Legal analyst Joe diGenova, Fred Frommer, Washington Examiner’s David Drucker and guest host Dan Bongino joined WMAL on Monday.
INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia
INTERVIEW – FRED FROMMER – journalist and author of a book on Washington baseball history, “You Gotta Have Heart: A History of Washington Baseball from 1859 to the 2012 National League East Champions”
INTERVIEW — DAVID DRUCKER – Senior Congressional Correspondent for the Washington Examiner
Mornings on the Mall
Monday, April 6, 2015
Hosts: Larry O’Connor and guest host Dan Bongino
Executive Producer: Heather Smith
5am – A/B/C President Obama Calls Preliminary Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Our Best Bet’.(NY Times) — WASHINGTON — President Obama strongly defended last week’s preliminary agreement with Iran as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to curb the spread of nuclear weapons in a dangerous region while reassuring critics that he would keep all options available if Tehran ultimately cheated. As he sought in an interview with The New York Times to sell the tentative deal to skeptics accusing him of giving away too much, Mr. Obama emphasized to Israel that “we’ve got their backs” in the face of Iranian hostility. And he suggested that he could accept some sort of vote in Congress if it did not block his ability to carry out the agreement. “This is our best bet by far to make sure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with Thomas L. Friedman, an Op-Ed columnist for The Times, published on Sunday. “What we will be doing even as we enter into this deal is sending a very clear message to the Iranians and to the entire region that if anybody messes with Israel, America will be there.”
5am – D Columbia issues scathing report on Rolling Stone rape story. Rolling Stone, Blistered by Critical Report, Retracts Rape Article. Rolling Stone magazine retracted its article about a brutal gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity after the release of a report on Sunday that concluded the widely discredited article was the result of failures at every stage of the editorial process. The report, published by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and commissioned by Rolling Stone, said the magazine failed to engage in “basic, even routine journalistic practice” to verify details of the ordeal that the magazine’s source, identified only as Jackie, described to the article’s author, Sabrina Rubin Erdely. On Sunday, Ms. Erdely, in her first extensive comments since the story was cast into doubt, apologized to Rolling Stone’s readers, her colleagues and “any victims of sexual assault who may feel fearful as a result of my article.”
5am – E Critter News:
- A new baby sloth at the National Aquarium! Baby sloth is 5th born at Baltimore’s National Aquarium. BALTIMORE (AP) — A baby sloth has been born at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The zoo announced the birth of Felize the two-toed sloth this week. The aquarium says Felize is the fifth sloth born at the facility and the third baby for its mother, Ivy. The aquarium says it’s unclear whether the sloth is male or female and that mother and baby are being given their space so they can bond. The aquarium says Felize is nursing well and will remain close to Ivy for almost a year before independently exploring the exhibit.
- Giant pandas in China set record for longest recorded sex session. Mating session between Xi Mei and Lu Lu lasted 18 minutes and three seconds and was welcomed by researchers who have struggled to get pandas to breed in captivity. Two giant pandas in China have broken the record for the longest mating session ever recorded, just hours after the male set the record with a different female. The noisy marathon session between pandas Xi Mei and Lu Lu at the Sichuan Giant Panda Research Center on Friday lasted 18 minutes and three seconds. It followed an earlier eight-minute record-breaking session the previous day between Lu Lu and a female panda named Zhen Zhen.
6am – A/B/C State Department To Fly Central American Children Into US. (Daily Caller) — Potentially millions of current and former illegal immigrants now have the opportunity to fly their children to the U.S. with taxpayer dollars. Once they arrive, they will be eligible for benefits including a free education, healthcare and food stamps. The State Department and Department of Homeland Security will administer the program, which is a response to the flood of Central American children making dangerous journeys to illegally cross the U.S. southern border. Any permanent resident, parolee or illegal immigrant granted or in the process of being granted a work permit under President Barack Obama’s recent executive order or his deferred action policy, who has children under 21 living in Honduras, Guatemala or El Salvador can apply for the program. If their application is approved, the child will be granted a special refugee status and flown into the U.S. where they will receive “resettlement assistance” and be eligible for taxpayer benefits. If the child has children under 21 they can come too, as well as a parent of the child who is married to the applicant. Some of the benefits they will receive are a free education, medical care, living expenses and food stamps.
