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At least 84 people, many of them children, have been killed in a Taliban assault on an army-run school in Peshawar, Pakistani officials say – developing (BBC, WSJ)
In the News
- Sydney siege latest
- Gunman: 5 things to know
- Obama greets troops, warns ISIS
- Senate confirms controversial surgeon general
- Senate limps to finish line
- DHS chief opens huge immigration detention center
- SCOTUS: Cops and stops
- Obamacare off to stronger start this year
- Cosby’s wife blames media…
Sydney Siege Latest
• Australia’s PM said today that gunman Man Haron Monis, who took hostages in a Sydney cafe, was a “deeply disturbed individual” known to the police but he was not on a terror watch list. Tony Abbott spoke after laying flowers at a makeshift memorial in Sydney for the victims of the central city cafe siege (AP, NYT, BBC, WaPo, CNN, Reuters, me)
• “How can someone who has had such a long and checkered history not be on the appropriate watch list? And how can someone like that be entirely at large in the community?” Abbott asked, referring to ISIS as a “death cult.” How did he get hold of a shotgun in a country that bans gun sales is another question and was the gun registered to him?
• Two hostages died, along with the gunman, as police commandos stormed the cafe in Martin Place early Tuesday morning. They’ve been named as cafe manager Tori Johnson, 34, and Sydney lawyer Katrina Dawson, 38. An investigation has been launched into the police operation which ended the siege
• At a presser today, NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn wouldn’t say whether Monis shot the hostages himself. Nor would she confirm media reports that cafe manager Johnson was shot when he grappled with Monis, who was carrying a gun. She said: “Every single one of those hostages acted courageously.”
• Australian Muslim groups condemned the hostage-taking in a joint statement and said the inscription of the Islamic flag was a “testimony of faith that has been misappropriated by misguided individuals.”
• Asked if police stormed the cafe because of something they saw or heard from within the cafe, Burn would only say that “shots were heard and an emergency action plan was activated.” Hundreds of bouquets of flowers have been laid on the pedestrian plaza a block away from where the siege took place
• Many Australians offered on Twitter to accompany people dressed in Muslim clothes who were afraid of a backlash against the country’s Muslim minority of 500,000 in a nation of 24 million
• But the most visible reaction was the flowers. “I’ll never forget this day as long as I live,” said Jenny Borovina, who was in tears with two friends carrying white flowers to the site. “Our laid-back nature has just changed.”
• National flags were lowered to half staff on the landmark Harbour Bridge. The state’s premier expressed disbelief that the attack could happen in Australia – a place he dubbed “a peaceful, harmonious society which is the envy of the world.”
• President Obama was briefed on the hostage crisis by his terrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco. A State Dept spox said late Sunday night they were “closely following” the developing hostage situation (Hill)
Gunman: 5 Things to Know
• Man Haron Monis was dubbed the “hate sheikh” after he sparked national outrage by sending a series of poison-pen letters to the families of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan from 2007-2009. Monis likened some of the soldiers to murderers and wrote in other letters that the soldiers were going to hell (TPM, me)
• This year, Monis was charged with being an accessory to murder in the death of his ex-wife, who was found stabbed and lit on fire in the stairwell of a Sydney apartment building last year. Monis is also currently facing more than 40 sexual assault charges. Allegedly assaulted one woman as part of a “spiritual healing technique”
• Monis’ personal website ID’d him as a Muslim cleric and activist who has “continuously been under attack & false accusation by the Australian govt & media since he started his political letter campaign from 2007.” On his site, he compared himself to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
• Last week, Monis reportedly railed against “racist and terrorist” Australians who supported the U.S.’ foreign policy while praising ISIS on his Facebook page. He also wrote a letter to PM Tony Abbott in 2013 challenging him to a debate over Australia’s policy in Afghanistan (TPM, Sydney Morning Herald, CNN, ABC News Australia, me)
• Monis had no connections to ISIS or any other terror organization, according to his former lawyer. Manny Conditsis described his former client as an isolated individual who likely acted alone. “His ideology is just so strong and so powerful that it clouds his vision for common sense and objectiveness,” Conditsis said
• Vid: After being charged this year in connection with his ex-wife’s death, Man Haron Monis stood outside the courthouse in Sydney in chains to protest. (weird) Held sign claiming he’d been tortured in custody in Australia. His wife had been found stabbed and lit on fire in a an apartment building stairwell
Obama Greets Troops, Warns ISIS
• President Obama flew to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst NJ on Monday to thank troops for their service heading into the holiday season and to defend his handling of national security at a time of multiple challenges. Obama said gains against ISIS are being made: “We are hammering these terrorists,” he said (NYT, Reuters, me)
• “Because of you, we have blunted their momentum and we have put them on the defensive,” Obama told 3,000 troops in camouflage uniforms and civilian defensive personnel gathered in a hangar. “These terrorists have learned the same thing the leaders of al Qaeda learned the hard way,” that if “you threaten America, there is no safe haven, we will find you.”
