Amb. John Bolton, Trevor Matich, Bret Baier and guest host Steve Moore joined WMAL on Friday.
Mornings on the Mall
Friday, December 19, 2014
Hosts: Brian Wilson and guest host Steve Moore
5am – A/B/C Sony Hack Fallout:
- Evidence in Sony hack attack suggests possible involvement by Iran, China or Russia, intel source says. (Fox News) —The U.S. investigation into the recent hacking attack at Sony Pictures Entertainment has turned up evidence that does not point to North Korea as the "sole entity" in the case, but rather, raises the possibility that Iran, China or Russia may have been involved, an intelligence source told Fox News on Thursday. Earlier Thursday, Fox News confirmed that the FBI is pointing a digital finger at North Korea for the attack. The source pointed to the sophistication of malware “modules or packets” that destroyed the Sony systems — on a level that has not been seen from North Korea in the past — but has been seen from Iran, China and Russia.
5am – D Russian Prez Warns the West Is ‘Trying to Chain’ the Bear. (National Review) — Russian President Vladimir Putin poetically described his view of the punishing sanctions placed on his nation after the slow-motion invasion of Ukraine, explaining the West was seeking to “chain” and declaw the mighty Russian bear. At his annual televised news conference, a defiant Putin told reporters that the ongoing collapse of the Russian ruble — brought on by sanctions and plummeting oil prices – will not deter him from encroaching on Ukraine and other Eastern European neighbors. “Maybe the bear should sit quietly, rather than chasing wild boar big and small on the taiga, and should switch to eating berries and honey,” Putin said angrily. “Will he be left in peace then? No way?” “They will keep trying to chain him,” the Russian leader warned. “And as soon as he’s chained, his fangs and claws will be pulled.” Putin continued the metaphor while describing the perceived hypocrisy of Western powers, who have called on Russia to relinquish their claim on Crimea and cease meddling in eastern Ukraine. “To chop Texas from Mexico is fair, but when we make a decision about our territories it is unfair,” he said. “Do they want our bear to become a stuffed animal?”
5am – E Colbert signs off during 'emotional' night. (USA Today) — Colbert Nation, it's a wrap. After nine years on the air as the host of The Colbert Report (the T is silent), Stephen Colbert has signed off. And he did it in his typical bombastic, authentic fashion. "I know this is an emotional night for a lot of you," he said during his opening. Mostly, the show went on as normal, except for the sweet, emotional finale. Colbert performed the 1939 tune We'll Meet Again with a slew of famous friends, including Jon Stewart, Willie Nelson, Tom Brokaw, Cyndi Lauper, Bryan Cranston, Big Bird, Jeff Daniels, Katie Couric, Ken Burns, Charlie Rose, James Franco, Michael Stipe, Barry Manilow, Christiane Amanpour, Andy Cohen, and George Lucas. And then, Colbert rode away with Santa and Abraham Lincoln and Alex Trebek.
6am – A/B/C Interrupted service: Priest fed up with mobile phones ringing during Mass installs jamming device to stop calls and texts coming through in church. (Daily Mail) — A Catholic priest fed up with mobiles constantly ringing and beeping during his sermons has installed a jamming device to stop phones from going off. Father Michele Madonna found his services in Naples, Italy, were constantly interrupted by jingling incoming calls and buzzing text alerts. He had an engineer fix the £40 device inside the Santa Maria di Montesanto church after receiving approval from the local police. But now local businesses are asking for him to remove it as they claim it blocks contact card cash devices in their stores. Father Madonna said: 'I had put signs up asking people to switch off their phones after having services disrupted. 'Phones were always going off during Mass and at other events like funerals which just wasn't on. 'What really annoyed me is that when it first started people would switch off their phones in embarrassment now they are cupping their hands over the receiver and carrying on talking. 'I bought the jammer from a local electrical store and asked the police if it was OK and they said it was – it's great as it has stopped the problem but some of the local shops aren't happy.'
6am – D Michael Vick to the Redskins would be a 'dream come true.' (Yahoo! Sports) — This season hasn't exactly been a memorable one for Michael Vick, but then you could say that about pretty much anybody who's quarterbacked for the New York Jets for the last four decades. Vick's on a one-year deal with New York, and so it's no surprise that he might be looking elsewhere. At the top of his list? None other than the Washington Redskins. "That's home," Vick said, while "beaming like a child," according to Newsday. "That's home for me. Don't get me excited. Don't get me excited." The idea of Vick playing for Daniel Snyder in the chaos that is Washington is sheer perfection. But on an on-field level, Vick might do well from a reunion with his old Philadelphia teammate DeSean Jackson.
6am – E IRS head says budget cuts could delay tax refunds. WASHINGTON (AP) — Budget cuts at the IRS could delay tax refunds, reduce taxpayer services and hurt enforcement efforts, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said Thursday. About half the people who call the IRS for assistance this filing season won't be able to get through to a person, Koskinen said. Once tax returns are filed, there will be fewer agents to audit them. "Everybody's return will get processed," Koskinen told reporters. "But people have gotten very used to being able to file their return and quickly getting a refund. This year we may not have the resources, the people to provide refunds as quickly as we have in the past." In recent years, the IRS says it was able to issue most tax refunds within 21 days, if the returns were filed electronically. Koskinen wouldn't estimate how long they might be delayed in the upcoming filing season, which is just a few weeks away. Congress cut the IRS budget by $346 million for the budget year that ends in September 2015. The $10.9 billion budget is $1.2 billion less than the agency received in 2010.
