The shutdown’s end may be in sight, so why are flights still getting cancelled?

The shutdown’s end may be in sight, so why are flights still getting cancelled? 

Air travelers should expect worsening cancellations and delays this week even if the government shutdown ends, as the Federal Aviation Administration rolls out deeper cuts to flights at 40 major U.S. airports, officials said Monday. The fourth day of the flight restrictions saw airlines scrap over 2,300 flights Monday and more than 1,000 flights set for takeoff Tuesday. Unpaid for more than a month, some air traffic controllers have begun calling out of work, citing stress and the need to take on second jobs. President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to pressure controllers to “get back to work, NOW!!!” He called for a $10,000 bonus for those who’ve stayed on the job and suggested docking pay for those who haven’t. Rep. Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, ranking member of the Senate’s Aviation Subcommittee, condemned the president’s remarks, saying controllers deserve appreciation and support — not attacks. The head of the controllers union says its members are being used as a “political pawn” in the shutdown fight. Today on AirTalk, we check in on air travel with Sean Cudahy, senior aviation reporter for The Points Guy.

With files from the Associated Press

How are teachers responding to the growing issue of AI use by students? 

The use of AI in classrooms is becoming ever more pervasive as tools improve and access to them becomes unavoidable. According to a survey conducted by the Center for Democracy and Technology, about 86 percent of students use AI overall, with 50 percent using AI specifically for school work. Eighty-five percent of teachers use AI overall as well, either for personal use or in the classroom. The use of AI by both students and teachers has led to regulations around AI and schoolwork to be difficult across districts, schools, and even classroom to classroom. But, despite differing ideas of what is acceptable AI use or not, most teachers still worry that students are using AI to the point of harming their learning. In an article for CalMatters, K-12 education reporter Carolyn Jones, wrote about the use of Google Lens by students on school issued Chromebooks to help them with homework. Carolyn joins us to talk about her reporting and what teachers and school districts are trying to do to address the issue of AI in the classroom. We also want to hear from you! If you are a teacher, how do you try to keep students from using AI? How do you spot AI use and try to correct it? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

Intergenerational Parenting

From an evolutionary standpoint, the act of parenting has come a long way to say the least, with every new generation adapting and editing (keeping and omitting) what they learned from the generation before. In other words: Mom may have given you lifelong lessons you want to pass on, but Dad may very well have done something you vow never to repeat. Still, every generation of parents ends up reckoning with the same question: Am I a good parent? Today on AirTalk, we're going to be taking a look at not only how to relate to your child when they are part of an entirely different generation than you, but also how to face the impossible standards that often lead to harsh self-judgments about yourselves. We're joined by author, psychologist and speaker Eileen Kennedy-Moore to talk about the pressures that revolve around parenting a different generation, and how to work around them. We also want to hear from you! What are some of your concerns about being parents and do you feel there is a generational disconnect between you and your kids? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.

As federal environmental policy erodes, can California authorities fill that void?

In a recent piece published by CalMatters, they spoke with environmental law and policy experts to better understand what the federal repeal of environmental laws could mean for California’s climate agenda. Based on analysis from multiple sources, they noted that the lack of regulation by the federal government could allow California legislators to have more of a hand in regulating greenhouse gas emissions, although it would be incumbent on the state to figure out the best way to regulate these policies without the support that comes from an aligned federal government. So what can California ultimately do to further push its climate agenda? Today on AirTalk, we’ll dig into what powers California can look to expand as the Trump Administration erodes the power of federal authorities like the EPA. Joining us for this conversation is Alex Nieves, California transportation reporter at Politico, and Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment.

Getting into the meat of what’s up in the beef industry

President Donald Trump on Friday accused foreign-owned meat packers of driving up the price of beef in the U.S. and asked the Department of Justice to open an investigation. The Republican president announced the move on social media days after his party suffered losses in key elections in which the winning Democratic candidates focused relentlessly on the public’s concerns about the cost of living. But experts said it’s unlikely that an investigation would result in lower prices at grocery stores, and a trade group representing meat packers said they’re not to blame. He said he was taking the action to help ranchers, who were recently angered by his suggestion that the U.S. would buy Argentine beef to bring down stubbornly high prices for American consumers. So what are the issues facing the cattle industry, as the Trump Administration attempts to drive meat prices down for consumers? Today on AirTalk, we speak to Kevin Draper, business correspondent covering the agricultural industry for the New York Times, and Chris Mathys, owner and manager of Mercey Ranch in the Central Valley.

What happens when you fall out-of-love with your spouse?

In a perfect world, we stay just as madly in love with our spouse as the day we said “I do.” It’s certainly a narrative that we’ve consumed in pop culture through film and television. But the reality is often quite different. That romantic feeling is likely to ebb and flow throughout the course of a long marriage. And maybe that’s a good thing! Today on AirTalk, we’re asking you how you navigate the presence and absence of that romantic feeling in a marriage. What else do you lean on when the romantic loving feeling is low? Is it something you dwell on as a problem? Or do you see it as a natural progression of a relationship? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.