Latest On Debt Ceiling As June Approaches And No Deal Set Made
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy both said they had a productive debt ceiling discussion late Monday at the White House, but there was no agreement as negotiators strained to raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially chaotic federal default. It’s a crucial moment for the Democratic president and the Republican speaker, just 10 days before a looming deadline to raise the debt limit. As soon as June 1, Treasury Secretary Janel Yellen said in a letter to Congress, “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills. So what’s surrounding the negotiations?
Today on AirTalk, Larry gets the latest on the debt ceiling negotiations with Eleanor Mueller, congressional reporter for POLITICO and its economic policy team.
With files from the Associated Press
What Does Warmer Climate Mean For The Future Of Seasonal Crops In California & Its Agriculture Sector?
A lot of focus has been put into California’s agriculture system as it looks to preserve water during a time of ongoing aridification as a result of man-made climate change. This of course impacts existing crops we have today, such as almonds and stone fruit, but how can farmers make the most of this change with their land? Calmatters recently released a story detailing how some farmers in the Central Valley have begun to farm mangoes, olives, and agave plants as a result of the more tropical environment they’re now experiencing. This creativity of course not only benefits the individual farmer but potentially the state’s agriculture sector at-large.
Today on AirTalk, we dig into climate impacts for California’s current and future crops with Louise Ferguson, professor of plant sciences at UC Davis who specializes in tree and crop physiology, and Ramiro E. Lobo, agricultural economist a part of the UC’s Cooperative Extension.
Western States Announce Dire Colorado River Water Sharing Deal – Is It Enough?
Arizona, California and Nevada on Monday proposed a plan to significantly reduce their water use from the drought-stricken Colorado River over the next three years, a potential breakthrough in a year-long stalemate that pitted Western states against one another.
The plan would conserve an additional 3 million acre-feet of water through 2026, when current guidelines for how the river is shared expire. About half the cuts would come by the end of 2024. That’s less than what federal officials said last year would be needed to stave off crisis in the river but still marks a notable step in long and difficult negotiations between the three states. In exchange for temporarily using less water, cities, irrigation districts and Native American tribes in the three states will receive federal funding, though officials did not say how much they expected to receive. So what does it mean for California? Joining to discuss is Erin Stone, climate energy reporter for LAist, Janet Wilson, senior environment reporter for the Desert Sun, Adel Hagekhalil, general manager & chief executive officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), and Felicia Marcus, visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Water in the West Program and former chair of the State Water Resources Control Board. Questions? Call 866-893-5722 or email atcomments@laist.com.
With files from the Associated Press
Should California Employers Cover Fertility Treatment For All?
Infertility, or the inability to get pregnant after a year or more of trying, is a common problem. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that it affects nearly one in five married women between the ages of 15 and 49. Yet coverage of fertility treatments can be hard to find in many corners of health insurance even as it grows briskly with big employers who see it as a must-have benefit to keep workers. Twenty-one states have laws mandating coverage of fertility treatments or fertility preservation. Of those states, 14 require IVF coverage. The California Senate is weighing a bill right now that would require such coverage for plans offered through large employers. But the insurer association opposes it. Joining us today on AirTalk is Sonia Suter, professor of law at GWU with a focus on reproductive technologies and justice and Rich Vaugn, founding partner at the International Fertility Law Group to discuss fertility access in California.
With files from the Associated Press
Nixon Library Hosting Parade To Honor Vietnam POWs On 50th Anniversary Of Their Homecoming
On May 24th, 1973, President Richard Nixon and his wife welcomed Vietnam prisoners of war to the White House for the largest dinner in the history of the residents or its occupants. It was just months after they were officially released from POW camps in Vietnam following the end of the war. 50 years later, the Nixon Library is celebrating the return of these veterans half a century later with a homecoming parade on Tuesday, May 23rd, followed by a recreation of that famous White House dinner on May 24th with nearly 200 of the POWs. The parade will begin at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Nixon Library, which says the route will run between Casa Loma Avenue and Mountain View Avenue in Yorba Linda and feature former POWs in classic convertibles with escorts from local police and fire departments.
Today on AirTalk, we’ll talk with one of those former prisoners of war -- Capt. Charlie Plumb, a retired U.S. Navy pilot who was shot down over Hanoi and held for nearly six years in a North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp, where he was imprisoned and tortured. Capt. Plumb will share the significance of the 50th anniversary of his and other POWs return to the U.S. and how he remembers that day 50 years later.
In A Dark Town With Dark Secrets, One Man’s New Book Weaves Cocktails And Lore Into A Love Letter To Film Noir
Fans of Turner Classic Movies’ “Noir Alley” know that host Eddie Muller introduces many of his segments from a set with a functioning bar. But what they might not know is that before he became one of the faces of TCM, he was a bartender. In his new book “Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir” Eddie explores the world and history of film noir from the proverbial barstool -- using both cocktails in featured films and inspired by them to tell the story, alongside film stills, archive photos from production and more.
Today on AirTalk, Eddie Muller returns to AirTalk to discuss his latest book, why he decided to write about film noir through the lens of mixology and maybe even to share a favorite recipe or two for you to try out at your next gathering.