July 23, 2025 • 44 mins
Amy King hosts your Wednesday Wake Up Call. ABC News’ Patrick Reevell opens the show talking about Russia and Ukraine setting up for talks. ABC News technology reporter Mike Dobuski joins the show for ‘Wired Wednesday.’ Today, Mike talks about OpenAI’s new ‘Agent,’ and the first major federal Crypto Law. Courtney Donohoe from Bloomberg Media joins the show to give a business and stock market update. The show closes with ABC News national correspondent Steven Portnoy talking about the House ending legislative session early over Epstein impasse.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty wake Up Call
with me Amy King on demand on the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
App KFI and KOST HD two, Los Angeles, Orange County.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
It's time for your morning wake up call.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Here's Amy King.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Amy King's working on it.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
So she's plugging in here. She is, well, I'm here,
but I can't hear myself.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Oh that's weird. Keep your headphones.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I can hear headphones. Dot. Okay, let me plug in
over where you are. Hey, this is behind the curtains.
We're trying to figure this out. Weird, right, Oh now
I hear it all right. Well we'll work on that
a little bit later. But welcome to your wake up call.
You know, it's always I always talk at when you
have your routines and things get a little thrown off,
(01:03):
and when your headphones don't work and you can't hear
yourself talking, you're like, am I on the air?
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Am I on the air.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
We're here. It's Wednesday. This is your wake up call.
It's July twenty third, five months and two days till Christmas.
No sorry, okay. If you recall, I've told you about
my ring camera that I it took me three months
to install it and now it's in. And one of
(01:32):
the things that you get with a ring camera is alert,
so it's like the next door AP, but it's the
ring alert app. I swear I wanted to turn it off,
and I've been meaning to turn it off. But some
of these things are so entertaining that I just keep them.
So I got a couple just I mean, and they're ridiculous.
(01:56):
Here's one at twelve twenty four am. Is this a
possum stranger was checking doors early in the morning. Looks
like he checked the neighbor's door too.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
This one just says bear loud explosion. Anyone know what
that was? And this is my favorite from yesterday were
those gunshots around Romaine and Serrano. Just now? Anyway, I've
got some free stuff to give out, including a game system. Seriously,
I just find it so funny. Anyway, here's what's ahead
(02:30):
on wake up Call. The man who allegedly drove into
a crowd outside a nightclub and heast Hollywood has been
charged with thirty seven counts of attempted murder. Palis Twenty
nine year old Fernando Ramirez drove his car onto a
sidewalk early Saturday morning, after he got kicked out of
the nightclub. He was pulled out of the car by
the crowd. Someone ended up shooting him in the back.
Police are still looking for that shooter. The death toll
(02:52):
from the wildfire in Alta Dina has grown to nineteen
after human remains were found in the burn area. The
La County Medical Examiner says the remains were discovered on Monday.
They have not been identified. Twelve people were also killed
in the fire in Pacific Palisades. Thirty one people in
all were killed in January's wildfires. Tributes are flooding in
(03:13):
for Ozzy Osbourne, who died yesterday. Black Sabbath guitarist and
co founder Tony Iami says his dear friend Ozzy passed
away just weeks after their final show, which was on
July fifth at a soccer stadium in his hometown. Osbourne
suffered from Parkinson's, but no cause of his death was given.
Ozzy Osbourne was seventy six. As the fighting rages on
(03:36):
Ukraine and Russia, talks are scheduled. ABC's Patrick Reevel's going
to join us in just a couple of minutes to
tell us whether they're expecting any sort of a breakthrough.
It's not Secret Agent Man, it's AI Agent. ABC's tech
reporter Mike Tubusky's going to tell us what that is
and what it does. That's coming up at five point twenty,
(03:57):
Jeffrey Epstein has disrupted business on Capitol Hill. ABC. Stephen
Portenoy's going to join us to tell us how that's
coming up before the top of the hour. Also coming up,
Amy's on it. It's nominated for a bunch of Emmys,
but I kind of think it's barely worth the watch.
Let's get started with some of the stories coming out
(04:17):
of the KFI twenty four hour News You're Emmy. Metal
rocker Ozzy Osbourne has died weeks after his farewell show.
His family didn't give a cause of death yesterday, but
Osborne revealed in twenty twenty that he had Parkinson's disease.
ABC's Jason Nathan sin says Osbourne was nineteen when he
(04:39):
co founded the band Black Sabbath.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Band helped to find the metal genre, thanks in part
to Osborne's vocals on classic tunes including.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Iron Man paranoid As.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Wild behavior, sometimes fueled by drinking drugs, earned him the
nickname the Prince of Darkness and the Metal Madman.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Osborne was introduced to younger fans with his family's reality
show in two thousand and two. Ozzy Osbourne seventy six.
LA School District Superintendent Alberto Carvallo has used his opening
of schools addressed to criticize the federal government over immigration
raids in La. He says students have had to go
through things they should not have to endure.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
Weeks of immigration raids.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Helicopters overhead militarized vehicles.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
In our streets. The new LA School District year is
scheduled to start Monday, August eleventh. Wow, it's school time already.
Community action group LA Urban Policy Roundtable says the city
has more expansive and hazardous garbage dump heaps than any
other city in the US. It says the dumping is
(05:40):
primarily in the poorest, predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods in
South LA. Roundtable president Earl of Fari Hutchinson says the
city officials need to set up a permanent trash cleanup
and removal program in those neighborhoods. Let's see if there's
any crashes on the freeways and say good morning to
Will Coleschreiber.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, we've got some little problems out there.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Ninety one westbound right there at the fifteen, vehicle went
over the side. Shpe's trying to figure out exactly what
happened there. You know, we've got a big slow down.
This is going to be in the Claremont area. On
the two ten two ten westbound at Fruit Street. Looks
like a crash there. Traffic's backed up to baseline as
they work on that one. The one on one southbound
(06:22):
at Gower reports earlier this morning of a little fire
burning off the side of the freeway, so we're keeping
an eye on that. Same goes for the northbound side
of the four or five at Sepulveda. Northound side of
the four or five at su Pulvit it looks like
possibly a little fire burning there as well. And a
ladder four or five northbound right there at the seven
tenants in the carpool length only hit that with Southern
(06:43):
California's most accurate traffic reports.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I Will Cole Schreiper, Thank you Will. By the way,
I think I figured out the headphone thing. Can can
I have my headphone jack back? We're gonna switch it
back over. We're gonna do a little test on the air.
It's live, folks. Okay, So I just hadn't turned up
the volume on the board. Yeah, that was me. I
discovered that. Okay, it's five seven on your Wednesday morning
(07:07):
wake up call. Let's say good morning to ABC's Patrick
REvil in London. Patrick, negotiations or taking another shot at
ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. What's the latest?
Speaker 7 (07:19):
Good morning. Yeah, we expect to see another round of
negotiations this evening in Istanbul in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine.
This is the first time since President Trump issued his
fifty day ultimatum the two sides will be beating. It's
also the first time in a couple of months that
they're trying this. But I think, as we saw in
the last round, has very little expectation that anything very
(07:41):
meaningful will come from this, at least in terms of
trying to end the war. It's possible we might see
them agreed again to us a prisoner exchange as an
effort also to return Ukrainian children who were taken by Russia,
But right now there's very little sense that either side
has changed their fundamental positions. But all of this, I
should say, is being overshadowed by political crisis that Vladimir
(08:02):
Zelenski has triggered back in Ukraine the overnight signed a
controversial bill that strips the independence of two anti corruption
bodies and now spark the first significant street protests that
we've seen in Ukraine since Russia's full scale invasion. This
is really the biggest political crisis that Zelenski has faced
since the war began.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Really, Okay, and then Patrick, what is the you mentioned
that was the first protest in Ukraine? What was what
is the protest about?
Speaker 7 (08:32):
Yes, you know, I think this is only really starting
to filter out. You know, people see ire seeing the
headlines coming out of Ukraine and are thinking it's sort
of more in the weeds, sort of internal domestic politics.
But this is a major political crisis where basically, yesterday
Zelensky rushed a bill through parliament that strips the independence
of two anti corruption investigative bodies. These bodies were set
(08:56):
up following Ukraine's revolution back in twenty fourteen and are
seen as essential to allow Ukraine, for example, to join
the European Union, and it provoked protests. The first ones
we've seen since the war. We've seen hundreds of people,
perhaps a few thousand now in different parts of the country,
mostly in Kiev. But the uproar is huge. And the
(09:17):
reason is that people basically see this as a return
to the battle day of Ukrainian politics that they had
hoped was going away, and that in many cases people
felt they were fighting this war in order to get
away from And I think this is going to trigger
also a major crisis in relations with Ukraine's Western backers,
because ultimately it's sort of striking at the heart of
(09:40):
why they think they are supporting President de Lensk, who
is being seen as this icon of democracy. But if
his office is willing to do this and strip away
a safeguard against corruption, and it's believe you know, the
critics who are talking about it are saying they feel
this is a pretty naked attempt to try and shield
(10:00):
people in his office from investigation, then this obviously causes
a huge problem for his legitimacy.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Okay, and then Patrick, did Zelenski give any reason for
getting rid of these anti corruption organizations or just he
just kind of said, Okay, we're doing away with that,
and then nothing was said.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
No, so late last night he issued a statement on
camera and basically he's justified it, saying that these bodies
have been infiltrated by Russia and saying they're not working
effectively and have been corrupted also by other Ukrainian oligarchs.
But I think ultimately the voices who are criticizing him
are people who are extremely pro Ukrainian, pro European and
(10:41):
who for the last decade have been campaigning to try
and make the country more democratic, and who supported Zelenski.
