WEBVTT - A Fire That Won’t Quit, Interview Red Flags & Retail Ghosts 0:00:01.940 --> 0:00:06.530 Monks and merrill hosted by michael monks and chris merrill 0:00:07.330 --> 0:00:13.630 this is monks and merrill on demand. 0:00:14.450 --> 0:00:16.029 So this is nice coming in a little earlier to 0:00:16.070 --> 0:00:17.970 do the show it's been a long time occasionally we 0:00:17.989 --> 0:00:20.709 see amy king on the way out uh but cono 0:00:20.829 --> 0:00:22.090 and uh neil. 0:00:22.180 --> 0:00:24.610 I ran into conan Kono and I, he says, I 0:00:24.630 --> 0:00:25.870 think this is the first time we've seen each other 0:00:25.910 --> 0:00:27.950 since our show started. Since you and I started, it's 0:00:27.970 --> 0:00:29.690 the first time I've seen Kono. Because he's always out 0:00:29.710 --> 0:00:29.970 the door. 0:00:30.150 --> 0:00:32.730 Yeah, ships in the night, you know, but we are 0:00:32.770 --> 0:00:35.730 going to be stewards of this ship today. Big fans 0:00:35.760 --> 0:00:37.720 of Gary and Shannon. Hope you'll stick along with us. 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:38.519 They'll all be back. 0:00:38.560 --> 0:00:40.820 It's been crazy here at KFI because, I mean, Neil 0:00:40.840 --> 0:00:42.000 was in by himself this morning. 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:42.379 Right. 0:00:42.440 --> 0:00:44.620 Gary and Shannon are both off, but Gary was out 0:00:44.659 --> 0:00:47.920 for the entire week. Andy Riesmeier was here with Shannon 0:00:47.940 --> 0:00:51.099 for part of it. Cobelt's been out, so we've had 0:00:51.140 --> 0:00:54.910 Carl DeMeo or Sam Shane from Sacramento in for us. 0:00:55.010 --> 0:00:57.630 And let's not forget, you decided to skip work yesterday. 0:00:57.910 --> 0:00:59.830 I didn't decide to. I had jury duty. 0:01:00.850 --> 0:01:03.400 And I thought I had a good week for jury 0:01:03.420 --> 0:01:06.700 duty because today's a holiday in California. It's Native American Day. 0:01:07.380 --> 0:01:10.740 And so the government offices are closed. And that includes 0:01:10.780 --> 0:01:12.340 the courts. I thought, oh, this is perfect because no 0:01:12.400 --> 0:01:14.569 one's going to start a trial today. with a holiday 0:01:14.610 --> 0:01:17.550 week yeah at the end monday came around don't report 0:01:17.630 --> 0:01:20.810 tuesday came around no need to report wednesday that's when 0:01:20.890 --> 0:01:23.090 you and i had uh mayor bass scheduled yes and 0:01:23.110 --> 0:01:25.230 i was so upset because i got called in i 0:01:25.250 --> 0:01:26.970 thought i'm gonna miss the bass interview but they called 0:01:27.010 --> 0:01:29.280 us in sat us down did the initial song and 0:01:29.310 --> 0:01:31.979 dance and then uh sent us home so i got 0:01:32.000 --> 0:01:35.319 to come in and do the work but yesterday you 0:01:35.380 --> 0:01:36.000 did sit through the. 0:01:35.959 --> 0:01:39.470 Whole voir dire experience and was ultimately uh Kicked off 0:01:39.490 --> 0:01:43.070 the jury. How much money did you make for jury duty? $ 15. No, 0:01:43.069 --> 0:01:44.190 15 bucks. 0:01:44.209 --> 0:01:47.110 I made 15 bucks, which is half the money I'm 0:01:47.150 --> 0:01:49.890 recouping because I didn't know where the parking structure was. 0:01:49.940 --> 0:01:53.740 So I paid 15 bucks for two different days to 0:01:53.780 --> 0:01:55.160 park in a surface lot. 0:01:55.760 --> 0:01:57.660 I don't regret it. It was closer. Amy King's over 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.360 there like, you got $ 15? $ 15 a day for jury duty. 0:02:00.380 --> 0:02:01.800 That's more than we pay her. They don't pay you 0:02:01.820 --> 0:02:04.270 for the first day, by the way. They don't? 0:02:04.270 --> 0:02:04.670 $ 0. 0:02:04.470 --> 0:02:06.770 Really? $ 0 for just coming in. Sort of like you're 0:02:06.790 --> 0:02:09.270 trying out? Well, they wait, I think, to assign you 0:02:09.310 --> 0:02:09.910 to a trial. 