Today on AirTalk, we discuss a lawsuit out of Alabama arguing whether or not an embryo has rights. We also examine the rise in cyber bullying among teenage girls; analyze the newly signed California law requiring presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns in order to appear on the ballot; and more.
Local Groups Ready Rail Plans As California Considers Shift In Bullet Train Funds
California is considering diverting funds from the Central Valley bullet train to other local rail projects.
Many Democratic lawmakers have spoken out in favor of the move arguing the shift in funds would have more public value. That shift could include moving funds toward San Francisco commuter rail and improving rail from Burbank to Anaheim, which is thought to ease traffic congestion on the Interstate 5 corridor.
Gov. Gavin Newsom drew back from a plan that would finish the 500-mile high-speed rail system, saying the project didn’t have the funding to succeed. But Newsom said earlier this year in his State of the State speech that doesn’t mean the project will come to an end.
Discussions have developed as state leaders question the political, technical and cost woes that have come with the bullet project. And while some might worry about the demise of high-speed rail, others argue it’s necessary for radical change.
Guests:
Ralph Vartabedian, national correspondent for the Los Angeles Times who covers the high-speed rail project, who has been following the story; he tweets
Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at Center for Law, Energy & the Environment at UC Berkeley; he also leads the Climate Change and Business Research Initiative on behalf of UC Berkeley and UCLA; he tweets
Ara Najarian, Mayor of Glendale; a member of the Metro board and vice chair of the Metrolink board
Cyberbullying On The Rise And Girls Report More Cyberbullying Than Boys, According To New Survey
There’s a rise in cyberbullying nationwide, with three times as many girls reporting being harassed online or by text message than boys, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
The U.S. Department of Education’s research and data arm this month released its latest survey, which shows an uptick in online abuse, though the overall number of students who report being bullied stayed the same.
Many school systems that once had a hands-off approach to dealing with off-campus student behavior are now making cyberbullying rules, outlining punishments such as suspension or expulsion, according to Bryan Joffe, director of education and youth development at AASA, a national school superintendents association.
That change partly came along with broader cyberbullying laws, which have been adopted in states like Texas and California in recent years.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Brendesha Tynes, associate professor of education and psychology and director of the Center for Empowered Learning and Development with Technology at USC
Bryan Joffe, director of education and youth development at the School Superintendents Association (AASA), a national membership association of superintendents
Newsom Signs New State Election Law Requiring Presidential Candidates’ Tax Returns
California’s Democratic governor signed a law Tuesday requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns to appear on the state’s primary ballot, a move aimed squarely at Republican President Donald Trump.
Candidates will be required to submit tax returns for the most recent five years to California’s Secretary of State at least 98 days before the primary. They will then be posed online for the public to view, with certain personal information redacted.
But even if the law withstands a likely legal challenge, Trump could avoid the requirements by choosing not to compete in California’s primary. With no credible GOP challenger at this point, he likely won’t need California’s delegates to win the Republican nomination. While the law is aimed at Trump, it would apply to all presidential contenders and candidates for governor.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for The Los Angeles Times; he tweets
Richard L. Hasen, Chancellor's Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine; he is a nationally recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation; he tweets
Derek Muller, associate professor of law at Pepperdine University; he tweets
Should An Embryo Have Rights? First Of Its Kind Lawsuit Against Alabama Clinic Argues Yes
The father of an unborn embryo is suing an Alabama women’s health clinic where his ex-girlfriend obtained an abortion.
Ryan Magers, the father, says he begged his then-girlfriend not to get an abortion in 2017 when she became pregnant. The judge in the case is contemplating whether to throw out the wrongful death suit, which is being called the first case of its kind in the United States. A probate judge earlier this year took the unusual step of opening an estate for the aborted embryo, known as “Baby Roe” in court filings, after Magers’ attorney cited a newly approved Alabama constitutional amendment saying its state policy to recognize the “rights of unborn children.”
The father, Ryan Magers, is serving as representative of the aborted embryo’s estate. An attorney for the clinic asked the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that its not a wrongful death case because abortion is legal.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Michele Bratcher Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine; she tweets
Teresa Collett, professor of law at The University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and director of the school’s Prolife Center
The Future Of Air Travel? It’s Electric.
Much like the automotive industry, the aerospace industry sees the writing on the wall, and it says that in the not-too-distant future, airplanes will be powered by electricity instead of fossil fuels.
In many ways, a shift from combustion engines in aircraft to hybrid-electric or completely electric propulsion is a logical next step. Carmakers are already several years-worth of models into the age of the electric vehicle and are showing no signs of slowing down. Some companies, like Hawthorne-based Ampaire, are even using parts designed for hybrid cars to modify their aircraft. But don’t expect to be seeing any jumbo jets that you’d fly across the country or the world with electric or even hybrid-electric engines anytime soon. For now, the technology available means most of the companies in this space are focused on shorter, regional routes, typically under 100 miles in range and with 20 or fewer passengers. But there’s no denying the potential for the cost-savings that a sustainable aircraft would provide. According to Ampaire’s website, electric aircraft would offer a 90 percent cut in fuel costs and a 50 percent cut in maintenance costs. Urban Air Mobility could be one of the first use cases of electric aviation due to range limitation of purely electric aircraft. Airspace Experience Technologies, a Detroit based aviation startup is designing and testing an electric 5 passenger tilt-wing vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for this purpose.
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with the founders of two startups that are researching and developing very different types of hybrid-electric and electric aircraft to find out how big this burgeoning industry for sustainable aviation is, what some of the major regulatory and engineering hurdles are and how close society is to actually seeing these kinds of aircraft in the skies.
Guests:
Kevin Noertker, CEO and co-founder of Ampaire, a company based in Hawthorne, California that is researching and developing fixed-wing zero emission aircraft; he tweets
Anita Sengupta, co-founder and chief product officer for Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), a company based in Detroit, Michigan developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft; she tweets