What’s In The Inflation Reduction Act & What's Its Impact On Californians?

Democrats in Washington have passed the Inflation Reduction Act, an estimated $740 billion bill that reduces prescription drug costs, increases investments into renewable energy, and raises revenues through a new 15% minimum tax on corporations.

Today on AirTalk, we discuss the inflation reduction act and how much of those funds Californians should expect with New York Times congressional reporter Emily Cochrane and David Lightman, national political correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers.

With Monkeypox Disproportionately Affecting Latinos, What Can The State Do?

Latinos currently make up 37% of the 1,310 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the state of California, While this number appears to be proportionate with the overall percentage of Latino-identifying individuals in the state — which the 2021 census estimated to be 40.2% — not every community in California is being affected equally. In hard-hit San Francisco, Latinos comprise close to 27% of cases while making up only 15% of the county. Meanwhile in L.A. County, Latinos have a lower case count than their population share would suggest.

In an op-ed for the LA Times Jeffrey Reynoso and Seciah Aquino from the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California assert that there could be an undercount of monkeypox cases among Latinos in L.A., as had happened with COVID-19 cases and deaths. They argue that Latinos are emerging as a high-risk group for monkeypox, and that the state needs to address the threat monkeypox poses to the Latino community. Joining guest host Sharon McNary today to discuss what California can do to help the Latino community is Dr. Seciah Aquino, Deputy Director at the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California and one of the authors of the LA Times op-ed and Dr. Ilan Shapiro, Chief Health Correspondent and Medical Affairs Officer at AltaMed.

Electric Vehicles Are Expensive — Will The Inflation Reduction Act Help Curb Their Cost?

The Inflation Reduction Act, just passed by the Senate, aims to curb the significant impacts of climate change. Electric powered vehicles have been promoted as a solution and the climate package would offer a tax credit to those who purchase a used electric car. The problem though is the cost of electric vehicles means they’re still way out of reach for the average consumer, likely even with a tax credit. Shortages of batteries and other materials and supply chain issues are part of the problem. Jack Ewing, writer for the New York Times where his latest piece is “Electric Cars Too Costly for Many, Even With Aid in Climate Bill,” and Jessica Caldwell, executive director of insights at Edmunds, an online resource for automotive inventory and information based in Santa Monica, join guest host Sharon McNary to discuss how the new climate bill will try to get more EVs on the road.

Exploring The Community School Model As California Turns Attention To Wider Implementation Statewide

With back to school right around the corner for LAUSD students, who return to class next week, we turn our attention to community schools -- an approach to education that has been around for decades but has gotten attention from the state legislature over the last two years to the tune of 4.1 billion dollars in grants to transition hundreds of high-needs schools in the state to the community school model, as KPCC K-12 education reporter Kyle Stokes reported recently at LAist.com.

Today on AirTalk, guest host Sharon McNary talks to KPCC & LAist senior reporter for K-12 education Kyle Stokes about community schools and what their future looks like as we start the school year.

Serena Williams, The G.O.A.T. Is Retiring From Tennis

Calling the move an evolution rather than a retirement, lauded tennis pro Serena Williams has announced she is planning to step back from playing tennis after the next US Open in an article for Vogue. Writing for the magazine, Williams cited a desire to grow her family, noting that she has been reluctant to move past tennis. The soon-to-be 41 year old has had an illustrious career, having won 73 career single titles and overall 39 grand slam titles. She even managed to win the Australian Open in 2017 while two months pregnant with her daughter Olympia.

Joining us today to talk about Williams’ impressive career and legacy is Ben Rothenberg, host of the No Challenges Remaining podcast and senior editor of Racquet Magazine and Van Sias, writer at Tennis.com.

Remembering Pop Singer And ‘Grease’ Star Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John, the Grammy-winning superstar who reigned on pop, country, adult contemporary and dance charts with such hits as “Physical” and “You’re the One That I Want” and won countless hearts as everyone’s favorite Sandy in the blockbuster film version of “Grease,” has died. She was 73.

Newton-John, a longtime resident of Australia whose sales topped 100 million records, died Monday at her southern California ranch, John Easterling, her husband, wrote on Instagram and Facebook.

From 1973-83, Newton-John was among the world’s most popular entertainers. She had 14 top 10 singles just in the U.S., won four Grammys, starred with John Travolta in “Grease” and with Gene Kelly in “Xanadu.” The fast-stepping Travolta-Newton-John duet, “You’re the One That I Want,” was one of the era’s biggest songs and has sold more than 15 million copies. Scott Simon, pianist and vocalist for the rock and roll group Sha Na Na, and Mikael Wood, pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times, join guest host Sharon McNary to discuss her life and career.

With files from the Associated Press