7am – A INTERVIEW: AMB. JOHN BOLTON – former UN Ambassador
- Evidence in Sony hack attack suggests possible involvement by Iran, China or Russia, intel source says. (Fox News) —The U.S. investigation into the recent hacking attack at Sony Pictures Entertainment has turned up evidence that does not point to North Korea as the "sole entity" in the case, but rather, raises the possibility that Iran, China or Russia may have been involved, an intelligence source told Fox News on Thursday. Earlier Thursday, Fox News confirmed that the FBI is pointing a digital finger at North Korea for the attack. The source pointed to the sophistication of malware “modules or packets” that destroyed the Sony systems — on a level that has not been seen from North Korea in the past — but has been seen from Iran, China and Russia.
- Russian Prez Warns the West Is ‘Trying to Chain’ the Bear. Russian President Vladimir Putin poetically described his view of the punishing sanctions placed on his nation after the slow-motion invasion of Ukraine, explaining the West was seeking to “chain” and declaw the mighty Russian bear. At his annual televised news conference, a defiant Putin told reporters that the ongoing collapse of the Russian ruble — brought on by sanctions and plummeting oil prices – will not deter him from encroaching on Ukraine and other Eastern European neighbors. “Maybe the bear should sit quietly, rather than chasing wild boar big and small on the taiga, and should switch to eating berries and honey,” Putin said angrily. “Will he be left in peace then? No way?”
- Obama Intends to Lift Several Restrictions Against Cuba on His Own. (NY Times) — WASHINGTON — President Obama will move as soon as next month to defang the 54-year-old American trade embargo against Cuba, administration officials said Thursday, using broad executive power to defy critics in Congress and lift restrictions on travel, commerce and financial activities. The moves are only the beginning of what White House officials and foreign policy experts describe as a sweeping set of changes that Mr. Obama can make on his own to re-establish commercial and diplomatic ties with Cuba even in the face of angry congressional opposition.
- Presidential Hopeful Rand Paul Backs Obama on Cuba Deal. (Daily Beast) — Out of step with his own party, the libertarian-leaning senator plays to his original base. But at what cost? Likely Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul found himself out in the wilderness of his own party on Wednesday, following President Barack Obama’s decision to normalize relations between the United States and Cuba. Paul first quietly flailed for cover, before publicly stating his support for lifting the embargo the next day. While libertarians, who make up much of the junior Kentucky Senator’s base of supporters, have long-supported ending the 50-year embargo, establishment Republicans, who Paul needs in order to succeed in the party’s presidential primaries, feel quite differently. The only words he had on the subject were bland at best: “In the past, Senator Paul has stated that he believes in more trade not less, and that includes Cuba,” a Paul spokesman told The Daily Beast. “Peace through commerce is one of Senator Paul’s firm beliefs.”
7am – B D.C. Sets Bike Lane Record in 2014. (Washington City Paper) — If then-Mayor Adrian Fenty lost the 2010 primary to Vince Gray in part by focusing too much on building new bicycle lanes, then some of those Gray voters must have made a mistake. During Gray's final year as mayor, the city has added a record nine miles of new bike lanes. District Department of Transportation officials and cycling advocates will gather this morning on 4th Street SW and Independence Avenue to celebrate the record-breaking year, capped off by the completion of new lanes at the gathering spot, on 4th Street. The new lanes hit all four quadrants of the city. The longest new lane is the (mostly) protected cycletrack on M Street NW. The city's 2005 Bicycle Master Plan called for the city to have 60 miles of completed bike lanes by 2015.
7am – C Ibuprofen Extends Life In Lab Species, Study Finds (Humans, Too?). (NBC News) — Non-prescription ibuprofen — pills that scores swallow to soothe headaches or sore backs — might add vigorous years to our lives while erasing the pain of our days, asserts a study released Thursday. Regular doses were found in lab experiments to extend lifespans — with healthy bonus time — in worms, flies and yeast, report researchers from Texas A&M University and the Buck Institute for Researching on Aging in Northern California. The ibuprofen administered to test subjects was comparable to recommended amounts for humans, said co-author Michael Polymenis, a Texas A&M AgriLife Research biochemist. The treatments gave the organisms roughly 15 percent more life — equal to about 12 human years. The study was published in the journal Public Library of Science-Genetics. Why ibuprofen pushed those lifespans remains unclear. But Polymenis theorizes it may rest with the drug's interference in the ability of cells to absorb tryptophan, an amino acid in proteins.
7am – D Laffer Curve Anniversary: Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Arthur Laffer talk about the 1974 Dinner Napkin that Changed the Economy. In 1974, Ford Administration officials Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld met in 1974 with Art Laffer and Wall Street Journal writer Jude Wanniski. At this dinner, Laffer reportedly sketched the curve on a napkin to illustrate his argument. The term "Laffer curve" was coined by Jude Wanniski.
