Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 news and answer your questions. Also on the show, we break down the latest Pornhub controversy regarding it's unverified user content; discuss Airbnb's debut in the stock market with the company's reported value sitting at $47 billion; and more.
COVID Check-In: SoCal Death Numbers, California’s Distribution Plans And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg from UC Davis.
Today’s topics include:
SoCal’s record death numbers from COVID-19 this week
How will California distribute the vaccine?
The first child in L.A. County died from MIS-C
The FDA advisory panel is meeting today to discuss the Pfizer vaccine
The Trump administration didn’t take Pfizer’s offer for more vaccine doses months ago
Study from South Korea shows risks of indoor spread
Duke’s college basketball coach calls for reassessment of playing during the pandemic
OC health department urges hospitals to stop performing non-emergency surgeries
National Geographic: “Kids catch and spread coronavirus half as much as adults, Iceland study confirms”
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
After NYT Investigation, Pornhub Making Changes Including Stopping Uploads From Unverified Users
Pornhub said Tuesday it was halting unverified users from uploading video material after a report alleged that the pornographic website was showing videos of rape and underage sex.
Visa and Mastercard said over the weekend that they are investigating their business relationship with Pornhub after Nicholas Kristof, opinion columnist at The New York Times, wrote that the site also carries revenge pornography and other explicit video taken without consent of the participants.
Pornhub said that it doesn’t knowingly allow images of sexual abuse of children. But, in a blog post on Tuesday, the company listed steps it was taking to further protect against images of abuse and nonconsensual activity on its site.
Pornhub said next year it will announce ways in which individuals can become verified users. It will still allow new material from partners it knows, like porn production companies. The website has a huge volume of material: 6.8 million new videos were uploaded last year. The company could not say Tuesday what percentage of that was from unverified users.
Pornhub said it has hired a law firm to conduct an independent review of its content, has moderators that examine each video that is posted to the site and works with 40 organizations with a focus on child safety to monitor what it posts.
With files from the Associated Press.
We invited New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof, but he was unavailable. PornHub did not return a request for comment.
Guest:
Ina Fried, chief technology correspondent at Axios who has been covering the story; she tweets
Airbnb Is Going Public Today
Airbnb proved its resilience in a year that has upended global travel. Now it needs to prove to investors that it sees more growth ahead.
The San Francisco-based home sharing company makes its long-awaited debut on the public market Thursday. The company priced its shares at $68 apiece late Wednesday, giving it an overall value of $47 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction who was not authorized to speak because the amount had not yet been made public. The shares will trade on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “ABNB.”
Airbnb raised $3.7 billion in its offering, making it the biggest U.S. IPO this year, according to Renaissance Capital, which tracks IPOs. The company had initially set a price range of $44 to $50 for it shares, but raised that to a range of $56 to $60 earlier this week indicating rising investor demand. Airbnb’s listing comes a day after another San Francisco-based company, DoorDash, soared through it initial public offering, the second largest after Airbnb’s. DoorDash’s stock jumped 85.8% to close at $189.51. The meal delivery app raised $3.4 billion with its offering.
Airbnb wants to add more hosts and properties, expand in markets like India, China and Latin America and attract new guests.
With files from the Associated Press.
We invited Airbnb to join us for this discussion but they were not able to accommodate our request.
Guest:
Salvador Rodriguez, CNBC technology reporter; he tweets
Independent Experts Meeting Today To Discuss Emergency Authorization Of Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine
A panel of independent experts are in discussions right now as they review the data and research on Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech’s COVID vaccine to decide whether to recommend that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration give it emergency authorization for mass distribution.
If the panel does recommend the vaccine, the first shots could go out within days. Yesterday, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said she expects L.A. County to get its first batch of doses as early as next week ,the first of which will be given to healthcare workers at acute care hospitals.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll get the latest on the ongoing discussion among the FDA panel members.
Yesterday on AirTalk, we spoke with Dr. Archana Chatterjee, a member of the FDA panel that’s meeting today. You can hear that interview here.
Guest:
Riley Griffin, Bloomberg News reporter covering healthcare, pharmaceuticals and COVID-19; she tweets
As The Coronavirus Pandemic Alters Holiday Plans, How Are You Celebrating Hanukkah?
The Jewish Festival of Lights officially kicks off on Thursday, but how has the coronavirus pandemic altered plans for celebrating Hanukkah?
The majority of California residents are currently under a stay-at-home order. For some parts of the state, including SoCal, the order will remain in effect through the holidays. The surge in cases throughout the state is creating an unprecedented holiday season for most. Public health leaders say residents should not gather with anyone outside their own household. So what does that mean for Hanukkah? Today on AirTalk, we want to hear how you’re celebrating the holiday amid the pandemic. Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of many books, including “Einstein and the Rabbi” (Flatiron Books, 2017); founder and leader of NASHUVA, a Jewish spiritual outreach movement based in L.A.