December 28, 2025 • 29 mins
A tornado hits L.A. and floods drown parts of Wrightwood as a Christmas storm hammers Southern California; One decades-old restaurant is closing its doors for good while a century-old restaurant says it’s not closing, after all, at least not yet.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News with you on this Saturday night, our last Saturday
night of twenty twenty five, as we say goodbye to
this year. It's been a year full of challenges here
in southern California. We're going to talk about some of those,
including the challenges just dumped on us this week, But
we start with what you just heard there in the
(00:27):
newscast and in our traffic report, this ruptured gas line
in Castaic that has shut down part of the five Freeway.
Our partners at City News Services reports a gas line rupture,
possibly caused by a landslide, shut down all the lanes
on the five Freeway in the Castaic area as crews
work to turn off that gas. The initial call of
(00:48):
this ruptured gas line and possible explosion came around four
twenty this afternoon on a hill above the Golden State
Freeway just north of Lake Ques Road. Video from the
scene it did show a large cloud of debris floating
toward the freeway and a loud whoosh sound.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Could be heard.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
The CHP issued a SIG alert, shutting down northbound and
southbound signs of the freeway, with northbound traffic diverted to
State Route one two six and southbound traffic diverted to
Pair Blossom Highway that's also State Route one thirty eight.
There is a smell of raw eggs, which is what
natural gas might smell like. That was reported to the
(01:29):
LA Fire Department from residents in Granada Hills and Porter
Ranch and Silmar as well. Now, the LAFDS says the
La County Fire Department confirmed the gas line rupture. The
gas company and county fire departments they're working together to
contain the leak. Video from NBC four reports nearby residents
(01:52):
have been told to shelter in place. Now, the LA
Fire Department has come out and updated that there is
no threat inside the city of Los Angeles where the
gas was smelled, but this is an ongoing situation that
we will continue to monitor throughout the evening.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Again, we are live.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
In that weird interlude period between Christmas and New Year's,
the time where folks start to forget what day of
the week it is, especially next week, when some folks
will be back at work, some folks are not, and
you get a little restless. But my goodness, what weather
we had. You know, you don't expect a white Christmas
(02:33):
in Los Angeles, but a wet Christmas like that is
absolutely crazy. It dumped so much on us, and we
now know that not only was their rain, not only
were their challenges to our road infrastructure with flooding, but
(02:55):
we have confirmation that a tornado landed boil Heights. Stand
by for this technical difficulty I'm having. I've got some
reports from the National Weather Service, and we've got comments
from Mayor Bass about this tornado situation. But in the meantime,
I'll just recap with my own voice for your listening pleasure.
(03:19):
What they've confirmed is this was an EF zero tornado,
that is the weakest category on that scale, but a
tornado nonetheless touchdown around ten ten Thursday morning and boil Heights.
The National Weather Service has confirmed that it had a
maximum wind speed of eighty miles per hour and traveled
(03:40):
just three tenths of a mile at a width of
about thirty yards. Now, this type of tornado tends to
have a wind speed between sixty five and eighty five
miles per hour.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
There was some damage.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
It first happened at a house on Lee Street there
in Boil Heights, damage to the surface and structure of
the roof there, water was leaking inside. Several business signs
were destroyed. At a strip mall there on Whittier Boulevard
and Lorena Street, a utility pole was bent that had
to be fixed quickly. There were some tree branches down,
(04:14):
and some of the sound that I was going to
play for you if we get this technical glitch fixed,
it does have eyewitnesses talking about how scary this was.
I mean, you know, this isn't the planes. You're not
used to seeing, even tiny tornadoes like this. They do,
of course happen, But in the midst of this chaotic
(04:36):
and terribly annoying rainstorm that we had, a tornado lands
in the middle of it all. And it's Christmas, so
people are wanting to be out and about. I can
tell you from taking a few days off and sitting
around downtown it was utterly dead down there, just completely dead.
(05:01):
It was worse than right Wood. And we are paying
attention to right Wood. I do have some reports from
right Wood to play for you tonight that indicate that
situation deteriorated. The good news is the people in right Wood.
They know this all too well. You know they've been
through this and they are doing their best to get
(05:24):
through this. One of the clips it includes a guy
who says, you know, we've been through fires, we've been
through floods, we've been through mudslides. We'll get through this
one as well. But that seemed to be the area
that was hit the hardest. Also, an avalanche in at
(05:44):
Mammoth Mountain and it got a couple of ski patrollers
who were caught in a slide. They had to be
taken to the hospital there and one of them sustained
serious injuries. That's a scary situation. So you've had all
of the rain falling, a tornado on the ground, here,
you have the mud slides, and then in the mountains
(06:06):
you had an avalanche.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
It was just absolute chaos.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
And then you get to today and it was just
lovely and downtown La where I spent the afternoon, was
buzzing again.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It was very crowded.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You could feel that folks were excited to get back
out of their homes and into some sense of activity
after being cooped up, maybe with some relatives that you're
not too excited to see every year. And it was
buzzing again, So back to normal, I suppose until what
the middle of next week, where we're gonna have more
rain dumped on us, just in time to celebrate the
(06:43):
end of this year and the beginning of a new one.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
We'll keep an eye on that forecast all next week.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I'll be here back at work on Monday bringing you
the news, so we'll watch that weather situation.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
But for the next couple of hours, we've got a
lot to get to.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Hopefully we can recap the weather event by Folks are
out on the roads again coming back. We talked last
week about the intense holiday travel as folks were leaving
Los Angeles to go out and see their loved ones
for Christmas. Well now they're all turning around and coming back,
and that is causing some problems because obviously the roads
(07:18):
are packed, but a lot of airports around the country
are being hit with different kinds of weather, maybe rainstorms,
maybe snow, and the airports are being hit pretty hard.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Right now as well.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
It's also time to think about sending some gifts back,
and it's not as easy as it used to be
when it comes to being cheap might cost you. Also,
later this hour, a popular local restaurant. It's been around
for decades. Tonight's It's last night. And another Los Angeles
(07:52):
restaurant that has been around longer than that that was
supposed to close in the summer and then in the
fall and then on New Year's Eve, saying it's going
to stay, hoping a little bit longer as it continues
to hope that somebody buys it. That's all coming up
on Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
This is Michael Monk's Reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News with you until nine o'clock to night. Let's recap
that tornado situation here in Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
They sent a team to Boyle Heights to see if
damage was caused by a possible tornado on Christmas morning.