LAFFER CURVE: In economics, the Laffer curve is one possible representation of the relationship between rates of taxation and the hypothetical resulting levels of government revenue. The Laffer curve claims to illustrate the concept of taxable income elasticity—i.e., taxable income will change in response to changes in the rate of taxation. It postulates that no tax revenue will be raised at the extreme tax rates of 0% and 100% and that there must be at least one rate where tax revenue would be a non-zero maximum. The Laffer curve is typically represented as a graph which starts at 0% tax with zero revenue, rises to a maximum rate of revenue at an intermediate rate of taxation, and then falls again to zero revenue at a 100% tax rate.
7am – E Rev. Al Sharpton Meets with Amy Pascal: All Talk, Let's See Some Action. Al Sharpton is willing to give Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal a chance to prove she'll do the right thing for African Americans, but he says, "The proof is in the pudding and you don't know until you eat it." Sharpton tells TMZ he met with Pascal for 90 minutes Thursday in NYC, and she admitted she was "wrong and silly" to engage producer Scott Rudin in speculation that Prez Obama only likes "black movies." Sharpton says the head of the National Urban League was also on hand and told her they were "outraged" by her comments. She said it was "an isolated incident," but Sharpton retorted it was indicative of a bigger problem in Hollywood … no blacks at the top.
8am – A INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH – WMAL's Redskins Analyst
- NEXT GAME: Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Redskins
- Michael Vick to the Redskins would be a 'dream come true.' This season hasn't exactly been a memorable one for Michael Vick, but then you could say that about pretty much anybody who's quarterbacked for the New York Jets for the last four decades. Vick's on a one-year deal with New York, and so it's no surprise that he might be looking elsewhere. At the top of his list? None other than the Washington Redskins. "That's home," Vick said, while "beaming like a child," according to Newsday. "That's home for me. Don't get me excited. Don't get me excited."
- FCC: ‘Redskins’ not profane; station keeps license. WASHINGTON (AP) — Saying the word “Redskins” on the air isn’t obscene or profane — at least not according to the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC on Thursday dismissed a petition that called for one of the team’s flagship radio stations not to have its license renewed. The petition claimed repeated use of the word “Redskins” violates rules against indecent content. But the FCC said that the law defines profanity as sexual or excretory in nature — meanings that don’t relate to the name of the football team. Many Native American and other groups consider “Redskins” to be a racial slur and have demanded that owner Dan Snyder change the name. Snyder has vowed to keep it, despite mounting pressure over the past two years. Thursday’s ruling affects the Snyder-owned station WWXX-FM.
- Washington Redskins Rumors: RG3 Trade To Chicago Bears, NY Jets, Houston Texans Options As Robert Griffin III Starts for Jay Gruden? The Washington Redskins have major questions with the future of RG3 and a trade could happen in the future if Jay Gruden stays in DC and moves on from Robert Griffin III and teams like the NY Jets, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be interested in making a change at quarterback in 2015.
8am – B Russian Prez Warns the West Is ‘Trying to Chain’ the Bear. (National Review) — Russian President Vladimir Putin poetically described his view of the punishing sanctions placed on his nation after the slow-motion invasion of Ukraine, explaining the West was seeking to “chain” and declaw the mighty Russian bear. At his annual televised news conference, a defiant Putin told reporters that the ongoing collapse of the Russian ruble — brought on by sanctions and plummeting oil prices – will not deter him from encroaching on Ukraine and other Eastern European neighbors.
8am – C Secret Service needs outside leadership, culture change, review finds. (The Washington Times) – Proud, insular and stung by security lapses, the U.S. Secret Service needs new leadership from outside the agency to drive accountability, strategy and cultural change, according to an independent report released Thursday that laid bare the flaws of the agency that protects the president and his family. “The need to change, reinvigorate, and question long-held assumptions — from within the agency itself — is too critical right now for the next director to be an insider,” the report from a panel of four outsiders urged Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. “Only a director from outside the Service, removed from organizational traditions and personal relationships, will be able to do the honest top-to-bottom reassessment this will require,” the report added. Most of the report’s findings are classified, but the agency released a publicly available executive summary from the panel, which included former top Justice Department official Thomas Pererelli and former George W. Bush White House aide Joe Hagin. The report also made numerous other recommendations, including building a stronger perimeter fence around the White House to give Secret Service officers “more time to react to intrusions,” changing training, hiring more agents and officers and adding a greater “culture of accountability” inside the agency.
8am – D INTERVIEW: BRET BAIER — Anchor, Special Report, Fox News Channel, weekdays at 6 pm
>> Evidence in Sony hack attack suggests possible involvement by Iran, China or Russia, intel source says.
>> Obama Intends to Lift Several Restrictions Against Cuba on His Own.
>> Presidential Hopeful Rand Paul Backs Obama on Cuba Deal.
>> Obama to hold year-end press conference. President Obama will hold a press conference Friday before departing on a 17-day Hawaiian winter vacation.
Monday: Joe diGenova, Trevor Matich, Ric Edelman and guest hosts Steve Moore and Kerry Picket
