Previewing Trump’s address to the nation, economic check-in

President Donald Trump intends to preview his agenda for next year and beyond in a live speech from the White House on Wednesday night. His remarks are coming at a crucial time as he tries to rebuild his steadily eroding popularity. The White House offered few details about what the Republican president intends to emphasize in the 6 p.m. PST speech. Public polling shows most U.S. adults are frustrated with his handling of the economy as inflation picked up after his tariffs raised prices and hiring slowed. Joining us to help preview the speech is Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News.

The enduring pleasure of reading and watching erotic content as a couple

Romantasy, the blend of romance and fantasy fiction, has taken off in recent years in large part due to algorithms and BookTok. Millions of readers devour these smut books, which are erotic in nature and often full of explicit sex. The genre has been discussed as a vehicle for sexual awakening, primarily for women, whose desire and pleasure has long come second in importance to men. As more readers come to recognize and prioritize their own pleasure, how might this renaissance benefit a partnership? A married couple? Are romantasies something to indulge in private or share with a spouse? Could they open the door to healthier conversations about wants and needs? And is there room for other forms of erotic content — typically thought of as being reserved for the individual — to be consumed and enjoyed by couples? For answers to these questions, we want to hear from you. Do you engage in erotic content with your partner? If so, what is that content and how has it helped your relationship? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining us is Taylor Capizola, general manager at The Ripped Bodice, an independent bookstore specializing in romance novels and Jamila Dawson, a sex therapist specializing in BDSM and kink.

What can L.A. learn from the housing approach of Minnesota’s Twin Cities?

Minnesota’s Twin Cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis, share a metropolitan hub with many residents traveling back and forth for work and fun. But St. Paul and Minneapolis have taken two very different approaches to alleviating their respective housing shortages. St. Paul enforced one of the strictest rent caps in the nation, limiting rent increases to just 3% a year without adjustment for inflation. Minneapolis deregulated housing developments, opening up more land to be used and allowing for more than just single-family homes to be built. The results have been mixed. Although Minneapolis increased their real estate offerings, lower- and middle-income residents are struggling to find affordable housing as many of the new developments cater towards higher-income. Meanwhile in St. Paul, housing developments have stalled. So, what can we here in L.A. take away from the Twin Cities’ opposite strategies to increase affordable housing? Joining us to discuss is Edward Goetz, professor of urban and regional planning and director of the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota and Brian Asquith, economist at the UpJohn Institute, an independent research organization.

What makes for a good holiday movie?

The dawn of streaming has drastically altered the way we watch holiday movies. Prior to streaming giants entering the holiday movie game, the typical viewer clicked over to the Hallmark Channel to find some made-for-TV gems. Now those low-budget films aren’t on a constant loop, and have to vie for our attention while competing with Stranger Things or whatever the latest Netflix hit is. So how have holiday movies adapted to the digital age? And on top of that, has modern life made it more difficult to find new holiday movie favorites? Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak to a guest who’s seen more than 100 holiday films herself and even wrote about some of her new favorites, New York Times contributor Elisabeth Vincentelli. We also want to hear from you: how do you gauge whether a holiday movie is good or entertaining? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.

What kind of advice do you turn to your children for?

Kids these days — they think they know everything. And you know what, sometimes maybe they do. As a parent, the typical script says that your job is to dole out advice to your kids whether they want it or not. But as they age into themselves, they (hopefully) begin developing their own expertises outside your own wheelhouse. Maybe your kid took a particular interest in history, and has become the person you go to for recalling that one Hapsburg whose jaw was particularly funny. Or maybe they take an interest in the economy, and help you plan out your retirement. Or maybe they attend Stanford Law School and become your pro-bono legal advice dispenser. Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from you: what kind of advice do you turn to your kids for and why? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com. Helping us kick off this conversation is Larry’s own lawyer offspring Desmond Mantle.

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Previewing Trump’s address to the nation, economic check-in