Meteorologist Ariel Cohen says the agency received multiple reports of damage,
including video of a home that shows a roof blown off.
Cohen says it could have been caused by a weak tornado.
Eyewitness News says there were no reports of injuries.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
Signs ripped from buildings and tossed to the ground, branches
and debris flying through the air, Maurice COO's Tampico had
only been open for minutes on Christmas Day when workers
at the Royal Heights restaurant heard glass shattering.
Speaker 6 (09:02):
Sign for the smoke shop that got torn off, ripped down,
came down and it hit both of these glass windows
and they broke off.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
Tiled and pieces of a rule twirling through the air
above homes in the nearby neighborhood.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Do we hear this big gust of wind like hitting
our window and then all of a sudden we look
outside and the roof of the.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Neighbors just flying all over the place.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
The main message to Angelino's is we can't look at
ourselves as different and immune for extreme weather events like
we might have in the past.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Confirmed tornado enhanced Fajita scale levels zero eighty miles per hour, winds,
path length quarter mile.
Speaker 7 (09:43):
Some of the damage here signs that were completely blown
out by the strong winds, and one of the businesses
across the street told us they had only been open
for minutes on Christmas Day when debris shattered their front windows.
We've also been told that twenty six hundred so Cal
Edison customers in that part of the county are still
without power. As a girl who's grown up in southern California,
(10:03):
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but this is where
weather experts have confirmed a tornado briefly touched down on
Christmas Day. This storm brought all kinds of destructive Christmas
chaos to Southern California. And can tell you this was
one of the wettest Christmases on record for us here
in socol no doubt.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
A wet one, a windy one, a tornatic one. In
the city of Los Angeles, in the neighborhood of Boyle
Heights on Christmas Day, a F zero tornado touching down there. Meanwhile,
the situation in right Wood much worse. Rain overtook entire
neighborhoods in right Wood. Floods there shifted to the earth,
(10:42):
ceiling off homes, some nearly to the roof, caked in mud,
roads washed away all of the system's snarling travel. As
the holiday crush is set to begin, it is.
Speaker 8 (10:52):
Pouring yet again for at least the third straight day
in a row, when in communities like this one, there
is little place for that water left to go. River
and creek beds are swelling with all of this rain.
That has been falling for days now. San Bernardino County
deputies say things are beginning to improve. Conditions have stabilized.
They say people who were under evacuation warnings are now
(11:13):
able to be returning to their homes. But if you
live in a community like this, and there are several
like this across southern California, there is simply no way.
Speaker 9 (11:21):
To get to those homes.
Speaker 10 (11:23):
In the small mountain community of Lytle Creek, residents spent
Christmas morning navigating slabs of cracked concrete the road there,
buckling under the pressure of raging floodwaters.
Speaker 11 (11:33):
Everything was flooded. It was insane like cars had to
stop in.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
The middle and the desert.
Speaker 10 (11:38):
Drivers had to abandon cars to save themselves.
Speaker 11 (11:42):
In the past week, an atmospheric river dumping relentless rain
across southern California, washing away roads and stranding drivers. La
County fires as more than one hundred people were pulled
from blooded vehicles on Christmas Day alone and north of
Los Angeles and Rightwood mudslide swallowing cars and pressing against homes.
Family sifting through mud and debris. Many left without power.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
We like it here so much. We're never gonna move
no matter what happened. For we've pad you evacuate three
or four times and we've been through it all so
and we're still here, so we're not moving. This is
the worst of ever so since we've been here. We
had some flooding in our downstairs, but we've got it.
(12:25):
We've got it under control pretty fast, so we're good
to go. Let's see, we've survived the blizzard of twenty
twenty three, we survived the fires of twenty twenty four,
and now the flooding of twenty twenty five, so Rightwood strong.
Speaker 7 (12:38):
We were up in Rightwood speaking with families on Christmas
night dealing with unfathomable damage. We saw several homes filled
with several feet of mud, rock and debris. Cars now
stuck in that dried mud and debris. Families there had
to evacuate and find shelter over the holiday. Some of
those homes now completely uninhabitable.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
You gotta appreciate the resilience in the voices of the
residents in Rightwood, but man, what a mess. If you've
seen any of the visuals out of that part of
our region, it's really really terrible. A lot of cleaning
up to take place there. So our thoughts are with
you all in right Wood as we end this very
difficult year in southern California and look forward to a
(13:21):
brighter win in twenty twenty six. Up next, a restaurant
that's operated for decades, very well known. It's last night tonight.
It will close at nine o'clock as this show is
going off the air, those doors will lock for the
last time. And another restaurant that we've told you about
all year, Historic Los Angeles Restaurant, said in the summer
(13:43):
it was closing, delayed its closure, then it was to
close at the end of this year. Don't They're going
to stay open a little bit longer. We'll talk about
both of those places. As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
You're listening to KFI Am six on demand.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
If you were planning to go to Brennan's Pub in
Marina del Rey, you miss your chance because it's closing tonight.
Nearly fifty years in business, this place has been known
for its turtle races, and those turtle races drew the
ire of In Defense of Animals and other animal rights
(14:24):
groups who protested the racing of turtles. In fact, just
before I came on the air, got to call in
the newsroom from a lady who reminded us she had
been on our airwaves a few months ago talking with
Mark Thompson, who was also big into animals, and sharing
why she was against these these turtle races and just
wanted to let us know that this business is closing.
(14:46):
And she emphasized that even though these animal rights groups
opposed the turtle races, they're sad to hear that the
business is going under. So Brennan's announced that it's shutting down.
It made a post on Instagram inviting patrons to its
final hours yesterday and today. There will be one last
turtle race at nine o'clock tonight. This is an event
(15:09):
that has been held on Thursdays typically for over forty
five years. It involves patrons betting on turtles that race
in a ring. Now, the proceeds from the turtle races
do benefit charities for homeless people, and the restaurant says
it's raised more than three hundred thousand dollars for that
cause over the years, despite the criticism from animal rights groups.