But they are calling this out as a major backslide
towards the more authoritarians type of rule, and they're ultimately
also pointing fingers at Zelenski's chief of staff, who is
this figure called Andrew Yrmak, who has been very unpopular
(11:02):
in Ukraine for some time and who has been taking
steps to centralize power. And so I think this is
seen as a huge self inflicted own goal at the moment,
and I think we will start to see it become
bigger and bigger as a scandal, and likely we will
see some kind of reaction at some point or so
from the United States. We already seeing a reaction from
the European Union who are saying this can hold back
(11:25):
Ukraine's ability to join the European Union.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Okay, and then in a more near term, could this
have an effect on the talks that are scheduled between
Russia and Ukraine or do you think that's something separate.
Speaker 7 (11:38):
It's a good question. I mean, I think you know
these talks are going ahead. It was a kind of
surprise that they were happening right now. They've been talking
about it for a few weeks, but then President Lenski
over the weekend, let's go ahead and do it. I
think it can absolutely have an effect in that. You know,
just months ago President Trump and President Vladim Mputin were
(11:58):
criticizing Zelenski as illegitimate. At the time, Ukrainian Civil Society
stood up for him and said this is absolutely not
the case. But this step potentially strongly changes that, and
it hurts Zelenci's legitimacy as he tries to get into
his talk, something that Ladima Pustin will be very aware
of and something that potentially makes a piece still more difficult.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Okay. ABC's Patrick Reevil in London, thanks so much for
the information. We appreciate it. Thank you, all right, let's
get back to some of the stories coming out of
the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Quick thinking by Delta
pilots has avoided a near collision in Mexico. ABC's Geo
Benitez says a plane headed to Atlanta was taking off
in Mexico City Monday.
Speaker 8 (12:39):
At the same time. Air traffic control also cleared an
Aero Mexico jet to land on the same runway. The
Delta pilots saw that aircraft flying right over them as
it came in for landing and slammed on its bricks.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
He says the planes were just two hundred feet apart
when the Delta Jane jet aborted its takeoff. Okay, that
would be Gary. President Trump has announced what he calls
a massive trade agreement with Japan.
Speaker 9 (13:05):
We worked on it long and hard, and it's a
great deal for everybody.
Speaker 10 (13:08):
I always say it has to be great for everybody.
It's a great deal.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Trump spoke about the agreement during a White House event
last night, saying it includes a fifteen percent tariff on
Japan's exports to the US that's well below the twenty
five percent rate the Trump administration had threatened earlier this month.
Trump also says Japan will invest five hundred and fifty
billion dollars in the US and open the country to trade,
including cars and trucks, rice, and other agricultural products. The
(13:34):
President also announced a trade deal with the Philippines following
a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Junior at the White
House yesterday. The Philippines will pay a nineteen percent tariff,
the US will pay none. President Trump also said the
two countries will work together militarily. President Trump will be
pulling out of the UN Culture and Education Agency. This
(13:57):
will be the.
Speaker 11 (13:57):
Second time President Trump has moved to pull out of UNESCO,
as his first attempt was reversed under former President Biden.
UNESCO was founded after World War II to promote peace
through international cooperation and education, science, and culture. The move
will take effect on December thirty, first of next year.
Deborah mark koff I new.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Gallaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, might testify
before Congress in the next few weeks. ABC's Mary Bruce
says Maxwell could possibly give answers about Epstein's so called
client list.
Speaker 12 (14:32):
The Deputy Attorney General says he plans to meet with
Gallaine Maxwell soon in a statement her attorneys saying they
are quote grateful to President Trump for his commitment to
uncovering the truth in this case.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
She says, Maxwell has appealed her twenty year sentence. Americans
are definitely fat, but they're not necessarily lazy.
Speaker 9 (14:50):
New study says people in wealthier countries actually burn more
calories than in poor countries, despite having higher rates of obesity.
Research from Duke University says it's about ultra processed food.
Foods things like sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and ready to
eat meals are easier to digest. Less energy to digest
means more calories are stored in the body. The differences
in body fat between rich and poor countries were about
(15:11):
ten times greater than any differences in how many calories
people burned. Researchers say the root of obesity may not
be so much about laziness, but about cheap, convenient foods
engineered to be overeaten. Michael Krozer k if I knew six.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Months after the wildfire in Pacific Palisades, a mobile home
park remains covered in debris. Hundreds of residents who lived
there say the property owners don't plan to clear it
and they don't have the authority to clean it up themselves.
They say rebuilding can't be done until debris moved out.
LA City council Woman Tracy Park's office says the mobile
(15:45):
home park was not included in the FEMA and Army
Corps of Engineer's debris removal program. The doctor accused of
illegally providing ketamine to Matthew Perry's expected to plead guilty
to charges today. Prosecutors say Salvador Placentia illegally gave the
Friends Star the drug that killed him. Harry died of
an overdose at his home in Pacific Palisades in October
(16:06):
of twenty twenty three. Five people have been charged in
his death. Three have pleaded guilty. The Long Beach City
Council's voted to raised wages for concession workers at the
airport and convention center to twenty nine to fifty an
hour in time for the Olympics and the Paralympic Games
in twenty twenty eight. Long Beach is hosting several Olympic events,
including beach volleyball, sailing, rowing, canoeing, and water polo. In May,
(16:31):
Mayor bass In La signed a similar Olympic wage law
that raises the wage for LA tourism workers to thirty
bucks an hour by twenty twenty eight. Let's say good
morning now to ABC's tech reporter Mike Dubuski. Okay, Mike.
AI continues to move forward at warp speed, and this
week it's AI Agent. What is it and what does
(16:52):
it do?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Yeah, that's right. So agents are something that many AI
companies have been sort of aiming towards first several years now.
And what an agent is amy is a type of
artificial intelligence technology that can take action on your behalf.
In other words, it can order your groceries on Instacart,
It can write you out of PowerPoint presentation. And this
(17:14):
is all in contrast to the kind of AI technologies
that we have out there now that might be able
to like sketch you out an itinerary or an outline
for something, maybe answer your questions, but they can't actually
do anything. Agents do things. They have agency in other words,
hence the name. And that's where Open aiyes latest creation
(17:36):
comes into the picture. Chat GPT Agent is a setting
within chat GPT that the company says can book you
a trip on Expedia, it can run code, it can
create business slideshows and spreadsheets and open AI. CEO Sam
Altman says that this represents a new level of capability
for artificial intelligence, but is warning also about a lot
(17:59):
of potential risks because as we talk about whenever we
talk about generative AI, it does have a tendency to
go wrong. It hallucinates, it makes up facts, and that's
why he's saying this is not really meant for high
stakes use cases just yet and probably shouldn't be given
access to a ton of personal information.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Okay, So in the example of booking airline travel, because
we're talking about mistakes, and I know I don't use
a very much, but when I do, I do catch
it making mistakes, which scares me because I have such
rudimentary knowledge and use of it that somebody who's deeper
into it, you know, what are they going to discover?
But anyway, so like booking an airline ticket, they could
(18:40):
make a mistake. You could say, hey, book me a
flight to Portland.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
Yeah, and yeah, end up in the wrong Portland or
you end up somewhere else. Yeah. That's certainly a part
of the concern here. And you consider when the idea
that this has the potential to link up to some
of your personal accounts, right, you need to link it
to a credit card, if it's going to make any is,
need to link it to your email, if you wanted
to summarize your inbox for you. Well, there's some real
(19:06):
risk associated with that as well. What if it makes
a purchase that you didn't okay, or the wrong purchase,
or you know, you intend to make a purchase and
then it doesn't make one. That's all part of this, right.
The reliability factor here continues to be a pretty big
stumbling block for these technologies, and in the case of
chatg ept Agent, people who have used this technology in
(19:29):
the last few days since it launched towards the end
of last week have reported a number of strange and
unforced errors, in one case inventing fake Amazon links you
know that don't go anywhere. A lot of janky, sort
of unprofessional looking PowerPoint slides were created. I believe the
Verge was the one that actually referenced this as a
(19:51):
sort of an untrained day one intern that you really
need to keep a close eye on because it does
have a tendency to go wrong. As we said, you
can hook up your personal lif counts to all these systems,
but the general consensus among people who have used this
technology so far seems to be you should hold off
on that, at least in the case of chat GPT agent,
just given how pervasive these hallucination issues continue to be.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Yeah, and something like you mentioned a powerpoints side. I mean,
you can check that work, or if it books a
flight for you, you can check it. But like if
you say, hey, pay my mortgage, or like you said,
you know, make a purchase of something and it goes rogue,
that could be problematic.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Right right. Yeah, It's one thing to ask it to
do your grocery shopping for you. It's another thing to
ask it to buy a plane ticket, which can be
you know, several hundred dollars if not more. So that's
a pretty significant purchase. And I you know, at this
point it's probably unwise to leave it in the hands
of an untested technology.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Okay, So now maybe play play with it a little bit,
but don't trust it yet.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
Yeah, and if you do want to play with it,
there is a cost associated with this. Towards the end
of the last week, when this first was unveiled, it
was only unveiled to chat gept Pro customers. That is
the highest tier of subscription that OpenAI offers. That is
two hundred dollars a month. It's for the really dedicated
AI fans out there. But this week it is coming
(21:12):
to Changpt Plus, which is a more reasonable but still
somewhat pricey twenty dollars a month. The fact of the
matter is this is coming soon and they will be
facing competition in the next few months. We think Google
is working on a similar AI agent idea called Project Mariner.
We don't know exactly what form that's going to take,
but doubtless this part of the AI race is now
(21:34):
starting to heat up. Not just AI that answers your questions,
but AI that goes out and has some degree of
agency and decision making about itself.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
All right, ABC Tech reporter Mike Debuski, thanks for keeping
us up to date on the world that is AI
and still freaks me out.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
Of course, sand be happy to do it.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
All right. LAPD and Sheriff's investigators and the ATF have
searched some storage units in Marina del Ray in connection
with the explosion that killed three deputies in East Los Angeles.