0:02:10.050 --> 0:02:11.989 And then they did assign us to a trial. We 0:02:12.010 --> 0:02:14.070 had to go down to one of the courtrooms. We 0:02:14.110 --> 0:02:16.610 got the introductory thing where this is how it's going 0:02:16.630 --> 0:02:19.870 to work. But that was it. They sent us home 0:02:20.340 --> 0:02:23.560 at 10, I don't know, 1030 or so. Yeah, you 0:02:23.580 --> 0:02:24.980 were here before the show started. 0:02:25.020 --> 0:02:25.859 Yeah, exactly. 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:30.800 The weird thing was I was telling you guys as 0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:32.740 I was back channeling to you about what I thought 0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:34.060 my status would be and whether I would be able 0:02:34.080 --> 0:02:38.350 to come back was I don't think. I'm going to 0:02:38.370 --> 0:02:40.930 get picked. There's 45 of us. It's like a one 0:02:40.970 --> 0:02:43.240 in almost four chance. And what do they do, 12 0:02:43.240 --> 0:02:43.980 and two alternates? 0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:44.500 Yes. 0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:46.019 But I was. 0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:49.100 Seated in the jury box. And so there were 20 0:02:49.100 --> 0:02:51.200 of us or so, 14 in the jury box, another 0:02:51.240 --> 0:02:52.640 row in front of the jury box, and everybody else 0:02:52.660 --> 0:02:56.170 was in the gallery. I didn't realize that the people 0:02:56.190 --> 0:02:57.630 who were seated in the jury box were really the 0:02:57.710 --> 0:02:58.350 primary judges. 0:02:58.900 --> 0:02:59.300 Focus. 0:02:59.740 --> 0:03:02.760 So I had less than a one in two chance. 0:03:03.660 --> 0:03:06.079 Almost a direct one to one chance being selected. 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:07.580 Why do you think they rejected you? 0:03:07.680 --> 0:03:10.060 Well, you know, they go through this process called voir dire. 0:03:10.750 --> 0:03:13.130 You tell you where you live, what your work is, 0:03:13.350 --> 0:03:16.070 what your spouse does. Have you had previous jury experience? 0:03:16.090 --> 0:03:17.870 You tell them I'm on the masthead at KFI. 0:03:17.950 --> 0:03:19.370 I did. You're so obnoxious with that. 0:03:19.389 --> 0:03:21.190 I hosted a talk show on KFI and the defense 0:03:21.230 --> 0:03:22.590 attorney was like, what's KFI? 0:03:22.770 --> 0:03:23.090 No. 0:03:23.310 --> 0:03:25.529 Yes. Did you get out of your seat and beat 0:03:25.550 --> 0:03:28.890 him senseless? I said, that's okay. We're not for everyone. Yes, 0:03:28.950 --> 0:03:31.270 we are. Yes, we are. 0:03:31.470 --> 0:03:34.090 You know what was the best part of the jury 0:03:34.110 --> 0:03:36.110 duty experience? Sitting there and wondering whether I was going 0:03:36.130 --> 0:03:38.390 to get picked or kicked off. You know what I 0:03:38.430 --> 0:03:40.330 look like. If any of the listeners have ever seen 0:03:40.370 --> 0:03:43.670 our website, I'm a guy in big glasses, a sweater. 0:03:43.690 --> 0:03:44.050 Super nerdy. 0:03:44.210 --> 0:03:47.740 I've got coffee. I look like some latte liberal from downtown. 0:03:47.750 --> 0:03:48.030 You do. 0:03:48.810 --> 0:03:50.839 I was seated next to somebody who looked like he 0:03:50.860 --> 0:03:53.100 had just played Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot 0:03:53.140 --> 0:03:56.320 Tin Roof. Okay, huge dude, kind of a raspy voice. 