Congress heads into recess without deal on immigration bill; Should undocumented immigrants be welcomed in Detroit?; Would you raise a child in downtown LA? Leaders are planning for it (poll); Archbishop Jose Gomez's vision of 'Immigration and the The Next America'; Hollywood Jobs: Taking the wheel with a Hollywood stunt driver, plus much more.
Congress heads into recess without deal on immigration bill
Members of Congress are back in their districts for summer recess, but you might be hard-pressed to come up with an idea of what they got done before leaving Washington.
Besides student loan interest rates, one of the many issues left dangling without any clear resolution is immigration reform. Fawn Johnson covers Congress and immigration for National Journal and she joins the show with more.
Should undocumented immigrants be welcomed in Detroit?
Pressure has been building from business leaders and politicians on both sides of the aisle to do something to reform U.S. immigration policies.
But with legislation seemingly stalled in the house, one research scholar from NYU has a provocative idea: Allow the undocumented to move to the U.S., provided they move to Detroit or any other city in need of more people and an economic boost.
Think of it as an H1-B Visa but for states instead of companies.
Brandon Fuller is deputy director if NYU Stern School of Business's Urbanization Project. He joins the show to explain his idea, which was written about recently in the National Journal.
Archbishop Jose Gomez's vision of 'Immigration and the The Next America'
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Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez is the highest-ranking Latino in the U.S. Catholic Church.
Two years into his tenure as the head of the country's largest archdiocese, Gomez has written a book, "Immigration and the Next America," outlining his thoughts on immigration, including a call for a path to citizenship.
Tess Vigeland sits down with the archbishop at his offices in Koreatown to talk about his views and his own immigration story.
Interview Highlights:
On his own immigration story:
"I was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico and I came to the US after being ordained a priest, but my family on my mother's side has been in this country since 1805. I have a lot of family here. My mother grew up in San Antonio, TX. Finally, her family moved to Mexico, where she met my father. They got married, and they moved to Monterey in the '50s."
On the inaccuracy of the American story:
"My point in the book is that we need to also know how the beginnings, especially in the southwest and southeast, happened. The first missionaries came to this country in the 16th century, and they were here in the 17th and 18th centuries as well. In the state of California, we had 21 missions that were founded by the missionaries who came here in the 1700s. They were building up society. They provided, besides the religious side of the ministry, some basic foundations of society like forming communities to learn about the culture. My point is that the fact that our history talks about what happened in the northeast with the pioneers. There is also the southwest, or the south in general, that was part of the origins of our country."
Why he thinks the issue of immigration is so divisive:
"I think it's mostly a lack of knowledge of who these people are, the new immigrants coming over. There's things that are difficult for all of us, like language. If we can't communicate with the new immigrants, it becomes much more difficult. Also, their culture. They don't do things in the way that we do things. Also the reality of terrorism. Since 9/11, we all have the sense that we need to protect our borders, protect our country and avoid anything that comes close to another terrorist act, which makes sense, that's what we want to do. As a matter of fact, the Catholic Church teaches that countries have the right to protect their borders."
On the balance between the right to migrate and national sovereignty:
"I think we have to find the best way to do it. No matter what we do, given the reality of society at this time, people are going to move. In the old times, it was more difficult to move from Europe to America. Now, you just take a plane and you're there in a few hours. I think, in the past in the U.S., we've been able to find a good balance. Now, because of the reality of the global economy and the movements of people has changed, it seems to me that we have to find a new way of allowing people to move in a sensible way. Trying to protect the dignity of the human person and the unity of families."
On what happens without the reform:
"It will be a big disappointment for millions of people, and we will continue to have a lot of people in the shadows who are living in fear. Another consequence will be the continued disintegration of families, and that's not what our country is all about. It's about the equality of people, the pursuit of happiness, the support of families, that's what would be ideal for our country. Also, I think it will make a big impact in our economy. The immigrants here make a huge contribution to our economy, just by their work. I hope and pray that we can find a way to have immigration reform for the good of our country. I have a lot of optimism and hope, and I think that it's going to happen."
Would you raise a child in downtown LA? Leaders are planning for it (poll)
Millennials have helped turn downtown LA from a work hub into a 24-hour community, but some city leaders see the area's future tied to a younger demographic: kids.
To lure parents, there are plans for more green space, attractions, and a new charter school. KPCC's Hayley Fox introduces us to one family who moved from the suburbs, and is raising a child in the heart of the city.
On The Lot: 2 Guns, Avatar sequels and more
Time for On The Lot, our weekly summary of news from the movie business with LA Times reporter Rebecca Keegan.
"2 Guns" starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg took the top spot in the box office this weekend, but the big story in movies wasn't the buddy cop movie. Hundreds of teenage girls started rioting at the Grove on Saturday after they couldn't get into the One Direction movie.
It was officially announced last Thursday that James Cameron will make not two, but three sequels to the 2009 box office hit "Avatar." Avatar 2 and 3 will build on the original story, while Avatar 4 will be a prequel to Avatar 1. The new films are set to be released from 2016-2018.
"Elysium," director Neil Blomkamp's second sci-fi film following "District 9," comes out in theaters on Thursday, and there seem to be some similarities between the Elysium and Halo worlds. Blomkamp worked on a Halo film that hasn't panned out yet.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs was chosen to head the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She's the first African-American president they've ever had.
MLB could slap A-Rod with a long suspension
Major League Baseball is expected to suspend Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez for the rest of this season and all next season, too.
If handed down, the rumored punishment would suspend Rodriguez for a total of 214 games. MLB has not released the official word on the suspension yet, but A-Rod is reportedly already planning to appeal the suspension.
The suspension is for his links to the now closed Biogensis clinic in the Miami area. Despite the looming suspension, Rodriguez is expected to be in the line-up tonight in Chicago when the Yankees play the White Sox.
For more, we spoke with Michael O'Keefe, investigative sports reporter for the New York Daily News.
Pentagon outlines new rules for military sexual assault cases
The Pentagon is set to roll out new rules on how it will handle sexual assault in the military, after the Defense Department was faced with multiple reports of sexual assaults on both male and female service members.
One of the changes would move cases up the ranks more quickly, but the new rules are already in a previously passed House bill. How will these new rules change the way the military handles sexual assault, and how do these changes compare to the House bill that already passed?
Darren Samuelsohn is a senior policy reporter for POLITICO. He joins the show with more.
CBS remains dark for Time Warner customers
Missed out on the latest "Dexter" episode or Tiger Woods winning another golf tournament? It'll get worse.
Tonight, "Undercover Boss "and "Hawaii Five-O" will remain dark on CBS unless the network can reach an agreement with Time Warner. Variety digital editor Todd Spangler joins Take Two with the latest.
Los Angeles ranked one of the top 10 unfriendliest cities in America
Do you love LA? If not, it turns out that you're not alone.
In Conde Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Survey, Los Angeles was ranked the 6th unfriendliest city in the U.S. Reason given by the magazine? Apparently the city is too big and too dirty:
Los Angeles may have the image of being all glitz and glamour, but our readers have also seen the 'dirty and crowded' side of Lalaland. One reader says 'It’s lost its charm for us,' while another voiced a common complaint for just about any megalopolis: 'Too busy and too many cars. Don't like it.'
Also in the top 10 were Oakland, Anaheim and Sacramento, and that's according to more than 46,000 well-traveled folks. Participants were asked to rate cities based on culture, friendliness, atmosphere, restaurants, shopping and lodging.
"A lot of it is just that LA is a city that a lot if people are not going to experience as a walking city," said John Newton, senior editor for service and surveys at Traveler. "I think that creates a distance, which is to L.A.'s disadvantage. We've talked about different ways to slice up L.A. and I think if we asked people how they feel about Santa Monica or Pasadena, we would get different results. It's really a city of 30 cities in a way. "
What gives? Why is L.A. thought of as such an unfriendly place?