The search yesterday was said to be tied to a
person believed to collect and store explosives. This woman lives
in the apartment complex. A little nervous, I think I
probably will go, say with my sisters and I in
(22:14):
Culver City and just not stay here. The three Sheriff's
detectives were killed Friday when a military style grenade exploded
at the training facility in East LA. The man accused
of crashing a car into a crowd of people in
East Hollywood is facing life in prison.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Fernando Ramirez has been charged with thirty seven felony counts
of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. LAPED
Chief Jim McDonald says Ramirez deliberately turned the car towards
the crowd of three dozen people on the sidewalk.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
And turned a popular nightlife district into a scene of
trauma and fear.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
It is truly a miracle that nobody was killed that night.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
McDonald says. Someone shot Ramirez in the aftermath of the crash.
Police are still looking for that person. The chief says
the suspect should be treated as armed and dangerous and
should not be approached. Michael Monks KFI News.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Former La County Sheriff Alex Vanueva's announced he's running for
his old job. Vianueva became sheriff in twenty eighteen. He
got beat by Sheriff Robert Luna in twenty twenty two
for his job. He says, over the last several years,
the county has seen the consequences of failed leadership, not
just in the Sheriff's department, but across local government. The
(23:20):
primary will be held next June. Orange County officials are
investigating a huge fish die off in Laguna Neguel Regional Park.
Hundreds of dead bass were found floating in a creek
at the park on Monday. OC County Supervisor Katrina Foley
says her staff is investigating algae, water quality, and bubblers
that add oxygen as possible causes for the mass die off.
(23:44):
Get amid of federal overhaul on student loans, a lot
of borrowers have been left wondering what it means for
their hopes of loan forgiveness.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
Those enrolled in a repayment plan known as income based
Repayment IBr have wondered if forgiveness will still be available
to them. A recent update from the education departments said
forgiveness through the IBr plan is paused while systems are updated.
The agency said IBr forgiveness will resume once those updates
are completed. IBr is not affected by a federal court's
injunction blocking former President Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education
(24:14):
or SAVE plan. Mark Ronner KFI News.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Billy Joel hasn't said if he'll be doing any more shows,
but he did say on Bill Maher's podcasts that he's
doing well overall. Billy Joel canceled shows scheduled for this
year and next year after he was diagnosed with a
brain disorder that leads to problems with hearing, vision, and balance.
He says he feels fine, but in his words, his
(24:39):
balance sucks. Eric Menendez has been taken to the hospital
with what his attorney calls a serious medical issue. He
was taken to a medical facility Friday. It might be
kidney stones. Eric and his brother Lyle were recent inced
to fifty years to life in May, which makes them
eligible for parole. They were both sentenced to life in
prison for killing their parents at their home in nineteen
(25:01):
eighty nine. Immigration raids have created the largest disruption to
Orange County's economy since the pandemic. That's according to Anaheim's
City council member Natalie Rubo Kava, about two hundred thousand
people are living in the county illegally. The OC Register
says twenty two percent of retail workers, fourteen percent of
construction workers, and eleven percent in manufacturing are here illegally.
(25:26):
In an out, owner Lindsay Snyder says the burger chain
isn't leaving California, but it is adding an Eastern Territory
office in Tennessee. Snyder says she wants to give employees
an opportunity to live somewhere more affordable, where they can
buy a house and raise a family. There's been backlash
after the company said the Irvine based fast food restaurant
(25:47):
was moving corporate offices, apparently not leaving California. Good News
at six oh five, it's handle on the news. President
Trump's calling it treason. Who's he accusing? Bill's gonna tell
us on it? Amy's it, Amy's on it? On it?
(26:09):
What am I on? I'm on the stream, I'm on movies,
I'm on books, TV shows, documentaries, you name it. There's
so much out there. How do you possibly pick what
you want to watch? Well, hopefully I can help you
nage navigate that a little bit. I take recommendations from
friends and watch them and then share them and let
you know whether it's worth investing your time in. So
(26:30):
something that I have been very invested in and lots
of other people have too, it's The Bear. Of course,
it's on Hulu. Just found out that it's nominated as
a comedy, which it is not unless you are Kono
and you think it is a comedy. Uh, don't get me.
That's gunky. It's funny, funny part okay, whatever. Uh So
(26:53):
it's nominated for a ton of Emmys. It's in its
fourth season. The whole season has dropped, of course, starring
Jeremy Allen White as The Bear. He's amazing And I
do have to remind myself sometimes when I'm watching this
show that these people are acting, and I think that
that's a really a good thing about the series is
like you buy into it, like these people and they're crazy.
(27:14):
It's they're so good at it that you just believe it,
which is a nice place to be because you know
when you're watching something and you're like, I don't really
believe that character, Well I don't find that with this series,
and even the characters you've really disliked grow on you,
which again doesn't always happen in shows. And I immediately
think of Succession, where you keep trying to want to
like them but you can't because they're so bad. But
(27:37):
this show you do start liking, even some of the
unlikable ones. And so season one of course chaotic and
fun and crazy and unhinged and entertaining. And then season
two still chaotic, but in a different way as the
team goes after their dream of opening like a really
high class restaurant, and then season three they get really interestspctive,
(28:00):
and I think it was too much. So season four
they're they're facing an impossible task, and it's great to see.
I will say that it's great to see that the
team members learn their lessons, like things go wrong, and
then they actually start to adapt. So it's fun because
like in some shows, you just see this people doing
(28:22):
the same thing over and over and over and over again,
and they never learn a lesson. In this show, they're
sort of starting to evolve, which is again on the
story arc. I love to see that, but is it
realistic that all of these people are going to all
have these revelations at the same time and start making
these changes. Probably not, but it's Hollywood. Doesn't really have
(28:43):
to be real, right. The first couple of episodes of
season four feel like a Kumbaya like again, like they're
they're learning lessons and they're changing and evolving, and I'm like, Okay,
this is cool. And then there are moments of brilliance
that like literally touch your heart, bring tears to your eyes,
and I love it when a show does that, like
it makes you just feel good and a little bit
(29:03):
warm on the inside. But overall, this season did come
up short for me. It's less about the kitchen, which
is what the show is about, and it digs and
it digs and it digs into the psyche of the
people and it gets kind of tedious. I'm like, really,
now we're going to explore him. And the finale was
(29:24):
not my favorite. It was actually hard for me to
get through. I was like, when is this going to
be over? It just kind of dragged on. So while
I still love the Bear, I was disappointed in this season.
I guess a little bit surprised that it was nominated
for so much because the season one was so unexpected
and great, and like Neil Sevadra had said, this is
the most realistic depiction of what happens in a kitchen.
(29:49):
It's still good, but like I said, it was disappointing
for me. So I would love to hear what you
have to say after you watch it. You want to
send me a direct message on Instagram or hit us
up on talk back and let us know what you think.
Time to get in your business now with Bloomberg's Courtney Donaho.
I'm very sad because you're telling me that my favorite
(30:09):
chocolate bar is about to cost more.
Speaker 10 (30:13):
You know what.
Speaker 13 (30:13):
I always try to give you happy news to start
out things, but no, today you're a buzzkill. No, I
am total buzzkilled because inflation is hitting the candy jar.
Hershey's said it'll be rolling out roughly double digit price increase.
And that's kind of funny because my kids want me,
want to go to the Hershey, the Hershey Park that
(30:34):
they have here in Pennsylvania. Ooh, so it's going to
cost a lot because they're going to roll out this
roughly double digit price increase.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
What double digit mean in the candy world, Well, they
didn't quite say.
Speaker 13 (30:49):
They didn't quite say. But double digit when you look
at what Lint did. Lint, the other candy maker, they
gave about a fifteen percent increase in the first half
of the year. But they wanted to say, and they
want to point out, it's not related to tariffs or
to trade. That was huge for them to point out.
But they said it's due to the unprecedented cost of
coco because the price of coco has surged supply shortages
(31:12):
in Ghana and Ivory Coast, and those two nations account
for more than sixty percent of global supplies. But coco
futures have more than doubled in the past two years,
and that's been a big game changer. It's completely upended
the chocolate industry. And of course we're seeing more and
more candy makers say, hey, we got to raise our
prices because of this.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Okay, so we're going to go from chocolate to high
tech and Texas Instruments. I remember them for making my
very first calculator. Oh, but they're they're having where the
speak and spell whatever, remember those those things that they Yeah,
they're having a tough go of it right now. In
the stock market, well.
Speaker 13 (31:49):
They're plunging in early trading today, analys said the tone
in the chip maker's earnings call yesterday afternoon grew increasingly negative.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
What they said was they have had.
Speaker 13 (32:00):
A big surge, a terra fuel surge, seeing that companies
were trying to get ahead of tariffs, and that gave
a big bump in demand. But some more analysts are saying,
you know what, that may not last. And this is
important because Texas Instruments is a bell weather. They leave
the market for analog chips, which convert real world things
like sound and pressure into electronic signals. But it has
(32:23):
the broadest lineup of products. It has the longest customer
list in the semiconductor field, making the company's earnings reports
huge and an important indicator of demand across a lot
of industries.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Okay, so we'll be watching that one. And then we
were talking about that Coca Cola is going more natural,
going to put cane sugar in the sodas, but there
to be problems with that, Yeah, definitely a big problem.
Speaker 13 (32:48):
The US doesn't grow a great deal of cain, making
up about thirty percent of overall American sugar supplies. The
rest comes from imports or sugar beets. So if cokex
kane sweetened version is a success, it would likely put
a big dent in our sugar supply. The higher demand
could require more imports, especially from Mexico, which has historically
(33:09):
been the biggest sugar supplier to the US and also
top sugar producer Brazil.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Well what about pure CNH CNH pure cane sugar from
Hawaii growing in the sun.
Speaker 13 (33:21):
We just don't make enough of it.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Oh, that's a problem. Thirty percent.
