President Trump wants to do away with mail-in ballots – can he?
President Donald Trump on Monday vowed more changes to the way elections are conducted in the U.S., but based on the Constitution, there is little to nothing he can do on his own. Relying on false information and conspiracy theories that he’s regularly used to explain away his 2020 election loss, Trump pledged on his social media site that he would do away with both mail voting — which remains popular and is used by about one-third of all voters — and voting machines — some form of which are used in almost all of the country’s thousands of election jurisdictions. So are there ways the Trump Administration could limit access to mail-in ballots? Today on AirTalk, we’ll get you up to speed with Nick Corasaniti, reporter for the New York Times covering national politics, and Rick Hasen, Professor of Law and Political Science and Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA.
With files from the Associated Press
LA 2028 Olympics Check In: how’s the city managing its event finances, questions around athlete visas?
Following the Los Angeles City Council’s approval of a $30 minimum wage hike for hotel and airport workers ahead of the Olympics, due in part to lobbying from unions, other special interest groups have responded with their own policy proposals. Delta and United Airlines, among other impacted businesses, have sought a referendum vote on the wage hike. Separately, a ballot proposition has been filed that could repeal the city’s business tax, further complicating finances ahead of the 2028 games. The next summer Olympics will also be the first-ever games to have venue naming rights, offering a new revenue stream for the games. Joining us to get into the finance and planning questions surrounding the games is Michael Payne, a former International Olympic Committee executive, and Thuc Nhi Nguyen, staff writer at the LA Times, where she covers sports.
Yeah yeah AI, but what’s going on with robots these days?
Essentially, every week it seems that there’s something to talk about when it comes to A.I. But while we’ve been distracted by A.I.’s ability to give us recipes and therapy advice, the field of robotics has also been on a tear. Advancements in A.I., cheaper build costs, and better training systems have allowed companies to start seriously racing to bring “humanoid” robots to market. These humanoids, designed to look somewhat similar to a person, could have the potential to drastically affect the labor market, and the world with Morgan Stanley predicting that we’ll be walking besides upwards of one billion of these bots by 2050. But is that actually likely, are these humanoids safe, and when will we actually see these humanoids roll out? Joining the program today to answer these questions and more is Alan Fern, professor of computer science, artificial intelligence, and robotics at Oregon State University.
LA County is trying to fight sand erosion at beaches – here’s the plan
On Monday, L.A. County's Department of Beaches and Harbors took another step toward making popular beaches like Zuma, Redondo and Dockweiler more resilient against sea level rise. A $5 million grant allows officials to move forward with large-scale projects, including building the beaches up with lots of sand. As many as 67% of Southern California’s beaches could disappear by the end of the century due to rising sea levels. Zuma is shrinking at a rate of about 3.6 feet per year, Dockweiler 4.6 feet and Redondo 2.8 feet. Disappearing coastlines jeopardize infrastructure and recreational opportunities. The county plans to add sand to the beaches (as has been done since the 1930s). Coastal resilience projects could also include installing barriers and planting vegetation on dunes to keep sand from blowing away, while also restoring dune systems and wetlands, both of which can buffer against waves. Today on AirTalk, we discuss what the proposals are for revitalizing L.A.’s beaches with Jacob Margolis, science reporter at LAist, and Warren Ontiveros, L.A. County Beaches and Harbors Deputy Director.
With files from LAist
I like my lawns natural… advice for making your yard more drought-friendly
There are an estimated 40 million acres of lawn in the United States. That’s a lot of lawn. And while grassy yards have their benefits, they also require a fair amount of maintenance. Years of dwindling water supply here in California have made lawns and their care a hot topic, with many homeowners looking for ways to conserve more responsibly. Today on AirTalk, we’re exploring the alternatives to conventional lawns and the best methods for achieving them with Jessica Woodard, product manager at Calscape, a platform connecting gardeners with native plants for their garden from the California Native Plant Society. We also want to hear from you! Have you turned a lawn into native landscaping? What method did you choose and how did it work out? Or if you have questions for our guest, email us at atcomments@laist.com. You can also call us at 866-893-5722.
One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, Zzzz… what do you do when you can’t fall asleep?
What do you do when you can’t fall asleep? Or can’t fall back to sleep after waking up? Do you get up and pace around the house? Grab a snack from the fridge? Or lay still and focus on your breath? According to Johns Hopkins University, one in five Americans has trouble falling back to sleep. And let’s be honest, many of us are rolling over and looking at our phones even though sleep experts agree that’s the last thing we should be doing. Today on AirTalk we want to hear from you. How do you coax yourself back to sleep? What are your tried and true methods? Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
