AirTalk

Blue Shield of California may be on the hook for tens of millions of dollars in taxes owed each year to the state of California after the San Francisco-based insurer was stripped of its tax-exempt status back in August. Also, Starbucks’ new “Race Together” campaign wants baristas at its 4,700 stores to engage in conversations with customers about race in America. Then, we look at moderation versus abstinence for treating alcohol addiction.

Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a last-ditch appeal for votes just hours before polling stations close in a tight election by pledging that no Palestinian state would be established under his rule. Also, fearing future head trauma, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Chris Borland told ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Monday that he would retire from the NFL. Then, a plan proposed by Maine Governor Paul LePage would make his state the first in the U.S. to tax nonprofit organizations.

Real estate mogul and subject of HBO’s documentary series ‘The Jinx,’ Robert Durst, was arrested in New Orleans on Sunday after law enforcement officials discovered new evidence that they say links him to the 2000 killing of his friend and former spokeswoman, Susan Berman. Also, how does your name mirror your background? Then, the State Water Board will meet tomorrow to discuss putting in more restrictive water conservation law.

Next month, Art Leahy will move from the top position at Metro to become the chief executive officer at Metrolink. Also, the shootings of two police officers outside the Ferguson Police Department on Thursday have brought the St. Louis suburb back into the national spotlight. Then, a debate over whether the American flag should be banned from display in a student government office is still raging across the campus of UC Irvine more than a week after the issue erupted.

ACLU attorneys are suing two California law enforcement agencies for failing to disclose how they use cellphone surveillance. Also, the next big entry into the realm of powdered drink mix? Alcohol. Then, the number of unmarried, cohabiting parents in the US is at a record high. What are the economic and sociological implications?

Following the $7.4 million copyright infringement lawsuit of Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", what does it mean for a song or a sound to be original? Also, we take a look at virtual reality being used across industries beyond entertainment. Then, the debate over incarceration vs. diversion for mentally-ill inmates continues.

Democrats are outraged over an open letter sent yesterday by 47 Senate Republicans to the government of Iran. Also, despite bad press, a UCLA study shows that incoming college students’ interest in joining a fraternity or sorority is the highest it’s been in 15 years. Then, are helicopters an effective tool for the police to be deploying in Los Angeles?

In a reversal of his July pleading of not guilty, director Randall Miller pleaded guilty today to charges related to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones. Also, is it a religion or a cult? New Yorker journalist Lawrence Wright takes on his latest investigation into Scientology alongside renowned documentarian Alex Gibney. Then, in the wake of a ballot measure that legalized the use of marijuana in our nation’s capital, a D.C. Council committee has advanced a bill to ban employers there from prescreening job applicants for the drug.

A California State Senator is looking to shore up protections for civilians who record police activity in public places. Also, a solution to the shortage in health care workers: Expand the role of nurses. Then, it's T-G-I-Filmweek.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced today that it will be winding down its elephant acts by 2018. Also, parents of three victims killed during a rampage by Elliot Rodger near UC Santa Barbara last year have filed a wrongful death lawsuit.Then, author Kevin Carey delves deep into the American college system to expose the declining standards of the brick and mortar colleges, and looks ahead to emerging technologies that are disrupting the nation’s college system.