Washington Post’s Dana Hedgpeth, Nomiki Konst and Larry Kudlow joined WMAL on Tuesday!
Mornings on the Mall
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Hosts: Brian Wilson and Larry O’Connor
Executive Producer: Heather Hunter
5am – A Ellicott City driver reunited with the strangers who saved her (WUSA9) — A woman who was trapped in her car in Elicott City with the hero who saved her. It was Saturday night when a group of strangers risked their own lives to pull a woman out of a vehicle as flood waters rushed by. On Monday, the man who wiped out but wouldn’t give up got to meet the woman he carried to safety. Jamie Knight ran up to hug Jason Barnes quickly, with a heartfelt squeeze and words exchanged after. In cell phone video, Barnes fell in the water at first and got swept away. He was able to get up and he, with others, made a human chain to reach Knight. Barnes pulled her out of her car. “Thank you so much,” she said. Barnes said everyone there Saturday was a hero.
5am – B GUN NEWS:
Texas allows guns in college classrooms under new law (Reuters) A new law went into effect in Texas on Monday that allows certain students to bring guns into classrooms, with supporters saying it could prevent mass shootings and critics saying the measure will endanger safety on campuses. The so-called state “campus carry” law allows people 21 and older with a concealed handgun license to carry pistols in classrooms and buildings throughout public colleges, including the University of Texas system, one of the nation’s largest with an enrollment of more than 214,000 students. The law took effect on the 50th anniversary of one of the deadliest U.S. gun incidents on a college campus, when a student named Charles Whitman killed 16 people by firing from a perch atop the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin, the state’s flagship public university. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who supports campus carry, said a gunman could already bring a firearm on to campus, and the law could prevent mass shootings because someone with a licensed concealed weapon could be ready to confront a gunman.
Tim Kaine’s stance on firearms has shifted along with events (Washington Post) RICHMOND — At his national introduction as Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine suggested that he has done what few swing-state Democrats have dared: taken on the National Rifle Association. “I know the NRA,” he said. “They’re headquartered in my state, in Virginia. They campaigned against me in every statewide race that I’ve ever run, but I’ve never lost. . . . I don’t mind powerful groups campaigning against me. That just is like an extra cup of coffee to me.” But as Kaine hits the campaign trail and makes gun control a central Democratic theme in the 2016 race for the White House, his relationship with the nation’s most powerful gun lobby is more nuanced than the kind of “High Noon” faceoff he suggested. In more than two decades as a political figure in Virginia, a Southern state with a strong gun tradition and historically lenient firearm regulation, Kaine has pivoted on guns, in style and substance, depending on the political climate, the office he sought and particular events. He has been an urban mayor determined to reduce gun deaths. And he has been a statewide candidate who embraced the Second Amendment and promised not to tighten gun laws. He has become quiet on the issue at times, and played offense at other moments. As he served in different political roles, in a changing Virginia, Kaine has tailored his stance as the politics surrounding guns have evolved. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., second from left, gestures during a roundtable discussion on gun violence Jan. 25, 2013, at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond
5am – C A Virginia farm will honor Kirk Cousins’ ‘You Like That?’ with a breathtaking corn maze (USAToday) Nearly a year later, Kirk Cousins’ now famous catchphrase is still going strong. Wayside Farm Fun, a self-proclaimed “farm playground,” will celebrate Cousins and “You Like That?!” with a corn maze and a wooden statue of the man who uttered the words: Cousins is already dealing with enough pressure playing under the franchise tag in 2016. Now he has to deal with the kind of expectations that come with having a corn maze made in your honor. Corn maze expectations are no joke.
