Bob Costantini, Joe diGenova, Rod Wheeler, Mark Levin and guest host Scottie Hughes joined WMAL on Monday.

Listen here to Monday’s show!

Mornings on the Mall

Monday, June 29, 2015

Hosts: Larry O’Connor and Scottie Hughes

Executive Producer: Heather Smith

5am – A/B/C Ted Cruz ‏@tedcruz Jun 27: “I am proposing an amendment to the Constitution to subject #SCOTUS justices to periodic judicial retention elections #BelieveAgain”

5am – D         2016 News:

• It’s official: Christie launches 2016 campaign, will announce Tuesday. Chris Christie launches a 2016 campaign website. Christie to embrace underdog role as he launches 2016 bid. Washington (CNN) Chris Christie hasn’t yet declared whether he’s running for President. But in the meantime, if you want to support his candidacy-in-waiting, you can go online and donate to Chris Christie for President, Inc. The New Jersey governor on Saturday morning tweeted out several links to the new ChrisChristie.com, which asks visitors, “Are you ready?” and invites them to sign up and donate to his campaign.
• John Kasich to announce presidential bid July 21. (Politico) — Ohio Gov. John Kasich will jump into the crowded Republican presidential field on July 21 at the student union at his alma mater, The Ohio State University, in Columbus, advisers tell POLITICO. Kasich, 63, who was overwhelmingly reelected in November, will aim to appear less scripted and guarded than the leading candidates. Advisers say he combines establishment appeal with a conservative record going back to his stint as House Budget Committee chairman, during his 18 years as a congressman from Ohio. Despite his late start, Kasich will be one of the most closely watched candidates — partly because Ohio is such a crucial presidential state, putting Kasich on many short lists for vice president.
• Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina Top Denver Conservative Summit Straw Poll; Jeb!, Rubio Tank. (Politico) — Dr. Ben Carson has caused a major upset by coming in a confident first in the Western Conservative Summit’s straw poll in Denver, Colorado this weekend. Carson, who boomed about his anti-political credentials in his main stage speech last night, took 26 percent of the 871 votes cast, while Carly Fiorina, who also had clear support amongst conference delegates, took 23 percent.
• Sanders: I’m going to be president. Then he said he was going to win Iowa. Now, Sanders is going all the way, telling ABC’s This Week in an interview Sunday that “I think we’re going to win the Democratic nomination, and I think we’re going to win the presidency.”
• Bernie Sanders, Rising in Polls, Gets Standing-Room-Only Crowds in New Hampshire. But the senator from Vermont has a lot of ground to make up to truly compete with Hillary Clinton in the state. New Hampshire—Sen. Bernie Sanders brought his call for a “political revolution” back to the first-in-the-nation primary state Saturday, again drawing enthusiastic crowds who cheered his message of curbing the influence of corporate interests in politics. The Vermont independent praised the Supreme Court decisions on the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage, but said the battle to reduce income and wealth inequality would be far tougher. “It is a much more difficult thing to look the billionaire class in the eye and say: You cannot have it all,” Sanders said during a speech and question-and-answer session at a town meeting here. This weekend’s New Hampshire appearances are Sanders’ first since recent polls show him emerging as the leading challenger to front-runner Hillary Clinton for the Democratic primary nomination. One poll released by WMUR and CNN found Sanders just 8 points behind Clinton in New Hampshire. (although a second poll released the same day by Bloomberg and St. Anselm College showed Clinton with a 32-point lead.)

5am – E         Scottie Reviews The Apple Watch.

6am – A/B/C Lindsey Graham: GOP Should Change Its Position on Gay Marriage. (Jezebel) — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said this morning that he believes that the Republican Party should change its official position on gay marriage. The current GOP platform affirms the party’s support for a Constitutional amendment that defines marriage “as the union of one man and one woman.” But Graham is a compassionate guy, and he realizes that that position might “hurt” the Republican party—optics are clearly what’s most important here. Graham said on Meet the Press: “What I want to do is protect the religious liberties of those who believe that opposing same sex marriage as part of their faith. So no I would not engage in the Constitutional amendment process as a party going into 2016. Accept the Court’s ruling. Fight for the religious liberties of every American.”