0:03:57.250 --> 0:03:58.890 So we're seated next to each other. It's a lot 0:03:58.910 --> 0:04:00.750 like this show, if we're being honest. You're looking at 0:04:00.770 --> 0:04:02.930 us and you think, okay, guy in the glasses there, 0:04:03.610 --> 0:04:05.250 we know he's going to be on the defense's side. 0:04:05.290 --> 0:04:07.060 He's going to take it out. He's going to be 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:11.660 lenient and nice and big daddy here. He's going to 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:13.440 be for the prosecution. He's going to want to send 0:04:13.460 --> 0:04:15.839 this guy up the river. So when they start talking 0:04:15.880 --> 0:04:17.859 about whether you have biases against the police, let me 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.390 tell you something. I think that's what broke both of 0:04:20.450 --> 0:04:22.190 us because we both ended up excused, but for not 0:04:22.210 --> 0:04:23.130 the reasons you expect. 0:04:23.610 --> 0:04:26.750 What, the opposite? Big Daddy. I believe the cops. Big 0:04:26.810 --> 0:04:29.350 Daddy basically said, F the police. 0:04:29.589 --> 0:04:29.950 Really? 0:04:30.250 --> 0:04:33.350 And I basically said, I would happily walk this defendant 0:04:33.370 --> 0:04:34.570 to the gallows myself. 0:04:38.480 --> 0:04:42.660 Outstanding. Well, I'm glad you made it because now we 0:04:42.700 --> 0:04:44.500 get to do the show together next week at noon 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:47.160 like we do every day. And you have to be there. 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:48.900 It's off. Yeah, because I thought I'd be out for 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:52.480 the whole week. Did we have jury duty pay? Do 0:04:52.500 --> 0:04:53.479 you get compensated for that? 0:04:54.120 --> 0:04:56.600 We do have a certain number of days that you 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:59.700 can be off while being compensated. 0:05:00.339 --> 0:05:02.040 For jury duty, right? But you don't have to burn 0:05:02.060 --> 0:05:04.800 vacation time. No, but they don't have to pay you 0:05:04.820 --> 0:05:08.800 beyond that. Oh, yeah. But they legally can't stop you 0:05:08.820 --> 0:05:12.600 from doing it. No, no, of course. It's incentive to 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:15.470 reach a verdict quickly. I know. That's why, I mean, 0:05:15.490 --> 0:05:17.750 I was looking. Oh, are you kidding? Monk showed up 0:05:17.790 --> 0:05:20.950 with his own rope. He was ready. He was like, 0:05:20.970 --> 0:05:22.969 where's the gallows? I have the equipment. Let's go. 0:05:22.990 --> 0:05:26.190 I had served on a murder trial jury back in Kentucky, 0:05:26.210 --> 0:05:28.349 and they asked you about that prior jury experience, and 0:05:28.370 --> 0:05:31.090 I think, and they asked about your connection to law enforcement. 0:05:31.350 --> 0:05:34.540 Dad's retired police. Mom's retired probation. Brother's corrections officer. 0:05:35.140 --> 0:05:38.200 I mean, I'm a prosecution's dream, even though I did explain, like, 0:05:38.220 --> 0:05:40.800 I'm also a journalist, but, you know, eliminating bias while 0:05:40.820 --> 0:05:42.680 I'm talking to folks is part of my job. 0:05:43.940 --> 0:05:47.580 But Did you feel rejected? Be honest. Did you feel like, 0:05:48.779 --> 0:05:51.300 like you got broken up with? No, I felt relief. 0:05:51.500 --> 0:05:51.790 Did you? 0:05:51.870 --> 0:05:53.490 I didn't want to do it. It wasn't a sexy trial. 0:05:54.089 --> 0:05:56.550 The charges were boring. I mean, it may have been 0:05:56.589 --> 0:05:59.090 interesting and I would have been committed and I would 0:05:59.110 --> 0:05:59.630 have done a good job. 0:05:59.650 --> 0:06:00.950 You love really pedantic topics. 0:06:00.970 --> 0:06:01.470 Well, sure. 0:06:01.529 --> 0:06:03.250 And I would have listened and I would have been fair, 0:06:04.000 --> 0:06:05.560 but I really didn't want to miss a whole week 0:06:05.600 --> 0:06:07.820 of work to go to the Pasadena courthouse. 0:06:08.040 --> 0:06:09.460 By the way, beautiful courthouse. 0:06:09.700 --> 0:06:11.659 Every time I'm in Pasadena, I get so mad. 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:15.020 Isn't it a beautiful city? Oh, my God. Such a fantastic. 0:06:15.100 --> 0:06:17.380 Every time I'm in Pasadena, like, what was I thinking? 