AirTalk

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest COVID-19 headlines. Also on the show, we analyze a recent Supreme Court ruling on the NCAA; learn how the state's grid operator will prepare for the hot summer; and more.

Couples in the U.S. are racing to the altar in a vaccination-era wedding boom that has venues and other vendors in high demand.

With restrictions on large gatherings loosening, wedding planners and others who make the magic happen said they’ve started pushing their bookings into late 2022 and early 2023. Also contributing to the rush are couples who went ahead and got hitched during stricter pandemic times with few or no guests and are now on their second go-arounds with larger groups. They’re competing for services with those who had always intended to marry this year. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the implications for those who work in the wedding industry and are trying to keep up. We want to hear from you? Do you service events and weddings in some capacity? Florist? Photographer? Caterer? Call us and tell us how you’re being impacted. Also, if you’re planning to get married, is the demand having any impact on your big day? Tell us your experience by calling 866-893-5722. 

With files from the Associated Press. Read the full story here.

Guest: 

Michelle Garibay, owner and principal planner at Michelle Garibay Events, which specializes in destination weddings and is based in Temecula

Last week, Californians felt the test of heat as the first heatwave of the summer enveloped over various countries. However, the rising temperatures haven't subsided just yet. On Thursday, California issued a state of emergency due to the excessive heat. 

The California ISO, which operates 80% of the state's electric grid, sent flex alerts over the past few days to encourage residents to conserve energy resources.

With this hot heat comes high demand for power. The worry is that Californians could cause a repeat of last August, where residents endured 2 nights of rolling blackouts. So how will California prepare for this hot summer season?

Today on AirTalk, we dive into how California's energy sources will prepare for the rising temperatures.

Guests:

Katherine Blunt, reporter covering renewable energy and utilities for The Wall Street Journal; she tweets @KatherineBlunt

Elliot Mainzer, CEO of California Independent System Operator

Severin Borenstein, professor and faculty director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, member of the California ISO Board of Governors; he tweets @BorensteinS

The Supreme Court decided unanimously Monday that the NCAA can’t enforce rules limiting education-related benefits — like computers and paid internships — that colleges offer to student athletes.

The case doesn’t decide whether students can be paid salaries. Instead, the ruling will help determine whether schools decide to offer athletes tens of thousands of dollars in those benefits for things including tutoring, study abroad programs and graduate scholarships.

The high court agreed with a group of former college athletes that NCAA limits on the education-related benefits that colleges can offer athletes who play Division I basketball and football are unenforceable.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court that the NCAA sought “immunity from the normal operation of the antitrust laws,” which the court declined to grant.

Under current NCAA rules, students cannot be paid, and the scholarship money colleges can offer is capped at the cost of attending the school. The NCAA had defended its rules as necessary to preserve the amateur nature of college sports.

But the former athletes who brought the case, including former West Virginia football player Shawne Alston, argued that the NCAA’s rules on education-related compensation were unfair and violate federal antitrust law designed to promote competition. The Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling barring the NCAA from enforcing those rules.

As a result of the ruling, the NCAA itself can’t bar schools from sweetening their offers to Division I basketball and football players with additional education-related benefits. But individual athletic conferences can still set limits if they choose. A lawyer for the former athletes had said before the ruling that he believed that if his clients won, “very many schools” would ultimately offer additional benefits.

Today on AirTalk, we learn more about the ruling and the consequences for NCAA athletes. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

With files from the Associated Press

Guests:

Dan Murphy, ESPN staff writer and investigative reporter who has been following the story; he tweets @DanMurphyESPN

Marc Edelman, professor of law at Baruch College, City University of New York, where he specializes in sports law and antitrust law

After more than a year in quarantine, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many Americans are wasting no time making summer travel plans. 

Flight and hotel bookings are going fast, rental cars are in short supply around the country, and popular outdoor attractions like National Parks are more crowded than usual this summer. Our very own Larry Mantle just returned from a weeklong road trip, which included a drive through Navajo Nation in the four corners area of Arizona, where he reported seeing significantly more tourist traffic than he usually does.

Today on AirTalk, we want to hear about your summer travel plans, how you’ve navigated making them in the post-pandemic world, or if you’ve already ventured out on vacation for the first time since the pandemic, how did it go? Join our live conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, we speak with UCSF’s Dr. Peter Chin-Hong. 

Today’s topics include:

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

Wondering if the vaccine worked? Get the right test, at the right time

US coronavirus infections this fall could reach 20 percent of last winter's peak 

Salon workers are holding on to their masks, and not just because of COVID-19 

Tokyo Olympics will allow some domestic fans to attend events despite COVID-19 fears 

The places still targeting “zero COVID-19” 

Virus surge claims brightest minds at Indian universities

Guest:

Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets @PCH_SF

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.

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 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

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