You're listening to KFI, a m six forty wake up call with me Amy King on demand on the iHeartRadio app KFI and kost HD two Los Angeles, Orange County KFI Radio.
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Good morning. It's five oho one this Monday morning. On your wake up call. It's November eighteenth.
That means one week and one month, so five weeks until Christmas. Oh god, I just stressed myself out. I got to do some shopping. Hey, happy to be here today. I want to say thanks to Michael Krozer filling in for a wake up call on Friday.
I hear he did a great job.
Of course was great because I took the day off because one of my best friends flew down and it was her birthday weekend, so we went to my favorite place, Disneyland happens to be one of her favorite places too, so I wasn't imposing myself on a bit, had a great, great time, And because I took Friday off, I turned my alarms off so I wouldn't wake up at two thirty on Friday morning. Guests who forgot to turn her alarm back on. I'm lucky to be here, but I did.
I woke up at two o'clock and went something off and yeah, I had, in fact turn off my alarm clock, but luckily the internal clock was still working. So hope you are ready to get your day started. We've got a lot going on, so let's go. Here's what's ahead on wake up call. A pilot and three people on board a single engine CESSA have been injured when they're playing crashed at the Pomona Drag Strip during the National hot Rod Association finals. Two of the people hurt before
noon yesterday have critical injuries. No one on the ground was hurt. The races were suspended, but then resumed about two hours later. Democratic challenger Derek Tran has pulled ahead of Republican incumbent Michelle Steele in the race for the forty fifth congressional district. At one point, Tran was trailing by about eleven thousand votes and now leads by thirty six votes. The vote count show Steel is ahead in the Orange County portion of the district, but Tran has
a large lead in La County. And Israeli strike in CenTra Old Bay Route has killed the chief spokesman for Hezbola. It was the latest in targeted killings of Seeing Your husbal officials. Two others were killed in another strike in central Beirute last night. We'll get the latest on the war with ABC's Geordana Miller in just a couple of minutes. Let's get started with some of the stories coming out
of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Four people on board a small plane have survived a crash at the Pomona Fair Plex during the National hot Rod Association Finals.
Was a single engine plane that made contact with a couple of vehoples before ultimately hit the ground.
LA County Fires Jonathan Torres says two of the people on the plane have critical injuries, two have moderate injuries. The plane went down yesterday in an RV area where drivers and others stay for the races. No one in the RV area was hurt. The races were interrupted for, as I mentioned, about two hours. California's Attorney General has criticized a judge's ruling that a measure approved by voters in Huntington Beach to require voter ID is not prohibited
by state law. Measure A was approved earlier this year. It amended the city charter to authorized Huntington Beach to implement the ID requirement for in person voters in city elections. It would go into effect in twenty twenty six. Attorney General Rob Banta says the state remains confident in the strength of its case. Things were a little shaky and the inland Empire over the week, and a three point
four quake hit Fontana Saturday afternoon, Yust geological services. Another three point four quake jolted the area about six hours later. Two people have been killed and ten others were hurt in two separate shootings along a parade route in New Orleans. Police say gunfire broke out around three point thirty yesterday afternoon. Eight people were shot. A ninth made it to the hospital on his own. Forty five minutes later, shots were fired again. One person died at the scene, another died
at the hospital. President Biden has authorized Ukraine to use US made long range missiles against Russia. ABC's Patrick REvil says there are limits and Ukraine cannot attack Moscow with the missiles.
Not only can the missiles not reach Moscow, Crane is probably going to be limited at the moment to using these missiles in the Koersk region, the Russian border region that Ukraine managed to gain a foothold in with its own surprise offensive back in the summer. Essentially that means just firing just across the border into Russia.
He says.
US equipment is already being used in that area. A US official says Russia's decision to send in North Korean troops is an escalation of the conflict. Mike Tyson says he has no regrets after losing in the ring to YouTube star j Paul. Aul won the highly anticipated match Friday night by unanimous decision. Tyson said this is one of those situations when you lost but still one, adding that there are no regrets to getting in the ring one last time. Let's say good morning now to ABC's
Giordana Miller in Jerusalem. Jordana, Israel isn't letting off the gas in its efforts to knock down Hasbalah.
