Michael Rubin, Joe diGenova, Crystal Wright and Erick Stakelbeck joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 18, 2016

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

 

5am – A/B/C Bill O’Reilly vows to move to Ireland if Sanders wins. Fox News host Bill O’Reilly is promising to flee to Ireland if Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wins the White House. “If Bernie Sanders gets elected president, I’m fleeing,” O’Reilly said Thursday. “I’m going to Ireland, and they already know it.” The long-running host of “The O’Reilly Factor” cited Sanders’ plan to increase taxes on the wealthy as his reason. “I shouldn’t say it publicly because that will get Sanders more votes, but I’m not going to pay 90 percent of my income to that guy,” he said. “I’m sorry, I’m not doing it.” O’Reilly also said that attacks from Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, alleging Sanders wants to dismantle Medicare and ObamaCare are misleading. “He wants to dismantle it in the sense that it would be BernieCare, and it would be much more than it is now,” he said.

5am – D         Chipotle to close all restaurants on Feb. 8 for food safety meeting. (CNN Money) – Chipotle is shutting down all of its stores nationwide for a few hours next month to hold a national staff meeting about food safety. The meeting will occur on February 8 and the company’s more than 1,900 restaurants will take part. Chipotle said the meeting would provide an opportunity to thank employees, discuss changes and answer questions. Chipotle (CMG) has suffered from several outbreaks of E. coli, Salmonella and norovirus that infected customers and led to an unrelenting stream of criticism and mockery on social media. Customers have posted photos of Chipotle meals and joked about getting infected with E. coli or norovirus. Before the outbreaks, Chipotle had cultivated a loyal following with its adoption of non-GMO standards and other health conscious initiatives. And investors loved the stock. At the height of its popularity, Chipotle’s stock was at a high of about $750. It has since plummeted to as low as $428 a share — a 42% drop. The trouble began in August when 64 customers in Minnesota were infected with Salmonella and about 100 people were struck by norovirus in southern California. These infections were followed by an E. coli outbreak in October and November that affected 53 people in nine states.

5am – E         Va. men charged with terrorism offenses, 1 attempted to join ISIS. WOODBRIDGE, Va. (WUSA9) — Two Woodbridge, Va. men have been charged with terrorism offenses, according to the Department of Justice. Joseph Hassan Farrokh, 28, and Mahmoud Amin Mohamed Elhassan, 25, were charged Saturday for criminal activity after Farrokh attempted to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. According to a release, Farrokh was arrested at the Richmond International Airport. Officials said he tried to board a flight to Chicago, where he intended to board a flight to Amman, Jordan, with an ultimate destination of Syria. Elhassan was arrested in Woodbridge. On Friday morning, officials said Elhassan picked up Farrokh and dropped him off one mile from the airport. Farrokh then took a cab to the airport, checked in for his flight, cleared security and was arrested as he was approached his departure gate. Friday afternoon, Elhassan went back to Woodbridge and agreed to be interviewed by FBI agents. During the interview, Elhassan lied that he had seen Farrokh in Woodbridge earlier in the day and said that Farrokh was headed to Dulles to go to California, according to the release.

New York police say assailants chanted ‘ISIS’ while beating man. (Reuters) – New York City police were investigating on Sunday an assault on a man who was pummeled by suspects shouting “ISIS, ISIS,” leaving him with bruises on his head and face, authorities said. The 43-year-old man was attacked while walking with a nine-year-old girl in the Bronx around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the New York City Police Department. He was punched several times in the head, knocked down and kicked, police said. The victim, whose name was not given, was treated for injuries at a hospital and released. He had been wearing a shalwar kameez, a traditional South Asian outfit featuring a long tunic, the New York Times reported.

6am – A         INTERVIEW — MICHAEL RUBIN – Resident Scholar at American Enterprise Institute, former Pentagon official and author of “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes”

• International sanctions against Iran lifted. VIENNA — Iran reentered the global economy Saturday as years of crippling international sanctions ended in exchange for the verified disabling of much of its nuclear infrastructure. For Iran, implementation of the landmark deal it finalized with six world powers last summer means immediate access to more than $50 billion in long-frozen assets and freedom to sell its oil and purchase goods in the international marketplace. Tehran has hailed the deal as vindication of its power and influence in the world. “Today marks the start of a safer world,” said Secretary of State John F. Kerry. “We understand this marker alone will not wipe away all the concerns the world has rightly expressed about Iran’s policies in the region. But we also know there isn’t a challenge in the entire region that wouldn’t become much more complicated, much worse, if Iran had a nuclear weapon.”

