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Mornings on the Mall
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese
5am – A/B/C Curbelo won’t support any spending bill unless ‘DACA issue is resolved’ (The Hill) Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) said Tuesday he won’t vote for any appropriations bill to fund the government past Dec. 31 unless Congress legislates to permanently protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Speaking at an immigration summit hosted by the IMPAC Fund — an immigrant rights organization — Curbelo set his deadline for action on DACA. “I will make some news here of particular interest to our friends in the fourth estate,” he said. “I am announcing today that I will not support any appropriations bill that funds the government beyond December 31st unless we get this DACA issue resolved.” The Trump administration rescinded DACA in September, giving Congress a March 5 deadline to pass a bill allowing its nearly 690,000 beneficiaries — undocumented immigrants that arrived in the country as children — to stay and work in the United States.
5am – D NORTH KOREA UDATE: Trump warns ‘major’ North Korea sanctions coming soon (CNN) President Trump plans to impose further sanctions on North Korea after the rogue nation conducted its most potent missile test yet. “Just spoke to President XI JINPING of China concerning the provocative actions of North Korea,” Trump said in a tweet Wednesday. “Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!” Trump didn’t provide further details on what sanctions were planned. But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered a few clues. “We have a long list of additional potential sanctions. Some of which involve additional financial institutions,” Tillerson said during a meeting with the Crown Prince of Bahrain on Wednesday.
North Korea has shown us its new missile, and it’s scarier than we thought (Washington Post) A day after its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, North Korea released photos of what it’s calling the “Hwasong-15.” And the collective response from missile experts was — not to get too technical — whoa. The missile and its launcher truck do, at first blush, appear to support North Korea’s claim that this missile is much more technologically advanced than previous iterations. Although there is still much that can’t be gleaned from the photos and North Korea does have an inglorious record of exaggeration, analysts generally agree that the Hwasong-15 marks a significant leap forward in North Korea’s missile development. “This is a really big missile, much larger than I expected,” said Scott LaFoy, an imagery analyst for the specialist website NK News. “I believe one of my professors would have referred to it as a big honking missile.”
5am – E For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Hawaii will test nuclear sirens (CNN) Hawaii is taking those threats from North Korea seriously.
Starting Friday, the state will start monthly testing of a nuclear warning siren system aimed at alerting residents to an impending nuclear missile strike. It’s the first such tests in the Aloha State since the end of the Cold War. The test of the nuclear warning siren will be conducted during the monthly tests of the overall statewide warning siren system, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. At 11:45 a.m. on the first business day of every month, a steady alert signal will blare from speakers for 50 seconds, followed by a 10-second pause and then a wailing “attack warning” signal for 50 seconds.
In the event of an actual attack, Hawaii’s 1.4 million residents are expected to seek shelter immediately after hearing the attack warning signal. An emergency alert system will broadcast warnings on TV and radio as well.
6am – A Matt Lauer Accused of Sexual Harassment by Multiple Women (Variety) As the co-host of NBC’s “Today,” Matt Lauer once gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. It included an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her, which left her mortified.
On another day, he summoned a different female employee to his office, and then dropped his pants, showing her his penis. After the employee declined to do anything, visibly shaken, he reprimanded her for not engaging in a sexual act. He would sometimes quiz female producers about who they’d slept with, offering to trade names. And he loved to engage in a crass quiz game with men and women in the office: “f—, marry, or kill,” in which he would identify the female co-hosts that he’d most like to sleep with. These accounts of Lauer’s behavior at NBC are the result of a two-month investigation by Variety, with dozens of interviews with current and former staffers.
6am –B List of men in media accused of sexual misconduct (WTOP) Since The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in October, multiple men in entertainment, media and politics in the U.S. and beyond have faced allegations ranging from inappropriate behavior to forced sexual misconduct to rape.
6am – C American Airlines Accidentally Let Too Many Pilots Take Off The Holidays (NPR) A glitch in American Airlines’ pilot scheduling system means that thousands of flights during the holiday season currently do not have pilots assigned to fly them.
The shortage was caused by an error in the system pilots use to bid for time off, the Allied Pilots Association told NPR. The union represents the airline’s 15,000 pilots. “The airline is a 24/7 op,” union spokesman Dennis Tajer told CNBC. “The system went from responsibly scheduling everybody to becoming Santa Claus to everyone.” “The computer said, ‘Hey ya’ll. You want the days off? You got it.’ ” Tajer called it “a man-made snowstorm” and said the union estimated that more than 15,000 of the airline’s flights don’t have pilots. More pilots were granted time off between Dec. 17 and Dec. 31 than should have been, resulting in the shortage.
