DC Dept. of Housing and Commmunity’s Polly Donaldson, Brad Thor, Fox’s Bret Baier and guest host Scottie Hughes joined WMAL on Friday.

Listen here to Friday’s show!

Mornings on the Mall

Friday, April 10, 2015

Hosts: Larry O’Connor and guest host Scottie Hughes

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C             Q & A With Scottie Hughes

5am – D         Boston bombers’ mom: US ‘will pay for my sons’ (NY Post) — She’s just as twisted as he is. The mother of Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has furiously bashed Americans and promised that the US “will pay” for convicting her “innocent” son and killing his older brother. Just moments after learning that her 21-year-old was found guilty of all 30 counts in the Boston Marathon bombing trial Wednesday, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva sent an angry tirade to the technology website Vocativ through the WhatsApp messenger app. “[The US] WILL PAY FOR MY SONS AND THE SONS OF ISLAM, PERMANENTLY!!!” she fumed in Russian. “THE TEARS OF THEIR MOTHERS WILL BE FUEL FOR THEM IN HELL. “MY SONS ARE INNOCENT, AS INNOCENT AS ALL THOSE WHO ARE BEING KILLED BY YOUR COUNTRY,” she added. “TODAY THEY ARE KILLING MUSLIMS, AND TOMORROW WILL COME YOUR TURN AND HE WHO DOUBTS THIS IS DEEPLY MISTAKEN!!!!!” “HOW CAN A MOTHER FEEL WHOSE SON IS IN THE CLAWS OF A PREDATOR PREPARING TO TEAR HIM TO PIECES LIKE MEAT???” Vocativ had managed to obtain Zubeidat’s phone number by locating pictures of her holding signs with the digits. The images were posted on the Russian social media site VKontakte as part of a previous fundraising effort to support the Tsarnaev family in the wake of the 2013 attack. The website then requested that she send a selfie with a dated piece of paper which could verify that it was indeed her sending the messages. In the photo, Zubeidat can be seen wearing a black hijab and holding a sign that reads, “Zubeidat mother of two precious brothers Tamarlan Djahar April 9, 2015.”

5am – E         Selfie bans:

• Ben Carson on selfies: Please stop. (Politico) — Ben Carson is sick of selfies.The Republican neurosurgeon and 2016 hopeful penned an op-ed for the Washington Post Outlook section’s spring cleaning feature on why the practice of taking a picture of oneself needs to go. This past year, Carson wrote, the practice completely crossed the line with the introduction of the selfie stick into the American mass market. “The selfie stick ushers in a new, even worse and more dangerous era for the form. The stick doesn’t just validate selfies by building a cottage industry around them. It also says, ‘Snap them everywhere!’” he wrote. “Please stop.” Carson said that selfies reek of “obvious narcissism,” and added some unsolicited medical advice: that selfies are dangerous. He pointed to a Polish couple that fell off a cliff last August while snapping a pic and a pilot who killed two in a selfie-induced plane crash as proof. “Focus your camera on your surroundings, not on yourself!”
• Prince Harry rejects Australian fan’s selfie request; praise from critics. (NY Daily News) — Prince Harry is garnering praise from anti-selfie critics after he chided a young fan in Australia that the self-taken photos aren’t fit for royalty or anyone else. The British prince and Afghanistan war veteran rejected a girl’s request to pose with her as he greeted fans Monday at the start of a four-week military stint Down Under. Harry’s anti-selfie pronouncement might  nvince current practitioners to think twice before extending their arms or raising their selfie sticks, social media experts and art critics said. “No, I hate selfies,” the British army’s Captain Harry Wales answers the fan making her request in a BBC News video. The girl and a couple of fellow female well-wishers laugh, but the prince doubles down. “Seriously, you need to get out of it,” he tells the girl. “I know you’re young, but selfies are bad.” Then he adds: “Just take a normal photograph.”  Young people should view Harry’s stance against selfies as “words of wisdom,” University of Melbourne social media researcher Lauren Rosewarne told Agence France-Presse.
• Golf: Cellphone ban has cameras clicking at Augusta National. (AP) —  AUGUSTA, Ga. — There are so many cameras at the Masters this week that practice rounds are beginning to resemble kids’ birthday parties back in the day. Barred from bringing their cellphones on the course, fans adapted by going back to the future, dusting off pocket-sized digital cameras or their old 35mm bodies and lenses and re-learning how to use them. But a quick refresher course is all they’re allowed. When play begins Thursday, fans will have to put them back on the shelves. “Actually, the last time I had this out was Easter,” Wayne Watson said about the large black Nikon hanging around his neck. And the time before that? “No idea,” he said. “Probably the Easter before.” More than a few of the fans lugging around similar equipment were, like Watson, experiencing Augusta National in person for the first time.

