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Fires in France and Spain, AI in Hollywood, learning to swim, how cannabis affects sleep and more
Firefighters and civillians attempt to extinguish a wildfire as it approaches houses on July 24, 2026 in El Tiemblo, in Ávila province, Spain.
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Pablo Blazquez Dominguez
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Getty Images
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Jump to
- Fires tear through France and Spain – is this the new normal?
- AI is behind the scenes in Hollywood – how close is it to the limelight?
- Sink or swim? Share your swimming lesson stories with us!
- Why the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is in limbo
- Can cannabis consumption change how you dream?
- Should you share a workplace with your friends?
Today's show: AirTalk guest host Josie Huang discusses the fires tearing through France and Spain, AI in Hollywood, swimming lesson stories, the Paramount-Warner Bros merger, how cannabis affects sleep and sharing a workplace with friends. Josie also hosts LAist's Weekend Edition.
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Fires tear through France and Spain – is this the new normal?
The topic:
Fires in France and Spain, at this point, have displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Given the climate similarities, as well as the scale to this point, many Angelenos may be harkening back to the fires that happened back in January 2025.
Fires in Europe: Across France and Spain, roughly 330,000 people have been driven from homes and vacation sites by fires of exceptional scale. Spain braced for its fourth heat wave of the summer, with several blazes still out of control, including the largest in its recorded history.
California reforestation efforts: Recent CalMatters reporting outlined the difficulties the state is facing with replanting trees, the pace of which is not mirroring the amount lost post-fires.
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With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
- Manuel Ausloos, Reuters reporter following the fires
- Char Miller, professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College
AI is behind the scenes in Hollywood – how close is it to the limelight?
The Hollywood sign during daytime.
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David McNew
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Getty Images
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The topic:
Generative AI has been seen by many in creative fields as an unwelcome interloper, creating competing work of dubious quality but well under the cost of human creation. But as AI systems progress, Hollywood as a workplace is beginning to warm up to these tools.
The uses: While anyone can generate an AI slop video on the fly these days, Hollywood isn’t just wholesale handing the reins to AI for creation. Instead, AI tools are being used in video effects creation, the reading and intake of new scripts, and routine office work.
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Yes, but: In the background, AI actors and voice actors are looming. SAG-AFTRA, the actors union, recently bargained a new deal they say will limit on-screen AI actors to very rare circumstances.
The open secret: Reporting from the Los Angeles Times has found that about 10% of analyzed Hollywood job postings in June were related to AI in some way.
Guest:
- Nilesh Christopher, technology reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on how artificial intelligence empowers, harms and reshapes communities
Sink or swim? Share your swimming lesson stories with us!
Did you take swimming lessons?
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Svitlana Hulko
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
Whether you took your first laps around the pool at your local Y, or took your first dive into the ocean at 60, learning to swim is a memorable experience. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear your stories about learning one of life’s greatest joys: splishing and splashing.
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Join the conversation: How did you learn to swim? How old were you? Did you have an amazing teacher that made you feel safe? Or did you just jump into a body of water one day and try to figure it out on your own? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722. You can also email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Nic Perez, AirTalk producer and former lifeguard and swimming instructor
Why the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is in limbo
The Paramount logo is displayed at Columbia Square along Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Calif. on March 9, 2023.
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Patrick T. Fallon
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Getty Images
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The topic:
The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is on hold as the companies await a trial brought on by a joint lawsuit from California, the WGA, and 11 other states. The lawsuit claims that the $81 billion merger violates anti-trust law.
What it all means: Although not fully merged, the two companies are financially tied as they wait for a trial. Paramount has agreed to pay Warner Bros. $650 million per quarter if the deal is delayed. Agreements also restrict Warner from acquiring any assets or acquisitions without Paramount’s approval.
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Guest:
- Elaine Low, staff writer for The Ankler and host of The Ankler Agenda podcast
Can cannabis consumption change how you dream?
Do you use cannabis to sleep?
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colnihko
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
A recent story from The Washington Post examined the lack of dreaming in people who consume cannabis, and its potential signalling of how marijuana affects our quality of sleep. Today on AirTalk, we look at how the drug changes sleep.
A good night’s rest: A recent study from Sleep Health conducted a national survey and estimated around 9% of U.S. adults use cannabis as a way to fall asleep. While people who use cannabis say they get better sleep, scientists have reported the opposite.
Join the conversation: Are you a marijuana user who has noticed it has affected the quality of your sleep? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 and tell us about your experience.
Guest:
- Dr. Matthew Hill, neurologist at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary
Should you share a workplace with your friends?
How do you feel about having workplace friends?
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fizkes
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iStockphoto
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The topic:
Working with your friend can be fun, but what if you have completely opposite work ethics? And what if your friend-conversations aren't appropriate? Today on AirTalk, we ask an expert how to maintain work boundaries when a friend enters the office.
Join the conversation: We want to hear from you! Have you worked with a friend? How did you keep your work-relationship and friend-relationship separate? Did one help the other? Give us a call at (866) 893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Guest:
- Beth Schinoff, associate professor of management at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on how our work and nonwork lives collide and shape our interactions.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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