The Latest In Ukraine Plus Breaking Down The Impact Of Global Sanctions As Historically Neutral Switzerland Joins In
There was a tense calm Monday in Kyiv, but explosions and gunfire were heard in embattled cities in eastern Ukraine as Russia’s invasion continued to meet unexpectedly stiff resistance.
The Russian military assault on Ukraine went into its fifth day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his nuclear forces put on increased alert, ratcheting up tensions yet further. A Ukrainian delegation held talks with Russian officials at the border with Belarus, though prospects of any substantial outcome looked uncertain at best. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Putin. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the European Union to “urgently admit” Ukraine to the bloc, and Western sanctions triggered by the invasion sent the Russian ruble plummeting, leading ordinary Russians to line up at banks and ATMs. Today on AirTalk, we speak with Washington Post correspondent Sudarsan Raghavan about the latest in Ukraine and Gary Hufbauer, a sanctions expert and a senior fellow at the nonprofit think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics.
With files from the Associated Press
Gas Prices Are Soaring, Will The Crisis In Ukraine Make It Worse?
Last week, Russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, shocking the world and upending peace and stability in the country. As the global community watches this crisis unfold, many of us thousands of miles away are wondering how it could impact our lives. Aside from the implications for democracies, a ripple effect has already disrupted global markets, causing stock market turmoil and sending oil prices soaring. For Californians, this may mean paying more at the pump, which might have seemed impossible given the high prices we’re already seeing. The U.S. oil industry is voicing the need for “energy security,” now more than ever, which would mean reversing some of President Biden’s steps to reign in fossil fuel production and allow more off-shore drilling and release federal land permits for drilling. However, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki says calls for the U.S. to boost fossil fuel production in response to the invasion are a “misdiagnosis.”
Today on AirTalk, we talk to Ellen Wald, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center and Shon Hiatt, professor of business at the University of Southern California to discuss the latest in gas prices and how the crisis in Ukraine complicates things.
LAUSD’s New Superintendent Alberto Carvalho On His Vision For Los Angeles Public Schools, The Future Of COVID Protocols, Declining Enrollment, And More
Two weeks ago, Alberto Carvalho officially started his role as the new superintendent of L.A.U.S.D. Carvalho started as a high school physics teacher in Florida after emigrating from Portugal at the age of 17. He became the Superintendent of Miami-Dade Public Schools in 2008 and during his tenure, Miami-Dade saw increases in school quality: no school received an F on the state’s school grading scale in recent years, at least pre-pandemic.Now Carvalho has unveiled his expansive plan for his first 100 days on the job. The plan promises action — or at least the first steps of action — on some two dozen academic and administrative priorities by the end of May. That includes increasing the number and size of early education programs like transitional kindergarten, possible expansions of bus service to students who live more than two miles from school, and lowering of class sizes.
Of course, Carvalho is also inheriting a number of challenges facing the district, including how to handle the evolving pandemic response, and a 20-year decline in student enrollment that has only been exacerbated by COVID-19.
Today on AirTalk, Larry speaks with new LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho about his vision for Los Angeles Public schools, and how to address the district’s current challenges.
With files from LAist.
COVID-19 AMA: L.A. County COVID Hospitalizations Drop, California To Adjust School Mask Rules, And More
In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at the UCSF Medical Center.
Topics today include:
- L.A. County's COVID hospitalizations fall below 1,000 for the first time since December
- Gov. Newsom scales back California’s COVID orders but not the state of emergency
- California to announce new school mask rules today
- New York City to end mandates for school masks and indoor proof of vaccination
- C.D.C. suggests more time between 1st and 2nd COVID vaccine doses for males ages 12 to 39 because of myocarditis
- Two Orange County teens died of COVID-19, underscoring Omicrons’ toll on kids
- What we know about the BA.2 Omicron variant
As Mask Rules And Other COVID Precautions Start To Lift, We Ask Orange County Listeners For Their Thoughts On How The Pandemic’s Been Handled In Their Communities
Los Angeles County health officials on Friday officially lifted the indoor mask requirement for fully vaccinated people in businesses that check vaccination status. California officials lifted the statewide universal indoor masking mandate earlier this month, but L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer says the county needs to meet the “moderate transmission” threshold before we do the same (“moderate transmission” is defined by the C.D.C. as fewer than 730 new COVID cases a day for seven days; Ferrer thinks we could hit that in mid- to late March).
But neighboring Orange County lifted its indoor mask requirements along with the state a couple weeks ago. Enforcement of the state rules has always been hit-or-miss in Orange County, and many cities and the county itself have been loath to implement any requirements stricter than the state mandates, like we’ve seen in L.A. County.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from listeners in Orange County: how do you feel about the pandemic guidelines in your community? Have they been too much or too little? How do you feel about where we’re headed?
Previewing The 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games
The Olympic Games may have concluded in Beijing but the competition is far from over. Paralympic athletes from around the world descend on the Chinese capital this week for the start of the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games. The Games feature five sports: alpine and Nordic skiing, para ice hockey, wheelchair curling and snowboarding. The U.S. is a heavy favorite in para ice hockey and also typically dominates snowboarding.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with freelance journalist Chris Hockman, whose blog Para Sports covers news from the Paralympics and across the world of adaptive sports, about the big storylines going into the games and the athletes from Team U.S.A. and abroad who we should watch for. We’ll also speak with Matthew Brewer, an alpine skier on Team U.S.A who is headed to Beijing this week about his sport, his journey to Team U.S.A., and what he’s expecting out of his first Paralympic trip.