FBI announces charges tied to NBA gambling scandal, here’s what to know
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people who have been charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia, authorities said on Thursday. The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators including a Florida resident who was an NBA player and an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, as well as a relative of Rozier. Joining us to discuss this breaking news is Adam Candee, US bureau chief for iGaming Business, a trade publication covering the global gaming industry.
New research finds a clearer picture of the obesity rate among US adults
New research published in JAMA Network Open paints a much different picture about the obesity rate in the United States, finding that almost 70% of U.S. adults were considered obese under a proposed new definition. The new definition is meant to serve as an alternative to body mass index (BMI), which is the currently accepted system of determining obesity that many criticize due to it not distinguishing between excess weight caused by fat and muscle. Helping us to make sense of the findings and help us better understand the post-BMI determinations of obesity is Scott Kahan M.D., director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness and faculty at Johns Hopkins’ school of public health, and Lindsay T. Fourman M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and first author of the study.
New study finds high levels of lead in popular protein powders and shakes
Last week, Consumer Reports released a new investigative study that found troubling levels of toxic heavy metals in a variety of popular protein powders and shakes. According to the report, more than two-thirds of the twenty-three products analyzed contained more lead in a single serving than experts say is safe to consume in a day. Additionally, the study found measurable levels of cadmium and inorganic arsenic in a handful of products that go over what experts say is safe to consume on a daily basis. Joining us on AirTalk to discuss is Paris Martineau, investigative reporter for Consumer Reports.
It’s been 10 years since the Aliso Canyon gas leak
Ten years ago today, what became the largest known gas leak in U.S. history was discovered in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains above the San Fernando Valley. The source — one of the 114 underground wells at Southern California Gas Co.’s Aliso Canyon storage facility, the largest in the state. The leak lasted nearly four months. Natural gas is primarily composed of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that heats up the planet far more quickly than carbon dioxide. The leak released a quarter of the entire state’s methane emissions in 2015, equivalent to a year of pollution from half a million cars. Today on AirTalk, we look at what’s changed in the years since the leak with LAist climate and environment reporter Erin Stone.
TV Talk: ‘Nobody Wants This,’ ‘IT: Welcome to Derry,’ 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 Melanie McFarland, tv critic for Salon.
TV Shows:
- Nobody Wants This [Season 2] (Netflix)
- IT: Welcome to Derry [Season 1] (HBO Max)
- Anne Rice's Talamasca: The Secret Order (AMC)
- The Rise of RFK Jr. (Frontline)
