Today on AirTalk, we get the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we discuss President Biden's plan to cut fossil fuel emissions in half by 2030 and break down the Oscars major categories and nominations with our KPCC film critics
COVID-19 AMA: J&J Latest, Vaccine Demand And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with UCI Dr. Shruti Gohil.
Topics today include:
We know even more about the effectiveness of vaccines
The FDA and CDC expected to advise on J&J vaccine today
For some states, vaccine demand is actually down
UC and Cal State campuses will require students to be vaccinated in the fall
Guest:
Shruti Gohil, M.D., professor of medicine and associate medical director for epidemiology and infection prevention at UC Irvine’s School of Medicine
President Biden Wants To Cut Emissions In Half By 2030, Gains Global Support. What Stands In The Way?
President Joe Biden convened leaders of the world’s most powerful countries on Thursday to try to spur global efforts against climate change, drawing commitments from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to cooperate on cutting emissions despite their own sharp rivalries with the United States.
Biden’s own new commitment, timed to the summit, is to cut U.S. fossil fuel emissions up to 52% by 2030. marking a return by the U.S. to global climate efforts after four years of withdrawal under President Donald Trump. Biden’s administration is sketching out a vision of a prosperous, clean-energy United States where factories churn out cutting-edge batteries for export, line workers re-lay an efficient national electrical grid and crews cap abandoned oil and gas rigs and coal mines.
Japan announced its own new 46% emissions reduction target Thursday, and South Korea said it would stop public financing of new coal-fired power plants, as the U.S. and its allies sought to build momentum via the summit.
The coronavirus pandemic compelled the summit to play out as a climate telethon-style livestream, limiting opportunities for spontaneous interaction and negotiation. The opening was rife with small technological glitches, including echoes, random beeps and off-screen voices.
But the U.S. summit also marshaled an impressive display of the world’s most powerful leaders speaking on the single cause of climate change.
China’s Xi, whose country is the world’s biggest emissions culprit, followed by the United States, spoke first among the other global figures. He made no reference to nonclimate disputes that had made it uncertain until Wednesday that he would even take part in the U.S. summit, and said China would work with America in cutting emissions. Today on AirTalk, we discuss Biden’s goals, global response and the challenges that remain in hitting the mark. Do you have thoughts or questions about the plan? Leave a comment below or call 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Zack Colman, climate and energy reporter with Politico
Leah Stokes, assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara working on climate and energy politics, author of the book “Short Circuit Policy” (Oxford University Press, 2020); she tweets
AirTalk’s FilmWeek: 2021 Oscar Preview
Even a pandemic couldn’t stop FilmWeek’s annual Oscar preview show. And we’re playing it back for you on this week’s FilmWeek.
Although it’s been a rough year for a number of reasons, 2020 did not disappoint when it comes to movies. This year, David Fincher’s “Mank,” a story about “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, leads the way with 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Also nominated for Best Picture: “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Nomadland,” “Minari,” “Nomadland,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Sound of Metal,” “Promising Young Woman” and “The Father.”
For the first time in history two women received Best Director nods, including Chloé Zhao for her true-story depiction in “Nomadland” and Emerald Fennell for her revenge comedy and feature directorial debut “Promising Young Woman.” Zhao made history this year as the most nominated woman ever in a single year and as the first woman of color nominated for Best Director. Nearly half of the acting nominations are for people of color, including Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Steven Yeun, Riz Ahmed and Andra Day. And the nominees for Best Animated Feature include “Onward,” Over the Moon,” “Wolfwalkers,” “Soul” and “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.” You can check out the full list of nominations here.
Hear Larry and our top-notch critics as they break down the major categories and nominations and offer their takes, compliments and gripes on the film selections. You can watch the entire Oscar preview event, including film clips and a special Q&A with critics here.
Guests:
Justin Chang, film critic for KPCC and the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Fresh Air; he tweets
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Angie Han, film critic for KPCC and deputy entertainment editor at Mashable; she tweets
Christy Lemire, film critic for KPCC, RogerEbert.com and co-host of the ‘Breakfast All Day’ podcast; she tweets
Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and film columnist for the Santa Monica Daily Press; she tweets
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
Amy Nicholson, film critic for KPCC, film writer for The New York Times and host of the podcasts ‘Unspooled’ and the podcast miniseries “Zoom”; she tweets
Claudia Puig, film critic for KPCC and president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA); she tweets
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine