AirTalk

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

Topics today include:

SoCal Counties moving toward wider opening 

Many long-hauler patients didn’t have initial symptoms 

Officials urge continued mask usage due to dangerous variants

Kaiser Permanente criticized over its vaccine program

Could spring break lead to another surge? 

Study confirms higher risks for those with severe obesity

Are men still dying more than women from COVID-19?   

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

These days, for better or worse, TV news crews are often among the first to arrive on the scene of a breaking story. But it hasn’t always been that way. In fact, before one particular event in 1949 that took place right here in Southern California, there was no long form, on-site live coverage of breaking news events the way that we see it now. 

In his new book, Southern California historian Bill Deverell goes back more than 70 years to a spring evening in April of 1949. 3-year-old Kathy Fiscus is playing with her 9-year-old sister and a cousin in a vacant lot in the city of San Marino. When Kathy missteps and falls down a dry well, the eyes of the world turned to SoCal for the next 48 hours, waiting with bated breath to hear the fate of little Kathy as rescuers worked feverishly to try and save her in an effort that would, ultimately and tragically, prove futile. But the incident marked a seachange in the way breaking news was covered on television and radio. Because the site of the accident was so close to Mt. Wilson, where several radio towers were set up, local news was able to set up and broadcast the rescue attempt as it was happening in real time, something that had never been done before. Angelenos who were lucky or wealthy enough to own a television set at the time sat in their living rooms glued to their sets while the rest of the city crowded around the windows of hardware stores where TV sets for sale were tuned to the coverage. But wherever they were watching, one thing was clear: the city, the nation and the world were transfixed on the rescue attempt happening live in real time, and both reality TV and long form breaking news coverage today are the results of what happened during those fateful few days.

Today on AirTalk, USC historian Bill Deverell joins Larry Mantle to talk about his new book on the Kathy Fiscus tragedy and how it changed the way breaking news is covered on TV and radio here in Los Angeles and across the nation.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10th at 6:00 p.m., Bill Deverell joins Patt Morrison for a virtual conversation to celebrate the book’s launch. To sign up, click here. 

On Tuesday, March 16th at 6:00 p.m. Vroman’s Bookstore is putting on a virtual discussion on the book with Bill and Los Angeles Times columnist Robin Abcarian. To reserve your tickets, click here.

Guest:

Bill Deverell, author of “Kathy Fiscus: A Tragedy That Transfixed the Nation” (Angel City Press, March 2021); he is professor of history at the University of Southern California and director of the Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West

On International Women's Day, President Joe Biden issued an executive order directing the Education Department to reexamine Trump-era policies issued under Title IX that establish guidelines for campuses investigating sexual assault and harassment.

Under the previous administration, Secretary of Education Betsy Devos announced regulations last May that narrowed the definition of sexual harassment, limited the liability of investigating institutions, and granted the accused the right to cross-examine their accusers. Many critics argued that the latter would create a chilling effect and make victims reticent about making a formal report.

The executive order asks that all orders, guidances, and policies are consistent with his administration's policy to "guarantee education free from sexual violence," which was part of his 2020 campaign platform. Title IX, a federal civil rights law passed in 1972, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or other education program that receives federal money.

Today, we discuss how these changes might be made and their potential impact with Laura Meckler, national education policy reporter for the Washington Post.

Guest:

Laura Meckler, national education writer at the Washington Post; she tweets @laurameckler

Lara Bazelon, Law professor and director of the Criminal & Juvenile Justice and Racial Justice clinics at the University of San Francisco Law School; she tweets @larabazelon

More doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are slowly becoming available to more and more groups of people, but the majority of Americans are still waiting their turn in line to get vaccinated while others at higher risk of exposure to or serious illness from the virus are given their shots first. If you’re one of those people who is still waiting in line but have watched others in your orbit get the vaccine, you might have felt a twinge of potentially unwelcome vaccine envy if you started to think about the kinds of everyday things that someone who is vaccinated might be able to do again. 

Today on AirTalk, we want to hear about how you’re handling vaccine envy, whether personally or within your family or friend groups. If you’ve received the vaccine already, have family members or friends expressed being jealous? Or have you dealt with your own feelings of envy towards someone else who already has the vaccine.

Guest:

Carla Javier, KPCC/LAist community engagement reporter who has been following vaccinations; she tweets @carlamjavier

Zoom fatigue, or burnout resulting from excessive videoconferencing for work, quickly became a staple in the lives of those who have spent the last year working from home. Depending on a variety of factors, the impact of this emerging fatigue can vary from person to person.

