Today on AirTalk, we update you on the latest COVID-19 news and answer your questions. Also on the show, we breakdown how president Joe Biden's administration plans to fight disinformation; look back at the Peace Corps as it nears its 60th anniversary; and more.
COVID-19 AMA: California Tops 50,000 Deaths From Winter Surge, The New Variant Spreading In New York And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg.
Topics today include:
CA winter surge death toll tops 50,000, including 806 in L.A.
New COVID variant spreads widely in NYC
C.D.C. traces COVID outbreaks to gyms
NYT: Once COVID hotspots, nursing homes are now outpacing U.S. in declines
USC study: education a bigger factor than race in desire for COVID-19 vaccine
The flu becomes one welcome casualty of the coronavirus pandemic
Large-scale study from Israel shows Pfizer’s vaccine
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
Loyalty Turned Valued Employee: We Talk To Workers Who Have Climbed The Corporate Ladder
As an economic downturn hurts folks across the United States, one of the most important things for workers is stability. According to a study done by the Society for Human Resource Management, most employees are prioritizing their compensation, job security and opportunity to use their skills.
This also comes at a time where 40% of employees are reporting that career advancements within their current organizations are very important to their job satisfaction. Investing in employees makes the search for leadership and management roles a lot easier according to Brandman University, citing familiarity as an important factor for businesses. The organization noted that promotions have also been found to increase employee retainment and motivation.
It is no small feat for an employee to get a steady increase in opportunities from their employers, which is why we want to hear from workers who have managed to accomplish this. Have you been able to go from an entry-level position at your workplace to one in leadership? Share your story, call us at 866-893-5722.
How The Biden Administration Can Fight Disinformation
Conspiracy theories and hoaxes have been around for a long time, even well before the advent of the internet, but in recent years it seems more and more Americans are willing to openly embrace them, particularly as high-ranking government officials, including the former president, amplify the voices of those spreading disinformation.
Whether it’s false claims about election fraud, conspiracy theories like QAnon, or the belief that the coronavirus is a man-made hoax, disinformation is having a moment in the national media, and the Biden administration has said it plans to take steps to fight disinformation at the federal level. Some Congressional Democrats want to get in on the effort, too – in December, members of the Congressional Task Force on Digital Citizenship sent a letter to the then-Biden transition team proposing a blueprint for how his administration might combat the flow of disinformation, including creating a multi agency task force whose job would be to better educate Americans on disinformation and ensure that federal agencies have the tools to fight it. But how do you fight disinformation in a deeply-divided American society where many individuals have chosen to believe their own version of reality, and where those individuals who would most likely benefit from a centralized campaign against disinformation are the same people who don’t trust anything the federal government says or does.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll explore some of the things the Biden administration might do to combat disinformation at the federal level as well as the challenges, both legal and policy-wise, that it might face along the way.
Guests:
Joan Donovan, adjunct lecturer in public policy and research director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University; she tweets
Ilya Somin, professor of law at George Mason University where his research areas include constitutional law, democratic theory and federalism; he tweets
A Very Brief History Of South Central Jazz
Jazz was in its heyday in the 1930s and '40s when nightclubs like Club Alabam abounded on Central Avenue.
The nearby Dunbar Hotel was a legend in its own right. When Black jazz greats of the era, like Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, came to town, racially restrictive covenants and segregation limited where they could stay. The Dunbar quickly became a mecca for Black performers. Over the years, South Central L.A. became the heart of the jazz scene on the West Coast. See more on LAist.
Guest:
Chava Sanchez, visual journalist at KPCC/LAist, whose latest video project is “A Very Brief History Of South Central Jazz”; he tweets
The Peace Corps Celebrates 60 Years Of Service: We Take A Look Back At The Organization And Its History
It was 1960 when then-senator John F. Kennedy was on the campaign trail speaking to students from the University of Michigan, challenging them to travel abroad and assist other countries overseas. This establishing moment was what sparked Kennedy to eventually create the Peace Corps in 1961 when he became president.
60 years later and the Peace Corps continues to offer support to those they believe are in need, with the organization currently serving 61 countries across the world. Since then there have also been more than 240,000 volunteers who have come back with 2 years of service and memories. Similar to any other organization, the COVID-19 pandemic has made serving difficult, with all volunteers being recalled in March 2020 and still awaiting their time to serve.
Were you a former Peace Corps member? How did volunteering affect you and what memories can you recall from serving? Join the conversation and call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Patricia Wand, co-chair of the Museum of the Peace Corps Experience and member of the Peace Corps Oral History Project, an organization that looks to capture the individual experiences of Peace Corps volunteers; she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Columbia from 1963-1965