Today on AirTalk, we break down the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we discuss the controversy surrounding "In the Heights" and Latinx representation in the film industry; analyze the newest movie releases with our KPCC film critics; and more.

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Timothy Brewer from UCLA.

Topics today include:

California loosens COVID-19 mask rules for vaccinated workers 

A pill to treat COVID-19? The U.S. is betting on it 

Mental health worsens for parents, other unpaid caregivers during COVID-19 

Hundreds of vaccinated Indonesian health workers get COVID-19, dozens in hospital 

CDC lowers warning for cruises, recommends only fully vaccinated travel 

High hopes for Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine have fizzled in the U.S.

Gavin Newsom says vaccine incentives have worked. Have they? 

New COVID-19 study hints at long-term loss of brain tissue, Dr. Scott Gottlieb warns

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Timothy Brewer, M.D., epidemiologist and professor of medicine at UCLA’s school of public health; has served on the advisory boards of the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Last November, Los Angeles County voters passed Measure J, which required the county to set aside 10 percent of unrestricted county funds to social justice and diversion programs. But a proposed ruling from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel calls the measure unconstitutional in the way that it restricts county executives from The Los Angeles Times reports the official ruling is expected in the coming weeks.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll look at some of the legal underpinnings of the ruling, and what it could mean for the county if the ruling is upheld.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Fredric Woocher, partner at Strumwasser & Woocher LLP in Los Angeles

Last week saw the release for the film “In The Heights,” a film that was hailed by many as a means to showcase the Latinx experience in Washington Heights, as well as represent the diversity found in that specific community. 

This all came to a head during an interview conducted by Afro-Cuban journalist Felice Leon, who had noted to “In The Heights” director John M. Chu that there was a lack of Afro-Latinx leading actors in the film. Following this, talks of Latinx representation became a larger conversation of Afro-Latinx erasure and white-washing of the whole community by the entertainment industry.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the controversy surrounding “In The Heights” and how it ties in with Latinx representation in the entertainment industry. Join the conversation, call us at 866-893-5722.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUESTS:

Clayton Davis, Variety's Film Awards editor; he's the founder and president of the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association, and a member of African American Film Critics Association; he tweets @AwardsCircuit

Monica Castillo, arts and culture reporter for Colorado Public Radio; freelance film critic; she wrote the piece “The Limitations Of ‘Latinidad’: How Colorism Haunts ‘In The Heights’”; she tweets @mcastimovies

Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA); she tweets @ClaudiaPuig

Last week, following a meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a news conference where she sent a message to those who wish to cross the border from Mexico to the United States: “Do not come.”

This comes after president Biden had sent an immigration bill to Congress that had mentioned its willingness to address the “root causes of migration.” With these two comments having competing interests in the eyes of many critics, it did call into question how the Biden administration plans to approach its relationships with Latin American countries, particularly Central American ones such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Today on AirTalk, we break down the relationship Central American countries have had with the United States in the past and why this has affected immigration throughout the region.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUESTS:

Suyapa Portillo, associate professor of Chicano/a-Latino/a Transnational Studies at Pitzer College;  author of the book "Roots of Resistance: A Story of Gender, Race, and Labor on the North Coast of Honduras” (University of Texas Press, 2021); she tweets @SuyapaPV

James Fredrick, freelance journalist and contributor to NPR based in Mexico City; currently co-writing a book with a Honduran asylum seeker about his family's migration stories; he tweets @jameslfredrick

This week, California’s economy reopened, and with it, the state dropped most mask requirements - but not all. Masks are still required for workers while they’re at work. Thursday, California’s workplace regulatory board - Cal OSHA - meets to vote on a proposal that would change coronavirus protocols in the workplace. Fully vaccinated workers could stop wearing masks and practicing physical distancing requirements. Today on AirTalk, we speak with KPCC health reporter Jackie Fortier about what the proposed rules say - and don’t say - and break down the confusion over masking in the workplace. 

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Jackie Fortiér, health reporter at KPCC and LAist; she tweets @JackieFortier

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we dive into the history of the Juneteenth holiday; break down the Cal/OSHA vote on workplace masking guidelines; and more.

This Saturday is Juneteenth, an annual celebration which marks the emancipation of those who had been enslaved in the United States. 

Even though President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation officially outlawed slavery in 1862, this didn’t become a reality nationally until  June 19, 1865. That’s when Union troops took over Texas and freed the remaining slaves who had been denied freedom. 

And earlier this week Congress passed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, which is now on Biden’s desk and expected to be signed this afternoon. We dive into the history, origins and evolution of Juneteenth.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUESTS: 

Marne Campbell, historian and Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University 

Kaya Dantzler, lead organizer of We Love Leimert, and a producer with Leimert Park Rising, which is co-producing its twelfth Juneteenth celebration this weekend

If you hear your doorbell rung today, oftentimes you'd expect to see a package or bags of food at your doorstep. But just a few decades ago, one would expect to see a woman and her bag of perfume samples.

Enter: the Avon lady, and of course the company's earworm jingle. Experiencing much success in the years following World War II, Avon often relied on recruiting salespeople to go door-to-door to sell cosmetic products. 

Author Katina Manko chronicles the history of the salespeople who built and sustained the iconic Avon company in her new book "Ding Dong, Avon Calling! The Women and Men of Avon Products, Incorporated."

Today on AirTalk, we learn the history of Avon cosmetics and how its door-to-door marketing approach stayed in the American consciousness for many years. Were you an Avon lady and want to weigh in on the conversation? Call us at (866) 893-5722.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Katina Manko, author of "Ding Dong, Avon Calling! The Women and Men of Avon Products, Incorporated"

When L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva arrived in Venice earlier this month in a cowboy hat promising to clear its famous boardwalk of homeless people, he seemed to surprise just about everybody. After all, Venice is the LAPD’s jurisdiction. Chief Michel Moore was among those caught off guard.

“I did not invite the sheriff into Venice Beach,” Moore told our newsroom. So he called his counterpart the day after his visit. “I asked him, ‘How can we work together? I want to talk to you as chief-to-sheriff.’”

Moore did not condemn Villanueva. After all, the sheriff has the authority to enforce laws anywhere in the county. And in Venice, he is able to do what Moore cannot. As COVID-19 hit last year, the city council imposed a moratorium on the removal of tents housing homeless people during daytime hours. The idea was to limit the spread of the virus. That’s meant the LAPD has had a hands-off approach to encampments across the city. (The clearing of tents at Echo Park Lake was conducted ostensibly to conduct renovations to the area.) Moore thinks the city council should lift the moratorium now that the pandemic is waning, but so far the council has kept it in place.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with KPCC/LAist reporter Frank Stoltze about what he’s been able to find out about what the Sheriff hopes to accomplish.

To read the full story from KPCC/LAist’s Frank Stoltze, click here.

With guest host Sharon McNary

GUEST:

Frank Stoltze, KPCC/LAist criminal justice correspondent; he tweets @StoltzeFrankly