The US Supreme Court Has Overturned Affirmative Action Practices In College Enrollment. What Does It Mean For Prospective Students?

The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies. The court’s conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively. The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case.The Supreme Court had twice upheld race-conscious college admissions programs in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016. The schools said that they use race in a limited way, but that eliminating it as a factor altogether would make it much harder to achieve a student body that looks like America.

A poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed 63% of U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions. Every U.S. college and university the justices attended, save one, urged the court to preserve race-conscious admissions. Here to discuss the ruling from the Supreme Court are Christine Chambers Goodman, professor of law at Pepperdine University and Richard H. Sander, economist and UCLA professor of law.

With files from the Associated Press

Mojave Desert Solar Farms Are Growing, With Some Intended To Power California. But It May Come At The Cost Of Local Plants And Animals

As the realities of climate change become more apparent, the need to switch to renewable energy becomes more urgent. Large solar farms are seen by many as part of the solution, as the impact of rooftop solar alone will not be enough to cover America’s energy needs. Where better to place these solar farms than in the vast, sunny desert? But deserts are deceptive. What might look like an empty, lifeless expanse to a city slicker is actually a rich ecosystem filled with fauna like desert tortoises and rare species of toads, as well as obscure plants, like Tiehm’s buckwheat. Solar farms disrupt this delicate balance, argue those opposed to such developments. Is the preservation of an ecosystem more important than the shift to renewable power? Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with Los Angeles Times Energy Reporter Sammy Roth about his piece “Solar sprawl is tearing up the Mojave Desert. Is there a better way?” which catalogs the conflict between preservationists and solar developers.

Sports Are Now Dominated By Analytics That Are Changing The Game For Players, Coaches, Scouts And Teams

Thanks to the rise of analytics, these days every sport is moneyball. What was once seen as a small part, if at all, of a sports organizations’ success or failure has turned into a full-time focus with entire departments full of dozens of analysts employed by these teams. These experts dig deep into player and team statistics, and use that information to help players, coaches, and executives make everything from basic decisions like whether to sign a player to a contract to much more complex ones like what part of the baseball field a particular batter typically hits the ball to when it’s hotter than 75 degrees and the wind is blowing in from the outfield. Gone are the days of relying on surface-level box score statistics like batting average or points scored to determine a player’s value to their team -- today, teams are scouring stat sheets for things like a players’ wins above replacement (WAR), which provides a specific measurement of how valuable a player is in relation to the next player up at their to replace them, and player impact estimates (PIE), which quantify the percentage of plays an individual player contributed to during a game. And while the 2002 Oakland Athletics may have been the first to do it successfully (or at least the first to have a movie made about it), there are also more recent examples of teams like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors or the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays who have fully embraced analytics in recent years, and reaped the rewards.

Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with author Bruce Schoenfeld about his new book “Game of Edges: The Analytics Revolution and the Future of Professional Sports”and what the future of sports looks like when analytics rule.

Los Angeles Has Seen A 10% Increase In People Experiencing Homelessness Since Last Year

75,518 people in Los Angeles County experience homelessness. In the city of Los Angeles, that number is 46,260, a 10% increase over last year. These numbers come from the 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) over three days, from January 24-26, 2023. The report is a “snapshot of homelessness at the regional level,” and it collected data on a number of factors, including race, age, gender, sheltered or unsheltered status, and whether people live in tents or vehicles. The count also looked at whether unhoused people self-reported experiencing substance use disorder (30%) or severe mental illness (25%). It should be noted this data was collected very shortly after the launch of Mayor Bass’s Inside Safe program, so they do not take into account that program’s effect. But the increases from 2022 are notable, and the report concludes that “Los Angeles needs a coordinated path forward.” Joining us to break down the numbers are Nick Gerda, LAist senior reporter, unhoused communities and Randall Kuhn, professor at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. Lead demographer of the count for the USC team.

TV-Talk: 5 Shows To Check Out Including ‘The Righteous Gemstone’ Season 3, ‘Hijack’ & 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’re going to 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, Larry talks television with Roxana Hadadi, TV critic for Vulture, and Kristen Baldwin, TV critic for Entertainment Weekly.

This week’s shows include:

• The Righteous Gemstones [Season 3] (HBO & Max)
• Average Joe (BET+)
• Hijack (Apple TV+)
• Claim to Fame [Season 2] (ABC & Hulu)
• The Idol (HBO & Max)