Today on AirTalk, we go over the latest topics in COVID-19 news. We also discuss the ongoing trial of the former police officer charged with killing George Floyd; talk with listeners about their experience in applying for PPP loans; and more.
COVID-19 AMA: More Good News As CDC Says Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines Very Effective At Preventing COVID In Real-World Conditions
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Annabelle De St. Maurice of UCLA/Mattel Children’s Hospital.
CDC reports Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines very effective at preventing COVID in real world conditions
Eligibility opens up to Californians 50 & over this week, everyone 16 and older mid-April
Orange County continues encouraging trends, could move to orange tier this week
Vaccine appointments may be backed up for several weeks
Vaccination gap among Hispanic communities reflects barriers to access
NYT obtained WHO report pointing to animals as COVID originators
What COVID-19 testing looks like when everyone is vaccinated
Barcelona hosts large gig after testing crowd
Guest:
Annabelle De St. Maurice M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases and the co-chief infection prevention officer at University of California Los Angeles/Mattel Children’s Hospital; she tweets
Baths, Walks, Family Time: Pandemic Rituals That You’ll Keep After This Is All Over
Many of us have developed rituals while coping with this time, whether it’s long baths, long walks, afternoons in the park -- or maybe yours is more unique, like woodworking, beer brewing or writing limericks.
While we’re all antsy to get back to life as normal, many of us have developed routines or new hobbies that we’d like to keep up with after life goes back to normal.
Tell us about yours by calling 866-893-5722.
Opening Arguments Commence In Trial Of Former Police Officer Charged With Killing George Floyd
The former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd went on trial Monday, with a prosecutor telling the jury that the figure to remember is 9 minutes, 29 seconds — the amount of time Derek Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck as the Black man pleaded for his life and went limp.
Prosecutor Jerry Blackwell told jurors that Chauvin “didn’t let up, he didn’t get up” even after Floyd said 27 times that he couldn’t breathe and went motionless.
“He put his knees upon his neck and his back, grinding and crushing him, until the very breath -- no ladies and gentlemen -- until the very life, was squeezed out of him,” Blackwell said.
He said bystander witnesses would include a Minneapolis Fire Department first responder who wanted to administer aid. He said Chauvin pointed Mace at her.
“She wanted to check on his pulse, check on Mr. Floyd’s well-being,” Blackwell said. “She did her best to intervene. When she approached Mr. Chauvin …. Mr. Chauvin reached for his Mace and pointed it in her direction. She couldn’t help.”
Widely seen bystander video of the encounter sparked outrage across the U.S. and led to widespread protests and scattered violence.
A jury of 14 people will hear the case — eight who are white and six who are Black or multiracial, according to the court. Two of the 14 will be alternates. The judge has not said which ones will be alternates and which ones will deliberate the case.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Philip Dube, deputy public defender with LA County
Jody Armour, professor of law at USC; he tweets
KPCC Investigating Distribution And Equity Of Paycheck Protection Program. Tell Us Your Experience
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was designed to help small businesses stay afloat and keep paying employees during the coronavirus pandemic. Some businesses who received a PPP loan are even eligible for loan forgiveness. KPCC is now examining data to get a better look at how the loans were distributed and the equity gaps when it comes to disbursement.
Studies are showing there are disparities. Last summer, data from the Small Business Administration showed that L.A. County's wealthy, whiter Westside received far more Paycheck Protection Program loans than lower-income areas of the county where residents are primarily people of color. Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with KPCC correspondent Sharon McNary who’s working on the project. Sharon will explain how the project will work, and she also wants to hear from you. Are you a business owner who applied for a PPP loan? Did you get it? Were you denied? What was your overall experience going through the process? Join the conversation and become part of the project by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from LAist. Read more here.
Guest:
Sharon McNary, KPCC/LAist correspondent who’s working with a team on an investigative project looking at distribution and equity surrounding the Paycheck Protection Program; she tweets
New Anthology “Speculative Los Angeles” Explores Fictional Stories In A City That’s Already Stranger Than Fiction
As a city, Los Angeles is, itself, a bit stranger than fiction, all at once it is both a major American metropolis sprawling hundreds of square miles across Southern California and a collection of smaller, multicultural neighborhoods that can change from block to block. It’s a place where there is both great wealth and abject poverty, where natural disasters are only a moment away and where you can go skiing and hit the beach all in the same day, if you’re especially intrepid.
Despite the fact that Los Angeles is strange enough to author its own fiction, novelist Denise Hamilton commissioned short stories from local writers in which, as Hamilton writes on her website, “you’ll encounter twenty-first-century changelings, giant mecha robots battling on landfills, black holes and jacaranda men lurking in deep suburbia, beachfront property in Century City, walled-off canyons and coastlines reserved for the wealthy, psychic death cults, robot nursemaids, and an alternate LA where Spanish land grants never gave way to urbanization.”
Today on AirTalk, “Speculative Los Angeles” editor Denise Hamilton joins us to talk about her new anthology and preview some of the stories you’ll find inside.
Guest:
Denise Hamilton, editor of “Speculative Los Angeles” (February 2021, Akashic Books); she tweets