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Good morning, I'm Amy King.
Let's see what is the date today, February twentieth.
We're almost to March.
Can you believe it? It's going to be Christmas before we know it. Here's what's ahead on wake up Call. LA Fire has pushed back on claims made by Mayor Bass that she wasn't warned in advance about the high risk of wildfires before she left town for a trip to Ghana. La Fire says it followed all standard preparation procedures ahead of the Santa Ana wind events, including putting out media advisories, notifying city officials, and doing several interviews
about the predicted extreme fire weather. Developer Rick Caruso's nonprofit Fire Recovery Organization is partnering up with a construction company to provide prefab homes to low income residents who lost their homes in the wildfires. Steadfast La says the homes will be beat built by Samara. It's not yet clear how many homes are going to be provided to the residents.
I went and checked out the website. Pretty cool looking little homes. Pretty nice.
The IRS is preparing to lay off some six thousand employees starting today. Most of them will be probationary workers as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the federal workforce. The IRS increased its staff by thousands under the Biden administration. Let's get started with some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. La City Fire has refuted acclaim by Mayor Bass about communications before the fire started around Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
Bass said during an interview this week that fire Chief Kristin Crowley didn't warn her in advance about the anticipated high winds. Kfi's Mark Mayfield says the fire department put out a statement yesterday, saying they did follow procedure.
The statement says prior to the Palisades fire, the LAFD emailed two separate media advisories, conducted multiple live and recorded media interviews about the addicted extreme fire weather, and notified city officials about the upcoming weather event.
Mayor Bass was in Ghana when the fire started. She now says that trip was a mistake. And ocean water advisory is in place from Las Floria State Beach to Santa Monica State Beach because of impacts from the Palisades Fire. The La County Health Department says it'll remain in effect until further notice. People can hang out on the sand, but are being advised to stay away from visible fire debris and to stay out of the water during any
posted ocean advisory. The La City Council has approved Emotion to start the process of designating some buildings on Terminal Island in San Pedro as historic cultural landmarks.
So the last two buildings left on Tuna Street from when Japanese American families thrived in the area before being moved to internment camps. City Coultulman Timmock Oscar says it's important to remember an unjust time in American history.
We can't go back in time and fix it, but we can look to the grace and the dignity and the perseverance.
Japanese families on Terminal Island were forcibly removed during World War Two, and the area has since become an expansion of the Port of La Michael Monks KFI News.
There are growing concerns that some cities near San Francisco Bay are sinking's According to a recent NASA study, scientists examined over one thousand miles of California's coast and found that sanra Fel Court, Madera, Foster City, and Bay Farm Island are sinking the fastest, at a rate of more than point four inches a year. They say it may seem small, but it can significantly raise the flood risk in these areas. NASA is also predicting sea levels could
rise by more than seventeen inches by twenty fifty. That's double previous estimates. Let's say good morning now to ABC's Karen Travers. So, Karen, the close relationship between the US and Ukraine appears to be quickly deteriorating.
It is and you know it all stems. At least.
This latest back and forth is coming from the President recently falsely claiming that Ukraine started the war with Russia, when of course it was Putin that invaded Ukraine three years ago, Russian troops going across the eastern border into Ukraine. It was notable yesterday to see Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president, trying to set the record strate on social media. He posted, mister President, Ukraine did not start this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion. The road to
peace must be built on the truth. And that sparked a pushback from President Zelinski, who has said that the president President Trump is engaging in Russian talking points, Kremlin talking points, and that he lives in a disinformation space when it comes to what is happening there no surprise President Trump is not like that, and he has now referred to Zelensky multiple times as a dictator and said that if he doesn't.
Move fast, he's not going to have country left.
Is Zelensky helping his case to keep money coming in from the US by speaking out about against Trump this vocally?
I mean, I don't think that's for me to say I think, you know, he's trying to do what he thinks he needs to do for his country right now, and you know they're not happy to not have a seat at the table in conversations that the United States is having with Russia, those conversations that took place in Saudi Arabia earlier this week with Secretary of State Mark or Rubio and other senior officials. The White House has sent an envoy to Keith who is engaging with the Ukrainians.
But you know, these are separate tracks, and that is something that has bothered the Ukrainians right now. Doesn't bother the Europeans to not have a part of this conversation, given what they say they have been doing over the last three years on this. Notably, the President next week is going to meet with the British Prime Minister Starmer, and I'll also meet with French President Macrone at the
White House. Separate conversation, separate meetings. But the White House will say, look, we are engaging with.