(15:31):
But this is a pub has been located on Lincoln
Boulevard for almost fifty years. Tonight the last night for
Brennan's Pub in Marina del Rey. Meanwhile, to downtown Los Angeles,
we reported in the summer that Cole's French Dip was
closing down after more than one hundred years. This is
the place that claims to have invented the French dip
(15:55):
sandwich roast beef dipped in Oju. They have a rivalry
with another century old restaurant here in Los Angeles, Philipps,
also in the downtown area, that makes the same claim.
Coals makes this claim, but they said it's the end.
Coals is going under. We're closing in the summer, But
then they extended that they would stay open to the fall.
(16:16):
But then in September they announced they would stay open
to the end of the year. Well, here we are,
it's the end of the year. What's next for Coals?
Will they post it on Instagram? We're keeping the history
and fun alive just a little while longer. La, We
love you. They say they'll be open through January. My
sources indicate to me that they're obviously hoping somebody with
(16:39):
some pockets comes in and buys it and keeps it
going in Perhaps they're in some hot and heavy negotiations,
and we'll see if Coles is not purchased and able
to stay alive a little bit longer, even beyond January.
It's been a This restaurant is right around the corner
(16:59):
from where I live. We like popping in there. They've got,
you know, a pool table. It's fun to shoot some pool,
have one of those famous sandwiches. It's a If you
haven't ever been to Coals, you should come down just
for that. I know downtown has a bad reputation, but
it's worth the visit. It is it is steeped in
Los Angeles history. It is Los Angeles history in a
lot of ways. It has seen a lot of Los
(17:20):
Angeles over a century. So do check it out, just
in case this is the last extension for Coals. Something
else in the news this week the high speed rail
train here in California.
Speaker 12 (17:35):
Other countries have them, Why not here a bullet train
between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Trump administration says
the plan is not viable. California sued, but last week
withdrew the court case, saying it well look for other
funding sources to complete a project estimated to cost more
than one hundred billion dollars. You're looking for private support,
taking the sunny view that losing federal funding offers a
(17:58):
new opportunity, Wayne Cabot, ABC News.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
California just this week has dropped its lawsuit that had
been filed against the Trump administration over the federal government's
withdrawal of four billion dollars for this high speed rail project. Remember,
this is a project that voters in this state authorized.
Voters in the state wanted a high speed rail train
that goes from Los Angeles to San Francisco, maybe longer
(18:24):
than that at some point, but that.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Was seventeen years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
And the price tag of this thing much higher than
ever anticipated, and not a single track is usable yet
no train is moving. The project is estimated to cost
at this point more than one hundred billion dollars. There
(18:50):
allegedly focusing on a central piece of this thing in
the Central Valley, but not the Los Angeles or to
San Francisco yet, which were the two hubs that this
project was supposed to connect. So now they think they
will be able to seek private funding to keep this
(19:12):
project alive. Speaking of the Trump administration, and let's not
forget that Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy came to Los
Angeles had a news conference at Union Station lambasting this
high speed rail project. I was at that news conference.
This is not a project the Trump administration is a
(19:34):
fan of, but it's something that voters wanted at one time.
You get the sense that perhaps they're souring on it
because this is not how it was supposed to go.
And now where does it go? The train goes nowhere,
(19:55):
Where does the project go? Do they just cancel it?
Trump administry not a fan. This is the end of
the first year of the return of President Trump for
his second term, the first president since Grover Cleveland to
serve non consecutive terms in the White House.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
And historic political comeback.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
From this moment on America's dickline is over.
Speaker 9 (20:21):
President Trump quickly getting to work on campaign promises, a
flurry of executive actions, pardons for January six rioters, and
major cuts to government agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency.
The president implemented sweeping tariffs on nearly all trade partners
and sparked trade wars with China, Mexico, and Canada, leading
to higher prices on some goods. The President said he
(20:41):
could solve the Russia Ukraine War on day one, but
the fighting rages on, despite multiple meetings with President Zelinsky
and to summit in Alaska with President Putin. In July,
the President ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, and in
October he traveled to the Middle East to tou to
ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the return her and
other remaining hostages.
Speaker 6 (21:01):
Those prayers of millions have finally been answered, and.
Speaker 9 (21:05):
This fall the longest government shut down in US history
forty three days. Karen Traver's ABC News The White House.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
We'll have some of those retrospectives of the year's big
stories from around the country as we continue here on
Michael Monks Reports. Up next, somebody won that powerball jackpot.
I was hoping we would get to talk about it again.
It's been an exciting couple of Saturdays as that jackpot
continued to grow and we all held tight to our tickets,
hoping maybe it would land in our hands.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Alas it was not to be.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
The winning ticket was sold in Arkansas, so we'll hear
what that means for that person who we still don't
know about.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
But coming up in our next hour.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I want you to stick around for after the clock
hits eight o'clock because there is a wacky lawsuit that's
been filed against one of our public utilities alleging that
some of the employees in that utility have not been
behaving well. And one of the allegations suggests that some
employees were using the surveillance videos to monitor the outside Okay,
(22:06):
not so bad, so far, right, monitor the outside of
one of the buildings and tended to linger a little
too long and zoom in even when they would find
homeless people engaging in intercourse. It's now headed to court.
We'll talk about that lawsuit at the top of the
(22:27):
eight o'clock hour here on Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
It is the end of the year, which means it's
time to start planning for all those taxes.
Speaker 13 (22:48):
Getting ready. I'm Michelle Franson with a year end tax tip.
Usually the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers around this time
of year just start thinking about getting tax return documents together.
RS spokesperson Robin k Parts says that includes W two's
and statements.
Speaker 14 (23:04):
Most income is taxable, including unemployment, compensation, refund interest, and
income from the gig economy and digital assets.
Speaker 13 (23:12):
But this year there's a big change that will affect
next year's returns. K Parts says, as of September twenty
twenty five, the IRS phased out paper tax refund checks.
