AirTalk

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg of UC Davis. 

Topics today include:

LA opens vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older 

The picture in CA seems better, but still we’ve surpassed sixty thousand deaths in the state 

One study points to Regeneron being able to head off infections

What do we know about the larger picture of COVID rates across the U.S.?

OC will test run a “digital” vaccine passport 

GUEST:

Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital

Today on AirTalk, we talk with the CEO of the LA Philharmonic Association about the reopening of The Hollywood Bowl and The Ford. Also on the show, we discuss the latest COVID-19 headlines; talk with KPCC film critics about this weekend's new movie releases; and more.

Prince Philip, the irascible and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in a role that both defined and constricted his life, has died, Buckingham Palace said Friday. He was 99.

His life spanned nearly a century of European history, starting with his birth into the Greek royal family and ending as Britain’s longest serving consort during a turbulent reign in which the thousand-year-old monarchy was forced to reinvent itself for the 21st century. He was known for his occasionally deeply offensive remarks - and for gamely fulfilling more than 20,000 royal engagements to boost British interests at home and abroad. He headed hundreds of charities, founded programs that helped British schoolchildren participate in outdoor adventures, and played a prominent part in raising his four children. 

Philip saw his sole role as providing support for his wife as she confronted the changing demands placed on a constitutional monarch who began her reign as Britain retreated from empire and steered the monarchy through decades of declining social deference and U.K. power into a modern world where people demand intimacy from their icons. Over the course of the decades, Philip’s image changed from that of a handsome, dashing athlete to arrogant and insensitive curmudgeon. Many Britons appreciated what they saw as his propensity to speak his mind, while others criticized behavior they labeled as racist, sexist or out of touch. Still, many believe he was one of the few figures in the queen’s life who was able to speak plainly to her and provide unvarnished advice.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll look back on Prince Philip’s historic life and his impact on the British monarchy.

With files from the Associated Press

Guest:

Patt Morrison, columnist for The Los Angeles Times and expert on the U.K. royal family; she tweets @pattmlatimes

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, we speak with nurse and UCLA professor Kristen R Choi. 

Today’s topics include:

Advisors don’t think AstraZeneca vaccines will be used in U.S. 

Long Beach opens vaccines up to 16+

Johnson & Johnson vaccine supply to plummet across U.S. and CA 

Could we see vaccine passports in CA? 

Study: 1 in 10 still have lingering symptoms months after COVID-19 

Study: Moderna vaccine results in more side effects than Pfizer

Guest:

Kristen R. Choi, professor of nursing and public health at UCLA; registered nurse practicing at Gateways Hospital, based in Echo Park

Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement earlier this week that California would lift COVID restrictions on industries and end the state’s tier system for regulating operation and capacity of businesses, the L.A. Phil is announcing its return with the news that it will reopen The Hollywood Bowl and The Ford will reopen for live music events this year. The Bowl will resume concerts in May with audience capacity limited to 4,000 people, though they say they expect to increase capacity through the summer. They’ll begin with a series of free shows for frontline health workers, first responders and other essential personnel who have worked through the pandemic followed by some more traditional summer events, including their Fourth of July Fireworks. The Ford’s season will start in late July and the L.A. Phil says it plans to make 20 percent of those performances free to the public.

Today on AirTalk, L.A. Phi CEO Chad Smith joins Larry to talk about the return of live music to the L.A. Phil’s outdoor venues and what concert-goers can expect at the shows.

Guest:

Chad Smith, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association

Today on the show, we discuss the new migrant facilities in Long Beach and San Diego. Also on the show, we go over the latest COVID-19 news; analyze how national and local media cover mass shootings; and more.

There are plenty of things we've been forced to go without during the last year -- seeing friends and family in-person, going out with friends and coworkers, live events like sports, music, theater and more. But for many Southern Californians who endured long daily commutes to and from work before the pandemic forced some professionals to work from home, they're welcoming having the time they might have otherwise spent sitting in traffic for other things. But as more shots go into arms and it becomes safe to return to the office environment, many of us will have to resume our daily commutes.

Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you -- if you've been working from home since the start of the pandemic and you'll have to be commuting again soon, how are you approaching it? Are you looking at alternatives to resuming that commute? Join our live conversation by calling us at 866-893-5722.

New research from the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FermiLab) in Illinois has found that a tiny subatomic particle appears to be disobeying the laws of physics, which could open up a host of new questions about the nature of our universe.

The early findings suggest that “there are forms of matter and energy vital to the nature and evolution of the cosmos that are not yet known to science,” writes Dennis Overbye, in a recent piece in the New York Times. Hundreds of physicists have been operating an experiment out of FermiLab that centers on muons, particles that are similar to electrons, though heavier. When muons were shot through a magnetic field, scientists observed that they did not behave as expected— a mystery that raises the question of what muons were reacting to. Although the findings do not quite rise to the level of a discovery, they do have the attention of the physics community.

Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about muons and what current research might reveal about the laws of physics. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.

Guests:

Dennis Overbye, science reporter for The New York Times and author of the recent piece “Finding From Particle Research Could Rewrite Known Laws of Physics”

Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist at Caltech; he tweets @seanmcarroll

A recent spate of mass shootings that gained national media attention has also meant renewed critique of the way national and local media covers shootings - including reliance on police and perpetrator narratives and how and why some shootings get covered while others are deemed not of national interest. 

So how do those behind-the-scenes editorial decisions get made? How does the media’s focus on certain types of shootings influence the public’s perceptions of violence in the U.S.? And what is the gulf between the reality of violence and the media narrative?

Guests:

Kelly McBride, media ethicist, senior vice president of the Poynter Institute and NPR's public editor; she tweets @kellymcb

Elinore Kaufman, M.D., assistant professor of trauma surgery and firearm injury researcher in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The Long Beach City Council unanimously approved a plan Tuesday night to convert the city's convention center into a temporary shelter for up to 1,000 unaccompanied migrant children.

The site will be run by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and FEMA. The agencies have already set up similar shelters at convention centers in San Diego and Dallas because of overcrowding at Border Patrol facilities.

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said the goal will be to reunite children with their family members or sponsors in the U.S. He also made a plea for compassion.

Read more on LAist. 

Meanwhile, early data for March suggests that the U.S. is experiencing record high numbers of unaccompanied children and teenagers at the border. We discuss how the Biden administration is approaching the situation, and the planned conditions for the facility in Long Beach.

Guests:

Jordan Fabian, white house correspondent for Bloomberg News; he tweets @Jordanfabian

Cindy Allen, councilwoman representing District 2 in Long Beach, where the Long Beach Convention Center is located; she introduced the motion to convert the convention center into a temporary shelter

Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center in Southern California, which represents people who would otherwise face immigration judges alone, including unaccompanied minors; she tweets @L_Toczylowski