Weather Channel’s Ray Stagich, James Carafano, legal analyst Joe diGenova, film critic Christian Toto, AEI’s Danielle Pletka, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and guest co-host Mary Walter joined WMAL on Monday!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, January 30, 2017

Hosts: Brian Wilson and Mary Walter

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C REFUGEE PROTESTS: What Are They Really About?

5am – D         INTERVIEW — RAY STAGICH — Radio Meteorologist for The Weather Channel – discussed the D.C. area’s snowy morning commute.

• How snow will affect Monday’s commute. WASHINGTON — Snow is knocking on our door just in time for Monday morning. The region is not expected to see that much snow, but it could impact the Monday morning commute and there could be a few school delays — so let’s break down the details. How the storm will develop: An area of low pressure tracked through Virginia on Sunday night on its way to Southern Maryland and will eventually head northeast towards the Delmarva Peninsula. This will provide the best chance of snow as temperatures drop. More widespread snow showers will continue through about daybreak Monday. This will be the time to see some accumulation on the roads.
• MANY DELAYS: Monday’s WMAL Storm Center: Calvert County Schools – opening two hours late, Charles County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Fairfax County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Fauquier County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Prince George’s County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Prince William County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Spotsylvania County Schools – closed, St. Mary’s County Schools – opening 2 hours late and Stafford County Schools – closed

5am – E         President Trump is poised to reveal his Supreme Court nominee early this week, officials say. Trump reportedly could name Supreme Court pick as early as Monday. (Fox News) — President Donald Trump could announce his nomination for the Supreme Court as early as Monday, a White House official told the Associated Press. Word of the possible announcement came as the administration grappled with the fallout of Trump’s executive order halting the United States’ refugee program and suspending visas for citizens of seven predominently Muslim countries. As a candidate, Trump often used surprise announcements to shift attention away from negative coverage. Trump himself had tweeted that he would make his selection public on Thursday. The sources told Fox News that Trump has privately kept one person in mind for some time. The president has met with at least three candidates to replace the late Antonin Scalia, whose seat on the high court has been vacant since his death this past February.

6am – A         SAG Awards: Acting Out Against Trump. Entertainers ‘are activists because we embody humanity’ — why must these people lecture America? (LifeZette / Heather Hunter) — Whenever Hollywood honors itself, one thing is certain — the tedious political punditry will flow. Thanks to Meryl Streep’s hyper-political blasting of President Donald Trump at the recent Golden Globes, Hollywood’s elite are having a meltdown. Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony was no different. Telecast on TNT and TBS live from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, the SAG Awards went political within seconds of the opening moments. “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington kicked off the ceremony from her seat in the audience as she looked into the camera and said, “A lot of people are saying right now that actors shouldn’t express their opinions when it comes to politics. But the truth is, no matter what, actors are activists because we embody the humanity and worth of all people. This union helps me to do that.” Then, right behind her, actor Ashton Kutcher welcomed the audience from the stage with a passionate stance on Trump’s executive order to temporarily ban refugees from a handful of terrorist-hotbed countries. “Fellow SAG-AFTRA members and everyone at home, and everyone in airports that belong in my America!” he exclaimed to cheers and applause. “You are a part of the fabric of who we are, and we love you and we welcome you. And we also welcome you to the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.” If you thought Hollywood was done going full Meryl Streep — this bunch were just getting started. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, a star of “Veep” and the night’s first award winner — for Outstanding Role by a Female in a Comedy Series — began her speech with a joke about Russian hacking, then went head-on into the issue of immigration. “I want you all to know that I’m the daughter of an immigrant. My father fled religious persecution in Nazi-occupied France. And I’m an American patriot and love this country,” she said. “Because I love this country, I am horrified by its blemishes and this immigrant ban is a blemish and it’s un-American.”

6am – B         Corporations And The Immigration Ban:

• Starbucks CEO Schultz plans to hire 10,000 refugees after Trump ban. (Reuters) – Starbucks Corp Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz said on Sunday that the company planned to hire 10,000 refugees over five years in 75 countries, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order banning refugees from certain countries. Trump on Friday put a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the United States and temporarily barred travelers from Syria and six other Muslim-majority countries, saying the moves would help protect Americans from terrorist attacks. The order sparked widespread international criticism, outrage from civil rights activists and legal challenges. Starbucks in a letter from Schultz told employees it would do everything possible to support affected workers. The hiring efforts announced on Sunday would start in the United States by initially focusing on individuals who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters and support personnel in the various countries where the military has asked for such support, Schultz said.

• Uber fights immigration order — and #DeleteUber hashtag — with $3-million legal fund for drivers. Hours after Lyft’s co-founders announced a $1-million donation to the American Civil Liberties Union to “defend the Constitution,” Uber Chief Executive Travis Kalanick pulled out his pocket book as well. Kalanick promised in a Facebook post that the company would create a $3-million legal defense fund to help drivers affected by the Trump administration’s move to restrict immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The fund will help drivers with immigration and translation services. Kalanick also said the San Francisco ride-hailing company will provide 24/7 legal support to drivers stuck outside the country and compensate them for lost earnings. Drivers eligible for assistance were directed to contact the company via an online form. Although the announcement was greeted with some support on Facebook and Twitter, many saw it as too little too late. The company had come under fire a day earlier for advertising on Twitter that it was operating at New York’s Kennedy International Airport during a taxi strike protesting the executive order.

6am – C         Critter News:

• ‘Jughead’ the deer freed from pretzel container. MARYLAND (WUSA9) – Good news Sunday night for the deer in distress named ‘Jughead.’ Just after dark, Maryland wildlife workers were able to capture “Jughead” after drugging the deer with a tranquilizer dart.  Jughead had been wandering around a Harford County, Maryland subdivision since Jan. 17 with a plastic pretzel container stuck over its head. Apparently the deer had been trying to lick residual salt out of the container, but ended up in a life-threatening dilemma. After knocking Jughead out, rescuers were able to pull the jug off the deer’s head. Jughead was last seen looking groggy, but on his feet in apparently good health after being released.

6am – D         INTERVIEW – JAMES CRAFANO – Vice President for the Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy at The Heritage Foundation – discussed Trump’s executive order on extreme vetting.

6am – E         Hackers hit D.C. police closed-circuit camera network, city officials disclose. Hackers infected 70 percent of storage devices that record data from D.C. police surveillance cameras eight days before President Trump’s inauguration and forced city officials to reinstall the entire network, according to D.C. police and the city’s technology office. City officials said they were hit by ransomware that, between Jan. 12 and Jan. 15, left the police cameras unable to record events. The cyberattack affected 123 of 187 cameras network video recorders deployed in a closed-circuit TV system for public spaces across the city, the officials said late Friday in disclosing the event. Archana Vemulapalli, the city’s Chief Technology Officer, said the city did not pay ransom and resolved the problem by taking the devices offline, removing all software and restarting the system at each site.

6am – F         Snowy Commute and Delays Update:

• A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 7 a.m. for a coating to an inch of snow by the morning rush: I-95 corridor and immediate metro region, including D.C. and southern Maryland
• How snow will affect Monday’s commute. WASHINGTON — Snow is knocking on our door just in time for Monday morning. The region is not expected to see that much snow, but it could impact the Monday morning commute and there could be a few school delays — so let’s break down the details. How the storm will develop: An area of low pressure tracked through Virginia on Sunday night on its way to Southern Maryland and will eventually head northeast towards the Delmarva Peninsula. This will provide the best chance of snow as temperatures drop. More widespread snow showers will continue through about daybreak Monday. This will be the time to see some accumulation on the roads.
• MANY DELAYS: Monday’s WMAL Storm Center: Calvert County Schools – opening two hours late, Charles County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Fairfax County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Fauquier County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Prince George’s County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Prince William County Schools – opening 2 hours late, Spotsylvania County Schools – closed, St. Mary’s County Schools – opening 2 hours late and Stafford County Schools – closed

7am – A         INTERVIEW — JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney to the District of Columbia – discussed Trump’s executive order on immigration and and previewed Trump’s pending Supreme Court pick announcement.

7am – B/C     REFUGEE PROTESTS: What Are They Really About?

7am – D         INTERVIEW — CHRISTIAN TOTO — Film Critic and Host of “The Hollywood in Toto” podcast – recapped the liberal lunacy at the SAG Awards.

• Political issues, travel ban a running theme at SAG Awards. (Los Angeles Times) — If anyone thought that the winners and presenters at Sunday night’s 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards would avoid addressing the protests happening at airports around the nation, they were wrong.  The show, telecast on TNT and TBS live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, was political from the opening moments, with a series of nominated actors in the audience talking about what it means to be an actor, which includes, said “Scandal’s” Kerry Washington, expressing political opinions.

7am – E         Airport Chaos:

