The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week adopted a preliminary $43 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. L.A. county has the largest county budget in the United States, exceeding that of many states. The proposed 2023-24 plan offers $692 million toward homeless services and $288 toward “alternatives to incarceration.” Another large portion – $1.6 billion to $3 billion – will be allocated toward resolving an estimated 3,000 sexual assault claims at county facilities. And, $1.059 billion is recommended for the county’s probation system, which is expected to undergo an “overhaul.” Budget hearings start in May, with a tentative adoption date planned for October.
Today on AirTalk, we break down the budget with LA Times reporter covering the Los Angeles government Rebecca Ellis, L.A. County supervisor representing the 5th district Kathryn Barger, and L.A. County Chief Executive Officer Fesia Davenport.
Fox News said Monday it has “agreed to part ways” with Tucker Carlson, its popular and controversial host, less than a week after settling a lawsuit over the network’s 2020 election reporting. The network said in a press release that the last program of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” aired Friday. Carlson became Fox’s most popular personality after replacing Bill O’Reilly in Fox’s prime-time lineup in 2016. He’s also consistently drawn headline for controversial coverage, including most recently airing tapes from the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection to minimize the impact of the deadly attack. There was no immediate explanation from Fox about why Carlson was leaving. “Fox News Tonight” will air in Carlson’s 8 p.m. ET prime-time slot, hosted by a rotating array of network personalities, for the time being. Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with NPR Media Correspondent, David Folkenflik and reporter covering the White House and Washington for POLITICO, Daniel Lippman.
With files from the Associated Press.
Montana’s House has approved a Bill that, if passed, would ban social media app TikTok from operating in the state. The move is bound to face legal challenges but also serve as a testing ground for the TikTok-free America many national lawmakers envision due to concerns over potential Chinese spying. TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, has been under intense scrutiny over worries it could hand over user data to the Chinese government or push pro-Beijing propaganda and misinformation on the platform. TikTok has said it has a plan to protect U.S. user data. Joining us today on AirTalk is Shaylee Ragar, state house reporter for Montana Public Radio, and Alex Alben, law lecturer at UCLA; currently teaching classes Internet Law and Privacy Law; former Chief Privacy Officer for the state of Washington.
With files from the Associated Press.
It may not surprise you to hear that there are different driving factors behind obesity in men versus women. But a new study led by UCLA researchers that was recently published in the journal Brain Communication used MRI imaging to explore those differences, and specifically to examine what brain activity in men and women could tell us about underlying factors of obesity.
Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by the study’s senior author, Arpana Gupta, about what she and her colleagues found while conducting their research, and how it could help us tailor specific interventions to better address obesity.
Blac Chyna, a model and influencer who’s real name is Angela White, recently made headlines for sharing her experiences with cosmetic procedures and ultimately deciding to reverse several of them, including dissolving fillers in her jaw and cheeks. These types of reversals have been on the rise in recent years, according to data from The Aesthetic Society, although cosmetic procedure numbers have also grown. Today on AirTalk, we dive into the latest plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure trends and discuss how cultural attitudes toward them are evolving. Joining the conversation is Dr. Jennifer Keagle, board-certified plastic surgeon based in North East LA, and Alka Menon, assistant professor of sociology at Yale University focusing on health and medicine and author of “Refashioning Race: How Global Cosmetic Surgery Crafts New Beauty Standards” (University of California Press, 2023). We also want to hear from you! Have you had cosmetic work done? What was your experience? What do you wish you would have known? How has it impacted your feelings toward your body? Share your thoughts by calling 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
LAist 89.3 is KPCC-FM in Los Angeles, part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest news, visit our news site, LAist.com.