Last week, Los Angeles City Attorney filed a federal suit against the top six manufacturers and three wholesale distributors of prescription painkillers, alleging deceptive marketing practices to boost sales and contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic. We also get the latest updates on Kilauea; discuss Governor Brown's updated budget; and more.
The latest on Kilauea’s potential explosion, and evacuations in Hawaii’s Big Island
After Kilauea’s eruption last week, the volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island is posing a new threat--an explosion.
As reported by CBS News, toxic steam and lava have been released from Kilauea, and on Thursday, news broke that the volcano cold potentially explode, sending large pieces of rock up to half-a-mile. Lava is reaching groundwater levels, which could in turn, trigger pressurized steam, which would cause Kilaua to literally blow its top. The last time this happened was in 1924.
Larry speaks to a reporter close to evacuations in Leilani Estates and a volcanologist to break down the latest on the story.
Guests:
Ku'uwehi Hiraishi, reporter for KHPR, Hawaii Public Radio; she is currently in the Puna, a district that encompasses Leilani Estates on Hawaii’s Big Island
Weston Thelen, research seismologist and volcanologist at U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center in Vancouver, Washington; he studied Kilauea at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory from 2011 to 2016
Should opioid drugmakers, distributors be held accountable for nationwide addiction crisis?
Last week, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer filed a federal suit against the top six manufacturers and three wholesale distributors of prescription painkillers, alleging deceptive marketing practices to boost sales and contributing to the nation’s opioid epidemic.
Although Los Angeles has experienced lower rates of opioid overdose than other parts of the country, the 165-page suit is part of a growing effort to reach a universal settlement against opioid drugmakers and distributors. 30 counties in California are expected to file suit by the end of this week, adding to more than 350 lawsuits consolidated by a federal judge in Ohio. Counties in Northern California include Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and more.
We check in with the LA city attorney for the latest on the suit and also speak with the senior editor of the libertarian Reason magazine.
Guests:
Mike Feuer, Los Angeles city attorney; he tweets
Jacob Sullum, senior editor at Reason magazine and syndicated columnist covering drug policy, criminal justice and civil liberties; he is the author of "Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use” (Tarcher/Penguin, 2004); he tweets
The technology and creep factor behind Google’s AI assistant, which sounds exactly like a human
Google unveiled its artificial-intelligence assistant on Tuesday at its annual developer conference.
Duplex is an automated voice assistant that sounds almost exactly like a human. The AI assistant sounds so lifelike that even a human listener cannot detect if it is a machine. Duplex is intended to handle standard phone calls and carry a conversation over the phone for you, like taking appointments or making reservations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V6NHKmfnW0&feature=youtu.be
The program is an “experiment,” the company says, only a limited number of users will be able to try it this summer. But the technology raises some ethical concerns.
Do you think it should be required to alert people that they are talking with a machine? Call us at 866-893-5722.
We reached out to Google regarding disclosures and a spokesperson responded with this statement:
We understand and value the discussion around Google Duplex -- as we’ve said from the beginning, transparency in the technology is important. We are designing this feature with disclosure built-in, and we’ll make sure the system is appropriately identified. What we showed at I/O was an early technology demo, and we look forward to incorporating feedback as we develop this into a product.
Guests:
Drew Harwell, national technology reporter covering artificial intelligence for the Washington Post, who has been reporting on the story; he tweets
Jonathan May, computer science research assistant professor and research scientist at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute (ISI); his specialties include machine learning and natural language processing
As CA revenue grows, Governor Brown releases updated budget
Governor Jerry Brown unveiled his revised state budget proposal at a 10 a.m. press conference this morning.
This comes amidst a surplus in state revenue, which was $6.1 billion in January. In his prior proposal, Brown was conservative about spending, directing most of the surplus to reserves.
Going forward, Brown will be negotiating with the Legislature on the final draft of the budget, to come in the summer.
We get the latest on the revised proposal. What are the differences between this new version and the January proposal? How will Brown be spending (or saving) the state surplus?
Guests:
Ben Adler, capitol bureau chief of Capital Public Radio in Sacramento; he tweets
H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance
FilmWeek: ‘Breaking In,’ ‘Life of the Party,’ ‘The Seagull’ and more
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases.
"Life of the Party" in wide release
"Breaking In" in wide release
"Lu Over The Wall" at Edwards Irvine Spectrum IMAX & Laemmle's NoHo
"The Desert Bride" at Laemmle's Playhouse & Laemmle's Royal
"The Seagull" at ArcLight Hollywood & The Landmark
"The Escape" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
"Hitler's Hollywood" at Laemmle's Music Hall & Laemmle's Town Center
"Class Rank" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
"The Guardians" at Laemmle's Royal
"Anything" at Laemmle's Monica Film Center
CRITICS' HITS
Lael: "The Desert Bride" & "The Escape"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0mGuJwtM-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx05E-99DPA
Charles: "Lu Over The Wall" & "Hitler's Hollywood"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTJhWsaHCzA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_iGOj8jz0E
Tim: "The Seagull" & "The Guardians"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynGnOf0scl8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMdg1sgtnPM
MISSES
Tim: "Life of the Party"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1B1CxmAXLk
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
Hold onto your mom jeans: Time to celebrate our favorite movie mammas
If story is conflict, then it’s no wonder so many great films revolve around mother-child relationships, and in honor of Mother’s Day, we’ve decided to highlight some of our favorites.
From straightforward mom movies like “Terms of Endearment” and “Mermaids,” to more unorthodox moms like those featured in “Psycho” and “Mildred Pierce,” we pay tribute to some of the greatest (and most messed-up) matriarchal portrayals in film history.
We’d also like to hear from you. Do you gravitate towards intense, nutjob moms like “Mommy Dearest’s” Joan Crawford? Or are you more of an action mom, like Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2,” or Ripley in “Aliens?”
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein, KPCC film critic; she tweets
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets