Dr. Aykhan Erdemir, Montgomery County Dan McHugh, KT McFarland, David Drucker and Amb. James Woolsey joined WMAL on Wednesday!
Mornings on the Mall
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor
5am – A/B/C BENGHAZI NO SMOKING GUN – (Washington Post) DANA MILBANK: Two years, $7 million, still no smoking gun on Clinton and Benghazi: “The House Select Committee on Benghazi released its long-awaited findings Tuesday and concluded that . . . well, it looks as though they’re going to have to empanel another select committee to iron out the dueling conclusions reached by various members of the committee… .Instead, they ended their investigation this week with three more competing reports: one by committee Democrats, one by Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and the committee’s Republican majority, and one by a rump group of conservatives on the panel. There’s still no smoking gun from Benghazi — just a lot more smoke.”
5am – D ISIS Attacks Turkey
FAA lifts ground stop on flights between #Istanbul and the U.S. ISTANBUL (AP) — The Latest on the explosions at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport (all times local): A stoppage of flights to and from the United States and Istanbul Ataturk Airport lasted several hours but has been lifted, said a U.S. official who spoke on background to discuss sensitive security issues. The official said the stoppage was lifted in the middle of the evening. The official says 10 passenger flights were in the air, flying from Turkey to the U.S., at the time of the stoppage and they have all landed. However, cargo planes and corporate jets in the U.S. would have been most affected by the stoppage. The official says the decision on lifting the stoppage was made in coordination with the Transportation Security Administration.
Istanbul Ataturk airport attack: 36 dead and more than 140 hurt (BBC) A gun and bomb attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk international airport has killed 36 people and injured more than 140 others, officials say. Three attackers began shooting inside and outside the terminal late on Tuesday and blew themselves up after police fired at them, officials say.PM Binali Yildirim said early signs pointed to so-called Islamic State but no-one has so far admitted the attack.
5am – E METRO NEWS:
Metro’s SafeTrack to affect Reagan National Airport Metro Station from July 5-11 (FOX) WASHINGTON – By now we are all well aware of the rush-hour effect Metro’s SafeTrack plan has on commuters, but beginning July 5 passengers should expect additional congestion on the airport’s roadways and in its parking facilities. Work will be performed on the Yellow and Blue Metro lines between the Reagan National Airport and Braddock Road stations. Although Metrorail service will still be provided to the airport, passengers traveling to Reagan National are encouraged to find alternative transportation options and consider parking reservations via the airports website to ensure parking before they leave home. Metro will provide shuttle bus service between the closed rail line segments while track work is performed. Additionally, there will be increased ground transportation options, including taxis and shuttle buses, during this Metro closure.
Metro prepares for SafeTrack Surge #3; Monday’s delays attributed to ‘smoldering stud-bolt’ (FOX) WASHINGTON – Metro riders are preparing for phases #3 and #4 of the transit system’s SafeTrack program. Beginning after the July 4th holiday, the upcoming maintenance schedule will impact commuters on the Blue and Yellow Lines and will significantly reduce service for 14 days. Surge #2 of the SafeTrack plan will end on Sunday, July 3rd. Monday night’s smoke incident at the Gallery Place-Chinatown station led to hours of delays and a revamped response from Metro. The incident occurred inside the station just before 6 p.m. during the evening rush hour commute. Rail service on the Green and Yellow lines was affected for the remainder of the night. WAMU transportation reporter and FOX 5 contributor, Martin Di Caro, said a Metro spokeswoman said a “smoldering stud-bolt” on the tracks was to blame for the issues Monday. No other information regarding the incident was released.
Metrorail Info @Metrorailinfo 9h9 hours ago Red Line: Trains single tracking btwn Grosvenor & Medical Center due to a track problem outside Medical Center. Delays in both directions.
6am –A/B/C Trump vows to reopen, or toss, NAFTA pact with Canada and Mexico (Reuters) MONESSEN, Pennsylvania/WASHINGTON | By Emily Stephenson and Amanda Becker Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement with the United States if elected, as part of an effort to protect and restore American jobs. Trump criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement as a U.S. job killer, saying he would be willing to scrap the pact if Canada and Mexico were unwilling to budge. He also tried to link Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to the deal on the eve of a meeting in Ottawa of the “three amigos,” the leaders of the three NAFTA signatories: the United States, Mexico and Canada. In his most detailed speech on trade, the presumptive Republican nominee said he would pull the United States out of negotiations for a deal among 12 Pacific Rim nations and promised to use executive power to resolve trade disputes with China. Trump also pledged to revive the U.S. steel and aluminum industry, speaking at an aluminum scrap company in Monessen, Pennsylvania, nearly 30 miles (50 km) south of Pittsburgh, the one-time American steelmaking capital. Trump has identified Pennsylvania as a state he believes he can wrest from the Democrats in the Nov. 8 election. He also campaigned on Tuesday in Ohio, which like Pennsylvania is a Rust Belt state.
