March for Life's Jeanne Monahan-Mancini, Amb. John Bolton, Stuart Varney and Washington City Paper's Will Sommer joined WMAL on Thursday.

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Mornings on the Mall

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

5am – A/B/C DRIVE AT FIVE INTERVIEW – NOAH POLLAK – Writer, Weekly Standard

• White House says Boehner broke protocol with Netanyahu invitation. The White House says House Speaker John A. Boehner broke with protocol by inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without first notifying the Obama administration. “The typical protocol would suggest that the leader of a country would contact the leader of another country when he’s traveling there,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday. “That certainly is how President Obama’s trips are planned when he travels overseas. This particular event seems to be a departure from that protocol.” It wasn’t immediately clear whether Netanyahu planned to accept the invitation. But the announcement of the possible visit appeared to be a deliberate snub aimed at the out-of-the-loop Obama. Boehner announced the invitation Wednesday morning, hours after Obama repeated his call for lawmakers to “hold off” on imposing additional sanctions against Iran in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
• Boehner snubs WH, invites Netanyahu to address Congress.  (USA Today) — WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting the White House, an apparent challenge to President Obama's policy on negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu accepted the offer and will address a joint session on Feb. 11, according to a according to a congressional aide who spoke on background because the Israeli Embassy has not yet made a public announcement. Boehner, R-Ohio, asked Netanyahu to address the threats posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions and the rise of the Islamic State. The invite came a day after the president's State of the Union Address in which Obama warned Congress against enacting new economic sanctions against Iran.

5am – D         Deflate-gate:

• Ravens reportedly tipped off Colts about possible ball deflation by Patriots. If the New England Patriots are found to be responsible for deflating balls below the minimum pressure per square inch required by the NFL, they reportedly have their two AFC playoff opponents to thank for it.  Fox Sports reported Tuesday that the Baltimore Ravens tipped off the Indianapolis Colts that balls used by the Patriots might be under-inflated. The Ravens lost to New England 35-31 Jan. 10 in the AFC Divisional playoffs, while Indianapolis fell to the Patriots 45-7 in the AFC Championship game Jan. 18.  Much of the controversy after the Ravens game stemmed from head coach John Harbaugh's claim that the Patriots had used illegal formations during several plays while on offense. That claim was dismissed by the NFL, which confirmed that the formations were legal.

• Lawmakers: Let Pats play Super Bowl – “Definitely, definitely,” Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said when asked if the Patriots should be able to play in less than two weeks. “I don’t think it’s that much of a big deal.” Cummings, the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he’s always supported “fairness in sports” and added, “I think they need to look into it, and if they deem that they deflated the footballs below the standard, they ought to face the music.”
• 11 of 12 game balls used by Patriots in AFC title game underinflated, report says. An NFL investigation reportedly has determined that 11 of the 12 game footballs used by the New England Patriots during Sunday's AFC Championship game were under-inflated by two pounds per square inch below the required minimum. In an NFL letter about the investigation that was shared with the Boston Globe, the Patriots were informed that initial findings indicated their game balls did not meet requirements, the newspaper reports.

5am – E         Navy Commander at Guantanamo Base Fired Amid Alleged Affair, Suspicious Death. (ABC News) — The officer in charge of the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been fired for a “loss of confidence” after he allegedly had an affair with a woman whose husband was recently found dead in the waters off the base. Captain John Nettleton was relieved of command on Wednesday by Rear Adm. Mary M. Jackson, commander of Navy Region Southeast, “due to loss of confidence in Nettleton's ability to command,” according to a statement from the Navy. The statement declined to give additional details because of an ongoing investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which is focused on the death of Christopher Tur, a civilian employee at the Navy Exchange on the base who had moved to Guantanamo with his family in June 2011. Tur, 42, was found dead in the waters off the base on the morning of January 10, a day after he had been reported missing, said Navy Region Southeast spokesman Mike Andrews. A U.S. official said there was no obvious cause of death. The official said that information came to light during the investigation into Tur’s death that led the Navy to relieve Nettleton of command.

6am – A/B/C New Illinois law gives schools access to students social media passwords. BELLEVILLE, IL  ( KTVI)- A new Illinois law aimed at stopping cyber-bullying, gives schools access to kids social media accounts. Some say the law goes too far. Previously  Illinois schools could take action against students if online bullying occurred,  such as something posted on Twitter or Facebook during the school day. However, with the new law that Illinois legislators approved, school districts and universities in Illinois can demand a student’s social media password. The new law states if a  school has a reasonable cause to believe that a student’s account  on a social network contains evidence that a student has violated a schools disciplinary rule of policy.  Even if it’s posted after school hours. This week some  school districts sent home letters to notify parents and students about the new rules. ” To get into a social networking site and it could be  at a school or at home. That we would be able  to get that password and get onto their account,” said  Leigh Lewis Triad Community Unity  School District Superintendent. Some parents who received the notice says the new law raises some  concerns about privacy.

6am – D         INTERVIEW: JEANNE MONAHAN-MANCINI – President of March for Life Education and Defense Fund

• The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration on January 22, 1974, the first anniversary of the now-infamous Supreme Court decisions in Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world.
• GOP-Led House Drops 20-Week Abortion Limit, Will Advance Funding Ban. House lawmakers were set to vote Thursday on a bill that would ban almost all abortions at 20 weeks post-conception, but NPR's Juana Summers reports that they changed their plans late Wednesday as some lawmakers voiced concerns that the bills language went too far. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., told Juana that the 20-week limit wasn't dead, saying "The 'pain-capable' legislation is only delayed. … It'll be up on the floor soon. We are working through a few bits of text." The hold-up is particularly embarrassing for lawmakers as it comes on the eve of the annual March for Life, which the Associated Press reports will bring thousands of anti-abortion demonstrators to the capital Thursday. The Washington Post describes the decision as another sign of rifts in the new, larger GOP majority in the House, which includes more center-right legislators from swing districts.

6am – E         Congress: Ventilation fans drew smoke into D.C. Metro subway train. (CBS) — WASHINGTON — Ventilation fans in Washington's subway tunnels didn't work properly during a fatal accident last week in which a train filled with smoke, and fans on the stricken train actually drew smoke inside the cars, members of Congress said Wednesday. One woman died and more than 80 others were hospitalized with smoke inhalation after an electrical malfunction brought a train to a halt inside a tunnel near a busy downtown station. Thirteen members of Congress from Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia were briefed Wednesday afternoon by Metro officials and the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the accident.  In addition to the ventilation problems, the lawmakers said they were concerned that encryption of the District fire department's radios hindered communication with the Metro transit agency. Rep. Don Beyer, a Virginia Democrat who represents the home district of the woman who died, said there were numerous failures that exacerbated the accident. "The death of Carol Glover was an unnecessary tragedy. So many things went wrong. Radios didn't work. Ventilation fans didn't get smoke out," Beyer said. "The ventilation on the trains themselves sucked smoke into the trains."

7am – A         INTERVIEW — AMB JOHN BOLTON – Former UN Ambassador

• NETANYAHU:
  • White House says Boehner broke protocol with Netanyahu invitation. The White House says House Speaker John A. Boehner broke with protocol by inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without first notifying the Obama administration.
  • Boehner snubs WH, invites Netanyahu to address Congress. WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner on Wednesday invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting the White House, an apparent challenge to President Obama's policy on negotiations with Iran.
• US and Cuba meet for high-level talks as part of thaw.  (BBC – 21 January 2015) – The US and Cuba are holding their highest-level talks in decades in the Cuban capital, Havana. The two days of talks are part of a thaw in relations between the two rivals announced last month by US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro. A US official described the first day as "productive and collaborative" The talks, which are focusing on migration and restoring full diplomatic ties, resume on Thursday. The US delegation is led by Roberta Jacobson, assistant secretary of state and the top US diplomat for Latin America. The last time someone of her level of seniority visited Cuba was 35 years ago.
• YEMEN STANDOFF: Shiite Rebels Remain Outside Yemeni President’s House Despite Deal. Deal Calls for Immediate Rebel Withdrawal to End Violent Standoff. (WSJ -Jan. 22, 2015 4:41 a.m. ET) – AP – SAN’A, Yemen—Heavily armed Shiite rebels remain stationed outside the Yemeni president’s house and the palace in San'a, despite a deal calling for their immediate withdrawal to end a violent standoff.

7am – B         Larry Hogan sworn in as 62nd governor of Maryland. Hogan is only second Republican to hold top office since 1960s. (WBAL) — ANNAPOLIS, Md. —Larry Hogan took the oath of office on Wednesday, officially becoming the second Republican governor in Maryland since the 1960s. "Today's inauguration marks a new beginning for Maryland and the limitless possibilities before us," Hogan said. "One-hundred years from now, I want Marylanders to say this was when Maryland's renaissance began." Hogan was sworn in as the leader of Maryland shortly after noon Wednesday during a ceremony in the Senate chamber at the State House. Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford took the oath of office a few minutes before Hogan. Both received thunderous applause. The tradition was repeated for the public around 12:30 p.m.  After a 19-cannon salute by members of the Maryland Army and National Guard, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who made campaign stops for Hogan in Maryland, introduced the new governor to a crowd of more than 1,000, who turned out for the inauguration despite the snow. "They said it was going to be a cold day in hell before we elected a Republican governor," Hogan said to laughter and applause as snow fell around him.