What's the latest the.
Israeli Army says it has assassinated another top has Bala leader, this time going after their longtime international press spokesperson, a man named Mohammed Afif. And in an unusual uh you know, daytime bombing, not in the suburbs of Beirut, which is a Hasbala stronghold, but in central day Root, the Israeli army struck a building where a fief was on late Sunday and killed him. Levenue officials say at least three others were killed in that strike, and Hasbala has claimed
you know him as a quote unquote martyr. And it's another you know, it's another blow against their kind of obviously their leadership, but also their ability to communicate their message. A fief was you know again for more than a decade the face of Hesbala Andre Donna.
Is this another example of is it's real, like really being meticulous and taking their time and waiting and then jumping in at the last second. Because it's been a few of the assassinations they were like months in the making, that's right.
I mean, Israel has said that they will take out, you know, the enemies of the state, including top leaders of Husbala and Hamas, and they track the movements of these leaders very carefully. They wait for the right moment until the intelligence is ironclad, and then they have not hesitated to carry out these very bold assassination attempts. And remember this last one yesterday happened right as you know, the diplomatic you know, diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have
really gone into overdraw. Heard from Lebanese officials late last night that they have responded positively to the US ceasefire proposal, and it appears that momentum is building. We're hearing out of Lebanon, though it hasn't been announced yet in Washington, that almost Hochstein cousident, Biden's special envoy will be coming back to the region, possibly as early as tomorrow to the Root and then Wednesday to Israel to discuss this
ceasefire deal. And so even in the midst of these negotiations, Israel is not letting up on its it strikes against Haasbala and by the way, Amy that also includes in southern Lebanon. Right, Israel continues to operate in southern Lebanon in those villages, you know, intense combat with Hasbella fighters clearing out weapons, you know, every few hours, the Israelian armies releasing footage of its activities and stuff on Lebanon.
Okay, then and the activities in southern Lebanon, we're not hearing of the same kind of devastation that we've seen in Gaza. Is it the same or is it much more targeted?
Well, unfortunately it is much the same. Oh, Okay, we've seen it is We've seen not only have not only have we here at ABC talked to many soldiers who've come out who've told us about the incredible destruction, but was also seen in satellite images that Israel is really trying. You know, they've destroyed many villages that doped the border as they fight has Bollah and they destroy and confiscate weapons. They've also blown up a lot of tunnels that they've found.
These are not cross border tunnels, but they're combat tunnels, if you will, or locations for storing weapons and for you know, allowing fighters in a future war, if you will, to rest and sleep, you know, and eat. They found, you know, really living quarters underground as much as they found Gaza, and they've blown blown up those tunnels. So there has been you know, a lot of destruction of these villages along the border, and there are dozens of
them that have you know, suffered. There are not many civilians. I mean, it's important to say there are not many civilians in these villages. The fighting is really much more symmetrical between Israel and a fighting you know, a professional army which is Husbalah and not. There aren't as many casualties civilian casualties the way we've seen in Gaza, right.
Okay, and Jordan of the ceasefire that you're talking about, I just wanted a clarification that is, between Israel and in Lebanon, in Lebanon not involving guys, separate, separate talks.
It's exactly exactly exactly, it's a separate track, and it's a proposal that the US put on the table between Israel and Lebanon. It would require Hsbola, for example, to move beyond the Latani River that's about twenty miles off of Israel's northern border, and it would create certain mechanisms for preventing Usbola from coming back to the area and rearming. And those are going to be the really tough points to negotiate who is going to be in southern Lebanon.
UNIPHIL obviously didn't do a good enough job last time.
Okay, all right, well, thank you so much for the update, Jordana appreciate it as always.
Talk soon, Yeah, we'll talk soon.
All right, Let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom.