Speaker 14 (23:22):
The IRS will request banking information on all tax returns
to issue refunds via direct deposit or electronic funds transfer.
And there is help for those without access to bank accounts,
so options such as prepaid debit cards, digital wallets, or
limited exceptions will be available.
Speaker 13 (23:39):
Why the change, K Part says security, so checks can't
get lost or stolen, and it'll speed up refunds. With
a year end tax tip by Michelle Franz and ABC.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
News, yup, it's that time of year now. The tax
year just took a turn. For somebody in Arkansas cashed
in on that big powerball drawing.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
Let's play.
Speaker 15 (24:01):
That first number up is twenty five, followed by the
number fifty nine. We've got four fifty two, rounding it
out with thirty one.
Speaker 16 (24:14):
A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six numbers
in the Christmas eve powerball drawing winning somebody a one
point eight billion dollar top prize. It's the second largest
US lottery jackpot ever won. The winner can take the
money in a thirty year annuity or at a one
time lump sum of eight hundred and thirty five million dollars,
both before taxes. Of course, we might not know until
(24:35):
twenty twenty eight who won the one point eight billion
dollar jackpot because Arkansas allows its lottery winners to remain
anonymous for up to three years. Beyond the massive top prize,
players in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Virginia matched five of the six numbers to win a
million dollars apiece.
Speaker 17 (24:54):
Ey tickets across the country matched all five white balls,
earning a cool million dollar cash prize. On top of that,
thirty one tickets won one hundred thousand dollars prizes, and
one hundred and fourteen people are taking home fifty grand,
so not too shabby.
Speaker 15 (25:08):
We have yet to hear from the winner, but we
hope that they will come forward soon.
Speaker 18 (25:12):
I encourage whoever.
Speaker 19 (25:14):
The lucky person is to meet with their financial advisor
and their attorney before coming to the Claim Center.
Speaker 20 (25:20):
I think it's awesome that it came to Cabot Arkansas.
I think it's amazing for whoever won it. I think
that it is a huge blessing from God. I hope
that whoever won it has a giving heart and decides
to do something really good with it.
Speaker 6 (25:40):
Pretty crazy.
Speaker 12 (25:41):
I don't think anybody's ever want anything.
Speaker 20 (25:42):
It's all pray about it before, whether you're a believer
or not. I mean, such a large sum of money
at the hands of anyone can be such a blessing
or so dangerous to just pray about what you're supposed
to do with it.
Speaker 14 (25:55):
I think it's great.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
It gives a Cabot, you know on that or the.
Speaker 20 (26:00):
Lottery for one thing, and the scholarships instead.
Speaker 14 (26:04):
It's goods in school. Give it to yourself because there's
somebody you don't that knows you that.
Speaker 10 (26:11):
What's some money.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
You get to be anonymous for up to three years
in Arkansas if you win the lottery, So I feel
like that's probably something I would take advantage of. You
might be out driving around today. Maybe it was yesterday
if you're impatient and wanted to brave the remnants of
the storm, But today was a beautiful day to return
any gifts you didn't like.
Speaker 16 (26:36):
In the retail industry, it's called return youary. The week's
long period when people are bringing back nearly as much
as they're buying. The most often returned gifts, according to Axios, clothing, electronics,
and accessories like jewelry. The Returns Platform Seals says the
average value of the unwanted present falls in the one
hundred to two hundred dollars.
Speaker 18 (26:55):
Range if you're returning. The National Retail Federation says nearly
three quarters of all stores are now trying some sort
of return fee. It's sometimes called a restocking fee, and
this is money you don't get back when you buy
something online and then return it. For Marshalls and TJ Max,
it's now eleven dollars and ninety nine cents per mailed package,
so when you make a return, that amount will be
(27:17):
taken out of your total refund. Macy's charges ten bucks,
JC Penny and JA Crue have fees of about eight
dollars to mail back packages.
Speaker 19 (27:25):
The free returns that were offered train shoppers to overbuy,
and because returns aren't free, the retailer was having to
pay costing retailers about thirty dollars on average.
Speaker 18 (27:37):
There are some ways to avoid being charged.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
At Macy's.
Speaker 18 (27:41):
For example, if you join their loyalty program, there's no
return fee, and you can avoid all of the fees
if you return in store. And the timing of your
return matters. Holiday discounting started earlier than ever, with big
sales in October, so your gift could have been purchased
way back before Halloween. Now some stores have extended their
(28:02):
return windows until January or so, but the clock is ticking.
Speaker 16 (28:07):
It might have seemed like the perfect gift for that
special someone, but each year Americans exchange billions of dollars
in unwanted Christmas presents for cash, credit, or merchandise. Adobe
Analytics says the rush begins today, with return surging by
up to thirty five percent compared to earlier in the month. Ups,
FedEx and the Postal service love it because it extends
(28:27):
the holiday shipping rush well into January.
Speaker 18 (28:30):
Dreamforce, the largest AI of company, run in the background
of thousands of e commerce sites.
Speaker 12 (28:35):
It's literally getting better every single day, and it learns
more the more that you use it.
Speaker 18 (28:40):
Sales Force CEO Mark Benioff to say.
Speaker 12 (28:42):
I'm initiating a return and the process will start.
Speaker 18 (28:45):
And many bots these days can authorize a return or
track your shipment without ever escalating to a person.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
It knows you because you've already been working with that company.
Speaker 18 (28:54):
Now, I remember, these aren't search engines. Ask questions like
you're talking to a human.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Speak to it like we're speaking right now.
Speaker 20 (29:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I'm lucky I don't have to return anything. I loved
everything I got. I really scored this Christmas. Hope you
did as well. Up next, four former controllers at the
East LA office of Southern California Gas Company have sued
the utility they saved. Their managers were misusing security cameras
to watch homeless people nearby, engaging intimate behavior and using drugs.
(29:26):
We'll talk about that, and an Lacity council woman who
is being raked over the coals on Twitter because of
some comments she made online about the new rent control
ordinance and why she supports it. Some folks are saying
she's not making any sense at all. We got another
hour of Michael Monk's reports coming up.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
KFI AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News with you on this Saturday night, our last Saturday
night of twenty twenty five, as we say goodbye to
this year. It's been a year full of challenges here
in southern California. We're going to talk about some of those,
including the challenges just dumped on us this week, But
we start with what you just heard there in the
(00:27):
newscast and in our traffic report, this ruptured gas line
in Castaic that has shut down part of the five Freeway.