6am – D INTERVIEW — DR. AYKHAN ERDEMIR — (Eye-Khan ERR-DUH-meer) — is a former member of the Turkish Parliament (2011-2015) and currently a senior fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)
Analyze the terror attack at Istanbul airport
Istanbul airport attack: 36 dead, 147 injured, Turkish officials say. Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Gunshots, screams and explosions pierced the air Tuesday as three terrorists armed with bombs and guns killed at least 36 people at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey. Witnesses described deadly carnage and crowds in a panic as the attackers struck one of the world’s busiest airports. At least 36 people were killed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. An additional 147 people were wounded, Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Turkish PM: Attack likely from ISIS. “The terrorists came to the airport in a taxi and then carried out their attacks,” the Prime Minister said. “The fact that they were carrying guns added to the toll. Preliminary findings suggest all three attackers first opened fire then detonated themselves.” Yildirim didn’t clarify why, but said signs pointed to ISIS being behind the attacks. The attacks occurred with a little more than a week left in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Multiple U.S. officials told CNN’s Pamela Brown and Elise Labott that the early thinking among U.S. intelligence officials was that ISIS or an ISIS-inspired group was to blame. Like the Turkish Prime Minister, the officials said there is much more investigating to be done. One official said the attack bears the hallmarks of ISIS because of the target and the method. And a senior US official pointed to the way it was coordinated using weapons and explosions. Some analysts say that this type of attack is a response to ISIS recent defeats in Iraq and Syria, notably the loss of Falluja.
6am – E Kellogg’s to open all-day cereal cafe in Times Square, charging up to $7.50 (NY Daily News) Snap, crackle, preposterous. The hippest new Times Square restaurant believes breakfast cereal is the most important meal of the day — and will cater to a clientele eager for food and childhood flashbacks of Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam. Kellogg’s NYC opens on the Fourth of July on Broadway at 49th St., with a menu that is not necessarily just for kids. Or for many residents of the five boroughs. “It’s not for us anyway, it’s for the tourists,” said Art Alvaradi, 41, of Astoria, Queens. “They don’t know any better.” The $7.50 cereal bowls — a few bucks more than a whole box of Corn Flakes — come in a half-dozen flavors, such as Raisin Bran, the circus, toasted peanuts and banana chips. Berry Me in Green Tear jazzes up Rice Krispies with fresh strawberries and green tea powder. Pistachio & lemon mingles Special K Original, Frosted Flakes, pistachios, lemon zest and thyme. Each bowl comes with a 12-ounce container of milk — and adding yogurt is an extra $2, as is adding soft-serve ice cream.
7am – A/B/C INTERVIEW — DAN MCHUGH — Montgomery County Young Republicans
TOPIC: Term Limit Referendum:
Council Member Calls Term Limit Referendum ‘A Dumb, Unnecessary Protest Gesture.’ George Leventhal, who would be affected if measure passes by popular vote, compared effort to Brexit
5 Reasons to Support Term Limits in Montgomery County
7% Property Tax Increase for FY 2017
Increased Recordation Tax will affect purchases and sales of homes in Montgomery County
Ignored will of the people in Bethesda over Westbard Sector Plan
In 2013 the Council voted themselves a 17 percent pay raise
Raised property taxes for the schools that are getting rid of high school final exams next year in addition to lowering grading standards
7am – D INTERVIEW — KT MCFARLAND – Fox News National Security Analyst
Istanbul Ataturk airport attack: 41 dead and more than 230 hurt – BBC News — A gun and bomb attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport has killed 41 people, at least 13 of them foreigners, and injured more than 230, officials say. Three attackers arrived in a taxi and began firing at the terminal entrance late on Tuesday. They blew themselves up after police fired back. PM Binali Yildirim said early signs pointed to so-called Islamic State but no-one has so far admitted the attack. Recent bombings have been linked to either IS or Kurdish separatists.
Thoughts on the Benghazi Report (Washington Post) DANA MILBANK: Two years, $7 million, still no smoking gun on Clinton and Benghazi: “The House Select Committee on Benghazi released its long-awaited findings Tuesday and concluded that . . . well, it looks as though they’re going to have to empanel another select committee to iron out the dueling conclusions reached by various members of the committee… .Instead, they ended their investigation this week with three more competing reports: one by committee Democrats, one by Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) and the committee’s Republican majority, and one by a rump group of conservatives on the panel. There’s still no smoking gun from Benghazi — just a lot more smoke.”