The Europeans on this.
He's invited them to the White House next week, and this is going to be a big topic on the agenda.
I would imagine.
So so Trump has been skeptical of the money going to Ukraine and that kind of stuff. He's been vocal about that, but not on this kind of attack, you know, in un right, So it's a it's a weird kind of change for him.
Yeah.
I mean, it's one thing to say, you know, we're going to suspend AID, we're going to do things differently than the Biden administration.
This was surprising to start personally.
Attacking Zelenski and also on the line of like calling him a dictator and not saying anything similar about Vladimir Putin when, of course, you know, Putin has targeted political rivals and people who challenge him in his own country and has overseen elections there that have been widely recognized as not being free and fair. Ukraine has not had elections since the war started. They are under martial law,
the constitution had said, can't have elections right now. And also just from a practical standpoint, they say, you know, people are displaced because of the war, because of the fighting, and people are fighting the fight, you know, doing the war effort right now, so it would be very difficult for them to have an election at.
This point, Okay, And Putin says he's willing to meet with President Trump. Do we have any idea of when that might happen and where we don't?
I mean, the President had said maybe in the near future in Saudi Arabia, but no details yet on when that could be. The President had also said last week he would likely mostly deal with him on the phone to start. I asked the White House Tuesday when they're going to have their next phone call. This was after the Ruvio meetings with the Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
The White House said they didn't have anything.
Scheduled just yet, but the President looked forward to having another conversation.
All right, ABC's Karen Travers, our White House correspondent, We appreciated a ton.
Have a great rest of your day, you two.
Thanks.
Let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Two people been killed in a mid air collision involving two small planes in southern Arizona. Federal investigators say there were two people on board each plane yesterday when they collided at Marana Regional Airport outside Tucson. ABC's Andrew Dimbert says one of the planes hit the ground and caught.
Fire, emergency crews reaching the scene in less than a minute. Officials say one person was pronounced dead on arrival. Two others were immediately taken to local hospitals, one of them in critical condition. One passenger was trapped in the wreckage, crews working for hours to free them.
The collision happened more than a week after a plane crash in Scottsdale killed one of two pilots of a private jet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil. We're going to be talking with ABC's Jim Ryan coming up in just a few minutes about all these crashes and of what you can do if you're feeling a little too freaked out to fly. Amas Is handed over the
bodies of four Israeli hostages to Israel. The group says they are the remains of a woman and her two young children, and a man who was eighty three when they were taken. The terrorist group claims all four were killed in Israeli airstrikes. A federal judge in New York has yet to decide whether corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams will be dropped. The Justice Department argued at a hearing yesterday that they should be.
Federal Judge Delay Ho says he'll take everything that was said in Wednesday's hearing under careful consideration. Poe had ordered Adams and Department of Justice officials to appear at the hearing to discuss the reasoning behind the DOJ order to dismiss the case for now.
Kfi As Kristin Marx says, it's not clear when a decision will be made. Adams has denied any wrongdoing. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told the military to get ready to make cuts. All military branches will be required to create a plan to cut eight percent of their budgets over the next five years. The only exception to the budget cuts will be for border security. An appeals court in San Francisco has ruled President Trump cannot end birthright citizenship, at least for now.
The US Constitution says anyone born in the United States becomes a US citizen, an amendment Trump has been trying to overthrow with an executive order. When a judge in Seattle banned that order, the DOJ filed an emergency request to lift the ban and end birthright citizenship. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that birthright citizenship will remain the law while the case moves forward, with arguments scheduled for June. Andrew Caravella KFI News.
Some US senators are calling for better ethics enforcement at the Federal Reserve. Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Elizabeth Warren wrote a letter to FED Chair Jerome Powell saying they're concerned about a culture of corruption at the FED. They urged Powell to reform the Fed's ethics policy. They blame him for an improper response to a twenty twenty four report about inappropriate trading, investment and disclosure by the president
of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. A judge's ruled critical evidence will be allowed against the man qu's of killing four college students at a home near the University of Idaho in twenty twenty two.
Judge Stephen Hipler denied a motion that using DNA to identify Brian Coberger did not violate his Fourth Amendment rights. Search warrants for cell phone location data were lowfully obtained. Hippler also denied a request for a Frank's hearing to determine if investigators line or omitted information to obtain warrants KFI.
As a brad Ford says, Coburger's trial is set for August.
Haven't heard that for.
A while, have you?
