Mornings on the Mall 07.20.15

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, July 20, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C UN set to endorse landmark Iran nuclear deal on Monday. UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is set to endorse the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers and adopt a series of measures leading to the end of U.N. sanctions that have hurt the Iranian economy. But the measure to be voted on Monday also provides a mechanism for U.N. sanctions to “snap back” in place if Iran fails to meet its obligations. The U.S.-drafted resolution is certain to be adopted, in all likelihood unanimously, because it has been approved by the five veto-wielding council members, who along with Germany negotiated the deal with Iran to rein in its nuclear program. The 10 non-permanent council members were briefed on the draft and none objected to the text. Diplomats said the vote is scheduled for 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT0, earlier than usual because European Union foreign ministers wanted the resolution adopted before their discussion on the Iran deal on Monday afternoon in Brussels.

Kerry: I’ve Never Heard Of ‘Anytime, Anywhere’ Inspections For Weapons. (Daily Caller) — The Obama administration is scrambling to sell its Iran nuclear deal to the American people, but it keeps getting tripped up by its own words. One point that struck a nerve with many people is the fact that Iran can delay inspections of a suspected nuclear site by 24 days, allowing for the removal of any evidence of illicit activity. On April 7, 2015, President Barack Obama’s National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “under this deal, you will have anywhere, any time 24/7 access as it relates to the nuclear facilities that Iran has.” Now, on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Secretary of State John Kerry said, “This is a term that, honestly, I never heard in the four years that we were negotiating. It was not on the table. There’s no such thing in arms control as any time, anywhere.”

5am – D Discrimination Against LGBT Workers Is Illegal, Commission Rules. The 1964 Civil Rights Act now protects gay workers from discrimination Workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission concluded this week, in a groundbreaking ruling that provides new protections for LGBT Americans. In a decision dated Thursday, the EEOC said that employers who discriminate against LGBT workers are violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination “based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.” In the past, courts have ruled that Title VII does not cover discrimination based on sexual orientation because it’s not explicitly mentioned in the law, but the EEOC’s ruling disputes that reasoning. “Sexual orientation discrimination is sex discrimination because it necessarily entails treating an employee less favorably because of the employee’s sex,” the EEOC concluded. The committee argued that if an employer discriminated against a lesbian for displaying a photo of her wife, but not a straight man for showing a photo of his wife, that amounts to sex discrimination.

5am – E Man armed with AR-15 stands guard at Virginia military recruiting offices. WINCHESTER, Va. – The horrific murder of four Marines in Chattanooga showed the vulnerability of military recruitment centers. They are in public locations, and by law, they are “gun free zones” — meaning the military that are there are not allowed to carry their weapons. As the country realized the Marines that were killed were unarmed at the recruiting center, people have started showing up to provide security. At 8 a.m. Friday morning, one man decided to spend his day off standing guard outside of a military recruitment center in Winchester, Virginia. He is not worried about another attack like Chattanooga here. But he is making a statement. “People need to call their congressman, they need to call their senators and they need to change these laws that are on the books so these guys can protect themselves so a regular old citizen doesn’t have to go out and do it,” he told us. The man asked to remain unidentified, but he said when he heard about the four Marines killed by a terrorist in Tennessee, he thought, “Here we go again.” “It’s fundamental Muslim extremism,” he said. “They declared war on us and we seem to not put it in perspective and realizing that the war is here.”

6am – A/B/C Donald Trump Says He Does Not Owe John McCain Apology. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he does not owe John McCain an apology for saying the Arizona senator is only a war hero “because he was captured.” Trump told Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week” that he won’t be pulling out of the presidential race over his comments, which he made Saturday during a campaign event in Iowa. Trump said he left to a “standing ovation” after speaking at the Family Leadership Council summit. “When I left the room, it was a total standing ovation,” said Trump. “It was wonderful to see. Nobody was insulted.” When speaking about McCain on Saturday, Trump said he likes “people who weren’t captured.” He didn’t back down when asked about the comment. “People that fought hard and weren’t captured and went through a lot, they get no credit,” he said. “Nobody even talks about them. They’re like forgotten, and I think that’s a shame, if you want to know the truth.” Before Trump’s comments Saturday, McCain had said the real estate mogul was firing up “crazies.” Trump had already found himself embroiled in controversy over comments he made last month regarding Mexican immigrants.

6am – D Chattanooga jihadi

Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez Family Statement: Chattanooga Shooting Suspect’s Parents Say Son Suffered Depression. The family of Mohammad Youssef Abdulazeez, the 24-year-old suspect of Thursday’s shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee, released a statement Saturday evening concerning the event that led to five servicemen’s deaths. The emailed statement, tweeted by NPR, described their shock and referred to the gunman as a person who was “not the son we knew and loved.” The Abdulazeez family’s statement noted that that their son had suffered from mental illness. “For many years, our son suffered from depression,” the family wrote. “It grieves us beyond belief to know that his pain found its expression in this heinous act of violence.”
Shooting ISIS related? FBI won’t confirm it. (WBIR – CHATTANOOGA) – Federal investigators declined to confirm Friday that the gunman who shot and killed four Marines on Thursday at a military facility was inspired by Islamic State, or ISIS, extremists, a step back from statements made shortly before by the chairman of the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee.

