Today on AirTalk, we'll discuss the process of mail screening in relation to the suspicious letters sent to the White House and lawmakers. We'll also speak with LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy. Later, we'll consider FDA dietary supplement recalls and a plan to reassign L.A. firefighters to medical emergency services. Then, author Barbara J. King joins Larry for a conversation about the ways animals grieve.
Suspicious mail to Obama and Wicker positive for ricin
Suspicious mail that was sent to the White House and to Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker both tested positive for ricin, a deadly poison. Both letters are postmarked from Memphis, Tennessee, and the police may have a suspect, according to The Associated Press (AP).
An intelligence bulletin obtained by AP reports that both letters say, “To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance," and both letters are signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."
RELATED: FBI: Suspicious letters mailed to President Obama, US senators may contain poisonous ricin (Update)
The letters were postmarked April 8, before the Boston bombings. Government officials are checking other suspicious mail, and the letters are currently under further testing because preliminary tests can show false positives.
Is there a connection between these letters and the Boston bombings? How do government officials screen for suspicious packages? Where does mail get screened? What protocols are in place to protect the safety of those who screen mail?
Guests:
Justin Sink, a staff reporter for The Hill, who’s been covering the story
Leonard Cole, Director of the Program on Terrormedicine and Security at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey; author of "The Anthrax Letters: A Bioterrorism Expert Investigates the Attack That Shocked America" (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009)
LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy addresses his controversial administration and the school district's future
Since he was hired in 2011, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy has shaken up the 2nd-largest school system in the nation and has thrust himself into the middle of a huge debate over how to fix the ailing school system.
His biggest aim has been to go after bad teachers, and in his first year the LAUSD fired 99 tenured teachers — a 30-fold increase from five years earlier. He’s also worked to speed up the process for dismissing teachers charged with serious misconduct, and earlier this year he adopted a teacher evaluation policy that rates teachers largely on student test scores.
Deasy points to improving graduation rates and API (Academic Performance Index) scores in his two years since becoming Superintendent, but the teacher’s union has taken serious issue with Deasy's cavalier approach. Recently union members voted overwhelmingly that they had "no confidence" in Deasy, and next month they plan to present to the school board demands to put less emphasis on teacher evaluations and focus instead on fully staffing schools, restoring money for preschool and adult education programs, and raising salaries.
Deasy also faces a growing national wave of criticism of heavy student testing, and a recent study also reports that the level of interest in the teaching profession is in decline in Los Angeles. John Deasy joins AirTalk to respond to his critics, address the teacher investigations and explain why there's a drop in people interested in teaching careers.
Guest:
John Deasy, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent
Should FDA regulate dietary supplements?
New research shows the majority of drug recalls by the FDA are for dietary supplements rather than pharmaceutical drugs. The popular products used for everything from weight loss to sexual enhancement sometimes contain unapproved ingredients, including trace amounts of pharmaceuticals.
Americans spend billions a year on supplements, but the products are not required to go through any approval process by the Food and Drug Administration. Should that change? Would the FDA process unfairly slow or inhibit development of supplements? No adverse events were noted in the list of recalls, but are side effects too hard to track?
Guests:
Dr. Sidney Wolfe, M.D., Founder and Director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group; Member of the Food and Drug Administration's Drug Safety and Risk Management Committee since August 2008
Marc Ullman, Attorney specializing in food and drug law with a concentration on natural products; his firm Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman, represents several supplements companies
Muhammad Mamdani, Researcher on the JAMA study; Researcher, St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
L.A. Fire Chief to shift firefighters from engines to ambulances
The Los Angeles Fire Department announced a new plan to reassign dozens of firefighters from engines to rescue ambulances as the number of medical emergencies continues to rise. Fire Chief Brian Cummings' plan would shift 60 firefighters to ambulance crews, reducing the number of firefighters working on each engine.
The plan also would add 11 new ambulances to the city's fleet. The firefighters, who are emergency medical technicians, do not have the advanced life-saving skills of a licensed paramedic. Instead, they would staff non-paramedic units that respond to basic requests for medical treatment. The plan is opposed by labor groups representing firefighters and department commanders who claim reducing engine crews will put firefighters at risk.
Should firefighters respond to medical emergencies? What is the best way to utilize resources and skills? Is it dangerous to reassign firefighters to ambulance crews?
Guest:
Captain Armando Hogan, community relations officer for the LA Fire Department
How animals grieve
Barbara J. King's new book "How Animals Grieve" explores the depths of animal emotion and the fascinating question of how animals express the loss of an offspring, partner or family member. King explores the connections animals feel to one another and how they come into play during a time of loss.
King brings her anthropological training to answer the question of how animals, both wild and in captivity, feel and express emotion and draw parallels between the human experience of grief and that of the animal kingdom. Animals in mourning frequently exhibit some of the same behaviors humans do, a sign that our emotional pain is not unique.
What could animal grief tell us about our own healing processes? What do rituals of mourning look like in other species?
Guest:
Barbara J. King, professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary