Today on AirTalk, we take a look at school pods and microschools for at-home students. Also on the show, we learn more about a California mental health audit; answer your COVID-19 questions; and more.
Checking In As House Subcommittee Grills Heads Of Facebook, Apple, Google And Amazon On Antitrust Issues
Four Big Tech CEOs - Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google and Tim Cook of Apple - are set to answer for their companies’ practices before Congress as a House panel caps its yearlong investigation of market dominance in the industry.
The four command corporations with gold-plated brands, millions or even billions of customers, and a combined value greater than the entire German economy. One of them is the world’s richest individual (Bezos); another is the fourth-ranked billionaire (Zuckerberg). Their industry has transformed society, linked people around the globe, mined and commercialized users’ personal data, and infuriated critics on both the left and right over speech. Critics question whether the companies, grown increasingly powerful after gobbling up scores of rivals, stifle competition and innovation, raise prices for consumers and pose a danger to society.
The four CEOs are testifying remotely for a hearing Wednesday by the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust. In its bipartisan investigation, the panel collected testimony from mid-level executives of the four firms, competitors and legal experts, and pored over more than a million internal documents from the companies. A key question: whether existing competition policies and century-old antitrust laws are adequate for overseeing the tech giants, or if new legislation and enforcement funding is needed. The companies face legal and political offensives on multiplying fronts, from Congress, the Trump administration, federal and state regulators and European watchdogs. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have been investigating the four companies’ practices.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll check in on the hearing as it’s happening.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Connie Guglielmo, editor-in-chief at CNET; she tweets
Revisiting The Lanterman-Petris-Short Act: We Dive Into CA’s Audit On Involuntary Health Treatment
A report out today from California’s auditor says L.A. County needs to do more to make sure people with serious mental illness get ongoing care.
The audit took a look at the implementation of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act, a law that’s meant to prevent people with serious mental illnesses from being committed to psychiatric facilities indefinitely.
For years, advocates have said the act needs an update though, because it makes it too difficult to force treatment for people who otherwise end up cycling through incarceration and homelessness. The audit found that the act already allows for sufficient involuntary treatment. At the same time, auditors found that L.A. County needs to do more to link people with community-based treatment once the involuntary hold is over. In its response to the audit, L.A. County said it has “worked tirelessly to transform the way in which mental health services are delivered within the county for those requiring involuntary treatment and/or conservatorship.” The audit also recommends that the state releases information to counties so they can better keep track of who’s received involuntary treatment.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
Guests:
Jen Flory, policy advocate at Western Center on Law and Poverty, an organization providing legal representation and policy advocacy on behalf of Californians experiencing poverty; she tweets
Jonathan Sherin, M.D., director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health; he tweets
As School Districts Delay In-Person Learning, Some Families Consider Pods And Microschools. What Are They?
One of the greatest and most complex challenges of the coronavirus pandemic has been weighing best practices for K-12 education.
Young kids convening in classrooms with teachers could create high risks when it comes to exposure and spread, especially as experts continue trying to figure out what role COVID-19 plays in children.
As school districts work through the challenges and extend delays for in-person learning, some parents are choosing to pod up with other families. School pods typically include a few different families where kids get together for in-person activities and learning, either supplementary to e-learning or as part of a more formal homeschooling situation. Pods can be arranged in numerous ways. Some will use parents as instructors, and others might hire on a tutor or former teacher. The overarching idea is to create a stimulating learning experience where kids can socialize with theoretically safe measures in place. According to the New York Times, school pods have received some push back though. Some argue the method will be more popular among privileged families and could hurt districts if families pull students out of school. Today on AirTalk, we take a look at school pods, how they work and whether they could be part of the solution to the current education crisis. Are you considering a school pod for your kids or are you already making arrangements for a pod? What are your thoughts? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Lian Chikako Chang, founder of the Facebook group Pandemic Pods and Microschools, which helps people to start and moderate their own local pod chapters; she tweets
COVID-19 AMA: Surf's (And Prayers) Up As Some Large Indoor Church Services Move To Beach
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.
Topics today include:
CA again breaks state record for most coronavirus deaths in a day
People are avoiding going to do the doctor
European public health officials sound alarm as countries see surge of coronavirus cases
New studies on coronavirus’ impact on heart
Church services to move to CA beaches
NBC News: Womens’ COVID concerns downplayed by some doctors
Is it too late for testing and tracing to have a meaningful impact?
Guest:
Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center; he tweets
New Blood Test Could Help Spot Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
An experimental blood test was highly accurate at distinguishing people with Alzheimer’s disease from those without it in several studies, boosting hopes that there soon may be a simple way to help diagnose this most common form of dementia.
Developing such a test has been a long-sought goal, and scientists warn that the new approach still needs more validation and is not yet ready for wide use.
But Tuesday’s results suggest they’re on the right track. The testing identified people with Alzheimer’s vs. no dementia or other types of it with accuracy ranging from 89% to 98%.
Results were discussed at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference and some results were also were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Last year, scientists reported encouraging results from experimental blood tests that measure abnormal versions of amyloid, one of two proteins that build up and damage Alzheimer’s patients’ brains. The new work focuses on the other protein — tau — and finds that one form of it called p-tau217 is a more reliable indicator.
Dr. Oskar Hansson of Lund University in Sweden led a study of Eli Lilly’s test on more than 1,400 people already enrolled in dementia studies in Sweden, Arizona and Colombia. They included people with no impairment, mild impairment, Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
The p-tau217 test outperformed a host of other measures for indicating which patients had Alzheimer’s as verified by brain scans. It also was comparable to the brain scans and some spinal tests in accuracy. According to the research, the test also identified signs of degenerative aging up to 20 years before symptoms and cognitive impairment. Researchers say a test could be ready for clinical use in about two to three years.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Eric M. Reiman M.D., executive director of Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Phoenix, Arizona and senior author on the study
‘Insinuation Anxiety’ And Social Awkwardness: How Are You Navigating Differences With Pandemic Safety?
Of the myriad ways the novel coronavirus has disrupted the average American’s life, social anxiety might not immediately spring to mind as a consequence.
But stress around social cues has, nonetheless, become one of the many interpersonal problems exacerbated by the pandemic. A recent Vox article looked into the phenomenon of “insinuation anxiety”— the feelings of unease and discomfort which might arise when you, for example, turn down a friend’s invitation to dinner because you don’t feel safe enough. Many American communities are now so virus-saturated that the burden of public safety is almost entirely on civilians, who must use their own calculus to weigh a social interaction against the abstract threat posed by the virus. Although many people have adapted their behaviors out of consideration for others’ safety (like wearing a mask or spacing out in line), these adaptations can result in uncomfortable or tense moments, especially since large swaths of the country do not see the pandemic as a significant threat. Have you experienced “insinuation anxiety” or uncomfortable interactions over coronavirus safety, either with friends or strangers? How do you navigate these moments? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.