• Protests Erupt at Dulles, Other Airports Following Travel Ban. President Donald Trump’s travel ban barring citizens of seven predominantly Muslim nations entry into the U.S. sparked protests in the D.C. area and around the country Saturday night and early Sunday morning. Dozens of protesters inside Washington Dulles International Airport chanted “Love, Not Hate, Makes America Great” and “Say It Loud, Say it Clear, Muslims Are Welcome Here,” as travelers walked through a terminal to a baggage claim area to collect luggage and greet their loved ones. There was a heavy police presence during the peaceful protest.
• Protesters block LAX traffic, face off with police as they rally against Trump’s travel ban. Thousands of protesters converged on Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday to condemn President Trump’s travel restrictions as attorneys filed court papers on behalf of those who were detained at the airport. Demonstrators shut down traffic in front of the Tom Bradley International Terminal and faced off with police in riot gear, chanting, “Let them in!” and “Love, not hate, makes America great.” After protesters marched around the airport, disrupting traffic, police confined the crowd to the area in front of the Bradley terminal. Then dozens of protesters sat down, blocking the airport’s busy thoroughfare — World Way — and refused to leave until all detainees are released. Two lines of airport police officers with helmets and batons stood nearby. At 10 p.m., two people were arrested for blocking the roadway, according to LAX police Officer Rob Pedregon.
• Delta operations returning to normal after systems outage. (AP) – Delta Air Lines flights are departing and a ground stop has been lifted after a systems outage Sunday night led to departure delays and cancellations. In a statement posted on the Atlanta-based airline’s website at 11:45 p.m., CEO Ed Bastian apologized to customers who were impacted by this “frustrating situation.” Delta says about 150 flights have been cancelled, with more expected. Bastian says this type of disruption “is not acceptable to the Delta family who prides itself on reliability and customer service.” Delta says a waiver has been issued for travel scheduled on Jan. 29 and 30, for rebooking by Feb. 3. In August, Delta suffered a computer breakdown after a power outage in its operations center. The airline canceled more than 2,000 flights over three days.

8am – A         INTERVIEW — DANIELLE PLETKA – Senior Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute – discussed Trump’s executive order on immigration.

8am – B         Entertainment News:

• SAG Awards: Acting Out Against Trump. Entertainers ‘are activists because we embody humanity’ — why must these people lecture America? (LifeZette / Heather Hunter) — Whenever Hollywood honors itself, one thing is certain — the tedious political punditry will flow. Thanks to Meryl Streep’s hyper-political blasting of President Donald Trump at the recent Golden Globes, Hollywood’s elite are having a meltdown. Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony was no different. Telecast on TNT and TBS live from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, the SAG Awards went political within seconds of the opening moments.
• Miss France beats Haiti and Colombia to clinch Miss Universe title.  (CNN) Miss France is the new Miss Universe. Decked out in a gold-sequined gown, 24-year-old dental surgery student Iris Mittenaere beat 12 other finalists to take the crown. As Miss Universe, she will be campaigning for dental and oral care around the world. “This sash is not only a sash,” said Mittenaere, who is from Northern France, in a Miss Universe interview after the pageant. “This is something to help people, to understand people.” First and second runner-ups were Miss Haiti (Raquel Pelissier) and Miss Colombia (Andrea Tovar). The top finalists hailed from Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Colombia, Phillippines, Canada, Brazil, France, Haiti, Thailand and the U.S. The pageant changed its format this year; it had 12 instead of 13 finalists, and counted online votes from the Miss Universe app and Twitter.

8am – C         Peyton Manning Could Run For Senate. (Daily Caller) — Professional quarterback Peyton Manning is rumored to run for office as Tennessee’s next senator, according to a Saturday report from a local CBS affiliate. The proposed run would only happen if current Sen. Lamar Alexander decided not to run in 2020, a decision the incumbent senator said wasn’t going to happen. Politico initially published the rumor in its insider daily newsletter, and Alexander’s office was quick to reject the claim.

8am – D         INTERVIEW — DR ZUHDI JASSER – author of “A Battle for the Soul of Islam: An American Muslim Patriot’s Fight to Save his Faith”, President of American Islamic Forum for Democracy, Co-Founder, Muslim Reform Movement and a former Lt. Commander in the US Navy – discussed Trump’s executive order on immigration.

• President Donald Trump has signed an executive action implementing “new vetting measures” that he says are aimed at keeping “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the United States. The president says he only wants to admit people to the United States who will support the country. His comments echoed his campaign pledge to implement “extreme vetting” programs, particularly for people coming from countries with ties to terrorism. Trump said in a statement released that the countries chosen for what he called the “extreme vetting” of the order had been “identified by the Obama administration as sources of terror.” “To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting. This is not about religion – this is about terror and keeping our country safe,” the statement reads. The administration, however, appeared to backtrack on one element of the order, saying late today that green card holders from those seven countries were not barred from re-entering the U.S., whereas earlier the administration had indicated they were.

8am – E         Steve Bannon’s presence at national security meetings defended. (NY Times) — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration defended on Sunday a reorganization of the National Security Council that elevates the president’s chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, to full membership and downgrades the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Bannon had been considered a political adviser with no direct national security role. The alteration was contained in a memorandum issued late Saturday defining the organization of the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council, the top decision-making bodies inside the White House on everything from diplomacy to counterterrorism, crisis management, nuclear policy, and cyberpolicy. Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said Sunday that Bannon’s past service as a US Navy officer merited his attendance at all meetings, as part of a “streamlining” of decision-making.

Susan Rice ‏@AmbassadorRice Jan 28: This is stone cold crazy. After a week of crazy. Who needs military advice or intell to make policy on ISIL, Syria, Afghanistan, DPRK?