6am – D Fisher House and how you can help!
6am – E NYT actively campaigns against tax bill on twitter
6am – F Health Department Endorses Dogs on Restaurant Patios, But Staff Better Clean Up That Poop (Washingtonian) The DC Council is moving forward with permanent legislation to allow dogs on restaurant and bar patios, and the health department gave its blessing in a public hearing Tuesday. Emergency legislation reversing the ban on pups in outdoor dining areas for 60 days was introduced in October. It came after a health department crackdown drew outrage from pet owners. The new law would allow business owners to choose whether they want to allow dogs (on leashes) at their establishments. They can also set restrictions based on the dogs’ size or temperaments. The DC Department of Health provided additional recommendations: Namely, patrons should be responsible for bringing their own waste bags, but restaurant staff better make sure there’s no poop still on the ground after pet owners clean up.
7am – A/ B/C Juanita Broaddrick Wants Clinton’s Pension Taken Away (Daily Caller)
Juanita Broaddrick, who has accused former president Bill Clinton of raping her, said Wednesday that she wants his pension taken away. “In the case of Bill Clinton, he’s got a post-presidency… he’s still paid, for instance, a presidential pension from the US taxpayers — are there things you’d like to see still done in his life that would affect him?” Daily Caller editorial director Vince Coglianese first posed to Broaddrick.
“Oh yes,” she replied. “Everything that he’s given as being a past president, with the exception of his secret service things… I think that all financial things that are given to him should be removed.”
7am – D INTERVIEW – JOE CONCHA – Media reporter, The Hill
TOPIC- Matt Lauer Fired
- As the co-host of NBC’s “Today,” Matt Laueronce gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. It included an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her, which left her mortified. On another day, he summoned a different female employee to his office, and then dropped his pants, showing her his penis.
- After longtime “Today” show host Matt Lauer was fired over allegations of sexual misconduct, Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera defended him, claiming that women who come forward with their sexual harassment experiences “may be criminalizing courtship.”
7am – E The National Christmas Tree lighting is Thursday. Prepare for a dreadful commute. (Washington Post) Washington’s oldest holiday tradition takes place Thursday, and it promises more than a majestic celebration. For commuters, the annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse is set to disrupt traffic at the height of the afternoon rush. The 95th annual lighting ceremony will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Street closings in downtown will begin at noon, and will be in the vicinity of the Ellipse and White House. Impact of the closures (listed below) and the crowds will extend farther through downtown. The event will also affect various bus routes that trek through the area, including Metrobus, DC Circulator and Maryland and Virginia commuter buses. If you plan on attending the tree lighting, consider taking Metro. Keep in mind that bags, umbrellas, drones, tablets, video recorders and selfie sticks, among other items, are prohibited at the event.
8am – A Fisher House and how you can help!
8am – B/C INTERVIEW – JIM GERAGHTY – National Review
TOPIC- Government Shutdown threats
- President Donald Trump and congressional GOP leaders are daring Democrats to shut down the government over immigration rather than back a plan to extend funding into January.
- A top Senate Democrat said Wednesday that he will vote against any spending bill in the coming weeks if Congress has failed to address the fate of young immigrants — raising the stakes in a looming showdown with the White House and Republicans over a potential government shutdown.
8am – D INTERVIEW – BILL O’REILLY – Former Fox News host and author of new book “Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence”
TOPIC – MATT LAUER FIRED FROM NBC
- Sudden firing of Lauer over what NBC is calling very credible allegations that the $25 million man committed a bit of “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace,”
- Matt Lauer had previously grilled Bill O’Reilly over his own allegations of sexual impropriety with women while host of a Fox News show.
8am – E INTERVIEW – LARRY MICHAEL – Voice of the Redskins
TOPIC – Preview of Thursday’s Game against the Cowboys
- Jamison Crowder entered the season as Washington’s most proven wide receiver, but it took more than half the season for the slot threat to show that form. His nagging hamstring injury that caused him to miss one game didn’t help. Facing the Cowboys’ suspect secondary did wonders.
- Despite all of the obstacles in his way, Cousins has continued to thrive in his third season as the Redskins’ starting quarterback. He’s second in the NFL in passing yards and has accounted for 22 offensive touchdowns including a pair of scoring passes last week in a 20-10 victory over the New York