Speaker 13 (33:25):
So it seems like everything is either imports or seventy
percent of what we have. So we just can't make
enough for the demand out there. So coke's going to
cost more again, Yeah, probably because coc already makes a
bunch of products right now with cane sugar, and imagine
adding to that. And if this really takes off, and
(33:46):
look at what a cult favorite Mexican coc is, this
might be something that could be a huge hit and
that will be a big hit to our sugar supplies.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, well we'll be watching that and then we have
like ten seconds. But stocks are at a record high.
Speaker 7 (34:00):
Hi?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Why yes?
Speaker 13 (34:02):
I mean President Trump's finally starting to sign those trade
deals and that's giving the market some boost. Now, Japan
major training partner, and this agreement that we have with them,
that's potentially a big step forward toward the conclusion of
all these uncertainties that we're seeing in tariffs. If they
the thinking is, if we're going to get one with them,
(34:22):
it's going to just trickle down the line pretty quickly.
So right now, doal futures are up two hundred and
thirty points.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
All right, getting in your business as we do every
day with Bloomberg's Courtney Donaho. Thanks Courtney, see you later.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Former La County Sheriff alex Via Nueva wants his old
job back. He announced he's going to be running for
sheriff against Robert Luna in twenty twenty six. He promised
to rescue the Sheriff's department from what he calls paralyzing
dysfunction and says he'll rebuild it back to full strength
and restore our capacity to fight, solve, and prevent crime.
(34:56):
Things might be looking up a little bit in Hollywood.
New La Fi Film report shows TV shoots are starting
to bounce back up seventeen percent in the second quarter
of this year compared to the second quarter of twenty
twenty four, but feature films and commercial filming both saw
double digit declines. Overall production dropped six point two percent.
(35:16):
The LA Chargers could be facing a class action lawsuit
by fans and season ticket holders. A fourteen page complaint
claims fans are losing a home game at SOFI Stadium
and not being compensated for it. The Chargers game against
the Kansas City Chiefs has been moved from SOFI to
Brazil as part of the NFL's international schedule. The Chargers
will play in South Paulo on September fifth. We're just
(35:41):
minutes away from Handle. On the news this morning, the
waters have subsided, and now officials in Texas are looking
for answers tied to that deadly flooding. Right now, let's
say good morning to ABC's Stephen Portnoy. So, Stephen Jeffrey Epstein,
who's been dead for six years, is disrupting Congress how well.
Speaker 10 (36:02):
The question is whether the House is going to take
a vote to somehow compel or urge the release of
the Epstein files, and the decision has been made not
to hold such a vote. The House will take its
final votes today before sending members home to their districts
for about a month and a half a six week
August recess and why is that happening? Well, Republican leaders
(36:25):
say that they're now in lockstep with the White House
the Justice Department about seeking answers about Epstein, and there's
no need for the House of Representatives to take a
vote on a measure that would either urge or compel
the release of the materials, and so Speaker Johnson says
the White House and the Justice Department had this well
in hand and there's no need for further action. Democrats
(36:48):
see a political opportunity, and earlier this week in the
Rules Committee, which is a final stop for any bill
before it hits the House floor, the Rules Committee sets
the terms of debate, how much time there should be
for debate. Without the passage of a rule in that committee,
you can't have substant of action on the floor of
the House. And this week the Democrats in that committee
(37:09):
tried to force uncomfortable votes, and rather than taking those votes,
the Republican chairman said, will adjourn the committee, which means
no further action on substant of measures of legislation that
would hit the floor, which means the recess will start
without a vote on Epstein. And in fact, the recess
has been moved up a day to allow for members
to get out of town.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Okay, so they're actually ending the session a little bit
early because they're saying, oh, well, we have nothing to
do because we're not going to do any votes.
Speaker 10 (37:37):
That's basically it.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Okay, So why Stephen would Congress get involved if the
President said that he wants the grand jury materials that
are pertinent and irrelevant to be released.
Speaker 10 (37:50):
Because the people who know that the government is sitting
on its own files say that that's a bit of
a red herring and a distraction. That the grand jury
testimony is one element that prosecutors have used as they've
gone after Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring, resulting ultimately in
Galline Maxwell's conviction some years ago. But there's also evidence
(38:12):
that the Justice Department has in its own files that
are not necessarily covered by grand jury secrecy protections that
could be released tomorrow. The Justice Department announced earlier this
month that it was not going to do that, for
whatever reasons it had to protect the privacy of those
who might be named in the files who are not
accused of any wrongdoing. To protect the privacy of victims.
(38:36):
In particular, there is reference to the idea that their
images and video of underage girls child pornography that will
never see the light of day. Well, no one objects
to that. It's just the idea that there may be
information that the government is sitting on that has been
talked about for years by people who are now serving
in senior positions in this administration. Will all of a
sudden have turned around and said never mind, nothing more
(38:59):
to see here. And the President last week called it bs.
He said that it's only foolish Republicans want to know
more about it.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Okay, So then here's another question, Stephen. The Democrats are
now wanting the release of the files, right, they had
actually kind of downplayed it in the previous administration. So
is there concern that they might get more than they
bargained for if these files actually come out.
Speaker 10 (39:26):
I don't know that there's anything worth no bargain for.
I think that this is the idea is that Republicans
are trying to say, ah, but you never said when
you had the chance. Well, the fact is that for
years Republicans have been clamoring for this. It wasn't Democrats
who said that there needs to be an unearthing of
this material.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Right, they didn't want it released, now they do.
Speaker 10 (39:45):
Well, I don't know that they explicitly said they didn't.
It's just that never came up. It was more something
that Republicans on the outside of government were clamoring for
the suggestion that somehow there was this massive conspiracy. Well,
now the conspiracy theorists are suddenly in charge, and they're
the ones saying, never mind, nothing more to see here.
Oh but wait, maybe there is. Let's go down to
(40:07):
the jail, to the prison in Tallahassee, Florida, and let's
talk to convicted felon Gallaine Maxwell, which was the announcement
yesterday morning by the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, former
defense attorney for the President, who said that he hopes
to speak with Maxwell because the Justice Department says she,
the former companion of Jeffrey Epstein, who was alleged to
(40:29):
have recruited and even participated in some of this abuse
of victims, has never been asked, according to the Justice Department,
never been asked whether anyone else should be charged. Now
it's interesting because the Justice Department earlier this month, in
their memo which has gotten so much attention, said that
there's no evidence to even open an investigation into uncharged
(40:51):
third parties. Case closed. Nothing more to see here, and
yet the questions still keep getting asked, being asked by
the people who have alread. He said, there's nothing more
to see.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
Well, we'll have to wait and see if there is
more to see. ABC. Stephen Portnoy, thanks for helping us
peel back the onion as you do so well. Appreciate it.
You back, all right, Let's get back to some of
the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom.
The doctor charged in actor Matthew Perry's death as agreed
to plead guilty court papers shows Salvador, Placentia. We'll admit
(41:22):
to four felony counts today of distributing ketamine. Perry, who
starred in Friends, was found dead of an overdose at
his home in Pacific Palisades in twenty twenty three. Three
others have already pleaded guilty for their roles in the
actor's death. News brought to you by samper Solaris. The
death toll from the fires in Pacific Palisades and Alta
Dina in January is up to thirty one.
Speaker 6 (41:42):
On Tuesday, the La County Medical Examiner's Office announced additional
human remains were found at a home in Alta, Dina.
Authorities say the remains are directly related to the eat
And fire, which is now confirmed to have killed nineteen people.
Twelve people lost their lives in the Palisades fire. The
person found dead this week has not yet been identified.
Daniel Martindale CAFI News.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Part of Altadena has been granted Historic landmark status by
the La County Board of Supervisors.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
The historic Highlands was fortunate during the Eton fire in January,
the flames never touched it. Now, the early twentieth century
architecture and character could serve as an example for future rebuilding.
Resident Jana Meyer says it's critical that the neighborhood be protected.
Speaker 12 (42:21):
We've all lost a tremendous amount of Altadena history this year,
and we asked that you help us protect it in
the future.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
The landmark status keeps density low and allows restoration projects
to be eligible for tax credits. Michael Monks KFI News.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Columbia Universities discipline more than seventy students involved in recent
anti Israel protests. The students are either being suspended for
two years or expelled. This comes as the Trump administration
is withholding millions in federal grants from Columbia while it
accuses the university of failing to address what it calls
persistent harassment of Jewish students. Teenagers are increasingly turning to
(42:57):
AI for advice, emotional support, and decision making.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
Common Sense Media found over seventy percent of teens have
used AI companions, with many finding the interactions as satisfying
as talking to real friends. Experts warn this trend could
harm social skills and metal health as teens rely on
AI for validation and avoid real world challenges. Concerns also
include inappropriate content and the lack of regulation of AI platforms.
Researchers emphasize that while AI can assist, it shouldn't replace
(43:23):
human connections, especially during adolescents, a critical time for social
and emotional development. Mark Ronner KFI News.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I am
very scared of AI. Yeah, yeah, Today the Dodgers take
on the Twins at Dodgers Stadium, with first pitch going
out at one Ooh, I love a day game. Listen
to all the Dodgers games on AM five to seventy
LA sports and stream all Dodgers games in HD on
the iHeartRadio app. Keyword is AM five seventy LA Sports.
(43:52):
Brought to you by Navian High Efficiency water heaters, boilers
and the new np F hydro furnace. Learn more at
navianink dot com. This is KFI and KOST HD two
Los Angeles, Orange County live from the KFI twenty four
hour Newsroom. I'm Amy King. This has been your wake
up call. If you missed any of wake Up Call,
(44:13):
you can listen anytime on the iHeartRadio app. You've been
listening to wake Up Call with me, Amy King. You
can always hear wake Up Call five to six am
Monday through Friday on KFI AM six forty and anytime
on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
You're listening to KFI AM six forty wake Up Call
with me Amy King on demand on the iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
App KFI and KOST HD two, Los Angeles, Orange County.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
It's time for your morning wake up call.