Our partners at City News Services reports a gas line rupture,
possibly caused by a landslide, shut down all the lanes
on the five Freeway in the Castaic area as crews
work to turn off that gas. The initial call of
(00:48):
this ruptured gas line and possible explosion came around four
twenty this afternoon on a hill above the Golden State
Freeway just north of Lake Ques Road. Video from the
scene it did show a large cloud of debris floating
toward the freeway and a loud whoosh sound.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Could be heard.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
The CHP issued a SIG alert, shutting down northbound and
southbound signs of the freeway, with northbound traffic diverted to
State Route one two six and southbound traffic diverted to
Pair Blossom Highway that's also State Route one thirty eight.
There is a smell of raw eggs, which is what
natural gas might smell like. That was reported to the
(01:29):
LA Fire Department from residents in Granada Hills and Porter
Ranch and Silmar as well. Now, the LAFDS says the
La County Fire Department confirmed the gas line rupture. The
gas company and county fire departments they're working together to
contain the leak. Video from NBC four reports nearby residents
(01:52):
have been told to shelter in place. Now, the LA
Fire Department has come out and updated that there is
no threat inside the city of Los Angeles where the
gas was smelled, but this is an ongoing situation that
we will continue to monitor throughout the evening.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Again, we are live.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
In that weird interlude period between Christmas and New Year's,
the time where folks start to forget what day of
the week it is, especially next week, when some folks
will be back at work, some folks are not, and
you get a little restless. But my goodness, what weather
we had. You know, you don't expect a white Christmas
(02:33):
in Los Angeles, but a wet Christmas like that is
absolutely crazy. It dumped so much on us, and we
now know that not only was their rain, not only
were their challenges to our road infrastructure with flooding, but
(02:55):
we have confirmation that a tornado landed boil Heights. Stand
by for this technical difficulty I'm having. I've got some
reports from the National Weather Service, and we've got comments
from Mayor Bass about this tornado situation. But in the meantime,
I'll just recap with my own voice for your listening pleasure.
(03:19):
What they've confirmed is this was an EF zero tornado,
that is the weakest category on that scale, but a
tornado nonetheless touchdown around ten ten Thursday morning and boil Heights.
The National Weather Service has confirmed that it had a
maximum wind speed of eighty miles per hour and traveled
(03:40):
just three tenths of a mile at a width of
about thirty yards. Now, this type of tornado tends to
have a wind speed between sixty five and eighty five
miles per hour.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
There was some damage.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
It first happened at a house on Lee Street there
in Boil Heights, damage to the surface and structure of
the roof there, water was leaking inside. Several business signs
were destroyed. At a strip mall there on Whittier Boulevard
and Lorena Street, a utility pole was bent that had
to be fixed quickly. There were some tree branches down,
(04:14):
and some of the sound that I was going to
play for you if we get this technical glitch fixed,
it does have eyewitnesses talking about how scary this was.
I mean, you know, this isn't the planes. You're not
used to seeing, even tiny tornadoes like this. They do,
of course happen, But in the midst of this chaotic
(04:36):
and terribly annoying rainstorm that we had, a tornado lands
in the middle of it all. And it's Christmas, so
people are wanting to be out and about. I can
tell you from taking a few days off and sitting
around downtown it was utterly dead down there, just completely dead.
(05:01):
It was worse than right Wood. And we are paying
attention to right Wood. I do have some reports from
right Wood to play for you tonight that indicate that
situation deteriorated. The good news is the people in right Wood.
They know this all too well. You know they've been
through this and they are doing their best to get
(05:24):
through this. One of the clips it includes a guy
who says, you know, we've been through fires, we've been
through floods, we've been through mudslides. We'll get through this
one as well. But that seemed to be the area
that was hit the hardest. Also, an avalanche in at
(05:44):
Mammoth Mountain and it got a couple of ski patrollers
who were caught in a slide. They had to be
taken to the hospital there and one of them sustained
serious injuries. That's a scary situation. So you've had all
of the rain falling, a tornado on the ground, here,
you have the mud slides, and then in the mountains
(06:06):
you had an avalanche.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
It was just absolute chaos.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
And then you get to today and it was just
lovely and downtown La where I spent the afternoon, was
buzzing again.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
It was very crowded.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
You could feel that folks were excited to get back
out of their homes and into some sense of activity
after being cooped up, maybe with some relatives that you're
not too excited to see every year. And it was
buzzing again, So back to normal, I suppose until what
the middle of next week, where we're gonna have more
rain dumped on us, just in time to celebrate the
(06:43):
end of this year and the beginning of a new one.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
We'll keep an eye on that forecast all next week.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I'll be here back at work on Monday bringing you
the news, so we'll watch that weather situation.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
But for the next couple of hours, we've got a
lot to get to.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Hopefully we can recap the weather event by Folks are
out on the roads again coming back. We talked last
week about the intense holiday travel as folks were leaving
Los Angeles to go out and see their loved ones
for Christmas. Well now they're all turning around and coming back,
and that is causing some problems because obviously the roads
(07:18):
are packed, but a lot of airports around the country
are being hit with different kinds of weather, maybe rainstorms,
maybe snow, and the airports are being hit pretty hard.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Right now as well.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
It's also time to think about sending some gifts back,
and it's not as easy as it used to be
when it comes to being cheap might cost you. Also,
later this hour, a popular local restaurant. It's been around
for decades. Tonight's It's last night. And another Los Angeles
(07:52):
restaurant that has been around longer than that that was
supposed to close in the summer and then in the
fall and then on New Year's Eve, saying it's going
to stay, hoping a little bit longer as it continues
to hope that somebody buys it. That's all coming up
on Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
This is Michael Monk's Reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News with you until nine o'clock to night. Let's recap
that tornado situation here in Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
They sent a team to Boyle Heights to see if
damage was caused by a possible tornado on Christmas morning.
