Trevor Matich and Andrew McCarthy joined WMAL Friday morning.
Mornings on the Mall
Friday, November 21, 2014
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor
5am – A/B/C Obama offers amnesty to 5 million illegal immigrants, defies GOP. Brushing aside warnings from Republicans, President Obama announced Thursday night that he is granting temporary legal status and work permits to nearly 5 million illegal immigrants, igniting a constitutional furor that amounted to a declaration of war against the incoming Republican majorities in Congress. In a 15-minute prime-time address from the White House, Mr. Obama said his action is “lawful,” and said it offered a new deal for illegal immigrants who had been in the U.S. for at least five years: Come forward and register, pass a background check, and be granted a stay of deportation and a work permit good for at least three years.
5am – D Pentagon got duped, made ransom payment for Bowe Bergdahl to con man. (Bill Gertz/The Washington Times) — The Pentagon is under fire for making a ransom payment to an Afghan earlier this year as part of a failed bid to win the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, according to U.S. officials. Sgt. Bergdahl was released in May after nearly five years in captivity as part of a controversial exchange for five terrorists held at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The ransom payment was first disclosed by Rep. Duncan Hunter in a Nov. 5 letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Mr. Hunter stated in the letter that Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) made the payment covertly as part of a release deal. But the money was stolen by the Afghan intermediary claiming to represent the Haqqani terrorist network. “Given the significance of this matter, as well as the fact that Pentagon officials have denied that a payment was even considered — and you also said you were unaware of any such attempt — I ask you to immediately inquire with JSOC to determine the specific order of events,” said Mr. Hunter, California Republican and member of the House Armed Services Committee. Mr. Hunter also asked Mr. Hagel whether ransom payments are being considered for other captives.
5am – E CMS Propped Up Obamacare Enrollment Total With Dental Plans. The Obama administration included 400,000 dental plans in its first-year Obamacare enrollment totals without acknowledging that it wasn’t full health insurance, falsely pushing the final number past the administration’s enrollment target. The actual enrollment total: 6.7 million, not quite meeting the seven million goal provided by the Congressional Budget Office. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head Marilyn Tavenner announced in September that 7.3 million Americans were still enrolled in health coverage through Obamacare exchanges nationwide. But according to a report from Bloomberg, that data didn’t distinguish between medical and dental insurance plans, which departed from CMS’ usual practice without any acknowledgment. Had the agency separated out the dental plans as usual, it would have had to admit that Obamacare enrollment has fallen below its target, investigators for the House Oversight and Government Reform committee told Bloomberg. The combination hid the fact that over one million health insurance customers had already dropped their coverage.
6am – A INTERVIEW — TREVOR MATICH – WMAL's Redskins Analyst
NEXT GAME: Washington Redskins (3-7) vs San Francisco 49ers (6-4), Sunday, November 23, 4:25 PM on CBS – Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
>> Redskins' Gruden: RG3 Critique Was a 'Mistake' (ASHBURN, Va. — Nov 19, 2014, 5:31 PM ET) — Jay Gruden said he shouldn't have been so brutally candid about Robert Griffin III's play. The Washington Redskins coach also took the blame for allowing the Washington Redskins to become "too much about one guy." Griffin also stuck to the team script, repeatedly stressing that he's "focused on San Francisco" and saying little else during his weekly news conference.
>> Redskins-49ers Preview: Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers will look for their 3rd win in their new Levi’s Stadium as they host the Washington Redskins. In its inaugural year, the new stadium has not been the impenetrable fortress the 49ers and their faithful fans were hoping it would be as they are 2-2 at home so far. Last week, the 49ers’ defense showed up in a big way and intercepted Eli Manning 5 times, but Colin Kaepernick and his receivers continued to struggle to get on the same page as San Francisco eked out a 16-10 victory over the Giants. Last Sunday, the Redskins dropped their 2nd game in a row as they fell in a big way to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-7. Quarterback Robert Griffin III was sacked 6 times in the game and the Bucs forced 3 turnovers.
6am – B 2016 News and Obama’s Immigration Speech Reaction By Contenders:
- Jim Webb launches 2016 committee. (Politico) — Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb became the first well-known Democrat to launch an exploratory committee to run for president on Wednesday night, saying the nation is at a “serious crossroads.” “I have decided to launch an Exploratory Committee to examine whether I should run for President in 2016,” Webb said in a four-page letter on his website, Webb2016.
- Gov. Christie Blasts Obama on Immigration, Looks Ahead to 2016. (Mediaite) –New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is not holding back how he feels about President Barack Obama‘s executive actions on immigration reform that are expected to be unveiled tonight. Christie said Obama’s choice to sidestep Congress shows he is not trying hard enough to build a “trustful relationship” with congressional Republicans. He also criticized Obama for focusing more on healthcare reform than immigration reform during the first two years of his presidency, when he had significant majorities in both the House and the Senate. In addition, he rejected the idea that his status as a governor and potential presidential candidate prevents him from criticizing President Obama.
- Hillary Clinton: GOP ‘abdication’ forced Obama’s hand on immigration. In a rare public statement, Hillary Clinton said she supports President Obama’s new executive action on immigration, lamenting that Republicans forced his hand. “I support the president’s decision to begin fixing our broken immigration system and focus finite resources on deporting felons rather than families,” the former secretary of state and likely presidential candidate said Thursday evening. “I was hopeful that the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate in 2013 would spur the House of Representatives to act, but they refused even to advance an alternative. Their abdication of responsibility paved the way for this executive action.”