5am – D CDC issues historic travel warning over Miami Zika outbreak (CNN) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an unprecedented travel warning Monday, advising pregnant women and their partners not to travel to a small community just north of downtown Miami, where Zika is actively circulating. This is the first time the CDC has warned people not to travel to an American neighborhood for fear of catching an infectious disease, according to agency spokesman Tom Skinner. The warning came after 10 additional people in Florida were found to have been infected with Zika virus after being bitten by local mosquitoes, bringing the total to 14. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden announced the development in separate news conferences Monday. The new cases were found by door-to-door surveys of 200 people in their homes and businesses, and they were identified by urine and blood samples that tested positive for the virus or an antibody. Late last week, Florida state health officials confirmed that four people had contracted Zika from mosquitoes in the same 150-square-meter area. It’s a mixed-use development with upscale as well as economically stressed businesses and homes, which Frieden said complicates mosquito control efforts. “New test measurements over the weekend showed a risk of continued active transmission in that area,” Frieden said. “Because of this finding, we are advising pregnant women not to travel to that area and if they have traveled there on or after June 15 to visit their health care provider for testing.” June 15 is the earliest day, said Frieden, that local health officials believe the mosquitoes could have passed the virus, which they obtained by biting a person who had returned to the United States with the disease. Since four out of five people with Zika have no symptoms, it’s possible that “person zero” had no idea they were infectious.
5am – E McDonald’s: ‘We are ready to be better’ (Yahoo) McDonald’s wants its commitment to food quality to be taken more seriously. “We are ready to be better,” Marion Gross, McDonald’s supply-chain senior vice president, told a room of journalists on Monday at the company’s headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. “We have challenged nearly every aspect of our menu.” McDonald’s has been continuously tweaking its menu over the last year in an effort to drive up sales and improve the widespread perception that its food is unhealthy and overprocessed. The changes have been successful so far: McDonald’s same-store sales have grown for three-straight quarters following two years of declines. On Monday, the company announced its latest set of menu tweaks: removing artificial preservatives from Chicken McNuggets, eliminating high-fructose corn syrup from its hamburger buns, and transitioning to antibiotic-free chicken one year earlier than planned.
6am –A/B 2016 ELECTION UPDATE:
Pocket Constitution Sales Soar After Trump Feud With Khan Family (NYTimes) The Constitution appears to be having a moment. When Khizr Khan, the Harvard-educated lawyer and father of a Muslim soldier killed in Iraq, chastised Donald J. Trump at the Democratic National Convention last week, he made his point with a small, but deeply symbolic prop. “Let me ask you,” said Mr. Khan, directly addressing the Republican presidential nominee, “have you even read the United States Constitution?” As the audience erupted in cheers, Mr. Khan pulled a miniature version of the founding document from his coat pocket and shook it in the air. “I will gladly lend you my copy,” he said. It was a star turn for the Constitution that stirred the hearts of dozens of organizations across the country dedicated to promoting its tenets. By the weekend, a pocket-size copy of the document published by the National Center for Constitutional Studies, a conservative group, had rocketed up Amazon’s list of best-selling books. On Monday, it was holding strong in the No. 2 position, trailing only “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” (The Times does not track the Constitution for its own best-seller rankings.)
Trump Tries to Clarify After Mistakenly Saying Russia Has No Forces in Ukraine (ABC) Donald Trump attempted today to clarify his comments that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not have forces in Ukraine. “When I said in an interview that Putin ‘is not going into Ukraine, you can mark it down,’ I am saying if I am President. Already in Crimea!” Trump tweeted. “So with all the Obama tough talk on Russia and the Ukraine, they have already taken Crimea and continue to push. That’s what I said!” In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Trump said Putin was “not going into Ukraine.” “He’s not going to go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down. You can put it down. You can take it anywhere you want,” Trump said. Stephanopoulos responded that Putin already had forces in Ukraine, to which Trump replied that Putin was there “in a certain way.” “But I’m not there. You have Obama there,” Trump said, suggesting the president was to blame for the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s foreign minister tweeted a response to Trump’s online clarification today, saying he looks forward “to tough actions to stop this push [by Russia into Ukraine] and to reverse it, of course including Crimea.”
Trump to Stump in Ashburn on Tuesday (LoudounNow.com) Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will make his first Loudoun campaign stop tomorrow, with an event planned at Briar Woods High School in Ashburn. The event is scheduled for 11 a.m. The campaign has opened online registration for free tickets. Democrat Hillary Clinton already has made one Loudoun campaign stop, with a visit to a Stone Ridge coffee house in May.