That's the theme from the Last of Us and prepared to be zombiefied. HBO has announced the second season of its hit series The Last of Us, drops April thirteenth. I'm so putting this on my heck on my calendar. The series, based on the video game, is HBO Max's most watched show ever, averaging thirty million viewers per episode. Season two spends five years after season one and follows Joel and elliots they face more fungus infected clickers than
other creatures. Okay, we're going to be talking before the top of the hour with the principal of a school who has already successfully put a cell phone band in place at his school in the Palmdale Unified School District, And in honor of LAUSD's new cell phone band, we turned to our buddy Eric Lesardo to write a song about.
It and the classroom texting on the Prince the Bot of Bogs learning the Tane emends.
The rules and Maroll change head.
At least it's not a bread the school district does me the phone is class my head, the cellphones in the classroom, the cellphone in the classroom. Eliwis is changing all the rules.
Everybody knows that sellpotane aloud in school.
And cell phones are not allowed at Sage Magnet Academy in Palmdale either. Doctor Timothy How's going to join us to tell us how it's going and how the kids are handling it. Apparently they're taking it pretty well. Governor Newsom has proposed a one hundred and twenty five million dollar program to help people whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by wildfires. The program would specifically help residents in burn zone dating back to twenty twenty three who
are at risk of foreclosure. Victims of the Palisades, Eton Park and Franklin fires could all be eligible for relief. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will be at Union Station in downtown LA this morning to make an announcement about California's high speed rail project. After years of delays, the first track is being laid for the project that has been in the work since twenty fifteen. The price of the project has ballooned to one hundred and thirty five billion do.
A mountain lion found wandering around a neighborhood in Camerio has been sedated, caught, and return is being returned to the mountains. The big cat was spotted on roofs and walking through yards early yesterday morning near the one oh one and North Lewis Road. The mountain lion will be tagged before it's released at.
Six oh five. It's handle on the news.
Millions of dead people may still be getting Social Security checks right now. Let's say good morning to ABC's Jim Ryan. Okay, So, Jim, I'm getting on a plane tomorrow. Okay, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit nervous. I mean, there have been like five plane crashes in the last three weeks if you include that one in Arizona just earlier this week.
Yeah, and there's a video of just about all of them, isn't there. So you're a great example.
Where are you.
Going going up to Oregon, Oregon, and you're going visit family there? I had so instead of focusing on the hour and a half he'll spend on the plane going from LA to Oregon, think about your family, Think about the fun things you're going to do up there about you know, seeing the trees and the wonderful things that you'll be doing there instead of focusing on the flight. That may be the best advice that I heard yesterday from a psychologist who deals with this kind of thing
and easing people's anxiety. It's not the destination, amy, it's the it's the journey. Don't believe that it is the destination in this case.
Focus on the destination. Yes, a journey, Okay. Are there a lot of people like expressing concerns because of this.
There's a fascinating and objective way to measure that. You can see what Google searches. What's going on with Google searches right and right now the phrase is it's safe to fly? That is jamming up Google. People searching that phrase to see if it's safe to fly. The only time that Americans were searching for it more for that phrase was during the pandemic when they wanted to know
whether it was safe to fly during the pandemic. So this sudden spike, and it has coincided with these high profile crashes that we've seen in the last few.
Weeks, well and two of them, the one in Arizona, and then also the one near Reagan National Airport. Those are both mid air collisions. I mean, like you think of what a bad plane crash, and midair collision seems like the worst of the worst.
Yeah, I think you're right. I think that the one in Arizona, these were two fairly small planes, I understand, and one of them actually landed. The other one it was one that went down and had fatalities on board. But yeah, that's I think. And if you're flying along and you know, back in see twenty one A, and you're looking at the window and you see other planes taking off and landing and flying parallel like we have here.
We have six runways here in Dallas Fort Worth, and you see planes flying alongside you, it's almost like they're racing, and that thought creeps into your mind. But you just and by the way, you know, if you know somebody who has that, if you're flying, don't belittle them. Don't tell them that they're crazy and start spouting statistics about how much safer it is. Just try to be compassionate, try to help them through this, ease them into the
thought of flying, and help them get through it. So it's a real thing.
It is a real thing, and I don't know.
I'm wondering though, Like we've had in the last few weeks, all of these very high profile crashes like we've talked about, but there were so many like close calls leading up to it. It's almost like it was inevitable that something was going to happen because we'd gone for such a long time without anything happening, but so many close calls.
