Karin Caifa in Paris, James Rosen, Trevor Matich and Bret Baier joined WMAL on Friday!
Mornings on the Mall
Friday, November 20, 2015
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor
Executive Producer: Heather Hunter
5am – A/B/C Trump threatens to sue pro-Kasich super PAC. Donald Trump is threatening to sue a super PAC supporting John Kasich that is preparing to launch a $2.5 million media campaign attacking the billionaire mogul. On Thursday night, after POLITICO published a story revealing the Kasich super PAC’s plans, a Trump lawyer, Alan Garten, sent two top strategists from the group, Matt David and Fred Davis, a letter on Trump Organization letterhead.
5am – D Gunmen hold 170 hostage at Radisson Blu hotel in Mali. (CNN) — Gunmen have taken 170 people hostage inside the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako. The hotel chain said two armed men have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees. The men came in a diplomatic vehicle Friday morning, firing as they entered the hotel, said witness Amadou Keita, who works at a cultural center close by. The gunshots went on for several long minutes, he said. Malian soldiers with help from U.N. troops have the hotel surrounded.
5am – E Critter News:
- Thousands declare ‘Je Suis Chien’ and ‘Je Suis Diesel’ after dog killed in Paris raid. The death of police dog Diesel in a police raid in the Paris suburbs on Wednesday has inspired a Facebook page and a hashtag. But the tag’s creator says he started it “to be a little bit funny”. Police targeted the flat in Saint-Denis in a search for the alleged mastermind of Friday’s gun and bomb attacks in Paris, when 129 people were killed. During the raid, a woman blew herself up and a suspect was shot dead. Seven arrests were made and five officers were injured. The French National Police’s announcement that police dog Diesel, a 7-year-old Belgian Shepherd, was killed “by terrorists,” sparked a big reaction online – retweeted 15,000 times. It inspired a hashtag, “Je Suis Chien,” (literal translation: I am dog) which borrows the language of the “Je Suis Charlie” solidarity hashtag. The “Je Suis Chien” tag has been used almost 130,000 times, with many people sharing messages of grief for Diesel in French and later in English. “Forever thankful to these creatures,” wrote one user. Later a new slogan, “Je Suis Diesel,” was adopted. “Je Suis Chien should be Je Suis Diesel. He had a name! rest in peace, friend”, said one Twitter user.
- Carson uses “rabid dog” analogy to discuss Syrian refugees. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson warned Thursday that the nation must guard against terrorists who may have infiltrated the Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the U.S., the same way a parent would seek to protect their child from a “rabid dog.” Speaking at a press conference with reporters in Mobile, Ala., Carson argued that the U.S. must be “compassionate” toward the plight of many of the refugees, but said that “we should not be bringing people here” until adequate screening processes are in place.
6am – A/B/C Hillary Clinton Wants Meryl Streep to Play Her in a Movie. If democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had any say in who played her in a movie, she knows exactly who she would pick. So, who is Hillary’s Choice? None other than 19-time Oscar nominee Meryl Streep! During a hot seat round of questioning on Live with Kelly and Michael, Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan posed a series of personal questions to the new grandmother—one of them being who she would elect to portray her in a film about her life. “Well, Meryl Streep, of course,” she answered with little hesitation. It’s a perfect choice, considering it would be fitting to have one of Hollywood’s greatest players portray an equally iconic political force.
6am – D INTERVIEW – KARIN CAIFA – (KAY-FAH) — CORRESPONDENT IN PARIS
- Paris attacks at a glance: Thursday’s developments. (CNN) French investigators said Thursday that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected mastermind of the Paris terrorist attacks, died Wednesday in a major police operation in Saint-Denis, a suburb of the city. Another key suspect linked to Friday’s atrocities by ISIS attackers in the French capital is still at large. And Belgian authorities are conducting fresh raids around Brussels.
6am – E DC News:
- Paul Wiedefeld Officially Appointed as Metro’s General Manager. Wiedefeld is set to take over Nov. 30. Metro’s board of directors officially appointed Paul Wiedefeld its next general manager and CEO Thursday. The board unanimously voted on Wiedefeld during their meeting, two weeks after members announced their selection. He will receive an annual salary of $397,500 plus benefits, WMATA said. Wiedefeld is a former top official at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and the Maryland Transit Administration.
