Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico go into effect
President Donald Trump’s long-threatened tariffs against Canada and Mexico went into effect this morning, putting global markets on edge and setting up costly retaliations by the United States’ North American allies. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she’ll announce the products Mexico will target on Sunday at a public event in Mexico City’s central plaza, perhaps indicating that Mexico still hopes to de-escalate the trade war set off by President Trump. President Trump has said “it’s a myth” that U.S. consumers will be paying for the tariffs through higher prices, but businesses dealing with cross-border trade with Mexico swiftly raised prices Tuesday. Joining us this morning to discuss the latest on tariffs is Josh Boak, White House reporter for the Associated Press, and Ana Swanson, who covers trade and international economics for The New York Times.
With files from the Associated Press
Is it time we abandon the letter grade system in schools?
We’re all familiar with the letter grading system from school. To receive an A in a class represents a mastery of the subject; an F tells the student they still have much to learn — but how much of that is true? Research has shown that the grading system nurtures short-term understanding, can promote surface-level study, and can negatively impact a student's investment and interest in the material. Experts in the field suggest the reward system brought on by the letter grade encourages high-performing students to not take risks, and low-performing students to give up entirely. However, replacing the system is not so easy. As is, the education system in the U.S. is intrinsically tied to its set principles for academic aptitude and information. So, how might we move forward? Joining us to discuss is Jack Schneider, distinguished professor and director of the Center for Education Policy for the University of Massachusetts. We also want to hear from you! Should we abandon the letter grade for another form of assessment? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
Pip pip hooray! Big Bear eagles Jackie and Shadow welcome eaglets
All eyes are on the nest belonging to Big Bear’s famous bald eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, as they’ve now brought two eaglets into their family. This is the latest update for two of Southern California’s most beloved wildlife inhabitants, with the two kids having been ready to hatch Monday evening. There still is a third and now final egg in their nest, which viewers are still patiently waiting for updates on. So today on AirTalk, LAist reporter Makenna Sievertson is joining us to give us the latest news on this local bald eagle family and explain why the couple has gained the love and support of tens of thousands of dedicated nest watchers.
With files from LAist
The L.A. Times’ new AI feature offers alternative perspectives to its opinion pieces
The L.A. Times launched two new features this week aimed at helping readers identify “biased” articles on the publication’s website. The new tools were outlined in a letter to readers from L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong. As explained in the letter, the label “Voices” will now appear at the top of opinion pieces, editorials, and “any content written from a point of view,” including news commentary, criticism and reviews. This content will also now offer an “Insights” tool that uses AI to generate alternative perspectives to the one given by the opinion writer. These features come after the L.A. Times announced back in December it would implement an AI “bias-meter” on its articles. Today on AirTalk, we’ll discuss these new media literacy features and what it they mean for the journalism industry moving forward. We’re joined by Maggie Harrison Dupré, senior staff writer at Futurism, and Christina Bellantoni, professor of professional practice and director of USC Annenberg’s Media Center. We also want to hear from you! Have you had a chance to explore these new features on the L.A. Times’ site? What do you think about them? Do you find them helpful? Do you want to see more of them? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com.
We reached out to L.A. Times owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, but he was not available to join us.
Houses of worship that burned during the LA fires find new homes and meaning in aftermath
Ramadan, which began last Friday evening, is a time for Muslims around the world to fast, honor the revelations of the Qur’an and gather in community. But this year, observing the holy month might bring a particular challenge and bittersweetness to members of the Masjid Al Taqwa. The Altadena mosque was one of many buildings destroyed by the Eaton Fire, which broke out January 7th during a historic wind storm and grew to become one of the deadliest fires in Southern California’s history. Other places of worship burned to the ground too – Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, Altadena Community Church, and the Pasadena Jewish Temple. Today on AirTalk, we’re exploring how people rebuild a spiritual community when their house of worship has burned down. We want to hear from you as well. If you are a member of one of the places of worship that burned down we want to know how it impacted you and how you are finding community in the wake of the fires. Call us at 866-893-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com. Joining us for the conversation is Jihad Abdus-Shakoor, chair of the Crisis and Recovery Committee for Masjid Al Taqwa, and Melissa Levy, executive director of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center.
Read the full LAist story here.
What’s the unique, touching or even silly story behind your name?
Names play an important role in our identities, whether given or chosen since they can hold so much context behind them. Your given name can be a generational torch, passed down from parent to child, or simply a name that your parents thought had a nice ring to it. Surnames can carry so many ethnic or religious meanings that you may not even have learned about until you searched for them in an encyclopedia. So for today’s AirTalk, we thought it’d be worth hearing from listeners, who can share how they got their name. Did your parents give you a detailed explanation for your given name? Whether it’s touching, sentimental or unique – or incredibly silly – share the story with us! Tell us about the story of your name by calling us at 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