Speaker 4 (00:22):
Here's Amy King.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Amy King's working on it.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
So she's plugging in here. She is, well, I'm here,
but I can't hear myself.
Speaker 4 (00:39):
Oh that's weird. Keep your headphones.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
I can hear headphones. Dot. Okay, let me plug in
over where you are. Hey, this is behind the curtains.
We're trying to figure this out. Weird, right, Oh now
I hear it all right. Well we'll work on that
a little bit later. But welcome to your wake up call.
You know, it's always I always talk at when you
have your routines and things get a little thrown off,
(01:03):
and when your headphones don't work and you can't hear
yourself talking, you're like, am I on the air?
Speaker 5 (01:08):
Am I on the air.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
We're here. It's Wednesday. This is your wake up call.
It's July twenty third, five months and two days till Christmas.
No sorry, okay. If you recall, I've told you about
my ring camera that I it took me three months
to install it and now it's in. And one of
(01:32):
the things that you get with a ring camera is alert,
so it's like the next door AP, but it's the
ring alert app. I swear I wanted to turn it off,
and I've been meaning to turn it off. But some
of these things are so entertaining that I just keep them.
So I got a couple just I mean, and they're ridiculous.
(01:56):
Here's one at twelve twenty four am. Is this a
possum stranger was checking doors early in the morning. Looks
like he checked the neighbor's door too.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Oh.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
This one just says bear loud explosion. Anyone know what
that was? And this is my favorite from yesterday were
those gunshots around Romaine and Serrano. Just now? Anyway, I've
got some free stuff to give out, including a game system. Seriously,
I just find it so funny. Anyway, here's what's ahead
(02:30):
on wake up Call. The man who allegedly drove into
a crowd outside a nightclub and heast Hollywood has been
charged with thirty seven counts of attempted murder. Palis Twenty
nine year old Fernando Ramirez drove his car onto a
sidewalk early Saturday morning, after he got kicked out of
the nightclub. He was pulled out of the car by
the crowd. Someone ended up shooting him in the back.
Police are still looking for that shooter. The death toll
(02:52):
from the wildfire in Alta Dina has grown to nineteen
after human remains were found in the burn area. The
La County Medical Examiner says the remains were discovered on Monday.
They have not been identified. Twelve people were also killed
in the fire in Pacific Palisades. Thirty one people in
all were killed in January's wildfires. Tributes are flooding in
(03:13):
for Ozzy Osbourne, who died yesterday. Black Sabbath guitarist and
co founder Tony Iami says his dear friend Ozzy passed
away just weeks after their final show, which was on
July fifth at a soccer stadium in his hometown. Osbourne
suffered from Parkinson's, but no cause of his death was given.
Ozzy Osbourne was seventy six. As the fighting rages on
(03:36):
Ukraine and Russia, talks are scheduled. ABC's Patrick Reevel's going
to join us in just a couple of minutes to
tell us whether they're expecting any sort of a breakthrough.
It's not Secret Agent Man, it's AI Agent. ABC's tech
reporter Mike Tubusky's going to tell us what that is
and what it does. That's coming up at five point twenty,
(03:57):
Jeffrey Epstein has disrupted business on Capitol Hill. ABC. Stephen
Portenoy's going to join us to tell us how that's
coming up before the top of the hour. Also coming up,
Amy's on it. It's nominated for a bunch of Emmys,
but I kind of think it's barely worth the watch.
Let's get started with some of the stories coming out
(04:17):
of the KFI twenty four hour News You're Emmy. Metal
rocker Ozzy Osbourne has died weeks after his farewell show.
His family didn't give a cause of death yesterday, but
Osborne revealed in twenty twenty that he had Parkinson's disease.
ABC's Jason Nathan sin says Osbourne was nineteen when he
(04:39):
co founded the band Black Sabbath.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
Band helped to find the metal genre, thanks in part
to Osborne's vocals on classic tunes including.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Iron Man paranoid As.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Wild behavior, sometimes fueled by drinking drugs, earned him the
nickname the Prince of Darkness and the Metal Madman.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Osborne was introduced to younger fans with his family's reality
show in two thousand and two. Ozzy Osbourne seventy six.
LA School District Superintendent Alberto Carvallo has used his opening
of schools addressed to criticize the federal government over immigration
raids in La. He says students have had to go
through things they should not have to endure.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
Weeks of immigration raids.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Helicopters overhead militarized vehicles.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
In our streets. The new LA School District year is
scheduled to start Monday, August eleventh. Wow, it's school time already.
Community action group LA Urban Policy Roundtable says the city
has more expansive and hazardous garbage dump heaps than any
other city in the US. It says the dumping is
(05:40):
primarily in the poorest, predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods in
South LA. Roundtable president Earl of Fari Hutchinson says the
city officials need to set up a permanent trash cleanup
and removal program in those neighborhoods. Let's see if there's
any crashes on the freeways and say good morning to
Will Coleschreiber.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, we've got some little problems out there.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Ninety one westbound right there at the fifteen, vehicle went
over the side. Shpe's trying to figure out exactly what
happened there. You know, we've got a big slow down.
This is going to be in the Claremont area. On
the two ten two ten westbound at Fruit Street. Looks
like a crash there. Traffic's backed up to baseline as
they work on that one. The one on one southbound
(06:22):
at Gower reports earlier this morning of a little fire
burning off the side of the freeway, so we're keeping
an eye on that. Same goes for the northbound side
of the four or five at Sepulveda. Northound side of
the four or five at su Pulvit it looks like
possibly a little fire burning there as well. And a
ladder four or five northbound right there at the seven
tenants in the carpool length only hit that with Southern
(06:43):
California's most accurate traffic reports.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
I Will Cole Schreiper, Thank you Will. By the way,
I think I figured out the headphone thing. Can can
I have my headphone jack back? We're gonna switch it
back over. We're gonna do a little test on the air.
It's live, folks. Okay, So I just hadn't turned up
the volume on the board. Yeah, that was me. I
discovered that. Okay, it's five seven on your Wednesday morning
(07:07):
wake up call. Let's say good morning to ABC's Patrick
REvil in London. Patrick, negotiations or taking another shot at
ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. What's the latest?
Speaker 7 (07:19):
Good morning. Yeah, we expect to see another round of
negotiations this evening in Istanbul in Turkey between Russia and Ukraine.
This is the first time since President Trump issued his
fifty day ultimatum the two sides will be beating. It's
also the first time in a couple of months that
they're trying this. But I think, as we saw in
the last round, has very little expectation that anything very
(07:41):
meaningful will come from this, at least in terms of
trying to end the war. It's possible we might see
them agreed again to us a prisoner exchange as an
effort also to return Ukrainian children who were taken by Russia,
But right now there's very little sense that either side
has changed their fundamental positions. But all of this, I
should say, is being overshadowed by political crisis that Vladimir
(08:02):
Zelenski has triggered back in Ukraine the overnight signed a
controversial bill that strips the independence of two anti corruption
bodies and now spark the first significant street protests that
we've seen in Ukraine since Russia's full scale invasion. This
is really the biggest political crisis that Zelenski has faced
since the war began.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Really, Okay, and then Patrick, what is the you mentioned
that was the first protest in Ukraine? What was what
is the protest about?
Speaker 7 (08:32):
Yes, you know, I think this is only really starting
to filter out. You know, people see ire seeing the
headlines coming out of Ukraine and are thinking it's sort
of more in the weeds, sort of internal domestic politics.
But this is a major political crisis where basically, yesterday
Zelensky rushed a bill through parliament that strips the independence
of two anti corruption investigative bodies. These bodies were set
(08:56):
up following Ukraine's revolution back in twenty fourteen and are
seen as essential to allow Ukraine, for example, to join
the European Union, and it provoked protests. The first ones
we've seen since the war. We've seen hundreds of people,
perhaps a few thousand now in different parts of the country,
mostly in Kiev. But the uproar is huge. And the
(09:17):
reason is that people basically see this as a return
to the battle day of Ukrainian politics that they had
hoped was going away, and that in many cases people
felt they were fighting this war in order to get
away from And I think this is going to trigger
also a major crisis in relations with Ukraine's Western backers,
because ultimately it's sort of striking at the heart of
(09:40):
why they think they are supporting President de Lensk, who
is being seen as this icon of democracy. But if
his office is willing to do this and strip away
a safeguard against corruption, and it's believe you know, the
critics who are talking about it are saying they feel
this is a pretty naked attempt to try and shield
(10:00):
people in his office from investigation, then this obviously causes
a huge problem for his legitimacy.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
Okay, and then Patrick, did Zelenski give any reason for
getting rid of these anti corruption organizations or just he
just kind of said, Okay, we're doing away with that,
and then nothing was said.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
No, so late last night he issued a statement on
camera and basically he's justified it, saying that these bodies
have been infiltrated by Russia and saying they're not working
effectively and have been corrupted also by other Ukrainian oligarchs.
But I think ultimately the voices who are criticizing him
are people who are extremely pro Ukrainian, pro European and
(10:41):
who for the last decade have been campaigning to try
and make the country more democratic, and who supported Zelenski.
But they are calling this out as a major backslide
towards the more authoritarians type of rule, and they're ultimately
also pointing fingers at Zelenski's chief of staff, who is
this figure called Andrew Yrmak, who has been very unpopular
(11:02):
in Ukraine for some time and who has been taking
steps to centralize power. And so I think this is
seen as a huge self inflicted own goal at the moment,
and I think we will start to see it become
bigger and bigger as a scandal, and likely we will
see some kind of reaction at some point or so
from the United States. We already seeing a reaction from
the European Union who are saying this can hold back
(11:25):
Ukraine's ability to join the European Union.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Okay, and then in a more near term, could this
have an effect on the talks that are scheduled between
Russia and Ukraine or do you think that's something separate.