Students bask in arts nirvana at state summer school
More than 20 years ago, California lawmakers started a program they hoped would help retain the state's up-and-coming creative talent. It's called the California State Summer School for the Arts, and its summer home is the 60-acre Cal Arts campus in Valencia.
For part four in our summer learning series, KPCC reporter Mary Plummer paid a visit to this year's crop of aspiring artists.
Drew Brees tip scandal sparks tipping etiquette questions (Poll)
To tip or not to tip? The unwritten rules of tipping can often be confusing and frustrating.
Last week, New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees left a $3 tip on a $74 takeout order. He called it in, went to pick it up and took it home. The receipt was posted on social media and now he's being accused of being cheap.
To help us unravel the mysteries of tipping in polite society, we welcome Emily Yoffe, also known as Dear Prudence, from Slate.
KPCC's online polls are not scientific surveys of local or national opinion. Rather, they are designed as a way for our audience members to engage with each other and share their views. Let us know what you think on our Facebook page, facebook.com/kpcc, or in the comments below.
US Postal Service considers lifting alcohol shipping ban
With the US Postal Service losing $15 billion each year, it's looking into everything it can to make up that deficit. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe has proposed one idea: make it legal for you to ship alcoholic beverages through the mail.
So the next time you visit Napa or tour your favorite craft brewer, you can skip the UPS or FedEx counter (where it is legal to ship alcohol) and ship your vinos through the post office, and maybe pay a lower rate.
While this sounds a lot more convenient, not everyone is keen on the idea.
“The people opposed to this are really those who are already shipping alcohol by mail,” says Nancy Pope, curator at the National Postal Museum at the Smithsonian.
There’s a lot of work involved in shipping alcohol, Pope says, as it is regulated by each individual state.
“So, if you have a company that’s doing all that work for you, then … they are the ones who are making the big bucks, and they are big bucks,” Pope says.
Shipping costs from California to D.C., for example, could cost anywhere from $19 to $80.
“And that’s before the packing materials,” Pope says. “So, the postal service would obviously be much cheaper than that. They would have a standardized rate, nationwide, which is what they do, and that’s cutting into a lot of people’s business.”
It’s estimated that, if the US Postal Service did allow alcohol to be shipped, the proposed plan could bring in about $50 million a year – a drop in the wine bottle with a reported multi-billion dollar loss.
Other ideas that have been thrown around include eliminating Saturday mail delivery, but Congress has since delayed those plans
Nuran Alteir contributed to this online article.
Art dealer returns Hopi sacred items after change of heart
An art dealer who bought two Hopi sacred items at a Paris auction last spring has decided to return them to the Northern Arizona tribe. The Hopi Tribe tried to stop the auction, arguing these items shouldn’t be seen much less sold. For the Fronteras Desk, Laurel Morales reports.
Monroe Warshaw is a photographer and an art dealer from New York who happened to be in Paris last April. When he heard about the Hopi auction, he decided to photograph it. Warshaw said he felt compelled to buy two of the 70 headdresses for sale paying about €26,000, or $34,000, for them.
"I think that I acted and did the right thing," Warshaw said. "I bought these things to preserve them to give them to a museum or institution that would care for them without knowing anything about the Hopi and also about something called NAGPRA."
That’s the Native American Graves and Protection Repatriation Act, which protects items such as these in the United States.
After the auction Warshaw spoke to reporters, expressing his views. He said he felt vilified by the media and has received a lot of hate mail in response to his comments and purchases. With some trepidation, he recently decided to go to the Hopi reservation, planning to give one headdress to the tribe and the other to a museum. But after attending a Hopi home dance, Warshaw had a change of heart.
"Despite them being ceremonial or religious, they’re extraordinary things and when you realize, you don’t own these," Warshaw said. "But if you would’ve seen what I saw you almost couldn’t. You couldn’t own it because it’s like you’ve ripped the heart of an animal out. These are living things and they should be there."
The Hopi call them friends or spirits. At least two other friends from the auction have been returned to the tribe. But Warshaw said another Paris auction of similar items is planned for the fall.