Meteorologist Ariel Cohen says the agency received multiple reports of damage,
including video of a home that shows a roof blown off.
Cohen says it could have been caused by a weak tornado.
Eyewitness News says there were no reports of injuries.
Speaker 5 (08:48):
Signs ripped from buildings and tossed to the ground, branches
and debris flying through the air, Maurice COO's Tampico had
only been open for minutes on Christmas Day when workers
at the Royal Heights restaurant heard glass shattering.
Speaker 6 (09:02):
Sign for the smoke shop that got torn off, ripped down,
came down and it hit both of these glass windows
and they broke off.
Speaker 5 (09:10):
Tiled and pieces of a rule twirling through the air
above homes in the nearby neighborhood.
Speaker 6 (09:15):
Do we hear this big gust of wind like hitting
our window and then all of a sudden we look
outside and the roof of the.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Neighbors just flying all over the place.
Speaker 5 (09:24):
The main message to Angelino's is we can't look at
ourselves as different and immune for extreme weather events like
we might have in the past.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Confirmed tornado enhanced Fajita scale levels zero eighty miles per hour, winds,
path length quarter mile.
Speaker 7 (09:43):
Some of the damage here signs that were completely blown
out by the strong winds, and one of the businesses
across the street told us they had only been open
for minutes on Christmas Day when debris shattered their front windows.
We've also been told that twenty six hundred so Cal
Edison customers in that part of the county are still
without power. As a girl who's grown up in southern California,
(10:03):
I cannot believe I'm saying this, but this is where
weather experts have confirmed a tornado briefly touched down on
Christmas Day. This storm brought all kinds of destructive Christmas
chaos to Southern California. And can tell you this was
one of the wettest Christmases on record for us here
in socol no doubt.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
A wet one, a windy one, a tornatic one. In
the city of Los Angeles, in the neighborhood of Boyle
Heights on Christmas Day, a F zero tornado touching down there. Meanwhile,
the situation in right Wood much worse. Rain overtook entire
neighborhoods in right Wood. Floods there shifted to the earth,
(10:42):
ceiling off homes, some nearly to the roof, caked in mud,
roads washed away all of the system's snarling travel. As
the holiday crush is set to begin, it is.
Speaker 8 (10:52):
Pouring yet again for at least the third straight day
in a row, when in communities like this one, there
is little place for that water left to go. River
and creek beds are swelling with all of this rain.
That has been falling for days now. San Bernardino County
deputies say things are beginning to improve. Conditions have stabilized.
They say people who were under evacuation warnings are now
(11:13):
able to be returning to their homes. But if you
live in a community like this, and there are several
like this across southern California, there is simply no way.
Speaker 9 (11:21):
To get to those homes.
Speaker 10 (11:23):
In the small mountain community of Lytle Creek, residents spent
Christmas morning navigating slabs of cracked concrete the road there,
buckling under the pressure of raging floodwaters.
Speaker 11 (11:33):
Everything was flooded. It was insane like cars had to
stop in.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
The middle and the desert.
Speaker 10 (11:38):
Drivers had to abandon cars to save themselves.
Speaker 11 (11:42):
In the past week, an atmospheric river dumping relentless rain
across southern California, washing away roads and stranding drivers. La
County fires as more than one hundred people were pulled
from blooded vehicles on Christmas Day alone and north of
Los Angeles and Rightwood mudslide swallowing cars and pressing against homes.
Family sifting through mud and debris. Many left without power.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
We like it here so much. We're never gonna move
no matter what happened. For we've pad you evacuate three
or four times and we've been through it all so
and we're still here, so we're not moving. This is
the worst of ever so since we've been here. We
had some flooding in our downstairs, but we've got it.
(12:25):
We've got it under control pretty fast, so we're good
to go. Let's see, we've survived the blizzard of twenty
twenty three, we survived the fires of twenty twenty four,
and now the flooding of twenty twenty five, so Rightwood strong.
Speaker 7 (12:38):
We were up in Rightwood speaking with families on Christmas
night dealing with unfathomable damage. We saw several homes filled
with several feet of mud, rock and debris. Cars now
stuck in that dried mud and debris. Families there had
to evacuate and find shelter over the holiday. Some of
those homes now completely uninhabitable.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
You gotta appreciate the resilience in the voices of the
residents in Rightwood, but man, what a mess. If you've
seen any of the visuals out of that part of
our region, it's really really terrible. A lot of cleaning
up to take place there. So our thoughts are with
you all in right Wood as we end this very
difficult year in southern California and look forward to a
(13:21):
brighter win in twenty twenty six. Up next, a restaurant
that's operated for decades, very well known. It's last night tonight.
It will close at nine o'clock as this show is
going off the air, those doors will lock for the
last time. And another restaurant that we've told you about
all year, Historic Los Angeles Restaurant, said in the summer
(13:43):
it was closing, delayed its closure, then it was to
close at the end of this year. Don't They're going
to stay open a little bit longer. We'll talk about
both of those places. As Michael Monks Reports continues.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
You're listening to KFI Am six on demand.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
If you were planning to go to Brennan's Pub in
Marina del Rey, you miss your chance because it's closing tonight.
Nearly fifty years in business, this place has been known
for its turtle races, and those turtle races drew the
ire of In Defense of Animals and other animal rights
(14:24):
groups who protested the racing of turtles. In fact, just
before I came on the air, got to call in
the newsroom from a lady who reminded us she had
been on our airwaves a few months ago talking with
Mark Thompson, who was also big into animals, and sharing
why she was against these these turtle races and just
wanted to let us know that this business is closing.
(14:46):
And she emphasized that even though these animal rights groups
opposed the turtle races, they're sad to hear that the
business is going under. So Brennan's announced that it's shutting down.
It made a post on Instagram inviting patrons to its
final hours yesterday and today. There will be one last
turtle race at nine o'clock tonight. This is an event
(15:09):
that has been held on Thursdays typically for over forty
five years. It involves patrons betting on turtles that race
in a ring. Now, the proceeds from the turtle races
do benefit charities for homeless people, and the restaurant says
it's raised more than three hundred thousand dollars for that
cause over the years, despite the criticism from animal rights groups.