Speaker 7 (11:38):
It's a good question. I mean, I think you know
these talks are going ahead. It was a kind of
surprise that they were happening right now. They've been talking
about it for a few weeks, but then President Lenski
over the weekend, let's go ahead and do it. I
think it can absolutely have an effect in that. You know,
just months ago President Trump and President Vladim Mputin were
(11:58):
criticizing Zelenski as illegitimate. At the time, Ukrainian Civil Society
stood up for him and said this is absolutely not
the case. But this step potentially strongly changes that, and
it hurts Zelenci's legitimacy as he tries to get into
his talk, something that Ladima Pustin will be very aware
of and something that potentially makes a piece still more difficult.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Okay. ABC's Patrick Reevil in London, thanks so much for
the information. We appreciate it. Thank you, all right, let's
get back to some of the stories coming out of
the KFI twenty four hour newsroom. Quick thinking by Delta
pilots has avoided a near collision in Mexico. ABC's Geo
Benitez says a plane headed to Atlanta was taking off
in Mexico City Monday.
Speaker 8 (12:39):
At the same time. Air traffic control also cleared an
Aero Mexico jet to land on the same runway. The
Delta pilots saw that aircraft flying right over them as
it came in for landing and slammed on its bricks.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
He says the planes were just two hundred feet apart
when the Delta Jane jet aborted its takeoff. Okay, that
would be Gary. President Trump has announced what he calls
a massive trade agreement with Japan.
Speaker 9 (13:05):
We worked on it long and hard, and it's a
great deal for everybody.
Speaker 10 (13:08):
I always say it has to be great for everybody.
It's a great deal.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Trump spoke about the agreement during a White House event
last night, saying it includes a fifteen percent tariff on
Japan's exports to the US that's well below the twenty
five percent rate the Trump administration had threatened earlier this month.
Trump also says Japan will invest five hundred and fifty
billion dollars in the US and open the country to trade,
including cars and trucks, rice, and other agricultural products. The
(13:34):
President also announced a trade deal with the Philippines following
a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Junior at the White
House yesterday. The Philippines will pay a nineteen percent tariff,
the US will pay none. President Trump also said the
two countries will work together militarily. President Trump will be
pulling out of the UN Culture and Education Agency. This
(13:57):
will be the.
Speaker 11 (13:57):
Second time President Trump has moved to pull out of UNESCO,
as his first attempt was reversed under former President Biden.
UNESCO was founded after World War II to promote peace
through international cooperation and education, science, and culture. The move
will take effect on December thirty, first of next year.
Deborah mark koff I new.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
Gallaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, might testify
before Congress in the next few weeks. ABC's Mary Bruce
says Maxwell could possibly give answers about Epstein's so called
client list.
Speaker 12 (14:32):
The Deputy Attorney General says he plans to meet with
Gallaine Maxwell soon in a statement her attorneys saying they
are quote grateful to President Trump for his commitment to
uncovering the truth in this case.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
She says, Maxwell has appealed her twenty year sentence. Americans
are definitely fat, but they're not necessarily lazy.
Speaker 9 (14:50):
New study says people in wealthier countries actually burn more
calories than in poor countries, despite having higher rates of obesity.
Research from Duke University says it's about ultra processed food.
Foods things like sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and ready to
eat meals are easier to digest. Less energy to digest
means more calories are stored in the body. The differences
in body fat between rich and poor countries were about
(15:11):
ten times greater than any differences in how many calories
people burned. Researchers say the root of obesity may not
be so much about laziness, but about cheap, convenient foods
engineered to be overeaten. Michael Krozer k if I knew six.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Months after the wildfire in Pacific Palisades, a mobile home
park remains covered in debris. Hundreds of residents who lived
there say the property owners don't plan to clear it
and they don't have the authority to clean it up themselves.
They say rebuilding can't be done until debris moved out.
LA City council Woman Tracy Park's office says the mobile
(15:45):
home park was not included in the FEMA and Army
Corps of Engineer's debris removal program. The doctor accused of
illegally providing ketamine to Matthew Perry's expected to plead guilty
to charges today. Prosecutors say Salvador Placentia illegally gave the
Friends Star the drug that killed him. Harry died of
an overdose at his home in Pacific Palisades in October
(16:06):
of twenty twenty three. Five people have been charged in
his death. Three have pleaded guilty. The Long Beach City
Council's voted to raised wages for concession workers at the
airport and convention center to twenty nine to fifty an
hour in time for the Olympics and the Paralympic Games
in twenty twenty eight. Long Beach is hosting several Olympic events,
including beach volleyball, sailing, rowing, canoeing, and water polo. In May,
(16:31):
Mayor bass In La signed a similar Olympic wage law
that raises the wage for LA tourism workers to thirty
bucks an hour by twenty twenty eight. Let's say good
morning now to ABC's tech reporter Mike Dubuski. Okay, Mike.
AI continues to move forward at warp speed, and this
week it's AI Agent. What is it and what does
(16:52):
it do?
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Yeah, that's right. So agents are something that many AI
companies have been sort of aiming towards first several years now.
And what an agent is amy is a type of
artificial intelligence technology that can take action on your behalf.
In other words, it can order your groceries on Instacart,
It can write you out of PowerPoint presentation. And this
(17:14):
is all in contrast to the kind of AI technologies
that we have out there now that might be able
to like sketch you out an itinerary or an outline
for something, maybe answer your questions, but they can't actually
do anything. Agents do things. They have agency in other words,
hence the name. And that's where Open aiyes latest creation
(17:36):
comes into the picture. Chat GPT Agent is a setting
within chat GPT that the company says can book you
a trip on Expedia, it can run code, it can
create business slideshows and spreadsheets and open AI. CEO Sam
Altman says that this represents a new level of capability
for artificial intelligence, but is warning also about a lot
(17:59):
of potential risks because as we talk about whenever we
talk about generative AI, it does have a tendency to
go wrong. It hallucinates, it makes up facts, and that's
why he's saying this is not really meant for high
stakes use cases just yet and probably shouldn't be given
access to a ton of personal information.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
Okay, So in the example of booking airline travel, because
we're talking about mistakes, and I know I don't use
a very much, but when I do, I do catch
it making mistakes, which scares me because I have such
rudimentary knowledge and use of it that somebody who's deeper
into it, you know, what are they going to discover?
But anyway, so like booking an airline ticket, they could
(18:40):
make a mistake. You could say, hey, book me a
flight to Portland.
Speaker 5 (18:44):
Yeah, and yeah, end up in the wrong Portland or
you end up somewhere else. Yeah. That's certainly a part
of the concern here. And you consider when the idea
that this has the potential to link up to some
of your personal accounts, right, you need to link it
to a credit card, if it's going to make any is,
need to link it to your email, if you wanted
to summarize your inbox for you. Well, there's some real
(19:06):
risk associated with that as well. What if it makes
a purchase that you didn't okay, or the wrong purchase,
or you know, you intend to make a purchase and
then it doesn't make one. That's all part of this, right.
The reliability factor here continues to be a pretty big
stumbling block for these technologies, and in the case of
chatg ept Agent, people who have used this technology in
(19:29):
the last few days since it launched towards the end
of last week have reported a number of strange and
unforced errors, in one case inventing fake Amazon links you
know that don't go anywhere. A lot of janky, sort
of unprofessional looking PowerPoint slides were created. I believe the
Verge was the one that actually referenced this as a
(19:51):
sort of an untrained day one intern that you really
need to keep a close eye on because it does
have a tendency to go wrong. As we said, you
can hook up your personal lif counts to all these systems,
but the general consensus among people who have used this
technology so far seems to be you should hold off
on that, at least in the case of chat GPT agent,
just given how pervasive these hallucination issues continue to be.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Yeah, and something like you mentioned a powerpoints side. I mean,
you can check that work, or if it books a
flight for you, you can check it. But like if
you say, hey, pay my mortgage, or like you said,
you know, make a purchase of something and it goes rogue,
that could be problematic.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Right right. Yeah, It's one thing to ask it to
do your grocery shopping for you. It's another thing to
ask it to buy a plane ticket, which can be
you know, several hundred dollars if not more. So that's
a pretty significant purchase. And I you know, at this
point it's probably unwise to leave it in the hands
of an untested technology.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Okay, So now maybe play play with it a little bit,
but don't trust it yet.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
Yeah, and if you do want to play with it,
there is a cost associated with this. Towards the end
of the last week, when this first was unveiled, it
was only unveiled to chat gept Pro customers. That is
the highest tier of subscription that OpenAI offers. That is
two hundred dollars a month. It's for the really dedicated
AI fans out there. But this week it is coming
(21:12):
to Changpt Plus, which is a more reasonable but still
somewhat pricey twenty dollars a month. The fact of the
matter is this is coming soon and they will be
facing competition in the next few months. We think Google
is working on a similar AI agent idea called Project Mariner.
We don't know exactly what form that's going to take,
but doubtless this part of the AI race is now
(21:34):
starting to heat up. Not just AI that answers your questions,
but AI that goes out and has some degree of
agency and decision making about itself.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
All right, ABC Tech reporter Mike Debuski, thanks for keeping
us up to date on the world that is AI
and still freaks me out.
Speaker 5 (21:50):
Of course, sand be happy to do it.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
All right. LAPD and Sheriff's investigators and the ATF have
searched some storage units in Marina del Ray in connection
with the explosion that killed three deputies in East Los Angeles.
