Today on AirTalk, we look at the Astros-Red Sox sign-stealing scandal and what that means for the Dodgers. We also discuss LAUSD's efforts to sue Juul; look into why marriage proposals have gotten so elaborate; and more.
Astros, Red Sox Implicated In MLB Sign-Stealing Scandal, But Were The Dodgers And Their Fans Cheated Most Of All?
The Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal cost manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, and Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora could be next.
Hinch and Luhnow were fired Monday after being suspended by Major League Baseball for the team's illicit use of electronics to steal signs during Houston's run to the 2017 World Series title and again in the 2018 season. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that Cora - the Astros bench coach in 2017 - will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for stealing signs in Cora's first season as manager in 2018, when Boston won the World Series. Houston was fined $5 million, the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution, as punishment. The Astros will also forfeit their next two first- and second-round amateur draft picks.
The investigation found that the Astros used the video feed from a center field camera to see and decode the opposing catcher’s signs. Players banged on a trash can to signal to batters what was coming, believing it would improve the batter's odds of getting a hit. Sign stealing is a legal and time-honored part of baseball as long as it is done with the naked eye - say, by a baserunner standing on second. Using technology is prohibited. Astros players disputed whether knowing the pitches seconds in advance helped batters.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk about the wider impact and potential fallout from the scandal on Major League Baseball and explore the Dodgers’ place in all of this.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Nick Roman, host of KPCC’s “All Things Considered”; he tweets
Bill Shaikin, baseball writer for The Los Angeles Times; he tweets
As Amazon Brokers Deals With Top Authors, We Look At The Future Of Publishing
Their book covers are ubiquitous; the kind of thing you see in airports, at the fronts of bookstores, and in gift shops.
But now, new books by prolific authors Dean Koontz and Patricia Cornwell will likely not appear in stores at all. That’s because Amazon has brokered deals with both top-selling writers, whose contracts expired with their respective publishers. According to a recent piece from the Wall Street Journal, it’s a somewhat surprising move given that bookstores often boycott titles published by Amazon, as the tech giant has steadily edged out retail competition. Traditional publishers have expressed concern about how the continued loss of blockbuster writers could impact them and the industry as a whole. Although Amazon's book distribution is largely digital and in-house, it can offer top dollar and promising marketing tools to authors for their work. Today on AirTalk, we look at how Amazon could impact the publishing industry.
An Amazon spokesperson was not available to comment or join for an interview.
Guests:
Blake Montgomery, tech reporter at the Daily Beast; he tweets
Mike Shatzkin, book industry analyst and founder of the publishing consulting firm, The Idea Logical Company
Exploring The Legal And Practical Challenges Of Proposed Law To Ban Unsolicited Nude Photos
Unsolicited, lewd pictures have become one of the biggest nuisances that have risen with the internet age. As more people, especially women, fall victim to having unwarranted pictures surprise their inboxes, state lawmakers are taking matters into their own hands.
Incidents of ‘cyberflashing’, the act of sending someone a sexual picture without their consent, are becoming common occurrences. A 2017 YouGov survey revealed that about 78% of millenial women have received an unwarranted graphic photo. There are state laws that specifically address the issue of written harassment, but very few laws that specifically concern the issue of visual images. Legislation aimed to deter the sending of unsolicited photos is being proposed throughout the country. Last week, California state senator Ling Ling Chang introduced the Preventing Indecent Content Sharing (PICS) Act to help deter the sending of lewd pictures without the consent of the receiver. Texas recently put into effect a very similar law in September. But these efforts have been receiving push back from critics who argue that such laws are too broad, failing to specifically say how to police and identify these cases.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss how these laws are being proposed to prevent unsolicited photos and the challenges in enacting them. Have you ever received photos without your consent? Do you think enacting laws prohibiting such photos will stop people from sending them? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Senator Ling Ling Chang, state senator of California’s 29th senate district, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton and Chino Hills
Nicole Cobler, politics reporter for the Austin American Statesman; she’s been reporting on Texas’s law prohibiting unsolicited pictures; she tweets at
Dmitry Gorin, criminal defense attorney with the Los Angeles-based firm Eisner Gorin, LLP and a former trial prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office; he tweets
LAUSD Says Vaping Has Disrupted School, Which Is Why It’s Suing Juul
In October of 2019, a spate of school systems, including LAUSD, filed lawsuits against the e-cigarette company Juul, claiming that it targeted teenagers and created an epidemic that has drained schools of resources.
