What to know about Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s operations in Lebanon and Gaza
Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday, another sharp escalation of the monthslong conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militias Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel caused few casualties and little damage, but it marked a further escalation of tensions in the Middle East as Israeli forces battle Tehran’s militant allies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Israel has vowed to retaliate against Iran. At the heart of the recent escalation is the the nearly yearlong war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Palestinian officials say Israel launched air and ground operations in the territory’s southern city of Khan Younis early Wednesday, killing more than 50 people. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss the escalation is Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and Dov Waxman, Professor of political science and Director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.
With files from the Associated Press.
Prop 2: $10 billion bond for repairing public school facilities
In 2020, California voters rejected a bond measure that sought to borrow $15 billion to modernize and rebuild K-12 facilities and community colleges. Four years later, California voters are being asked to consider a new $10 billion bond measure to repair and renovate existing public schools and community college facilities. In California, there’s no dedicated stream of funding to support the upkeep of the state’s 10,000 public K-12 schools and 115 community college campuses. Instead, leaders often ask voters to approve bonds to pay for repairs, renovations, and new construction. The official title on the ballot: Proposition 2 — Authorizes bonds for public school and community college facilities. You are being asked: can California borrow $10 billion to fund repairs, renovations and construction at public K-12 schools and community colleges? Joining us to discuss is Tony Thurmond, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction and Susan Shelley, Vice President of Communications for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association.
With files from LAist. Read more about Prop. 2 in our Voter Game Plan here.
Vice presidential candidates clash (pretty cordially) on debate stage
Vice presidential hopefuls Tim Walz and JD Vance focused their criticism on the top of the ticket on Tuesday as they engaged in a policy-heavy discussion that may be the last debate of the 2024 presidential campaign. It was the first encounter between Minnesota’s Democratic governor and Ohio’s Republican senator, following last month’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It comes just five weeks before Election Day and as millions of voters are now able to cast early ballots. Tuesday’s confrontation played out as the stakes of the contest rose again after Iran fired missiles into Israel, while a devastating hurricane and potentially debilitating port strike roiled the country at home. Over and again, Walz and Vance outlined the policy and character differences between their running mates, while trying to introduce themselves to the country. Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Azi Paybarah, national reporter for the Washington Post covering campaigns, and Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, to talk about the debate’s biggest takeaways and how Vance’s and Walz’s performances may impact the rest of the campaign.
With files from the Associated Press
The LA City Planning Commission aims to protect single-family homes in new housing proposal
The Los Angeles City Planning Commission voted Thursday to steer new housing construction away from the nearly three-quarters of residential land in the city reserved for single-family homes. The decision represents a key step toward completing a massive rezoning effort required under state law. L.A. is running low on time to come up with plans for where to put more than 450,000 new homes over the next five years. Because the city’s current zoning can’t handle all that growth, city planners have been working on ideas for achieving that goal. In simple terms, the proposal approved by the Planning Commission this week includes new incentives for developers to build taller, denser buildings in neighborhoods that already allow for apartments. Developers will have to keep some of those units affordable to low-income renters. Low-slung single-family neighborhoods will remain largely untouched.
Joining us to discuss the latest in L.A.’s housing is David Wagner, LAist’s housing reporter.
With files from LAist. You can read David Wagner's full story here.
What has Shohei Ohtani’s popularity meant for Los Angeles tourism?
The tourism industry in Los Angeles, still rebounding from the pandemic, has gotten a rare gift in the form of Shohei Ohtani. Since the baseball season started in March, Japanese fans have come by the thousands to L.A. despite a historically weak yen, in hopes of seeing the two-way star slug a home run. The surge is apparent at the Miyako, a mid-sized, unassuming hotel in Little Tokyo that has become a top attraction for Japanese visitors because of its proximity to Dodger Stadium — just 2 miles away — and a 15-story, very ‘grammable mural of Ohtani covering one of its exterior walls. Although the Ohtani effect has found new life in the City of Angels, its track record extends much further to his time down the I-5 freeway, at Angels Stadium. So today on AirTalk, we’ll spend time discussing Ohtani’s impact on Los Angeles tourism with Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times reporter covering baseball and sports business, and David Ikegami, President of the Little Tokyo Business Association.
Has political polarization had an impact on your media consumption?
A poll from the Pew Research Center found that more than half of Americans are closely following the news for the 2024 presidential election. In an increasingly fragmented political and media landscape, it can be challenging to get reliable information. Today on AirTalk, listeners tell us how they are receiving election information. We want to hear from you. How has political polarization affected the way you consume news? Give us a call at 866-853-5722 or email us at atcomments@laist.com
