Trevor Matich, Joe diGenova, Mark Steyn & DC Guardian Angels’ Aaron Thompson joined WMAL on Monday morning!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 11, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C First Lady’s Empty Chair: Syrian refugee among first lady’s guests for State of Union. WASHINGTON (AP) — A Syrian scientist stricken with cancer and seeking a new start for his family in Michigan will represent Syrian refugees as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama for the president’s final State of the Union address. Refaai Hamo, his son and three daughters landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in December, anxious to rebuild their lives. Hamo fled to Turkey from Syria after a missile attack killed his wife and one other daughter. He was profiled on the popular photo blog Humans of New York as “The Scientist.” One seat will be empty, to represent the victims of gun violence.

5am – D         White House official responds to ‘El Chapo’ interview. Washington (CNN)White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough as well as several presidential candidates denounced comments made by drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in an exclusive interview with Sean Penn for Rolling Stone.

5am – E         Hillary Clinton denies charges that she asked a staffer to send classified information on her private email account. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that she did not ask for classified information to be sent over a non-secure system while heading the State Department, responding to the latest development in an issue that has dogged her campaign for months. Clinton has repeatedly said she did not handle classified material through her private email account while serving as secretary of state. But a new batch of correspondence released on Friday shows that she instructed an aide in 2011 to send her a memo by email after it could not be sent by secure fax. Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Clinton said that she was only asking for unclassified information, not classified material that is not supposed to be sent through private email accounts or other non-governmental channels. “Obviously, what I’m asking for is whatever can be transmitted,” she said. The State Department has said it has been unable to find any evidence that the document in question was emailed to Clinton. The fact that it was meant to be sent through a secure fax does not necessarily mean that it was classified, the agency said.

6am – A         INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH — Redskins elite long snapper and WMAL’s Redskins analyst

• Packers overwhelm Redskins 35-18. LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — For Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers’ offense, the first quarter of their playoff game Sunday looked quite similar to the stagnant way their regular season wound down. Not a lot of progress. Not a lot of points. Not a lot of fun. Rodgers opened the NFC wild-card game against the Washington Redskins by going 1 for 8, and the Packers’ first four drives went: punt, safety, punt, punt. They gained all of 11 yards heading into the second period, and they trailed by double digits. And then, spurred by using the hurry-up approach he loves, Rodgers played like a two-time NFL MVP. Drawing defensive penalties with quick snaps, making adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and running the show the way few QBs can, Rodgers threw for a pair of TDs while Eddie Lacy and James Starks each ran for a score, and Green Bay came back to overwhelm the NFC East champion Redskins 35-18.

6am – B/C     Golden Globes Highlights: Ricky Gervais meanest Golden Globes jokes 2016. Ricky Gervais promised to offend Hollywood. He did not disappoint. The actor-comic opened the 73rd annual Golden Globes by mocking Sean Penn, Caitlyn Jenner, Roman Polanski, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeffrey Tambor, Ben Affleck, and many more.

6am – D         Radical Islam News:

• Philadelphia police: Man who tried to kill officer pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. A police officer in Philadelphia was shot multiple times late Thursday by an attacker who later said he had pledged loyalty to the Islamic State, officials said Friday. Authorities described the attack as a brazen assassination attempt that took place on a quiet West Philadelphia intersection and marveled that the officer was able to not only survive, but return fire and injure the shooter. The attacker, who was firing a stolen police gun, was taken into police custody and “confessed to committing this cowardly act in the name of Islam,” Richard Ross Jr., the city’s new police commissioner, said at a news conference Friday. Ross said that the attacker is a 30-year-old man from Yeadon, an area outside Philadelphia, who also has an address in the city. He was identified Friday as Edward Archer, and the office of Philadelphia’s district attorney said he had previously been arrested on charges of assault, threats and recklessly endangering someone. After the attack Thursday night, police say Archer was speaking to detectives and made his declaration about the Islamic State, a militant group also known as ISIS and ISIL.
• Judge Jeanine Slams Philadelphia Mayor for Saying Islamic State Cop Shooter Does Not Represent Islam. On the Saturday broadcast of “Justice” on Fox News Channel, host Judge Jeanine Pirro reacted to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney saying the Muslim man who attempted to kill a Philadelphia police officer in the name of Islamic State does not represent the teachings of Islam. Pirro ripped the Philadelphia mayor in a long rant for pandering to the White House and not referring to the attempted murderer as an Islamic terrorist, despite the man claiming to have acted in the name of ISIS, his mother saying he is a “devout Muslim” or even the Muslim garb he wore during the attack.
• Thousands Flood The Streets In Germany As Fury Over Refugee Sex Assaults Reaches Boiling Point. Over the last several days, more information has come to light with regard to the wave of sexual assaults that occurred across Europe on New Year’s Eve. What some observers initially assumed was an set of isolated attacks in Cologne’s city center now appears to have been a bloc-wide phenomenon as women from Austria, to Switzerland, to Finland come forward to report being accosted by what some police say were gangs of drunken Mid-East asylum seekers.

6am – E         DC Metro:

• Riders go pantless on Metro for ‘No Pants Day.’ WASHINGTON — If passengers had kept their SmarTrip cards in their pants pocket, they wouldn’t have been able to board Metro Sunday afternoon, because they weren’t wearing any pants. It was “No Pants Subway Ride” on Metro — a worldwide event, wherever people cared to leave their pants at home and ride public transit. Of course, many shared pictures of their adventures on social media. “I hate wearing pants, I never wear them. I’m a nudist by trade so if I could walk around every day like this I would,” says Faith Senz of Baltimore, who definitely attracted attention in a pink tank top and black panties.

• ‘I’m risking my life’: Some Metro riders worry as serious crimes rise. Among the many things that can (and frequently do) go wrong in the Washington area’s much-maligned transit system, crime typically isn’t a consuming worry for most riders. Track malfunctions, train breakdowns — the sort of daily Metro aggravations that prolong people’s commutes — normally top the list of concerns. Then a frightful, highly publicized incident occurs, such as the vicious Dec. 21 attack on a man headed home from work on a Red Line train. Set upon by at least two youths in a possible robbery attempt, the 41-year-old victim suffered a concussion and a broken jaw and collarbone, his wife said.

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

• SCOTUS CASE: SCOTUS teacher union case revisits 1977 precedent: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will consider whether workers who are not members of public sector unions can be forced to pay fees that finance collective bargaining. The case involving a California teachers union could reduce the influence of organized labor. Most California public school teachers are members of the union but some elect not to join. State law requires even non-members to pay fees equivalent to union dues.
• HILLARY: Hillary Clinton denies charges that she asked a staffer to send classified information on her private email account. Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Clinton said that she was only asking for unclassified information, not classified material that is not supposed to be sent through private email accounts or other non-governmental channels. “Obviously, what I’m asking for is whatever can be transmitted,” she said.
• EL CHAPO: Mexico starts proceedings to extradite Guzman to US. Did Sean Penn do anything wrong in meeting with fugitive Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman?

7am – B/C     White House official responds to ‘El Chapo’ interview. Washington (CNN)White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough as well as several presidential candidates denounced comments made by drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in an exclusive interview with Sean Penn for Rolling Stone. On CNN’s “State of the Union” Jake Tapper asked McDonough whether the United States would make Penn available to Mexican authorities. McDonough responded that he didn’t want to get ahead of any possible action, but that it “poses a lot of very interesting questions, both for him and for others involved in this … so-called interview.” “And one thing I will tell you is that this braggadocio’s action about how much heroin he sends around the world, including to the United States, is maddening,” McDonough told Tapper, referring to Guzman. “We see a heroin epidemic, opioid addiction epidemic in this country. So, we’re going to stay on top of this, with our Mexican counterparts, until we get that back in the box. ” McDonough added on ABC’s “This Week” that he was “appalled” by the comments “El Chapo” made in the interview.en. Marco Rubio called the interview “grotesque.”

7am – D/E     First Lady’s Empty Chair: Syrian refugee among first lady’s guests for State of Union. WASHINGTON (AP) — A Syrian scientist stricken with cancer and seeking a new start for his family in Michigan will represent Syrian refugees as a guest of first lady Michelle Obama for the president’s final State of the Union address. Refaai Hamo, his son and three daughters landed at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in December, anxious to rebuild their lives. Hamo fled to Turkey from Syria after a missile attack killed his wife and one other daughter. He was profiled on the popular photo blog Humans of New York as “The Scientist.” One seat will be empty, to represent the victims of gun violence.