A deadly E.
Coli outbreak affecting eighteen states, including California, has been linked to organic carrots, the CDC said yesterday. One death and fifteen hospitalizations have been reported among them, and more than three dozen confirmed cases nationwide. Several brands of bagged baby organic carrots and whole carrots have been recalled by Grimway Farms. An Orange County choir teacher is being charged for allegedly
having a month's long sexual relationship with a student. Officials at sant Ana High School say the student was a seventeen year old male who told investigators the relationship went on for about six months. Police say the thirty seven year old teacher admitted that she had a relationship with the student. Six people have been hurt at a house party in Riverside that turned violent.
Police confirmed Four people were shot and two others were stabbed late Saturday night.
Investigators say stem from a fight.
One of the people who was stabbed as he suspected gunmen.
Kay if I's Mark Mayfield says the guy in the hospital or actually the guy is in the hospital and is expected to survive. One of the others hurt is in critical condition. President elect Trump has picked fcc A Commissioner Brendan Carr to be the agency's permanent chairman. ABC's Peter Harry Lumbus says car is one of Elon Musk's
biggest supporters. Car Is publicly defended Musk's companies, including accusing the FCC of regulatory harassment by denying Musk's satellite company a nearly nine hundred million dollars grand Carlumbus says Musk has been heavily involved in Trump's transition process, spending days with the President elect at mar A Lago and publicly
weighing in on some cabinet picks. President Electrump's nominee for Secretary of Defenses admitted to paying a woman as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement, but denies allegations of sexual assault. Pete Hegsas's lawyer said there was a consensual encounter between Hegseth and the woman in twenty seventeen, but he says the sexual assault allegation is just an attempt to get money from Hegseth. Police in Monterey investigated the
allegations at the time, no charges were filed. A Southwest Airlines jet in Texas has been shot at as it prepared to land or actually to head to Indianapolis. The bullet hit the cockpit on Friday. The plane returned to the gate. No one was hurt. This passenger said it was scary to find out what happened.
You surprising something like that to happen. Yeah, lets you know at a time anything you happened. PILLI say. The shooting is believed to have been random.
A banana duct taped to a wall could sell for up to a million dollars or more at auction. Sotheby's New York said the yellow banana on a white wall attached by silver duct tape is called Comedian. It debuted at an art show in Miami Beach in twenty nineteen. Soyeby says the fruit has been replaced regularly, so it's not rotted out and stays yellow. It'll be auctioned off starting November twentieth. A million dollars for a banana. I think they're like seventy seven cents a pound, aren't they.
An LA metro bus driver's been shot and is in critical condition in the hospital. Lapd says she had stopped her bus and got out on Saturday to meet up with her ex boyfriend on her break. She was standing on the sidewalk when the ex boyfriend allegedly shot her. Than to Offlisa looking for forty five year old Dorian Holt. President Biden has given the ok for Ukraine to use long range missiles to strike Russia. That marks a major US policy shift for the closing days of the Biden administration.
We're going to find out the latest one that with ABC's Karen Travers in just a second. The late music icon Quincy Jones is now an OSCAR winner. Jones, who died earlier this month at the age of ninety one, was posthumously awarded an honorary Lifetime Achievement Oscar at the Governor's Award in Hollywood last night. Six so five attendle on the News California is removing what has been deemed a derogatory term against Native American women from places around
the state. Let's say good morning now to ABC's Karen Travers. Karen, there's a question about how much President elect Trump is going to support Ukraine and it's war with Russia. So what is President Biden doing in his final days to ensure US support?
