How the nation’s principals are handling increased immigration enforcement at schools

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Today on AirTalk: immigration enforcement in schools; Fertility after 35; Congestion; NYT sues the Pentagon; Hep B vaccinations; and Australia's teen social media ban.

How the nation’s principals are handling increased immigration enforcement at schools

Today on AirTalk: immigration enforcement in schools; Fertility after 35; Congestion; NYT sues the Pentagon; Hep B vaccinations; and Australia's teen social media ban.

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How the nation’s principals are handling increased immigration enforcement at schools

Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, Los Angeles educators have said the increase in immigration enforcement actions contributed to more somber graduation ceremonies, lower attendance and fewer students enrolled in school this year. Now, a new report from UCLA’s Institute for Democracy, Education and Access finds similar scenarios are playing out on campuses across the country. UCLA researchers based the report on a nationally representative online survey of 606 high school principals and follow-up interviews with about four dozen administrators. 70% said students from immigrant families were concerned about the well-being of themselves and their families because of policies and political rhetoric related to immigrants. 64% said students from immigrant families missed school. Today on AirTalk, we dig into this report with Mariana Dale, senior K-12 education reporter for LAist and John Rogers, professor of education and associate dean for research and public scholarship at UCLA, as well as one of the co-authors of the report.

With files from the Associated Press.

Does fertility really drop off at 35? No, it doesn’t. So why all the focus on that age?

The term “geriatric pregnancy” has long referred to people who are 35 or older who are pregnant. Now, the more widely accepted term is “advanced maternal age.” But the age, where everything is purported to change, is still 35. Why is that? What happens to our bodies at 35 that makes conceiving so much harder? As more women wait until later in life to have children, should we also reconsider what we know about fertility and age? Joining us to discuss is Richard Paulson M.D., professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at USC and Director of USC Fertility and Mariam Naqvi, MD, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cedars-Sinai. We’d love to hear from you as well. If you fall under this category, did you find it hard to conceive after 35? More challenging? What was your experience? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

Traffic hit a record high in 2024 — Is there any hope for a less congested future?

It’s not just you, yes, traffic really is getting worse. A report from this summer laid out how congestion is equaling, and in some cases surpassing, levels seen pre-pandemic — not just in Southern California, but across the country. Joining us to discuss is David Schrank, Texas A&M Transportation Institute Senior Research Scientist, lead author of the 2025 Urban Mobility Report and Brian Taylor professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA. We’d love to hear from you as well. Do you have any tips for beating traffic? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

The New York Times sues the Pentagon

The New York Times filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Pentagon, attempting to overturn new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that have led to most mainstream media outlets being banished from the building. The newspaper said the rules violate the Constitution’s freedom of speech and due process provisions, since they give Hegseth the power to determine on his own whether a reporter should be banned. Outlets such as the Times walked out of the Pentagon rather than agree to the rules as a condition for getting a press credential. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss is Scott Nover, media reporter for The Washington Post.

With files from the Associated Press.

A federal vaccine advisory committee voted to change Hepatitis B recommendations. What’s next?

A federal vaccine advisory committee voted on Friday to end the longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses. But Kennedy’s advisory committee decided to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive, and in cases where the mom wasn’t tested. For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate. The committee voted 8-3 to suggest that when a family elects to wait, then the vaccination series should begin when the child is 2 months old. The acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jim O’Neill, is expected to decide later whether to accept the committee’s recommendation. So what do these new guidelines entail, and if accepted by the CDC, how might doctors begin adopting these changes. Joining us to discuss are Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for the New York Times.

With files from the Associated Press.

Australia’s teen social media enforcement takes a big step tomorrow, here’s what to know

Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, and YouTube would face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) from Dec. 10 if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove accounts of Australian children younger than 16. The Australian eSafety Commissioner will send 10 platform notices on Dec. 11, demanding information on the number of accounts removed. Monthly notices would follow for six months. Joining us to get into the implementation process and how it's perceived around the world is Hanna Rosin, senior editor at The Atlantic and the host of Radio Atlantic, and Sarah Kreps, professor of law at Cornell University and director of its Tech Policy Institute.

With files from the Associated Press