Home sales just hit their lowest levels since 2007. We also look at a study that says e-cigarettes could be almost almost twice as effective as other forms of nicotine replacement products to help smokers quit; examine a 24% drop in new Covered California enrollees; and more.
SoCal housing market: stabilizing prices, cooling demand, Chinese disinvestment
Home prices are still on the rise, but people aren’t buying.
Home sales just hit their lowest levels since 2007. But it’s a different story in the commercial real estate market. Los Angeles is on its third year in a row of record sales for real estate like office buildings, retail, and housing complexes.
The housing and commercial real estate markets have both seen a decrease in Chinese investment again this quarter. That makes it the third quarter in a row where Chinese investors sold more property than they bought. U.S. homes are more expensive. The dollar is getting stronger while China’s economic growth is slowing. Political tensions are rising between the United States and China. All of those factors tie into the national decline, but the trend is appearing in Los Angeles, too.
How does a decline in foreign investment affect the Los Angeles real estate market? How does it affect the commercial and housing markets differently? Will the decline in Chinese investment help or hurt homeowners and investors here in Los Angeles?
Guests:
Lawrence Yun, chief economist and senior vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors
Michael Longo, first vice president of capital markets at CBRE, a commercial real estate and investment firm based in Los Angeles
Eric Sussman, adjunct professor in accounting and real estate at UCLA Anderson School of Management
New study sheds light on e-cigarettes’ effectiveness to help smokers quit
E-cigarettes could be almost twice as effective as other forms of nicotine replacement products to help smokers quit.
That’s what a New England Journal of Medicine study published Wednesday showed after more than a year’s worth of randomized research. As reported by the New York Times, the clinical trial was funded by the National Institute for Health Research and Cancer Research UK and was conducted in Great Britain. And the success rate of e-cigarettes to help smokers quit depends on factors such as how the user decides to smoke the device--as there are no specific instructions like with other nicotine replacement products.
So does this really mean that e-cigarettes are better than the nicotine patch, or gum or nasal spray? Larry speaks to Jan Hoffman of the New York Times who’s been following the story.
Guest:
Jan Hoffman, health behaviors reporter for the New York Times; she’s been following the story.
‘Mobituaries’: From Mo Rocca, stories of the overlooked voices from the past
Ever heard of Vaughn Meader? What about Lois Weber? Elizabeth Jennings Graham?
These individuals all played an important role in history. And Mo Rocca wants us to remember them.
In his new podcast that premiered earlier this month, Mo Rocca introduces listeners to the untold stories of the characters on the sidelines-- the ones whose obits didn’t make it to a front page. From a Chinese-American superstar to a JFK impersonator, Rocca delves into the lives of the forgotten forerunners who have long intrigued him.
Today on AirTalk, we get a sneak peek of this week’s episode and talk with CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and “Mobituaries” podcast host Mo Rocca about why he chose to tell the stories of forgotten voices from the past, and what we can learn from them.
Guest:
Mo Rocca, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and “Mobituaries” podcast host; he tweets
Exploring the factors behind the nearly 24 percent drop in new Covered California enrollees
New enrollment in California’s state healthcare insurance was down significantly this year, the agency reported on Wednesday.
Covered California executive director Peter Lee pointed toward the nullification of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate as the main reason for the drop, saying in a statement “recent actions at the federal level appear to be causing large drops in enrollment that will lead to more uninsured and higher premiums for all Californians.” California Governor Gavin Newsom has, in his first month in office, already proposed a state individual mandate that would require Californians to purchase coverage.
Others point to different reasons, like an overall increase in premiums, more people getting healthcare coverage through their workplace thanks to an increase in hiring and low unemployment, or simply a lack of desire among many Californians to purchase health insurance, since there’s no longer an economic disincentive to not buying insurance and many view it as an added cost for a service they don’t use often enough to justify paying for
What do you think are the reasons behind the drop in new enrollees? How much of a factor is the removal of the individual mandate at the federal level? What could be done to encourage more Californians who don’t get coverage through their employer to enroll in Covered CA?
Guests:
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California
Lanhee Chen, research fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University; he served as a health policy adviser to the Bush-Cheney reelection campaign in 2004 as well as senior counselor to the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services during the second Bush administration; he tweets
Super Bowl rematch: Los Angeles Rams battle against the Patriots for the NFL Championship
The Rams are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in 19 years and this time, they’ll be representing the city of Los Angeles.
The Rams haven’t played in a Super Bowl since 2002, which coincidentally was against the Patriots and a then 24 -year-old, fresh-faced, first-year starting quarterback Tom Brady. Under quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick, The Patriots head into their ninth Super Bowl and a win would tie the Patriots with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl wins by a team in NFL history. A win would also give Tom Brady a record breaking six Super Bowl rings.
Meanwhile, as the fourth-youngest quarterback to play in the Super Bowl, Jared Goff has made the transition from first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft to starting quarterback in the Super Bowl in just three years, a feat he has accomplished faster than any other quarterback ever has. It’s been a bumpy road for Goff and the Rams on their way to the Super Bowl. After moving back to Los Angeles three years ago, they went a dismal 4-12, fired their head coach before the season ended and looked like a far cry from a playoff team, let alone Super Bowl contenders.
But under new head coach Sean McVay’s leadership the Rams have transformed into back to back NFC West divisional champions, 2019 conference champions and now have the opportunity to play for their second Super Bowl title. At 33 years old, McVay is already the youngest coach to lead the team to the Super Bowl, but if the Rams win on Sunday he will also become the youngest coach ever to win a Super Bowl.
Be sure to tune in to Super Bowl LIII as the Rams face off against the Patriots at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this Sunday at 3:30 P.M on CBS.
Where are you watching the game this Sunday? What are the keys to the game for the Rams? What does it mean to the city of Los Angeles to have one of its new football teams playing in the Super Bowl so soon after returning? Give us a call at 866-893-5722
Guests:
Rich Hammond, Los Angeles Rams beat writer for the the Southern California News Group, which includes publications like Orange County Register and L.A. Daily News; he tweets
Jeff Howe, New England Patriots beat reporter for The Athletic, a subscription-based sports website that provides national and local sports coverage in 47 North American cities; he tweets
Virtue versus violence in human evolution: Is humanity inherently good or instinctively evil?
It’s a question as old as time. Are we as a species naturally aggressive, violent and corruptible, or are we innately selfless, civilized and peaceful?
If we’ve evolved to simply do good then why do we have such a propensity for violent acts such as war and genocide? If we evolved to be typically evil then why do we continue to spread tolerance, trust and understanding across the world?
In “The Goodness Paradox” anthropology professor and author Richard Wrangham seeks to answer these questions by exploring the complex relationship between aggression, self-domestication, capital punishment, and the set of moral systems we as a society have created to become what we are today.
Wrangham joins Larry to discuss his new book and why humans can be the nastiest of species, while also simultaneously being the nicest.
Guest:
Richard Wrangham, author of “The Goodness Paradox: the Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution” (Pantheon 2019); professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University