How the Iran war and a partial government shutdown are impacting LA airports

How the Iran war and a partial government shutdown are impacting LA airports

As the war with Iran rounds out a third week, the benchmark Brent crude barrel price touched $119 a barrel this morning — well above 50% pre-war levels. This elevated price level for energy has worked its way through the economy, touching not just gasoline prices, but also jet fuel used by commercial airplanes. Of course, the elevated fuel cost is being passed along to passengers. At the same time, a partial government shutdown has meant that Transportation Security Administration officials working at airports are doing so without pay. This has led to some officials calling out sick, and leading to longer wait times at security checkpoints. These two factors combined have made travel across the country a bigger headache than usual. But how are our local SoCal airports fairing? Joining us to discuss the current state of air travel is Meghna Maharishi, airline reporter for the travel industry news site Skift.

Statement from Long Beach Airport: 

"Long Beach Airport continues to operate smoothly with no disruptions to flights or passenger services. Our staff and partners are maintaining regular operations, and we remain in close communication with our federal counterparts to stay informed as the situation develops. While there are no delays or impacts at this time, operations could become more challenging if the shutdown continues."

We also reached out to the Burbank Airport. Their spokesperson said “the airport has been operating normally.”

New report looks into LA sound stage occupancy and use

A report from FilmLA has found that sound stage occupancy stayed somewhat steady at 2025, hovering at 62%, although nowhere close to the numbers seen up until 2022. Other results to come from the yearly report showed positive and negative signs, with total projects seeing an increase from the year prior, although their shoot days did decrease. Joining us to get into what the data says about Los Angeles’ many sound stages and what it means for productions is Philip Sokoloski, vice president of Integrated Communications at FilmLA.

New book highlights the scientists who were shunned for being right

Every now and then, someone unearths a scientific discovery that is sure to change the world. But the world, being a funny place, doesn’t always take kind to these life-altering discoveries. Famously, the Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmelweis back in the 1800s had the novel idea of requiring docs to wash their hands before working with patients. Despite time eventually proving him right, his peers rejected his work at the time. He’s hardly the only person to be in that position, and a new book by science correspondent for The Economist Matt Kaplan fitfully dubbed I Told You So!: Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right highlights some of these stories. Kaplan joins AirTalk this morning to discuss.

The other war: Pakistan and Afghanistan

On Tuesday of this week, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of killing at least 400 people in an airstrike on a drug rehabilitation hospital in the Afghan capital late Monday. It marked a dramatic escalation of a conflict that began late last month and has seen repeated cross-border clashes as well as airstrikes inside Afghanistan. Last week, Pakistan’s president warned neighboring Afghanistan’s Taliban government that it had “ crossed a red line ” by launching drone attacks on civilian areas in Pakistan, and hours later, the country reportedly conducted strikes on an Afghan drone storage facility. The statement by Asif Ali Zardari was the latest in what has become the deadliest fighting yet between the two South Asian neighbors. Since then, Pakistan and Afghanistan have declared a temporary pause to escalating fighting. This was to allow people to observe Eid al-Fitr amid international calls by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar for a ceasefire. Today on AirTalk, we take a look at just how this war started. We’re joined by Ayesha Tanzeem, former Voice of America Bureau Chief for Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Waqar Gillani, a journalist who works for the Wall Street Journal, based in Islamabad, Pakistan.

With files from the Associated Press.

As the court continues to deliberate, we check in on the children's social media addiction trial

Last week, closing remarks were made for a landmark trial, determining whether the biggest social media companies in the country should be held liable, with the jury determining whether these platforms harm children. Since then, the jury has been deliberating, considering all the information given during the trial, and whether there’s enough evidence to reach a final verdict. As we wait to hear the jury’s decision, we’ll check in on the latest with Clare Duffy, Tech Reporter at CNN Business.

TV Talk: ‘Imperfect Women,’ ‘The Comeback,’ ‘Bait’ and more!

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching withJen Chaney, freelance TV critic and awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire, Marcus Jones.

TV SHOWS

• Imperfect Women [Limited series] (Apple TV+)
• Neighbors [Limited Series Finale] (HBO MAX)
• The Comeback [Season 3] (HBO MAX)
• Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (Prime Video)
• Bait [Season 1] (Prime Video)
• SNL UK [Season 1] (Peacock | Sky One)