Today on AirTalk, we hear the latest news on the Atlanta massage parlor shootings. We also discuss recent COVID-19 headlines, the outlook for the March Madness tournament and more.
COVID-19 AMA: LA County Continues Reopening, Moderna Begins Vaccine Testing On Young Children And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with UCLA’s Dr. David Eisenmann.
Topics today include:
Continuing to follow Los Angeles County’s reopening
Moderna begins testing COVID vaccine on young children
CA vaccine supply increases, but still well below provider level
St. Patty’s Day celebration safety
Op-ed: Long COVID isn’t rare, it’s a health crisis
Op-ed: One year later, we still don’t have a plan to prevent the next pandemic
Guest:
David Eisenman, M.D., professor of medicine and public health at UCLA, director of the university's Center for Public Health and Disasters,and an associate natural scientist at RAND Corporation
March Madness, Masked Edition: Previewing This Year’s NCAA Tournament, And How It Will Look Different Amid The Pandemic
Of the many sporting and other events that have fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic since it began in earnest about a year ago, one of the first was the beloved NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. Office bracket pools were left high and dry, Vegas missed out on one of its most lucrative weekends of the year and sports fans were robbed of the opportunity to watch Cinderella teams from mid-major conferences go dancing in March against some of the top talent in college basketball.
This year, the Madness has returned, albeit with some additional safety protocols in place. Most notably, the entire tournament will take place in Indianapolis this year as opposed to holding games for each round in various cities across the country. The field of 68 was chosen on Sunday and Gonzaga University enters the tournament as the top overall seed at 26-0, looking to become the first team since Bob Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers in 1976 to win the tournament and finish the season with a perfect record. But nothing is certain when it comes to March Madness, and there are plenty of other juggernauts like Michigan, Illinois, Baylor, Iowa and Ohio State who are also in the mix. And that’s to say nothing of dark horses like Winthrop, Liberty and Colgate, all of whom are being talked about as potential upset contenders. Southern California has four teams represented -- 6-seed USC, 11-seed UCLA, who must win their play-in game with Michigan State to earn a first round matchup with BYU, 12-seed UCSB, who are a sleeper favorite to win their first round matchup against 5-seed Creighton, and 6-seed San Diego State.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll hear about how the city of Indianapolis is preparing to host the entire tournament, what the city and NCAA are doing to ensure player and fan safety, and of course we’ll take a look at the teams in the tournament and share some tips on how to make your bracket a winner this year.
Guests:
Shari Rudavsky, health and medicine reporter for The Indianapolis Star following the city’s preparations for the 2021 NCAA Tournament; she tweets
, national college basketball reporter for ESPN; he tweets
Eight People, Many Of Them Asian Women, Shot At Atlanta-Area Massage Parlors
Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs Tuesday evening left eight people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said.
The attacks began around 5 p.m., when five people were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in a strip mall near a rural area in Acworth, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Atlanta, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker said. Two people died at the scene and three were transported to a hospital where two of them also died, Baker said.
No one was arrested at the scene.
Around 5:50 p.m., police in the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, responding to a call of a robbery in progress, found three women dead from apparent gunshot wounds at Gold Spa. While they were at that scene, they learned of a call reporting shots fired at another spa across the street, Aromatherapy Spa, and found a woman who appeared to have been shot dead inside the business.
“It appears that they may be Asian,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in statement Wednesday that its diplomats in Atlanta have confirmed from police that four of the victims who died were women of Korean descent. The ministry said the office of its Consulate General in Atlanta is trying to confirm the nationality of the women.
The killings came amid a recent wave of attacks against Asian Americans that coincided with the spread of the coronavirus across the United States.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Cameron McWhirter, Wall Street Journal reporter based in Atlanta who is covering the shootings; he tweets
Judy Chu, U.S. Congresswoman representing California’s 27th Congressional District, which includes Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley; she tweets
Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting center that tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States; tweets
Many People Have Redefined Their Fitness Routines Over The Last Year. Can Gyms Coax Members Back?
At the beginning of the pandemic toilet paper and bread flew off the shelves, but it wasn’t just your basic essentials. Fitness equipment was also hard to come by as people throughout the country turned to at-home or virtual work outs. According to the Washington Post, fitness equipment revenue more than doubled from March to October.
This week, Los Angeles County began easing restrictions allowing gyms and fitness centers to operate indoors at 10% capacity. Pools and additional amenities like saunas and locker rooms remain closed. Facilities have stepped up precautions like adding more sanitizing stations, temperature checks and distancing equipment. But will it be enough to coax members back? Today on AirTalk, we discuss the slow reopening of fitness centers following an incredibly tough year. We also want to hear from listeners. Have you redefined your fitness routine throughout the pandemic? Do you prefer the community atmosphere of a gym or working out at home? Are you planning to return to your gym now that things are starting to reopen? Why or why not? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722 or comment below.
Guest:
Francesca Schuler, CEO of In-Shape, a group of health clubs based in and operating throughout California, she’s also an advisory board member for the California Fitness Alliance, which represents fitness workers throughout the state; she tweets