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Podcasts Take Two
Biden's Executive Action Against 'Ghost Guns,' California's Homeless Data System, Apple's Double-Whammy Podcast and Doc 'The Line'
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Apr 8, 2021
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Biden's Executive Action Against 'Ghost Guns,' California's Homeless Data System, Apple's Double-Whammy Podcast and Doc 'The Line'

Biden Takes Executive Action on 'Ghost Guns' and Red Flag Laws, California's New System to Collect Data about the State's Homeless, Apple Launches a Podcast That's Also a Doc Series
A Parkland shooting protest in downtown Los Angeles Monday brought out three friends asking Congress to act on gun control.
A gun control protest in downtown Los Angeles in 2018. Following a spate of mass shootings in 2021, President Biden on Thursday announced a series of executive actions aimed at curbing gun violence, including limits on so-called 'ghost guns.'
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Josie Huang/KPCC
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Biden's Executive Actions on Gun Control Explained

About a week after a mass shooting in Orange left five dead including a nine-year-old boy,  the Biden Administration has unveiled a series of executive action aimed at curbing gun violence in America. The actions the White House intends to take include a limit on so-called ghost guns and a guide to make it easier to block people from buying firearms if there's evidence that they're a danger.

Guest:

  •  Dr. Garen Wintemute, professor of emergency medicine at UC Davis and expert on gun violence as a public health issue.

Questions Arise About Armed Response After Deputy Shoots Autistic Deaf Man

Disability advocates say they're outraged after a 25-year-old deaf man who has autism was shot and wounded by a sheriff's deputy last week. More than 100 advocates joined the family of Isaias Cervantes at a rally in downtown L-A Monday, and Cervantes' family says it's going to file a lawsuit over the shooting, which sent him to the ICU.

Guest:

  • KPCC's Robert Garrova has been following this story. 

LA Public Health Director Cautious About June Reopening

Even as cases climb in parts of the U.S., California is slowly lifting its COVID-19 restrictions. KPCC health reporter Jackie Fortier spoke with LA County Health Director Barbara Ferrer about a range of topics, including getting teenagers vaccinated, and why this is such a critical time in the pandemic. 

More Questions About Vaccines and Variants Answered

After hearing from LA County Health Direct Barbara Ferrer, we had additional questions about the importance of contact tracing and what virus variants are currently presenting in the LA area.

Guest: 

  •  KPCC health report Jackie Fortier

California Unveils New System to Collect Data about the State's Homeless

There were around 160,000 unhoused people living in California, according to 2020 figures, which represents more than half of the nation’s homeless population. On Wednesday, officials unveiled the Homeless Data Integration System to collect information about unhoused people who have accessed outreach services across the state. This is the FIRST attempt to collect this data … And is intended to help policymakers better understand and address the state’ homelessness crisis. 

Guest:

  • Ali Sutton, deputy secretary of homelessness at the state’s Business, Consumer Affairs and Housing Agency.

Apple's Launched a Podcast that's Also a Documentary Series

Apple has announced the launch of a two part non-fiction series — an original podcast AND a documentary series called “The Line.” Plus, the team behind “Serial” has a new show on the way about election fraud.

Guest:

  • Nick Quah, the go-to journalist covering the podcast industry.