It was announced yesterday that Covered California expected a significant hike in premiums by 2019, and for LA County, that means between 8.6 and 10 percent. We get the details and answer your questions. We also debate the Trump administration's desire to set knew logging goals; review the latest film releases on FilmWeek; and more.
Covered CA to hike premiums by 8.7 percent. What does that mean for your county?
On Thursday, Covered California announced an expected average increase of 8.7 percent in its health insurance premiums by 2019.
It's the same in Ventura County. In L.A. County that average is between 8.6 and 10 percent. It's 9 percent in Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties. State officials and advocates say some consumers will save money if they shop around for a cheaper plan.
Listen to the full story here.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California
Chad Terhune, senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News and its affiliated news site, California Healthline; he tweets
As Trump demands more logging, we debate the effect on reforestation near Yosemite
In 2013, the Rim fire scorched more than 250,000 acres in and around the Sierra Nevada forests. Now, five years later, growing tensions center on the role of logging and reforestation activities in and around the fire’s footprint.
The tension comes at a time where timber production in California is seeing a steady decline. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is trying to change that by setting new logging goals. The California Forest Service is supporting such goals arguing that timber harvesting and salvage logging are cost-effective strategies that would reduce risks of future fires.
But not everyone agrees.
Activists opposed to timber interests are skeptical of the reforestation activities. On Tuesday, environmental organizations requested the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to halt logging and reforestation activities in the area until they get a clear scientific analysis of the effects these activities have on the ecosystem. They argue that reforestation is being used as a political tool to facilitate more logging. Environmental activists believe that the forest should be allowed to regenerate naturally.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Chad Hanson, ecologist and executive director of the John Muir Project, a nonprofit forest research and conservation organization based in Big Bear City, California; co-author of the book, “The Ecological Importance of Mixed-Severity Fires: Nature’s Phoenix” (Elsevier, 2015)
John Buckley, executive director of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center, a nonprofit environmental organization that works to protect water, wildlife, and wild areas within the Northern Yosemite region of the Central Sierra Nevada; former wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service
The good news? Air travel is booming. The bad news? There aren’t enough pilots to handle it
With air travel expected to double over the next 20 years, there’s no doubt that the demand for commercial airline pilots will be strong. There’s just one problem: there aren’t enough qualified pilots out there to meet the need.
The demand is bad enough that Delta says it’s offering all its employees the chance to take an unpaid leave to go to flight school in exchange for a job as a pilot with the airline once they finish as part of a larger program to incentivize more people to come fly for them. Regional airlines are feeling the worst of the shortage, with carriers seeing their schedules trimmed and some, like Republic, even going bankrupt due to staffing issues. Many new pilots start their commercial careers with a regional airline before moving to one of the larger carriers like Delta or American.
What’s driving this shortage? For starters, the deregulation of the airline industry in the late 1970s which led to the birth of low-cost carriers. 9/11 also played a big role, causing many of the legacy airlines in the U.S. to go bankrupt and forcing many pilots out of their jobs, leaving them with a choice of either taking a lower-paying job with another airline or finding another career altogether. Many commercial airline pilots get their training as pilots in the military, but that need has decreased thanks to the rise in use of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles. Federal law requires commercial pilots to retire at age 65, and the current shortage means more people are exiting the profession than are entering.
How are airlines coping with the pilot shortage and what are they doing to incentivize new pilots to join their ranks? What are people who might have looked at being a pilot in the past, like ex-military, doing instead? How much of an undertaking would it be for airlines to recruit and train their own pilots? Call 866.893.5722.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guest:
Capt. Lee Collins, president of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations (CAPA), a Washington D.C.-based airline pilot trade association working to enhance airline safety and the pilot profession
FilmWeek: ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,’ ‘The Equalizer 2,’ ‘Blindspotting’ and more
Guest host Libby Denkmann and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Peter Rainer, and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
"Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" in wide release
"The Equalizer 2" in wide release
"Blindspotting" at ArcLight Hollywood, AMC Century City & The Landmark Theatre
Listen to The Frame's interview with writers Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casalere here.
"McQueen" at The Landmark Theatre & ArcLight Hollywood
"Love, Cecil" at Nuart Theatre
"Unfriended: Dark Web" in wide release
"Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms" at Regal L.A. Live, Harkins Cerritos, Harkins Chino Hills, Starlight Whittier Village, Starlight Cinema City & Starlight Dos Lagos
"Path of Blood" at Laemmle's Music Hall
"King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen" at Laemmle's Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
"Generation Wealth" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark
Critics' Hits
Charles: "McQueen" & "Maquia"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OjX3ZbsfbU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEWvRqZQ0RU
Tim: "Blindspotting" & "King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9-HBqVbtTo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPblr7nKaYw
Peter: "The Equalizer 2"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiaVnU18pcs
Mixed Feelings
Charles: "Love, Cecil"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznzK0EOwfs
Tim: "Path of Blood"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgPZjXs6058
Peter: "Unfriended: Dark Web"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DJAWGXkvq8
Misses
Tim: "Generation Wealth"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyfC1AVhfb8
Peter: "Mama Mia! Here We Go Again"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcSMdhfKga4
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
A look at film ratings of teen content after ‘Eighth Grade’ sparks controversy with R-rating
What does it take for a movie to get an R rating? Sprinkle in some F-bombs and you’re in for a winner.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) classifies a movie with one of the harsher sexually-derived words in a PG-13 release, but a second places it in the R rating category. However, the Rating Board may rate a movie PG-13 by a two-thirds majority special vote.
This summer, MPAA slapped an R rating on the teen flick, “Eighth Grade” directed by Bo Burnham. The coming-of-age movie stars a 13-year-old socially awkward eighth grader who experiments subjects like hook-up culture and sharing nude photos. According to a study from the Journal of Adolescent Research, in a sample of seventh, ninth, and 11th graders, 32% of participants had experienced sexual intercourse and 61% of sexually experienced teenagers reported a sexual encounter not in a dating relationship. Perhaps teens can in fact handle the nature of certain films that illustrate reality for them, especially those with a 13-year-old protagonist.
Although “Eighth Grade” may contain profanity and sexual experimentation that can be inappropriate for young teenagers, is it time for a change in the ratings system? Teens under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Do you think teenagers nowadays should be allowed to see movies with racy content by themselves? Call 866.893.5722.
With guest host Libby Denkmann.
Guests:
Joan Graves, the Senior Vice President and Chairman of The Classification and Rating Administration (CARA) for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine