Today on AirTalk, we break down the latest COVID-19 news. Also on the show, we discuss an amendment to a proposed state bill that would affect press freedoms; analyze the United States' declining birth rate; and more.
COVID-19: CA Has At Least Partially Vaccinated 70% Of Adult Residents, WHO Authorizes Sinovac For Emergency Use And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Dean Blumberg from UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
Today’s topics include:
70% of adult Californians are partially vaccinated
WHO approves Sinovac for emergency use
Rural Northern California trails behind statewide vaccination efforts
NIAID begins new study on mixing vaccines
FDA authorizes longer time for Pfizer vaccine in refrigerator storage
China administered 22.3 million vaccines on May 31 with help from Yao Ming
Israel cites potential link between Pfizer vaccine and mild heart inflammation cases
Guest:
Dean Blumberg, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital; he tweets
The United States’ Birth Rate Declined Again In 2020. What Will It Mean Long Term?
The year 2020 saw yet another decline in the American birth rate, which has been falling well below replacement rates for years and shows no sign of increasing.
Although 2020’s data is significant, it is a small drop in a much larger trend of decline. To many, this sounds concerning— a growing population means a larger workforce and greater output, and therefore a growing economy— but many experts say the forecast is not so grim as it might first appear. Technological innovation can make up the economic fallout from a declining population, and then some. And part of the reason women are having fewer kids is because they are working and finding greater fulfillment outside the home, which is an irrefutable social gain. On the flip side, however, prices of homes, healthcare, child care and other necessities have inflated while wages have largely stagnated, making it difficult for families to take care of new members, particularly if either parent plans to stay home. And although the planet cannot sustain an endlessly growing population, a birth rate reduction will not actually have much of an effect of climate change, whereas a strategic appropriation of resources among the world’s population would.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about what declining birth rates might mean for the environment, gender equity and the national economy. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Phillip Levine, professor of economics at Wellesley College and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, where he co-authored the report “Will births in the US rebound? Probably not.”; he tweets
Sarah Jane Glynn, sociologist and senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who specializes in gender and the economy; she tweets
Anu Ramaswami, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University, whose research centers on sustainable urban infrastructure systems; she tweets
Diving Into National and Cybersecurity Implications Of Ransomware Attack On US Meat Packing Company
A ransomware attack on the world’s largest meat processing company disrupted production around the world just weeks after a similar incident shut down a U.S. oil pipeline.
Brazil’s JBS SA, however, said late Tuesday that it had made “significant progress” in dealing with the cyberattack and expects the “vast majority” of its plants to be operating on Wednesday. Earlier, the White House said JBS had notified the U.S. of a ransom demand from a criminal organization likely based in Russia. White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House and the Department of Agriculture have been in touch with the company several times this week. JBS is the second-largest producer of beef, pork and chicken in the U.S. If it were to shut down for even one day, the U.S. would lose almost a quarter of its beef-processing capacity, or the equivalent of 20,000 beef cows, according to Trey Malone, an assistant professor of agriculture at Michigan State University. The closures reflect the reality that modern meat processing plants are heavily automated, for both food- and worker-safety reasons. Computers collect data at multiple stages of the production process, and orders, billing, shipping and other functions are all electronic. JBS said the cyberattack affected servers supporting its operations in North America and Australia. Backup servers weren’t affected and it said it was not aware of any customer, supplier or employee data being compromised. Today on AirTalk, we talk with experts about the incident, its significance and whether there’s concerns about similar and more frequent attacks in the future.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Robert Stasio, fellow at the Truman National Security Project, a national security think tank; former U.S. army cyber officer and former chief of operations for one of NSA’s cyber centers
Hal Kempfer, CEO of Global Risk Intelligence and Planning (GRIP), a management consulting firm based in Long Beach, retired Marine lieutenant colonel; he has worked in military support for homeland security and defense both as an active member of the military and as a civilian; he tweets
A New California Bill Has Spurned A Battle Between Journalists And Law Enforcement Representatives
Earlier this year, a coalition of sixteen journalism associations and first amendment groups met with law enforcement to express frustration about press freedoms after the murder of George Floyd, and to show support for a new bill called SB98.
The bill would allow journalists to operate in closed areas (an unprecedented step) including riot areas after a dispersal order has been issued. However, law enforcement officials pressured lawmakers to add an amendment last week that would require journalists to get permission from a commanding officer before being allowed in closed areas, which, for the journalists that endorsed the bill, is considered a step backward. In recent months, law enforcement agencies like the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have been lobbying for SB98. Sheriff’s deputies tackled and arrested KPCC’s own reporter, Josie Huang, as she was covering a protest last fall. Journalists cite the incident as one of the reasons the coalition formed.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about SB98 and the debate over the bill in Sacramento. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Adam Rose, member of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Press Club; he’s part of the coalition of journalism groups which are opposed to an amendment to SB98
Abdul Pridgen, president of the California Police Chiefs Association and City of Seaside Police Chief; he tweets
A New Book Examines The Shadowy History Of Adoption In The United States
In 2007, when a feel-good story passed journalist Gabrielle Glaser’s desk about an adopted man receiving a kidney donation, she could hardly imagine that it would one day lead her to investigate the American adoption system’s shadowy, unethical roots.
In her new book “American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption,” Glaser focuses on the story of David Rosenberg (the adopted man she’d first read about so many years ago) and his biological mother, who spent years trying to find him and warn him about the medical issues that plagued their family. The book explores the social framework that allowed children to be taken from unwed mothers under vagrancy laws that outlawed sex out of wedlock, and which then helped supply the huge demand for babies in post-war America. The process was facilitated by adoption agencies that kept shoddy records or intentionally obscured birth histories, often creating huge roadblocks for adoptees and traumatizing biological mothers, who could face jail time if they refused to give up their baby.
Today on AirTalk, we’re discussing Gabrielle Glaser’s new book and the legacy of unethical adoptions today. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Gabrielle Glaser, journalist and author of numerous books including her latest, “American Baby: A Mother, a Child, and the Shadow History of Adoption” (Viking, 2021)