8am – A         INTERVIEW: MARK STEYN – author of book “The [Un]documented Mark Steyn” , musician

• MARK STEYN’s new album: Feline Groovy: Songs for Swingin’ Cats
• Philadelphia police: Man who tried to kill officer pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. A police officer in Philadelphia was shot multiple times late Thursday by an attacker who later said he had pledged loyalty to the Islamic State, officials said Friday. Authorities described the attack as a brazen assassination attempt that took place on a quiet West Philadelphia intersection and marveled that the officer was able to not only survive, but return fire and injure the shooter.

• Mark wrote a blog entitled “No-Islam-to-See-Here Story of the Day” about this.

• Thousands Flood The Streets In Germany As Fury Over Refugee Sex Assaults Reaches Boiling Point. Over the last several days, more information has come to light with regard to the wave of sexual assaults that occurred across Europe on New Year’s Eve. What some observers initially assumed was an set of isolated attacks in Cologne’s city center now appears to have been a bloc-wide phenomenon as women from Austria, to Switzerland, to Finland come forward to report being accosted by what some police say were gangs of drunken Mid-East asylum seekers. ““In Sweden, police said at least 15 young women reported being groped by groups of men on New Year’s Eve in the city of Kalmar,” AP reports, adding that “in Finland, police said they received tipoffs on New Year’s Eve that about 1,000 predominantly Iraqi asylum seekers were intending to gather near the main railway station in Helsinki and harass passing women.”

8am – B         Packers overwhelm Redskins 35-18. LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — For Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Green Bay Packers’ offense, the first quarter of their playoff game Sunday looked quite similar to the stagnant way their regular season wound down. Not a lot of progress. Not a lot of points. Not a lot of fun. Rodgers

8am – C         Iconic singer David Bowie dies at 69. NEW YORK (AP) — David Bowie, the iconic and shape-shifting British singer whose illustrious career lasted five decade with hits like “Fame,” ”Heroes” and “Let’s Dance,” died Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 69. Representative Steve Martin said early Monday that Bowie died “peacefully” and was surrounded by family. He had battled cancer for 18 months. “While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief,” the statement read. No more details were provided. Bowie turned 69 on Friday, the same day he released a new album called “Blackstar.” The singer, who was born David Jones in London, came of age in the glam rock era of the early 1970s. He had a striking androgynous look in his early days and was known for changing his looks and sounds. He had launched a provocative alter-ego named Ziggy Stardust, and the stuttering rock sound of “Changes” gave way to the disco soul of “Young Americans,” co-written with John Lennon, to a droning collaboration with Brian Eno in Berlin that produced “Heroes.”

8am – D         INTERVIEW — AARON THOMPSON – Washington Commander of The DC Guardian Angels

• DC Guardian Angels group says it will patrol Metro more this weekend after attacks. (Washington Post) — DC Guardian Angels said on social media that it plans to increase its group’s patrols this weekend on Metro’s Red Line. Their move comes as Metro has reported two recent attacks on riders — one on the Red Line and another on the Green Line. DC Guardian Angels @dcguardianangel: DC Guardian Angels will began patrolling the Metro red line due to the rise of violent crime #unsuckdcmetro #Washingtondc #WMATA #NoMa #DC 10:47 PM – 6 Jan 2016 Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said Friday that the transit agency neither endorses nor discourages the unarmed Guardian Angels. They are “welcome on Metro like any riders,” he said. But he cautioned, “They are not law enforcement, and anyone needing assistance should contact transit police.”
• ‘I’m risking my life’: Some Metro riders worry as serious crimes rise. Among the many things that can (and frequently do) go wrong in the Washington area’s much-maligned transit system, crime typically isn’t a consuming worry for most riders. Track malfunctions, train breakdowns — the sort of daily Metro aggravations that prolong people’s commutes — normally top the list of concerns. Then a frightful, highly publicized incident occurs, such as the vicious Dec. 21 attack on a man headed home from work on a Red Line train. Set upon by at least two youths in a possible robbery attempt, the 41-year-old victim suffered a concussion and a broken jaw and collarbone, his wife said.

8am – E         Golden Globes Highlights: Ricky Gervais meanest Golden Globes jokes 2016. Ricky Gervais promised to offend Hollywood. He did not disappoint. The actor-comic opened the 73rd annual Golden Globes by mocking Sean Penn, Caitlyn Jenner, Roman Polanski, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeffrey Tambor, Ben Affleck, and many more.