6am – D         INTERVIEW: BOB COSTANTINI – Correspondent in Malone, New York

*Captured. Fugitive David Sweat is now in police custody after a more-than-three-week manhunt. No law enforcement officers were injured during his apprehension, though Sweat is being treated for gunshot wounds received during his capture. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said the investigation into the escape of two inmates from a New York prison is far from over. “Now that we have Mr. Sweat, it gives us the opportunity to have some more questions and provide more facts on the overall situation,” Cuomo said. “Anyone who we find who was culpable and guilty of cooperating in the escape will be fully prosecuted.”

6am – E         Countries Going Broke:

• Greece Will Shut Banks in Fallout From Debt Crisis. ATHENS — Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced Sunday night that Greece’s banks would be closed as of Monday, as the fallout from ruptured debt negotiations with the nation’s creditors began inflicting pain on ordinary people while raising alarm in Washington, Brussels and Berlin. The emergency measures escalated the confused and unpredictable state of a crisis that some analysts say could ripple through global financial markets and undercut European unity. Most Asian markets opened lower on Monday.

• Puerto Rico’s Governor Says Island’s Debts Are ‘Not Payable.’ Puerto Rico’s governor, saying he needs to pull the island out of a “death spiral,” has concluded that the commonwealth cannot pay its roughly $72 billion in debts, an admission that will probably have wide-reaching financial repercussions. The governor, Alejandro García Padilla, and senior members of his staff said in an interview last week that they would probably seek significant concessions from as many as all of the island’s creditors, which could include deferring some debt payments for as long as five years or extending the timetable for repayment. “The debt is not payable,” Mr. García Padilla said. “There is no other option. I would love to have an easier option. This is not politics, this is math.” It is a startling admission from the governor of an island of 3.6 million people, which has piled on more municipal bond debt per capita than any American state.

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

• Decisions in last 3 Supreme Court cases expected Monday
• LAST WEEK’s SCOTUS DECISIONS:
  • Supreme Court Ruling Makes Same-Sex Marriage a Right Nationwide. Friday’s 5-4 Supreme Court ruling giving same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide.
  • Supreme Court upholds Obamacare subsidies. The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, the centerpiece of Obama’s domestic legacy, which the GOP is still vowing to overturn. By a vote of 6-3, the justices ruled that insurance subsidies created by the health law can be offered in both state and federal health care exchanges, or marketplaces, putting the landmark 2010 statute on solid legal footing for the immediate future and handing the law’s opponents a sound defeat.
  • Mosby balancing court deadlines in Freddie Gray case along fashion magazine interviews. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby met some court deadlines while also making headlines in women’s fashion magazines. Mosby, who is prosecuting this case, met a court deadline late Friday by filing a motion in response to the police officers’ lawyers to move the trial out of Baltimore City Circuit Court. The police officers say they cannot get a fair trial in the city because of pretrial publicity that has changed public opinion against them. In the response, Mosby said that, “Fundamentally, the defendants misperceive the very definition of ‘impartiality’ and would have this court insist on jurors totally ignorant of the events in their community, a standard not only deemed impossible but contrary to human nature.”

7am – B        Several Leesburg residents call for removal of Confederate soldier statue. LEESBURG, Va. (WJLA) – In the wake of the Charleston, S.C. mass-shooting, some residents are calling for the removal of a statue in front of the courthouse in historic downtown Leesburg. The 12-foot statue is of a lone rebel soldier in memory of the Confederate soldiers of Loudoun County. Residents like Don Gabriel said it’s a symbol to honor the fallen. “There’s all these incredibly brave confederate soldiers that you have to honor & respect,” said Gabriel. For other residents, the statue is an antiquated reminder of a painful past. Phillip Thompson is president of the Loudoun branch of the NAACP, which has been pushing for the statue’s removal from the county seat and said, “Our county’s an inclusive county – the county’s almost 40 percent minority now – it’s a different county than it was in 1908.” Many around the nation are fighting for the removal of public Confederate symbols – especially the Confederate flag – in the wake of the tragedy in Charleston, where nine people were killed inside a historic black church in a racially-motivated shooting. Statue supporter Judy Richards, said, “It was sad what happened in Charleston – it should have never happened. But please don’t start taking everything away because of what one person did.”