Yeah, well, this is a big h line. The administration is now authorizing Ukraine to use long range missiles inside Russia, something the president had prohibited specifically up until this point. A third US official tells us that the focus expected is to be in Curse and the reason for this change is because of Russia bringing in North Korean troops into the fight, which the administration sees as an escalation
in this conflict. As of this morning, we are told that Ukraine has not yet used these long range missiles inside Russia, but they have a range of about one hundred and ninety miles, and so they could go into that Curs region where there are fifty thousand Russian troops ten thousand North Korean troops attempting to recapture what Ukraine
had seized a couple of months ago. And this again, as you mentioned, it's a big deal because the Ukrainians have been lobbying publicly, very strongly President Zelinski, making a forceful case publicly to make this change and privately even stronger to the administration that this was necessary for their
continued efforts on the battlefield. But the administration had been hesitant to do this because of questions about how effective it would be, saying that they don't have these missiles in large numbers, and talking about how more effective maybe the long range drones that Ukraine has been using to strike inside Russia. They're cheaper, they say, and also they
have greater quantity of them. But then the big thing too, of course, is concerns about seeing this being seen by Russia as an escalation, a big step by the United States.
Okay, And the missiles that they are being authorized to use, are those going to be sent to them? Do they already have them and they're just sitting on them kind of waiting or what's the status of them.
They do have some, and I do think that they would have to use they would get others. But I do believe that they have some. They just haven't been able to use them to strike inside of Russia. It's been like that's where the prohibiting of where they could use them. They could use them to strike at Russia in certain places that Russia had taken of Ukrainian territory. But this is now going into Russia, which marks the big difference.
Okay.
And then the missiles versus drones thing, So do the missiles just do more damage or have the capability of doing more damage than the drones.
I'd have to look into the specifics on that for you. That's not my area of actually.
Okay, but we could check on that, okay. Great.
And then the president is also shifting away from Ukraine. He was down in Peru and making moves to keep the fight against climate change going in his final days in office.
What's going on with that?
Yeah.
He made a historic visit to the Amazon yesterday in Brazil. As he left Peru, I was heading to Brazil for the G twenty summit, which starts today. He made a call for future generations to protect wildlife in that very important area. He said, every minute the world is chopping down the equivalent of ten soccer fields worth of forest.
He also says he's leaving his successor, President elect Trump and the country a strong foundation to build on in terms of US climate policy, as he put it, if they choose to do so.
All right, Karen Travis, thank you so much for the information. Appreciated as always. Let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. The LAPED is trying to find a man they say hit a woman with a car in Canoga Park, then got out and stabbed her. The woman survived the attack Saturday afternoon. She's in critical condition. The reason for the
attack is not clear. Spirit Airlines has filed for Chapter eleven bankruptcy protection as it deals with billions in losses and debts.
Spirit Airlineses last annual profit came in twenty nineteen, and the company simply hasn't been able to find its financial footing since a judge blocked its merger with rival jed Blue Airways in January, Compounding the intense competition in the low fare airline industry.
ABC's Jim Ryan says Spirit issued a statement this morning say It saying it will continue to sell tickets and fly its normal routes through the bankruptcy process. The trial of an illegal immigrant accused of killing Georgia nursing student Lake and Riley continues this morning. Prosecutors set on Friday Forensic and video evidence proves illegal immigrant Jose Ebarra murdered Riley in February. They told the judge that Eborro went out hunting for females on the day he tried to
Rapeer and then bashed her skull with a rock. Ibarra's defense attorneys called the evidence circumstantial. Federal investigators are looking into a hack of the email system used by the Library of Congress. Officials say the hack happened between January and September. Initial reports say the attack was carried out by an unidentified foreign adversary. The US Capitol Police have turned over the investigation to the FBI.
The MTA in New.
York is set to vote on the governor's plan to charge people nine dollars to drive into Manhattan during peak traffic. The governor's original congestion pricing push was fifteen dollars. Supporters call it a win win to raise money for mass transit and reduce traffic. State Assemblyman David Webern says it's another tax that working New Yorkers can't afford.
Anchel Burton's associated with congestion pricing will shut down businesses across New York City will force them to pass on the added cost to consumers.