Right, Yeah, Well, the one in Washington that was the first commercial airline crash or fatality in years, a decade or so, maybe more, that just doesn't happen. But the one at Arizona yesterday, the fatal crash there, that kind of thing happens all the time.
It does.
Sure.
Yeah, you have small planes being involved in incidents and accidents and crashes every day of the year. We don't hear so much about it because they are fairly small. What's more, you know, as tragic as it is, two people died in that crash in Arizona yesterday, the plane crash, how many crashes, how many people died in car accidents in Los Angeles yesterday? Yeah, you know it's that. Yeah, So you're sitting back there and see twenty one eight. You don't have any control of that flight at all.
There's no you don't have anything to do with this safe operation of that flight. And it's that lack of control that kind of drives people's imagination and anxiety.
I used to be a nervous fire. I'm much better now. But I was on a flight one time with a woman, or not with her, but she was sitting next to me, and she could tell that I was really you know, just you know, your white knuckling, your your armrests and that kind of stuff. And she just said the same thing that you alluded to, the control thing, and she said, at some point you just need to let go and know that the people in the cockpit know what they're doing.
They've got it under controlled.
And then she kind of just kind of talked me through it, and I was like, you know, she's right because I'm kind of a control freak, so, you know, letting go of that and once you just kind of say, you know what, there's somebody better qualified. They're going to take care of me. They want to get where we're going to, so just chill. And it really helped me.
Yeah, anything to take your mind off of your concern, your fear. If you think that being in the back of the plane is safer than being in the front, get a seat in the back.
Right.
There's no real statistical proof one way or the others, but if it makes you feel better, do it. The psychologist I spoke with yesterday said that the trick she offers her patients pick a really big number and start counting backward by three. Your mind will be occupied with something else. But whatever you can do to self soothe, even if it means stopping by the airport bar on the way and grabbing a drink or whatever, just whatever it takes to as long as you don't turn drunk and you know.
And belligerate. Yeah, freak out.
Well we're all going to die.
Yeah, maybe just as xannex would be good.
Well, all right, all right.
ABC's Jim Ryan, thank you so much. Hopefully this will help. I'm going to think about seeing my mommy. There you go on my side, see better.
Already, yeah on the coast or in inland.
Oh, inland, okay, yeah, nice, thank you, all right.
Talk to you soon.
A couple of suspected burglars have been shot at by LAPD officers and arrested during a chase in Hancock Park.
A third guy got away.
The pursuit started around nine last night near the Wiltshire Country Club.
It only lasted about five minutes.
The guy's police were after soon crashed into another car and tried to run off.
Two of them were caught.
Dust and ash advisories in effect for areas around the fires and Pacific Palisades and Castaic because of winds in the burn areas. The South Coast Air Quality Management District says even though the ash won't affect air quality readings, it could be harmful. The advisory is in effect through noon today. Officials advised staying indoors, avoiding heavy activity, using air purifiers, and wearing protective gear if you're handling ash.
La County has moved toward creating a fund to support renters facing eviction who've lost income due to the wildfires.
The Board of Supervisors has approved a request to have a resolution drafted for consideration next week. Supervisor Lindsay Horvath says workers all over the county have face financial challenges because of the fires.
This is a natural disaster that eclipses all others.
Our County has faced in modern times, The.
County would put up at least ten million dollars to keep renters from being evicted as long as they can prove they've lost at least ten percent of their monthly income. The program would run through July if approved. Michael Monks KFI News.
Five billion dollars in contracts for upgrades at LAX have been approved by the La City Council. Twenty projects are expected to get started this year to make the improvements at the airport ahead of the twenty twenty six World Cup, the twenty twenty eight Super Bowl, and of course, the twenty twenty eight Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. New York Governor Kathy Hockel and the MTA are suing the Trump
administration for ending the city's congestion pricing program. Hokel also reacted yesterday to a post on the White House X page that read Congestion pricing is dead, with an image of President Trump and a crown and the words long Live the King.
New York hasn't labored under a king in over two and fifty years, and we are not as sure as hell.
I'm not going to start now.
