In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, guest host Sharon McNary speaks with Dr. Shruti Gohil from UC Irvine’s School of Medicine.

Topics today include:

These communities remain at high risk for dangerous COVID-19 variants rapidly increasing in US, expert warns 

Former White House adviser says dangerous coronavirus variant is 'like COVID on steroids' 

People hospitalized with COVID-19 now have one overwhelming thing in common. They're not vaccinated. 

Amid COVID-19 reopening, many Californians keeping masks on 

How are health experts handling California's reopening?

University of California says COVID-19 vaccines mandatory 

CDC to discuss reports of heart inflammation in young people after COVID-19 vaccines

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine

Last week, reports emerged that the Justice Department under former President Donald Trump seized data from the accounts of at least two members of the House Intelligence Committee in 2018 as part of an aggressive crackdown on leaks related to the Russia investigation and other national security matters, according to a committee official and two people familiar with the investigation.

Prosecutors from Trump’s Justice Department subpoenaed Apple for the data, according to the people, who were granted anonymity to discuss the secret seizures first reported by The New York Times.

The records of at least twelve people connected to the intelligence panel were eventually shared, including Chairman Adam Schiff, who was then the top Democrat on the committee. California Rep. Eric Swalwell was the second member, according to spokeswoman Natalie Edelstein. The records of aides, former aides and family members were also seized, including one who was a minor, according to the committee official.

Apple informed the committee last month that their records had been shared, but did not give extensive detail. The committee is aware, though, that metadata from the accounts was turned over, the official said. The records do not contain any other content from the devices, like photos, messages or emails, one of the other people said. The third person said that Apple complied with the subpoena, providing the information to the Justice Department, and did not immediately notify the members of Congress or the committee about the disclosure.

Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Rep. Adam Schiff to hear more about the Trump-era DOJ probe. Questions? Leave them below or call 866-893-5722.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Adam Schiff, Democratic Congressman representing California’s 28 Congressional District, which includes Burbank, parts of Pasadena, and Glendale; he tweets @RepAdamSchiff

Today on AirTalk, we get the latest on the movement to save the Salton Sea. Also on the show, we learn about historic LGBTQ landmarks in Los Angeles; and more.

When many people think about LGBTQ history in the United States, they cast their minds to New York City, where the history and mythologies around Stonewall and activist groups like ACT UP loom large.

But Los Angeles has long been a hotbed for queer resistance and activism as well. A decade before Stonewall, gay and trans people warded off a police raid of a downtown LA donut shop by flinging donuts and coffee cups at the officers trying to detain them, prompting the officers to flee and return with reinforcements. In central LA, Jewel’s Catch One operated for decades as a hub for the city’s Black LGBTQ community. Meanwhile, at the Reverend Troy Perry’s former home in Huntington Park, the reverend founded an LGBTQ church that officiated what Time Magazine dubbed the first public gay wedding in the country in 1968. Los Angeles’ queer history is colorful and diverse, but records are difficult to keep and local archives still struggle to make a record of the people who have long made up the community.

Today on AirTalk, we’re hearing more about some of Los Angeles’ most significant LGBTQ landmarks and histories. Do you have a favorite site of LGBTQ history or community in LA? We want to hear from you! Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

With guest host Sharon McNary

Guests:

Arit John, lifestyle reporter for the Los Angeles Times and co-author of the piece “20 landmarks that underscore L.A.’s pivotal role in the fight for LGBTQ rights”; she tweets @aritbenie

Joseph Hawkins, director of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California (USC), which is the largest repository of LGBTQ materials in the world

Salton Sea water levels continue to go down and that poses a number of problems for nearby communities and the organisms living in the water. A number of proposals being considered are focusing on the idea of importing seawater across the state’s desert to solve the problem. 

Environment reporter Mark Odalde’s new piece looks at the proposed plans. The California Natural Resources Agency is tasked with coming with a long-term fix, but the deadline is approaching. Odalde says the agency owes the state a plan by the end of 2022. 

Today on AirTalk, we break down what’s happening with the Salton Sea, the proposals being considered and the various implications. Do you have questions? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.  

We reached out to the California Natural Resources Agency, but the agency was unable to make someone available for an interview.