- D.C. panel approves plan to make some body camera videos public. WASHINGTON — A plan to outfit all D.C. police patrol officers with body cameras took a step forward Thursday. The D.C. Council’s Judiciary Committee approved a plan that allows most body camera video that’s recorded in public places — including video of assaults — to be released to the public through Freedom of Information Act requests. The plan also addresses privacy concerns. “This bill protects individuals’ privacy rights by exempting from disclosure footage recorded in a private residence, or involving domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking,” said Committee Chairman Kenyan McDuffie. But the plan would allow Mayor Muriel Bowser to release any body camera video in matters she says are of “significant public interest,” including officer-involved shootings and assaults on officers that are bad enough to send an officer to the hospital.
7am – A INTERVIEW — JAMES ROSEN – Fox Chief Washington Correspondent and author of new book “Cheney One on One: A Candid Conversation with America’s Most Controversial Statesman” — Fox Chief Washington Correspondent James Rosen’s new book, Cheney One on One: A Candid Conversation with America’s Most Controversial Statesman (Nov. 2, 2015).
- HIS BOOK SIGNING EVENT TOMORROW: Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 6 p.m. – Politics & Prose Bookstore and Coffeehouse (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW)
- House Approves Tougher Refugee Screening, Defying Veto Threat. WASHINGTON — The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to drastically tighten screening procedures on refugees from Syria, seizing on the creeping fear stemming from the Paris attacks and threatening to undermine President Obama’s Middle East policy. The bill, which passed, 289 to 137, with nearly 50 Democrats supporting it, would require that the director of the F.B.I., the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the director of national intelligence confirm that each applicant from Syria and Iraq poses no threat. The bill’s fate is uncertain in the Senate. The White House called the demands “untenable” and said that the president would veto the bill if it reached his desk.
- Gunmen hold 170 hostage at Radisson Blu hotel in Mali. (CNN) LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Gunmen have taken 170 people hostage inside the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako. The hotel chain said two armed men have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees. The men came in a diplomatic vehicle Friday morning, firing as they entered the hotel, said witness Amadou Keita, who works at a cultural center close by.
7am – B Hillary Clinton calls for U.S. to ‘intensify and broaden’ efforts to fight ISIS. (CNN) Hillary Clinton is calling for more allied planes, more airstrikes and a “broader target set” — though no large-scale mobilization of U.S. ground troops — to combat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. She urged Congress to approve a new authorization of the use of military force against ISIS, saying that doing so would signal “that the U.S. is committed to this fight. The time for delay is over. We should get this done.” In the wake of the Paris attacks, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility, Clinton said that “every society faces a choice between fear and resolve” — an indirect shot at her Republican foes in the 2016 presidential race, who have called for the United States to shut out Syrian refugees.
“This is no time to be scoring political points. We must use every pillar of American power, including our values, to fight terror,” Clinton said.
7am – C Bryce Harper is unanimous winner of 2015 National League MVP Award. It has been a foregone conclusion for a while, but the Baseball Writers Association of America made it official Thursday by announcing Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper as the unanimous winner of the 2015 National League Most Valuable Player Award. He’s the first player in franchise history (including the Expos) to take home the award and the first for a team in Washington, D.C. since Roger Peckinpaugh in 1925. Harper received all 30 first-place votes, becoming the seventh unanimous MVP of all-time. He’s the youngest one to do it. As for the other finalists, Paul Goldschmidt finished second overall in the balloting while Joey Votto finished third. While the Nationals underachieved in 2015, Harper broke out with a historically great season, batting .330/.460/.649 with 42 home runs and 99 RBI. He led the majors in bWAR (9.9), on-base percentage (.460), slugging percentage (.649), and OPS (1.109) while tying Colorado’s Nolan Arenado for first in the National League with 42 home runs. He led the National League in runs (118) while only Cincinnati’s Joey Votto bested his total of 124 walks. Video game numbers all around.
The internet is laughing at NL MVP Bryce Harper because he’s confused by the internet. Bless Bryce Harper’s heart. Really. The guy wins the National League MVP award Thursday and all anyone wants to talk about Friday morning is how the guy is confused by the internet. It’s just been that kind of season for the Nationals — that Harper loses even when he wins. So here Harper is, on SportsCenter, talking about whatever it is people talk about after winning historical awards after generationally great seasons and he makes the self-aware blunder of saying he doesn’t want to become a meme. But — OH NO — he can’t pronounce “meme” correctly. This is like some kind of Alanis Morissette type irony.