Lewandowski Tells Female CNN Guest ‘Don’t Touch Me!’ Without Irony (TalkingPoinsMemo.com) During an emotional defense of the Khan family from Clinton surrogate Christine Quinn in a CNN segment Monday, former Donald Trump staffer Corey Lewandowski cautioned her, apparently without a hint of irony: “Don’t touch me.” Lewandowski, made infamous for his physical run-in with a female reporter earlier this year, snapped over Quinn’s sweeping arm motions. “You’ve gotta relax a little bit,” the CNN political commentator said. Quinn yelled back: “I do not have to relax!” “Excuse me, don’t touch me! Don’t touch me,” Lewandowski warned.
Ex-Sanders campaign manager: Trump could win (TheHill) Bernie Sanders’s former campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, says Democrats shouldn’t underestimate Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. “I certainly think she can win, yes,” Weaver told Politico for a podcast published Monday, of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. “But it’s going to be much closer than many people think,” Weaver continued. “I think some people on the Democratic side who think that, you know, Trump is such a buffoon that it’s already won — but I think he’s a very dangerous opponent and I think he certainly has the ability to win as well,” he said. Trump received a bounce in polling following the Republican National Convention last month, eliminating polling leads for Clinton. A new CBS News poll conducted July 29-31 after the GOP convention found Clinton with a 7-point lead over Trump. Weaver also revealed in the Politico interview that Sanders was “never really that interested in being vice president.” The independent Vermont senator wasn’t named as among those Clinton’s campaign vetted before it picked Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Trump warns US presidential election will be ‘rigged’, calls Hillary Clinton ‘the Devil’ (RT) Donald Trump says November’s US presidential election “is going to be rigged,” making the claim twice on Monday. The property tycoon also called his rival Hillary Clinton “the Devil,” adding that the system was also rigged against Bernie Sanders. The Republican presidential candidate first spoke at a town hall event in Columbus, Ohio, where he said that election on November 8 might be “rigged.” “I’m afraid the election is going to be rigged, I have to be honest,” the Republican nominee told the crowd, as cited by AP. He added that he has been hearing “more and more” that the election may not be contested fairly, though he did not give any further details. He reiterated his claims using even stronger language during an interview with Fox News on Monday evening, in which he told Sean Hannity “the election is going to be rigged,” while also calling on Republicans to watch proceedings “very closely.”
McCain: Trump defamed Khan, does not represent GOP Washington (CNN) Sen. John McCain accused Donald Trump of defaming Khizr Khan and argued the Republican presidential candidate does not represent the GOP. “While our Party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us,” McCain said in a statement Monday. Trump’s criticism of Khan after he spoke from the stage of the Democratic convention last week resurrected the billionaire developer’s past comments accusing McCain of not being a war hero because he was captured in Vietnam. “I cannot emphasize enough how deeply I disagree with Mr. Trump’s statement. I hope Americans understand that the remarks do not represent the views of our Republican Party, its officers, or candidates,” McCain, who has previously announced he supports Trump for president, said Monday. In the very personal statement, McCain also paid homage to the Khan’s son Humayun’s sacrifice.
6am –C Former Md. Atty. Gen. Joe Curran tries to stop robber with cane (WUSA9) Former Maryland Attorney General Joe Curran is still fighting crime at 85 years old, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office. Joe Curran, Jr., Assistant Vice President of Claims, remembered July 11. On that day, he witnessed a robbery and an assault, and then tried to stop the suspect using his cane.
6am – D INTERVIEW — DANA HEDGPETH — Transportation Reporter, The Washington Post
Latest on the Red Line Surge: Metro Red Line passengers faced morning of delays as major repair work started Monday
Metro General Manager Calls Supervisors, Managers to Meeting on Safety, Service (NBC) Metro’s general manager is calling together supervisors, managers and assistant superintendents for a mandatory meeting on improving the culture of the transit agency, according to an internal memo obtained by News4. The meeting will be held Wednesday morning at the Verizon Center. “Please join me for a discussion of Metro’s priorities to improve safety, service, reliability and get our financial house in order,” Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld wrote in the memo. Metro could not immediately comment on how many employees will be required to show up, but did confirm that this meeting is taking place. This is not the first time Wiedefeld has called one of these major meetings together.
