The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

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'It's not necessary to stay at threat level red.' What you need to know about the new COVID surge Aug 01, 2022

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We're seeing another surge of coronavirus cases, nearly two and a half years after we all heard of COVID-19 for the first time. What do you need to know about the new Omicron subvariant? At this stage of the pandemic, should you be worried at all, especially if you are already vaccinated, boosted, and generally doing what the public health officials and doctors say you should be doing? What's going to come next in this pandemic? We wanted to step back and evaluate where we are as a country, and what this coronavirus is doing right now, so we caught up with Dr. Annette Reboli, an epidemiologist, infectious disease specialist, and the Dean and Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

An extremely strange recession: weekly economy update Jul 30, 2022

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GDP estimates are in and it looks like we could be headed towards the textbook definition of a recession, albeit a very strange one. Have we seen anything like this before, a recession when the labor market and jobs numbers are this hot? We just got another rate increase, could inflation go higher or have we pretty much peaked? And gas prices continue to fall, how low could they go? Philadelphia economist David Fiorenza is on the podcast to break down the most important economic stories of the week and what they mean to you and me.

What a 2005 Supreme Court case could mean for Uvalde Police Jul 29, 2022

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The tragic school shooting in Uvalde was made more enraging when more and more information come out about how many law enforcement agencies and officers were on site -- and yet no one acted. It was enraging. Police have a responsibility to act in a situation like that, right? Well, there's a Supreme Court decision from 2005 that suggests otherwise. We wanted to better understand what Castle Rock vs. Gonzales actually means, and if it could have any implications for what may come next as Uvalde grapples with the terrible school massacre at Robb Elementary. Our guest is Teri Ravenell, Associate Dean for Faculty Research & Development and a Professor of Law at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law.

A case of polio was found in New York state. Should we be concerned? Jul 27, 2022

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We're already dealing with COVID and monkeypox, and now a new case of polio was reported in Rockland County, New York. Should we be worried about yet another infectious disease spreading, particularly one that is almost eradicated? We talked with Dr. Abby Rudolph, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Temple University College of Public Health, about what polio is, how this case got to New York state, and how a decrease in vaccinations could have contributed to it.

What we can -- and can't -- expect from NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope Jul 27, 2022

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When the new James Webb Space telescope came online, it started delivering breathtaking images of faraway galaxies and planets and stars. Already, astronomers and scientists have gotten a tremendous amount of new information to analyze. What could we learn next about the universe? We asked Dr. Eric Jensen, Professor of Astronomy at Swarthmore College about the telescope's biggest implications and what he's most excited about discovering.

‘I suffered and no one else needs to:’ Feds relax restrictions on monkeypox drug Jul 26, 2022

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For three days, Luke Brown was in the most severe pain he’s ever experienced. He had contracted monkeypox, which is now a global health emergency. He tried everything to help ease the pain, and nothing worked. He eventually found out about a drug called TPOXX, normally used to treat smallpox, that can also be effective against monkeypox symptoms. Brown talks with KYW's Jim Melwert about his experience trying to get ahold of TPOXX in the days before the CDC relaxed the process for obtaining it, what his experience with monkeypox symptoms are like, and his advice for people who are nervous about the disease or think they've been exposed: "Don't panic. Do skin scans. Get in line for a vaccine. And if you think you have this thing, talk to your doctor about TPOXX. If they get this thing, know that they don't have to suffer."

The CDC recommends vaccination for gay and bisexual men who either have a known exposure to monkeypox or have had multiple or anonymous partners in areas where monkeypox is known to be spreading. Vaccination appointments can be scheduled in Philadelphia by calling the Department of Public Health hotline at 215-685-5488.

How low could gas prices go? Weekly economy check in Jul 23, 2022

Show notes

Gas prices keep going down pretty consistently, how low could they go? How much do gas prices impact how Americans feel about inflation? And how many more tools does the Fed have to cool down the economy? Philadelphia economist David Fiorenza is back on the podcast to break down the most important economic stories of the week and why they should matter to you.

How are the pandemic pets doing now? Plus tips for struggling owners Jul 22, 2022

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According to the ASPCA, 23 million households got a new dog or cat during the pandemic - that’s 1 in 5 households in the country. Now, local shelters have seen an uptick in animals being brought back because their owners weren't really prepared, or the pets are having behavioral problems when their owners leave the house. For people who want to keep their pandemic pets, how can we help them adjust as our lives change? Pat "Packman" Buttitta, owner of Packman to the Rescue K9 Solutions and Coaching in New Jersey and author of 'God Spelled Backwards', says it's more about training the person than training the dog. He gives us his advice on how to deal with your dog's separation anxiety and explains why he thinks traditional training doesn't really work - it's all about your mindset and understanding your dog's psychology.

You have the right to remain silent, but you can't sue if the police don't tell you Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

There was a lot to take in as a result of this most recent Supreme Court term, so you would be forgiven if, while processing the overturning of Roe v. Wade and some of the other headline making decisions that were rendered, you may have missed a case involving Miranda rights. What did the court decide in Vega v. Tekoh, and why is it important? We asked David Rudovsky, Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a civil rights attorney with the firm of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing, Feinberg & Lin, LLP.

An 'extraordinarily fringe doctrine' gets the Supreme Court's attention Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever heard about the Independent State Legislature Doctrine? It's a fringe theory that says state lawmakers should have the exclusive power to manage and oversee elections, even if they want do something that goes against state law. For example, in North Carolina, the state Supreme Court threw out an electoral map it says was so partisan, it violated the state's constitution. North Carolina Republican lawmakers say it shouldn't matter if the map breaks state law or not, because the courts shouldn't have any oversight of the legislature when it comes to electoral matters. And now the Supreme Court wants to weigh in. We asked Craig Green, Professor of Law at Temple University's Beasley School of Law to come on the podcast to explain a case that has the potential to radically change American elections.

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