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AirTalk

with Larry Mantle

Larry Mantle hosts lively and in-depth discussions of city news, politics, science, the arts, entertainment, and more. Airs weekdays 9-11am on 89.3 FM and streaming online at LAist.com and the LAist app. Austin Cross hosts AirTalk Fridays — watch the Friday show live on Instagram (@laistofficial).

To comment, contact 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.

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Recent Episodes
  • A heat map of Southern California showing the rainfall forecast by the National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard. The blue-colored header at the top of the image says "Storm Total Rainfall." The subtitle below it says "Tuesday-Saturday (Dec. 23-27, 2025). The map is colored by expected rainfall. A vertical legend to the left of the map shows a gradient of yellow to orange to purple, with purple indicating the highest amount of rain. Several cities are tagged in the map.
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    Today on AirTalk: Holiday storm? SoCal restaurant industry check-in; When did you first start feeling “old?” LAist year in review; TV Talk.
    What to expect from this holiday’s storm
    Today on AirTalk: Holiday storm? SoCal restaurant industry check-in; When did you first start feeling “old?” LAist year in review; TV Talk.
  • dozens of young people gather in the middle of the street, many holding their phones up and recording video on their phones; there is smoke rising up in the air nearby, which glows green and red in the streetlights
    Listen 1:39:00
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    Today on AirTalk: New LAist/USC study on street takeovers; What words do you have trouble spelling? The Palisades fire report weakened; Robby Hoffman; and Is VistaVision back?
    New USC Annenberg investigation maps the toll of LA street takeovers
    Today on AirTalk: New LAist/USC study on street takeovers; What words do you have trouble spelling? The Palisades fire report weakened; Robby Hoffman; and Is VistaVision back?

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  • LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 14: Protesters gather on Hollywood Boulevard during the All Black Lives Matter solidarity march, replacing the annual gay pride celebration, as protests continue in the wake of George Floyd’s death on June 14, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Organizers intend to ‘amplify Black Queer voices and come together in solidarity’ with the march. George Floyd died on May 25th when he was in Minneapolis police custody, sparking nationwide protests. A white police officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder, with the three other officers involved facing other charges. (Photo by Mario Tama/Mario Tama/Getty Images)
    Listen 1:43:41
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    Today on AirTalk, we discuss LA Pride's announcement that the event will move out of West Hollywood after four decades. Also on the show, we learn more about America's coin shortage; discuss SoCal's COVID-19 surge; and more.
    LA Pride To Leave West Hollywood For Destination Yet Known
    Today on AirTalk, we discuss LA Pride's announcement that the event will move out of West Hollywood after four decades. Also on the show, we learn more about America's coin shortage; discuss SoCal's COVID-19 surge; and more.
  • A protester speaks with a police officer in 'Black Lives Matter' plaza near the White House in Washington, DC on June 24, 2020. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
    Listen 1:47:46
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    Today on AirTalk, we speak with Black law enforcement about their reflections on the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality protests. Also on the show, we learn more about spiking cases of COVID-19 in SoCal; check in on the Rose Parade; and more.
    Local Black Law Enforcement Officers Reflect On National Conversations About Race And The Future Of Policing
    Today on AirTalk, we speak with Black law enforcement about their reflections on the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality protests. Also on the show, we learn more about spiking cases of COVID-19 in SoCal; check in on the Rose Parade; and more.
  • People wait in line to enter Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California on July 9, 2020, the first day the outdoor shopping and dining complex has been open to the public since it closed in mid-March amid the COVID-19 pandemic. - Disney's California theme park reopening may have been thwarted by coronavirus, but hundreds lined up early July 9, 2020 to buy Mickey Mouse merchandise from an adjacent shopping plaza. Downtown Disney District -- which borders the world-famous Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks near Los Angeles -- is the first part of the sprawling resort to reopen. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
    Listen 1:43:33
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    Today on AirTalk, we discuss the new stay-at-home orders issued by the state as cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in California. Also on the show, we talk with Janet Napolitano on her tenure as UC president; discuss concerns of racial discrimination during the jury selection process; and more.
    Gov Newsom Orders Statewide Reclosures As Cases Continue To Surge. Will People Adhere?
    Today on AirTalk, we discuss the new stay-at-home orders issued by the state as cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in California. Also on the show, we talk with Janet Napolitano on her tenure as UC president; discuss concerns of racial discrimination during the jury selection process; and more.
  • Ernesto Salas, chief of a group of Kizh Nation Indians leads a ceremony honouring their ancestors beside the statue of Father Junipero Serra which stands in front of the San Gabriel Mission in San Gabriel, California on September 23, 2015 moments after visiting Pope Francis made the controversial Spanish Missionary a Saint while celebrating the first canonization on U.S. soil during a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC. Some fifty different tribes in California have condemned the sainthood conferred on Serra, according to Deborah Miranda, author of "Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir," a book about her ancestors' experiences in the Spanish missions and member of the Ohlone Costanoan Esselen Nation of California. AFP PHOTO / FREDERIC J. BROWN (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
    Listen 1:43:41
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    Today on AirTalk, we discuss the San Gabriel Mission fire and the building's historical significance. Also on the show, we take a look at film production in LA; our weekly political roundtable discusses the latest headlines; and more.
    A Look At San Gabriel Mission’s Historical Significance Following Weekend Fire
    Today on AirTalk, we discuss the San Gabriel Mission fire and the building's historical significance. Also on the show, we take a look at film production in LA; our weekly political roundtable discusses the latest headlines; and more.
  • FILE: The Los Angeles Unified School District is organizing a series of forums to gather public comment on the selection of its next superintendent.
    Listen 1:43:08
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    Today on AirTalk, we discuss UTLA's call for schools to remain closed in the fall. Also on the show, we learn more about California's spiking coronavirus deaths; our FilmWeek critics review the weekend's releases; and more.
    Amid Rising Coronavirus Cases, UTLA Calls For Schools To Remain Closed In The Fall
    Today on AirTalk, we discuss UTLA's call for schools to remain closed in the fall. Also on the show, we learn more about California's spiking coronavirus deaths; our FilmWeek critics review the weekend's releases; and more.
  • A woman walks across a Los Angeles Unified School District school bus parking lot in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 2019. - A judge has rejected the school district's claim it was not given enough notice of a teacher's strike, allowing the teacher's union to potentially walkout on January 14, 2019 for the first strike in 30 years in the country's second largest school district. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
    Listen 1:43:36
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    Today on AirTalk, we hear from district superintendents about what school in the fall might look like. Also on the show, we learn more about a new LAist Studios podcast; explore the origins of the meme "Karen"; and more.
    Santa Ana School Superintendent On Reopening Amid The Pandemic
    Today on AirTalk, we hear from district superintendents about what school in the fall might look like. Also on the show, we learn more about a new LAist Studios podcast; explore the origins of the meme "Karen"; and more.
  • Health care workers hold a swab used for COVID-19 testing at the ProHEALTH testing site in Jericho, N.Y., Tuesday March 24, 2020.
    Listen 1:43:41
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    Today on AirTalk, we hear about how frontline healthcare workers are doing as hospitalizations rise in California. Also on the show, we learn more about a controversial letter in Harper's magazine; hear the latest on two Supreme Court decisions; and more.
    COVID-19: How Are Healthcare Workers Holding Up?
    Today on AirTalk, we hear about how frontline healthcare workers are doing as hospitalizations rise in California. Also on the show, we learn more about a controversial letter in Harper's magazine; hear the latest on two Supreme Court decisions; and more.
  • A researcher at Peking University's Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics conducting tests at their laboratory, Thursday, May 14, 2020.
    Listen 1:43:47
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    Today on AirTalk, we take a look at the ongoing debate over how COVID-19 is transmitted. Also on the show, we discuss the young adults now living with parents and grandparents; check in with our political roundtable; and more.
    COVID AMA: Is Covid-19 Airborne?
    Today on AirTalk, we take a look at the ongoing debate over how COVID-19 is transmitted. Also on the show, we discuss the young adults now living with parents and grandparents; check in with our political roundtable; and more.
  • People carry their pints of beer past tables for outdoor dining in Los Angeles, California on July 1, 2020, after indoor restaurants, bars and movie theaters across much of California were ordered to close for at least three weeks. - Some Californian restaurants shut their doors Wednesday as new measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic threaten to scupper US Independence Day plans, with beaches closed, fireworks displays scrapped and family reunions put on hold. Indoor restaurants, bars and movie theaters across much of California were ordered to close for at least three weeks, in a major reversal of the state's reopening process. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
    Listen 1:43:49
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    Today on AirTalk, we check-in with an epidemiologist ahead of the July 4th weekend. Also on the show, we discuss the history of the Confederate flag; learn about Facebook's ban of an extremist anti-government network; and more.
    COVID-19 AMA: Business Closures Announced Again For 19 CA Counties As Case Numbers Continue To Rise
    Today on AirTalk, we check-in with an epidemiologist ahead of the July 4th weekend. Also on the show, we discuss the history of the Confederate flag; learn about Facebook's ban of an extremist anti-government network; and more.
  • An unemployed upholsterer, Israel Yaxon 28 years-old, who has lived for one year on the street, walks outside his tent over the bridge of the 110 Freeway, during the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic in Los Angeles California on May 25, 2020. - On May 22, 2020 a federal judge issued a preliminary order requiring that homeless people living under Los Angeles freeway overpasses and underpasses, be relocated for health and safety reasons. (Photo by Apu GOMES / AFP) (Photo by APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images)
    Listen 1:43:27
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    Today on AirTalk, we check in on homelessness and mental health amidst the pandemic. Also on the show, we take your COVID-19 questions in our daily medical briefing; look at how the pandemic is limiting choice for American consumers; and more.
    The Other Parts Of ‘Community Policing’: Checking In On Homelessness And Mental Health In LA County
    Today on AirTalk, we check in on homelessness and mental health amidst the pandemic. Also on the show, we take your COVID-19 questions in our daily medical briefing; look at how the pandemic is limiting choice for American consumers; and more.
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Credits & Support

Larry Mantle, Host
Austin Cross, Host
Lindsey Wright, Senior Producer
Lucy Copp, Producer
Nicolas Perez, Producer
Manny Valladares, Associate Producer
Payton Seda, Associate Producer
Faheem Khan, Associate Producer
Courtney Eileen Fulcher, Apprentice News Clerk