6am – B/C     IRAN NEWS:

• International sanctions against Iran lifted. Obama announced return of Iranian financial assets “with interest” – that’s a payment of $1.7 billion according to the State Dept.
• Obama cites Americans’ release as win for ‘smart’ diplomacy
• Post reporter Jason Rezaian and 2 other Americans freed by Iran have arrived in Germany
• Priebus: Iran ‘cashed in again’

6am – D         Democratic Debate Highlights

6am – E         “Should people of color refrain from participating?”: Jada Pinkett Smith, Don Cheadle have thoughts on #OscarsSoWhite. (USA Today) — Outrage erupted online Thursday about the lack of diversity in this year’s Academy Awards nominations, and stars are continuing to weigh in. Jada Pinkett Smith, whose husband, Will, missed out on a best actor nod for Concussion, took to Facebook Saturday to air her grievances — even mulling a potential boycott of the show itself. “At the Oscars … people of color are always welcomed to give out awards … even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments,” the actress wrote. “Should people of color refrain from participating all together?” On Friday, Oscar host Chris Rock shared a new Oscars promo, captioning it “The White BET Awards.” Two days later, Don Cheadle tweeted at him, saying he’ll be “parking cars on G level” the night of the ceremony. Actresses including Rashida Jones, Emmy Rossum and Martha Plimpton have all voiced their disappointment on Twitter, while The X-Files star Gillian Anderson was taken aback when she learned of the nearly all-white nominations in a Larry King Now interview, calling the oversight “unbelievable.”

 

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

• Hillary: FBI hasn’t interviewed me about emails. Hillary Clinton Gives One Word Answer When Asked About FBI Investigation Into Email Server.

7am – B         Sean Penn on El Chapo scoop: ‘My article failed’ (CNN/Brian Stelter) Sean Penn says his interview with drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was designed to start a “conversation about the policy of the war on drugs.” My article failed,” Penn told CBS’s Charlie Rose. “Let me be clear. My article has failed.” When Penn’s shocking 10,000-word article in Rolling Stone was published last weekend, most of the news coverage was about El Chapo’s confessions, Penn’s potential legal liabilities for meeting with the fugitive, and the process of how Penn landed the meeting in the first place. Penn was hoping for a different outcome. One of his points, he said, was that government’s pursuit of individual drug lords and cartels arguably doesn’t make a dent in overall drug use — a common view among activists. “We’re going to put all our focus — forget about blame — we’re going to put all our focus, all our energy, all our billions of dollars on the ‘bad guy,’ and what happens? You get another death the next day the same way,” Penn told Rose. El Chapo asserted something similar in a response to one of Penn’s questions. When asked whether he feels responsible for high levels of drug addiction, El Chapo said, “No, that is false, because the day I don’t exist, it’s not going to decrease in any way at all.” El Chapo also said, “Drug trafficking does not depend on just one person. It depends on a lot of people.” And: “If there was no consumption, there would be no sales.”

7am – C         Sports:

• Manning, Brady to meet in AFC championship game. DENVER (AP) — The last time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came to Denver, Peyton Manning watched the game on television from inside the locker room. Not next Sunday, though. The Broncos quarterback will take in his customary spot in the huddle. Manning meets Brady for a 17th time — with a trip to Super Bowl 50 at stake. Perhaps it’s only fitting these two quarterbacks meet in the AFC title game, since Manning didn’t get to suit up against New England on Nov. 29 because of a foot injury. That game was a thriller, too, with Brock Osweiler leading the Broncos to a 30-24 overtime victory.
• Carolina Panthers twitter account absolutely ROASTS Rainn Wilson. On Saturday night after the New England Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, former star of The Office, Rainn Wilson took to Twitter to sarcastically joke that these playoffs will inevitably end with a rematch of last year. RainnWilson @rainnwilson: “Can we just fast-forward to the inevitable Seahawks / Pats Super Bowl already! 7:54 PM – 16 Jan 2016” The Carolina Panthers obviously weren’t huge fans of his assumption that the Seattle Seahawks would roll through the NFC, so when the Panthers beat the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, the Panthers couldn’t help but savagely call out Rainn for doubting them.

7am – D         INTERVIEW — CRYSTAL WRIGHT – ConservativeBlackChick.com and author of new book “Con Job: How Democrats Gave Us Crime, Sanctuary Cities, Abortion Profiteering, and Racial Division”

• Reflected on Martin Luther King Jr Day and how Democrats push racial division
• Discussed her new book: Con Job: How Democrats Gave Us Crime, Sanctuary Cities, Abortion Profiteering, and Racial Division

7am – E         Entertainment News:

• The Real Housewives of Potomac Premieres and You Better Know Your Etiquette. Think The Real Housewives of Potomac would be different from Bravo’s other Real Housewives shows? Well, you’re wrong. And you’re right. In the series premiere of The Real Housewives of Potomac, viewers got the requisite introductions to the ladies—Karen Huger, Charrisse Jackson Jordan, Katie Rost, Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby—and their personalities. The real fun started when the squabbles started over crabs and birthday seats. Word of advice if you’re going to Potomac: know your etiquette. They are obsessed with etiquette. Leg throwing and fake illnesses won’t be tolerated here.
• Celine Dion’s brother dies of cancer at 59, two days after her husband Rene passes. (NY Daily News) — Céline Dion’s brother Daniel Dion has died of cancer at age 59. The heartbreaking news comes two days after her husband of 20 years René Angélil died following his own fight with throat cancer. Daniel was one of Celine’s 13 siblings. The French-Canadian singer’s sister Claudette told a newspaper Le Journal de Montréal that family members, including their mother, were at his bedside before he died 5 a.m. Saturday. Daniel had cancer of the throat, brain and tongue.
• Box Office: ‘Ride Along 2’ Dethrones ‘Star Wars’ With $39.5M; ’13 Hours’ No. 4. ’13 Hours’ Opens Lower Than Expected; Being Politicized Didn’t Help. This weekend Paramount launched Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, drawing more noise from the CIA, Republicans and Democrats than moviegoers with a middling 4-day opening of $19M.
• Hillary Clinton To Jake Tapper: I’m Too Busy Campaigning To See ’13 Hours.’