6am – E Transportation News:

Big News: Tiny Parks Coming Soon To A Parking Spot Near You. (NPR) — Walking down K Street Northwest in Washington, D.C., almost everything is a shade of gray — light gray buildings, darker gray sidewalks, even the windows on the gray high-rises reflect their gray surroundings. But between 20th and 21st streets, the scene changes suddenly and drastically: At the side of the road, taking up two parking spots, is a brand-new, bright-yellow tiny park. Created by extending the sidewalk, the park is a platform with geometric multiuse modules on top of it. Some are meant to be used as tables, others as chairs and some have purple flowers planted in them. It’s the District’s first seasonal mini park, or parklet, and it’s available for public use until October. It is a more permanent version of the parklets that crop up once a year for a weekend on Park(ing) Day. “We want people to feel that they really want to live in this district because there’s so much going on,” says Leona Agouridis, the executive director of the Golden Triangle Business Improvement District, which encompasses the 43-block area between the White House and Dupont Circle. “We’re improving the public realm and activating the public space,” she says.
Potential new Potomac crossing pits Maryland against Virginia. (WTOP) — WASHINGTON — A new way to drive across the Potomac River that avoids the traffic-clogged Beltway has the support of Virginia transportation leaders, even if Maryland says it is not going to happen any time soon. The Virginia Department of Transportation floated the idea of extending the I-495 Express Lanes over the Legion Bridge to the Interstate 270 Spur in Maryland at a Commonwealth Transportation Board meeting this week. Deputy Transportation Secretary Nick Donohue said his staff would really prefer to add an entire new crossing miles to the west, connecting Fairfax and Montgomery counties. “Tysons Corner is located right off of 495 in central Fairfax, and as the development takes place there, because of the Silver Line investment [and] Beltway HOT Lanes, it’s really anticipated that you’ll have a lot more people commuting from Maryland into Tysons Corner and back,” Donohue said. “Our focus, looking at river crossings, is addressing the issues at the American Legion Bridge. It has the worst congestion; it has the largest projected growth into the future,” Donohue told the board. But Maryland has said it is not interested in building another crossing, especially into the rural areas of northwestern Montgomery County between the Potomac River and 270.

7am – A INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia

Discrimination Against LGBT Workers Is Illegal, Commission Rules
Thoughts on Obama’s push for prison reform sentencing

7am – B Entertainment News:

Bon Jovi, U2 crash East Hampton bachelorette party. You never know who you’ll run into in the Hamptons. Bono, The Edge and Jon Bon Jovi reportedly crashed a bachelorette party in East Hampton on Thursday. Negro Cabrera, a co-owner of a record company and an employee at Moby’s, shared a photo of the bride-to-be and her friends with the celebrities themselves on his Instagram account with the user name negk on July 17, 2015. “You know when you ended up having a good nite when you have a picture like this!” Cabrera wrote, using the hashtags “#bono,” “#bonjovi” and “#ilovemyjob.” The celebration for bride-to-be Stephanie Mah hit a high note when the rock stars ended up at a table next to them at the restaurant, the New York Post’s Page Six reports. According to LinkedIn, Mah is a fashion executive at Monique Lhuiller’s New York City office. She, of course, also shared the photo on Instagram with the caption, “that time Bon Jovi and U2 came to hang.” “It was pretty empty and they were super nice and came by for pics,” a guest told the news site. “They congratulated [Mah] and gave her hugs. She invited them to the wedding.”
Bruce Springsteen plays surprise show at Jersey shore bar. ASBURY PARK, N.J. (AP) — Patrons of a Jersey shore bar had a night to remember when Bruce Springsteen gave a surprise show that lasted for nearly two hours. The Boss performed 15 songs Saturday night at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, mixing in favorites that spanned his career. He concluded the show with “Light of Day,” which he dedicated to the huge crowd of people watching from the sidewalk outside the venue because they couldn’t get in to the packed bar. Springsteen’s appearance came during a show by Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers, a band he has appeared with on numerous times over the years. The band had been playing for about 20 minutes before Springsteen joined them for a set that kicked off with “Never Be Enough Time.”
Demi Moore ‘in shock’ after man drowns in her backyard pool. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Demi Moore said she is stunned and saddened by the death of a 21-year-old man Sunday in the backyard pool of a Los Angeles home she owns. “I am in absolute shock,” the 52-year-old actress said in a statement released through her publicist, Heidi Lopata. “I was out of the country traveling to meet my daughters for a birthday celebration when I got the devastating news.” Moore said the death, which occurred at a party held by her assistant in her absence, was an “unthinkable tragedy, and my heart goes out to this young man’s family and friends.” The man, Edenilson Steven Valle, had gone missing for 10 or 15 minutes before his friends found him floating in the deep end of the pool early Sunday morning, said Los Angeles County coroner’s Lt. Fred Corral.
Ant Man Proves Size Doesn’t Matter with Massive $58 Million Box Office Debut. Paul Rudd-led superhero story brings in $114 million worldwide, but falls short of its projected $60 to $65 million domestic debut Marvel’s small but mighty “Ant-Man” fought its way to $19.4 million on Saturday night, pushing the superhero film to a $58 million box office debut. This serves as the 12th consecutive No. 1 debut for Marvel, following movies like “The Avengers” and “Iron Man 3,” which brought in $207.4 million and $174.1 million, respectively. Tracking services had initially projected a $60 to $65 million domestic opening for Marvel’s latest movie, with a production budget of $130 million. The Paul Rudd-led superhero story expanded internationally as it made $56.4 million. Globally, the film grossed in $114 million. “Ant-Man” played at 3,856 North American theaters. 3D screenings of the film brought in $16.5 million on Friday and Saturday on 3,586 screens, which was around 41 percent of the film’s entire gross.

