In 2004, Proposition 71 passed with nearly 60 percent approval. We debate whether or not the initial $3 billion bond measure for stem cell science paid off. We also discuss the potential FDA ban on flavored e-cigs; check in on Hurricane Florence; and more.
Check in from the Carolinas as Hurricane Florence moves in
AirTalk checks in with reporters from North Carolina and South Carolina, as the states prepare for Hurricane Florence to make landfall later this week.
The National Hurricane Center and computer models have shifted the forecast track for Hurricane Florence noticeably to the south and west, but it doesn't mean northern North Carolina, Virginia and other mid-Atlantic states are in the clear.
Florence is the most dangerous of three tropical systems in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Isaac was expected to pass south of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba. Hurricane Helene was expected to weaken over the eastern Atlantic. Forecasters also were tracking two other disturbances.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Will Michaels, daily news producer at WUNC, the NPR affiliate in North Carolina; he tweets
Gavin Jackson, public affairs reporter at SCETV, South Carolina’s public television and radio broadcasting network; he tweets
All the changes coming to carpool lanes in 2019
State Legislature and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are trying to ease traffic in carpool lanes.
Nearly 224,000 drivers will soon lose the right to use carpool lanes. Green and white decals will expire by the end of this year.
The change will affect those who received stickers to drive solo in electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids or vehicles that can run on alternative fuels. Come next year, the only qualifying vehicles will be newer models of near-zero emission cars. We discuss what the new rules are and what effect will they have on freeways.
Guests:
Artemio Armenta, spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles
Meghan McCarty Carino, commuting and mobility reporter at KPCC who’s been following changes to Los Angeles’ express lanes
LA Times columnist Meghan Daum on the intellectual dark web and the pursuit of nuance
Most of us experience moments that challenge and shape our ideological beliefs, sometimes in ways that are small and sometimes foundation-shattering.
In her recent piece on Medium “Nuance: A Love Story,” Meghan Daum lays out her ideological evolution and her recent intrigue with the so-called “intellectual dark web.”
She traces her path from child of pro-union liberals to college liberal to democrat who didn’t fully board the identity politics bus and then to social and cultural critic, who sought nuance within a party where she felt it was lacking. Her essay examines the last three years of her life, marked by the rise of Donald Trump, a hyper-partisanship of thought and politics and the crumbling of Daum’s marriage.
This confluence of events leads her to a flirtation with the “intellectual dark web,” where she finds thinkers who she doesn’t always agree with, but who are asking the messy, complex questions that she feel are missing from current discourse, and which also remind her of the rapport she shared with her ex-husband.
We sit down with Daum to discuss her ideological evolution and her reflections on the intellectual dark web.
Guest:
Meghan Daum, book author and contributing columnist for the Los Angeles Times; her recent essay “Nuance: A Love Story” was published on the online publishing platform, Medium; she tweets
FDA considers ban on all flavored e-cigarettes over teen use - a move that could wipe out the entire industry
The Food and Drug Administration has stepped into the flavored e-cigarette debate, saying that teenagers’ use of the products has reached epidemic proportions.
Today, the FDA sent letters to five e-cigarette manufacturers, giving them an ultimatum: 60 days to reply with a plan to curb teen use of flavored e-cigs or their products get pulled from the market.
The FDA says candy flavors are appealing to kids and are leading to a new generation of nicotine addicts. Vaping companies have argued that their flavored products help traditional cigarette smokers quit by providing a transition product that’s less harmful. They also say they market their products only to adults and that they’ve already taken steps to curb teen appeal.
What would be the public health ramifications of banning flavored vaping products?
We reached out to the FDA. They did not get back to us in time for the interview.
Guests:
John Maa, M.D., president of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society; he tweets
Gregory Conley, founder and president of the American Vaping Association, a nonprofit group that advocates for sensible regulation of vapor products
14 years after stem cell research bond measure passed, is California getting a return on investment?
In 2004, Proposition 71 passed with nearly 60 percent approval. The California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative promised stem cell treatments for nearly half of all Californians.
Voters approved a $3 billion bond to fund the science of stem cell therapy. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, was created to manage the funds and find solutions to the world’s cruelest diseases.
Fourteen years later, according to an investigation by the San Francisco Chronicle, the money voters approved is nearly gone. Supporters of CIRM still believe in the effort. They need another $5 billion, arguing if the bond isn’t approved in 2020, it could devastate stem cell research in the Golden State.
So did the initial $3 billion bond measure for stem cell science pay off? We debate.
Guests:
Erin Allday, health reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, who writes about infectious diseases, stem cells, neuroscience and consumer health topics; she co-wrote the investigation piece on stem cell funding for the SF Chronicle; she tweets
Maria Millan, M.D., president and CEO of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the state agency that promotes and funds stem cell research
Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, a Berkeley-based nonprofit that promotes the responsible use of reproductive and genetic technologies
Welcome to Pot City: Cathedral City to build gigantic indoor marijuana grow op
This year, Canadian cannabis company Sunniva Inc. broke ground on a $54 million development project in Cathedral City – a 489,000 square foot, multi-functioning marijuana facility.
The company is constructing two buildings on Ramon Road, where it will grow, process and sell marijuana. Projected tax revenue from the project is $5 million annually, and Sunniva is set to employ more than 100 people once construction is complete.
But getting to this point was not an easy task. Though weed was made legal in California as of January, strict regulations are currently in place on marijuana companies when it comes to development, including licensing caps – only one license is allowed per 22,000 square feet.
With a campus so large, how has Sunniva managed to come together? We discuss.
Guests:
Greg Pettis, mayor pro-tem of Cathedral City
Amy DiPierro, real estate and business reporter at The Desert Sun; she tweets