Press Play with Madeleine Brand
A possible sales tax hike and the future of LA transit
LA County Supervisors voted to place a half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects on the November ballot. If it passes, how much will the proposed transit projects actually improve quality of life in LA?
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenLA County Supervisors unanimously voted to place a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot. The tax would fund transportation projects indefinitely. Will voters be willing to approve a tax hike without an expiration date? Will the proposed transit projects actually alleviate traffic in Los Angeles? Then, at least two women who have had their gender questioned will be competing in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. We’ll look at the long history of female athletes being the target of gender policing. Next, abortion is a partisan political issue, but it wasn’t always that way. A new book titled Defenders of the Unborn: The Pro-Life Movement Before Roe v Wade explores the evolution of the abortion debate in America. And finally, what’s the point of flossing? An Associated Press investigation found that the medical benefits of flossing are unproven.
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In this episode
4 storiesA possible sales tax hike and the future of LA transit
Los Angeles County Supervisors unanimously voted to place a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot . The tax is aimed at making it easier to get around southern California, by generating at least $860 million per year for the county’s light rail network and other transit projects. The tax would continue to fund Metro projects indefinitely.
Read the story11 minOlympic sex-testing and the history of policing athlete gender
At least two women who have had their gender questioned will be competing in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games. Dutee Chand, a sprinter from India, and Caster Semenya of South Africa have both been accused of being intersex, but will be competing in Rio. Female athletes have long been the target of gender policing .
Read the story14 minWhen did the abortion debate in America begin?
Abortion has come up again and again on the presidential campaign trail and, no surprise, the rhetoric is split along partisan lines. Most Republicans are “pro-life” and want to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Most Democrats, on the other hand, are “pro-choice.” But it wasn’t always that way.
Read the story14 minWhat's the point of flossing?
It turns out, flossing might not be the vital habit that you thought it was. After an Associated Press investigation found that the medical benefits of flossing are unproven , the federal government says there’s little scientific evidence that it prevents gum disease.
Read the story8 min
