New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Announces Resignation
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation Tuesday over a barrage of sexual harassment allegations in a fall from grace a year after he was widely hailed nationally for his detailed daily briefings and leadership during the pandemic’s peak. We discuss Cuomo’s unexpected move, as well as what’s next for his seat with Shannon Young, reporter for POLITICO New York.
With files from the Associated Press.
COVID-19 AMA: Vaccinate Mandate, Vaccination Rates And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Kimberly Shriner, M.D., Director of Infectious Disease and Prevention at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena. Topics today include:
- L.A. City considers vaccination mandate for public spaces
- Are dreams of herd immunity over?
- Poll finds that Americans do trust doctors and nurses
- What about people who don’t have primary care doctors?
- Most vaccinated people have not had breakthrough cases
- Over 30 percent of eligible Americans are not vaccinated
The Latest On The Queen Mary As The City Of Long Beach Takes Full Control Of The Ship
It’s been a couple months since the city of Long Beach took full control over the RMS Queen Mary, after the latest operator - Eagle Hospitality Trust, managed by real estate investment firm Urban Commons - filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. The historic ship was put up for auction, but no one bid. Urban Commons was the latest in a string of operators that failed to make the ship profitable.
This week, the Long Beach Post published the first report in its series "Shipwrecked," examining Urban Commons, its alleged mishandling of investor funds, and the future of the ship. Today on AirTalk, Larry discusses with Long Beach Post reporter Kelly Puente, and John Keisler, director of economic development for the city of Long Beach.
We reached out to Urban Commons for a comment but they were unable to respond to us prior to the segment.
Statement from Pacific Merchant Shipping Association:
“The issue isn’t one of which City Department should oversee the Queen Mary, it is much more fundamental than that. Fifty years of failure require a more important and honest discussion – can it ever succeed? If you can’t or won’t be honest about addressing that issue, all you are doing is re-arranging the deck chairs of [the] sinking ship. The fact that no one from around the world bid on the Queen Mary in Federal Bankruptcy Court, and Urban Commons was the only firm interested in the Queen Mary the last time the lease was available, raises the question of what does the City know that the private sector does not? What is the path to success? At this point, we don’t see it – and the tenants and customers of the Port should not be subsidizing a failed hotel/tourist attraction.
The port is competing with other ports around North America and has to meet various state and local environmental requirements that [are] estimated in the billions of dollars. They also have a rail project that is hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition, they don’t have the expertise to operate a property like the Queen Mary – something that has never lived up to peoples hopes, dreams and promises.”
The Latest On The Dixie Fire And The Outlook On Resources And Challenges For Fighting Fires In The West
The Dixie Fire in Plumas County has been burning for nearly a month. According to the LA Times, the fire is the second-largest in the state’s history and could take up to weeks to contain. It’s now destroyed hundreds of structures.
Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest with the Dixie Fire and the ominous outlook for fighting west coast fires this year and beyond. Joining Larry is Scott Rodd, reporter with Capital Public Radio in Sacramento who has been covering the Dixie Fire; Lynne Tolmachoff, supervising deputy state fire marshal and public information officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE); Carrie Bilbao, public affairs specialist at the National Interagency Fire Center; and Char Miller, professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College.
Do you have thoughts or questions? Call 866-893-5722, message us on Facebook or Twitter or email atcomments@kpcc.org.
Back-To-School: SoCal School Leaders On Transitioning Back To The Classroom, Keeping Kids And Educators Safe And More
After over a year of virtual school and disruptions to classes, students and educators are finally headed back into the classroom.
But with news of the highly contagious Delta variant, which some health experts worry has more adverse effects for young people, some parents are worried about sending their kids back. Balancing adverse mental health and learning loss effects of virtual school against the potential health outcomes of COVID-19 has been a complicated task for officials and schools, one that districts are now hoping they can get ahead of with vaccines and testing.
Joining us to discuss is Jill Baker, superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District, Chris Downing, superintendent of Anaheim Elementary School District, Rachel Monárrez, deputy superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified School District and Peter Richardson, principal of Davis Elementary School in Santa Ana. What are your thoughts? Give us a call at 866-893-5722.