Los Angeles among major metros to see flight reductions due to government shutdown

Los Angeles among major metros to see flight reductions due to government shutdown

Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago along with hubs across the U.S. are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown. The affected airports covering more than two dozen states include the busiest ones across the U.S. — including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected. Today on AirTalk we’re joined by Meghna Maharishi, airline reporter for the travel industry news site Skift, and Charlene Reynolds, director of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana.

Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi announces retirement after decades-long career

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will not seek reelection to the U.S. House, bringing to a close her storied career as not only the first woman in the speaker’s office but arguably the most powerful in American politics. Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco for nearly 40 years, announced her decision Thursday. Joining us this morning to discuss Pelosi’s legacy and achievements is Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College.

With files from the Associated Press

Adult content and erotica soon to be offered by Chat-GPT

Is sexting to be reserved for humans and humans alone? ChatGPT maker Open AI believes the answer to that is a resounding “no,” as the company has announced it will allow more sensual conversations to be had with its chat bot. Critics of online sexual expression have long argued that online sexualized content has allowed for cheap interaction that effectively removes the complications of human emotion. Sex nonetheless, continues to push the boundaries of consumerism and technology. Today, we are entering into a new wave of techno-human interaction known as ‘digisexuality.’ The porn industry has a long history dating back to the late 1970s, but does this new iteration sans humanity make sense? Joining us to talk about the evolution of online sexual content, and the technological advances AI is making in the pornography industry is Kaamna Bhojwani, host of the Sex, Tech and Spirituality podcast and writer for the Psychology Today column “Becoming Technosexual.” We also want to hear from you! What do you think about AI-generated erotica and do you think the lack of human element matters when pornography is already performative?

Orange County Board of Supervisors approve a new response to homelessness

Orange County can now arrest and fine unhoused individuals immediately for camping along flood control channels, in county parks or on other county-owned land. The new policy was approved by the O.C. Board of Supervisors on Tuesday by a 4-1 vote, despite concerns Santa Ana could be forced to contend with an increase in unhoused people booked and released from the county’s main jail. It marks a shift in addressing homelessness that has been echoed in cities and counties across California and the West since a major Supreme Court ruling last year. Joining us on AirTalk to discuss is LAist Orange County Correspondent, Jill Replogle. Also joining us is Katrina Foley, Vice Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors representing District 5, and Vicente Sarmiento, Orange County Supervisor representing District 2.

Blumhouse and how horror became a box office guarantee

Horror films have been a consistent draw for movie theaters, even in a post-pandemic, streaming world. And one of the most well-known production studios in horror is Blumhouse. The production house came on the scene in 2009 with Paranormal Activity, a low-budget found-footage film that became a smash hit spawning a franchise. Blumhouse would repeat this formula with The Purge and Insidious franchise. Now, Blumhouse is known for its more crowd pleasing scary movies like M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy’s, but the studio has also taken risks on up and coming directors like Jordan Peele and Damien Chazelle. So, how does a horror production house continue to survive and turn a profit in today’s film industry? And why does horror seem to be a safe bet for box office returns. Joining us to discuss the current horror movie landscape is Abhijay Prakash, president of Blumhouse. You can read all about Blumhouse’s rise in their new book Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse

TV Talk: ‘Pluribus,’ ‘All’s Fair,’ ‘Death by Lightning,’ and many 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 with Saloni Gajjar, staff writer covering TV at the A.V. Club, and freelance TV critic Steve Greene.

TV Shows:

• Pluribus 
• All’s Fair
• Death by Lightning
• St. Denis Medical
• The Vince Staples Show
• All Her Fault