Hochel says whether people love congestion pricing or hate it. She sees the Transportation Department's move as an attack on New York's sovereign identity and independence from Washington. The Starlight Bowl in Burbank is going to be out of service for the summer. The city says the venue won't be able to host any events due to damage from the windstorm last month. City officials say the season will be reimagined,
with programming relocating to other venues around the city. Strong winds will be blowing through parts of the Southland, with a wind advisory up in the valleys until noon and an advisory for forty mile per hour GUS in Ventura County today and tomorrow. Wildfire risk remains low thanks to recent heavy rains. Hamas has returned the bodies of four dead Israeli hostagees as part of the ongoing ceasefire hostage
release agreement. The bodies of a four and nine year old and their mother, who were taken hostage in the October seventh attack, along with a man who was eighty three, were turned over today. The children's father was released alive. Earlier this month. Apple has unveiled its newest iPhone. The sixteen is less expensive than the other iPhones. It'll start
it just under six hundred dollars. It'll still have Apple's A eighteen chip, which is the same processor used in the more expensive sixteen models, so you can still do AI with it, but it doesn't have the fancy camera. It'll be available starting February twenty. Coming up in just a few minutes. LA's cell phone ban is in effect now for all LA schools and a lot of people are kind of freaking out about it. But we're going to talk to doctor Timothy Howell at Sage Magnet Academy.
His students haven't had their phones for a while now, and he says the kids are doing just fine. At six oh five, it's handle on the news. The ninth Circuit in San Francisco has blocked President Trump. Wakeup calls gone out and about as we do each week to try to get a little culture, and we went to a really amazing venue. It was such a just a really great surprise. We caught up with the director of the Soirita Center for the Performing Arts in Ciritos. Let's say good morning to Jeff Tilkey.
Thank you for being here. We really appreciate you being here.
Well, I want to find out because I've never been here and today we're getting to see Dear Evan Hansen, and it's a big deal. You guys got kind of scored with us. This is a nastur we did.
It is a national tour. We're very fortunate to have it here. We have some great Broadway tours coming through this year, but this is one of the biggest ones we have, so we're very appreciative of it.
Okay, So tell us what is it about the Serato Center for the Performing Arts that allows you to draw in these big name shows.
Sure.
One of the great things about this venue is it is completely multi configurable.
So you.
Are surrounded by a million pounds of moving building. This room can literally change shape and we can accommodate just about any type of production. So what I mean by that is, Dear Evan Hanson is a national Broadway musical tour. We can do this very easily. You can see we have an orchestra pit here in front of you. We can also do a different configuration called large arena. So
in that configuration, all of this floor is flat. Okay, The box seats push out wider and more box seats from behind, find the stage on ferral to come out and join the room, and you have a three quarter wrap round of a raised stage and that is like a concert venue.
Okay, right, So we.
Can do pop shows, rock shows in that configuration, and then next weekend we can do a big Broadway tour like this in this configuration.
That's so cool.
So it's very versatile, yes, and you mentioned that. So we've got the play right now. And then I know I'm a big country music fan of ty Herndon coming out.
Ty Herndon's coming up. I'm looking forward to that show. Yeah, he's a great guy. I met him in New York a couple of years ago. We're happy to have him here.
Yeah.
And then so what are some of the other shows that people are going to get to see when they come out here.
Sure, we have a great lineup for the rest of the spring. We have Andy Grammer coming, Smokey Robinson, you mentioned country with ty Herndon. We have Lyle Lovett coming and his acoustic group.
He's so good, he's amazing in a venue like this, acoustics, it's probably pretty spectactical.
It's going to be great. It's fantastic.
Yeah, And we have a lot of other special attractions as well. We have Rspect, the Aretha Franklin Story coming up, Rhythm India, which is a dance show, and a lot of other opportunities for Broadway as well. We have Chicago coming up the next month, and in June we have the Adams Family.
Oh, the Adams Family.
The Adams Family. Fine, all of those are national tours, by the way. Okay, so if you missed that national tour, say at the Pantages, no problem, come right on down to Critos and you're right here.
Okay.
And you just mentioned so Rita specifically. One of the other things that I think is kind of fun and special about this one is if you don't if you're in Orange County and you don't want to go all the way up into Hollywood.
Yes, that is a big plus.
We're right on the border of Los Angeles and Orange County, very easy to access, right off the freeway. The other great thing, and I say this all the time, people laugh at me, but it's true.
Free parking.
I was just going to ask, it's free parking.
It's free parking.
It's a big deal in LA.
It's right out the front door.
Yeah, so you come park on the in the parking lot, walk right up to the front door, quick security check, and you're in, ready to.
Rock and roll.
Cool and where do people find out more information about all the great shows that are coming up?
Everything is available on our website soritocenter dot com, easypasy easyserritocenter dot com.