6am – A/B/C Reddit: You can’t negotiate your salary. (CNN) — Salary negotiations are a common part of the hiring process — but are they actually a form of gender bias? That’s what Reddit believes, and part of what inspired the company, under interim CEO Ellen Pao, to eliminate them.   Pao recently lost a high-profile sex discrimination suit against former employer Kleiner Perkins, and this is just one of several efforts to increase diversity at Reddit. Some studies have found that women tend to be intimidated by the negotiating process compared to their male counterparts. A recent UC Berkeley study found that gender stereotypes during negotiations can play out in other ways, too. “Women are far more likely to be lied to in negotiations,” said Laura Kray, one of the study’s authors. “It’s not inconceivable that, in asking for a concession, [women] aren’t going to be given a fair response. This is one step in the right direction.” Reddit’s move is rare, according to Joelle Emerson, who heads up Paradigm, a tech diversity consultant firm.

6am – D         Iran Deal:

• White House swipes at Netanyahu with tweet of Iran bomb diagram. (Fox News) — The White House took an apparent swipe at Benjamin Netanyahu on Twitter Wednesday, posting a diagram similar to one used by the Israeli prime minister — only this time, using it to defend the Iran nuclear deal. The White House tweet included a cartoonish sketch of a bomb. On the left side were the supposed consequences of not striking a deal, including resumed production of highly enriched uranium and no limits on that stockpile. On the right side were the supposed benefits of a deal, including “no production or stockpile of highly enriched uranium.”  The sketch appeared to be almost identical to the one held up by Netanyahu during a 2012 United Nations speech. In that address, he warned of the consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran and urged the world to prevent that outcome — holding up the bomb diagram and, dramatically, drawing a red line near the top.  The White House diagram includes the same red line and reads, “Under the framework for an Iran nuclear deal, Iran’s uranium enrichment pathway to a weapon will be shut down.”  The White House  @WhiteHouse: Worth sharing: Here’s how the #IranDeal would shut down Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon → http://go.wh.gov/Iran-deal  2:57 PM – 8 Apr 2015
• Ayatollah says US distorting Iran nuclear deal. President Obama has long known that the real decision maker in Iran is Ayatollah Khamenei, the so-called supreme leader. While other Iranian officials have negotiated with Western powers over the mullahs’ nuclear program, Khamenei’s opinion is the only one that really counts. It is for this reason that Obama began writing directly to Khamenei early in his presidency. Earlier today, Khamenei broke his silence on the supposed “framework” the Obama administration has been trumpeting as the basis for a nuclear accord. Khamenei’s speech pulled the rug out from underneath the administration.  Khamenei accused the Obama administration of “lying” about the proposed terms, being “deceptive,” and having “devilish” intentions, according to multiple published accounts of his speech, as well as posts on his official Twitter feed.   Khamenei also disputed the key terms Obama administration officials have said were agreed upon in principle. Economic sanctions will not be phased out once Iran’s compliance has been “verified,” according to the Ayatollah. Instead, Khamenei said that if the U.S. wants a deal, then all sanctions must be dropped as soon as the agreement is finalized. Khamenei also put strict limits on the reach of the inspectors who would be tasked with this verification process in the first place.

6am – E         Entertainment News:

