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AirTalk

AirTalk for May 12, 2015

Homeless people asleep in the 2nd Street Tunnel in Los Angeles on December 30, 2010.
Homeless people asleep in the 2nd Street Tunnel in Los Angeles on December 30, 2010.
(
Ray From LA/Flickr
)
Listen 1:33:45
According to the new LA County homeless census, the number of people living in cars, tents, and larger encampments has nearly doubled. Also,the NFL took the air out of the New England Patriots franchise and fans yesterday, slapping quarterback Tom Brady with a four game suspension,. Then, a new study shows that many millennials are choosing to opt out of any kind of religious affiliation.
According to the new LA County homeless census, the number of people living in cars, tents, and larger encampments has nearly doubled. Also,the NFL took the air out of the New England Patriots franchise and fans yesterday, slapping quarterback Tom Brady with a four game suspension,. Then, a new study shows that many millennials are choosing to opt out of any kind of religious affiliation.

According to the new LA County homeless census, the number of people living in cars, tents, and larger encampments has nearly doubled. Also,the NFL took the air out of the New England Patriots franchise and fans yesterday, slapping quarterback Tom Brady with a four game suspension,. Then, a new study shows that many millennials are choosing to opt out of any kind of religious affiliation.

Who are the new homeless?

Listen 24:20
Who are the new homeless?

According to the new LA County homeless census, after years in decline, LA’s homeless population has surged by 12%.

The number of people living in cars, tents, and larger encampments has nearly doubled. Many experts point to a lack of affordable housing to explain the increase. But the numbers don't tell us how much of the rise is housing prices, and how much are other factors not fully understood.

Who are the newest homeless residents, and how much does rising housing costs explain the trend?

Read the full story here  

Guests:

Peter Lynn, head of the Los Angeles Homeless Authority (LAHSA), which conducted this last homeless count

Christine Margiotta, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Greater Los Angeles; She launched Home For Good in 2010, the region’s initiative to end homelessness

Andy Bales, CEO, Union Rescue Mission, the oldest Mission in Los Angeles serving homeless men, women and children

Poll: A proper punishment? Patriots, fans deflated after NFL suspends Brady 4 games

Listen 7:59
Poll: A proper punishment? Patriots, fans deflated after NFL suspends Brady 4 games

The NFL took the air out of the New England Patriots franchise and fans yesterday, slapping quarterback Tom Brady with a four game suspension, fining the Patriots $1 million, and stripping them of two future draft picks.

This all comes after a 243 page report suggested not only that Brady very likely knew that members of the equipment staff were deflating game footballs below league standards, but also that he refused to cooperate when the NFL asked him to turn over his phone as evidence.

Brady has maintained his innocence, but this entire saga will undoubtedly leave a permanent mark on a career that up to this point, has been untarnished.

Do you think Brady's punishment fits the crime? Vote in our poll below!

Guest:

Christopher Gasper, sports columnist for the Boston Globe and host of Boston Sports Live and Globe 10.0 on Boston.com. He’s also formerly a Patriots beat writer.

Pillow Talk: Why millennials are having less sex than their parents did

Listen 13:50
Pillow Talk: Why millennials are having less sex than their parents did

A new study on generational attitudes toward sex found that twenty-something millennials are having far less sex than their baby boomer parents had at the same age.

Jean Twenge, author of the study Changes in American Adults’ Sexual Behavior and Attitudes and Jeffrey Arnett, author of Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood share how attitudes about sex are changing and why millennials are choosing to have fewer sexual partners and less sex in general than previous generations.

Changes in American Adults’ Sexual Behavior and Attitudes, 1972–2012

Guests:

Jean Twenge, Ph.D., Professor at San Diego State University and Author of study “Changes in American Adults’ Sexual Behavior and Attitudes

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, Ph.D., Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Clark University in Worcester, MA and author of “Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood”

The Board of Supervisors considers removing ICE from county jails

Listen 15:31
The Board of Supervisors considers removing ICE from county jails

The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on a motion today that would remove federal agents from L.A. County jails.

The county partnered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nearly a decade ago to expedite the deportation of inmates convicted of certain crimes, who are in the country illegally. As part of the partnership, immigration agents were placed in jails and jail employees were trained to investigate undocumented inmates.

The motion, sponsored by supervisors Hilda Solis and Mark Ridley Thomas, will be opposed by supervisors Don Knabe and Michael Antonovich. Supervisor Sheila Kuehl will likely cast the deciding vote.

The motion has vocal supporters on both sides and the deliberations are expected to take hours.

Should L.A. County put an end to its agreement with ICE? 

Guests:

Chris Newman, legal director for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network

Ira Mehlman, media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) - a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization seeking to stop illegal immigration

Opting Out: Fewer millennials calling themselves Christians

Listen 19:29
Opting Out: Fewer millennials calling themselves Christians

A new study shows that many millennials are choosing to opt out of any kind of religious affiliation.

The study done by the Pew Research Center found that the number of Americans considering themselves Christians has dropped significantly in the past decade. While this is being seen across all religious fronts and demographics, millennials are leading the way in this decline.

Study author of America’s Changing Religious Landscape Gregory Smith joins us to discuss religious shifts among Americans. We’ll also be joined by Kutter Callaway, affiliate professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary to examine faith and contemporary culture.

America's Changing Religious Landscape: Christians Decline Sharply as Share of Population; Unaffiliated and Other Faiths Continue to Grow

Guest:

Greg Smith, Associate Director of Research at the Pew Research Center and the study’s lead author

Kutter Callaway, Affiliate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary

As American Idol prepares to sing swan song, a look back at the haves and have-nots

Listen 12:34
As American Idol prepares to sing swan song, a look back at the haves and have-nots

After 15 seasons of letting the people choose (maybe) America’s next big recording artist, Fox has announced that next year’s season of American Idol will be its last.

Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. will come back as judges for one more season of the iconic program, which first aired back in 2002.

Throughout the years and up until recently, the show has been a ratings juggernaut, and it’s annually one of the most anticipated reality show premieres on television.

While show winners like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood owe almost all of their fame and fortune to American Idol, many other winners haven’t seen quite as much widespread success.

In certain seasons, runners-up or others eliminated earlier in the competition have had success than the winners themselves. Jennifer Hudson placed seventh in the show’s third season, yet became one of the biggest recording artists of the mid-2000s and is the only Idol contestant to win a Grammy and an Oscar.

How will American Idol’s impact on pop culture be remembered?

Guest:

Richard Rushfield, author of “American Idol: The Untold Story” and editor-in-chief of Hitfix