8am – A         INTERVIEW — ERICK STAKELBECK – Terrorism analyst, Host of CBN’s The Watchman show, and author of new book: “ISIS Exposed: Beheadings, Slavery and the Hellish Reality of Radical Islam”

• Va. men charged with terrorism offenses, 1 attempted to join ISIS. Joseph Hassan Farrokh from the Woodbridge area was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS. Farrokh was arrested at the Richmond International Airport yesterday where he was set to board a plane to begin his travels to Jordan and ultimately to Syria. Amin Mohamed Elhassan was also arrested for aiding and abetting in Farrokh’s plans.  

8am – B         Hillary News and Democratic Debate Highlights:

• Poll: Clinton leading Sanders nationally by 25 points. Washington (CNN) Hillary Clinton is leading Bernie Sanders nationwide by a crushing 25-point margin, though Sanders bests Clinton in a hypothetical general election match-up against GOP front-runner Donald Trump, two polls released Sunday by NBC News/Wall Street Journal have found. The former secretary of state received 59% support from Democratic primary voters, while 34% support the Vermont senator. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley received 2% support.
• Hillary: FBI hasn’t interviewed me on emails. emocratic primary front-runner Hillary Clinton on Sunday said the Federal Bureau of Investigation has not questioned her about the private email server she used while secretary of State. “No,” she said on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when asked if she had been interviewed by the FBI. The bureau last week said it is expanding its investigation into the server to see if the former secretary’s work with her Clinton Foundation violated public corruption laws.

8am – C         DC Leaders Furious After Wal-Mart Drops Plans for 2 DC Stores Amid Closing of 269 Stores Worldwide. Wal-Mart has informed D.C. officials that it’s abandoned plans to construct two additional stores in the District — and city leaders are furious. The news came just hours after the retail giant announced Friday morning that it will close 269 stores worldwide, including 154 in the United States. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she’s “blood mad” over the dropped plans for stores at Skyland Town Center and Capitol Gateway, both in Northeast D.C. east of the Anacostia River. Both areas are desperate for retail. Then-Mayor Vincent Gray had gotten Wal-Mart to agree to the Skyland location as a condition for building its other D.C. stores. Neither location had broken ground, but old stores had already been cleared at the Skyland shopping center. Gray, who vetoed a law raising the minimum wage to $12.50 per hour because Wal-Mart threatened to threatened to pull out if it became law, says the residents of Ward 7 are getting shafted.

8am – D         IRAN NEWS:

• International sanctions against Iran lifted. Obama announced return of Iranian financial assets “with interest” – that’s a payment of $1.7 billion according to the State Dept.
• Obama cites Americans’ release as win for ‘smart’ diplomacy.
• Post reporter Jason Rezaian and 2 other Americans freed by Iran have arrived in Germany.
• OMAN CONNECTION: Iran Releases Americans in Prisoner Swap. (WSJ) — U.S. officials confirmed Saturday that they secured the release of four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner swap. Saturday’s prisoner swap marked the second time the Obama administration has exchanged detained Iranians for U.S. nationals held in Tehran, according to current and former U.S. officials. Iranian security forces arrested in 2009 three American hikers who mistakenly crossed into Iran from Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. They were all charged with espionage. The government of Oman secured the Americans’ release by facilitating the return to Iran of four Iranian nationals charged with or convicted of export violations in the U.S. and the U.K. Oman also paid Iran $500,000 for each of the Americans’ release.
• FLASHBACK: 10 Yemeni detainees sent from Gitmo to Oman, in ‘troubling’ transfer. (Fox News) — The Obama administration on Thursday quietly transferred 10 Yemeni detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay to neighboring Oman – so quietly, in fact, that the news was first reported by state-run Middle East news agencies. And once the news got to Capitol Hill, it set off alarm bells given the host country’s proximity to Al Qaeda’s most active branch. Given that Oman neighbors Yemen, Ayotte described the move as a potential attempt to “circumvent” the congressional ban on sending prisoners to Yemen. The transfer also coincides with a recent weapons deal. The terms are classified, but the State Department a week ago approved the proposed sale of TOW 2B missiles and supporting equipment to the government of Oman – valued at about $51 million. The department said the sale would help an ally build its ground defenses and bolster the country’s national security and defensive capabilities.

8am – E         Trump Slams Cruz: He’s a Very ‘Nasty Guy’