• Kardashian Cousins Kara, Kourtni Go With Kim, Khloe to Meet Armenian Prime Minister: Who dat?! Kim and Khloe Kardashian have been exploring Armenia thanks to two very special tour guides: their cousins Kara and Kourtni. (Yes, the cousins, from their late father Robert Kardashian’s side, are also named with K names.) After touching down in the capital of Yerevan on Wednesday, April 8, and getting swarmed by hundreds of fans and the media, the sisters ventured off with their kousins to see some of the kountry, er, country’s landmarks, including the Mother Armenia Statue. The reality stars took turns posing in front of the statue with Kara and Kourtni — who also have their same famous curves — and their glam squad. “Visiting the Mother Armenia statue today in Yerevan. The Mother Armenia statue symbolizes peace through strength. It can remind viewers of some of the prominent female figures in Armenian history. Who took up arms to help their husbands in their clashes with Turkish troops and Kurdish irregulars. I am woman hear me roar! Blessed to be here!!!,” Khloe captioned a photo of herself, Kim, and their hairstylist Jen Atkin.
• Game of Thrones’ makes an epic return. Washington (AFP) – Former redhead Sansa remains a brunette. Tyrion grows a beard. East and West shall meet. And, once again, more will die gruesome deaths. Welcome to season five of the cult TV series “Game of Thrones,” which premieres Sunday worldwide to a rapturous global following. So popular is the medieval-flavored saga of blood, sex and treason that HBO is airing the new season simultaneously in 170 countries. New York fans who tune in Sunday at 9:00 p.m. will thus see the same action as counterparts in London who stay up into the wee hours of Monday. The globe-girdling simulcast is HBO’s response to “Game of Thrones” being the world’s most pirated TV program. The season four finale was illegally downloaded eight million times, according to file-sharing news site TorrentFreak, a nightmare for HBO’s marketers but a tribute to the show’s appeal. Adapted from the “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy saga by George R.R. Martin, “Game of Thrones” revolves around a ruthless power struggle between noble families who covet the Iron Throne in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. Lovers, warriors, princesses, eunuchs, dragons and zombies, among many others, take their turn in a multi-plot narrative in which the only common denominator is death.
• Eddie Murphy to receive Kennedy Center’s 2015 Mark Twain Prize. Eddie Murphy, known for his sharp comic observations and salty language, will receive the Kennedy Center’s 2015 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Murphy will be honored with the 18th annual prize at a gala performance Oct. 18 featuring as yet unnamed comedians. The program will be televised nationally. Murphy, 54, was a teenager when he helped reinvigorate “Saturday Night Live” with his impressions of James Brown and Michael Jackson and such characters as Little Richard Simmons — a composite of the singer and the fitness guru — and Mr. Robinson of “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood.”

7am – A         INTERVIEW: POLLY DONALDSON –  the Director for DC’s Department of Housing and Community Development – discussed Mayor Bowser’s commitment to helping to address the affordable housing issue in DC, she has committed $100 Million to the DC Housing Production Trust Fund which helps to develop affordable housing for low and very low income housing across the city. 

Mayor: First budget reflects concern for housing, homeless. Jobs, affordable housing, and attacking homelessness were her guiding priorities in constructing her first budget proposal, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told a Washington audience Wednesday, a budget that also includes tax increases and cuts to higher education.

7am – B         ESPN refuses to pay 12-year-old March Madness bracket challenge winner. LAKE ZURICH, Ill. – An Illinois sixth grader put more than 11 million people to shame when he tied for first in ESPN’s bracket challenge. Sam Holtz’s near perfect bracket should have qualified him for a chance to win a $20,000 Best Buy gift card and a trip to the 2015 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. But, ESPN told Holtz he was ineligible to win the prize because the winner has to be 18, and he used his dad’s e-mail to enter the challenge, according to WGN. The Chicago Tribune reports SportsCenter offered to let him anchor an episode of the show.

Kid who won ESPN’s bracket contest donates XBox to Make-A-Wish. Sam Holtz, the 12-year-old who tied for the best bracket in this year’s ESPN Tournament Challenge out of 11.57 million entries, turns out that he had his dad’s permission to enter the contest, he wasn’t eligible for the drawing for a $20,000 Best Buy gift card and a trip to Maui since he was not 18 or older.  Best Buy was gracious enough to award Holtz a $1,000 gift card anyway, and he did what many kids his age would do: purchase himself an XBox One, according to the Chicago Tribune.

7am – C         Madonna takes over ‘The Tonight Show’ (NY Daily News) — Madonna is obviously a talented singer, but the “Material Girl” went one step further Thursday night and proved she could also play the whistle and cow bell and put on an epic show. On “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, the singer performed “Holiday” along with the show’s house band, “The Roots,” and the host while all played on classroom instruments.  Everyone wore island-themed button-ups while Madonna donned fishnets and a top with gold chain prints all over it. The whole band jammed out in the green room on the show in the hilarious clips. Following her act with “The Roots,” the singer performed possibly the most epic show of all time on “The Tonight Show” alongside the DJ Diplo.  In the style of a music video, the star ran around the studio, ending her performance with her single “B—h I’m Madonna” on stage. Madonna’s new album “Rebel Heart” has been getting a lot of attention and is now available on iTunes.