The Congestion Pricing Plan vote is expected to pass the MTA Board, but it'll need a thirty day review period followed by the federal government signing off on it. President elect Trump has promised to terminate the plan once he gets into office. One of the US's most famous gymnastics coaches has died. A spokesperson for USA Gymnastics announced the death of Bella Coroli over the weekend. He helped build USA Gymnastics into an Olympics and international competition powerhouse starting
in the eighties and right on through the twenty tens. Corolin, his wife, coached Mary lou Retten Nadia Kamenici. Bella Coroli was eighty two. Hey, last week we were talking about manners on Thursday, pet peeves and bad behaviors in the workplace and such. Well before the weekend, I went and got my nails. Do you know you have to get
your nails done for Disneyland? And I'm sitting in my nail salon and there's a woman sitting across from me getting a pedicure, and she's getting a French manicure on her feet, and the gal who's doing her nails kept going, Okay, is that right?
Does this look right? Does this look right?
Because you know, when you do a French manicure, you do the clear and then you do the white strip across the top on the tips of the nails. And the whole time she kept saying, yeah, it's fine, Yeah,
it's fine, and I'm just kind of chilling. And then she gets done with doing the manicure, and the woman looks down and goes, that doesn't look good and starts just going off on the pedicurist or the manicurist whatever, and I just I felt so bad, and it just reminded me of our conversation about people just behaving badly and manners, and I was so uncomfortable. I almost said something, but then I thought, now she'd probably you know, beat me up or something. But just everybody's under a lot
of stress. Let's be kind, shall we please. My nails turned out great, though. The final evacuation warnings for the wind whipped wildfire in Ventura County have been lifted. Everyone who has or had a home in the area has been allowed to go back. Two hundred and forty eight homes and buildings were destroyed. Another one hundred and twenty seven were damaged in the nearly twenty one thousand acre
fire that is now ninety eight percent surrounded. The cause of the fire that started November sixth has still not been determined. Low humidity and high winds of elevated fire danger in the mountains and valleys of La in Ventura Counties. The National Weather Services Santa Ana WINS will increase fire danger in the Santa Clarita Valley, the San Fernando Valley, Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains, Malibu and Eastern Ventura
Valleys through Thursday. The restaurant that inspired thousands of Panda Express restaurants is back open for business in Pasadena. The Panda Inn held its grand reopening over the weak and following two years of renovations. The original Panda In opened in nineteen seventy three. There are now nearly twenty five hundred, one hundred Panda Expresses in the US and around the world. At six five to handle on the news leaders of Hesba Lah have got to be nervous. Israel's taken out
another one. At five point fifty, we're going to be talking with a member of the Entertainment Software Association about what about what kids want for Christmas this year and whether what they want is a good idea for them to have. Right now, let's say good morning to ABC's Steve Robert. Steve, President elect Trump has chosen his cabinet picks. The question is will Republicans back those picks.
Well, that's right, Amy. You know, I keep thinking of this old early warning system we used to hear on radio and TV. We're periodically that break into programming and say this is a test, this is a test. Well, that's what I'm thinking this morning. This is a test.
This is not just about Donald Trump's picks. At least four occasions, for instances, even Republicans have raised their eyebrows and said, these people are not qualified for these jobs for Attorney General, Defense Secretary, Secretary of JHS, and Director of National Intelligence. But I think Trump is doing this very deliberately. Let's remember back in the days when he said, when I'm president, I get to do whatever I want.
And that's the way he's always approached his job. Well, he's daring Republicans in the Senate to stop him, daring them to turn down any of his picks. And look, Trump won the election fairly and squarely. Republicans elected the Senate fairly in a majority, fifty three vote majority, fairly
and squarely. That's not in question. What's in question is whether the Senate has any kind of independence, any kind of ability to say, look, we are in dependently elected, we have a mandate to advise and consent on the President's nominations, and going forward, we're going to exert some
kind of independence. And so this is not just about individual appointments to the cabinet, in my view, it's about a precedent that will govern the relationships between the president and the Congress of the next at least for the next two years.
Well and for after the president elect.
Trump was elected last time, he did get a lot of pushback from the Houses of Congress, and so it'll be interesting to see whether he does now or it really has become Trump's party.