KT’s thoughts on the Brexit vote
Donald Trump will draw back his proposed ban on Muslims entering the country once he’s elected president and focus instead on more precise policies meant to identify potential terrorists, his national security adviser told The Hill on Tuesday. In recent days, conflicting reports have emerged over whether Trump intends to stand by his controversial proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country. That “suggestion,” as Trump has described it, has been condemned as bigoted by liberals and dismissed by critics as impossible to implement. In an email exchange with The Hill, Trump’s national security adviser, Walid Phares, sought to clarify Trump’s position. He argued that Trump’s original proposal to temporarily ban Muslims was necessary in the chaotic moments following the San Bernardino, Calif., shootings in order to “raise the issue and open a debate about it.”
7am – E HAMILTON NEWS
House Candidate Attributes Quote From Hamilton Musical To Real Life Alexander Hamilton In Bonkers WNYC Debate (Gothamist) Only one of these men knows Alexander Hamilton was not a rapper. via WNYC The Brian Lehrer Show is a bastion of mature and levelheaded discussion of the day’s news and hot topics in what’s usually a wasteland of radio shouting. That fact makes it all the more hilarious that what was supposed to be a pre-primary debate between the two men fighting over the Democratic nomination for the 10th Congressional District in New York, incumbent Jerry Nadler and challenger Oliver Rosenberg, became an opus of cringe comedy from the moment Rosenberg opened his mouth. How quickly did things turn weird? After Nadler gives a summation of the size of his district and what he considers his accomplishments in his latest term, Rosenberg thanks Lehrer for giving New Yorkers a chance to hear about “the issues” and follows that with a Sarah Palin-esque steam-of-consciousness:
Hamilton to perform for Hillary Clinton fundraiser (BBC) The fundraiser will add an additional performance to the show’s slate of eight weekly shows. A special fundraising performance of the sold-out hit Broadway musical Hamilton has been announced. The event, titled Hamilton: An American Musical with special guest Hillary Rodham Clinton, aims to raise money for the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign. Tickets for a matinee on 12 July start at $2,700 (£2,009) and go up to $100,000 (£74,442). The Hillary Victory Fund purchased all 1321 seats for the performance.
8am – A INTERVIEW — DAVID DRUCKER – Washington Examiner’s Senior Congressional Correspondent covering Capitol Hill, campaigns & national political trends.
Clinton, Trump race ‘too close to call’: Quinnipiac University national poll. According to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday, the race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is too close to call. Clinton, who is expected to be the Democratic nominee, has 42 percent to the presumptive GOP candidate Donald Trump‘s 40 percent. Pollsters said the results were within the margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. Clinton had a 45 to 41 percent lead at the beginning of June. The poll also found American voters think neither candidate would be a good president and that the campaign has increased hatred and prejudice in the nation. The poll also measured if third party candidates are added to the survey, Clinton gets 39 percent with Trump at 37 percent. Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson gets 8 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein gets 4 percent.
Trump vows to reopen, or toss, NAFTA pact with Canada and Mexico (Reuters) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to force Canada and Mexico to renegotiate the NAFTA trade agreement with the United States if elected, as part of an effort to protect and restore American jobs.Trump criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement as a U.S. job killer, saying he would be willing to scrap the pact if Canada and Mexico were unwilling to budge. He also tried to link Democratic rival Hillary Clinton to the deal on the eve of a meeting in Ottawa of the “three amigos,” the leaders of the three NAFTA signatories: the United States, Mexico and Canada. In his most detailed speech on trade, the presumptive Republican nominee said he would pull the United States out of negotiations for a deal among 12 Pacific Rim nations and promised to use executive power to resolve trade disputes with China. Trump also pledged to revive the U.S. steel and aluminum industry, speaking at an aluminum scrap company in Monessen, Pennsylvania, nearly 30 miles (50 km) south of Pittsburgh, the one-time American steelmaking capital.Trump has identified Pennsylvania as a state he believes he can wrest from the Democrats in the Nov. 8 election. He also campaigned on Tuesday in Ohio, which like Pennsylvania is a Rust Belt state.