We're out and about at the Cerrito Center for the Performing Arts. Jeff Helthy, thank you so much.
Thank you very much for being here. Appreciate you.
We're gonna have tickets to some of the shows at the Cerrito Center for the Performing Arts that he was just mentioning too. So you know, listen every day to wake Up Call and I got to tell you it was a super cool venue. And we're putting a video up on my Instagram at Amy Kking. Hopefully i'll get it posted in the next.
Hour or so.
But it shows how he was talking about how they reconfigure the whole venue and they've got video of it of how they push like they raise the stage and push back the boxes and all that stuff. Really impressive. I mean, it was really a great venue. The sound was amazing, that show was amazing. By the way, and can't wait to go back there again. So thanks to the Center for the Performing Arts again. You can check my video out at amy Kking and against listen to
the interview. We'll also post it on at KFI AM six forty and I would love you to follow me too at Amy Kking. Time to get in your business now with Bloomberg's Dan Schwartzmann.
Good morning Dan, Good morning Amy.
How are you doing good? And we hear that Walmart's doing pretty good too.
They are, although they did forecast lower than expected profit for the full year. I mean, we're still talking billions of dollars. Of course. They cited an uncertain economic environment now and investor expectations for high After seventy seven percent run up in the stock price over the past twelve months, the company's newer businesses, such as advertising and membership are fueling profitability. Walmart's digital business is helping attract and retain consumers.
So like, I mean, there are some issues there, obviously, uncertainty and things like tabs, but overall, Walmart still is printing money.
Okay, And you said their stock price is up seventy seven percent.
It was over the past twelve months, it's down about ten percent today. I mean expect that to rebound at some point. But over the past twelve months you're up seventy seven percent.
That's massive. And I never shopped at Walmart.
Really, I love the walmarket by everything. It's like one stomp shop.
Okay, Americans apparently prefer the stock market over other investment avenues when it comes to long term investing.
What's up with that?
Yeah, bank Create has found that Americans do you prefer that put their money in stocks to invest for the long haul? Now, more than a quarter of adults aim you say stocks are the best option for investing funds not needed for at least a decade. Now, A little less than a quarter people picked to real estate, while cash along as savings accounts and cvs came in third. Then you have things like gold and crypto and bonds
coming up well past those top three. Of course, so the stock market again seems to be the safest a coordinate people.
Okay.
And when you're talking about there's long term investing, then there's a short term thing.
And you mentioned bank rate.
We just had the story yesterday that more people are beefing up their emergency funds again, they're starting to save again. Yeah.
I mean, look, during COVID people had excess cash, just spends and then obviously past COVID people spent it and then they're that kind of to where they were prior. But you know, with the uncertainties economically what's going on, I think people are trying to stockposs some cash. God DoD they lose their job. I mean, loo can make federal employees seem to be losing their jobs with potentially tens of thousands more. So people are trying to think
kind of give themselves somewhat of a cushion gossip. Did they lose their jobs?
Okay?
And while Walmart, maybe a less luxury place to shop, is doing well, a luxury car brand is having some trouble.
Yeah.
And the luxury car brand, that's kind of an interesting story when you look at it, because we're talking about all the biggest ones out there. Mercedes Benz expects it's car making margin it drops as little as six percent this year. That's due to uneven demanding the global all the market, as well as really fierce competition. Last year, the companies operating earning slump thirty percent. They do plan to reduce production costs by ten percent through twenty twenty seven.
But despite having investments, Mercedes system sales of the electric vehicles falling short of expectations. They're just one of many companies that seem to bank on evs. They have not gotten their turn because Americans just aren't buying evs right now. In China have developed their owns, they're not buying the foreign brands.
Yeah, I think that that's going to be an ongoing problem because there was such a rush to get to the evs, but then you've got to find people who want to buy them.
Yeah, and really the smartest companies Toyota, they did not invest heavily and evs. Instead, they invested in the hybrids. And you can't buy one right now. You go to dealership, you're on a waiting list to get a hybrid because everybody wants a hybrid because hey, it's fun to drive electric. But if I got to go, you know, a long drive or something, do I want to have to wait thirty minutes to charge up a car if I'm lucky enough to find the charging station. So give me the
option of electric and gas. And that's been really popular right now.
All right, Bloomberg's Dan Schwartzman, We're getting in your b business like we do every day at five point forty.
Thanks so much. We'll talk to you tomorrow.
Amy.
All right, let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. The IRS is preparing to lay off about six thousand employees starting today.
