California’s bullet train ambition may be stopped in its tracks
California’s state-spanning bullet train plan hit another snag this week after the Trump administration said it found “no viable path forward” for the project. The Department of Transportation released a 310-page review on Wednesday outlining a number of challenges, including budget shortfalls and missed deadlines, and has moved to pull some $4 billion in federal funding from the project. This isn’t the first bump in the tracks the bullet train has hit — the project’s budget has ballooned, with it now being about $100 billion more than its original estimated $33 billion price tag. It also missed its 2020 planned completion date, and there has been no indication of when it might be finished. California’s High-Speed Rail Authority, which is spearheading the project, disputed the review’s finding and said they are committed to completing the high-speed rail project. But is it possible for the bullet train to reach completion without federal funding, and even with that funding, will it ever actually get built? Here to explain the latest on California’s bullet train dreams is reporter for the Los Angeles Times Colleen Shalby.
Should Los Angeles establish a public bank?
The city of Los Angeles has been flirting with the idea of a public bank for nearly a decade. In 2019, after voters defeated a 2018 measure that would have allowed the city to form its own municipal bank, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 857, allowing local governments to start their own public bank. Still, efforts to establish public banks have moved slowly across the state. Los Angeles came close back in 2023, when the city council voted 12-0 to approve a feasibility study. However, those funds were later diverted. Now, just last week, three Councilmembers introduced a motion that would allocate $15,000 in discretionary funds from their council districts to fund a new study. Opponents of creating a public bank in L.A. say the size and scope of the project is too large for the city to handle and it could take decades to become solvent. Proponents say it would give the city of L.A. financial freedom from Wall Street, strengthen local economies by investing in communities. Joining us to discuss is Eunisses Hernandez, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 1, and Jason Lane, senior vice president and director of government relations for the California Bankers Association.
Why recipe authors don’t own the recipes they create
Last month, Australian food writer Nagi Maehashi accused another food influencer and bakery owner, Brooke Bellamy, of plagiarizing two of her recipes for her cookbook Bake with Brooki. Bellamy denied the plagiarism claim, but said she would remove the recipes from future printings of the book. That’s something of a victory for Maehashi, however it’s unlikely that she’ll get any sort of legal recourse. When you put pen to paper and author almost any type of writing, that writing immediately becomes protected by copyright law. Nearly every country has some form of copyright law that allows the original creator of creative content to stop others from distributing that content without their consent. But the nuances of copyright law create one notable exception: recipes. Yes, trade secrets like Coca-Cola’s recipe or the spices used in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s batter can be and are protected by intellectual property law, but when it comes to the actual recipes employed in the creation of these eats, anyone who cracks the code is allowed to make them. Here to help explain why recipes are the intellectual property outlier that they are is professor in the Business Law department at California State University, Northridge Valerie Flugge.
The life and legacy of Harvey Milk
On Tuesday, just days into Pride Month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk — an extremely rare move that would strip the name of a gay rights activist and Navy veteran from the ship. Harvey Milk was a prominent and contentious figure in San Francisco politics in the 1970s. While a local fixture for many years within the city’s Castro district, he gained national attention through his opposition to the Briggs Initiative which would’ve banned gay people from teaching in California. In 1977, he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay person to be elected in California. However, his political career would be short lived. In November 1978, eleven months into his first term, Supervisor Milk, alongside San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was assassinated by fellow board member Dan White. Today on AirTalk, we’re talking about the life and legacy of Harvey Milk. Joining us to discuss is Christina Cauterucci, senior writer and host of the Outward podcast at Slate. We also want to hear from you! What are your thoughts on the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
As the streaming wars evolve, how has it been impacting TV release schedules?
The streaming wars are changing. The recent news of Disney laying off some of its workforce is just one of the more recent examples of media companies tightening their belts, after investments in these companies couldn’t match the recent strides Netflix has made. With these unrealistic expectations out of the way, many streamers are starting to rearrange their focus, with the streaming pluses (Apple TV+, Disney+, Paramount+), Amazon Prime Video, and HBO Max now looking to focus less on quantity and more on quality. Also, without having Netflix’s user base to release entire seasons on one day, many other streamers are opting to release episodes of their top programs on a weekly basis. Is the trend one that users are driving, or are streamers doing weekly releases to grow public interest in their most positively received programs? Joining us to help break this down is Kevin Westcott, vice chairman and head of global telecommunications, media, and entertainment practice at Deloitte.
TV Talk: ‘The Mortician,’ ‘Stick,’ and more
Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Dominic Patten, executive editor at Deadline Hollywood.
TV Shows:
● The Mortician (HBO)
● Stick (Apple TV+)
● NBA Finals (ABC)
