Jeb Bush has announced that he is “actively exploring” a presidential run in 2016. Also, AirTalk has assembled a panel of healthcare experts from several fields to discuss why healthcare costs are so high in the U.S. and what can be done to bring those costs to a lower level. Then, should apps like Waze be able to redirect individual routes through all areas of the city?
Jeb Bush explores 2016 presidential run, but is he electable?
Could we see a third Bush in the White House? Jeb Bush has announced that he is “actively exploring” a presidential run in 2016. The former Florida governor and brother of former president George W. Bush posted the news to Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday, saying also that he planned to establish a leadership PAC. A note on Bush’s Facebook page says the PAC will “help me facilitate conversations with citizens across America to discuss the most critical challenges facing our exceptional nation.” He also told a Miami television station over the weekend that he planned to release 250,000 emails from his time as Florida’s governor in an attempt to be “”totally transparent.” Up to this point, Bush had been hesitant about running for president because of the impact it would have on his family.
Bush is now the first major GOP candidate to announce that he’s taking actual steps toward a presidential bid. The question now is this: is Bush the candidate that Republicans need to lead them into the 2016 election? How does he stack up against other potential GOP candidates like Florida Senator Marco Rubio or New Jersey Governor Chris Christie? What about against potential Democratic candidates like Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden?
Guests:
David Carney, CEO, Norway Hill Associates, Inc., a political consultant firm based in New Hampshire. Former political director of the George H.W. Bush White House and was a top political strategist for the Rick Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign
Jim Antle, editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation, a political conservative nonprofit news organization based in D.C. Author of the book, “Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?” (Regnery Publishing, 2013)
Bringing down the cost of healthcare in the U.S.
The United States spends nearly $4 trillion a year on healthcare. To put that into perspective, that’s over one-sixth of the entire national debt. Healthcare prices in the U.S. for things like pharmaceuticals, healthcare policies, diagnostic procedures, and hospital care are some of the highest in the world, and are all major factors in the rising cost of healthcare in the U.S.
There’s no question that something needs to be done to bring these costs down, but there are plenty of questions to be asked about how this should be done. Is it a matter of reducing the amount of wasteful healthcare spending, or money spent on care that does not ultimately benefit the patient? Are unit prices too high? Are there too many frivolous medical malpractice lawsuits? Is the Affordable Care Act driving spending through the roof? Should we be spending less on end of life care for the elderly, many of whom would rather die at home than in an ICU? AirTalk has assembled a panel of healthcare experts from several fields to discuss why healthcare costs are so high in the U.S. and what can be done to bring those costs to a lower level that’s closer to what other countries are spending on healthcare.
Guests:
Dylan Roby, assistant professor of health policy and management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute
Dr. Arnie Milstein, professor of medicine and director of the Center for Clinical Research Excellence at Stanford University
Angeleno neighborhoods say crowd-sourced traffic apps are congesting streets
Some LA denizens are complaining that traffic apps are congesting small, residential streets, and they are asking the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to remedy the problem with traffic calming solutions. In response, LADOT told KPCC, “We have no way to and do not track app usage.” Richard Close, President of Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association said prohibiting right and left turns on certain streets could be an imperfect solution, but that it would hinder locals, too.
With the rise of popular driving-related apps that direct you towards the quickest route or the closest parking spot such as Waze and MoneyParking, respectively, cities are finding it necessary to regulate or even ban certain apps from their jurisdictions. San Francisco blocked MoneyParking, and other cities across the country are dealing with issues associated with Uber and other ride-sharing apps.
As Waze has come under heavy fire because it is the largest route redirecting app with 50 million users worldwide, the company has remarked, “Waze finds open stretches of road and spreads cars across the grid of public streets, helping not only alleviate congestion but promote a safer drive.” Yet residents of side-streets in Sherman Oaks have noted that not only has traffic increased dramatically but that it is has become dangerous for streetwalkers.
Should apps like Waze be able to redirect individual routes through all areas of the city? What role does the city of Los Angeles have in regulating such apps? How will the future of driving be shaped by the development and use of technology that shows you where and when to drive?
Guests:
Michael Carney, West Coast Editor of PandoDaily, which covers news about tech startups and other business and technology stories; "Angry LA Residents are trying to sabotage Waze Data"
Richard Close, President, Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association
The most romantic spots in SoCal, according to KPCC listeners!
It’s no Paris, but Southern California has plenty of special places that heighten romance. The Griffith Observatory, Malibu, Catalina Island are some of the spots that come immediately to mind. Los Angeles is one of 75 destinations in the world included in the new book, “Places for Passion” (FrommerMedia, 2014).
Check out the slideshow before for a list of local romantic spots in Southern California chosen by AirTalk listeners.
Ranker - Top 10 Lists and More
Guest:
Janet Lever, co-author of “Frommer’s Places for Passion: The 75 Most Romantic Destinations in the World - and Why Every Couple Needs to Get Away” (FrommerMedia, 2014); Professor Emeritus at the Department of Sociology at Cal State LA, where her research focus is on intimacy, relationship, sexuality.
GoPro's tiny, hi-def cameras continue to revolutionize amateur and professional filmmaking
Today, surfers, snowboarders and other high-speed hobbyists could not imagine starting an adrenalin-filled day without a GoPro camera strapped to their helmet, bike, or some appendage. It's hard to believe the company's first camera was sold just ten years ago by CEO Nicholas Woodman. It's a made-in-California story of surfing meets filmmaking meets high-tech advancements. As surfers, Woodman and his friend, Bradford Schmidt, knew that amateur surfers could only brag about sick waves, but often had no images to back up awesome stories. As Schmidt recounts in his new GoPro filmmaking guide, he would return from solo surfing trips with no proof of their grandeur, such as his trip to the remote Mentawai islands in 2002:
Although it had been a surf trip, any pictures of myself actually surfing were conspicuously absent. I had traveled alone, so all the shots were limited to perfect waves without a surfer in sight, taken from the beach before I paddled out. The photos felt strangely empty, considering the euphoria I'd experienced riding those waves.
Inspired by such adventures, Woodman initially developed a wrist camera to allow surfers to capture their own adventures. Over the course of just several years, the GoPro technology has advanced to film in high definition, 16:9 aspect ration supporting 4K video and 12MP still photographs. It’s used on tracks, on film sets, on waves, in the air and all manner of places in between. How do you use GoPro cameras? What tips and tricks does GoPro’s creative director have for amateur filmmakers? What are the best (and worst) videos captured by GoPro cameras?
Guests:
Bradford Schmidt, Creative Director of GoPro, maker of compact high-definition personal cameras often used for extreme sports videos, based in San Mateo, California; Author, "GoPro: Professional Guide to Filmmaking"