Detailing The Latest On Wildfires Burning In SoCal
Firefighters are battling two fast-moving wildfires in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties that started Saturday and grew overnight, as gusty winds and hot, dry weather conditions this weekend launch the Southland into wildfire season.
Meanwhile, a small brush fire burned for a brief period of time in the Hollywood Hills near HWY 101 at Pilgrimage Bridge on Sunday before it was knocked down by firefighters. No structure was threatened.
The Post Fire in Gorman has grown to over 14,600 acres in size, including about 2,000 acres in Ventura County, as of Sunday night. The Hesperia Fire in San Bernardino County has grown to over 1,100 acres in size. The fire is now 30% contained as of early this morning. Today on AirTalk, we detail the latest and explain what this could mean for the fire season. Joining to discuss is Issac Sanchez, deputy chief of communications for Cal Fire, and Jacob Margolis, LAist science reporter and host of the podcast The Big Burn: How To Survive In The Age of Wildfires.
With files from LAist. Read the full story here
Is COVID Causing Rare Forms Of Cancers To Flare Up? Some Scientists Suspect Yes.
Could coronavirus be causing rare forms of cancer to flare up? This is a question that oncologists and virologists are asking as an uptick in “unusual” forms of cancer are raising alarm. COVID attacks the immune system which could lead dormant cancer cells to stir up. While there is no definitive evidence linking COVID to cancer, there are new studies that suggest symptoms of COVID could exacerbate cancerous cell growth. Joining us today on AirTalk is Afshin Beheshti, president of the COVID-19 International Research Team and visiting researcher at MIT and Harvard and Kashyap Patel, oncologist and CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates.
Beyond WeHo–Some Of LA's Lesser Known Historical Gay Neighborhoods
When you think of L.A.'s gay neighborhoods, one name probably comes to mind: WeHo. But Los Angeles' LGBTQ+ history spans much farther than just West Hollywood. Neighborhoods across the city, and county, are home to historical landmarks that played a major role in the acquisition of LGBTQ+ rights, visibility, and community. With some of these landmarks still around today. From Downtown L.A. to Long Beach to Palm Springs, it is impossible to talk about the history of L.A. and Southern California, without speaking about the gay communities that call it home.
Joining us on AirTalk to talk about the historical gay neighborhoods across Los Angeles are Caitlin Hernandez, LAist's Queer L.A. reporter, and Joseph Hawkins, Director of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California.
What Will California’s Budget Look Like Before The New Fiscal Year?
Some of the biggest issues splitting the difference between what Governor Gavin Newsom wants and what the California legislature desires are a good representation of the convictions of many Californians. A final budget will need to be decided by July 1st, but to do that first they’ll have to iron out problems like spending on California assistance programs, prison funding, health care worker wage increases, timing on tax plans for businesses, a nuclear power plant loan assistance program, and much more. Around every corner it looks like too much to do and not enough money to spend. Still, President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire says there’ll likely be a final budget by the end of this week.
Today on AirTalk, we take a look at what’s going on with the California budget as we head into a new fiscal year, and why the negotiations have been so shielded from public eyes. Here to talk about the California budget is Lindsey Holden, reporter covering the California legislature for The Sacramento Bee. Have questions about what’s going on with the budget? Give us a call at (866)893-5722 or e-mail atcomments@laist.com.
The Difficulty Of Battling COVID Vaccine Misinformation And Supporting Rare Health Impacts
A ScienceDirect study, published back in April, offered insights into rare adverse health impacts that followed COVID-19 vaccination, with examples being myocarditis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Vaccinations have of course curbed so much of what we saw during the pandemic, despite the misinformation that was disseminated at the time, yet the aforementioned obstacle has made it difficult for these rare cases to be taken as seriously by the general public. So how difficult has it been for the medical community to combat COVID-19 vaccine misinformation while also supporting those few who’ve had complications following the vaccine? Today on AirTalk, we get into the topic with Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for the New York Times, and Matt Durstenfeld, MD, cardiologist and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at UCSF.
How Much Is Your Life Driven By Chance? A New Book Weights In
As much as we’d like to believe that our success is driven by our talent and hard work, chances are that there’s also an element of well…chance! In his new book, author Mark Robert Rank explores “randomness” and how crucial a role it plays in both the micro and macro, our personal lives and global events. Joining us today on AirTalk is author and professor Mark Robert Rank on his new book The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us.