Yesterday, LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner explained his decision to sue Juul in the Washington Post piece, “My school district is suing Juul. Here’s why.” He argues that students sickened by vaping end up staying home and that their lack of attendance costs the district funding. Juul has a monopoly on the vaping market, which is why LAUSD targeting the e-cigarette company.
Juul has said that it does not intentionally target teen users, and that many of the people who got sick from vape usage did so because of illicit cartridges.
Is it fair for LAUSD and other school districts to seek damages from Juul?
We reached out to Juul. They were unable to join us for this segment, but provided this segment:
"We remain focused on resetting the vapor category in the U.S. and earning the trust of society by working cooperatively with attorneys general, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders to combat underage use and convert adult smokers from combustible cigarettes. As part of that process, we recently stopped accepting orders for our Mint JUULpods in the U.S., suspended all broadcast, print, and digital product advertising in the U.S., are investing in scientific research to ensure the quality of our FDA Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) application and expanding our commitment to develop new technology to reduce youth use.
Our customer base is the world’s 1 billion adult smokers and we do not intend to attract underage users. To the extent these cases allege otherwise, they are without merit."
Guests:
Austin Beutner, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District
Guy Bentley, director of Consumer Freedom at Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank; his research interests include taxation and regulation of nicotine, tobacco and alcohol
How A State Lawmaker’s New Proposal Could Address California’s Recycling Crisis
More than half of California’s recycling centers have closed in the past six years, creating a crisis for recycling in the state.
According to the Los Angeles Times, 45 of LA County’s 88 cities no longer have recycling centers. Many consumers now struggle to find places to cash in recyclables. Historically, drink distributors have had little involvement with the way their products are discarded. But with Senate Bill 372, which a state Senate committee will hold hearings on this week, the industry’s involvement may be radically reconsidered. The legislation would reform the “Bottle Bill,” a thirty-year-old law that put a 5- or 10-cent bounty on most cans and bottles, by in part requiring beverage manufacturers (rather than retailers, who currently shoulder the burden) to take the lead on building a revitalized container recycling program for consumers.
Today on AirTalk, we check in with local stakeholders and learn more about the future of recycling in California.
We reached out to several stakeholders in the beverage industry, including the American Beverage Association. We did not receive a response in time for air. We will update this segment if we receive a response.
Guests:
Susan V. Collins, president of the Container Recycling Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Culver City that provides research and advocacy for waste reduction and recycling initiatives
Jeff Donlevy, general manager of Ming’s Recycling facility in Hayward, CA
First Comes Love Then Comes The Epic Marriage Proposal. When Did Engagements Become So Elaborate?
It seems like everyone’s getting engaged these days.. or maybe the event is just getting more public. Between the ever-increasing grand marriage proposal and social media, these major life events are difficult to miss as you scroll through your Facebook or Instagram timeline.
Recently, one man worked with an animator to edit him and his now fiancé into the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty, her favorite movie. According to Insider, the man worked with an animator for six months then rented out a theater for the couple’s friends and family. A video can be seen playing back the big moment. The proposal took the internet by storm and had people dubbing it the most elaborate proposal of all time. Back in September, one man died in an attempted underwater proposal during a vacation in Tanzania.
So when did the modern proposal become so elaborate and why? Does it add to an already enormous amount of pressure for both parties involved? How has social media played a role? And do these elaborate proposals really reflect what couples truly want in their relationship? Were you involved in an elaborate marriage proposal? Share your story and join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Rebecca L. Davis, associate professor of history at the University of Delaware, where she focuses on marriage, sexuality and religion; research associate at the Council on Contemporary Families, which researches American families, she’s also a producer of the Sexing History podcast; she tweets
Ellen Lamont, assistant professor of sociology at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, she’s the author of the upcoming book “The Mating Game: How Gender Still Shapes How We Date,” (Univ of California Press, 2020); she tweets