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:19.260 I live two blocks from that courthouse. Why don't I 0:06:19.380 --> 0:06:20.240 live in Pasadena? 0:06:20.260 --> 0:06:22.760 I love that place. It's so great. You could still 0:06:22.820 --> 0:06:23.580 move there, Monks. 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:26.280 I know, but I'm going to see how the election goes. 0:06:26.300 --> 0:06:28.180 You know, one thing I love about Michael, though, is 0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.720 that he does live downtown, and his apartment does look 0:06:30.779 --> 0:06:33.320 straight down on Skid Row. So when we were talking 0:06:33.339 --> 0:06:35.340 to the mayor about how filthy the town is, he's 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:38.580 got firsthand experience. Like, it's credible. For me, I go, boy, L.A. 0:06:38.620 --> 0:06:41.020 seems dirty way over there. I'm just going to stay 0:06:41.050 --> 0:06:43.180 in clean Pasadena. Where we take care of our own 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:45.839 homeless and we don't participate in the Homeless Services Authority. Yeah, 0:06:45.960 --> 0:06:48.560 that's why it's good. It's fantastic. That is why it's good. 0:06:48.610 --> 0:06:49.130 Beautiful town. 0:06:49.750 --> 0:06:52.929 Well, we are Monks and Merrill in for Gary and Shannon. 0:06:52.970 --> 0:06:56.170 We feel the weight of this. We're already late on 0:06:56.210 --> 0:06:58.010 our break, so we're doing a good job. We're doing 0:06:58.029 --> 0:07:00.770 it exactly as Gary and Shannon would do it. So 0:07:01.570 --> 0:07:05.170 flying along here. Nailed it. You see firefighters pouring water 0:07:05.230 --> 0:07:08.620 on a battery enclosure. We'll get into this situation in Laverne. 0:07:08.779 --> 0:07:13.260 I mean, this is another local situation. involving evacuations. And 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:15.340 fires and disasters. How many of these can you have? 0:07:16.040 --> 0:07:18.610 We'll get the latest on that as Gary and Shannon 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:20.450 with Monks and Merrill continues. 0:07:21.050 --> 0:07:25.990 You're listening to Monks and Merrill On Demand from KFI 0:07:26.170 --> 0:07:28.850 AM 640. More stimulating talk. 0:07:29.910 --> 0:07:33.360 It seems like every few weeks there's some area of 0:07:33.390 --> 0:07:37.500 Southern California that's being evacuated because of a company that's 0:07:37.540 --> 0:07:40.100 located in the area or a facility that's located in 0:07:40.140 --> 0:07:40.540 the area. 0:07:40.460 --> 0:07:44.070 That's I don't know, could explode. Would we have Garden City? 0:07:44.480 --> 0:07:46.520 Garden Grove and then Boyle Heights. 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.380 Yeah, I mean, this is just the third one of 0:07:49.420 --> 0:07:50.980 the season. 0:07:51.040 --> 0:07:55.000 And now in Laverne where it's a lithium battery there 0:07:55.080 --> 0:08:00.350 and evacuations are continuing. KTLA was talking about that. Hang on. Hey, Biggie, 0:08:00.610 --> 0:08:02.950 turn up my computer. Elmer, get it together. 0:08:04.180 --> 0:08:07.510 The good news is that they're making progress in containing 0:08:07.730 --> 0:08:10.310 and de-energizing those lithium batteries. 0:08:10.670 --> 0:08:11.790 The bad news is. 0:08:11.750 --> 0:08:15.290 That those evacuation orders that have been in place since Tuesday, well, 0:08:15.370 --> 0:08:19.050 they'll remain in effect until further notice. But let's take 0:08:19.070 --> 0:08:22.030 you back to Tuesday here where those lithium batteries inside 0:08:22.090 --> 0:08:25.250 a storage unit were damaged during a fire and explosion 0:08:25.300 --> 0:08:30.080 Tuesday afternoon. At the Metropolitan Water District facility off Wheeler Avenue, 0:08:30.500 --> 0:08:32.959 firefighters were able to knock out the blaze, but a 0:08:33.080 --> 0:08:38.820 nearby container carrying lithium-ion batteries was compromised, reaching concerning levels. 