As Russian Judge Finds Brittney Griner Guilty–How Will The US Negotiate Her Release?
A judge in Russia has convicted and sentenced American basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison for drug possession and smuggling. Before the quick verdict was announced, Griner made a final appeal to the court, noting she had no intention to break the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil into the country when she flew to Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.
Griner is one of many Americans imprisoned abroad. Today on AirTalk, we talk to John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College postdoctoral fellow Danielle Gilbert about the diplomacy of negotiating prisoner releases and swaps and what political decisions are behind the process.
With files from the Associated Press
Why The Way We Talk About The Sixth Street Bridge Matters
The hottest new thing in L.A. is not our summer weather. It’s the Sixth Street Viaduct — but you probably already know that. There have been primos getting fades on that bridge, podcast recordings, and obviously all of the photo ops you can think of. But, of course, it wouldn’t be L.A. if there wasn’t at least one car crash and other dangerous behavior. The Los Angeles Police Department has shut down the throughway most nights this week. In its Twitter feed, the LAPD cited “illegal activity” as the reason for the shutdown. Chief Michel Moore on Tuesday pointed to “outrageous driving antics” and folks who’ve climbed the bridge’s arches. The thing is though, there’s a lot of people enjoying the bridge, too, who are not risking life or limb. When the plan was made for a new bridge a few years ago, it was presented as something that would connect Boyle Heights and other communities to downtown L.A. and the rest of the city. But, so far, that’s not how it’s turning out.
Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by host of the LAist Studio's podcast How To LA, Brian De Los Santos and board member with People for Mobility Justice, Erick Huerta to discuss how the 6th street bridge has been talked about and the disconnect that it’s forged between the community and the city at-large.
Read the full LAist piece here.
Dyslexia In California: KPCC/LAist Explores The Nation’s Most Common Learning Disorder In Month-long Series
Dyslexia is our nation’s most common learning disorder, affecting anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of the population. As with many learning disorders, dyslexia exists on a spectrum and manifests itself in different ways in different people, and is not limited simply to challenges with reading comprehension. And while some states have taken more robust action to try and identify children at risk of dyslexia early in life, California’s approach has been more deliberate.
Today on AirTalk, KPCC/LAist Education Editor Ross Brenneman is with us to pull the tarp off of this month-long series focused on dyslexia, where you’ll learn more about what, exactly, dyslexia is, how it affects different people at different stages of their lives in different ways, what the state is doing to try to address dyslexia and improve reading instruction in schools, and more.
Are you a parent of a child with dyslexia, or dyslexic yourself? Do you teach or provide educational services to students with dyslexia? Click here to share your experience with the KPCC/LAist education team. We’ll read every response but we will not share any information publicly.
AirTalk Honors The Local Heroes Making A Difference Around Southern California
The news is a lot to handle right now, so on Airtalk, we’re setting aside time to talk about some of the positives, like all the good people doing great things across Southern California. We asked you to help us shine a spotlight on your local heroes, and we received a lot of great submissions. Today on AirTalk, we're speaking with Chuck Levin, a volunteer who has personally registered over 14,000 people to vote in the state of California.
To help us shine a spotlight on your local hero, go to kpcc.org/airtalk. You’ll find a link right under our show description where you can nominate your local hero. And they could be interviewed here on AirTalk. We’re hoping to do one of these each week, and we can’t do it without your help.