7am – D INTERVIEW – TREVOR MATICH — Redskins elite long snapper and WMAL’s Redskins analyst
- Washington Redskins vs Carolina Panthers – Sunday, November 22, 1:00 PM on FOX / Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
7am – E Mali attack: Special forces storm hotel to free hostages. Malian special forces have entered the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, to end a siege by gunmen who had been holding 170 people hostage. The gunmen stormed the US-owned hotel, which is popular with foreign businesses and airline crews, shooting and shouting “God is great!” in Arabic. Malian state TV is reporting that 80 people have now been freed. At least three people are reported to have been killed in the siege that started around 07:00 GMT. Air France says 12 of its crew have been successfully freed in the rescue operation. Among the other guests staying at the hotel are six Turkish Airlines staff, 20 Indian nationals and reports of up to 10 Chinese citizens.
8am – A/B/C Carson uses “rabid dog” analogy to discuss Syrian refugees. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson warned Thursday that the nation must guard against terrorists who may have infiltrated the Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the U.S., the same way a parent would seek to protect their child from a “rabid dog.” Speaking at a press conference with reporters in Mobile, Ala., Carson argued that the U.S. must be “compassionate” toward the plight of many of the refugees, but said that “we should not be bringing people here” until adequate screening processes are in place. “We must always balance safety against just being a humanitarian,” Carson said. “For instance, if there’s a rabid dog running around your neighborhood, you’re probably not going to assume something good about that dog, and you’re probably going to put your children out of the way. It doesn’t mean you hate all dogs by any stretch of the imagination, but you’re putting
8am – D INTERVIEW – BRET BAIER — Anchor, Special Report, Fox News Channel, weekdays at 6 pm – discussed the Mali attack, Paris and refugees.
8am – E Entertainment News:
- Former 007 Pierce Brosnan Calls “Spectre” ‘weak’ and “too long.” (LOS ANGELES) — Pierce Brosnan is a veteran of four James Bond movies, so what does he think of the newest one, Spectre? “I was looking forward to it enormously,” the 62-year-old actor tells HitFix. “I thought it was too long. The story was kind of weak — it could have been condensed. It kind of went on too long. It really did.” The Irish actor, who’s marking the twentieth anniversary of his first turn as 007 in GoldenEye, noted a tendency for the recent Bond movies to mimic the popular Jason Bourne franchise, which are rooted more in the real world than the films in which he played the unflappable secret agent. “[Spectre] is neither fish nor fowl,” notes Brosnan. “It’s neither Bond nor Bourne. Am I in a Bond movie? Not in a Bond movie?”
- ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ earns more than $50 million in advance-ticket sales, breaking records. It’s a still a month away from release, and the new “Star Wars” is already breaking box-office records. The Wall Street Journal reports that insider sources say “The Force Awakens” has already sold more than $50 million in advance tickets. That figure means “Force Awakens” is setting new records for all-time presale numbers, with Fandango and IMAX saying they’ve beaten their previous bests.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman gets a final salute in the Hunger Games Mockingjay. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2 has an added emotional resonance beyond the end of a fan-beloved franchise. It also marks the final film in the illustrious career of Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Oscar-winning actor died in Feb. 2, 2014, during production of Mockingjay — Part 2. But Hoffman still appears in key scenes as rebel leader Plutarch Heavensbee in the film opening Friday. There was meant to be even more of him.
- Derek & Hansel are back in ‘Zoolander 2′ trailer. (NEW YORK) — It’s been more than three months since we got our first brief tease of the film. Now we’ve finally got a full-length trailer for Zoolander 2. The sequel to the hit 2001 comedy again stars Ben Stiller and dimwitted supermodel Derek Zoolander, and Owen Wilson as his former runway nemesis, Hansel McDonald. This time, they’re apparently too old for the supermodel game — until they’re approached by Penelope Cruz, who needs their help in finding out who’s killing the world’s most beautiful people. That includes Justin Bieber, by the way — like the others, he expires while flashing one of Derek Zoolander’s famous runway looks.
MONDAY: Joe diGenova and Trevor Matich