With guest host Sharon McNary

Guests: 

Mark Olalde, environment reporter for ProPublica’s Southwest office, his piece is “Clock is ticking on dreams of saving Salton Sea with water from Mexico's Sea of Cortez;” he tweets @MarkOlalde

Michael Cohen, a senior researcher at the Oakland-based Pacific Institute, a think tank that focuses on water conservation issues

Timothy Bradley, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC Irvine; he has been working on issues related to the Salton Sea and salt lakes for decades

Today on AirTalk, we discuss LA's reopening and the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we learn about the status of summer work; break down how the Buy Nothing Project took off on Facebook; and more.

If you’re on Facebook, then you might be familiar with Buy Nothing groups. 

These are hyper local groups where neighbors can give away goods or services for free. And you’ll see all sorts of things on there: bikes, dog walking offers, used lamps and desks and even half-eaten cakes. The Buy Nothing Project was started in 2013 by two women from Washington state, and according to their site, they now have groups in forty-four different countries. And the founders have said that the movement isn’t just about recycling, it’s also a way to tighten communities and establish a gifting economy. We dive into the Buy Nothing Project, as well as its evolution and impact.

With guest host Sharon McNary

Guests:

Foram Mehta, journalist and content developer who wrote the piece “The ‘Buy Nothing’ Groups on Facebook Are What Humanity Needs Right Now”

Nayantara Dutta, culture journalist who wrote the Vox piece “Neighbors are gathering online to give and get the things they need right now"; she tweets @nayantaradutta

Owning a peacock was once considered a status symbol, particularly around the turn of the twentieth century. Elias J, "Lucky" Baldwin, founder of Arcadia, imported several pairs of peafowl—known colloquially as peacocks—from India to his Santa Anita Ranchero in 1879. Since then, peafowl have roamed the streets of San Gabriel Valley and even Palos Verdes, which has resumed its bird trapping.

Most recently, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors drafted an ordinance last Tuesday prohibiting the intentional feeding of the bird. 

While peafowl may be a sight to see in all its colorful plumage, some folks are not happy about the birds showing up in neighborhoods. The increase in sightings may be due to a virulent Newcastle disease that has caused them to quarantine in residential areas, the Washington Post reports. Furthermore, efforts to relocate the birds have been delayed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the history of the peafowl in Southern California and explore why the area is so ideal for the birds to settle in. Are these colorfully feathered birds a pretty sight for the eye or more of an eyesore in your community? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722.

With guest host Sharon McNary

Guests: 

Kimball Garrett, ornithology collections manager at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Richard Schulhof, CEO of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden

We’ve talked a lot on AirTalk about how companies and employees are planning their returns to working in the office. Many employers are exploring the possibility of allowing workers to continue to work on a hybrid schedule where they’d come to the office on some days and work from home on others. But as these companies and workers grapple with that issue, the businesses that are inside of or surrounding those office buildings and business parks have to wrestle with a problem of their own -- fewer people working in the office means fewer customers coming through for coffee in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, or services on the way home from work. 

So, how have these businesses survived through the pandemic when most everyone is working from home, and what do they plan to do if the employees they usually service aren’t coming back to the office?

KPCC & LAist business and economy reporter David Wagner has been talking to local business owners that rely heavily on office worker traffic, and he joins us today on AirTalk to share what he’s found.

With guest host Sharon McNary

Guests:

David Wagner, KPCC/LAist reporter covering business and the economy

Brittney Valles, owner of Guerilla Tacos in downtown Los Angeles

Working at an ice cream shop, a movie theater concession stand, up in a lifeguard tower— for many young people, seasonal work is a reality of an American summer.

Summer jobs are a way young people save money for school, help their families out financially, or just make some extra cash to fund their summer plans. On the flip side, some employers rely on seasonal labor to help staff their businesses. Last summer, lockdowns and layoffs largely kept teenagers away from summer jobs, especially in retail and hospitality. But with vaccines now available to young people and record low COVID-19 rates in many parts of the country, seasonal jobs are coming back— at least partially. While jobs in retail and hospitality are quickly expanding once again, young people interested in white-collar and research-oriented positions are finding that competition for those jobs is fiercer than ever, making professional development tough. 

Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about the status of summer work for young people. Are you looking for summer work, or the parent of a teen who is? We want to hear about your experience! Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

With guest host Sharon McNary

Guest:

Krithika Varagur, columnist at the Wall Street Journal; she tweets @krithikavaragur