8am – B/C GOP CONVENTION NEWS:
Trump Campaign Lining Up Tyson and Ditka for Convention (Bloomberg) Several sports personalities and musical entertainers have agreed to appear at this summer’s convention. ESPN has nothing on this summer’s Republican national convention. Donald Trump’s campaign aides are lining up a slate of iconic sports figures to appear at the national convention in Cleveland next month—including former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, former Indiana University basketball coach Bobby Knight and NASCAR chief Brian France, people familiar with the planning told Bloomberg Politics. Talks are in the works with a broad slate of other celebrities and top athletes, so the list of those appearing at the convention will grow, organizers said. But much of Trump’s current list of sports champs seems to be more targeted at male voters age 45 and older, rather than minority and female voters. Trump has boasted in the past about his endorsement by Tyson, who has re-emerged in popular culture in recent years with roles in popular movies like “Hangover” and the publishing of a well-received memoir. “Mike Tyson endorsed me, I love it,” Trump said in April in Indiana. “You know, all the tough guys endorse me. I like that.” Following the Indiana rally, Trump was criticized for touting the endorsement of the former boxer who had served three years in prison after being convicted in the state for raping a beauty pageant contestant.
Beach Boys, Rick Spring also to perform at RNC (Chicago Tribune) Separately, third-party groups have booked musicians to perform at venues throughout Cleveland during the July 18-21 convention: the quintessential 1960s-era surfer band The Beach Boys; 1970s-era rock band Journey; Bret Michaels, the frontman of the 1980s-era metal band Poison; 80s hitmaker Rick Springfield: country singer Martina McBride, who rose to stardom in the 1990s; country band Rascal Flatts, who formed in Ohio in 1999; and The Band Perry, a siblings trio known for country pop songs.
Mike Tyson will not speak at RNC, Trump says. (NY Post) -Mike Tyson won’t be speaking at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump said in a late Tuesday tweet. “Iron Mike Tyson was not asked to speak at the Convention though I’m sure he would do a good job if he was,” Trump tweeted. “The media makes everything up!” Trump’s denial comes after Bloomberg reported Tyson and other sports figures are being scheduled for the convention next month in Cleveland.
8am – D INTERVIEW — AMB. JAMES WOOLSEY – former Director of the CIA
Analyze the terror attack at Istanbul airport
Istanbul Ataturk airport attack: 41 dead and more than 230 hurt – BBC News — A gun and bomb attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport has killed 41 people, at least 13 of them foreigners, and injured more than 230, officials say. Three attackers arrived in a taxi and began firing at the terminal entrance late on Tuesday. They blew themselves up after police fired back. PM Binali Yildirim said early signs pointed to so-called Islamic State but no-one has so far admitted the attack. Recent bombings have been linked to either IS or Kurdish separatists.
Turkish PM: Attack likely from ISIS. “The terrorists came to the airport in a taxi and then carried out their attacks,” the Prime Minister said. “The fact that they were carrying guns added to the toll. Preliminary findings suggest all three attackers first opened fire then detonated themselves.” Yildirim didn’t clarify why, but said signs pointed to ISIS being behind the attacks. The attacks occurred with a little more than a week left in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Multiple U.S. officials told CNN’s Pamela Brown and Elise Labott that the early thinking among U.S. intelligence officials was that ISIS or an ISIS-inspired group was to blame. Like the Turkish Prime Minister, the officials said there is much more investigating to be done. One official said the attack bears the hallmarks of ISIS because of the target and the method. And a senior US official pointed to the way it was coordinated using weapons and explosions. Some analysts say that this type of attack is a response to ISIS recent defeats in Iraq and Syria, notably the loss of Falluja.
8am – E Ahmed Mohamed, Irving’s infamous ‘Clock Boy,’ returns to the U.S. IRVING, Texas (FOX) – Ahmed Mohamed, the Muslim teenager who made headlines last year when he was suspended for bringing a homemade clock to school in Irving, returned to the United States Monday afternoon. “Ahmed and his family have missed his grandmother, his aunts, uncles, cousins and friends here in Irving and across North Texas very much,” Aldean Mohamed said. “Ahmed and his nuclear family miss America and their whole family here in America very much.” Ahmed said Facebook, MIT and NASA have contacted him through social media, asking him to visit while he’s in the U.S. during the summer. The 14-year-old said he’s happy to be back home, and seeing his friends and family is first priority. He’s been going to school in Qatar and says there’s a 50/50 chance he’ll finish high school in the U.S., but says he definitely wants to go to college here. He says he’s interested in coding, engineering and technology. “I’ve matured more. It’s normal to mature but I’ve matured way more since I got a little bit of publicity, and I’m happy for it,” Ahmed said. “It’s beautiful to be here in USA,” said Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed. “It is our home and it is our country and we love it. As you see, if there is something wrong, America will stand for it and that is what happened. Something was happening to my son. Everybody has a heart, has children, Something is wrong, so they stood for it.” The 14-year-old was arrested in September after Irving MacArthur High School faculty mistakenly thought the homemade digital clock he’d taken school was a bomb.