Olivier Guitta, Robert Thomson aka Dr. Gridlock, Joe diGenova and Trevor Matich joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, November 23, 2015

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

5am – A/B/C Ben Carson wants to monitor mosques, churches – anyplace ‘where there is a lot of radicalization going on’ (Daily Mail) — GOP candidate Ben Carson called again for an uptick in surveillance on places ‘where there is a lot of radicalization going on,’ but didn’t give details on how that would be determined. Speaking to George Stephanopoulos this morning on ABC’s This Week Carson said ‘we should monitor anything – mosques, church, school … shopping center,’ that fits this bill. The former neurosurgeon suggested adding more FBI agents to monitor people who could participate in a Paris-style ISIS attack on American soil. ‘We need to get very serious about our intelligence,’ the candidate implored. Carson made a similar statement yesterday at a campaign stop in South Carolina.

5am – D         Majority of Americans Feel Like ‘Stranger in Own Country’ (Breitbart) — According to the Reuters survey, 58 percent Americans say they “don’t identify with what America has become.” While Republicans and Independents are the most likely to agree with this statement, even 45 percent of Democrats share this feeling. More than half of Americans, 53 percent, say they “feel like a stranger” in their own country. A minority of Americans feel “comfortable as myself” in the country. There are no doubt lots of reasons underlying this feelings. Demographically, Americans holding these views tend to be white, older, live in the South and have less than a college education. Politically, they are cordoned off as the white working class. While they rarely attract much attention from the political class, they still represent an enormous block of voters.

5am – E         Cam Newton throws 5 TDs, unbeaten Panthers top Redskins 44-16.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cam Newton threw a career-high five touchdowns passes, and the Carolina Panthers improved to 10-0 on the season with a 44-16 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Newton completed 21 of 34 passes for 246 yards and threw TD passes to five different receivers as Carolina stretched its regular-season win streak to 14 games, including eighth straight at home. The Panthers (10-0) scored 27 points off five Washington turnovers, three of those by quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Ravens win costly as Joe Flacco lost for the season with knee injury. Not that it’ll ruin the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff hopes, but they’ll play out the string this season without quarterback Joe Flacco, who tore his ACL on Sunday, coach John Harbaugh said. Flacco tore “at least” his ACL on a slant pass on the Ravens’ last series in their last-minute win over the St. Louis Rams, Harbaugh said. Flacco got rolled up on by one of his linemen, according to Harbaugh. Flacco told reporters after the game he believes his MCL is likely torn as well. Flacco finished the game, which is a testament to his toughness. Next week will be the first time in Flacco’s career he has missed a game. He had started all 122 Ravens regular-season games since he was drafted in 2008.

6am – A         INTERVIEW — OLIVIER GUITTA – Counter-Terrorism expert and Managing Director at GlobalStrat, an International Security and Geopolitical Risk Consultancy Firm

• BASED IN LONDON: At GlobalStrat, Olivier provides advice on terrorism matters to various governments in the EMEA region: from analysis on groups such as ISIS, al-Qaeda and Boko Haram to homegrown terrorism and returning jihadists. Regularly briefs Chief Security Officers from large multinationals on security matters.
• The rise of ISIS — multiple terror threats and attacks: Paris, Mali and threats
• Brussels remains under highest terror alert amid warning of ‘imminent threat’
• Paris Attacks and Other Assaults Seen as Evidence of a Shift by ISIS

6am – B/C     President Obama: Overcoming Fear ‘Most Powerful Tool’ to Fight ISIS. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The “most powerful tool” to fight ISIS is to prevent the group’s recent terror attacks in Paris from injecting fear in communities or governments around the world, President Obama said Sunday during his trip to Malaysia. “We do not succumb to fear,” Obama said during a news conference closing out the final leg of his nine-day, three-nation trip overseas. “The most powerful tool we have to fight ISIL is to say that we’re not afraid. To not elevate them and to somehow buy into their fantasy that they’re doing something important.” Speaking on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the president sought to reassure allies that the U.S. will continue as an effective leader of the global coalition to destroy ISIS.

6am – D         INTERVIEW — ROBERT THOMSON — aka Dr. Gridlock at The Washington Post

• Thanksgiving travel: Tips from travelers for the Thanksgiving getaway

6am – E         CRITTER NEWS:

• Millions of spiders wreak havoc on Tennessee town. A photo shows what at first looks like morning dew covering the grass in a Memphis neighborhood, but a closer look reveals it is actually a spider web that runs half a mile long near May Street and Chelsea Avenue. These little spiders have caused some major headaches for residents who live here. “I’ve seen about 20 on my porch just in the last day.” Ida Morris, NeighboR. Residents like Morris have been asking the city to step in to exterminate the little creatures, but haven’t seen much action.
• Female white rhino dies at San Diego Zoo leaving just 3 members of critically endangered species left in the world.
• Belgium fights terrorism with cat meme on #BrusselsLockdown. (USA Today) — It isn’t all dark. In the face of terror, an anxious Belgium found laughter. And cats. Naturally. Police detained 16 suspects on Sunday in a series of raids in Brussels following the attacks in Paris on Nov. 13. The city has been on the highest possible terror alert level for what Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called an “imminent threat” to the capital. Authorities asked social media for silence on their movements as police conducted the counter-terrorism operation. The Internet responded as only the Internet could: with an anti-ISIL cat parade.

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

• Joe’s thoughts on the rise of ISIS terrorism and Obama’s response
• Cathy Lanier, D.C. police chief, urges public to ‘take down’ active gunman if they can. In a surprising comment, Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier is encouraging ordinary citizens to subdue or even kill active gunmen if they can as the “best option for saving lives before police can get there.” During an interview Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Chief Lanier was asked what should people do if they are in the vicinity of an active shooter like the ones who terrorized Paris on Nov. 13, The Washington Examiner reported.

