AirTalk brings you the latest on news that the LA Times was sold to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, returning the paper to local ownership for the first time in more than a decade.
Is Patrick Soon-Shiong the LA Times' Jeff Bezos?
The Los Angeles Times has been sold to local billionaire and physician Patrick Soon-Shiong for $500 million, ending a strained tenure under Tronc, the owner of the Chicago Tribune.
The Los Angeles Times and Tronc confirmed the sale early Wednesday.
Read KPCC’s story here.
Guest:
David Folkenflik, media correspondent for NPR who’s been covering the story
The symbolism behind President Trump’s call for a grand military parade
The Washington Post reported yesterday that Trump’s dreams for a Bastille Day-inspired parade on U.S. soil are beginning to solidify.
According to The Post, the parade would potentially involve marching heavy tanks and other military showmanship down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C.
Military parades are somewhat rare in the U.S., but they have occurred during various moments in history, such as the presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the ending of Operation Desert Storm.
But a parade is a symbol, so what would this one mean? We discuss the motivation and implication behind an event such as this, and welcome your thoughts on how you feel about a military display such as the one Trump is aiming to host.
Guests:
Douglas Brinkley, presidential historian and professor of history at Rice University; Fellow, James Baker, III Institute for Public Policy
Brian McAllister Linn, professor of history at Texas A&M University; he specializes in military history and war
Locked in: What neuroscience is telling us about friendships
It’s no secret that most humans tend to surround themselves with like-minded friends.
But so far, no one has scientifically proven that similar activity occurs in the brains of people who have identified themselves as “friends” with one another. Until now.
In a study recently published in the journal “Nature,” researchers at UCLA and Dartmouth College were able to predict through brain scans of business school students which of them considered each other “friends.” First, the students were asked whether they were “friends” (someone you’d meet for a drink, meal, movie, or other “informal social activities”) with the other students. If two students named one another, they were considered “friends” for the purpose of the study. The students brains were then scanned in an MRI machine while they watched a series of video clips specifically chosen to evoke a range of different emotions.
The researchers examined data from 80 separate regions of their brains and compared responses. What they found was that the brain responses from pairs of “friends” were more alike than those of “non-friends.” In addition, the more similar their neural responses to the video stimuli, the closer they were in terms of their social network. Even after correcting for age, gender, and other controls, the correlations remained.
What does this study tell us about the nature of friendship and the people with whom we choose to surround ourselves? Do you find yourself seeking out more like-minded friends or are you more of the “opposites attract” mindset? Could this data be used to predict whether two strangers could potentially be friends?
Guest:
Carolyn Parkinson, assistant professor of social psychology at UCLA and lead author of the study “Similar neural responses predict friendship” (Nature Communications, January 2018)
Senate reaches two-year spending agreement, but where’s the DACA deal?
Less than 48 hours before the government shutdown deadline, Senate leaders have reached a two-year budget deal.
Earlier this morning, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she and fellow Democrats would oppose the deal without a guarantee on from House Speaker Paul Ryan that there would be a vote on a DACA immigration bill.
So where does immigration stand now? We get the latest on the tick-tock of spending negotiations.
Guest:
Sean Sullivan, congressional reporter for The Washington Post; he tweets
New FDA plan wants to reduce smoking levels without targeting cigarette sales. Is this good for public health?
Coming soon to a convenience store near you: cigarettes that aren’t addictive?
This could one day be a reality if a Food and Drug Administration plan to reducing smoking levels in the U.S. moves forward. The proposal focuses on two major points: reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes to the point where they’re almost non-addictive, and paving the way for tobacco companies to sell alternatives to traditional tobacco products like cigarettes and chewing tobacco. One such product, called the iQOS is a smoking device that looks like a pen and heats tobacco but does not set it alight.
The proposal falls in line with an ongoing debate over what role the FDA should be playing in anti-smoking efforts. For about as long as anti-smoking advocacy has existed, the goal has been to get smokers to quit outright and, ultimately, to eliminate cigarette smoking from society altogether. Anti-smoking advocates say that there is still no safe alternative to smoking cigarettes and have taken issue with the FDA’s plan.
But there are others who say that the discussion around getting people to quit smoking has changed, and with new data and technology available to regulators, there should be a way to cut down on the dangerous effects of burning tobacco without preventing those adults who still want access to nicotine from getting it.
Guests:
Scott Ballin, a Washington, D.C.-based health policy consultant and longtime tobacco control policy advocate; former vice president and legislative counsel for the American Heart Association
Chris Bostic, deputy director for policy at Action on Smoking & Health (ASH), a nonprofit organization advocating for a tobacco-free society
Jacob Sullum, senior editor at Reason Magazine and syndicated columnist; he is the author of “For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health” (Free Press, 1998)
Stress case: What’s behind the increased demand for mental health counseling from SoCal college students?
Mental health resources at SoCal universities are being stretched thin due to increased anxiety, depression and other issues among students.
According to a recent survey conducted by USC Center for Health Reporting and Southern California News Group, there’s been an increased demand for counseling sessions on college campuses in the past five years. And that rise has surpassed enrollment growth.
As reported by SoCal News Group, a Cal State Long Beach police officer even recounted witness a student attempting to throw himself off of a campus parking structure.
So what’s the cause? Social media may be a factor, but many students struggle with immigration issues, gender identity, socioeconomic factors and relationship problems. Larry speaks to a reporter on the story and a university counselor to find out more.
Guests:
Claudia Boyd-Barrett, writer for the Center for Health Reporting at USC; she co-authored “Students in Crisis: On Campus, record numbers seek mental health”
Jonna Fries, Psy.D., psychologist and director of counseling and psychological services at Cal State L.A.