(15:31):
But this is a pub has been located on Lincoln
Boulevard for almost fifty years. Tonight the last night for
Brennan's Pub in Marina del Rey. Meanwhile, to downtown Los Angeles,
we reported in the summer that Cole's French Dip was
closing down after more than one hundred years. This is
the place that claims to have invented the French dip
(15:55):
sandwich roast beef dipped in Oju. They have a rivalry
with another century old restaurant here in Los Angeles, Philipps,
also in the downtown area, that makes the same claim.
Coals makes this claim, but they said it's the end.
Coals is going under. We're closing in the summer, But
then they extended that they would stay open to the fall.
(16:16):
But then in September they announced they would stay open
to the end of the year. Well, here we are,
it's the end of the year. What's next for Coals?
Will they post it on Instagram? We're keeping the history
and fun alive just a little while longer. La, We
love you. They say they'll be open through January. My
sources indicate to me that they're obviously hoping somebody with
(16:39):
some pockets comes in and buys it and keeps it
going in Perhaps they're in some hot and heavy negotiations,
and we'll see if Coles is not purchased and able
to stay alive a little bit longer, even beyond January.
It's been a This restaurant is right around the corner
(16:59):
from where I live. We like popping in there. They've got,
you know, a pool table. It's fun to shoot some pool,
have one of those famous sandwiches. It's a If you
haven't ever been to Coals, you should come down just
for that. I know downtown has a bad reputation, but
it's worth the visit. It is it is steeped in
Los Angeles history. It is Los Angeles history in a
lot of ways. It has seen a lot of Los
(17:20):
Angeles over a century. So do check it out, just
in case this is the last extension for Coals. Something
else in the news this week the high speed rail
train here in California.
Speaker 12 (17:35):
Other countries have them, Why not here a bullet train
between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Trump administration says
the plan is not viable. California sued, but last week
withdrew the court case, saying it well look for other
funding sources to complete a project estimated to cost more
than one hundred billion dollars. You're looking for private support,
taking the sunny view that losing federal funding offers a
(17:58):
new opportunity, Wayne Cabot, ABC News.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
There you go.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
California just this week has dropped its lawsuit that had
been filed against the Trump administration over the federal government's
withdrawal of four billion dollars for this high speed rail project. Remember,
this is a project that voters in this state authorized.
Voters in the state wanted a high speed rail train
that goes from Los Angeles to San Francisco, maybe longer
(18:24):
than that at some point, but that.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Was seventeen years ago.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
And the price tag of this thing much higher than
ever anticipated, and not a single track is usable yet
no train is moving. The project is estimated to cost
at this point more than one hundred billion dollars. There
(18:50):
allegedly focusing on a central piece of this thing in
the Central Valley, but not the Los Angeles or to
San Francisco yet, which were the two hubs that this
project was supposed to connect. So now they think they
will be able to seek private funding to keep this
(19:12):
project alive. Speaking of the Trump administration, and let's not
forget that Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy came to Los
Angeles had a news conference at Union Station lambasting this
high speed rail project. I was at that news conference.
This is not a project the Trump administration is a
(19:34):
fan of, but it's something that voters wanted at one time.
You get the sense that perhaps they're souring on it
because this is not how it was supposed to go.
And now where does it go? The train goes nowhere,
(19:55):
Where does the project go? Do they just cancel it?
Trump administry not a fan. This is the end of
the first year of the return of President Trump for
his second term, the first president since Grover Cleveland to
serve non consecutive terms in the White House.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
And historic political comeback.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
From this moment on America's dickline is over.
Speaker 9 (20:21):
President Trump quickly getting to work on campaign promises, a
flurry of executive actions, pardons for January six rioters, and
major cuts to government agencies through the Department of Government Efficiency.
The president implemented sweeping tariffs on nearly all trade partners
and sparked trade wars with China, Mexico, and Canada, leading
to higher prices on some goods. The President said he
(20:41):
could solve the Russia Ukraine War on day one, but
the fighting rages on, despite multiple meetings with President Zelinsky
and to summit in Alaska with President Putin. In July,
the President ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, and in
October he traveled to the Middle East to tou to
ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and the return her and
other remaining hostages.
Speaker 6 (21:01):
Those prayers of millions have finally been answered, and.
Speaker 9 (21:05):
This fall the longest government shut down in US history
forty three days. Karen Traver's ABC News The White House.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
We'll have some of those retrospectives of the year's big
stories from around the country as we continue here on
Michael Monks Reports. Up next, somebody won that powerball jackpot.
I was hoping we would get to talk about it again.
It's been an exciting couple of Saturdays as that jackpot
continued to grow and we all held tight to our tickets,
hoping maybe it would land in our hands.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Alas it was not to be.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
The winning ticket was sold in Arkansas, so we'll hear
what that means for that person who we still don't
know about.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
But coming up in our next hour.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I want you to stick around for after the clock
hits eight o'clock because there is a wacky lawsuit that's
been filed against one of our public utilities alleging that
some of the employees in that utility have not been
behaving well. And one of the allegations suggests that some
employees were using the surveillance videos to monitor the outside Okay,
(22:06):
not so bad, so far, right, monitor the outside of
one of the buildings and tended to linger a little
too long and zoom in even when they would find
homeless people engaging in intercourse. It's now headed to court.
We'll talk about that lawsuit at the top of the
(22:27):
eight o'clock hour here on Michael Monks Reports.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (22:39):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
It is the end of the year, which means it's
time to start planning for all those taxes.
Speaker 13 (22:48):
Getting ready. I'm Michelle Franson with a year end tax tip.
Usually the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers around this time
of year just start thinking about getting tax return documents together.
RS spokesperson Robin k Parts says that includes W two's
and statements.
Speaker 14 (23:04):
Most income is taxable, including unemployment, compensation, refund interest, and
income from the gig economy and digital assets.
Speaker 13 (23:12):
But this year there's a big change that will affect
next year's returns. K Parts says, as of September twenty
twenty five, the IRS phased out paper tax refund checks.
Speaker 14 (23:22):
The IRS will request banking information on all tax returns
to issue refunds via direct deposit or electronic funds transfer.