7am – B        American Music Awards Highlights

7am – C        Astronaut Scott Kelly’s ‘UFO’ photo generates extraterrestrial buzz. The truth is out there … maybe. A photo tweeted by astronaut Scott Kelly is generating plenty of extraterrestrial buzz. Kelly, who recently broke the U.S. record for most days in space, tweeted the picture taken from the International Space Station Sunday. An apparent ‘object’ in the top right hand corner of the image has piqued the interest of UFO hunters such as sonofmabarker. “In the upper right of the photo you can clearly see a large object with two lights on each end. It also appears to be very large and constructed,” he wrote, in a post accompanying a YouTube video on the image. In a blog post on the UFO Sightings Daily website, Scott Waring also weighed in on the image. “Scott Kelly likes to send out photos of the view from the windows of the space station … and they look cool,” he wrote. “This one however has a cigar shaped glowing UFO with a metallic body in it.”

7am – D         This couple donated their wedding funds to Syrian refugees

Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian know that the best wedding gift is giving back. (Buzzfeed) — Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian were deep into planning their wedding when a photo of a drowned Syrian boy in September changed everything. They’d been engaged since summer 2014 and had already picked a venue, only one gallery in Toronto, for a March 2016 wedding. They had chosen and booked other vendors and made a guest list of 130 people. But as soon as they saw the picture of the Syrian boy, they chose to scrap plans for a big wedding, tie the knot at Toronto City Hall, and ask guests to donate to Syrian refugees rather than give gifts. Jackson told BuzzFeed Life that both the viral photo and her work at the Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge inspired her and Yousefian to raise funds for the organization instead of spending money on a wedding.

7am – E         Cathy Lanier, D.C. police chief, urges public to ‘take down’ active gunman if they can. (The Washington Times) — In a surprising comment, Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier is encouraging ordinary citizens to subdue or even kill active gunmen if they can as the “best option for saving lives before police can get there.” During an interview Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Chief Lanier was asked what should people do if they are in the vicinity of an active shooter like the ones who terrorized Paris on Nov. 13, The Washington Examiner reported. “Your options are run, hide, or fight,” the D.C. police chief said. “If you’re in a position to try and take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there.”

8am – A         INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH — Redskins elite long snapper and WMAL’s Redskins analyst

• RECAP: Washington Redskins vs Carolina Panthers / Sunday, November 22, 1:00 PM @ Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
• Cam Newton throws 5 TDs, unbeaten Panthers top Redskins 44-16. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Cam Newton threw a career-high five touchdowns passes, and the Carolina Panthers improved to 10-0 on the season with a 44-16 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. Newton completed 21 of 34 passes for 246 yards and threw TD passes to five different receivers as Carolina stretched its regular-season win streak to 14 games, including eighth straight at home. The Panthers (10-0) scored 27 points off five Washington turnovers, three of those by quarterback Kirk Cousins. Newton became the first Carolina quarterback in franchise history to throw four TD passes in the first half as the Panthers jumped out to a 31-14 lead.

8am – B         Entertainment News:

• They tied the knot! Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello wed in Palm Beach. Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello marry in Palm Beach wedding.       Now, that’s one gorgeous bride and groom! Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello reportedly wed Sunday evening in a lavish ceremony at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. Vergara wore a custom-made gown by Zuhair Murad. The couple’s family and friends — including several of Vergara’s “Modern Family” co-stars and Vergara’s “Hot Pursuit” co-star Reese Witherspoon — were in attendance. Vergara and guests have been posting regular updates of the weekend on social media, including a pool day, the rehearsal dinner and a party Saturday evening. MORE: Watch Joe Manganiello serenade Sofia Vergara at rehearsal dinner party. The couple got engaged in December 2014, and began dating earlier that year.
• Call for Zoolander 2 boycott over ‘transphobic’ Benedict Cumberbatch character. Zoolander 2: Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘cartoonish’ transgender character prompts calls for boycott. The petition reads: “This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority” Benedict Cumberbatch’s role in the upcoming Zoolander 2 has come under fire for making a “cartoonish mockery” of “androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals”. The trailer for the film was released earlier this week, revealing a surprise appearance by the 39-year-old as the androgynous model All, introduced as the “biggest supermodel in the whole world” “Are you like a male model or a female model?” asks Ben Stiller’s character Derek, to which Cumberbatch’s character answers “All is All”.

8am – C         AAA: Va. motorists will pay lowest Thanksgiving week gasoline prices since 2008. Thanksgiving travelers to pay lower gas prices. RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — AAA Mid-Atlantic says Virginia motorists will pay the lowest Thanksgiving week gasoline prices since 2008. The auto club says the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Virginia on Sunday was $1.92. That’s down seven cents from last week and significantly below the $2.66 that state drivers were paying a year ago.

8am – D/E     President Obama: Overcoming Fear ‘Most Powerful Tool’ to Fight ISIS. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The “most powerful tool” to fight ISIS is to prevent the group’s recent terror attacks in Paris from injecting fear in communities or governments around the world, President Obama said Sunday during his trip to Malaysia. “We do not succumb to fear,” Obama said during a news conference closing out the final leg of his nine-day, three-nation trip overseas. “The most powerful tool we have to fight ISIL is to say that we’re not afraid. To not elevate them and to somehow buy into their fantasy that they’re doing something important.” Speaking on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, the president sought to reassure allies that the U.S. will continue as an effective leader of the global coalition to destroy ISIS.