AirTalk

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Kimberly Shriner, infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.

Today’s topics include:

FDA expected to OK Pfizer vaccine for teens within week 

Pfizer releases first quarter earnings 

Pressure builds for Biden to back vaccine patent waivers 

$100 as a vaccine incentive? Experiment suggests it can pay off 

It’s not just India. New virus waves hit developing countries 

LA expands operations at COVID-19 vaccine sites 

Scientists scramble to see why, in rare cases, even the vaccinated can get COVID-19 

Guest:

Kimberly Shriner, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena

Today on AirTalk, we break down the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we analyze why the Los Angeles traffic death toll did not dip during the pandemic; remember the life of billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad; and more.

In a new book out this month, author Steve E. Koonin argues that Earth’s climate is changing, but the scientific findings are more opaque than popular media often suggests.

In his new book “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters,” the science policy expert argues that although climate is warming and humans are influencing it, many findings are more ambiguous than black-and-white public conversations on climate typically suggest. But why is that? Koonin focuses on the disconnect between researchers and popular media, which can cause inaccurate or uneven information to get through. It is the job of scientists, he argues, to make sure that the public is armed with the best information possible to understand our changing climate.

Today on AirTalk, we’re talking with Steve Koonin about his new book “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters.” Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

GUEST:

Steve E. Koonin, professor at New York University and author of the new book, “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters” (BenBella Books, May 2021)

Eli Broad, the billionaire philanthropist, contemporary art collector and entrepreneur who co-founded homebuilding pioneer Kaufman and Broad Inc. and launched financial services giant SunAmerica Inc., died Friday in Los Angeles. He was 87.

It was Broad who provided much of the money and willpower used to reshape Los Angeles’ once moribund downtown into a burgeoning area of expensive lofts, fancy dining establishments and civic structures like the landmark Walt Disney Concert Hall. He opened his own eponymous contemporary art museum and art lending library, the Broad, in 2015 in the city’s downtown next to Disney Hall.

“Eli Broad, simply put, was L.A.’s most influential private citizen of his generation,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Twitter. “He loved this city as deeply as anyone I have ever known.”

As a young accountant in the 1950s, Broad saw opportunity in the booming real estate market. He quit his job and partnered with developer Donald Kaufman and began building starter homes for first-time buyers eager to claim their slice of the American Dream. The company eventually became KB Home, one of the most successful home developers in the nation. Nearly 30 years later, Broad spotted opportunity once more and transformed the company’s insurance arm into a retirement savings conglomerate that catered to the financial needs of aging baby boomers. In the process, Broad became one of the nation’s wealthiest men, with a financial net worth estimated by Forbes magazine Friday at $6.9 billion. He also gained a reputation for being a driven, tenacious dealmaker. Today on AirTalk, we remember Broad. Do you have thoughts or memories to share? Leave them in the comments below or call 866-893-5722. 

With files from the Associated Press

GUESTS:

Zev Yaroslavsky, director of Los Angeles Initiative at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs; former L.A. County supervisor and city councilmember; he tweets @ZevYaroslavsky

Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicana/o Latina/o studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University; emeritus member of the KPCC Board of Trustees

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, reporter at KPCC; he tweets @AGuzmanLopez

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:

Do I have to get the COVID-19 vaccine in my arm? 

Next generation of COVID-19 vaccines could be pill or spray 

Los Angeles County reports no new COVID-19 deaths 

Nearly a third of Americans fully vaccinated

Scientists scramble to see why, in rare cases, even the vaccinated can get COVID-19 

India vaccine shortage to stretch until July 

Reaching ‘herd immunity’ is unlikely in the U.S., experts now believe 

GUEST:

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

The COVID-19 pandemic upended much of normal life in Los Angeles, but there’s one local norm that stayed the same: people continue to be injured and killed in collisions on city streets at a high rate.

Even with drastically fewer cars on the roads and fewer crashes overall, the number of people killed in traffic crashes in L.A. remained virtually unchanged in 2020.

Based on preliminary data reported by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, 238 people died in collisions last year, compared to 246 in 2019 — a decrease of about 3%.

That slight dip pales in comparison to how sharply car travel fell in greater L.A. and beyond in the early months of the pandemic. Schools closed, many workers stopped commuting to their offices, and local and state stay-at-home orders drastically limited the places and activities we could drive to in our cars.

Read more on LAist. 

We dive into why traffic deaths didn’t dip when there was so much less traffic on the roads. Plus, what that means for Vision Zero, the L.A. initiative that aims to rid the city of traffic deaths by 2025. 

GUESTS: 

Ryan Fonseca, writer and editor for LAist where he reports on transportation and mobility; his recent piece is “Traffic Was Historically Low In 2020. The Death Toll On LA's Streets Was Not”; he tweets @RyFons

Seleta Reynolds, general manager of L.A.'s Department of Transportation (LADOT); she tweets @seletajewel

Madeline Brozen, deputy director for the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, where she co-authored the 2020 policy brief The Need to Prioritize Black Lives in LA’s Traffic Safety Efforts

Eli Broad — who played an outsized role in L.A.'s philanthropic community — has died at the age of 87. Larry Mantle alked to him in 2012 about his life and career.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest COVID-19 headlines. Also on the show, we analyze ways to break down the country's cattle carbon footprint; review the latest movie releases with our KPCC critics; and more.

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with UCI Dr. Shruti Gohil. 

Topics today include:

Disneyland welcomes back guests Friday for the first time in over a year. Here's what you need to know 

California is allowing water parks to reopen 

Dodger Stadium vaccine site to close amid demand slowdown 

Four months into the vaccination rollout, ethnicity and racial data collection continues to lag 

Mass vaccination, India’s COVID-19 escape route, poses a giant challenge 

Orange County vaccination sites will resume use of Johnson & Johnson shot 

GUEST:

Shruti Gohil, M.D.,

President Joe Biden spent only a weekend as the “Hamburglar” in the conservative media world. But while the false story lasted, it moved with a damaging speed and breadth, another example of a closed ecosystem of information affecting public opinion.

An academic study published a year before Biden became president was used to speculate that he would place limits on how much red meat Americans can consume as part of his stated goal to sharply reduce greenhouse gas pollution.

With the need for greenhouse gas emissions to decrease and red meat production, as of now, standing in the way of each other, it does leave politicians in the present and future with a limited way of navigating out of this climate crisis.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss those limited paths and try to break down their effectiveness as politicians and businesses look to minimize their carbon footprint without starting any beef with the people they serve.

With files from the Associated Press

GUESTS:

Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley; he also leads the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative on behalf of UC Berkeley Law and UCLA Law; he tweets @EthanElkind

Marion Nestle, nutrition professor emerita at New York University and author of the book “Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition & Health”; she tweets @marionnestle