Look, yeah, and look, there are several differences. First of all, Trump is a much more experienced person, much more adept at using the levers of power. Secondly, over the years, he has driven out many Republican dissidents. People who have just agreed with them have either voluntarily left the Congress because they're so uncomfortable in a Trump dominated party. Look at Senator Mitt Romney, very good example, who has voluntarily retired and will not be in the news. And some
people were retired involuntarily. Liz Cheney, the congresswoman from Wyoming, stood up to Trump, and he sponsored a primary challenge who destroyed her in the primary and drove her out of Congress. So it's not a risk free move for any Republican because Trump has shown his willingness and his ability to punish anybody who stands in his way. But the fact is there there are Republicans who have said, wait, there are limits, and we were elected separately and we
have an independent responsibility. And that's the tension. And I do think amy that it's possible, even likely, that we Republicans will block at least one of Trump's cabinet picks then, the most likely being Matt Gates, the choice for attorney general. He's so completely unqualified for this job, according to many Republicans, let alone Democrats that and he has such a seeming past. He's been investigated by the Justice Department for sex trafficking
drug use. But what could happen is, Look, Republicans can only fight so many battles. You only have so many chances, And so if they block Gates, as I think they will, what could have then happened is other manifestly unqualified appointees like Robert Kennedy to take over the Health and Human Services. They're going to sail through because you can only you only have so many battles you can fight.
Gotcha, and Steve you mentioned that there's a lot of people saying that Matt Gates is unqualified, and I'm not disputing that at all. I'm curious, like, to be Attorney General, what kind of qualifications do you need?
Well, first of all, you have to be a lawyer. Okay, Matt Gates went to law school, but he practiced law I think for two years before he entered politics, so he has virtually no experience in the actual business of law. Plus you get the question of sort of moral character. And this is a guy who faced an investigation by the Justice Department, who's been investigated by Republicans in the
House for ethical violations. A report was about to be issued last Friday, quite critical of his behavior, and it was truncated because he resigned from Congress two days before the report was supposed to be issued. And I'm not even fellow Republicans. Have one Republican from Ohio Sate, thank god he quit. We hated them around the house. So and and Senator Murkowski is a Republican from Alaska, said this is not a serious appointment. He's not a serious person.
So I discount and disregard partisan Democratic criticisms, but I do pay attention to Republicans.
Yeah, okay, and then real quick because I know you got to run. But when do actual confirmation hearings begin?
Does that happen like on January twentieth, or can they start doing that before he's before Trump's in office.
I think they'll start earlier. And these hearings are important. Often they're rubber stamps, but you know, even the Democrats, even though they're in the minority, they do get to ask questions. And one Republican I start quoted saying, why would Matt Gates put himself through a confirmation hearing that he knows he has to know he's going to be so uncomfortable, but we'll see what happens. But my prediction is mate Gates will be stopped and everybody else will get through.
Okay, well, we'll be watching and then we'll talk to you and check.
Your mouth on that deal, right, Steve Roberts, ABC political analysts, thank you so much. Let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour news from. More than a dozen wild parrots have been shot in the San Gabriel Valley. Wildlife experts say the birds have been shot over the past few weeks. The latest one was found Saturday, and Temple City animal advocates say the birds have been either found shot to death or been hit and killed by cars after they were
shot and fell out of the sky. No arrests have been made. The former tech executive accused of murdering cash app founder Bob Lee is due back in court as his trial resumes in San Francisco. Nima Momeni took the stand in his own defense last week. He insists he acted in self defense last year when Lee became aggressive during the multi day drug bender. Omeni claims he didn't even know Lee was dead until someone told him The
next day, prosecutors ALLEGEDMENTMENTI planned the murder. House Speaker Mike Johnson has defended President elect Trump's controversial cabinet nominations. Johnson says Trump's picks will disrupt the status quo by design. He says the agencies they'll be heading need reform, and the American people know that. Trump's picks include former Florida Congressman Matt Gates for Attorney General and Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of State. All right, sorry, Secretary of Defense.
