Today on AirTalk, we discuss the DNC and the political controversy over the USPS. Also on the show, we learn more about a CA case raising questions over whether women can be charged with murder after stillbirths; discuss vote-by-mail; and more.
Politics: Previewing The (Virtual) DNC Plus The Latest USPS Turmoil
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she is calling the House back into session over the crisis at the U.S. Postal Service, setting up a political showdown amid growing concerns that the Trump White House is trying to undermine the agency ahead of the election.
Pelosi is cutting short lawmakers’ summer recess with a vote expected the Saturday after the Democratic National Convention on legislation that would prohibit changes at the agency as tensions mount. President Donald Trump’s new postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, has sparked nationwide outcry over delays, new prices and cutbacks just as millions of Americans will be trying to vote by mail to avoid polling places during the coronavirus outbreak. And Joe Biden is poised to unveil his vision for the modern Democratic Party in the first presidential nominating convention of the coronavirus era, an all-virtual affair that will test the former vice president’s ability to overcome unprecedented logistical challenges in an urgent mission to energize a winning coalition. The DNC, which formally begins Monday, is not a convention in the traditional sense. There will be no physical gathering place, no cheering audience, no balloons. The program will consist instead of a series of online video addresses — half of which will be prerecorded — that play out for two hours each night until Biden formally accepts the Democratic presidential nomination in a mostly empty Delaware ballroom on Thursday. Today on AirTalk, we preview the DNC and discuss the latest political turmoil regarding USPS and what it means moving forward. Do you have thoughts or questions? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Ron Elving, senior editor and correspondent on the Washington Desk for NPR News; he tweets at
Richard John, a professor history and communications at Columbia University; he is the author of "Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse" (Harvard University Press)
CA Case Raises Questions Of Whether You Can Be Prosecuted For Murder After A Stillbirth And How Unconcious Biases Play Into The Charges
The Kings County District Attorney is charging a woman with murder after she gave birth to a stillborn baby that had methamphetamine in its system. This is permitted under California’s penal code, which in 1970 added fetus as a possible victim in its definition of murder, but many experts argue it isn’t the way the law should be interpreted.
A few weeks ago, California’s Attorney General Becerra filed an amicus brief in support of ending the woman’s prosecution, claiming that it’s based on a misinterpretation of the statute that was meant to protect women, not prosecute them. He and other critics have said that interpreting the statute in this way opens the door for criminal investigations any time a pregnant person suffers a stillbirth. The Kings County DA has said that the move is necessary to condemn the use of meth by pregnant people. The woman in Kings County has now become a focal point for a larger debate about the criminalization of pregnancy and mothers who have issues with addiction. Today on AirTalk, we get the latest on the case in Kings County and discuss how similar cases throughout the country have played out. Plus, a legal expert explains how women, particularly pregnant women and mothers, have faced unconscious biases in these cases. Do you have thoughts about the case in California? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Alex Wigglesworth, staff writer for The Los Angeles Times who has been covering the story; she tweets
Linda C. Fentiman, professor of law at Pace University in New York where she specializes in health and criminal law, author of “Blaming Mothers: American Law and the Risks to Children’s Health,” (NYU Press, 2017)
COVID-19: Staggering Cases In Pregnant Latinas Plus How Are Homeless Populations Faring?
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Kimberly Shriner, infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.
Today’s topics include:
CA heat waves and COVID-19
Scientists see early signs of lasting immunity, but for how long?
Backlog still impacting LA County case numbers
COVID-19 leaving people with heart problems
Latina women make up staggering number of infections in pregnant women
How are homeless populations faring?
Guest:
Kimberly Shriner, M.D., infectious disease specialist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena
Election 2020 Is Poised To Be First Held Mostly By Mail. What You Need To Know, How Prepared California Is And The Logistical Challenges For States And Feds
While voters will still be able to cast their ballot at in-person polling locations, the reality of the COVID pandemic is that the vast majority of people will likely vote by mail in the November election.
And despite President Trump’s attempts to delegitimize the process by making unfounded claims that there will be widespread voter fraud and even suggesting a delay of the election until people could safely vote in person again -- an idea that would be basically impossible because the election date is enshrined in the Constitution and would require an act of Congress to change -- the vast majority of states have been beefing up their infrastructure to handle the influx of vote-by-mail ballots. Here in California, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill in June mandating all registered voters be sent a ballot by mail. And the day where you’ll be seeing your ballot show up in the mail is coming fast – elections officials will be looking to finalize voter addresses as early as Labor Day and ballots will need to be sent by early October.
There are a number of states that already have high percentages of voters who vote-by-mail, and thus are better prepared infrastructure-wise, but election experts across the country still have concerns about some of the technical, logistical and security challenges that an election conducted mostly by mail will create for election officials at every level of government. The process of collecting and counting tens of thousands of ballots in a transparent way will be a heavy lift, and there are concerns at the local and state level about everything from having enough staff to collect and count all the ballots to simply making sure that enough ballots get printed for everyone who requested one by mail.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll chat with a panel of expert guests who will talk about local and state efforts to prepare for the general election, the practical and logistical challenges a vote-by-mail effort the scale of which we’re looking at in November. If you have questions about the vote-by-mail process, join our live conversation at 866-893-5722.
You can find more information on state voting at vote.ca.gov.
Guests:
Alex Padilla, California Secretary of State; he tweets
Libby Denkmann, KPCC/LAist reporter covering politics; she tweets
Fernando Guerra, professor of political science and Chicano/Latino studies and director of the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University; member of the KPCC Board of Trustees
Nathaniel Persily, professor of law at Stanford University, where he is the co-director of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center and the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project; he tweets
Adolescents Face Loneliness, Isolation Amid The Coronavirus Pandemic
It’s been about four months since schools across SoCal closed down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and distance learning will continue for many public schools going into the fall. For children at home, that likely means more social distancing and time away from friends and classmates.
A recent Wall Street Journal piece looked into the impact of social isolation on kids and reported that young girls are experiencing increased levels of loneliness amid the pandemic. Indeed, a recent nationwide study found that 79% of girls in grades five through twelve felt lonelier and more isolated than before the pandemic and 1 in 4 reported feeling sad or depressed four or more days per week. The same study, conducted in May by the Rox Institute for Research & Training, found that girls are spending at least four hours a day on social media, and one-third reported spending six or more hours online.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss how children’s habits have changed amid the pandemic and the psychological impact of social isolation. If you’re a parent or child, call in to share your experience at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, professor of education, psychology and neuroscience at USC and former 7th grade teacher