7am – C         Man Finds Cannonball in Georgetown Townhouse. (NBC Washington) — A military bomb team was called to a Georgetown home Wednesday afternoon to analyze what looked to be a decades-old cannonball found in a chimney. The resident discovered the cannonball during a chimney sweep several weeks ago and had kept it as a memento on his desk, until Wednesday, when a phycisist friend of his suggested he contact police. Police were called to the scene and determined the cannonball was in fact full of gunpowder. They called the fire department which then called a military bomb team. The cannonball was packed into a metal tube and taken to Fort Belvoir in Virginia. "The houses here date back forever, even though the house might have been reconstructed the chimneys might have remained," a neighbor said.  No one was injured. Cambridge Place reopened around 6:30 p.m.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — STUART VARNEY – Anchor, Varney and Company, Fox Business Channel, weekdays at 11 am — discussed the President's staged "middle class" story at the State of the Union, his thoughts on deflate-gate and the economy.

7am – E         Entertainment News:

• Posing with the champ! Tourists get selfie with Sylvester Stallone after running up Philadelphia's 'Rocky' steps.  (Daily Mail) –A group of tourists who ran up the 'Rocky' steps in Philadelphia got a knockout photo at the top – a selfie with Rocky himself. Peter Rowe said he and two friends had just finished racing up the staircase at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday when they saw Sylvester Stallone.  'He said to us, "Man, you guys are fast. You're making me look bad!"' Rowe said. Stallone then posed for a selfie with the trio, putting up one fist. 'Look tough, guys!' he said, according to Rowe. Stallone made the art museum's steps famous in his first turn as fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, who used them as part of his training regimen.
• Captain America vs Star-Lord? Boston's Chris Evans is betting on his Patriots in wager with Seahawks fan Chris Pratt. (ESPN) — Boston-born Captain America star Chris Evans is ready for Super Bowl XLIX, and he wants the world to know friendships come second to his beloved Patriots. No one is exempt, not even Seahawks fan and funnyman-turned-leading man Chris Pratt. The Avenger threw down the gauntlet to the "Guardians Of The Galaxy" star on Twitter after New England's win Sunday over Indianapolis, and it wasn't long before the stakes were raised for a good cause.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – WILL SOMMER – Loose Lips columnist at Washington City Paper

• Latest on the Metro Incident:  Congress: Ventilation fans drew smoke into D.C. Metro subway train
• Warrant: Alleged Outburst Not Christopher Barry’s First Incident at Bank
• Sommer's story on Friday: Christopher Barry “Feeling Fantabulous” After Alleged Bank Outburst, Won’t Stop Ward 8 Campaign – Posted by Will Sommer on Jan. 16, 2015 at 3:17 pm – In a Facebook post that obliquely references the incident, Barry says he won't stop his campaign to succeed Marion Barry on the D.C. Council.  "I learned from my father a long time ago not to get bogged down and deterred by sensationalism and the frivolous, especially when those who speak it are not stating the full facticity," Barry writes. Elsewhere in the post, Barry notes that he's "feeling Fantabulous."

8am – B         Justice Department reportedly ready to clear Darren Wilson. (Washington Examiner) — The Justice Department is ready to clear Darren Wilson in the shooting of Michael Brown. Federal prosecutors have begun crafting a memo recommending no civil rights charges be filed against Wilson, the police officer who fatally shot the Brown in August in Ferguson, Mo. It is not clear when the Justice Department will officially announce its decision to not indict Wilson or release the reasoning behind it. A Justice Department decision not to charge Wilson would mean the case in the death of Brown will be officially closed, sources told the New York Times. Another completed investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation found no evidence to support charges against Wilson. The Justice Department would have had to prove that Wilson had intended to violate Brown's rights when he had opened fire and that he knew it was wrong to do so but did it anyway in order to press civil rights charges against Wilson. The Justice Department’s broader investigation into the Ferguson Police Department is still open.

8am – C         Joe Biden on #Ballghazi: ‘I Like a Softer Ball.’ (Mediaite) — For no better reason than you should always ask Vice President Joe Biden about anything, CBS This Morning queried the routinely-underrated politician about #Ballghazi, the scandal in which the New England Patriots deflated balls by a significant margin in their victory over the Indianapolis Colts: “What do you think of soft balls?” Biden’s response: “Tell you what, having been a receiver, I like a softer ball.” And then laughter.

Biden: 'There is a chance' I'll primary Clinton.

8am – D         Boehner snubs WH, invites Netanyahu to address Congress. 

TOMORROW:  Bret Baier