7am – C        World’s Oldest Woman Still Eats Bacon Every Day at 115-Years-Old. (Food and Wine) — Last week, Brooklyn resident Susannah Mushatt Jones, a 115-year-old born on July 6, 1899, became the oldest person in the world. She is one of only two living people with a verified birthdate in the 19th century. So what contributes to such amazing longevity? In Jones’ case it might be bacon. According to her niece Lois Judge, Jones still eats four strips of bacon every morning, followed with some eggs. “365 days a year – that’s her meal,” Judge told the Daily News. “She eats independently every day. She gets out of bed every day and into her recliner. She eats very hearty – three good meals.”

7am – D         INTERVIEW – ROD WHEELER – Former DC Homicide Detective

• PRISONER CAUGHT
  • Prisoner David Sweat in critical condition after being shot, captured
  • Escaped murderer is shot, captured after accomplice is killed
  • State Trooper Is Said to Shoot Surviving Prison Escapee
• POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK IN U.S.
  • Concerns Rise of ISIS-Inspired Attack in U.S. as July 4 Nears. U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities share a growing concern of an ISIS-inspired attack in the country through the July 4 weekend, sources told NBC News. Information regarding the Fourth of July threat came before Friday’s terror attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, the intelligence and law enforcement officials said.   The officials have raised concern about possible domestic attacks tied to the July 4 holiday and the upcoming visit of Pope Francis.

7am – E         Entertainment News:

• Top Gun sequel to feature Tom Cruise versus drones storyline. Producer David Ellison confirms follow-up is moving closer to production and admits there is ‘no Top Gun without Maverick.’ The long-mooted sequel to 80s blockbuster Top Gun will explore the culture clash between old school aviation and the new generation of unmanned drones, according to the film’s producer. David Ellison of production company Skydance also confirmed the follow-up will feature Tom Cruise reprising his role as star fighter pilot Maverick during a junket to promote Terminator: Genisys in Berlin.
• Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce win big at BET Awards. (USA Today) — Though she was absent, Beyonce won three BET Awards, including video of the year for “7/11,” while Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj also won multiple awards at the all-star show Sunday night. But the show was less about the awards — video of the year didn’t even make the live broadcast — as performances stole the night. As Janet Jackson entered the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Brown screamed loudly, Minaj whipped out her phone to record the moment and Laverne Cox was teary-eyed. The pop star was honored with the Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual Award as she made one of her first public performances in sometime as she readies a new album and tour this fall. “It’s been a very long moment to this journey … my heart is so full,” Jackson said to the audience, which included her mother and father. “To my beautiful mother, to my beautiful father, and to my entire family, your love is unbreakable.” An impressive Ciara, Jason Derulo and Tinashe paid tribute to the 49-year-old veteran by mimicking her signature dance moves.

8am – A/B     INTERVIEW – MARK LEVIN – The GREAT ONE – radio host on WMAL weekdays 6-9 PM – shared his thoughts on last week’s Supreme Court rulings.

8am – C         John Boehner gets his first Air Force One ride with Obama. (Politico) – John Boehner and Barack Obama’s relationship reached new heights Friday. The Republican House Speaker took his first trip with the president on Air Force One as the two headed to Charleston, South Carolina, to mourn the nine African-American men and women killed at their church last week. Obama has never been known as much of a schmoozer, but in recent months he has treated fellow lawmakers from both parties to trips aboard Air Force One with him as a way of currying favor and engaging in discussions with a captive audience. A White House official told POLITICO in February that since the Democratic losses in the 2014 midterm elections, the president himself has used the plane to facilitate tête-à-têtes with various legislators. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) among others, all flew with the president on his Boeing 747 in early 2015.

8am – D         Concerns Rise of ISIS-Inspired Attack in U.S. as July 4 Nears. (NBC News) — U.S. intelligence and law enforcement authorities share a growing concern of an ISIS-inspired attack in the country through the July 4 weekend, sources told NBC News. The threat “is based on both intelligence and analysis,” the intelligence and law enforcement sources said, declining to go into detail. The analysis of the threat is based in part on the “new normal” of ISIS planning, which uses social media to encourage followers worldwide to attack on both small and large scales. Information regarding the Fourth of July threat came before Friday’s terror attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, the intelligence and law enforcement officials said.