The federal tax bill allows states to create “opportunity zones” where investors can get some tax relief... but would they help or hurt the targeted low-income communities? We also dive into the latest in trade after Trump said Canada and Mexico would receive temporary exemptions from steel tariffs; Uber and Lyft drivers, do you feel like you make a good living?; and more.
Trade war? Trump’s tariff threats set off domino effects in global trade
Despite widespread opposition within his own party, President Trump is poised to announce tariffs on steel and aluminum.
He said this morning Canada and Mexico would get temporary exemptions during NAFTA negotiations. The President indicated other countries, like Australia, might also be spared.
Listen in for the latest from AirTalk.
Guest:
Ana Swanson, reporter for the New York Times who writes about trade and international economics, who’s covering the story; she tweets
CA wants pot ‘yellow pages’ to stop advertising non-licensed dispensaries
The California Bureau of Cannabis Control has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Irvine-based Ghost Management Group, which owns and operates Weedmaps, a popular listing guide for marijuana dispensaries.
The bureau wants Weedmaps to stop advertising those dispensaries that are not legally licensed to operate in the state. California, of course, became the biggest state in the country to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana this year.
Guests:
John Schroyer, senior reporter at Marijuana Business Daily who broke the story
Avis Bulbulyan, CEO of Siva Enterprises, a Los Angeles-based cannabis consultancy
Studies can’t agree on how much rideshare drivers make. So, we are taking the question directly to SoCal Lyft and Uber drivers
A recent study from MIT finds that Uber and Lyft drivers only take home a measly $3.37 an hour on average driving for the two companies.
The study was based on a survey of more than 1,100 drivers with the two ride-hailing companies.
The resident economist at Uber swiftly took issue with the results, calling into question the MIT study’s research methodology. That prompted the MIT researcher, Stephen Zoepf, to recrunch his numbers. Zoepf has now revised the average hourly earning to $10 per hour.
There have been many studies in the recent past trying to arrive at exactly how much rideshare drivers make, after expenses and gas. An example of these numbers can be seen in this survey.
We’ll look at the different studies and take calls from SoCal drivers who work for Lyft and Uber on their take home pay.
If you drive for Lyft or Uber, call us at 866.893.5722. You can also
us, or post a message on our Facebook page.
Guest:
Harry Campbell, Los Angeles-based Uber and Lyft driver and founder of TheRideShareGuy.com, a blog and podcast for rideshare drivers; he tweets
Contextualizing Stormy Daniels: The history of presidential affairs, public opinion and media coverage
In the latest installment of news about Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels, it’s been reported that Trump had won an arbitration proceeding against the adult-film actress.
That was one day after Daniels had sued the president over her right to disclose their relationship because, according to her, Trump had never signed the non-disclosure agreement.
Trump was reportedly unhappy that press secretary Sanders acknowledged that he was involved with the legal proceedings, potentially adding fuel to the story.
We get the latest on the Daniels story, plus we look back at the affairs and scandals of president’s past, including those of Clinton and JFK, to see how those incidents were treated by both the public and the press, as well the politicians themselves.
How has public perception and media coverage of the sex lives of politicians changed over the last 100 years? What legal issues are entangled in the Stormy Daniels situation? And as a member of the public, do you care?
Guests:
John Wagner, White House reporter for the Washington Post, where his recent article is “Republicans flee the storm over Stormy Daniels and President Trump”; he tweets
David Greenberg, presidential historian and professor of History at Rutgers University; author of “Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency” (W.W. Norton & Company, 2016)
Can California gain from Trump tax bill’s investor perks?
California Department of Finance released a map on Friday showing where it recommends to designate so-called “opportunity zones” where people and businesses could pocket some tax relief by committing to long-term investments in lower-income communities.
The moves comes after Republican lawmakers passed the new federal tax bill in December. While Gov. Jerry Brown is not a fan of the new law, he intends to use one of its provisions to open economic development opportunities in lower-income neighborhoods around California. The new tax law allows governors to designate certain census tracts as so “opportunity zones” where investors could defer or eliminate federal taxes on capital gains.
It’s not clear whether investments have to create jobs to reap the tax benefits. Still, officials from the Brown administration say they’re hopeful that the zones could lure investors to communities that have not benefited from the full economic recovery since the recession.
Guests:
H.D. Palmer, deputy director for external affairs at the California Department of Finance
Timothy J. Bartik, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, a nonprofit research organization devoted to studying unemployment; he specializes in regional economics, public finance, urban economics, labor economics, and labor demand policies; he tweets
Study shows empowered women less likely to choose math and science professions
A new study published last month in the journal Psychological Science explores a strange paradox: In countries that empower women, they are less likely to choose math and science professions.
The study addresses the issue of an underrepresentation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Using an international database on adolescent achievement in science, mathematics, and reading, the study showed that girls performed “similarly to or better than boys in science in two of every three countries, and in nearly all countries, more girls appeared capable of college-level STEM study than had enrolled.” Gender differences in relative academic strengths and pursuit of STEM degrees rose with increases in national gender equality.
Guest:
Susan Pinker, developmental psychologist and a columnist who wrote about the study for the Wall Street Journal; author the book, “The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap” (Scribner, 2009)