The search yesterday was said to be tied to a
person believed to collect and store explosives. This woman lives
in the apartment complex. A little nervous, I think I
probably will go, say with my sisters and I in
(22:14):
Culver City and just not stay here. The three Sheriff's
detectives were killed Friday when a military style grenade exploded
at the training facility in East LA. The man accused
of crashing a car into a crowd of people in
East Hollywood is facing life in prison.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Fernando Ramirez has been charged with thirty seven felony counts
of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. LAPED
Chief Jim McDonald says Ramirez deliberately turned the car towards
the crowd of three dozen people on the sidewalk.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
And turned a popular nightlife district into a scene of
trauma and fear.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
It is truly a miracle that nobody was killed that night.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
McDonald says. Someone shot Ramirez in the aftermath of the crash.
Police are still looking for that person. The chief says
the suspect should be treated as armed and dangerous and
should not be approached. Michael Monks KFI News.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
Former La County Sheriff Alex Vanueva's announced he's running for
his old job. Vianueva became sheriff in twenty eighteen. He
got beat by Sheriff Robert Luna in twenty twenty two
for his job. He says, over the last several years,
the county has seen the consequences of failed leadership, not
just in the Sheriff's department, but across local government. The
(23:20):
primary will be held next June. Orange County officials are
investigating a huge fish die off in Laguna Neguel Regional Park.
Hundreds of dead bass were found floating in a creek
at the park on Monday. OC County Supervisor Katrina Foley
says her staff is investigating algae, water quality, and bubblers
that add oxygen as possible causes for the mass die off.
(23:44):
Get amid of federal overhaul on student loans, a lot
of borrowers have been left wondering what it means for
their hopes of loan forgiveness.
Speaker 4 (23:52):
Those enrolled in a repayment plan known as income based
Repayment IBr have wondered if forgiveness will still be available
to them. A recent update from the education departments said
forgiveness through the IBr plan is paused while systems are updated.
The agency said IBr forgiveness will resume once those updates
are completed. IBr is not affected by a federal court's
injunction blocking former President Biden's Saving on a Valuable Education
(24:14):
or SAVE plan. Mark Ronner KFI News.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Billy Joel hasn't said if he'll be doing any more shows,
but he did say on Bill Maher's podcasts that he's
doing well overall. Billy Joel canceled shows scheduled for this
year and next year after he was diagnosed with a
brain disorder that leads to problems with hearing, vision, and balance.
He says he feels fine, but in his words, his
(24:39):
balance sucks. Eric Menendez has been taken to the hospital
with what his attorney calls a serious medical issue. He
was taken to a medical facility Friday. It might be
kidney stones. Eric and his brother Lyle were recent inced
to fifty years to life in May, which makes them
eligible for parole. They were both sentenced to life in
prison for killing their parents at their home in nineteen
(25:01):
eighty nine. Immigration raids have created the largest disruption to
Orange County's economy since the pandemic. That's according to Anaheim's
City council member Natalie Rubo Kava, about two hundred thousand
people are living in the county illegally. The OC Register
says twenty two percent of retail workers, fourteen percent of
construction workers, and eleven percent in manufacturing are here illegally.
(25:26):
In an out, owner Lindsay Snyder says the burger chain
isn't leaving California, but it is adding an Eastern Territory
office in Tennessee. Snyder says she wants to give employees
an opportunity to live somewhere more affordable, where they can
buy a house and raise a family. There's been backlash
after the company said the Irvine based fast food restaurant
(25:47):
was moving corporate offices, apparently not leaving California. Good News
at six oh five, it's handle on the news. President
Trump's calling it treason. Who's he accusing? Bill's gonna tell
us on it? Amy's it, Amy's on it? On it?
(26:09):
What am I on? I'm on the stream, I'm on movies,
I'm on books, TV shows, documentaries, you name it. There's
so much out there. How do you possibly pick what
you want to watch? Well, hopefully I can help you
nage navigate that a little bit. I take recommendations from
friends and watch them and then share them and let
you know whether it's worth investing your time in. So
(26:30):
something that I have been very invested in and lots
of other people have too, it's The Bear. Of course,
it's on Hulu. Just found out that it's nominated as
a comedy, which it is not unless you are Kono
and you think it is a comedy. Uh, don't get me.
That's gunky. It's funny, funny part okay, whatever. Uh So
(26:53):
it's nominated for a ton of Emmys. It's in its
fourth season. The whole season has dropped, of course, starring
Jeremy Allen White as The Bear. He's amazing And I
do have to remind myself sometimes when I'm watching this
show that these people are acting, and I think that
that's a really a good thing about the series is
like you buy into it, like these people and they're crazy.
(27:14):
It's they're so good at it that you just believe it,
which is a nice place to be because you know
when you're watching something and you're like, I don't really
believe that character, Well I don't find that with this series,
and even the characters you've really disliked grow on you,
which again doesn't always happen in shows. And I immediately
think of Succession, where you keep trying to want to
like them but you can't because they're so bad. But
(27:37):
this show you do start liking, even some of the
unlikable ones. And so season one of course chaotic and
fun and crazy and unhinged and entertaining. And then season
two still chaotic, but in a different way as the
team goes after their dream of opening like a really
high class restaurant, and then season three they get really interestspctive,
(28:00):
and I think it was too much. So season four
they're they're facing an impossible task, and it's great to see.
I will say that it's great to see that the
team members learn their lessons, like things go wrong, and
then they actually start to adapt. So it's fun because
like in some shows, you just see this people doing
(28:22):
the same thing over and over and over and over again,
and they never learn a lesson. In this show, they're
sort of starting to evolve, which is again on the
story arc. I love to see that, but is it
realistic that all of these people are going to all
have these revelations at the same time and start making
these changes. Probably not, but it's Hollywood. Doesn't really have
(28:43):
to be real, right. The first couple of episodes of
season four feel like a Kumbaya like again, like they're
they're learning lessons and they're changing and evolving, and I'm like, Okay,
this is cool. And then there are moments of brilliance
that like literally touch your heart, bring tears to your eyes,
and I love it when a show does that, like
it makes you just feel good and a little bit
(29:03):
warm on the inside. But overall, this season did come
up short for me. It's less about the kitchen, which
is what the show is about, and it digs and
it digs and it digs into the psyche of the
people and it gets kind of tedious. I'm like, really,
now we're going to explore him. And the finale was
(29:24):
not my favorite. It was actually hard for me to
get through. I was like, when is this going to
be over? It just kind of dragged on. So while
I still love the Bear, I was disappointed in this season.
I guess a little bit surprised that it was nominated
for so much because the season one was so unexpected
and great, and like Neil Sevadra had said, this is
the most realistic depiction of what happens in a kitchen.
(29:49):
It's still good, but like I said, it was disappointing
for me. So I would love to hear what you
have to say after you watch it. You want to
send me a direct message on Instagram or hit us
up on talk back and let us know what you think.
Time to get in your business now with Bloomberg's Courtney Donaho.
I'm very sad because you're telling me that my favorite
(30:09):
chocolate bar is about to cost more.
Speaker 10 (30:13):
You know what.
Speaker 13 (30:13):
I always try to give you happy news to start
out things, but no, today you're a buzzkill. No, I
am total buzzkilled because inflation is hitting the candy jar.
Hershey's said it'll be rolling out roughly double digit price increase.
And that's kind of funny because my kids want me,
want to go to the Hershey, the Hershey Park that
(30:34):
they have here in Pennsylvania. Ooh, so it's going to
cost a lot because they're going to roll out this
roughly double digit price increase.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
What double digit mean in the candy world, Well, they
didn't quite say.
Speaker 13 (30:49):
They didn't quite say. But double digit when you look
at what Lint did. Lint, the other candy maker, they
gave about a fifteen percent increase in the first half
of the year. But they wanted to say, and they
want to point out, it's not related to tariffs or
to trade. That was huge for them to point out.
But they said it's due to the unprecedented cost of
coco because the price of coco has surged supply shortages
(31:12):
in Ghana and Ivory Coast, and those two nations account
for more than sixty percent of global supplies. But coco
futures have more than doubled in the past two years,
and that's been a big game changer. It's completely upended
the chocolate industry. And of course we're seeing more and
more candy makers say, hey, we got to raise our
prices because of this.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Okay, so we're going to go from chocolate to high
tech and Texas Instruments. I remember them for making my
very first calculator. Oh, but they're they're having where the
speak and spell whatever, remember those those things that they Yeah,
they're having a tough go of it right now. In
the stock market, well.
Speaker 13 (31:49):
They're plunging in early trading today, analys said the tone
in the chip maker's earnings call yesterday afternoon grew increasingly negative.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
What they said was they have had.
Speaker 13 (32:00):
A big surge, a terra fuel surge, seeing that companies
were trying to get ahead of tariffs, and that gave
a big bump in demand. But some more analysts are saying,
you know what, that may not last. And this is
important because Texas Instruments is a bell weather. They leave
the market for analog chips, which convert real world things
like sound and pressure into electronic signals. But it has
(32:23):
the broadest lineup of products. It has the longest customer
list in the semiconductor field, making the company's earnings reports
huge and an important indicator of demand across a lot
of industries.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Okay, so we'll be watching that one. And then we
were talking about that Coca Cola is going more natural,
going to put cane sugar in the sodas, but there
to be problems with that, Yeah, definitely a big problem.
Speaker 13 (32:48):
The US doesn't grow a great deal of cain, making
up about thirty percent of overall American sugar supplies. The
rest comes from imports or sugar beets. So if cokex
kane sweetened version is a success, it would likely put
a big dent in our sugar supply. The higher demand
could require more imports, especially from Mexico, which has historically
(33:09):
been the biggest sugar supplier to the US and also
top sugar producer Brazil.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Well what about pure CNH CNH pure cane sugar from
Hawaii growing in the sun.
Speaker 13 (33:21):
We just don't make enough of it.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Oh, that's a problem. Thirty percent.