0:08:39.260 --> 0:08:43.080 And the past few days, firefighters have been spraying about 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:46.540 1,800 gallons of water a minute on the units for 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:47.440 cooling measures. 0:08:47.440 --> 0:08:51.660 1,800 gallons a minute? We're in a drought, people. Stop that. 0:08:52.150 --> 0:08:54.830 Their goal, they say, is to keep the damaged lithium 0:08:54.870 --> 0:08:59.980 batteries from reigniting, which could create toxic smoke. Some 500 0:08:59.980 --> 0:09:04.480 homes remain under evacuation orders. Nearby businesses, schools, and parks 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:08.929 remain closed. Experts on lithium battery incidents arrived today from 0:09:09.090 --> 0:09:11.970 out of state to meet with local officials to discuss 0:09:12.390 --> 0:09:13.350 a mitigation plan. 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.780 That's a lot of homes. I mean, when you think 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:19.300 of 500 homes, how many people could that impact? Somewhere 0:09:19.320 --> 0:09:22.069 between 500 and 2,000 people. Yeah, I mean, it's a 0:09:22.110 --> 0:09:26.050 lot of people. 186 mobile homes, 300 single-family homes. 0:09:26.110 --> 0:09:28.890 And as you heard in the report there, businesses, schools. 0:09:29.030 --> 0:09:30.809 I mean, it's a lot. Oh, wait, wait. 0:09:30.870 --> 0:09:32.329 We just got a note. This just in from the 0:09:32.350 --> 0:09:38.720 KFI 24-hour newsroom. Literally just this second, evacuations have been lifted. 0:09:39.220 --> 0:09:42.500 Oh, is that right? So go back to school, kids. Yeah. 0:09:43.559 --> 0:09:43.880 That's good. 0:09:44.470 --> 0:09:47.510 Because it was sounding kind of scary with the... I'm 0:09:47.570 --> 0:09:49.179 tired of toxic fumes being in the air. 0:09:49.380 --> 0:09:51.860 Every time you turn around, there's another toxic fumes everywhere. 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:56.790 Yeah, it's the fact that these lithium ion batteries can 0:09:56.830 --> 0:10:02.130 undergo this, what was described as a thermonuclear... runaway when 0:10:02.150 --> 0:10:03.500 you say that to me i'm like i don't know 0:10:03.510 --> 0:10:06.660 what that means but sci-fi you're telling me to evacuate 0:10:06.700 --> 0:10:11.160 because of a thermal runaway all right oppenheimer what does 0:10:11.179 --> 0:10:16.260 that mean what is that uncontrolled release of heat oh 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:21.219 we call that passion We do indeed. These damaged batteries 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:23.939 can retain energy even after all that equipment is disconnected. 0:10:24.179 --> 0:10:28.059 And obviously that brings around threats of fire, toxic gases. 0:10:28.380 --> 0:10:30.300 Every time I hear about these lithium batteries, it's like 0:10:30.330 --> 0:10:31.930 when I'm on a flight. And you know the rules on, 0:10:32.290 --> 0:10:35.550 you can't put, you know, battery packs for your cell phone. 0:10:35.570 --> 0:10:37.750 You can't put those in your checked luggage. You have 0:10:37.770 --> 0:10:40.349 to keep them with you. And they're always supposed to 0:10:40.370 --> 0:10:42.010 be sort of in your hand. You're not supposed to 0:10:42.030 --> 0:10:45.490 have any lithium batteries in the cargo area of the plane. 0:10:45.820 --> 0:10:47.540 Of course, we've got people that stick their laptops in 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:48.120 there all the time. 0:10:48.580 --> 0:10:51.339 And I always think, aren't we kind of being a 0:10:51.340 --> 0:10:53.730 little over the top about the lithium batteries? But then 0:10:53.750 --> 0:10:55.070 I get a story like this where you go, oh, 0:10:55.090 --> 0:10:58.250 lithium batteries, and we can't extinguish them. And that's where 0:10:58.270 --> 0:11:00.010 it gets tough, because you get one cell in the 0:11:00.230 --> 0:11:02.370 lithium batteries that then triggers another one, and then you 0:11:02.410 --> 0:11:07.530 have what you just described as the thermal runaway. These 0:11:07.580 --> 0:11:09.520 things have to be cooled constantly. Did you see the 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:11.240 footage of this where they were just spraying it? It 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:14.240 looked like a small shed next to a giant solar farm. 0:11:14.660 --> 0:11:17.660 And you thought, okay, really? Is this really that big 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:19.870 a deal? Yeah, it kind of is. You can't just 0:11:19.929 --> 0:11:22.890 unplug them either. That's where I think a lot of 0:11:22.950 --> 0:11:27.270 us go, just unplug, just de-energize. And can we control this? 0:11:27.290 --> 0:11:29.540 That's what it says is no, you can't because they're 0:11:29.559 --> 0:11:32.750 still basically charged. There will be a news conference at 0:11:32.750 --> 0:11:37.569 10 o'clock with the Laverne Fire Department. The statement from 0:11:37.610 --> 0:11:42.030 Laverne Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Savage is residents can 0:11:42.070 --> 0:11:45.410 return home. Businesses may reopen. He says overnight, fire department 0:11:45.429 --> 0:11:49.730 personnel and lithium ion battery experts successfully removed the remaining 0:11:49.850 --> 0:11:53.550 battery modules from the system and eliminated the possible threat 0:11:53.570 --> 0:11:54.610 to the surrounding community. 0:11:55.150 --> 0:11:57.689 What happens to those things now? I don't know what 0:11:57.710 --> 0:11:58.890 happens to them. What happens to the ones that they take? 0:11:58.910 --> 0:12:02.179 I got to say, if I'm Laverne, But if you've 0:12:02.220 --> 0:12:04.120 got some batteries that were near a fire for a 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:08.300 long time, aren't you thinking, I mean, could these spontaneously 0:12:08.340 --> 0:12:13.050 combust like a bad Tesla at any given moment? Regardless 0:12:13.070 --> 0:12:16.010 of what the threat was or still is, if I'm 0:12:16.309 --> 0:12:19.429 someone who was evacuated from Laverne after watching Garden Grove 0:12:19.470 --> 0:12:21.310 and Boyle Heights and thinking, man, I really missed out 0:12:21.370 --> 0:12:23.069 on cashing in. 0:12:23.070 --> 0:12:24.890 Couldn't they have stretched this out a few days longer? 0:12:24.950 --> 0:12:28.840 Because Garden Grove got paid. Boyle Heights is getting showered 0:12:28.900 --> 0:12:32.600 with legislation and benefits, and that's not over yet. 0:12:33.000 --> 0:12:35.610 Laverne's not going to get anything. You guys aren't going 0:12:35.630 --> 0:12:36.929 to get any free rent. It wasn't long enough. You're 0:12:36.950 --> 0:12:38.190 not going to get any free rent. You're not going 0:12:38.210 --> 0:12:41.050 to get air purifiers. You're not going to get compensation 0:12:41.090 --> 0:12:43.690 for time lost. Your kids aren't going to be given 0:12:43.770 --> 0:12:46.870 special tutoring certificates. None of this. None of it. You 0:12:46.910 --> 0:12:49.920 got hosed. It's too bad. Really sorry about that. Hey, 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:51.260 face it. You're a bad parent. 0:12:51.420 --> 0:12:51.559 What? 0:12:51.980 --> 0:12:52.280 It's okay. 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:54.500 I am too. We're in this together. Our kids just 0:12:54.540 --> 0:12:56.960 don't get it. It's probably on us. The latest example 0:12:57.020 --> 0:13:00.330 of what they're doing that is so wrong and so obvious, 0:13:01.070 --> 0:13:04.510 so obvious it hurts. They just don't get it. They 0:13:04.530 --> 0:13:08.929 think it's our fault for having expectations. How we screwed 0:13:08.950 --> 0:13:10.670 it all up is next. Monks and Merrill in for 0:13:10.690 --> 0:13:13.069 Gary and Shannon today. KFI AM 640 live everywhere on 0:13:13.090 --> 0:13:14.010 the iHeartRadio app. 0:13:14.890 --> 0:13:20.040 You're listening to Monks and Merrill on demand from KFI 0:13:20.340 --> 0:13:22.590 AM 640. 