Today on AirTalk, we discuss a new bill that would require California community colleges to allow homeless students to park their cars in the campus parking lots overnight. We also examine the boycott of Brunei-owned hotels in Beverly Hills over the country’s new anti-LGBTQ laws; and more.
New bill would require California colleges to let homeless students park overnight
For some college students, academics are a secondary concern. According to several surveys, one in five California community college students have experienced homelessness in the last year.
A new California bill proposed on Tuesday by Assemblyman Marc Berman would require California community colleges to allow homeless students to park their cars in the campus parking lots overnight. Advocates for the homeless have long supported measures like this bill while some administrators have concerns about sustainability and funding for such a program as well as concerns around sanitation and security.
If you have experienced homelessness as a college student, do you think this bill would be a helpful solution?
Or if you are a college student or administrator with concerns about a program like this impacting your campus, we’d like to hear those concerns.
We’re taking your calls at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Iiyshaa Youngblood, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges
Laura Metune, vice chancellor for governmental relations, California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
Andra Hoffman, VP of the Board of Trustees, LA Community College District
Calls for boycott of Brunei-owned hotels in Beverly Hills over country’s new anti-LGBTQ laws
Actor George Clooney has published two columns in the entertainment news site, Deadline Hollywood, calling for a boycott of The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Both are owned by the government of Brunei, where new laws against LGBTQ people have gone into effect this week.
The boycott also extends to other Brunei-owned hotels in other parts of the world.
Singer Elton John and other celebrities have applauded the call to action. On Tuesday, Los Angeles city councilmember Paul Koretz and LA COntroller Ron Galperin have also lent their support to the cause, saying that they will work on formal measures to discourage people from visiting the hotels.
One person who is less sympathetic to the boycott is “Real Time” host Bill Maher. On one of his recent shows, he called the move “chickensh*t tokenism.”
Guests:
Dominic Patten, senior editor at Deadline Hollywood, the entertainment news site which published the two columns from George Clooney; he tweets
Paul Koku, professor of business and marketing at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida
As Dems turn attention to Trump’s tax returns, a look at the power of Ways and Means
A House committee chairman has formally requested the IRS provide six years of President Donald Trump's personal and business tax returns as Democrats try to shed light on his complex financial dealings and potential conflicts of interest.
The request Wednesday by Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, who heads the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, is the first such demand for a sitting president's tax information in 45 years. The unprecedented move is likely to set off a huge legal battle between Democrats controlling the House and the Trump administration.
Neal made the request in a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, asking for Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Laura Davison, tax reporter with Bloomberg who has been following the story; she tweets
Kirk J. Stark, professor of tax law and policy at UCLA
Andy Grewal, law professor at the University of Iowa where he specializes in tax law, administrative law, statutory interpretation and constitutional law
Should liability for wage violations fall on large companies or locally owned franchisees?
On Monday, the US Labor Department released a proposal that would define the claims workers, franchisees, or contractors can make against big companies.
If the proposal is successful after a 60-day public comment period, it will undo the 2016 joint-employer criteria laid out but the Labor Department under the Obama administration. Those guidelines held companies like Carl’s Jr. liable for labor and wage violations committed by a franchisee. Supporters of the proposal say it will clarify confusion for workers about who is responsible for their protections while those who oppose the proposal say it’s a way for big companies to escape liability.
If you own a franchise, work for one, or are a franchisee yourself, how do you feel about this proposal? Do you think the companies at the top of the chain should be held responsible for violating worker’s rights or is it the responsibility of the franchisor to ensure they’re compliant? We’re taking your calls at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Suzanne Beall, vice president of government relations and public policy at the International Franchise Association; she also serves as their in-house counsel
Tia Koonse, legal and policy research manager at the UCLA Labor Center
How scientists are using facial and verbal expressions to teach AI to identify mental illness
As scientists and researchers around the world continue to explore the boundaries of artificial intelligence and how humans can harness its power, among the most promising uses of the technology seems to be in health care.
Already, we know of its potential to be used as a tool for diagnosis, treatment and other kinds of personalized patient care. But new research is uncovering potential uses for AI in helping mental health professionals better diagnose conditions like depression and PTSD.
Computer scientist Louis-Philippe Morency at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University has been working with research teams at his school as well as USC to developing a dictionary of biomarkers that AI can use to identify certain conditions. These include facial expressions, the way a certain person enunciates vowels or even how someone’s eyes or eyebrows move while they’re speaking. The idea is to help mental health professionals better identify certain conditions, as they are often relying on patients’ own assessments of themselves and don’t have many tools for an objective diagnosis. Morency says that this kind of AI is not designed to replace clinicians or completely eliminate the need for patients to tell doctors how they feel and why they feel that way, but rather as a way to create data points that can be measured, similar to vital signs.
What is the potential for this kind of technology to impact the field of mental health? Are there privacy or other concerns that might arise from implementing this kind of technology? What about possible unforeseen consequences, like a particular behavioral biomarker being misinterpreted by the AI leading to a misdiagnosis?
Guests:
Louis-Philippe Morency, associate professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh; he has conducted research on behavioral biomarkers and is now collaborating with researchers to implement the technology
Josh Magee, assistant psychology professor at Miami University; published a study last year examining mental-health apps, which aren’t regulated
Justin T. Baker, assistant professor of psychiatry and scientific director of the institute for technology and psychiatry at McLean Hospital; he’s working with Dr. Morency to implement biomarkers into mental healthcare