And there is help for those without access to bank accounts,
so options such as prepaid debit cards, digital wallets, or
limited exceptions will be available.
Speaker 13 (23:39):
Why the change, K Part says security, so checks can't
get lost or stolen, and it'll speed up refunds. With
a year end tax tip by Michelle Franz and ABC.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
News, yup, it's that time of year now. The tax
year just took a turn. For somebody in Arkansas cashed
in on that big powerball drawing.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
Let's play.
Speaker 15 (24:01):
That first number up is twenty five, followed by the
number fifty nine. We've got four fifty two, rounding it
out with thirty one.
Speaker 16 (24:14):
A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six numbers
in the Christmas eve powerball drawing winning somebody a one
point eight billion dollar top prize. It's the second largest
US lottery jackpot ever won. The winner can take the
money in a thirty year annuity or at a one
time lump sum of eight hundred and thirty five million dollars,
both before taxes. Of course, we might not know until
(24:35):
twenty twenty eight who won the one point eight billion
dollar jackpot because Arkansas allows its lottery winners to remain
anonymous for up to three years. Beyond the massive top prize,
players in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Virginia matched five of the six numbers to win a
million dollars apiece.
Speaker 17 (24:54):
Ey tickets across the country matched all five white balls,
earning a cool million dollar cash prize. On top of that,
thirty one tickets won one hundred thousand dollars prizes, and
one hundred and fourteen people are taking home fifty grand,
so not too shabby.
Speaker 15 (25:08):
We have yet to hear from the winner, but we
hope that they will come forward soon.
Speaker 18 (25:12):
I encourage whoever.
Speaker 19 (25:14):
The lucky person is to meet with their financial advisor
and their attorney before coming to the Claim Center.
Speaker 20 (25:20):
I think it's awesome that it came to Cabot Arkansas.
I think it's amazing for whoever won it. I think
that it is a huge blessing from God. I hope
that whoever won it has a giving heart and decides
to do something really good with it.
Speaker 6 (25:40):
Pretty crazy.
Speaker 12 (25:41):
I don't think anybody's ever want anything.
Speaker 20 (25:42):
It's all pray about it before, whether you're a believer
or not. I mean, such a large sum of money
at the hands of anyone can be such a blessing
or so dangerous to just pray about what you're supposed
to do with it.
Speaker 14 (25:55):
I think it's great.
Speaker 6 (25:56):
It gives a Cabot, you know on that or the.
Speaker 20 (26:00):
Lottery for one thing, and the scholarships instead.
Speaker 14 (26:04):
It's goods in school. Give it to yourself because there's
somebody you don't that knows you that.
Speaker 10 (26:11):
What's some money.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
You get to be anonymous for up to three years
in Arkansas if you win the lottery, So I feel
like that's probably something I would take advantage of. You
might be out driving around today. Maybe it was yesterday
if you're impatient and wanted to brave the remnants of
the storm, But today was a beautiful day to return
any gifts you didn't like.
Speaker 16 (26:36):
In the retail industry, it's called return youary. The week's
long period when people are bringing back nearly as much
as they're buying. The most often returned gifts, according to Axios, clothing, electronics,
and accessories like jewelry. The Returns Platform Seals says the
average value of the unwanted present falls in the one
hundred to two hundred dollars.
Speaker 18 (26:55):
Range if you're returning. The National Retail Federation says nearly
three quarters of all stores are now trying some sort
of return fee. It's sometimes called a restocking fee, and
this is money you don't get back when you buy
something online and then return it. For Marshalls and TJ Max,
it's now eleven dollars and ninety nine cents per mailed package,
so when you make a return, that amount will be
(27:17):
taken out of your total refund. Macy's charges ten bucks,
JC Penny and JA Crue have fees of about eight
dollars to mail back packages.
Speaker 19 (27:25):
The free returns that were offered train shoppers to overbuy,
and because returns aren't free, the retailer was having to
pay costing retailers about thirty dollars on average.
Speaker 18 (27:37):
There are some ways to avoid being charged.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
At Macy's.
Speaker 18 (27:41):
For example, if you join their loyalty program, there's no
return fee, and you can avoid all of the fees
if you return in store. And the timing of your
return matters. Holiday discounting started earlier than ever, with big
sales in October, so your gift could have been purchased
way back before Halloween. Now some stores have extended their
(28:02):
return windows until January or so, but the clock is ticking.
Speaker 16 (28:07):
It might have seemed like the perfect gift for that
special someone, but each year Americans exchange billions of dollars
in unwanted Christmas presents for cash, credit, or merchandise. Adobe
Analytics says the rush begins today, with return surging by
up to thirty five percent compared to earlier in the month. Ups,
FedEx and the Postal service love it because it extends
(28:27):
the holiday shipping rush well into January.
Speaker 18 (28:30):
Dreamforce, the largest AI of company, run in the background
of thousands of e commerce sites.
Speaker 12 (28:35):
It's literally getting better every single day, and it learns
more the more that you use it.
Speaker 18 (28:40):
Sales Force CEO Mark Benioff to say.
Speaker 12 (28:42):
I'm initiating a return and the process will start.
Speaker 18 (28:45):
And many bots these days can authorize a return or
track your shipment without ever escalating to a person.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
It knows you because you've already been working with that company.
Speaker 18 (28:54):
Now, I remember, these aren't search engines. Ask questions like
you're talking to a human.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Speak to it like we're speaking right now.
Speaker 20 (29:00):
Now.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
I'm lucky I don't have to return anything. I loved
everything I got. I really scored this Christmas. Hope you
did as well. Up next, four former controllers at the
East LA office of Southern California Gas Company have sued
the utility they saved. Their managers were misusing security cameras
to watch homeless people nearby, engaging intimate behavior and using drugs.
(29:26):
We'll talk about that, and an Lacity council woman who
is being raked over the coals on Twitter because of
some comments she made online about the new rent control
ordinance and why she supports it. Some folks are saying
she's not making any sense at all. We got another
hour of Michael Monk's reports coming up.
Speaker 1 (29:44):
KFI AM six forty on demand
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