0:13:22.590 --> 0:13:24.809 Before we get going here, Michael, you and I were 0:13:24.870 --> 0:13:29.849 discussing the lithium ion batteries catching fire in Laverne and 0:13:29.980 --> 0:13:32.800 how it's created toxic, potentially toxic fumes. They don't have 0:13:32.840 --> 0:13:35.380 any evidence of the toxins, but they were out of 0:13:35.420 --> 0:13:39.000 an abundance of caution, ordering evacuations of, what did you say, 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:39.740 500 households? 0:13:39.760 --> 0:13:39.980 Yeah. 0:13:40.580 --> 0:13:42.560 Hey, Monks and Merrill, fun to hear you in the morning. 0:13:42.640 --> 0:13:45.420 I just wanted to comment on the lithium ion batteries. 0:13:46.120 --> 0:13:49.829 Why aren't we looking at hydrogen fuel cells? They make water. 0:13:49.850 --> 0:13:55.260 It's true. They don't... burn and release toxic chemicals. They 0:13:55.300 --> 0:13:58.300 make water. There are some things to work out, but 0:13:58.340 --> 0:13:59.599 why aren't we still looking at that? 0:13:59.700 --> 0:14:04.280 You know, I was a big fan of the hydrogen 0:14:04.300 --> 0:14:06.600 fuel cells. I think they're fantastic. They just never caught on. 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:09.580 The infrastructure, California tried harder than anybody else to implement 0:14:09.620 --> 0:14:12.220 the infrastructure. It did not catch on anywhere else. And 0:14:12.260 --> 0:14:14.020 I think a lot of that probably comes down to 0:14:14.040 --> 0:14:16.460 it didn't have a champion. And the way that EVs 0:14:17.190 --> 0:14:20.150 were struggling until Elon Musk came through and then put 0:14:20.170 --> 0:14:23.610 in the charging network nationwide and pushed so hard. Love 0:14:23.630 --> 0:14:26.280 him or hate him, he pushed EVs into the mainstream. 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:28.600 And I don't think hydrogen's ever had that. I mean, 0:14:29.180 --> 0:14:32.860 Honda and Toyota both put out a couple of hydrogen vehicles, 0:14:32.900 --> 0:14:35.780 but they just never really caught on. And refueling them 0:14:35.830 --> 0:14:38.930 was a challenge at the different hydrogen stations. So, yeah. 0:14:39.430 --> 0:14:41.390 So it's a good question, though. I do like those. 0:14:41.710 --> 0:14:44.790 This week on the show, I learned that Monks defends 0:14:44.830 --> 0:14:48.810 public transportation, but he didn't actually take it, despite being 0:14:48.850 --> 0:14:52.140 a few blocks away from the courthouse, as Merrill stated yesterday. 0:14:52.160 --> 0:14:54.360 That is true. I called you out on that. Yeah. 0:14:54.500 --> 0:14:55.980 You went to the courthouse, which is two blocks from 0:14:56.060 --> 0:14:59.120 a metro station, but you drove the company car, didn't you? Well, 0:14:59.140 --> 0:15:01.940 here was the plan. Okay. Here we go. On Wednesday. 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:02.600 Here's the excuse. 0:15:02.620 --> 0:15:05.470 Well, first of all, my jury summons said the Clara 0:15:05.630 --> 0:15:08.650 Fultz Courthouse. I think I got that name right. 0:15:08.670 --> 0:15:08.810 Okay. 0:15:09.370 --> 0:15:11.490 In downtown LA. I was like, okay, that's great. I 0:15:11.510 --> 0:15:12.710 just walked to that. It's no big deal. If they 0:15:12.730 --> 0:15:13.470 call me, I'll walk down. 0:15:13.490 --> 0:15:14.970 No big deal. I'll get back to the apartment. Time 0:15:14.990 --> 0:15:16.360 to drive back if they release us and I can 0:15:16.390 --> 0:15:16.840 go to work. 0:15:17.320 --> 0:15:17.540 Right. 0:15:18.220 --> 0:15:21.859 But when the actual call came to report, it wasn't 0:15:22.020 --> 0:15:23.840 the Claire Fultz Courthouse. 