6am – C Country star Billy Gilman comes out on same day as Ty Herndon in solidarity… and slams the industry for being 'ashamed' of gay artists. (Daily Mail) — Billy Gilman came out as gay on Thursday, just hours after fellow country artist Ty Herndon revealed he has been in a relationship with a man for five years. Inspired by Ty's courage, Billy shared a video to Youtube titled My Story By Billy Gilman, in which he talks about his sexuality and his partner of five months. But the former child star, who is now 26, criticised the industry for being 'ashamed' of gay artists and encouraging them to lie about who they are to protect their careers. Echoing the sentiments of 52-year-old Ty, who has been married to two women, Billy said: 'It's difficult for me to make this video, not because I'm ashamed of being a gay male artist or a gay artist or a gay person. 'But it's pretty silly to know that I'm ashamed of doing this knowing that because I'm in an genre and industry that is ashamed of me for being me.' And Billy, who found fame at the age of 11, is afraid that his career will be affected by the announcement.
6am – D Ferguson watch: DC police preparing for possible protests. (Fox DC) — WASHINGTON – D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has issued a memo to the force telling officers to be prepared for “possible demonstrations” Sunday and Monday. In the memo, obtained by FOX 5, the chief says unless it was pre-approved, all leave for officers is restricted on those days and there is no optional sick leave. She has also activated 17 civil disturbance platoons and told all members of the special operations division they will be working those days. Special operations include K-9, the bomb squad and the emergency response team. The chief has also deployed the electronic surveillance unit which has the capability of recording any protest or demonstration. In an email exchange with the chief Thursday afternoon, she declined to say specifically why she has ordered the mandatory activation.
6am – E The Mic Cuts Out During U.S. National Anthem in Canada. What the Audience Does Will Give You Chills. (IJ Review) — During the November 18th hockey game between the Maple Leafs and the Nashville Predators that took place in Toronto, technical difficulties struck in the middle of the singing of the National Anthem. The singer admirably tried to struggle through the performance, but her microphone kept cutting out. That’s when these hockey fans stepped in without missing a beat. Showing the U.S. a lot of love, the Toronto crowd (and probably some U.S. fans mixed in), joined voices to deliver a rousing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Bravo, Toronto.
7am – A INTERVIEW — ANDREW MCCARTHY – policy fellow at the National Review Institute. His latest book is Faithless Execution: Building the Political Case for Obama’s Impeachment
- No, ‘Prosecutorial Discretion’ Does Not Justify Obama’s Lawless Amnesty. Obama’s planned action perverts the meaning of the legal doctrine. (By Andrew C. McCarthy/National Review) — Can the president make fraud and theft legal? How about assault? Cocaine use? Perjury? You’d have to conclude he can — and that we have supplanted the Constitution with a monarchy — if you buy President Obama’s warped notion of prosecutorial discretion. Tonight, Mr. Obama will unveil his executive order granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. According to news accounts, the criminal-law doctrine of prosecutorial discretion is the foundation of the president’s legal theory. It is the source of what he purports to be his authority to decree that these aliens have lawful status, a power our Constitution gives only to Congress. Obama is distorting the doctrine.
7am – B French Man Quits ISIS Due to Cigarette Withdrawal, Returns Home to 7 Years in Prison. 27-year-old Flavien Moreau recently became the first French citizen to be sentenced for joining ISIS, receiving the maximum penalty of seven years in prison. And it’s all because he just couldn’t quit smoking. According to France24, Moreau, a South Korean who was adopted by a French couple as an infant, had converted to Islam after a “turbulent life” in which he was convicted 13 times, including for armed robbery and assault. He was radicalized in 2012 and, hearing the call of jihad, decided to travel to Syria and join ISIS as a ground-level militant.
7am – C Flip phones are hip again. (CNN) — Hipsters, rejoice. Next time you ride your fixed-gear bicycle to the the thrift store, where you find a vintage, grease-stained mechanic's shirt that matches your Rollie Fingers mustache and Grizzly Adams beard, there's an edgy, if technologically sub-optimal, way to tell your friends about it. Use a flip phone. In an age of the iPhone 6 Plus and massive Android phablets, flip phones are inexplicably making a comeback. No less an arbiter of cool than Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour has apparently dumped her iPhone in favor of a flipper. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, actress Kate Beckinsale and even Rihanna are just a few of the celebrities spotted proudly brandishing the famous piece of paleo-technology. And, believe it or not, "dumb phones" aren't exactly the elusive unicorn that some of us think they are.
Rihanna Accessorizes Her Athleisure With A Flip Phone. (Refinery29) — Flip phones are experiencing an unlikely but undeniable resurgence, having turned up in the hands of Anna Wintour and, now, Rihanna. Last night, RiRi was spotted leaving Da Silvano in downtown NYC chatting on her relic of a telephone. This, of course, isn't the first time she's been photographed fielding calls on an old-school device. Earlier this month, she singlehandedly made pay phones relevant again. Though her gadget was as retro as it gets, her outfit was thoroughly modern. She wore a Dimepiece cropped turtleneck with matching sweats, then topped off the sportswear with a fancy orange bomber jacket by 3.1 Phillip Lim. But, the real win was in the details. Her glam accessories — minimalist Manolos and an oversized Balmain bag — make wearing sweats to a sceney restaurant totally acceptable. Well, that and the fact that she's Rihanna. But, you can pull it off, too, girl. Just don't forget your flip phone.
7am – D/E Obama offers amnesty to 5 million illegal immigrants, defies GOP. Brushing aside warnings from Republicans, President Obama announced Thursday night that he is granting temporary legal status and work permits to nearly 5 million illegal immigrants, igniting a constitutional furor that amounted to a declaration of war against the incoming Republican majorities in Congress.
8am – A/B/C/D Reaction to President Obama’s immigration speech. Taking Calls!
MONDAY: Joe diGenova and Trevor Matich