6am – D Gunman in Kenyan massacre was government official’s son.GARISSA, Kenya (AP) — One of the gunmen who slaughtered 148 people at a college in Kenya was identified Sunday as the law-school-educated son of a Kenyan government official, underscoring the inroads Islamic extremists have made in recruiting young people to carry out attacks against their own country. Abdirahim Mohammed Abdullahi, who was killed by security forces Thursday along with the three other militants who stormed Garissa University College, was the son of a government chief in Mandera County, which borders Somalia, Interior Ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka told The Associated Press.
Pope at Easter prays for killed Kenyan students, decries persecution. (Reuters) – Pope Francis prayed for an end to the persecution of Christians in his Easter Sunday address, commemorating the students massacred by Islamist militants at Garissa University in Kenya. Francis, after saying Mass for thousands of people in a rainy St. Peter’s Square, delivered a mostly somber and grim “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message. Attacks on Christians in Africa and the Middle East have been the grim backdrop of all Holy Week ceremonies leading up to Easter. “We ask Jesus, the victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence – and there are many,” he said. The pope spoke as churches in Kenya, where al Shabaab gunmen massacred nearly 150 people, singling out Christians for point-blank executions, turned to armed guards to protect their congregations on the most important day of the Christian liturgical year. “May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives – I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya – for all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones.”
6am – E NCAA championship preview: Wisconsin vs. Duke. (USA Today) — Wisconsin (36-3) vs. Duke (34-4) Why Wisconsin Will Win: Frank Kaminsky (22.2 points per game) and Sam Dekker (20.6) are the top two scorers in the NCAA tournament. Dekker is shooting 61.3% from the field in the tournament. Kaminsky, winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy and AP Player of the Year, has had the best season in the sport and is a difficult matchup because of his versatility. Wisconsin has mastered being sound, poised and resilient. The Badgers have an historically efficient offense. They minimize fouls and turnovers. Against most teams, Duke can draw fouls when its players penetrate. Wisconsin can defend without fouling excessively. The Badgers are the more experienced team and will show no emotional hangover from Saturday’s victory over then-unbeaten Kentucky. In eight postseason games, the Badgers are shooting 63.8% in the final five minutes of games.
NCAA Tournament: National title preview: Why Duke Will Win: The Blue Devils have already beaten the Badgers once – by 10 points in Madison on Dec. 3 – although Dekker was not 100% in the matchup. Duke’s defense is much better now. It has held five tournament opponents to 55 points per game on 37.4% shooting. Jahlil Okafor had a strong game (18 points) against Michigan State. Duke’s guards can bury three-pointers or drive hard to the basket to draw contact. The trio of star freshmen – Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow – showed no nerves in the first meeting and has performed quite well in the Final Four. Duke is the only team in the NCAA with three freshmen averaging double figures in scoring.
7am – A INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia
- Closing arguments expected Monday in guilt phase of Tsarnaev trial
- Machen Making the Lois Lerner Problem Disappear
- New Gov’t Program Flies Unaccompanied Minors From Central America to US to Join Parents. State Department To Fly Central American Children Into US.
- Indiana religious freedom law fallout
7am – B/C Rand Paul to Announce White House Run on Tuesday. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will announce his plans to seek the Republican nomination for president on Tuesday. Paul will announce his intentions in Louisville before setting out on a four-day tour of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada, the first four states that will hold caucuses or primaries. Paul also plans to announce either Tuesday or soon afterward several House Republicans who will in some way aid his candidacy, National Journal reports.
7am – D No more parking meters for Ellicott City, Kittleman says. (Howard County Times) — Time has run out for Ellicott City’s parking meters. Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman announced Thursday that parking meters in the historic district would be discontinued immediately, a decision he said was made to promote economic growth for Main Street businesses. The meters have proven controversial among local merchants since they were installed in late 2012, under former County Executive Ken Ulman. Some business owners complained that tickets and confusion over the parking system were driving customers away, while others insisted the meters have helped keep prime spaces clear of employees who used to park in them. Kittleman said in February that he was considering removing the meters, which are actually electronic kiosks that require visitors to enter their parking spot number into the system and pay for a specified amount of time.