0:15:23.920 --> 0:15:24.040 No. 0:15:24.120 --> 0:15:26.460 It was Pasadena. Beautiful Pasadena. Beautiful Pasadena. 0:15:26.480 --> 0:15:30.430 So I had to drive both days in case I 0:15:30.450 --> 0:15:32.960 got to come into work. My plan, had I been 0:15:32.980 --> 0:15:35.239 selected for the trial, which would have started on Monday, 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.450 was absolutely to take the A train. And I was 0:15:37.490 --> 0:15:39.470 very much looking forward to it. I would have been 0:15:39.570 --> 0:15:42.310 so cool. I stopped at the little French bistro there 0:15:42.350 --> 0:15:46.830 in Old Town, Pasadena. Had a French Caesar salad. Got 0:15:46.850 --> 0:15:49.110 to speak a little French with the owner. 0:15:49.130 --> 0:15:50.370 You're so foo-foo. 0:15:50.430 --> 0:15:51.930 I was going to be so foo-foo. It was going 0:15:51.960 --> 0:15:54.020 to be so good. And then I would have sent 0:15:54.060 --> 0:15:56.600 someone away for life. It would have been such a 0:15:56.660 --> 0:15:59.820 great week. But you didn't get to ride your metro. 0:16:00.340 --> 0:16:00.500 No. 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:02.620 Oh, that's a real tragedy. Do it this weekend. Oh, wait, 0:16:02.660 --> 0:16:05.260 I can't. I'm going to pick apples this weekend. Look out, Oakland. 0:16:05.330 --> 0:16:06.110 Monks is coming. 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:06.730 Oh, good Lord. 0:16:07.290 --> 0:16:10.050 Oh, you are like a bad Homer movie. 0:16:10.130 --> 0:16:12.070 I'm not as bad as these young people who are 0:16:12.090 --> 0:16:16.770 throwing fits online over this weird interview etiquette situation. I 0:16:16.830 --> 0:16:18.870 know that, well, we're now at the age where we 0:16:18.890 --> 0:16:20.950 get to look down on the new generation and say, 0:16:20.990 --> 0:16:23.370 back in my day, this generation is doomed the way 0:16:23.390 --> 0:16:24.840 that it has happened throughout history. 0:16:25.130 --> 0:16:25.960 Kids these days. 0:16:26.180 --> 0:16:26.300 Right. 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:28.020 Can you believe the kids these days? 0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:28.120 Yeah. 0:16:28.610 --> 0:16:32.010 There was a story in the Washington Post involving, I guess, 0:16:32.050 --> 0:16:38.290 corporate recruiter Caitlin Winhainens who offered some advice against– listen, 0:16:38.330 --> 0:16:40.610 this actually was advice that she felt needed to be given. 0:16:41.910 --> 0:16:47.370 Don't bring your iced coffee to an interview. Now, I mean, 0:16:47.390 --> 0:16:49.690 the idea being that there are folks going to interviews 0:16:49.730 --> 0:16:52.590 with their ice dunking in their hand. 0:16:52.610 --> 0:16:56.090 And rattling it, right? Of course. Just shaking the ice 0:16:56.150 --> 0:16:57.330 around with a straw. 0:16:57.510 --> 0:17:00.220 I recall being coached on interviews when you're first learning 0:17:00.250 --> 0:17:02.400 about like your first interview, your first big boy interviews 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:04.520 where you're wearing a suit and you're going in about 0:17:04.560 --> 0:17:07.720 the handshakes. And if they offer you something, don't accept it. 0:17:07.780 --> 0:17:08.180 No need. 0:17:08.220 --> 0:17:11.859 Just sit down. And it's all very sterile, really. But 0:17:11.900 --> 0:17:15.200 these kids are walking in with their name and receipt 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:16.810 stuck to a big cup. 0:17:17.790 --> 0:17:21.290 So tacky. And they're angry. I can't believe someone would 0:17:21.310 --> 0:17:22.890 hold that against me. This is ableist. 0:17:23.250 --> 0:17:25.300 I saw a lot of comments about being ableist because 0:17:25.340 --> 0:17:27.460 this helps comfort my ADHD. 0:17:27.560 --> 0:17:29.160 Oh, shut up! I'll tell you something. You're not coming 0:17:29.200 --> 0:17:30.980