The call to ban mask wearing during public demonstrations
Sunday’s protest outside the Adas Torah synagogue in Los Angeles broke out into violence. This came off a wave of pro-Palestinian protests across the country, many of which have taken place on California’s university campuses. In the wake of Sunday’s demonstration, Mayor Karen Bass raised the question of whether there should be restrictions on protesters wearing masks. Mask wearing at protests became commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic as a means to protect demonstrators from the spreading of the virus. However, people are now concerned that masks worn in recent demonstrations are a means of shielding protesters' identities, and government officials, most recently in North Carolina, have called for their ban.
Today on AirTalk we speak to Rory Little, professor of law at UC San Francisco.
Should extreme heat be considered a natural disaster? A new petition says yes.
Extreme heat is the number one killer over any other weather disaster in the United States. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, doesn’t recognize extreme heat and smoke as natural disasters. A new petition signed by over 30 environmental organizations last week is trying to change that by asking FEMA to include excessive heat and wildsmoke in its regulations. Historically, FEMA has been called in during tornadoes, hurricanes and the kinds of major disasters that are clear and defined. But has climate-fueled catastrophes increase and become more insidious in the harm they cause, many are asking FEMA to take more action in long-term mitigation efforts. Joining us to discuss this topic is Hayley Smith, environment reporter for the LA Times and Jean Su, Senior Attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Jazz geniuses shine in ‘3 Shades of Blue’
Kind of Blue, the legendary Miles Davis album that, among others, features John Coltrane and Bill Evans “both epitomizes and transcends the genre,” according to author James Kaplan in his book, 3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool. That 1959 masterpiece is the center around which Kaplan traces the lives of those three jazz titans, “born when jazz was already thirty or forty years old” but who helped redefine the genre from dance to art music. Today on AirTalk, Kaplan joins Larry to discuss the book, and these crucial figures who managed to achieve “jazz immortality.”
Are California's dams in jeopardy? We look into the state of California's aging damming system
With California facing a budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed cutting 50 million dollars in funding for the state's dams as part of his solution. California has over 1,500 dams across the state, all owned by different cities, counties, and water districts. And many are aging and in need of repairs. Forty-two dams are restricted in how much water they can hold due to safety concerns regarding their infrastructure. This has caused a loss of around 330,000 acre-feet of storage capacity, a major hindrance to California's water resources. Dam safety measures are important in staying off major floods. Like in the case of the Oroville Dam, in which over 180,000 residents fled their homes because damage to the dam threatened a flood of about 30 feet deep of water. So, what can be done to ensure our damming system's longevity? And can we continue using our dams to their full capacity without compromising safety?
Today on AirTalk, we talk about the state of California's dams with Jeffrey Mount, senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute, and Jay Lund, professor of civil engineering at UC Davis.
Division Manager of California’s Division of Safety of Dams, Sharon Tapia’s, statement on the state of California’s dams:
“California’s dams, like water infrastructure across the nation, are aging. As one of the most robust dam safety programs in the nation, California’s Division of Safety of Dams regularly inspects and directs repairs on over 1,200 non-federally owned dams across the state.”
AI's Impact On Hiring And Concerns About 'Algorithmic Discrimination'
More companies are turning to artificial intelligence as a tool for hiring and assessing job applications. Nifty, sure. We'd all love to see a more streamlined hiring process, but some worry about the repercussions, including "algorithmic discrimination." The state of California is considering regulations to safeguard against employment discrimination. Today on AirTalk, we talk about the legal considerations and concerns when it comes to AI and hiring and what both employers and job applicants should know. Do you have a question? Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com. Joining to discuss is Melanie Ronen, an employment lawyer and partner at Stradley Ronon, where she advises employers on all aspects of employment law.
Space debris around Earth’s atmosphere is growing, so what’s being done to improve our spatial awareness?
Somehow… we’re running out of space around the Earth; decades-old satellites around our planet’s lower orbit our taking up room that’s becoming a growing concern as more space operations are being approved. Over time, many defunct space projects have led to technology just floating around, occupying the limited capacity our orbit has and increasing the chance of collisions that will only lead to more “space junk.” Today on AirTalk, we’ll offer a primer on what space junk is and how it’s being addressed with space journalist Leonard David, and Moriba Jah, associate professor of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin.