• Obama said American airstrikes coupled with local forces on the ground had inflicted heavy losses on ISIS, taking out commanders, fighters, hundreds of vehicles and nearly 200 oil and gas facilities that were financing its efforts, while also damaging its command and control structuring and fracturing its supply lines
• Obama acknowledged that victory was still a long way off. “This campaign in Iraq will take time. But make no mistake, our coalition isn’t just going to degrade this barbarous terrorist organization, we’re going to destroy it.”
• The war in Afghanistan has cost nearly $1 trillion, according to a report published Monday by the Financial Times and independent researchers. The U.S. will have to spend several hundred billion dollars more on Afghanistan. The war in Iraq cost the U.S. $1.7 trillion, according to a Costs of War Project conducted at Brown University (Hill, me)
Senate Confirms Controversial Surgeon General
• The Senate on Monday confirmed, 51-43, Dr Vivek Murthy, 36, as the next surgeon general of the U.S. despite opposition from Republicans for his support of gun control and Obamacare. Three Democrats voted against him, while Sen Mark Kirk (R-IL) was the only Republican to vote in favor (Hill, TRNS, Roll Call, Politico, me)
• President Obama quickly hailed the vote and said, “Combined with the crucial support for fighting Ebola included in the bill to fund our govt next year, Vivek’s confirmation makes us better positioned to save lives around the world and protect the American people here at home.”
• Murthy’s nomination had been held up for more than a year after conservative groups, led by the NRA, publicized tweets in which he called gun violence a “public health issue.” He had previously declared support for policies such as background checks and a ban on assault weapons
• Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV), an NRA ally who voted against Murthy, said in a statement before the vote, “I don’t question his medical qualifications; I just question whether the public will believe that he can separate his political beliefs from his public health views.” Sens Joe Donnelly (D-IN) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) were the other Dems who voted no
• The families of nine of the 26 people killed and a teacher injured two years ago at the Sandy Hook elementary school have filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer, distributor and seller of the rifle used in the shooting (WSJ)
• “What Dr Murthy said is gun violence is a problem that we should be working on,” Sen Chris Murphy (D-CT) said during the final floor speech before the vote. “If we can’t even get to the point that we all agree on that general notion … maybe this is more hopeless than I thought.” Murphy spoke one day after the second anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre
• Earlier this year, after the NRA went on a major attack against Murthy, as many as 10 Democrats, mostly those facing reelection in conservative states, voiced opposition to the nominee. His nomination was pulled from the floor schedule. This month, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) hit the gas to try to confirm him before January
• This was made easier over the weekend after Sens Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) forced a weekend session on the cromnibus that gave Democrats a chance to consider dozens of Obama nominees. Senate Republicans were firm in their opposition to Murthy
• Murthy will be the youngest to hold the post. He will also take over the role of “America’s doctor” at a time when rates of obesity and heart disease have reached all-time highs – two health problems he has vowed to tackle
• Bill Clinton said in an interview with Fusion that Eric Garner “didn’t deserve to die” after a police chokehold. Clinton said there are “preconceptions wired into us and we have got to get beyond them,” and added there is a “divide that exists between the community and the police.” (Politico, me)
Senate Limps to Finish Line
• Now the surgeon general has been confirmed, the Senate will today vote to end debate and confirm two more controversial nominees: Sarah Saldana, President Obama’s choice to head Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, and Tony Blinken, the choice to serve as Deputy Secretary of State (Hill, me)
• Once they’re out of the way, that would speed up final votes on a package extending a variety of lapsed tax breaks and on the stalled Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. A senior Democratic aide said the “optimistic realistic scenario” is to adjourn after a series of late night votes Wednesday – pessimistic is to return Thursday
• Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) vowed to oppose Saldana after calling her a “rubber stamp for amnesty.” Sen Marco Rubio (R-FL) said he would hold up Blinken because of what he called his evasive response to questions about the admin’s Cuba policy. Both senators are potential 2016 presidential contenders
• The other potential obstacle to wrapping up the session earlier in the week is a batch of 12 district court nominees. Incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has made it clear that he strongly disagrees with the Democrats’ decision to move judicial nominees that were reported out of committee after the election
• As the Senate opened Monday morning, Majority Leader Harry Reid lured Republicans: “I want to go home. I bought a new home there, as everyone knows. I sold my place in Searchlight. I have a home in the greater Law Vegas area. I’d like to be able to see the home. I have not slept in it. We bought it in May.” (sob)
• In what’s seen as a desperate measure, the Russian central bank Monday announced it’s increasing its key interest rate from 10.5% to 17%. The bank said the move was to try to ease the ruble’s recent descent in value – didn’t work. The ruble has dropped to a new low against the U.S. dollar – falling oil prices and Western sanctions (BBC, me)
DHS Chief Opens Largest Immigration Detention Center in U.S.
• Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson went to Dilley in South Texas Monday to inaugurate a 50-acre detention center that will hold as many as 2,400 migrants caught crossing the Southwest border illegally, becoming the largest immigration detention facility in the country (NYT, AP, me)
• Though President Obama has offered work permits and protection from deportation to millions of unauthorized immigrants, he also ordered new policies to reinforce border security, hoping to prevent a new surge of illegal crossings. “It will now be more likely that you will be detained and sent back,” was Johnson’s blunt message Monday
• The center is specially designed to house migrant women and their children from babies to teenagers, as their deportation cases move through the courts (seems odd that mothers with babies should be in U.S. detention centers at all)
• Republicans are livid with Obama’s sweeping program of deportation reprieves and have vowed to halt the programs when they take control of Congress next year. More than 20 states, led by Republican officials in Texas, have sued to stop the federal govt from issuing the deportation reprieves
• Advocates and lawyers on the other side are equally angry, arguing that prolonged confinement is inappropriate for young children and mothers who pose no security risks. “There are no conditions that could make the mass incarceration of families right,” said immigration lawyer Stephen Manning, who led a team of volunteers representing migrant women this year
• Politifact’s Lie of the Year goes to: “Exaggerated claims” and statements from politicians and pundits about fear of Ebola’s potency and spread. Editors made their pick according to “how broadly a myth or falsehood infiltrates conventional thinking.” (Politico)
SCOTUS: Cops and Stops
• The Supreme Court ruled Monday that police officers can sometimes conduct a search and seizure of a car even if that search is the result of an unlawful stop (Vox, TRNS, me)
• The 8-1 decision (Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissenter) resolved a North Carolina case in which a police officer pulled over Nicholas Heien’s car because his right brake light was out, even though state law requires only one functioning brake light
• The police officer subsequently searched, with consent from Heien, the car and found cocaine in the trunk, leading to a drug trafficking conviction. A North Carolina court said the stop wasn’t allowed under state law
• But the state’s highest court and Supreme Court disagreed, saying a reasonable misunderstanding of the law can satisfy constitutional requirements for searches and seizures. But the opinion was fairly narrow, focusing on the specifics of the North Carolina case
• Chief Justice John Roberts, reading his opinion, noted that NC law is written in a confusing way, making it reasonable that the police officer wasn’t sure of how to interpret the statute. Sotomayor wrote that allowing such mistakes could lead to more confusion about what’s actually legal since courts and police may have less incentive to clarify the true meaning of the law
• Police are seeking suspected gunman Bradley William Stone, 35, in connection with the shooting deaths of six people and the wounding of at least one other in three locations near Philadelphia. May have been triggered by a custody dispute (BBC, me)
Obamacare Off to Stronger Start This Year
• Sign-up season for Obamacare is off to a stronger start this year. As one major enrollment deadline loomed Monday night, officials granted a last-minute extension for some customers facing long telephone hold times at the federal call center. They were being asked to leave a number to get called back starting today (Hill, AP, me)
• In most states, midnight Monday Pacific time, was the deadline for new customers to pick a health plan to take effect 1 Jan. Also the deadline for current enrollees to make changes that could reduce premium increases before the new year. Open enrollment runs for another two months, until 15 Feb – coverage would start 1 March
• Based on early numbers, it looks like the majority of the 6.7 million current customers have opted to stay in their current plans and be automatically renewed on 1 Jan. Making sure that happens as smoothly as it’s been advertised is the admin’s next major challenge
• On Monday, Tennessee, which has a Republican governor, became the 28th state to accept the health care law’s Medicaid expansion – it took it on as a pilot plan. Even as congressional Republicans are still vowing to overturn the law, 10 GOP governors have initiated expansions in their states
Cosby’s Wife Blames Media
• After weeks of silence as sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby have mounted, his wife, Camille Cosby, came to the comedian’s defense Monday and said in a statement that the man portrayed in the media in recent accounts is not the “wonderful husband” whom she still loves (CBS, TPM, NYT, AP, CNN, me)
• “A different man has been portrayed in the media over the last two months. It is the portrait of a man I do not know. It is also a portrait painted by individuals and organizations whom many in the media have given a pass. There appears to be no vetting of my husband’s accusers before stories are published or aired. An accusation is published, and immediately goes viral.”
• Earlier Monday, Spelman College in Atlanta, a historically black institution, announced it was suspending its endowed professorship with Cosby. A Netflix comedy special has been canceled and NBC scuttled Cosby’s prospective new sitcom. About 10 concerts have been canceled or indefinitely postponed
• Cosby suggested that the coverage of her husband’s detractors had not been unlike the flawed article about the gang rape of a woman at the University of Virginia that was published last month by Rolling Stone. The magazine has since acknowledged errors in how it reported the article
• “The story was heart-breaking, but ultimately appears to be proved to be untrue. Many in the media were quick to link that story to stories to my husband – until that story unwound. None of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim. But the question should be asked – who is the victim?” (there are about two dozen women to ask, Camille)
• Vid: Texas cop, 23, is under investigation for using a stun gun on a 76-year-old mechanic he had pulled over for an expired inspection certificate. Police later confirmed the stun gun had been used twice on Pete Vasquez
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Victoria Jones
TRNS’ Washington Desk contributed to this report
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 The Talk Radio News Service is the only information, news booking and host service dedicated to serving the talk radio community. TRNS maintains a Washington office that includes White House, Capitol Hill and Pentagon staffed bureaus, and a New York office with a United Nations staffed bureau. Talk Radio News Service has permanent access to every breaking newsevent in the Washington, D.C. area and beyond.
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