could qualify for about $27,788 in benefits per year – the seventh highest state in the U.S.Medicaid funding was excluded for comparison because many European countries give healthcare as a standard service, and it is not tied to low-income qualification.

6am – E         Clinton Emails Update:

• PAPER: Contained spy satellite data on North Korean nukes… Clinton emails contained spy satellite data on North Korean nukes. Revelation among biggest concerns inside intel community
• State Department IT staff among those in the dark about Clinton’s private email address. Members of the State Department’s information technology staff were among those who were unaware that Hillary Clinton was using a private email address during her time as secretary of state, the latest release of messages from Clinton’s private server revealed late Monday. Clinton forwarded the email to her top aide, Huma Abedin, asking “Do you know what this is [sic]”. Abedin responds, “Ur [sic] email must be back up!!” and explains that a woman named Judith tried to send Clinton an email and called the department’s IT team when the message was returned to her. “They had no idea it was YOU,” Abedin writes to Clinton, “just some random address so they emailed. Sorry about that. But regardless, means ur [sic] email must be back!”
• New Clinton Violations In Use Of Thumb Drives For Emails. Hillary Clinton violated numerous State Department rules by using privately owned thumb drives to copy 30,000 of her official emails for her lawyer, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation. In transferring her emails to private thumb drives, Clinton violated a slew of federal regulations, including those of her own State Department.

7am – A         INTERVIEW — BETTY ANN KANE – CHAIRMAN, Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia

• D.C. regulator rejects proposed Pepco-Exelon merger
• Exelon, Pepco say they will press forward with merger. Exelon Corp plans to press forward with its $6.8 billion purchase of Pepco Holdings Inc, which would create the nation’s top power distributor, despite opposition from Washington, D.C.’s utilities regulator. The city’s Public Service Commission said last week that it would not approve the proposed merger. The companies said in a joint statement on Monday that they would ask the commission to reconsider.

7am – B         2016 News:

• CNN adjusts debate rules; Fiorina stands to gain. (USA Today) — CNN announced Tuesday a change to its rules on participation in the Sept. 16 GOP presidential debate, and Carly Fiorina figures to be the beneficiary. The network now says that any GOP candidate who appears in the top 10 of an average of national polls taken after the first debate on Aug. 6 up until Sept. 10 will now be invited to take part at the Ronald Reagan Library debate in Simi Valley, Calif. Previously, CNN stated that only candidates in the top 10 in polls taken from July 16 to Sept. 10 would be included. That criteria drew protests from Fiorina, who said that would not accurately reflect the current state of the campaign. The new approach could now mean more than 10 candidates qualify, including Fiorina.
• Jeb Bush embraces a risky fight with Donald Trump. (Washington Post) — MIAMI — Jeb Bush went on the offensive Tuesday against GOP presidential front-runner and frequent antagonist Donald Trump, releasing an attack video portraying the mogul as a closet liberal and signaling that he will attempt to bring Trump down in coming weeks. “He attacks me every day. He attacks me every day with barbarities,” Bush said in Spanish in response to questions from reporters at a Presbyterian school here. “They’re not true. What we did today was to put out in his words to show that he’s not conservative.” But in fully embracing a fight against Trump, Bush is embarking on a risky strategy that could further fuel Trump’s unexpected rise and complicate his own path to the nomination. Allies of the former Florida governor insist that he had no choice but to adopt a more aggressive posture, elevating his feud with Trump to the marquee contest in the GOP primary contest.
• Trump to appear on ‘Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ (USA Today) — It has not been hard to find Donald Trump on network and cable news shows. Now, the current GOP presidential front-runner is hitting the late-night circuit. NBC announced Tuesday that Trump would join Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show on Sept. 11. Fallon’s other guests that night will be actor Terrence Howard and musician Pharrell Williams.