The IRS will primarily be letting go of probationary workers as part of the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the federal government workforce.
Kyfi's Mark Mayfield says the layoffs come at the busiest time of the year for the IRS, and as the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOZE, is trying to get access to the agency's taxpayer data system. The La City Council's signed off on five billion dollars in contracts for design, build and construction services at LAX. The vote yesterday was eleven nothing. Council members Isabelle Herado, Tracy park Here and Price, and Hugo Soto Martinez were absent during the vote. The
money will cover fifty one contract agreements. A judge's ruled critical critical evidence. No, you know when I already did that story. How about this one spider Man can't even by a fake beer in LA.
Actor Tom Holland posted to social media about getting carted at Target in LA while he attempted to buy his own non alcoholic beer brand.
They wouldn't accept my ID because it's English and I couldn't prove my age really lovely employee, I guess stand there id.
Holland is nearly three years sober and says that he started the brand to help people feel included in social gatherings without drinking alcohol. Businesses in California can check IDs when selling non alcoholic beer because it's often categorized similarly to alcoholic beer. Andrew Caravella KFI News.
Part of PCH that's been closed since the wildfires broke out in Pacific Palisades is partially reopening today. The roadway will only be open to residents, people who work or own businesses in the area, and school bus traffic. People will need access passes to travel along the roadway. Pro
Palestinian protests have returned to the UCLA campus. Several dozen students and others marched through campus earlier this week, demanding the university dive guest from investments in Israeli owned businesses. Protests last spring erupted in violence and resulted in significant damage to the campus. Turkey is exporting some fifteen thousand tons of eggs to the US as bird flu is sent egg prices skyrocketing here. Deliveries will start this month
and continue through July. Turkish officials let that be known. US egg producers are hoping the imports will help ease some pressure on prices. We're just minutes away from handling the news this morning. What does it mean to be a man or a woman? HHS is defining it for us. Okay, as you know, LA schools have enacted a ban on cell phones during school hours.
In the class l text phenomenal brands about amos.
Thirning the ten emards.
To gove a out change in a least it's not a bread.
The school does maccas me.
The phone is so my head in the classroom. In the classroom, Ellie Lewis.
Is changing all the rules.
So everybody knows that sempultaane aloud in.
School and a lot of people are upset about that, not happy, little freaked out about it. But this is nothing new for Sage Magnet Academy in the Palmdale School District. So we would love to say good morning to the principal at Sage Magnet Academy, doctor Timothy Howell.
Good morning, doctor.
Good morning. How are you.
We're doing great? So you have a cell phone band in effect and it's been that way for a while.
How how's it going.
Yes, ma'am, Actually it's going great. When we when we.
First started, of course we had to push back from the parents and students or whatever, but we held the.
Line and set the expectation high. So it's going really, really well.
Our students, you know, we use that as the ticket to get into the school. They have to show their cell phone pouches, and every single student was issued a pouch and they're expected to bring it to school every day, whether they have a phone or not, because we want to make sure that if something comes up during the school day and they forget to put their phone or anything like that, they have their pouch to put the
phone in. So in the morning at the before they eat an enter school, they can't enter the school without.
That cell phone pouch. Okay, so if they yeah.
Doctor Hall, tell us, so is it just a little black pouch?
That seals or what is it?
Yeah, it's yeah, it's it's it's Yonder Pouches is.
A company that you know did it. But it's like a.
Gray pouch and it has a strong magnet on it's magnetized. So every morning we bring out the magnet and they have to use the magnet to open up the pouch and put their phone in there, and then they seal it. They close the magnet and the pouch and then they enter into the school, okay.
All right, And then it stays sealed all day long. And so even if they they couldn't get into the pouch if they wanted to, like you guys, have to actually release that.
Yes, they if they sealed all they they keep the phones with them, and yeah, if they take it out or if they, like some kids try to be sneaky, and if they don't, if we do a random pouch check or something like that and we find the phone, then it's a parent pick up, okay, all right.
And there are a lot of parents who were saying, or who have been saying, at least for la they're saying, I need to be able to reach my children. What if there's an emergency, So how do you combat that argument?
Yes, I tell the parents like how the school used to be long time ago. It's like if there's an emergency, they can We'll call the school, go to the nurs's office, We'll call the parent like we we always do.
We don't want all of these emergencies all.
Over the campus where kids is calling their parents and for for ridiculous things. And so these phone pouches have has really improved, you know, the engagement in the classrooms eliminated.