Defense.
More hateful text messages have been sent to people across the US. Message is sent after the election targeted Black people. This time they're aimed at Hispanic and LGBTQ people. They mentioned deportation and re education camps. Community activist Earl Ho'fari Hutchison in Alasis, there is a climate of hate.
It's not new, but I think it has intenseifive.
Unfortunately, since the election.
The FBI, the Department of Justice, and other agencies are investigating the messages. An E Coli outbreak link to organic carrots from a farm in California has killed one person and made at least thirty eight others sick. The carrots have been sold at Whole Foods, three sixty five, Target, Walmart, Sprouts, Trader, jos Kroger, and Albertson's. The carrots that came from Grimway Farms have been pulled from store shelves. If you have them, the FDA says, throw them away. Spirit Airlines has filed
for bankruptcy protection. The low cost carrier has been struggling with financial losses, growing debt, and a failed merger. Officials say operations will continue as normal. A bit of a ba humbug for Red One, the Christmas movie starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans, took in more than thirty four million dollars in its opening weekend to finish at number one, but the movie didn't have the strong opening that was hoped for. It cost about two hundred and fifty million
dollars to make. We're just minutes away from Handle on the news this morning, Rush is going after Ukraine's power grid again. This was a big one. We got the holidays just around the corner. Want to know what the kids are asking for? I thought we should probably go to the experts. So we'd like to welcome to wake up call the senior vice president of the Entertainment Software Association,
Aubrey Quinn. Good morning, Aubrey, good morning, Thanks for having me. Sure, Hey, before we get started, I just I'm curious as to what the Entertainment Software Association is and does.
Sure, it's a great starter question. Entertainment Software Association or ESA, is a trade association that represents the US video game industry, and one of the many projects we take on is research and reporting on who plays video games, what they play, why they play, the benefits we all experience when we play games. So it's my privilege to talk about the power of play.
Okay, So, with the holidays just around the corner, Aubrey, what are kids asking for this season?
I think I have an idea, but I'll let you tell us.
Yeah, we asked kids what presence they are hoping to get this holiday season, and the number one item is video games, with seventy six percent of US kids ages ten through seventeen asking for video games, coming ahead of money and gift cards, closed accessories, even other forms of electronics or tech items. So if you're trying to figure out what to get the kids in your life, video games are really safe, be okay?
And is it just the boys who want the video games?
No, it holds true for both girls and boys. Two thirds of girls we talked to say they want video games, and it's still the number one item for girls as well.
Okay, and then Aubrey, what kinds of video games are they asking for? Is it the you know, the shooter games or are there different video games that they're now gravitating towards.
Do you know?
It really depends on the kid. One thing I'd say about the shooter games, which of course popular, a lot of them are rated M mature, which means seventeen and older. So the video game industry has been rating video games for over thirty years. In the same way movies and
TV shows have age ratings, so do video games. So one of my first big pieces of advice for parents who are looking at bring video games into their home is just do a quick search for the ESRB age rating and for the name of the game that that kid is asking for, and make sure that it's rated E for everyone E ten plus p fourteen depending on the age of your kids, the maturity level, your family values. Just want to make sure you're comfortable with the games
that you're bringing in. But back to your question, I mean kids all want different things. Some kids are specifically asking for video game consoles. Nearly fifty percent are still looking for a switch and Xbox or PlayStation. Some are
looking for in game currencies. Think of this as gift cards you can use within a specific game, and some are looking for that specific game either a physical console game or you can download digitally most games, and about a quarter of kids are asking for one specific game or another.
Oh so you don't have to go into the store and buy the games, you can download them.
A lot of.
Games have changed so much since when I first started playing games as a kid in the eighties. You can even get game subscription services, so think of this like a Netflix or a Hulu or one of these streaming services. There are game subscription services on different platforms, and you can give your kids access to a ton of games with those subscription services instead of getting individual games.