7am – E Ice Cream Truck Turf War: Charges tossed in small town’s Snow Kone Joe versus Mr. Ding-a-Ling ice cream truck turf war. GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — A judge has dismissed stalking and harassment charges filed against an ice cream truck operator who had been accused of trying to run his rival, Mr. Ding-A-Ling, out of their small New York town. Prosecutors in Fulton County say a judge in Gloversville dismissed the charges against Joshua Malatino this week. Malatino and a co-owner of their Snow Kone Joe ice cream truck business were charged in April 2013 after the driver of a Mr. Ding-a-Ling truck said the two had harassed and stalked him. Officials said Malatino had told the rival operator that he owned the ice cream business in Gloversville, a city of 15,000 located 40 miles northwest of Albany. Malatino said the case led him to be humiliated beyond his hometown because the case made news worldwide.
8am – A INTERVIEW – FRED FROMMER – journalist and author of a book on Washington baseball history, “You Gotta Have Heart: A History of Washington Baseball from 1859 to the 2012 National League East Champions”
- Nationals announce 2015 opening day roster
- Nats First pitch on Opening Day: New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred
8am – B Entertainment News:
- Katy Perry is forced to change her phone number after accidentally broadcasting it in Instagram video of pet dog Butters. (Daily Mail) — She spent a part of April Fool’s Day tricking her fans into believing she’d acquired a new haircut inspired by Kris Jenner – but a later mishap meant the real joke of the day was on her. The 30-year-old Hot N Cold singer took to her Twitter and Instagram accounts to upload a video of her adorable pet pooch, Butters, earlier this week. But as her chocolate brown Cavapoo – a cavalier King Charles spaniel-poodle mix – basked in the spotlight, Katy seemed unaware that her dog tag clearly displayed her phone number for all to see.
- ‘Furious 7’ revs up record-breaking weekend. Furious 7 didn’t just race to the top of the box office — it lapped the competition. (USA Today) — The latest installment in the Fast and Furious franchise sped away with a record-breaking $143.6 million for the Easter weekend, according to studio estimates from box-office tracking firm Rentrak. The explosive action blockbuster zooms past the debut of 2013’s Fast and Furious 6 ($97.4 million, then a franchise best) and becomes the ninth-biggest U.S. opening of all time (eclipsed only by Spider-Man 3’s $151.1 million, according to Box Office Mojo). It’s also the biggest April opening ever (beating Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s $95 million last year) and the largest debut of 2015 so far (easily topping Fifty Shades of Grey’s $93 million for the four-day Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day weekend).
8am – C Ex-Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Burns dies at 64. The former drummer for the Southern hard rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robert Burns Jr., died in a car crash in Georgia. Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman Tracey Watson said Burns’ vehicle went off a curve in a road near Cartersville just before midnight Saturday, striking a mailbox and a tree. Burns was killed in the wreck. He was 64. Burns was one of five musicians who founded the band in Jacksonville, Florida. While Burns was with the band, it recorded Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Three Steps and Free Bird. Burns left the band in 1974.
Hosts sorry for ‘fat-shaming’ Kelly Clarkson. (USA Today) — On Friday’s The Mike Gallagher Show, Fox anchor Chris Wallace and host Mike Gallagher made some not-so-nice comments about Kelly Clarkson’s weight. Well, the guys are saying they’re sorry now. Wallace said this in a statement: “I sincerely apologize to Kelly Clarkson for my offensive comment. I admire her remarkable talent and that should have been the focus of any discussion about her.” And Gallagher wrote an apology online: “Tubby Mike is the last person in the world who should bring up anyone’s weight. I couldn’t possibly feel any worse than I do for making an observation that led to the conclusion that I ‘fat-shamed’ this talented and classy entertainer. It was a really stupid thing for me to do.” In the radio interview that got them in trouble, Gallagher said, “Have you seen Kelly Clarkson? … Holy cow, did she blow up.” Wallace replied that Clarkson has “a lovely voice,” but then added, “She could stay off the deep-dish pizza for a little while.”
8am – D INTERVIEW — DAVID DRUCKER – Senior Congressional Correspondent for the Washington Examiner.
- Barack Obama’s next job: Sell the Iran deal
- As Bob Menendez Steps Down From Top Foreign Relations Post, All Eyes On Ben Cardin’s Iran Policy
- Congressional leaders react cautiously to Iran deal
TOMORROW: Dan Bongino is back! Plus Larry Kudlow, Chris Moody and DC Transportation Director Leif Dormsjo
