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By: fuzzymemories

Description: Here's an ABC News Special Report that interrupted the opening moments of a repeat of the Laverne & Shirley episode "Playing Hooky" (originally aired January 11th 1977 - Episode #2.13 of the series) on WLS Channel 7. Includes:

Opening credits of episode, with notice that it was filmed before a studio audience, followed by first moments of establishing first scene

ABC News Special Report bumper slide (voiceover by ??)

Anchor Charles Gibson reports of the start of a series of shakeups in President Carter's cabinet, with Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare, Joseph Califano, to announce his resignation (which had been accepted by Carter) at a news conference in the afternoon, and his place to be taken by the (then) current Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Patricia Harris. Gibson notes that HEW's budget is the largest within the federal government (and, as Califano boasted, the third-largest budget in the world); that Califano was being accused by some White House staffers of disloyalty; and that Mrs. Harris had her own problems, complaining that HUD was being overlooked in the overall scheme of things. These resignations followed a series of Cabinet resignation offers on Tuesday (July 17th).

(Historical Note: Subsequent to these cabinet changes, HEW was broken up into two agencies, the Department of Education and the Department of Health & Human Services.)

Gibson ends the report by promising more details on World News Tonight, after which we see the ABC News Special Report bumper slide (ending voiceover by ??), and then a return to the Laverne & Shirley episode already in progress.

This aired on local Chicago TV on Thursday, July 19th 1979 during the 10:00am to 10:10am timeframe.