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The latest on California gubernatorial debates, LA County elections, Ted Turner's legacy and more

Seven people standing on a stage behind lecterns
California gubernatorial candidates at the CNN debate from left: Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, Chad Bianco, Xavier Becerra and Matt Mahan.
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Justin Sullivan
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Getty Images
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Listen 1:39:07
Today on AirTalk: CNN California gubernatorial debate; Ted Turner dies at 87; What’s on your LA county ballot this June? Crisis PR; and books that changed your life.
Today on AirTalk: CNN California gubernatorial debate; Ted Turner dies at 87; What’s on your LA county ballot this June? Crisis PR; and books that changed your life.

Today's show: Austin Cross, filling in for AirTalk host Larry Mantle, discusses CNN's California gubernatorial debate, Ted Turner's legacy, what’s on the L.A. County ballot this primary election, how to do crisis PR right — and takes your calls about books that changed your life. Cross is LAist's local Morning Edition host and also hosts Friday AirTalk.

Recapping CNN’s gubernatorial debate and previewing what’s to come

The topic:

It’s a big week for the local electorate, with highly publicized debates for the California governor’s race and the Los Angeles mayor’s race. We recap the first debate of the week, and lay out what’s to come.

Listen 20:01
Recapping CNN’s gubernatorial debate and previewing what’s to come
Guests: Conan Nolan, NBC4 chief political reporter; LMU Professor Fernando Guerra, and Rob Stutzman, Republican political consultant.

Looking ahead to tonight: Hosted by NBC4 and Telemundo52, the evening (May 6) will include back-to-back debates.

  • First up — the L.A. mayoral debate, which includes the three candidates leading the poll.
  • Second — another gubernatorial debate, with seven candidates on stage.

How to listen: You can livestream those debates at LAist.com or the LAist app starting at 5 p.m.

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More on our guests:

Guerra is a professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and an emeritus member of the LAist's Board of Trustees. Stutzman, is also president of Stutzman Public Affairs and the former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

CNN creator Ted Turner dies at 87 — we look at his lasting legacy

A man with a mustache stands at a lectern with the CNN logo in a black and white photo.
On June 1, 1980, Ted Turner launched CNN at a former country club in Atlanta.
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Rick Diamond
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Getty Images
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The topic:

Ted Turner, a brash and outspoken television pioneer who raced yachts, owned huge chunks of the American West and transformed the news business by launching CNN in 1980, has died at age 87.

Listen 11:50
Listen to the conversation
Guest: Lisa Napoli, author of "Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN," and "The Birth of 24-Hour News"
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His impact: CNN was the first 24-hour, all-news television network in 1980. At a time when news is instantly available at anyone’s fingertips, it’s hard to recall that the idea of letting consumers decide when they choose to learn what’s going on in the world was once revolutionary.

Have children always been picky eaters? A new book suggests not

Top view of primary school children sitting together at large table with trays of food.
Why are U.S. kids so picky?
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SeventyFour/Getty Images
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iStockphoto
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The topic:

A new book by Michigan State University professor Helen Zoe Veit makes the case that children being “picky” eaters is a relatively modern invention, and that kids in the past ate similarly to their parents her new book Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History.

Listen 17:42
Listen to the conversation
Guest: Michigan State professor Helen Zoe Veit

How we got here: Just a few generations ago, children ate seemingly everything. But the rise of processed foods designed for human enjoyment, marketing campaigns, and other causes led to the picky eaters we know today, according to Veit.

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What's next: Veit argues that understanding how children of the past related to food can help children today get back to a better relationship with what they eat.

What’s on your L.A. county ballot this June?

A hand drops a ballot into a box bearing the L.A. County seal.
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Raymond Rivera
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LAist
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The topic:

L.A. County registered voters are receiving their ballots, and today on AirTalk we are looking at the sole county-wide ballot measure, as well as the two Supervisor races happening this year.

Listen 18:11
Listen to the conversation
Guests: LAist reporters Aaron Schrank and Libby Rainey

What’s in the measure: If approved, the county-wide sales tax would increase a half-penny on every dollar spent. The extra revenue would go to fund local hospitals and clinics.

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Who’s running: Two seats on the Board of Supervisors are up for grabs. In District 1, incumbent Hilda Solis is being termed out, and a number of candidates are vying for the open seat. In District 3, incumbent Lindsey Horvath is facing off against a number of challengers.

Go deeper: Get the full rundown on this year’s election with the LAist voter game plan.

What we’ve learned about crisis PR from the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni case

Two women with light-tone skin wear coats and walk past photographers held back by security fencing.
Blake Lively leaves a federal court building in New York in February with her attorney Esra Hudson. Lively and actor and director Justin Baldoni have now settled lawsuits against each other related to the film "It Ends With Us."
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Timothy A. Clary
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AFP via Getty Images
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The topic:

The lawsuit between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled on Monday, but the conversations it has sparked about PR campaigns and crisis management remain. What have we learned?

Listen 17:36
Listen to the conversation
Guests: Karen North, professor of digital social media at USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and Anthony D’Angelo, chair and professor of practice for public relations at Syracuse University

What is crisis PR: Whether it's a celebrity scandal or a recalled product, crisis PR comes up when the reputation of a brand is at stake. But how do publicists manage a bad reputation when trust is constantly eroded online through social media and misinformation?

Books that changed your life

Hardback books lean on wooden table with their spines away from the camera.
Which books have made a difference in your life?
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Svitlana Unuchko
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Getty Images/iStockphoto
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The topic:

Whether it's history, self-help, longing, or just leisure, books play a foundational role in life. But, there comes a moment when you, the reader, come across that one book that changes something. Maybe it expanded your mind, or changed the way you lived your life!

Listen 13:43
Listen to the conversation
Austin discusses with LAist listeners

Join the conversation:

  • What was THAT BOOK for you and why? How did reading it affect you, and what perspective did it help you gain? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
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