AirTalk wants to know how you think the minimum wage hike will affect employment now that Angelenos are making $12 an hour. We also look at U.S. options after North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile with the capacity to reach Alaska; is online therapy comparable to an in-person session?; and more.
After North Korea’s successful ICBM test, we explore options
On July 4, North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which flew about 580 miles and reached an altitude of nearly 1,741 miles, according to the state media, meaning it had the capacity to reach Alaska.
So what now? Options range from diplomacy, sanctions and pressure from China to military action. Each route poses its own problems and consequences.
How are the U.S. and China approaching the situation? What is the magnitude of the threat and the potential for escalation? What options does the U.S. have and what are their possible repercussions?
Guests:
Jim Walsh, Ph.D., International security expert and a Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program; he tweets
Fred Fleitz, former CIA analyst (1986-2005) and senior vice president at the Center for Security Policy, a conservative think tank in Washington D.C.; he tweets
What’s next for CA gun laws after SCOTUS turns down concealed carry case?
California and its gun laws have been making national news in the last week.
First, with the Supreme Court decision not to take on a case that looks into concealed carry reciprocity and our state’s limits on who can carry a gun in public. Then on Thursday a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to block the disposal of large-capacity ammunition magazines in California. The law was supposed to go into effect this weekend.
How are gun rights advocates and gun control supporters reacting to the news? What’s next for these policies? And what else could be coming down the pipeline in the national and state-wide gun conversation?
Guests:
Lawrence Rosenthal, professor of law at Chapman University in Orange, California
Josh Blackman, an associate professor of Law at the South Texas College of Law who specializes in constitutional law; he is the author of “Unprecedented: The Constitutional Challenge to Obamacare” (Public Affairs, 2013); he tweets
Debating SB 649: Local government regulation versus cell phone towers
More cell towers in exchange for better service and lower rates? That’s the idea behind a new bill in the state legislature, SB 649.
Opponents say the legislation is a financial boon for telecommunication companies and would strip local governments of their power over cell tower installation. Currently, companies that want to install a cell tower lease the land from the city, which has control over the placement and aesthetic of the tower. Depending on what the local government charges, the lease for just one antenna site can cost up to $3,000. SB 649 would turn the lease into an annual administrative fee of $250. It would also allow telecommunications companies to put up towers without public input - meaning a tower could show up in front of your house and the city wouldn’t be able to stop it.
Proponents say this would be benefit California’s technological advancement and reduce phone bills by eliminating overhead for telecommunication companies. They say local governments are actually reticent to lose lease money, even if it would mean lower phone bills for constituents.
Should telecommunications companies have more freedom to build towers? What would be the benefits and drawbacks for constituents?
Guests:
Kish Rajan, chief evangelist for CALinnovates, a technology advocacy coalition that includes telecommunication companies
Don Saylor, Yolo County Supervisor representing District 2, which includes the cities of Winters and Davis, the UC Davis campus and farmland in the southwestern portion of Yolo County
How is LA’s new minimum wage impacting you?
The minimum wage has gone up in Los Angeles County. Business owners with 26 or more employees in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and the unincorporated parts of L.A. County are now required to pay their employees $12 an hour (up from $10.50).
Businesses with 25 or fewer employees have to pay $10.50 (up from $10 an hour).
It's just the beginning of minimum wage fever throughout California. The state's minimum wage will rise to $11 an hour in January and will steadily increase each year till it hits $15 an hour in 2022.
Host Larry Mantle takes your calls on your thoughts on the impact of the new minimum wage. How is this going to affect those looking for entry-level positions? If you are a business owner, how have you prepared for the new minimum wage at $12 an hour?
Call 866-893-5252 and share your thoughts.
As tech moves in on mental health, how effective is online therapy?
More than 43 million adult Americans suffer from mental illness, but fewer than half reported receiving help.
That’s according to a 2015 survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. A portion of these untreated cannot afford professional guidance, while some lack access to quality healthcare. And for some, there still stigma attached to seeking therapy.
As reported by Capital and Main and Fast Company, there’s recently been an increase in online therapy that claims to fill the void of traditional office visits. But is online counseling just as effective as an in-person session? Does the treatment depend on the condition of the mental health issue? Larry speaks to two clinical psychologists about the pros and cons of seeing a virtual therapist.
Guests:
Sonya Bruner, Psy.D., licensed clinical psychologist and clinical director of BetterHelp.com, a California-based online counseling website
Todd Essig, Ph.D., clinical psychologist practicing in New York City and training and supervising psychoanalyst at William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry; he is also a contributor at Forbes where he writes Managing Mental Wealth, a mental health column; he tweets