The Woolsey Fire has charred over 98,000 acres and destroyed more than 500 structures. The fire is now at 57 percent contained. We check in on the latest. We also discuss the legal arguments behind CNN's lawsuit against the president; analyze the effectiveness of fish oil and vitamin D; and more.
Repopulation begins for some Malibu residents, and a Camp Fire check-in
The Woolsey Fire has charred over 98,000 acres and destroyed more than 500 structures. The fire is now at 57 percent contained.
Evacuation orders were lifted some areas of Agoura and for the entire city of Calabasas. Repopulation is also taking place for some Malibu residents.
Meanwhile, a third body was found within the footprint of the Woolsey fire, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said Wednesday. The body was found by law enforcement officers Tuesday in the 32000 block of Lobo Canyon Road, coroner's office spokeswoman Sarah Ardalani told LAist. That area is in the burn zone south of Agoura Hills. The County coroner's office is now investigating to determine the identity and cause of death.
For the latest on the Woolsey Fire, go to LAist.com
Guests:
Emily Sawicki, managing editor of the Malibu Times; she tweets @emily_sawicki
Marc Albert, reporter at North State Public Radio, the NPR affiliate in Chico; he's been covering the fire for the last week
New study gives mixed results on effectiveness of fish oil and vitamin D, we discuss the supplements’ ability to lower heart or cancer risks
A large study on fish oil and vitamin D, published Saturday by the New England Journal of Medicine, gave long-awaited answers on who benefits from these nutrients.
Fish oils, also called omega-3 fatty acids, taken by healthy people, at a dose found in many supplements, showed no clear ability to lower heart or cancer risks. Vitamin D pills also failed to show any significant effect in lowering those health risks. But higher amounts of a purified, prescription fish oil slashed heart problems and heart-related deaths among people with high triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood, and other risks for heart disease.
The results were presented over the weekend at the American Heart Association conference in Chicago. Doctors cheered the findings and said they could suggest a new treatment option for hundreds of thousands of patients. We discuss who gets to benefit from those supplements, concerns over side effects, which minority groups appear to benefit the most from these nutrients and why.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
JoAnn Manson, M.D., lead author of the “VITAL Study” published Saturday in the New England Journal of Medicine; she is a physician researcher and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
Ruling on CNN lawsuit expected later today. We discuss the legal arguments
A ruling is expected to come down today in the suit by CNN to get back Jim Acosta’s press pass, which was revoked last week after a heated back-and-forth with President Trump.
One of the big questions is why the White House pulled Acosta’s press pass. CNN has argued that the White House pulled the pass because it was unhappy with Acosta’s coverage and that this amounts to a violation of the First Amendment. The White House initially claimed that Acosta assaulted a White House intern, who was trying to take his microphone, and then changed its reasoning, saying that Acosta was behaving disrespectfully.
Does the president have the right to pick and choose which journalists get a press pass? If so, using what standards? We examine the legal arguments behind the suit.
Guest:
Eugene Volokh, professor of law at UCLA; he tweets
FDA wants to ban menthol cigarettes, restrict flavored e-cigs
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, pledged Thursday to try to ban menthol from regular cigarettes, outlaw flavors in all cigars, and tighten rules regarding the sale of most flavored versions of electronic cigarettes.
The move represents a major step to further push down U.S. smoking rates, which have been falling for decades.
The restrictions are mainly aimed at reducing smoking in kids: About half of teens who smoke cigarettes choose menthols and flavored e-cigarettes have been blamed for a recent increase in teen vaping rates.
"I will not allow a generation of children to become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes," Gottlieb said in a statement.
Health advocates say a menthol ban would have greater impact on the health of Americans, but it would likely take years to put in place. The changes for e-cigarettes could kick in within a few months.
Battery-powered e-cigarettes are more popular among teens than regular smokes and are considered safer. But many versions contain potentially addictive nicotine, and health officials believe they set kids who try them on a path toward regular cigarettes.
Gottlieb called for measures to prevent the marketing of e-cigarettes directly to kids and ensure there are added safeguards preventing online sales of e-cigarettes to minors. He also proposed beefing up measures so that convenience stores and some other retailers don't sell e-cigarettes in kid-friendly flavors like cherry and vanilla. They could still be sold in vape shops or other businesses who don't admit minors.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Jayne O'Donnell, healthcare policy reporter for USA Today, who has been covering the story; she tweets
Matt Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Mark Kleiman, drug policy expert professor of public policy at New York University; he tweets
Gene-edited foods are hitting grocery shelves early next year. And no, they’re not the same as GMOs
Gene-edited foods could hit grocery shelves as early as next year, according to the Associated Press.
Examples of the types of foods being produced? Healthier soybean oil, mushrooms that don’t brown or citrus that’s resistant to diseases like citrus greening.
These DNA-edited foods are created using CRISPR and TALENs, different technologies from what’s used to make GMOs. The advances from gene-editing have the potential to make food hardier and healthier, but there is sure to be suspicion from consumers, as well as questions about how the USDA and FDA will regulate these types of products.
Guest:
Alan McHughen, professor of molecular genetics at UC Riverside; he is the author of "Pandora's Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods" (Oxford University Press, 2000)