Triple Play: The Dodgers fall behind in Game 5 of the World Series
The Los Angeles Dodgers shuffled their slumping lineup for Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night, and the changes did absolutely nothing to prevent another dismal offensive performance by a star-studded lineup running out of chances to recapture its October form. The Dodgers managed just four hits against Toronto rookie Trey Yesavage and his bullpen during the Blue Jays’ 6-1 victory. The team now heads into Game 6 on Friday behind the Blue Jays’ 3-2 game wins. Joining us this morning to discuss the big game is Nick Roman, host of Roman on the Radio and former host of All Things Considered on LAist, and A Martinez, host of NPR’s Morning Edition.
The number of priests is declining. What does that mean for the Catholic Church?
The global Catholic Church is facing a growing priest shortage, with seminary enrollments plunging across Europe, Latin America and Asia—while only parts of Africa show modest growth. Since 1970 the number of Catholics worldwide has roughly doubled, but the number of priests has declined, leaving many parishes without a resident pastor. The decline is driven by factors such as rising secularism, shifting career aspirations among young men, and reluctance toward lifelong celibate commitments. In response, the Church is increasingly reliant on priests from the global South—sending missionaries from places like Indonesia to revitalise parishes in Europe and the U.S.—even as vocations begin to decline in those once‐strong sending regions too. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss is Joshua McElwee, Vatican correspondent for the Reuters and Ryan Burge, professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University, St. Louis.
Government shutdown puts SNAP recipients at risk
As the government’s shutdown nears its 30-day mark, the Trump administration has announced that it will not use the USDA’s roughly $5 billion contingency fund to continue the flow of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) aid to the nation through November. Here in California, SNAP benefits — known as CalFresh — directly fund over 5 million Californians, who stand to lose critical access to food assistance. Governor Gavin Newsom is fast-tracking $80 million in state funds to help support food banks and has deployed the California National Guard to assist. In SoCal, over 1.5 million residents are at risk of losing their CalFresh benefits this Saturday. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss the local implications is Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County Supervisor, 2nd district of LA County, and Catherine Schneider, Chief of Community Engagement at the Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles.
Checking in on Southern California rehab centers
A recent Wall Street Journal piece, from earlier this month, dug into some of the alleged predatory practices that have gotten rehab centers, including some in Southern California, into legal trouble. The reporting follows a similar series of stories by the Southern California News Group. The news raises questions of how local rehabs are managing, not only in their broad range of treatment options, but also in their outcomes. Today on AirTalk, we'll dig into how the industry is faring and the reported misuse of resources by some rehab centers in the area. Joining us for this conversation is Teri Sforza, accountability columnist for the OC Register, and Larissa Mooney, M.D., professor of clinical psychiatry at UCLA and the director of its Addiction Psychiatry Clinic.
TV Talk: ‘All’s Fair,’ ‘Down Cemetery Road,’ ‘I Love LA,’ and so much 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 Kathryn VanArendonk, television critic for Vulture and Danette Chavez, editor in chief of The A.V. Club.