6am – E Channing Tatum Will Play a Mermaid Opposite Jillian Bell in Disney’s Splash Remake (Eonline) A movie that includes more of Channing Tatum’s ripped abs? Yes, please! E! News has learned the hunky actor will join his 22 Jump Street co-star Jillian Bell for a Disney remake of the 1984 film Splash, which originally featured Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. The original film followed the story of a young man (Allen) who reunites with a mermaid (Madison) who saved him from drowning as a boy. He ends up falling in love with her, not knowing who or what she is. However, in the remake, Tatum will play a male version of the mermaid and Bell will play a female version of Allen.
7am – A/B/C Lea Michele shows off latest tribute to late Cory Monteith with ‘Finn’ tattoo on buttocks as she poses in the nude (DailyMail) Her then boyfriend Cory Monteith passed away two years ago. And Lea Michele recently showed off a new tribute to the talented young actor. The 29-year-old appeared completely naked for the September cover of Women’s Health UK as eagle-eyed fans were able to spot a ‘Finn’ tattoo on her left buttock. She famous appeared on the highly-popular Fox musical series Glee with Cory as his character was star quarterback Finn Hudson. It is not the only permanent remembrance on Lea’s body for the fallen star as back in April she shared a black and white photo of a miniature number five inked under her arm. The tattoo is in reference to the jersey number of quarterback Finn, as her late boyfriend died aged 31 in July 2013 from a heroin and alcohol overdose.
7am – D Olympic News:
TOM BRADY’S WIFE WILL BE A PART OF A FAKE ROBBERY IN BEGINNING OF OPENING CEREMONY: According to guests, during a section on the urbanisation of Brazil, spectators will hear a song describing Brazil’s high number of road accident victims. Then, as Gisele, the world’s highest paid supermodel and one of Brazil’s most famous stars, struts down a catwalk to the sound of The Girl From Ipanema, she is held up by an actor and robbed, according to internet posts. A chase then takes place around the 78,000-seater stadium as police officers race to catch the assailant before she shows that good will prevail, according to reports.
People are posting Olympic opening ceremony spoilers to Snapchat (Mashable) “Save the surprise. Please no photos.” That was the call to people inside the Maracanã Stadium in Rio at the weekend as rehearsals for Friday’s opening ceremony started up. Needless to say, no one listened. In fact, Snapchat and Facebook were awash with sneak previews of what’s in store as the 2016 Olympics kick off — and several details of the planned program have leaked. Gisele is expected to appear to the strains of bossa nova track “The Girl from Ipanema,” in what one local paper reportedly says is a mock robbery scene. A replica of the 14-bis biplane built by Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont will also feature. Beyond that, it looks like a suitably dramatic affair, judging by more Facebook posts from inside the stadium. There will be hundreds of dancers and dramatic light installations.
Rio 2016: Olympic sailing ramp collapses as athletes’ village chief is fired over ‘unsafe’ conditions and hotel fire (Independent) — Mario Cilenti is reported to have been sacked for overseeing the construction of the Olympic athletes’ village as bad weather caused the main sailing ramp to collapse. The main ramp of the sailing venue is expected to be repaired before the opening ceremony on Friday
Thousands Of Brazilians Protest In The Streets Less Than One Week Before Olympics (DailyCaller) Crowds of angry Brazilians protested in the streets Sunday, demanding suspended President Dilma Rousseff not attend the Olympics because of her impeachment trial. Thousands of protesters dominated Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the biggest cities in Brazil Sunday. Rio is also the host of the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics, which kick off August 5 and run through August 21. Brazilians demand a quick solution to the country’s long-running national political drama over corruption involving state oil firm Petrobras. Protesters want Rousseff’s immediate impeachment and former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, to be prosecuted for corruption.