7am – C         Pope Francis gives priests discretion to forgive abortion. (NBC News) — Pope Francis will allow Roman Catholic priests to absolve women who have had abortions if they seek forgiveness during the upcoming Holy Year of Mercy, the Vatican announced Tuesday. The pontiff said he will allow priests “discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it” during the special year, beginning December 8. “I am well aware of the pressure that has led [women] to this decision,” he wrote in the announcement. “I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal.” Abortion is considered a grave sin by the Catholic church, and those who seek it are usually excommunicated. In normal circumstances, forgiveness can only be granted by senior church figures. Deputy Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini told Reuters that “for now” the change would apply only during the Holy Year. The pope’s letter did not mention people who perform abortions. Pope Francis announced in March that the Holy Year, which runs until Nov. 20, 2016, was a way to promote inclusiveness, saying the church could “make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy.”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – KT MCFARLAND – Fox News National Security Analyst

• Supporters of Iran deal near key vote total to back up Obama. WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of the Iran nuclear deal are on the cusp of clinching the necessary U.S. Senate votes to keep the contested agreement alive and hand President Barack Obama a major foreign policy victory, in spite of furious opposition. Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and Chris Coons on Tuesday became the 32nd and 33rd senators to announce support for the deal, just one shy of the 34 votes needed to uphold an Obama veto of Republican legislation aimed at blocking the agreement.

7am – E         Entertainment News:

• J.K. Rowling on Twitter: “I’m in Edinburgh, so could somebody at King’s Cross wish James S Potter good luck for me … (People) — J.K. Rowling Celebrates Hogwarts Day by Wishing Harry Potter’s Son a Good First Day of School. For Harry Potter fans, Sept. 1 marks the anniversary of the day the series protagonist first left the Muggle world behind him and boarded the Hogwarts Express: at 11 a.m. sharp at London’s Kings Cross Station. And while Tuesday marked the 24th anniversary of Harry’s first trip to the magic school, series author J.K. Rowling took to Twitter to note that it was a special day for another member of the Potter family as well; Tuesday was also the first day at Hogwarts for James S. Potter, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley’s oldest son. “Could somebody at King’s Cross wish James S. Potter good luck for me?” Rowling Tweeted. “He’s starting at Hogwarts today.”
• Rousey accepts invitation to Marine Corps Ball. Last week, U.S. Marine Jarrod Haschert asked Ronda Rousey to accompany him to the Marine Corps Ball in December. At the time of Haschert’s proposal, Rousey was planning to fight Holly Holm in January and so she’d be too busy to attend. However, the fight was rescheduled to Nov. 14 in Australia, which means Rousey is available. When asked by TMZ what she planned to do with the invitation, Rousey’s answer was emphatic.“I would go for sure,” Rousey said but added that she didn’t know how to contact Haschert. “Do I call him? Or do I set up a time and place like Never Been Kissed and wait until the clock runs out and be like ‘I’m here!’” Rousey should probably call him. And Haschert should probably make his number available. Rousey also added that Haschert better be on his best behavior. “He’s cute,” Rousey said. “He’s gotta be a gentleman, though, I’m not a first date kind of girl. But, I dunno, we’ll see when I meet him.”
• Ronda Rousey says she will retire from UFC in three years. UFC superstar Ronda Rousey is in her prime and is currently the most dominant fighter on the planet, but she isn’t planning to stick around the octagon for very long. Rousey, who will turn 29 next February, revealed on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast that she plans to step away from the sport by the time she’s 31. “I’m not going to be doing this in my 30s. I don’t want to be fighting in my 30s. By 30s, I mean like 31, 32. If you’re actually 30 years old that’s 30, not 30s. Once you add the one, that’s 30s, plural. I’m 28. I don’t know. I look at it exactly like how we were talking about fighting, that’s how I do everything else. I don’t look at these separate disjointed things. I’m not going to go in there and try this thing and try this thing and try that thing and hope something works out.” So what will Rousey do after leaving UFC? She could also potentially jump to the WWE and be on television every week for the next decade, or she could become a full-time action movie star.
• ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Toys Arrive Early on Shelves. Force Friday is supposed to be the day when the new set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens toys are released, but apparently, not every store is waiting until Friday to put the toys out on the shelves. Pathfinderb, on Twitter, went to a California Walmart and found that they had put the newest action figures on the shelves a few days early. Here’s some photos Patherfinderb took of the new Hasbro action figures, which will be released everywhere on Friday.

8am – A/B/C Gay couples ask judge to punish defiant clerk. MOREHEAD, Ky. — Defying the Supreme Court, a county clerk says she was acting under “God’s authority” Tuesday while continuing to deny marriage licenses to gay couples, whose lawyers asked a federal judge to hold her in contempt of court. The Supreme Court refused Monday to allow Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis’ office to deny the licenses because of her religious beliefs. However, on Tuesday morning, she turned away at least four couples. “To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience,” Davis said in a statement on the website of her lawyers, Orlando-based Liberty Counsel. “It is not a light issue for me. It is a Heaven or Hell decision. For me, it is a decision of obedience.” David Moore and his partner, David Ermold, confronted Davis over the clerk’s counter for more than 5 minutes as crowd of supporters shouted for Davis to do her job.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — SHANNEN COFFIN — former council to Vice President Dick Cheney and a former DOJ civil division assistant deputy attorney general., is a contributing editor to National Review

• SHANNEN COFFIN: Tony Blair’s Appearance in the Clinton E-mails Demolishes Hillary’s Excuses
• PAPER: Contained spy satellite data on North Korean nukes… Clinton emails contained spy satellite data on North Korean nukes. Revelation among biggest concerns inside intel community
• State Department IT staff among those in the dark about Clinton’s private email address. Members of the State Department’s information technology staff were among those who were unaware that Hillary Clinton was using a private email address during her time as secretary of state, the latest release of messages from Clinton’s private server revealed late Monday. Clinton forwarded the email to her top aide, Huma Abedin, asking “Do you know what this is [sic]”. Abedin responds, “Ur [sic] email must be back up!!” and explains that a woman named Judith tried to send Clinton an email and called the department’s IT team when the message was returned to her. “They had no idea it was YOU,” Abedin writes to Clinton, “just some random address so they emailed. Sorry about that. But regardless, means ur [sic] email must be back!”
• New Clinton Violations In Use Of Thumb Drives For Emails. Hillary Clinton violated numerous State Department rules by using privately owned thumb drives to copy 30,000 of her official emails for her lawyer, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation investigation. In transferring her emails to private thumb drives, Clinton violated a slew of federal regulations, including those of her own State Department.

8am – E         Selfie News:

• Jealous Maryland man takes ‘fire selfies’ after burning down romantic rival’s house: police. A Maryland man was arrested because he took “fire selfies” in front of the ruins of a house he’d set ablaze hours before, all because his girlfriend had sex with another man. According to the Washington Post, Justin Michael Clum, 26 was arrested on Saturday and charged with multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree arson and other offenses over a blaze he reportedly set on July 17. In the early morning hours, Clum and his girlfriend were reportedly drinking vodka on a pier when the woman confessed to Clum that she had been intimate with another man. Clum reportedly “freaked out” and began punching himself in the face. “Someone’s gonna die tonight,” he told his girlfriend before driving her to the man’s house, dousing the front porch in gasoline and setting the house on fire. The man who was Clum’s intended target was not home, but a couple and their fifteen year old daughter were. They were able to safely escape the home before it was completely engulfed in flames.The Annapolis Capital Gazette said that 23 firefighters took an hour to contain the blaze. The house was destroyed and the residents received aid from the local Red Cross.
• Police: Teen killed while taking Instagram selfie with gun. (USA Today) — HOUSTON, Texas – A 19-year-old trying to take an Instagram selfie died Tuesday. The teen tried to take a picture of himself holding a gun to his head when the gun went off, according to the Houston Police Department. The Texas victim’s uncle said he ran into the apartment and attempted to resuscitate his nephew but he had already died. The victim’s family said the teen, who has not been identified by investigators, leaves behind two young daughters and that he was a fun-loving person. Family members said the shooting was a complete accident and the victim never talked about suicide. Investigators with the Houston Police Department are still looking into the shooting, but “all indications are this is an accident.” No other injuries were reported.

TOMORROW: Stuart Varney, Katie Phang and Steven Camarota