Your Wake Up Call Rundown, June 24th

Good morning! Another jam-packed show today for us and we hope you’ll be joining us. Here’s what’s on tap today…

May 2014 Heat Record, What it Means for your Summer

For those who had the pleasure of experiencing the 2014 Polar Vortex this past winter, May above average temperatures may seem like an answer to your prayers…that is until you see what’s in store for the summer. Driven by exceptionally warm ocean waters, Earth smashed a record for heat in May and is likely to keep on breaking high temperature marks. The NOAA said May’s average temperatures on Earth beat the old record set four years ago. At 6:35 Scott Goldberg will join us to discuss. At 6:35, ABC News correspondent Scott Goldberg joins us.

Iraq and the White House

Some tough decisions await President Obama in Iraq. He is weighing US air attacks. The 300 military advisers will not be deployed until Iraq formally guarantees US soldiers will not be subject to Iraq law. President Obama also called Russian President Vladimir Putin impatient for a ceasefire in Ukraine. ABC News and White House correspondent Ann Compton will join us at 7:10.

Half of Detroit Can’t Afford its Water Bill

This working-class city that was supposedly in transition and poised for a rebound? Half the city’s residents can’t afford their water bills and the United Nations may have to get involved, according to the Free Press. We’re not even kidding. The cost of water in Detroit is $75 per month vs. the national average of $40 per month. We talk about what led the city onto this downward spiral.

Dr. Joe Corcoran Talks Cost and Quality of Healthcare

A recent survey from the Commonwealth Fund suggests that U.S. healthcare is the most expensive and the worst in the world, raising a lot of eyebrows. Today, we’ll be joined by Dr. Joe Corcoran, a friend of the program who brings a unique perspective to any conversation about healthcare. For nearly 20 years, he practiced OBGYN, delivering over 3,500 babies and performing several thousand surgeries. Over the past decade, he has moved over to the business side of healthcare. He spent five years as a Senior Medical Director with an influential DC-based healthcare think tank during the development & roll out of the Affordable Care Act. For the past year and a half, he has served the Bay Area as a Chief Medical Officer at a 400 bed hospital, leading his front line physicians through an unprecedented evolution of their profession and the healthcare delivery system. At 7;35, he’ll join us on the program to discuss the findings in the survey.

The Situation in Iraq; Kerry Assures U.S. Support if Iraqi Leaders Unite

Secretary of State John Kerry says the fate of Iraq may be decided over the next week. He says that chilling assessment is largely dependent on whether its leaders meet a deadline for starting to build a new government. But that means nothing to the Sunni militants who’ve recently captured two key border posts. Also, on Monday, gunmen ambushed a police convoy transferring prisoners south of Baghdad. At 8:10, Tom Rivers will join the program.

Mayors Talk Climate Change in Dallas

At the 82nd annual U.S. Conference of Mayors, the heads of more than 300 American cities have taken up the politically delicate issue of climate change. They’ve voted on a resolution encouraging communities to use “natural solutions” to combat the effects of a changing environment. Many Republican governors have questioned the science behind “global warming,” but the mayors’ suggestions are only that — suggestions. ABC’s Jim Ryan reports from Dallas, where the conference has just wrapped up. At 8:55, Jim Ryan will join us.