Rio’s air fails to meet World Health Organization standards ahead of Olympics (HuffingtonPost) For years, the Brazilian city has surpassed international limits for a dangerous air pollutant. Rio de Janeiro’s air is dirtier and deadlier than portrayed by authorities and the Olympics’ promised legacy of cleaner winds has not remotely been met, an analysis of government data and Reuters’ own testing found. Brazil declared in its official bid for the Olympic Games, which open on Friday, that Rio’s air quality was “within the limits recommended by the World Health Organization.” That was not true when Rio won the right to host the Games in 2009 and it is not true now. Rio for years has surpassed WHO limits for the most dangerous air pollutant – called particulate matter (PM) – spewed from millions of vehicles clogging the city’s roads. Thousands die annually in Rio’s metropolitan area of 12 million people because of complications related to the air. People exposed to the pollution have higher risks of lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, asthma and other diseases.
Ryan Lochte Unveils Dramatic New Hair for Rio Olympics 2016 (Time) Ryan Lochte is really into switching up his hair. Swimming’s reformed party boy and all-star says he’s ready for Rio’s Olympics, which kick off on Friday, and he’ll be attending the games with an unexpected new look. The 11-time Olympic medalist first took to social media over the weekend to share his updated hairstyle, a shocking bleached short cut with pale silver-blue tones. It’s quite striking against his tan (perk of spending all that time in a pool) and bright blue eyes. But why the blue? The swimming sensation has stayed mum on his rationale behind the switch-up so far, but we can certainly speculate: maybe he wanted to get the merman vibes going. Maybe he was inspired by Kylie Jenner. Or maybe it’s a patriotic nod. Lochte may say he’s “Rio ready” and “more mature” than ever — but really, is Rio ready for him and his trendy ice-blue hair? Only a few days until we find out.
7am – E UPDATE ON ELLICOTT CITY:
Ellicott City driver reunited with the strangers who saved her (WUSA9) A woman who was trapped in her car in Elicott City with the hero who saved her. It was Saturday night when a group of strangers risked their own lives to pull a woman out of a vehicle as flood waters rushed by. On Monday, the man who wiped out but wouldn’t give up got to meet the woman he carried to safety. Jamie Knight ran up to hug Jason Barnes quickly, with a heartfelt squeeze and words exchanged after. In cell phone video, Barnes fell in the water at first and got swept away. He was able to get up and he, with others, made a human chain to reach Knight. Barnes pulled her out of her car. “Thank you so much,” she said. Barnes said everyone there Saturday was a hero.
Lawmaker: ‘Did climate change kill two people in Ellicott City?’ (Baltimore Sun) A state lawmaker suggested Monday that climate change could be to blame for the flash-flood that killed two people and destroyed much of historic Ellicott City Saturday night. “The deaths and damage caused by this weekend’s flash flood in Ellicott City, as well as the damage caused elsewhere, reminds us that climate change is about more than polar bears and the rising sea level in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Sen. James Rosapepe, co-chair of a key environmental subcommittee in the Maryland Senate. He asked: “Did climate change kill two people in Ellicott City this weekend?” Rosapepe, a Democrat, said Maryland is ill-prepared to prevent flash-flooding largely because much of its climate change planning focuses on rising sea levels. He raised that possibility that the once-in-a-thousand-year flooding this weekend was linked to rising global temperatures.
8am – A INTERVIEW — NOMIKI KONST — Sanders supporter and was a delegate at the DNC
TOPICS: 2016 NEWS:
Did Trump Have a Chance with Sanders Supporters?
Where Do Sanders Supporters Go Now?
