Today on AirTalk, we discuss House Democrats' resolution to impeach Trump following the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol last week. Also on the show, we update you on the latest COVID-19; check in with learnings pods as schools begin for many of them; and more.
After Violence At The U.S. Capitol Last Week, House Democrats Introduce Impeachment Resolution
House Democrats formally introduced a resolution today to impeach President Trump, accusing him of "incitement of insurrection" for his role in last week's riots at the US Capitol.
The four-page impeachment bill draws from Trump’s own false statements about his election defeat to Biden; his pressure on state officials in Georgia to “find” him more votes; and his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters to “fight like hell” before they stormed the building on Wednesday.
A violent mob of Trump supporters overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalizing Biden’s victory over Trump in the Electoral College.
“President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” the legislation said.
The bill from Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York, said Trump threatened “the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power” and “betrayed” trust.
“He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” they wrote.
Today on AirTalk, we’re getting the latest on the impeachment resolution. Also on the show, we’re joined by KPCC reporter Libby Denkmann to hear more about how local lawmakers are reacting to last week’s violence and the House’s move toward a second impeachment of President Trump. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Anita Kumar, White House correspondent and associate editor for POLITICO; she tweets
Libby Denkmann, reporter covering politics for KPCC & LAist
Capitol Siege Aftermath: More Social Media Companies Ban Trump, The Impeachment Process Road Map And The Legal Foundation For A Possible Incitement Charge
President Donald Trump has been kicked off of most mainstream social media platforms following his supporters’ siege on the U.S. Capitol. But it remains to be seen how fast or where - if anywhere - on the internet he will be able to reach his followers.
The far right-friendly Parler had been the leading candidate, at least until Google and Apple removed it from their app stores and Amazon booted it off its web hosting service just after midnight Pacific time early Monday. Parler’s CEO said that could knock it offline for a week, though that might prove optimistic.
And even if it finds a friendlier web-hosting service, without a smartphone app, it's hard to imagine Parler gaining mainstream success. The 2-year-old magnet for the far right claims more than 12 million users, though mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower puts the number at 10 million worldwide, with 8 million in the U.S. That's a fraction of the 89 million followers Trump had on Twitter.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll bring you up to speed on how social media platforms are responding to last week’s events, plus look at the road ahead for the impeachment process House Democrats announced today
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Ashley Gold, tech reporter for Axios; she tweets
Jeffrey Engel, founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University; author of “Impeachment: An American History,” (Random House Publishing Group, 2018); he tweets
Eugene Volokh, professor of law at UCLA; he tweets
COVID AMA: Varying Vaccine Approaches, Deaths In California And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg of UC Davis.
Topics today include:
California surpasses 30,000 COVID deaths
Vaccine news:
Biden plans to release almost all vaccine doses
To avoid vaccine waste, California is expanding who can get the shot
Indonesia is taking a different approach, vaccinating younger people first
After FDA cites false negatives from Curative tests, some L.A. County sites drop the company
Dodger Stadium to become vaccine location this week
L.A. County’s public hospitals have created “triage officers” to determine rationing of care
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital
As School Starts Back Up In 2021, Checking In On Learning Pods In Southern California
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, distance learning has become the reality for students across the country. But it’s no secret at this point that not every child thrives in a distance learning environment. This is especially apparent in preschool and elementary-age children, who in their developing years thrive on the kind of in-person interaction and play-based learning that was a staple in pre-pandemic curriculum.
For those parents who want their children to continue to have that in-person interaction with both classmates and their teacher despite the pandemic, learning pods and “microschools” have been a supplement, and in some cases an alternative, to the distance learning provided by many school districts. As AirTalk explained in a segment we did during the summer of 2020, they are small groups of children, usually less than 10, who learn together in a “classroom” setting, often with a teacher or tutor that the families of the children hire to design curriculum for and teach their children. But these learning pods don’t come without their own challenges. Despite the small sizes, different parents have different ideas of what a safe environment looks like and what kind of curriculum their child should be learning. Learning pods also raise questions about equity in education, as some may not be able to afford or have access to a pod in their area.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll check in on the state of learning pods and microschools in Los Angeles -- how are they doing, what lessons have parents, teachers and pod organizers learned in the process, and how have they navigated the challenges of making sure both parents and children are getting the education they need in a safe environment. If you’re a learning pod or microschool organizer or a parent of a child who is in a learning pod or microschool, we want to hear from you! How has your experience been so far? What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced, and how have you navigated them? We’re taking your calls at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Naomi Leight Give’on, CEO and founder of PodSkool, a Los Angeles-based company that matches families and learning pods with professional teachers, providing curriculum, administrative and legal support; she tweets
Norco ‘80: The Bank Robbery That Changed Policing
In May of 1980, the sleepy streets of Norco, California were turned into an all-out war zone in what was one of the most violent bank robberies in American history.
From LAist Studios in collaboration with Futuro Studios comes the new podcast—”Norco ’80” based on the book by Peter Houlahan. Listen as host and producer Antonia Cereijido tells the unbelievable true story about God, guns, survivalism and the bank robbery that changed policing in America forever. Using eyewitness testimony and never before heard police tapes, Norco 80 takes listeners on a wild ride, and serves as a cautionary tale in the context of America being immersed in the middle of an economic crisis, revamped end of the world paranoia and a complex conversation about policing. Learn more about the podcast here.
We sit down with host Antonia Cereijido to discuss the podcast.
With files from LAist.
Guest:
Antonia Cereijido, host of the Futuro Studios and LAist studios podcast “Norco 80: God, Guns, Survivalism And The Bank Robbery That Changed Policing Forever”; she is also senior producer with Futuro Studios; she tweets