The Latest With Ukraine, Some Of The Efforts To Aid The Country And What You Can Do To Assist

Buses carried civilians out of an embattled Ukrainian city Tuesday along a safe corridor agreed to by the two warring sides, while a parallel effort to relieve the besieged port of Mariupol was thrown into jeopardy by reports of renewed Russian shelling.

Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II grew even more severe, with U.N. officials reporting that 2 million people have now fled Ukraine. Moscow’s forces have laid siege to Ukrainian cities and cut off food, water, heat and medicine in a growing humanitarian disaster. But for days, attempts to create corridors to safely evacuate civilians have stumbled amid continuing fighting and objections to the proposed routes. Today on AirTalk, we talk with Kateryna Malofieieva, freelance journalist based in Ukraine, about the latest. We also talk with Thomas Tighe, CEO of Direct Relief, a non-profit humanitarian relief organization based in Santa Barbara, about how the organization is assisting Ukraine.

If you would like to find out more about Direct Relief or donate, you can find their website here. For more from LAist on what local organizations are doing to help Ukrainians, click here. With files from the Associated Press

California’s First-Ever Reparations Task Force Wants To Hear From Black Californians

In the fall of 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 3121, creating a first-of-its-kind Reparations Task Force to study and develop reparation proposals for African Americans, with special considerations for those who are direct descendants of enslaved people. The nine-member team met for the first time in June of 2021 with the specific task of compiling and synthesizing data and testimonies both from experts on the subject and from the public. The question of who is eligible for reparations has been particularly contentious, even amongst task force members who will come to a final decision at their next meeting on March 29th. The decision holds tremendous significance for Black Californians, who are being encouraged to use the task force’s public hearings to share their personal experiences of racism and how discriminatory policies like redlining and voting restrictions, among others, have impacted them. This undertaking is historic in its scale for California and will likely impact how the rest of the nation chooses to address the ongoing harms of slavery.

Today on AirTalk, we speak with Lisa Holder, civil rights lawyer of counsel to the nonprofit Equal Justice Society and one of the nine members of California’s Reparations Task Force about the panel’s work so far and what remains to be addressed.

To find out how to participate in California’s Reparations Task Force meetings, click here. For information on future and past meetings, click here.

“Finding The Right Words” To Cope With The Grief Of Losing A Loved One To Alzheimer’s

When Cindy Weinstein was a graduate student in English at the University of California, Berkeley, her father, Jerry, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. While Cindy was becoming immersed in the English language and the power of reading and writing, her father was losing his ability to do both. By the time he died 12 years later, he could no longer speak. Decades later, when Cindy was ready to explore her grief and come to terms with her father’s dementia, she turned to UCSF neurologist Dr. Bruce L. Miller to help explain the mysteries of what had happened to her father’s brain – and hopefully help her come to terms with his decline.

Our understanding of – and treatments for – dementia and Alzheimer’s have changed dramatically in the decades since Cindy’s father Jerry was diagnosed. In their new book, “Finding the Right Words: “A Story of Literature, Grief, and the Brain,” Cindy and Bruce provide a guide for families facing the heartbreak of Alzheimer’s, so they can have the tools and language to understand the science and cope with the grief of a life-changing diagnosis. Today on AirTalk, Larry is joined by Caltech English professor Cindy Weinstein and UCSF neurology professor Bruce Miller to talk about their new book. If you have a loved one who’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we’d also like to hear from you, and how you coped.

Biden To Block Russian Oil Imports, And The Cost Of Gas In SoCal Is Rising. We Hear How Drivers Are Coping

At the height of the pandemic, gas prices in Southern California counties hit new lows, with an average of $3.04 a gallon in 2020. Fast forward to the present day however, and those same counties are now averaging about $5.37 a gallon.

The rise in prices comes at a time where one of the largest exporters of oil, Russia, has invaded Ukraine. Now, U.S. officials have announced a ban on Russian oil imports which could affect prices across the country. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the top exporter of oil, has been unable to meet the increased demand countries are asking for.

Today on the program, we break down the current situation of gas prices across the country and hear anecdotal stories from Southern Californians on how they’re managing. Joining us are director of the Energy Institute at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Severin Borenstein and Los Angeles Times metro reporter Andrew Campa.

COVID-19 AMA: What A New Study Found About How COVID Can Change Our Brain, Florida’s Recommends Against COVID Vaccines For Healthy Kids And More

In our continuing series looking at the latest medical research and news on COVID-19, Larry Mantle speaks with Kristen R. Choi, professor of nursing and public health at UCLA, and a registered nurse practicing at Gateways Hospital based in Echo Park.

Topics today include:

• New study finds COVID may cause changes in the brain
• Florida will recommend against COVID vaccines for healthy children in contradiction of federal guidance
• U.S. government will offer a second round of free COVID tests to all Americans
• Is California’s mask mandate ending too soon for kids?
• Going to a concert? What to know about the new L.A. COVID rules.

This International Women’s Day Aims to #BreakTheBias

March 8th is International Women’s Day, This year’s theme is #BreakTheBias, dedicated to the vision of a gender-equal world free of bias and discrimination. First officially recognized by the United Nations in 1975, International Women’s Day has become a date to reflect on the achievements of women and the strides they’ve made to achieve equality in all aspects of life and society. It’s also a date to call attention to the areas where inequality still exists. On this International Women’s Day, Larry is joined by frequent AirTalk guest, Huntington Hospital’s Director of Infectious Disease and Prevention Dr. Kimberly Shriner, to discuss her work in a different area: uplifting women and girls with her organization The Phil Simon Clinic Tanzania Project.