Your Wake Up Call Rundown, July 7

Good morning! We hope you had a nice Independence Day holiday. Here is what we have planned today for Your Wake Up Call on AM 820 News (Tampa Bay) and AM 1190 News (Orlando).

Tampa Teen Released From Israeli Jail

Tariq Abu Khdeir, a 15-year-old Palestinian-American and Tampa resident who was jailed and beaten by Israeli police, has been released and will return home to the U.S. Kdeir took to the streets in protest after his cousin, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was killed in what was said to be a crime of retaliation by Jewish extremists after three of their own were recently shot and killed. Chris and I will discuss the latest.

Germany Ticked Off Again Over U.S. Spying

A 31-year-old German intelligence employee was arrested last week on suspicion of aiding the U.S. He is accused of handing over 218 documents to the U.S. between 2012 and 2014. It’s a major blow to the relations between Germany and the U.S., relations that have already been tense after the German government unearthed that the National Security Agency was monitoring Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone. ABC News correspondent Tom Rivers joins us at 6:35 to talk about it.

Immigrant Children Border Crisis

Department of Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson said that the U.S. is “not open to undocumented immigrants” and he said the Obama administration is taking the necessary steps to curtail it. Johnson said they have cut down the turnaround time for processing adult immigrant detainees from 33 days to four days and that the president is exploring legal options for taking executive action to reform the system. ABC News correspondent Jim Ryan joins us at 6:55 to talk about it.

 Congress Returns, Prepares to Sue President Obama

House Speaker John Boehner says he fully intends to “stand up” for the Constitution and sue President Obama, citing that the president has chosen not to abide by the Constitution with his health care laws, energy regulations, foreign policy and education. In a CNN editorial Boehner said that Obama has “circumvented the American people and their elected representatives through executive action, changing and creating his own laws, and excusing himself from enforcing statutes he is sworn to uphold — at times even boasting about his willingness to do it.” ABC News White House correspondent Ann Compton joins us at 7:10 for more.
Texting While Driving: Great Law, Few Citations
When Florida Gov. Rick Scott passed a law that made it illegal to text while driving, many sang his praises and cheered. Yet nine months after the ban took effect, very few citations have been issued. Chris and I talk about an article that was published in the Tampa Bay Times Sunday which talks about challenges posed by the ban, particularly the fact that it’s a secondary offense and drivers can only be stopped if drivers have committed another violation like speeding.
More and More Kids Left in Hot Cars
Chris and I discuss the latest news in regards to children being left in hot cars — it’s continuing to happen all across the U.S., including recent cases in Florida, Tennessee and New York, and there are some troubling statistics about just how often this type of thing happens annually.

Boston Marathon Bombing Trial Begins

More than a year after the Boston Marathon bombing, the first trial is set to begin today. Opening statements will be read in the trial of Azamat Tazhayakov, a 20-year-old friend of the surviving bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tazhayakov is being charged with obstruction after he and another friend, Dias Kadyrbayev, took a backpack containing fireworks and a laptop from Tsarnaev’s dorm room and tossed it out. ABC News correspondent Scott Goldberg joins us at 7:35 to discuss it.

Get the latest on local, state and national gas prices with AAA’s Mark Jenkins. He joins us at 8:51.

Your Wake Up Call airs Monday through Friday from 6 – 10 a.m. on AM 820 News in Tampa Bay and AM 1190 News in Orlando. You can listen online here.

Get involved

Call 1-866-977-4820

Follow us on Twitter: