AirTalk

In a new book by the acclaimed author of several bestselling nonfiction titles, the bloody “Punitive Expedition” and early 20th century conflicts between Mexico and the U.S. take center stage.

Author Jeff Guinn, whose previous subjects include Jim Jones and Charles Manson, chronicles how Pancho Villa’s raid of a small border town in 1916 resulted in a bloody conflict between Mexico and the United States. On the U.S. side, General John J. Pershing recruited the Army, National Guard and and the Texas Rangers (little more than vigilantes at the time) into a militarized force that would foreshadow future military conflicts. The U.S.’s mission to capture Villa ultimately failed, but the conflict is still remembered in the border towns where it was fought over a century ago.

Today on AirTalk, we are joined by Jeff Guinn to learn more about his new book and the history of the Punitive Expedition. Questions? Leave them below or give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Jeff Guinn, bestselling author of numerous books including his latest, “War on the Border: Villa, Pershing, the Texas Rangers, and an American Invasion” (Simon & Schuster, 2021)

Although retail stores have dealt with fewer drastic coronavirus-related closures than indoor restaurants, museums and other recreational businesses, the pandemic has still radically restructured the industry.

With customers nervous to shop in person, e-commerce boomed during the pandemic and prompted thousands of shop closures across the country. And even with COVID-19 rates plummeting and more vaccinated civilians, the hits to in-person shopping aren’t not over yet; some studies are predicting thousands of new store closures still to come in 2021. But although a significant number of businesses have struggled, many big box retailers actually saw gains during the pandemic. Some small retailers also successfully pivoted to online selling, hybridizing their model for a future that will be increasingly (although likely not entirely) digital.

Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about how the pandemic has affected retail. Are you a retail business owner? How has the pandemic affected your business, and how are you adapting going forward? We want to hear from you! Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Rachel Michelin, president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, the trade group representing all aspects of retail in the state; she tweets @RachelEMichelin

Alexis DeSalva Kahler, senior research analyst focusing on retail and e-commerce at Mintel, a global market research firm; she tweets @acdesalva

Martin Breidsprecher, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; he tweets @mbreidsprecher

Last week Governor Newsom touted that due to federal aid and the state’s surplus, the government would be able to foot the bill for a “$100 billion California Comeback Plan,” part of California’s $276 billion budget. 

But the Legislative Analyst’s Office has a different take on the numbers, putting the surplus at $38 billion. That’s because Newsom is defining “surplus” differently and it does raise questions about the budget. So, what’s in it? What issues and political motivations are driving Newsom’s budget? And why is there a discrepancy in the surplus estimation?

Guests: 

Gabe Petek, legislative budget analyst at the Legislative Analyst’s Office; he tweets @gpetek

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast at the San Francisco NPR affiliate KQED; she tweets @mlagos

Dan Walters, long-time California politics observer with CALmatters, a nonprofit public interest publication; he tweets @DanCALmatters

The service industry, specifically bars, restaurants and cafes, took a serious hit during the pandemic. As public health and other officials urged curbside orders, many found themselves amping up their tips.

For example, as mentioned in J.J. McCorvey’s recent story in the Wall Street Journal, one customer found herself tipping 50% on a $6 coffee as a way to increase her support for a struggling business. While that spending may have been okay for some during a time when they were spending less, things are starting to reopen. Experts say it’s time to reassess your financial situation, but to still consider tipping generously when and if you can.

Today on AirTalk, McCorvey walks us through the rules of tipping post-COVID-19. But we also want to hear from you! What are your thoughts? Did the pandemic change how you tipped? Will your tipping practices be forever altered? How and why, if so? What are you considering moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comments or call 866-893-5722 to join the live conversation. 

Guest: 

J.J. McCorvey, reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Noted, a journal publication for young people, his latest story is “The Post-Covid-19 Rules of Tipping;” he tweets @jjmccorvey

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

Today’s topics include: 

Mask update: CA to hold off on following CDC guidelines

LA County tells Trader Joe, other chains to continue enforcing mask usage 

Should we shift focus away from herd immunity at this point? 

LAUSD to use prizes, other incentives to get students vaxxed

Why are parts of Asia seeing a rise in cases? Could it happen here?

How COVID-19 proved poor indoor air quality makes us sick and what we should do about it

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

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we talk with restaurant and brewery owners about the yellow tier reopenings; break down the latest EDD news; and more.

Last week, California’s new attorney general promised an increased focus on hate crimes, saying there is “a state of crisis” because of increases in attacks on Asian Americans since the coronavirus entered the U.S. after originating in China.

Rob Bonta announced a new Racial Justice Bureau within his California Department of Justice and said he will hold a virtual meeting with the mayors of the state’s 13 largest cities later this month to discuss hate crime.

About half of hate crimes go unreported, they are difficult to prosecute because the law requires something to show they are driven by racial or other discrimination, and they affect many races, religions and sexual orientations, he said.

But “make no mistake, right now we’re in a full on state of crisis, a full on state of emergency, when it comes to hate violence against the Asian-Pacific Islander community,” he said.

Last week, two Asian American women were stabbed in an unprovoked attack in San Francisco, and a Los Angeles County jail inmate was charged with hate crimes after he knocked down and repeatedly punched a jail employee who is Asian American.

Bonta, a Democrat, is the first Filipino American to hold the state’s top law enforcement post, and used his first news conference since taking office April 23 to highlight the problem. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed the former Assemblyman to replace Xavier Becerra, who became the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary.

Guest:

Rob Bonta, Attorney General of California; he tweets @RobBonta

AT&T will join its media operations with those run by Discovery to create a new company in a $43 billion deal that run its CNN, HBO, TNT and TBS with channels like the Food Network and HGTV. With the agreement Monday, AT&T is easing back from a yearslong push into a streaming entertainment sector where big players are slugging it out with increasingly large war chests dedicated to premium and original content.

The newly formed and publicly traded company will enter a streaming arena that has been flooded in the past two years with new players including those owned by AT&T and Discovery, which operate HBO Max and Discovery+, respectively. It is a major directional shift for AT&T which squared off with the Justice Department less than three years ago in an antitrust fight when it wanted to acquire Time Warner Inc. for more than $80 billion. That was a fight to expand into entertainment that AT&T won. It’s not immediately clear what the new company would mean for customers, but it will likely allow the bundling of streaming services. For example, Disney offers its viewers Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. A standalone streaming service for CNN is also a possibility. The combined media company will still be outsized by rival streaming services.

With files from the Associated Press

Guest: 

John Horn, KPCC arts and entertainment host; he tweets @JGHorn

Last week, L.A. County entered the yellow tier, which means expanded indoor capacity for most businesses. 

L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told LAist that this could make a significant difference to bars, who will now “be able to provide indoor service with a limit on their capacity, at 25%. So, a small number of people will be able to be served indoors at bars, it's really at 25%, no more. But that, for some places, will be a very big difference."

We check in with bars and restaurants around Southern California - and we want to hear from you if you own or work in the drinks or restaurant industry. How was this past year? Has the yellow tier made a difference? What further loosening of restrictions will make a difference for you? Call us at 866-893-5722. 

Guests: 

Frances Michelle Cannon, executive director of the L.A. County Brewers Guild; she is also the associate editor for the craft beer news site and podcast TheFullPint; she tweets @FrannyFullPint

Jennifer Feltham, co-owner of Sonoratown in Downtown Los Angeles; she tweets @sonoratown

Sandra Cordero, executive chef and owner of Gasolina Cafe in Woodland Hills

Kim Prince, Owner Hotville Chicken in the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw area

Armando De La Torre, Jr., Co-owner and operator of Guisados, which has multiple locations in the LA County area, Georgia's Burger Stand in Boyle Heights and Playita Mariscos in Silver Lake

California’s employment development department has had ongoing issues throughout the pandemic, from issues of fraud to the growing backlog of calls. In this time, the department has managed to assist many struggling Californians, with 86.4% of claims having been paid to individuals in a week's time after they receive certification.

The department has also looked for measures to assist their lack of manpower, having added a callback feature for individuals who have waited 15 minutes in the EDD’s queue, allowing representatives to reach out to callers who may have had no chance of receiving assistance prior.

Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest news surrounding California’s EDD and also answer some of your questions. Join the conversation, call us at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Loree Levy, deputy director for California’s Employment Development Department

Daniela Urban, executive director of the Center for Workers' Rights in Sacramento which advocates for workplace justice