7am – D         2016 News:

• Report: Hillary Clinton to Kick Off Campaign on Twitter. (Bloomberg) – The exact date that the former secretary of state will declare herself a presidential candidate remains unconfirmed.  The only real question remaining about Hillary Clinton’s forthcoming presidential campaign is when the former secretary of state will formally announce it. By signing an April lease on office space in Brooklyn, Clinton effectively started a 15-day countdown on the day when she would publicly declare herself in the running, as FEC rules state that candidates have that amount of time in which to conduct campaign activities before filing official paperwork.  Late Thursday, the New York Daily News ran a story that cited an anonymous source who claimed that Clinton was planning to formally enter the presidential race on Sunday. While several news outlets ran with that reporting, the Clinton campaign refused to confirm it and later reports from The Guardian and NBC News with similar information.   The Guardian also added that Clinton’s plans included kicking off her candidacy on Sunday at noon with a tweet to her 3.12 million followers. Then, according to the Guardian, she would lead a “blitzkrieg tour” starting in Iowa, followed by other early primary states.
• Network of ‘Super PACs’ Says That It Has Raised $31 Million for Ted Cruz Bid.  (NY Times) — A network of new “super PACs” said Wednesday that it had raised $31 million to support Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign, a sum that could upend expectations in the race for the Republican nomination and rewrite the political rule book for outside spending. The groups, four super PACs sharing variations of the name Keep the Promise, were established and secured commitments with virtually no warning over the course of several days beginning Monday.
• Scott Walker can’t believe Obama has ‘audacity’ to school anyone in foreign policy. Scott Walker struck back at President Obama for calling the Wisconsin governor’s approach to the Iran nuclear deal “foolish.” During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity Wednesday night, Walker challenged Obama to “spend more time trying to figure out how to work with governors and members of Congress instead of attacking them.” Walker claimed recently that, if he were elected president in 2016, he would dismantle any deal with the Iranians achieved by the Obama administration, even if allies of the United States disagreed with such an action.
• Rand Paul leads Hillary Clinton in Colorado, Iowa. (Red Alert) –A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows that GOP presidential candidate Rand Paul currently leads likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in two of the nation’s crucial swing states. Specifically, in Colorado, if the 2016 presidential election were held today between Clinton and Paul, the former secretary of State would receive 41 percent of the vote, while the Kentucky senator would win 44 percent.
• Fans Are Begging Mike Rowe To Run In 2016. (Daily Caller) — CNN’s “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” host Mike Rowe joined a Washington, D.C. afternoon-drive radio program to discuss the return for his show’s second season on Thursday, April 9 and revealed that his fans have been asking him to make a run for the White House. When WMAL radio host Larry O’Connor asked Rowe about his thoughts on people who are not “career politicians” running for president, he said what people are really hungry for in America is “authenticity.” I have over 100,000 people asking me if I’d run which is outrageous!” Rowe laughed. “I have zero experience and even less ambition in that regard but I think people are starved to see someone who is congruent — to do the thing they say they’re going to do and initially says some things that are going to be unpopular.” The former “Dirty Jobs” host told the DC-based radio show that “people are tired of focus-grouped, tested messages.”

7am – E         Apple Watch (nearly) sold out in 30 minutes. (Fortune) — Some models won’t ship before June or July. At 4 a.m. Friday morning, an hour after Apple started taking pre-orders for the Apple Watch, a few of the least popular models (e.g. 38 mm Sport/Silver Case/Green Band) still had April 24 ship dates. The rest were gone.

Apple Watch debuts with sparse crowds. The Apple Watch is officially here! Kinda…Customers are now able to order the smartwatch online, or try one on at select Apple stores.  But there were sparse crowds and short lines at Apple stores in London and Hong Kong, since customers still aren’t able to walk out of the shops with the shiny new watches strapped on their wrists. Simon Shenton was among the first people lined up in London to try on a new Apple Watch Sport. He said he only waited five minutes to get into the store. In fact, store staff and members of the media significantly outnumbered customers in the shop. Shenton said he came by the store on his way to work because he wanted to try on the watch before he placed his online order later today. He’s trying to decide which color strap is best.   The Apple Watch is now on display in stores across the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, and the U.K. The products will begin shipping to customers on April 24.

8am – A/B/C INTERVIEW – BRAD THOR – #1 New York Times bestselling author. New thriller: CODE OF CONDUCT will be published July 7, 2015. http://BradThor.com/ — joined us in studio discuss his upcoming book, conservatism, American Sniper ban and Hollywood.

8am – D         INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER – Anchor of Special Report, Fox News Channel, weekdays at 6 pm – discussed the SC cop shooting case, Hillary’s upcoming announcement and golf.

MONDAY: Brian is back. Guest: JOE DIGENOVA