Today on AirTalk, we check in on how California's community colleges are confronting state budget cuts. Also on the show, our FilmWeek critics discuss the weekend's film releases; we get the latest on COVID-19; and more.
COVID-19: LA County Surpasses 2,000 Deaths, Precautions Ahead Of Memorial Day Weekend
As of Thursday afternoon, L.A. County had at least 2,016 deaths and 42,037 confirmed cases of coronavirus.The U.S. is among many countries experiencing large-scale epidemics, although the toll here has now led the world for weeks. The numbers are changing rapidly and experts have warned that confirmed cases are far under the actual total of infected individuals.
In April, Newsom announced a framework of six parameters he says it will take to reopen the state's economy. L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a similar five-pillar plan. L.A. County public health officials have begun to ease some restrictions and allowed some types of businesses deemed lower risk to reopen — but only for doorside, curbside or other outside pickup. AAA is expecting record low travel this holiday weekend, and public health officials still urge caution as people do take to the road or outdoors.
Today on AirTalk, we get the latest updates on the coronavirus and discuss what people should be considering to stay safe over the weekend. Do you have questions for our physician? Join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here.
Guest:
Robert Kim-Farley, M.D., professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health; he served as the director of the Division of Communicable Disease Control and Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health from 2004-2018 and is a former senior official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization
Where Are You Traveling For Memorial Day Weekend And What Precautions Are You Taking?
Around 43 million people traveled this time last year for the Memorial Day holiday, according to AAA.
Things will look very different this year. Although AAA didn’t put out a travel forecast this year (the first time since the organization started doing so 20 years ago), record low travel is expected this weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even as states begin to reopen and it’s deemed safe to travel, experts expect that travelers will gravitate toward domestic and regional road trips, staying close to home. They don’t envision much international travel for quite some time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends only travel if it’s essential. If you do plan to travel this weekend though, experts say you should be thinking about packing sanitizers and disinfectants, facial coverings and maybe extra food to help limit stops. You should also consider the restrictions in the areas you're stopping in or traveling to because every place is different. Today on AirTalk, we want to know where you’re traveling this weekend. Are you taking a trip? Are you taking any additional safety precautions while traveling? Tell us your plans by calling 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Catharine Hamm, travel editor for the Los Angeles Times; she tweets
COVID-19 & Education: California Community Colleges Finance Head Addresses State Budget Cuts To Education Funding
With more than 2 million students at over 100 campuses across the Golden State, The California Community Colleges System bills itself as the largest higher education system in the country.
Just like the other major college systems in the state, the CCCS faces deep cuts to its funding from the state. According to EdSource, the community colleges would require $1 billion to offset those cuts. This comes as CCCS Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley announced earlier this week that the community colleges would hold classes online at all campuses for the fall semester. “We understand California’s difficult fiscal condition resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Chancellor Oakley said in a statement last week responding to the cuts, “and we will work collaboratively with Gov. Newsom, the Legislature and our campus leaders to get through this crisis. We will look for ways to mitigate the impact to California community colleges and seek flexibility to manage our response to best serve students. We also support our California Congressional delegation in seeking additional federal assistance to help the most vulnerable in our state. Community colleges are at the vanguard for preparing nurses, first responders and essential workers who are on the front lines of protecting public health.”
Today on AirTalk, we’ll continue our series of interviews with leaders of California’s educational institutes by talking to the head of finance for the California Community Colleges System about the challenges it faces with the looming budget cuts, what it portends for the ability of the system to resume in-person classes and the potential short and long-term impact on students, faculty and staff.
Guests:
Lizette Navarette, vice chancellor of college finance and facilities planning for the California Community Colleges; which serves 2.1 million students at 115 colleges across California; she tweets
Greg Schulz, president of Fullerton College in Fullerton, part of the California Community Colleges System
FilmWeek: ‘The Lovebirds,’ ‘The Trip to Greece,’ ‘The Painter and the Thief’ And More
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Angie Han and Tim Cogshell review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.
"The Lovebirds" on Netflix
"The Trip To Greece" on digital & VOD (iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play & Vudu)
"The Painter And The Thief" at virtual cinemas (Laemmle's & The Frida), VOD & streaming (Hulu)
"Lucky Grandma" at virtual cinemas, including Laemmle’s and The Frida and VOD (Alamo On Demand)
"Mr. Jones" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema (VOD releases June 19th)
"Military Wives" on Laemmle's Virtual Cinema, VOD & streaming (Hulu)
"Kate Nash: Underestimate The Girl" on VOD (Alamo On Demand)
Our FilmWeek critics have been curating personal lists of their favorite TV shows and movies to binge-watch during self-quarantine. You can see recommendations from each of the critics and where you can watch them here.
Guests:
Angie Han, KPCC film critic and deputy entertainment editor at Mashable; she tweets
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC, Alt-Film Guide and CineGods.com; he tweets
‘Avengers’ Screenwriters Explain How COVID-19 Has Changed Their Creative Process
The pandemic pushed back a lot of this year’s summer blockbusters, so it might be a while until we see another big superhero movie. In the midst of the outbreak and the entertainment industry shutting down, ‘Avengers’ screenwriters Chris Markus and Steve McFeely are trying to work on another movie.
The duo is a fixture in the Marvel franchise, writing all three ‘Captain America’ movies and the latest two ‘Avengers’ films. Like everyone else, they’re stuck at home and it hasn’t made the creative process any easier. They’re juggling three-hour Zoom calls, taking care of their young children, and managing the stress of an all-consuming pandemic.
KPCC’s John Rabe spoke with Chris Markus and Steve McFeely on how the pandemic has impacted their work and what they’re doing to adjust.
Guests:
Steve McFeely, screenwriter whose credits include “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Captain America: Civil War”
Chris Markus, screenwriter whose credits include “Avengers: Endgame,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Former Pro Cyclist Lance Armstrong Goes Deep On His Rise To Fame And Fall From Grace In New ESPN “30 For 30” Documentary
Lance Armstrong's story is well-known -- the American professional cyclist beat testicular cancer, won his sport's biggest and most grueling race, the Tour de France, a record seven times from 1995-2001. Throughout his title run, there was rampant speculation that Armstrong was using performance enhancing drugs, claims that Armstrong vehemently denied for years. But in 2013, during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, he publicly admitted to doping while he was racing in the pro peloton. He was summarily stripped of his Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban from the sport.
Since then, Lance has mostly avoided the spotlight, leaving only speculation as to his side of the story...until now. This weekend, ESPN debuts part 1 of "Lance," a two-part documentary in their acclaimed "30 for "30 series. In it, director Marina Zenovich stitches together footage from her hours of interviews with Lance's former teammates, support staff, friends, and Lance himself, who talks about his rise to fame, his public fall from grace, and how he's processed it all in the time since his public admission.
Today on FilmWeek, KPCC’s John Horn talks to Marina Zenovich about interviewing Lance Armstrong, the relationship they developed throughout their time together, whether her hopes for the film and Lance’s were the same, and what she learned about him through the process.
With contributions from John Horn
Guest:
Marina Zenovich, documentary filmmaker and director of the two-part ESPN “30 for 30” documentary “Lance”; her other directing credits include “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind,” “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic” and “Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out”; she tweets