With airstrikes pounding targets in Iraq, we talk to Iraqis here and hear what they think about the situation. Later on, we discuss a film that chronicles the life of one of Charles Manson's followers. Then, we talk about how fish might help stop Alzheimer's, our roundup of Hollywood news and a lot more.
Political unrest, airstrikes rock Iraq
Iraqi President Fouad Massoum nominated a new candidate to replace Prime Minister Nuri al-Malaki, but the move has sparked a stand-off, as Maliki says he plans to remain in power.
In northern Iraq, Islamic militants still roam the country where they've been attacking several cities in an attempt to consolidate power. In response, the White House has launched airstrikes to support the Iraqi and Kurdish forces, but the US has stopped short of putting troops on the ground.
Douglas Ollivant, senior National Security Fellow at the New America Foundation, talked to Take Two on Monday about the situations brewing in Iraq.
Iraqi Americans keeping an eye on conflict
Years of conflict in Iraq has sent many Iraqis fleeing across borders, to other countries in the region, and to the US. Today, as the latest fighting continues, Iraqi Americans are watching the situation closely.
One of them is Yousef Baker, an Iraqi American who currently teaches international studies at California State University, Long Beach.
"In Iraq, people are very keen on having Iraq's national integrity remain intact, so the idea of splitting Iraq into three parts based on sectarian identities ... I think that idea is more popular amongst those in DC and experts appearing on 24-hour American news programs than on the streets of Iraq," Baker told Take Two on Monday. "There is a strong sense of national identity. That identity, unfortunately, is being chiseled away one crisis at a time."
That sense of identity still remains strong in Southern California, as Baker notes that the Southland's Iraqi population showcases some of the diversity in the Middle East.
"In California, a lot of our community members are very connected to what's going on in Iraq. Modesto, for example, has one of the largest populations of Assyrian Iraqis there. Modesto saw one of the earliest immigrations of Iraqis there," he said. "In San Diego, there's a large population of Chaldeans, which is another Christian sect of Iraqis, as well as many recent refugees from 1991 that are both Shia and Sunni. So, just in Southern California, we see the diversity that Iraq has."
Baker also still has his ears to the ground in Iraq through friends and family, but he told Take Two that what he hear's isn't always good.
"I'm in contact with some friends that I developed when I was there and family, and I think if I was to describe the emotions of what Iraqis are going through, I would say that's probably three words: Despair, disempowerment and struggle," he said.
Fear, shame prevent undocumented Asian immigrants from finding legal help
Immigration news has lately has focused on the unaccompanied minors crossing into the US illegally from Central America. However, of all the immigrants who have come here illegally, it turns out many are coming from Asia - about 1.3 million in all.
Some of these Asian immigrants say it's hard to be open about their status. And, as Southern California Public Radio's Josie Huang discovered, that's causing problems when it comes to seeking legal help.
Judge rules in against NCAA in O'Bannon antitrust case
A federal judge issued a ruling in the case involving former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon and the NCAA: The NCAA violated the law by not allowing college athletes to be compensated for the use of their names, images or likeness.
Gary Roberts, dean emeritus and professor of law at Indiana University, talked to Take Two Monday
NASCAR champ Tony Stewart hits, kills on-foot driver
Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart hit and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr., after Ward jumped out of his car to confront Stewart after spinning out of a dirt-track race.
No criminal charges have been filed, but the incident raises a lot of question about violence in motor racing and about Tony Stewart's future in the sport.
For more on this, we're talked to Viv Bernstein of the New York Times.
Wildfires damaging SETI efforts to find alien life
As the wildfires in California continue to burn, firefighters are working to protect homes, businesses, and an observatory that's dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial life.
This week, operations at the SETI Institute’s Allen Telescope Array were disrupted as flames came dangerously close and caused a power outage. A Martinez talked with Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer and Director of the Center for SETI Research, about how the fire impacted his work.
Study: Latino investors want to learn more about investing
When it comes to investing, Latinos have very different attitudes compared to the rest of the population. For example, most of them would rather keep their money in a savings account than to invest in bonds, stock or mutual funds.
Those were the findings of a Wells Fargo study that took a look at its Hispanic investors. The study also found that family has a big influence on Latinos' money decisions. This is something Delia Fernandez is well aware of as a financial planner and as president of Fernandez Financial Advisory in Los Alamitos. She talked to Take Two on Monday.
Groundwater regulation could be coming for California
As of now, California is the only western state which doesn't regulate the use of groundwater. But that could soon change. For more on this, Lester Snow of the California Water Foundation joined Take Two on Monday.
'Life After Manson' examines one follower's life, past and present
Forty five years ago this week, the Manson family brutally murdered seven people, including actress Sharon Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.
Among Charles Manson's followers was a 21-year-old woman named Patricia Krenwinkel.
Krenwinkel recently opened up about her motives for the crime and how she has learned to make peace with herself in a documentary called "Life After Manson." The film was directed by Olivia Klaus who joined host Alex Cohen to talk about it Monday.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
On meeting Patricia Krenwinkel while filming a women's support group years ago:
"When I first met her, I met her as 'Krennie.' I met her as a quiet woman who kind of stayed to the side of the support group, but when she spoke it was like these words of wisdom came out of her and everyone listened. It was a couple years into it when I started filming the group that another inmate told me her full name ... Once I heard the name, I knew who she was and I knew the crimes that she took part in. But that also led me down the path towards this story of seeing both sides. There was this 21-year-old who took part in the crimes the world will never forget, but then there's this 'Krennie,' who is this 66-year-old woman who is now the longest incarcerated woman in California, who is doing everything she can on a daily basis to make up for her past. She continues to be haunted by her past."
On whether she feels Krenwinkel has truly made peace with herself:
"I don't know if she'll ever really have peace. She can't believe she did what she did. She can't believe that she allowed herself to be guided by this man, and just throw her life away. She can't believe she got caught up in it and took innocent lives, and I think she'll never have peace. You see it all over her face, in every wrinkle in her face, that she's still tormented and haunted by what she has done."
On whether she believes Krenwinkel deserves parole:
"I think it comes down to, is this a society of punishment or rehabilitation? Do we believe in forgiveness or compassion, or do we believe in an eye for an eye? Patricia is a model inmate, I've known her for the past 12 years and I do not believe her to be a threat to society. But again, what she did is horrible. It seems the criteria that she has for parole is different than the other standards for other criminals who don't make the front page news."
On the Lot: 'Turtles' opens big, Buzzfeed's millions and Aquaman
It was turtle power at the box office, you won't believe what Buzzfeed is doing with 50 million dollars, and a director superhero comes to Aquaman's defense.
We'll get that fish tale and more from Rebecca Keegan, who writes about film for the Los Angeles Times and she joins us each week for On the Lot - our regular discussion of entertainment.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" managed to pull in $65 million domestically and opened at the top spot in most international markets. This came despite of a volley of mixed reviews, but what's likely helped is nostalgia: Many people, Keegan noted, grew up familiar with the Turtles at their pop culture apex in the 1990s, especially with the wildly popular cartoon show. Time well tell, however, if the success of the Turtles and "Guardians of the Galaxy" will be enough to shake what's been perceived as a weaker summer in terms of movies.
Buzzfeed announced its commitment of $50 million to video, more specifically the launch of Buzzfeed Motion Pictures. Everything from six-second short videos for social media to 22-minute television shows would fall under Buzzfeed's umbrella of production. There aren't any plans yet, however, for any full-length feature films.
Speaking of films, Amazon and Disney are currently locked in a dispute. Keegan reported that if you were to try to pre-order an upcoming Disney movie on DVD through Amazon (like "Maleficent") ... they couldn't. As it stands now, you can only get the digital version.
Finally, Aquaman. Zack Snyder, the director of the upcoming "Batman vs. Superman" movie, caught wind of a couple of radio personalities disparaging the sea superhero while filming in Detroit. He called into the program to mention Aquaman's qualities, such as his trident, which can actually cut the flesh of Superman. That's part of the canon, according to Snyder.
California lawmakers face water bond deadline
The clock is ticking away and hope dwindles for a water bond in thirsty California.
Sacramento lawmakers have until Monday night to revise or remove a $11 billion water bond, which is unpopular with voters, before it stays on the ballot for November, when it will likely fail. Melody Gutierrez has been covering this for the San Francisco Chronicle and she joins Take Two.
LA considers regulating 'party houses'
We've all heard it: the smashing music, the loud crowds, the roar of engines in the street. It's a house party on your block, on your street, maybe in your building.
Now, the city of LA is considering regulating some house parties -- or at least the properties that are rented out to promoters for parties, or so-called "party houses."
Details of the city council motion can be found here.
For more, we're joined by LA City Councilmember Paul Koretz, who has supported the measure.
Study: How eating fish can stave off Alzheimer's
A new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine suggests that eating fish once a week can decrease one's risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Cyrus Raji of UCLA was the lead author of the study and spoke with Take Two's A Martinez about his research.
Crimes, lack of enforcement haunting assisted living facilities
When families move a loved one into an assisted living facility, there's an expectation that if something goes wrong, there will be consequences. But according to California Report's Rachael Myrow, this is not always the case.
New LA Times CEO facing various challenges
Austin Beutner was named publisher and chief executive officer of the newspaper. This comes a week after the Tribune Company spun-off its publishing group, including the Times, into its own entity. Beutner has a long reputation as a civic leader in the city. For more on the challenges Beutner will face, we turn to Ken Doctor of the Newsonomics blog.
Why can mammograms cost so much?
Mammograms in the Los Angeles area come with large, varying price tags. However, as KPCC's Rebecca Plevin reports, those prices are just the portal into what medical professional call an "unusual industry."
Picture This: What a week's worth of garbage really looks like
For many, taking out the trash is a dreaded chore. It's smelly, it's wet and it's messy. You wouldn't dare to go through what's inside, let alone take it out and lay in a pile of your own trash.
But that's exactly what L.A.-based photographer Gregg Segal is doing in his new series called "7 Days of Garbage." In this edition of Picture This, we spoke with Segal, who has been documenting people's garbage footprints.
He joined Take Two on Monday to talk more about what prompted him to take on this project and what he hopes people take away from it.
Group turning state politics into theater
You might say California politics is a sort of Shakespearean drama: Power grabs, betrayal, fatally flawed leaders. All the classic elements are there.
Now the Cornerstone Theatre group in Los Angeles has re-imagined Shakespeare's The Tempest into a modern parable. It includes state politics, drought, earthquakes, overdevelopment, immigration policy.
Here's the California Report's Steven Cuevas for more.