7am – C Surfer Mick Fanning escapes shark attack. (CNN) – A surfing competition in South Africa was canceled Sunday after professional surfer Mick Fanning escaped a shark attack in the opening minutes of the final heat. Organizers of the J-Bay Open, the sixth stop on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League Championship Tour, called off the remainder of the competition. After discussion with WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow, Fanning and competitor Julian Wilson decided to take equal second in rankings points and split the prize purse awarded to the winner. “We are incredibly grateful that no one was seriously injured today. Mick’s composure and quick acting in the face of a terrifying situation was nothing short of heroic and the rapid response of our water safety personnel was commendable,” Perrow said in a statement. Video of the incident shows at least one shark fin circling the World Surf League champion. Fanning spots it and starts furiously paddling away.

‘Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!’ set to terrorize and amuse TV viewers. DON’T MISS: “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” — Just when you thought it was safe to go outside, scary flying sharks once again are filling the summer skies. This time, the forecast calls for even more madcap zaniness as a massive Sharknado wreaks havoc along the Eastern Seaboard, from Washington, D.C., to Florida. Fortunately, Ian Ziering and Tara Reid are back to battle the toothy sea creatures. They’re joined by David Hasselhoff, Bo Derek and many other folks that you may have to go Google. 9 p.m. Wednesday, Syfy.

7am – D O’Malley Apologizes For Saying ‘All Lives Matter’ (Daily Caller) — Former Maryland Gov. and Democratic Party presidential candidate Martin O’Malley, along with fellow candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, were shouted off stage at the Netroots Nation conference in Phoenix, Ariz., Saturday. O’Malley’s offense was saying, “Black lives matter, white lives matter, all lives matter.” O’Malley has now apologized for including “white lives matter, all lives matter” in his statement. The Black Lives Matter movement on the extreme progressive left does not tolerate inclusion of all lives, or any other lives when it comes to mattering. Appearing on the Internet based “This Week In Blackness,” or TWiB Nation, host L. Joy Williams excoriated O’Malley for his insensitivity for including “white lives” and “all lives” in his statement. The former governor did not repeat the phrases, he referred to them as “those other two phrases.” “I want to ask something specifically,” Williams said, “Towards the end, in your explanation, you said the phrase ‘all lives matter,’ you said the phrase ‘white lives matter.’ But I want to ask you, do you understand the difference in responding in that conversation, in that context, with ‘all lives matter’ or ‘white lives matter’ when we’re specifically talking about black death, that is not all inclusive.”

7am – E UN set to endorse landmark Iran nuclear deal on Monday. UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council is set to endorse the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers and adopt a series of measures leading to the end of U.N. sanctions that have hurt the Iranian economy. But the measure to be voted on Monday also provides a mechanism for U.N. sanctions to “snap back” in place if Iran fails to meet its obligations.

8am – A INTERVIEW – SHARYL ATTKISSON – former CBS investigative reporter, author of book “Stonewalled” and host of new upcoming Sunday morning show “FULL MEASURE” ON NEWCHANNEL 8 AND WJLA

Fact Check: The Washington Post on Donald Trump and John McCain. (BY SHARYL ATTKISSON On July 18, 2015) — Donald Trump appears to have gotten under the skin of not only Democrats, but also fellow Republicans and the news media. Has that subjected Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, to unfair and/or inaccurate reporting? An article in the Washington Post today is headlined, “Trump slams McCain for being ‘captured’ in Vietnam.” The article’s lead sentence states, “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a decorated Vietnam War veteran, on Saturday by saying McCain was not a war hero because he was captured by the North Vietnamese [emphasis added].” Is this report accurate? In fact, Trump’s actual quote is the opposite of what is presented in the Post’s first sentence.

8am –B/C/D Taking Calls on Trump’s McCain comments.