A lot of drama.
You know, kids planning to fight, posting fights and all of this stuff at school. They still do it, but they do it on Saturday and Sunday, I guess or after school.
Okay, I was just going to ask you about that, like do the kids you said that there's less bullying on campus because they're not like right, you know, like in my day, we wrote nasty notes to each other, but and but it only went to like one person, It didn't go to everybody on campus.
So that's one thing.
And then as far as like student performance and that kind of stuff, have you seen a difference with them not having that distraction?
Most definitely.
Actually it actually it puts more pressure on teachers to you know, make sure that you know their their instructional practices are at a high level. Because now we have the student's attention. We we eliminated a lot of the distractions, so now you know the kids are they're listening to what the instructions are and if the teachers should have a be prepared to give them, you know, quality instruction now because they have their attention.
And even for those students.
That maybe have their phones, you know, or they don't want to put it in the pouch and they're being sneaky or anything like that, they will do not bring that phone out because they know they're going to be you know, identified quickly because all the phones should be in the pouches. So yes, it brings focus into the classroom. I haven't had any issues when it comes to the phones because they know we're coming to confiscate.
Yeah, okay, and then what about lunchtime? Can they use them during lunch and breaks?
Absolutely not want students to be engaged in activity. So at Sage Magnet Academy, we at lunchtime kids can play chess, they sit down, play board games. We also have a company that comes in and they plan sports with them football and basketball at lunch time. So kids are learning how to learn, how to socialize again, learning how to you know, be the kid, and so we don't have those issues.
I love that, Doctor Timothy Howe, principal at Stage Magnet Academy.
We love to hear success stories.
Thanks for coming on and explaining it, and hopefully for parents in LA schools just know that things are.
Going to be just fine.
Yes, absolutely all.
Right, doctor Hall, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Thank you.
All right, let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. A state agency has recommended lowering utility customers costs.
The report from the California Public Utilities Commission doesn't outline exactly how to do that, It merely makes recommendations. Republican States Senator Shusette Valdaras says that's an issue.
There are no real solutions and not even an acknowledgment of what is actually driving these costs up, and what is driving the cost up is overregulation and renewable energy mandate.
The report says the state should find a different way to subsidize lower income customers and solar power owners. Rather than placing that burden on other ratepayers. Michael Monks KFI News.
The son of an Orange County judge charged with murder, has taken the stand at his father's trial. Kfi's Mark Mayfield's His opening statements started yesterday.
Prosecutors told the jury that seventy four year old Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was drunk and had been arguing with his wife, Cheryl on the day of the shooting. In August of twenty twenty three, Ferguson allegedly pulled a glock handgun out of his ankle holster at the couple's home in Anaheim Hills and shot his wife through the midsection.
Ferguson's son, Philip, testified that his parents had been arguing that day about money and about his father's still supporting a thirty seven year old son. He also said his father had been drinking. The defense claims the shooting was an accident. Three beaches in southern California are among the best in the US. Trip Advisors Best of the Best Beaches ranks. La Joya Cove in San Diego fourth, Coronado Beach is twenty third, Santa Monica Beach ranks eighteenth on
the list because of what Trip Advisor says. It's waves for searching, sandy shores and even an amusement park. Former Vice President Kamala Harris has followed her former boss and has signed with CAAA. The talent agent also signed Joe Biden after he left office and represents former President Obama. Others represented by CIA include Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks, and Zendeia. This is KFI and KOST HD two Los Angeles, Orange County, Southland. Weather from KFI. Clouds
this morning, then sunny for the afternoon. Hies in the low seventies at the beaches, load to mid seventies for Metro LA Inlando, c in the Valley's mid topper seventies in the Inland Empire. Sixty in the Antelope Valley. Sunday on Friday with highs in the seventies to about eighty. Mostly sunny with highs in the seventies to low eighties for the weekend. I'm gonna keep talking so Will can get through his coughing fit, and then we'll go to traffic.
It's fifty one in Mission Via, forty nine in Santa Ana, fifty five Importer Ranch and fifty one in Laguna Woods. We lead local live from the KFI twenty four hour newsroom.
I'm Amy King.
This has been your Thursday morning wake Up Call, and if you missed any of wake Up Call, you can listen to today's or yesterday's or the episode from six months ago anytime on the iHeartRadio app. You've been listening to wake Up Call with me Amy King. You can always hear wake Up Call five to six am Monday through Friday on KFI AM six forty and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app.