Today on AirTalk, we discuss the newest stimulus package. Also on the show, our FilmWeek critics review the weekend's digital releases; we take a look at how physical distancing is changing addiction treatment; and more.
Congress Sends Nearly $500 Billion Aid Package To Trump’s Desk
Congress delivered a nearly $500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending Thursday, rushing new relief to employers and hospitals buckling under the strain of a pandemic that has claimed almost 50,000 American lives and one in six U.S. jobs.
The measure passed almost unanimously, but the lopsided tally belies a potentially bumpier path ahead as battle lines are being formed for much more ambitious future legislation that may prove far more difficult to maneuver through Congress.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign the bill during a White House ceremony Friday.
We break down what’s in this relief package.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guest:
Erik Wasson, Congressional reporter for Bloomberg News; he tweets
COVID-19: Leading Cause Of Death In LA County, Vaccine Trials Begin At Oxford
As of Thursday afternoon, L.A. County has 17,537 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 797 deaths, and Wednesday, April 22 marked the deadliest 24 hours of coronavirus in the state.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom reported Thursday that 1,469 people died the previous day, underscoring the vital responsibility to stay home and limit the spread of the virus. Earlier this month, Newsom announced a framework of six parameters he says it will take to reopen the state's economy. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a similar five-pillar plan. According to the L.A. Times, which has been tracking COVID-19 cases, L.A. County health officials announced coronavirus is now the leading cause of death in the county, surpassing things like the flu and heart disease.
Meanwhile, some states are starting to slowly reopen businesses. Barber shops, nail salons, gyms and a few other businesses reopened in Georgia on Friday as the Republican governor eased a month-long shutdown despite warnings from health experts of a potential new surge of coronavirus infections. As some customers ventured back to these venues, the confirmed number of coronavirus deaths in the United States passed 50,000, according to a tally compiled by John Hopkins University from government figures. There is now hope a vaccine could be coming soon. According to ABC News, clinical trials are beginning at the University of Oxford, which will test for possible treatments in humans.
With files from LAist and the Associated Press. Read the full LAist story here.
Guest:
Robert Kim-Farley, M.D., professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; he served as the director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2004-2018 and is a former senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
How Has Shelter-In-Place Affected Addiction Recovery And Treatment?
Here's another group of people whose lives have been upended by COVID-19: Those struggling with addiction who aren't able to meet in-person for 12-step programs and therapy sessions.
That has addiction treatment providers across California scrambling to move their services online and to the phone.
Read more on LAist.
Today, we sit down with an addiction psychiatrist to discuss the challenges and benefits of teletherapy amid the shut down. If you’re in addiction recovery, how are you handling the quarantine and how has it affected your treatment? If you’re a therapist, what strategies have you used to keep your patients on track? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Timothy Fong M.D., professor of psychiatry with a specialty in addiction psychiatry at UCLA
FilmWeek: ‘Extraction,’ ‘Bad Education, ‘Circus of Books’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Christy Lemire, Angie Han and Wade Major review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and VOD platforms.
"Extraction" on Netflix
"Bad Education" on HBO
"Circus Of Books" on Netflix
"Why Don't You Just Die!" on VOD (iTunes, Amazon & Google Play)
"Beastie Boys Story" on Apple TV+
"Robert The Bruce" on VOD (iTunes, Amazon, FandangoNOW & Google Play)
"1BR" on VOD (iTunes) & DVD
"The True History Of The Kelly Gang" on VOD (iTunes, Vudu & Google Play)
Guests:
Angie Han, KPCC film critic 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
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and CineGods.com
New Documentary Explores History, Legacy Of Iconic LGBTQ Bookstore ‘Circus Of Books’ Through The Owners’ Daughter’s Eyes
Rachel Mason had, to a certain extent, the normal upbringing you’d imagine a family of five with small business owner parents would have. But in her documentary, ‘Circus of Books’, she pulls the curtain on the double-life her parents led as modest business owners and pillars of the LGBTQ community.
Karen and Barry Mason established West Hollywood’s Circus of Books on Santa Monica Boulevard in the 1980s. What seemed like an unassuming bookstore was actually a gay porn shop that became an institution in the LGBTQ community during a time when homosexuality was still largely unaccepted. The store was far from being a “bookstore with a circus theme”. The Los Angeles-based shop was the central hub for gay pornography around the country, once one of the main distributors for adult films.
While the store was becoming a home for gay culture and pride, the Masons largely kept their business a secret from colleagues, friends, family, even their own children. It’s a central conflict that Rachel Mason explores throughout the film as the daughter of two shop owners caught between the pressures of maintaining a traditional family image and making a living as gay pornography distributors.
Today on FilmWeek, we’re joined by ‘Circus of Books’ director Rachel Mason for a conversation on her documentary and the experience of creating a film with her parents and their secret as the subject.
‘Circus Of Books’ is currently streaming on Netflix. For more on the film from LAist’s Mike Roe, click here.
Guest:
Rachel Mason, director of the Netflix documentary ‘Circus of Books’ and daughter of Circus of Books owners Karen and Barry Mason; she tweets