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Access To Mifepristone May Become Restricted Even In States Without Outright Abortion Bans
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AirTalk Tile 2024
Mar 26, 2024
Listen 1:39:23
Access To Mifepristone May Become Restricted Even In States Without Outright Abortion Bans

Today on AirTalk, Inglewood Unified to close schools. Also on the show, Urban Planner Max Podemski on the history and future of urban housing; listeners share how they feel about getting rid of landlines; how to tell if your loved one is depressed; and more.

Demonstrators gather in front of the Supreme Court as the court hears oral arguments in the case of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine on March 26, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Demonstrators gather in front of the Supreme Court as the court hears oral arguments in the case of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine on March 26, 2024 in Washington, DC. The case challenges the 20-plus-year legal authorization by the FDA of mifepristone, a commonly used abortion medication.
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Inglewood Unified Will Close 5 Schools – How Is Your School District Dealing With Declining Enrollments?

Listen 24:42
Inglewood Unified Will Close 5 Schools – How Is Your School District Dealing With Declining Enrollments?

Inglewood Unified School District currently has 16 schools serving approximately 7,000 students, down from 18,000 students in 2002. Long troubled financially, the district has been in state receivership since 2012. In response to declining enrollment and significant debt obligations (the district owes the state $21 million), Inglewood Unified announced last week that it will close three TK-6 grade schools, Crozier Junior High, and Morningside High School. State-appointed County Administrator James Morris outlined these changes in a letter to parents, staff, and students, saying “These are not easy decisions to make. The time has come to make decisions. The data tells the story and the time for action is now.” Joining us to discuss is James Morris, county administrator of Inglewood Unified School District.

NOIR CITY Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years In Hollywood

Listen 8:46
NOIR CITY Film Festival Celebrates 25 Years In Hollywood

The NOIR CITY: Hollywood film festival celebrates 25 years screening more than a dozen films at the Egyption Theatre. The Hollywood festival runs through Sunday, March 31. Joining the show to discuss the themes of this year’s events is Eddie Muller, founder and host of Noir City: Hollywood Film Festival and “Noir Alley” on Turner Classic Movies, and the founder and president of the Film Noir Society.

Tenements, Bungalows, and Dingbats: A Look At The History – And Future – Of America’s Urban Housing

Listen 16:04
Tenements, Bungalows, and Dingbats: A Look At The History – And Future – Of America’s Urban Housing

Every city has its own unique character, and a unique way of housing its residents. In his new book, A Paradise of Small Houses: The Evolution, Devolution, and Potential Rebirth of Urban Housing, Max Podemski takes the reader across the United States, looking at socially significant urban housing over the decades. Starting in Philadelphia with its European-inspired row houses, the book journeys through housing styles as diverse as the New Orleans shotgun and the Portland bungalow. The book also takes a pit stop in Los Angeles, exploring the origins of the famous dingbat–wood-framed apartment buildings suspended over parking. Podemski writes, “It is not the gingerbread mansions of tourist-brochure lore but these common everyday houses that represent our nation’s most enduring architectural achievement.” What can these structures teach us about how to affordably house people going forward? Today on AirTalk, Larry speaks with Max Podemski, an urban planner, writer and illustrator who currently serves as a transportation planner for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation about his new book.

Access To Mifepristone May Become Restricted Even In States Without Outright Abortion Bans

Listen 9:22
Access To Mifepristone May Become Restricted Even In States Without Outright Abortion Bans

The U.S. Supreme Court will take up a case Tuesday that could impact how women get access to mifepristone, one of the two pills used in the most common type of abortion in the nation. The central dispute in the case is whether the Food and Drug Administration overlooked serious safety problems when it made mifepristone easier to obtain, including through mail-order pharmacies. Legal briefs filed with the court describe the pill’s safety in vastly different terms: Medical professionals call it “among the safest medications” ever approved by the FDA, while the Christian conservative group suing the agency attributes “tens of thousands” of “emergency complications” to the drug. The ruling could affect access to mifepristone even in states where abortion is legal, such as California. Joining us today to discuss the case and possible outcomes is Laura Kusisto, legal reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

With files from The Associated Press

What Would Happen If AT&T Gets Rid Of Landlines? Thousands Of Angelenos Are Weighing In

Listen 18:26
What Would Happen If AT&T Gets Rid Of Landlines? Thousands Of Angelenos Are Weighing In

AT&T has formally requested permission to phase out its copper-based landline network in California — a move advocates say could hurt some of the most vulnerable residents across the state, including older adults, people with disabilities and other groups affected by the digital divide. The California Public Utilities Commission, the state regulator that will make the ultimate decision, has been asking for public comment. It held its final in-person and virtual public forum on the issue last week, drawing passionate objections from residents and advocates. You can still submit comments online, however. Many people were concerned about how losing a landline network would affect not only daily life, but in times of emergencies. We want to hear from you. What does your landline mean to you and how do you feel about the prospect of it being taken away? Joining us today on AirTalk is digital equity reporter for LAist, Nereida Moreno.

Read the full LAist story here.

How Do You Support A Loved One Going Through A Depressive Episode?

Listen 21:50
How Do You Support A Loved One Going Through A Depressive Episode?

Whether you’ve been through a similar experience or are fortunate to have not, having a loved one battling with depression can invoke a lot of questions in one’s mind. What can I do to help? Do they need someone to hear them vent? Do they need extra, little acts of kindness? Seeing a loved one go through internal strife makes us want to move mountains externally… but that isn’t always good. So how do we best target our support, keeping our friends on the right track in their battle, while also completely dragging ourselves into it as well?

Today on AirTalk, we’ll hear from listeners about their experiences helping friends with depression, learning what worked for them and what didn’t. To offer their expert analysis and informed opinion, we talk to Rimal Bera, MD, UC Irvine clinical professor of psychiatry.

Credits
Host, AirTalk
Host, All Things Considered, AirTalk Friday
Senior Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Producer, AirTalk with Larry Mantle
Associate Producer, AirTalk & FilmWeek
Apprentice News Clerk, AirTalk
Apprentice News Clerk, FilmWeek