According to reporting in the Wall Street Journal, some medical experts say the toll of these video tools might be harder on extroverted personalities who prefer socializing in person. Health professionals like Dr. Rita Burke emphasize the need to set aside time for self care in order to cope with new circumstances brought about by the pandemic.

Today, we are joined by Dr. Burke to discuss how to maintain motivation and mental energy in the midst of Zoom fatigue. Questions? Call us at 866-893-5722.

Guest:

Rita Burke, assistant professor of clinical preventive medicine at USC Keck School of Medicine; she tweets @RitaVBurke

Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 news and answer your questions. Also on the show, we discuss people's ongoing struggles with zoom fatigue; talk about the tragedy of Kathy Fiscus and how it shaped news coverage; and more.

After serving two terms and becoming the youngest mayor in city history at age 31 when she was elected in 2013, Compton Mayor Aja Brown announced earlier this year that she would not be seeking a third term in office.

Among other things during her tenure as Compton mayor, Brown focused on implementing a 12-point program designed to help advance the city and also launched a universal basic income pilot, the Compton Pledge, which has helped 800 city residents over two years. 

Today on AirTalk, Mayor Brown joins us to talk about her tenure in office.

Guest:

Aja Brown, mayor of the City of Compton; she tweets @AjaLBrown

Today on AirTalk, we discuss challenges the prosecution and defense face in the trial of Derek Chauvin, who was charged with second-degree murder following the death of George Floyd. Also on the show; we answer your COVID-19 questions; discuss the evolution of black churches; and more.

The judge overseeing the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in the death of George Floyd on Monday paused jury selection for at least a day while an appeal proceeds over the possible reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge.

As hundreds of protesters gathered outside the courthouse to call for the conviction of Derek Chauvin, Judge Peter Cahill said he does not have jurisdiction to rule on whether the third-degree murder charge should be reinstated against the former officer while the issue is being appealed. But he said prosecutors’ arguments that the whole case would be impacted was “tenuous.” Cahill initially ruled that jury selection would begin as scheduled on Monday, but prosecutors filed a request with the Court of Appeals to put the trial on hold until the issue is resolved. The judge then sent the potential jurors home for the day, while prosecutors tried to contact the appellate court. Cahill took a recess to give the Court of Appeals time to respond, but planned to bring attorneys back into the courtroom Monday afternoon to deal with other matters. Cahill said he would proceed with the trial unless the higher courts told him to stop. Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Legal experts say reinstating the third-degree murder charge would improve the odds of getting a conviction. Chauvin’s attorney, Eric Nelson, said Monday he would ask the state Supreme Court to review a Court of Appeals decision that ordered Cahill to reconsider the charge.

Jury selection is expected to take at least three weeks, as prosecutors and defense attorneys try to weed out people who may be biased against them. Today on AirTalk, we talk with experts about the legal challenges from both the prosecution and defense perspectives as the trial gets underway. Do you have questions? Call us at 866-893-5722. 

With files from the Associated Press

Guests:

Brian Dunn, civil rights attorney and managing partner at The Cochran Firm California, based in Los Angeles, where he specializes in police misconduct cases; he tweets @DunnLawyer

Daniel Herbert, Chicago defense attorney and former police officer; he tweets @DanielQHerbert

Britain and its royal family absorbed the tremors Monday from a sensational television interview with Prince Harry and Meghan, in which the couple said they encountered racist attitudes and a lack of support that drove the duchess to thoughts of suicide.

In a two-hour soul-baring interview by Oprah Winfrey, the couple painted a deeply unflattering picture of life inside the royal household, depicting a cold, uncaring institution that they had to flee to save their lives. Meghan told Winfrey that at one point “I just didn’t want to be alive anymore.” She said she sought help through the palace’s human resources department but was told there was nothing it could do.

Meghan, 39, admitted that she was naive at the start of her relationship with Harry and unprepared for the strictures of royal life. The former television star, who is biracial, said that when she was pregnant with son, Archie, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” 

Harry confirmed the conversation, saying: “I was a bit shocked.” He said he would not reveal who made the comment, though Winfrey said he told her it was not either of his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, Prince Philip. Harry and Meghan, known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced they were quitting royal duties last year, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media, and moved to North America. That split became official this year, and the interview was widely seen as their first opportunity to explain their decision.

Today on AirTalk, Los Angeles Times and royals expert Patt Morrison joins Larry to share her reaction to the interview and talk about what it means for the future of the British monarchy, for Harry and Meghan, and for the other members of the royal family.

Guest:

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