8am – B CRITTER NEWS:
CDC issues historic travel warning over Miami Zika outbreak (CNN) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an unprecedented travel warning Monday, advising pregnant women and their partners not to travel to a small community just north of downtown Miami, where Zika is actively circulating. This is the first time the CDC has warned people not to travel to an American neighborhood for fear of catching an infectious disease, according to agency spokesman Tom Skinner. The warning came after 10 additional people in Florida were found to have been infected with Zika virus after being bitten by local mosquitoes, bringing the total to 14. Florida Gov. Rick Scott and CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden announced the development in separate news conferences Monday. The new cases were found by door-to-door surveys of 200 people in their homes and businesses, and they were identified by urine and blood samples that tested positive for the virus or an antibody. Late last week, Florida state health officials confirmed that four people had contracted Zika from mosquitoes in the same 150-square-meter area. It’s a mixed-use development with upscale as well as economically stressed businesses and homes, which Frieden said complicates mosquito control efforts. “New test measurements over the weekend showed a risk of continued active transmission in that area,” Frieden said. “Because of this finding, we are advising pregnant women not to travel to that area and if they have traveled there on or after June 15 to visit their health care provider for testing.” June 15 is the earliest day, said Frieden, that local health officials believe the mosquitoes could have passed the virus, which they obtained by biting a person who had returned to the United States with the disease. Since four out of five people with Zika have no symptoms, it’s possible that “person zero” had no idea they were infectious.
2 Dogs Somehow Manage To Put Car Into Drive Gear, Crash Into Walmart in West Virginia (FOX) WAYNE, West Virginia – A pair of dogs who were left in a car with the motor still running crashed it into a Walmart, authorities said Sunday. An elderly woman left her two dogs in her car as she went shopping at Walmart in Wayne, West Virginia, WSAZ reported. The dogs somehow managed to crash the car into the building at a slow rate of speed. No people or dogs were hurt and there was only minimal damage to the car and building. Shoppers told WSAZ, they were surprised when they saw a dog driving the car. The owner of the dogs said she left them there with the engine running and air conditioning on so the dogs could stay cool in the heat.
Grizzly Bear Breaks Into Man’s House, Moron Decides To Film It Instead Of Running (Daily Caller) An unidentified man nearly won a Darwin award after he stuck around to film a grizzly bear that entered his house. The man shot a short video of him trying to see the bear while simultaneously not getting killed. The young bear eventually climbs the stairs as the man runs for cover.
8am – C TV NEWS:
Jon Stewart returning to TV before election (TheHill) Jon Stewart is returning to TV just in the time for this year’s presidential election. Stewart, 53, who became an icon in entertainment and political commentary during his 16-year run as host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”, will be launching his new program on HBO “sometime in September or October,” according to the premium cable network’s programming president, Casey Bloys. The as-yet-untitled show will be an “animated parody of a cable news network, with kind of an Onion-like portal,” Bloys said. Stewart is reportedly “establishing an animation studio because he wants to get material out multiple times a day,” to allow him to “comment in real-time during the day’s news events.” Stewart signed a four-year deal with HBO after leaving Comedy Central last summer. He has largely been out of public view but did appear on CBS’s “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” during the recent Republican and Democratic national conventions.
Fox News hires ‘American Sniper’ widow as contributor (The Hill) Fox News has announced the hiring of Tara Kyle, the widow of the late United States Navy SEAL and decorated sniper Chris Kyle. Tara Kyle — who is prominently featured in the best-selling book written by her husband, “American Sniper” — will serve as a contributor to Fox, providing military and family commentary. Kyle, 41, has also authored a book, “American Wife,” which chronicles how she handled the murder of her husband, who was shot and killed at a Texas shooting range by ex-Marine Eddie Ray Routh, and her life as a military spouse. She made her first appearance in her new role on the network’s morning show “Fox & Friends” earlier Monday.
8am – D INTERVIEW — LARRY KUDLOW
TRUMP in our area today in LOUDOUN COUNTY — what message does he need say about the economy?
His thoughts on the Trump’s battle of words with Khizr Khan, the father of a deceased Muslim U.S. soldier
8am – E A Virginia farm will honor Kirk Cousins’ ‘You Like That?’ with a breathtaking corn maze (USAToday) Nearly a year later, Kirk Cousins’ now famous catchphrase is still going strong. Wayside Farm Fun, a self-proclaimed “farm playground,” will celebrate Cousins and “You Like That?!” with a corn maze and a wooden statue of the man who uttered the words: Cousins is already dealing with enough pressure playing under the franchise tag in 2016. Now he has to deal with the kind of expectations that come with having a corn maze made in your honor. Corn maze expectations are no joke.