Today on AirTalk, we talk about the most recent developments for the upcoming election, breaking down the latest data on ballot numbers. Also on the show, we talk about peer reporting of excessive force in the LAPD; how quarantine has affected teens' mental health; and more.
One Week From Election Day: Vote By Mail Ballots Counted So Far, The Experience At Vote Centers And More
We’re a mere seven days away from election day 2020 and while we aren’t certain we’ll have results for the presidential race that day, there are plenty of other state and local races and measures on the ballot to watch that might be a little clearer as the polls close across the country next Tuesday night.
Early vote centers opened this past weekend for in-person voting, and as KPCC/LAist reporter Josie Huang reports, more than 50,000 turned out to cast their vote at one of the 118 centers that started taking ballots on Saturday.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll check in on early voting in Los Angeles, talk about vote by mail ballots counted so far, plus we want to hear from you if you went to a vote center this weekend -- what was the experience and process like? Share with us by calling 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Michael Alvarez, professor of political and computational social science at Caltech and co-director of the Caltech/MIT Voting Technology Project; he tweets
Brianne Gilbert, associate director for the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University and one of the authors of the recent report “L.A. County Civic Deserts: 2008 to 2020 Analysis of Voter Turnout in Los Angeles County”; she tweets
Peer Reporting Of Excessive Force By LAPD Officers Is Far Lower Than Public Complaints. Where Is the Disconnect?
Under California law, police officers have to report colleagues who exhibit excessive force. According to the LA Times, in the last five years, the number of officers who were peer-reported has been five -- or possibly even two.
Meanwhile, there have been thousands of unauthorized force complaints filed by the public against officers. So where is the disconnect?
LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the LA Times that the low numbers are due to poor tracking of these reports.
Some critics have pointed to a “code” of silence in the LAPD; a culture of protecting other officers and an implicit understanding that stepping out of line can lead to retaliation. The LAPD has denied many of these critiques. We convene a roundtable for a deep dive.
Guests:
Kevin Rector, reporter for the Los Angeles Times covering the Los Angeles Police Department; his recent piece is “LAPD data show few officers report excessive force by peers; better tracking promised”; he tweets
Robert Harris, a director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing Los Angeles Police Department officers, and an LAPD officer
Connie Rice, LA-based civil rights lawyer; she is an honorary life trustee of KPCC
Cheryl Dorsey, retired sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department who served for 20 years from 1980-2000; she is the author of “Black & Blue (The Creation of a Manifesto): The True Story of an African-American Woman on the LAPD and the Powerful Secrets She Uncovered“ (Universal Kingdom Print, 2013); she tweets
Studies Confirm Longstanding Theory That There’s Water On The Moon. Why Does It Matter?
Two different teams, each consisting of a network of scientists from all across the globe, had their studies published Monday in peer-reviewed journal Nature Astronomy. Their work, although differing in methodology, led both teams to confirm that there is water on the moon.
Scientists with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Anatomy, better known as SOFIA, used three independent spacecraft to detect “widespread hydration” on the lunar surface. A second study simultaneously found evidence of water on shadowed regions near the moon’s poles. However, these molecules are trapped in ice due to extreme temperatures.
According to the Washington Post, launching water to space costs thousands of dollars per gallon, and future explorers may be able to use lunar water not only to quench their own thirst but to refuel their rockets.
We’ll discuss the findings with members of both teams, as well as their significance in the fields of astronomy and space exploration. Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Bethany L. Ehlmann, professor of planetary science at Caltech and associate director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies; she tweets
Paul Hayne, co-author of study ‘Micro cold traps on the Moon’ and assistant professor of astrophysical and planetary sciences at the University of Colorado-Boulder; he tweets
Third Party Presidential Candidate Interviews: American Independent
In the last of our third party presidential candidate series, we’re sitting down with Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente Guerra, who’s running as the American Independent candidate.
We’ll discuss his background, his platform and his VP, the rapper Kanye Omari West.
Guest:
Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente Guerra, American Independent candidate for president; he tweets
More Sleep, Less Social Media: The Surprising Ways Quarantine Has Affected Teen Mental Health
Virtual school, missed rights-of-passage and family with jeopardized health or finances— for many teenagers, the COVID-19 pandemic has put them through circumstances unlike anything else they’ve experienced.
However, according to a new study, young people are not struggling as much as one would expect. The number of teens that reported feeling lonely or depressed in 2020 was actually lower than it was in 2018. This despite the fact that nearly a third of teens surveyed knew someone diagnosed with COVID-19, and more than a quarter had a parent who had lost a job. Why the relatively rosy results?
For one, teens are getting more sleep than they did before the pandemic without the extra commute time before school every morning. Young people are also reporting more time with family, less time on social media, and more time with stress-relieving technology, like video streaming services. American adults in the spring of 2020, on the other hand, were three times more likely to report depression, distress or anxiety than adults over the past two years (these numbers rose even more after the police killing of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests in the summer).
And not all teenagers evaded depression— among young people worried about whether their families had enough to eat, 33 percent were depressed, as opposed to 14 percent of teens who were not worried about food insecurity.
Today on AirTalk, we’re learning more about mental health and teenagers. We’re joined by Dr. Jean Twenge, lead author of the study “Teens in Quarantine: Mental Health, Screen Time, and Family Connection.” Questions? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of “iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy – and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood” (Simon and Schuster, August 2017); she is lead author of the study “Teens in Quarantine: Mental Health, Screen Time, and Family Connection” ; she tweets @jean_twenge