Okay, and then as far as like Xbox and PlayStation, those are still super popular or about how much are those going for these days?
I don't have those numbers right in front of me. I think there are a couple hundred dollars to consoles, and there are three major ones, so you have the Nintendo Switch, the Stony Interactive Entertainment PlayStation, and the Microsoft Xbox. A couple hundred dollars for each of those. But one thing I like to remind all consumers is that the bang for your entertainment buck with video games.
Is enormous, truly.
Video games.
I take my kids to see a movie, you know, our whole family goes twenty dollars a person. We watch a movie for two to three hours. I bought my daughter, you know, Sims, this video game that she loves to play on her Xbox, and she has played for hundreds of hours, building worlds, creating families, creating communities. It's really fun to watch her creative juices at work.
Okay, good to hear that they only that they're not only asking for the shooter games. I know those are popular, but there's so much other, so many other things out there. How can parents protect their kids from that? I know you said to look at for that rating. What are some other things they should do?
Yep, for sure, start with the ESRBH ratings as I mentioned, like movies and TV show So it's not everything is appropriate for every age. But also every system that we've talked about has parental controls and that means you can set up limits by age rating screen time, who they can interact with online, if they can spend money, and
how much that they can spend. So make sure you look at the parental controls that are on the system that's in your house and put those in place for what makes sense for your kid and your family.
Okay, So bottom line is parents, it's video games. Okay, but yeah, stay in control and stay involved. And where can we get more information about EESA if people are interested, Aubrey.
Yep, you can check out THEEESA dot com or you can also learn more about those age ratings at es RB dot ard.
Okay, Aubrey Quinn, thank you so much of the senior vice president with Entertainment Software Association. Appreciate your time and information this morning.
Thank you. Happy holidays.
All right you too.
Let's get back to some of the stories coming out of the CAMPI twenty four hour news from four people on board a small plane have survived a crash in Pomona. The pilot and three others were in the plane yesterday when it crashed at the fair Plex during the NHR
nationals La Kenny Fires. Jonathan Torres's fire crews were already at the site for the races, which rendered life saving pharmacy medical services, as well as mitigating any fire potential from the surrounding vehicles, generators, and things of that sort. The plane crashed in an RV area where drivers and others stay for the hot rod races. No one on the ground was hurt. The first case of a new form of m pox formerly monkey pocks, has been detected
in the US. Public Health officials in California say the infected person had traveled to eastern Africa and was treated in northern California when they returned. Officials say the person's symptoms are improving and the risk to the general public is low.
Four three two one ambition and full power and lift off.
SpaceX has completed another successful Falcon nine rocket launch from the coast of Santa Barbara County. Lift off from Vandenberg Space four space happened at nine to forty seven last night. The rocket was carrying twenty Starlink Internet satellites, including thirteen with direct to sell capabilities. They are now in low Earth orbit. I wonder if we could see that one. You know how sometimes you can look up in the sky and see the rockets lifting off. I think I
was already asleep by that time. This is KFI and KOSTHD two Los Angeles, Orange County, Southland weather from KFI. Sunny with highs in the mid sixties at the coast, upper sixties for Metrola and Inland do C low to mid sixties in the Valley's upper sixties in the Inland Empire. Windy with highs in the forties and fifties. In the Anelote Valley. Look for some clouds tonight with lows just
in the forties. Pretty chilly Bartley cloudy with highs in the sixties to about seventy Tomorrow, warming up a few degrees Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the upper sixties to seventies. It's forty two and Diamond Bar forty six in Newport Beach, fifty one in Palmdale, forty five in Hacienda Heights. We lead local live from the KFI twenty four hour newsroom for producer Ann and technical producer KNO and traffic specialist Nick. I'm Amy King. This has been
your wake Up Call. If you missed any of wake Up Call, you can listen anytime on the iHeartRadio app. You've been listening to wake Up Call with me Amy King. You can always hear Wakeup Call five to six am Monday through Friday on KFI AM six forty and anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app