Speaker 13 (33:25):
So it seems like everything is either imports or seventy
percent of what we have. So we just can't make
enough for the demand out there. So coke's going to
cost more again, Yeah, probably because coc already makes a
bunch of products right now with cane sugar, and imagine
adding to that. And if this really takes off, and
(33:46):
look at what a cult favorite Mexican coc is, this
might be something that could be a huge hit and
that will be a big hit to our sugar supplies.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Okay, well we'll be watching that and then we have
like ten seconds. But stocks are at a record high.
Speaker 7 (34:00):
Hi?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Why yes?
Speaker 13 (34:02):
I mean President Trump's finally starting to sign those trade
deals and that's giving the market some boost. Now, Japan
major training partner, and this agreement that we have with them,
that's potentially a big step forward toward the conclusion of
all these uncertainties that we're seeing in tariffs. If they
the thinking is, if we're going to get one with them,
(34:22):
it's going to just trickle down the line pretty quickly.
So right now, doal futures are up two hundred and
thirty points.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
All right, getting in your business as we do every
day with Bloomberg's Courtney Donaho. Thanks Courtney, see you later.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
Bye.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Former La County Sheriff alex Via Nueva wants his old
job back. He announced he's going to be running for
sheriff against Robert Luna in twenty twenty six. He promised
to rescue the Sheriff's department from what he calls paralyzing
dysfunction and says he'll rebuild it back to full strength
and restore our capacity to fight, solve, and prevent crime.
(34:56):
Things might be looking up a little bit in Hollywood.
New La Fi Film report shows TV shoots are starting
to bounce back up seventeen percent in the second quarter
of this year compared to the second quarter of twenty
twenty four, but feature films and commercial filming both saw
double digit declines. Overall production dropped six point two percent.
(35:16):
The LA Chargers could be facing a class action lawsuit
by fans and season ticket holders. A fourteen page complaint
claims fans are losing a home game at SOFI Stadium
and not being compensated for it. The Chargers game against
the Kansas City Chiefs has been moved from SOFI to
Brazil as part of the NFL's international schedule. The Chargers
will play in South Paulo on September fifth. We're just
(35:41):
minutes away from Handle. On the news this morning, the
waters have subsided, and now officials in Texas are looking
for answers tied to that deadly flooding. Right now, let's
say good morning to ABC's Stephen Portnoy. So, Stephen Jeffrey Epstein,
who's been dead for six years, is disrupting Congress how well.
Speaker 10 (36:02):
The question is whether the House is going to take
a vote to somehow compel or urge the release of
the Epstein files, and the decision has been made not
to hold such a vote. The House will take its
final votes today before sending members home to their districts
for about a month and a half a six week
August recess and why is that happening? Well, Republican leaders
(36:25):
say that they're now in lockstep with the White House
the Justice Department about seeking answers about Epstein, and there's
no need for the House of Representatives to take a
vote on a measure that would either urge or compel
the release of the materials, and so Speaker Johnson says
the White House and the Justice Department had this well
in hand and there's no need for further action. Democrats
(36:48):
see a political opportunity, and earlier this week in the
Rules Committee, which is a final stop for any bill
before it hits the House floor, the Rules Committee sets
the terms of debate, how much time there should be
for debate. Without the passage of a rule in that committee,
you can't have substant of action on the floor of
the House. And this week the Democrats in that committee
(37:09):
tried to force uncomfortable votes, and rather than taking those votes,
the Republican chairman said, will adjourn the committee, which means
no further action on substant of measures of legislation that
would hit the floor, which means the recess will start
without a vote on Epstein. And in fact, the recess
has been moved up a day to allow for members
to get out of town.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Okay, so they're actually ending the session a little bit
early because they're saying, oh, well, we have nothing to
do because we're not going to do any votes.
Speaker 10 (37:37):
That's basically it.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Okay, So why Stephen would Congress get involved if the
President said that he wants the grand jury materials that
are pertinent and irrelevant to be released.
Speaker 10 (37:50):
Because the people who know that the government is sitting
on its own files say that that's a bit of
a red herring and a distraction. That the grand jury
testimony is one element that prosecutors have used as they've
gone after Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring, resulting ultimately in
Galline Maxwell's conviction some years ago. But there's also evidence
(38:12):
that the Justice Department has in its own files that
are not necessarily covered by grand jury secrecy protections that
could be released tomorrow. The Justice Department announced earlier this
month that it was not going to do that, for
whatever reasons it had to protect the privacy of those
who might be named in the files who are not
accused of any wrongdoing. To protect the privacy of victims.
(38:36):
In particular, there is reference to the idea that their
images and video of underage girls child pornography that will
never see the light of day. Well, no one objects
to that. It's just the idea that there may be
information that the government is sitting on that has been
talked about for years by people who are now serving
in senior positions in this administration. Will all of a
sudden have turned around and said never mind, nothing more
(38:59):
to see here. And the President last week called it bs.
He said that it's only foolish Republicans want to know
more about it.
Speaker 1 (39:10):
Okay, So then here's another question, Stephen. The Democrats are
now wanting the release of the files, right, they had
actually kind of downplayed it in the previous administration. So
is there concern that they might get more than they
bargained for if these files actually come out.
Speaker 10 (39:26):
I don't know that there's anything worth no bargain for.
I think that this is the idea is that Republicans
are trying to say, ah, but you never said when
you had the chance. Well, the fact is that for
years Republicans have been clamoring for this. It wasn't Democrats
who said that there needs to be an unearthing of
this material.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Right, they didn't want it released, now they do.
Speaker 10 (39:45):
Well, I don't know that they explicitly said they didn't.
It's just that never came up. It was more something
that Republicans on the outside of government were clamoring for
the suggestion that somehow there was this massive conspiracy. Well,
now the conspiracy theorists are suddenly in charge, and they're
the ones saying, never mind, nothing more to see here.
Oh but wait, maybe there is. Let's go down to
(40:07):
the jail, to the prison in Tallahassee, Florida, and let's
talk to convicted felon Gallaine Maxwell, which was the announcement
yesterday morning by the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, former
defense attorney for the President, who said that he hopes
to speak with Maxwell because the Justice Department says she,
the former companion of Jeffrey Epstein, who was alleged to
(40:29):
have recruited and even participated in some of this abuse
of victims, has never been asked, according to the Justice Department,
never been asked whether anyone else should be charged. Now
it's interesting because the Justice Department earlier this month, in
their memo which has gotten so much attention, said that
there's no evidence to even open an investigation into uncharged
(40:51):
third parties. Case closed. Nothing more to see here, and
yet the questions still keep getting asked, being asked by
the people who have alread. He said, there's nothing more
to see.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
Well, we'll have to wait and see if there is
more to see. ABC. Stephen Portnoy, thanks for helping us
peel back the onion as you do so well. Appreciate it.
You back, all right, Let's get back to some of
the stories coming out of the KFI twenty four hour newsroom.
The doctor charged in actor Matthew Perry's death as agreed
to plead guilty court papers shows Salvador, Placentia. We'll admit
(41:22):
to four felony counts today of distributing ketamine. Perry, who
starred in Friends, was found dead of an overdose at
his home in Pacific Palisades in twenty twenty three. Three
others have already pleaded guilty for their roles in the
actor's death. News brought to you by samper Solaris. The
death toll from the fires in Pacific Palisades and Alta
Dina in January is up to thirty one.
Speaker 6 (41:42):
On Tuesday, the La County Medical Examiner's Office announced additional
human remains were found at a home in Alta, Dina.
Authorities say the remains are directly related to the eat
And fire, which is now confirmed to have killed nineteen people.
Twelve people lost their lives in the Palisades fire. The
person found dead this week has not yet been identified.
Daniel Martindale CAFI News.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Part of Altadena has been granted Historic landmark status by
the La County Board of Supervisors.
Speaker 3 (42:07):
The historic Highlands was fortunate during the Eton fire in January,
the flames never touched it. Now, the early twentieth century
architecture and character could serve as an example for future rebuilding.
Resident Jana Meyer says it's critical that the neighborhood be protected.
Speaker 12 (42:21):
We've all lost a tremendous amount of Altadena history this year,
and we asked that you help us protect it in
the future.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
The landmark status keeps density low and allows restoration projects
to be eligible for tax credits. Michael Monks KFI News.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
Columbia Universities discipline more than seventy students involved in recent
anti Israel protests. The students are either being suspended for
two years or expelled. This comes as the Trump administration
is withholding millions in federal grants from Columbia while it
accuses the university of failing to address what it calls
persistent harassment of Jewish students. Teenagers are increasingly turning to
(42:57):
AI for advice, emotional support, and decision making.
Speaker 4 (43:01):
Common Sense Media found over seventy percent of teens have
used AI companions, with many finding the interactions as satisfying
as talking to real friends. Experts warn this trend could
harm social skills and metal health as teens rely on
AI for validation and avoid real world challenges. Concerns also
include inappropriate content and the lack of regulation of AI platforms.
Researchers emphasize that while AI can assist, it shouldn't replace
(43:23):
human connections, especially during adolescents, a critical time for social
and emotional development. Mark Ronner KFI News.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I am
very scared of AI. Yeah, yeah, Today the Dodgers take
on the Twins at Dodgers Stadium, with first pitch going
out at one Ooh, I love a day game. Listen
to all the Dodgers games on AM five to seventy
LA sports and stream all Dodgers games in HD on
the iHeartRadio app. Keyword is AM five seventy LA Sports.
(43:52):
Brought to you by Navian High Efficiency water heaters, boilers
and the new np F hydro furnace. Learn more at
navianink dot com. This is KFI and KOST HD two
Los Angeles, Orange County live from the KFI twenty four
hour Newsroom. I'm Amy King. This has been your wake
up call. If you missed any of wake Up Call,
(44:13):
you can listen anytime on the iHeartRadio app. You've been
listening to wake Up Call with me, Amy King. You
can always hear wake Up Call five to six am
Monday through Friday on KFI AM six forty and anytime
on demand on the iHeartRadio app.
Wake Up Call with Amy King News
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