We discuss migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border today. A writer from Slate discussed depression in the wake of Robin Williams' suicide. Later, Andy and Brian Kamenetzky from ESPN discuss the latest sports news, and we also talk about ticks, the death of Lauren Bacall and a lot more.
South Texas ranch owners face dilemma in migration crisis
The surge of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has hit record numbers, including more than 60,000 unaccompanied children through July of this year.
That puts a burden not only on government shelters, immigration courts and law enforcement, but also on local residents, who are often the first to come into contact with migrants on the border.
That's the case in South Texas, where migrants make the journey across acres and acres of tough, desert hills and valleys, much of it private ranch land. That often puts local landowners in a tough spot.
Reporter Melissa del Bosque recently spent time in Brooks County, Texas. Her latest story from the Texas Monthly and the Guardian is out today.
Read Melissa del Bosque's report, "This is Our Home."
Tweeting in Latin: Social media and the Catholic church
This week, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is hosting a technology conference at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.
The conference is aimed at teaching those within the Catholic faith how to best use social media to bring people into the church.
Later this morning, the keynote address will be delivered by Paul Tighe. He's Secretary to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications of the Vatican, and he talked to Take Two.
For some with depression, Robin Williams' death resonates deeply
Robin Williams' death this week has spurred grief among millions who have enjoyed his comic genius over the decades. But for some suffering from depression, the tragedy resonates on a much deeper level.
Molly Pohlig is one of those individuals. She was first diagnosed with depression at the age of twelve, and she wrote a response to Williams's apparent suicide this week for Slate magazine titled, "When the Illness You Live With Becomes Breaking News." She joined Take Two on Wednesday to talk about it.
NRCC launches fake news sites against Democratic candidates
The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched several fake news sites targeting Democratic candidates running for Congress.
Among those targeted are several California candidates like Amanda Renteria, Scott Peters and Ami Bera. Joining Take Two to talk more about these sites and how to tell them apart is Shane Goldmacher, who has been writing about this for the National Journal.
Hidden Cash mastermind stopping after three months
As you may recall, a few months ago, we told you about an anonymous benefactor who was dropping envelopes of cash in San Francisco, causing quite a stir. The Twitter account
would reveal little clues about where money would be stashed. Crowds would soon follow, hoping to cash in.
After nearly three months, the man behind Hidden Cash says he's calling it quits. Veronica Rocha of the L.A. Times talked to Take Two about it.
Tick's bite can trigger red meat allergy
If a creature bites you, the best case scenario is that you end up with superpowers, like Spider-Man.
However, when people are bit by the Lone Star Tick, something different happens: They can develop an allergy to red meat.
These ticks are found throughout the southern and eastern parts of the country.
Thomas Platts-Mills, professor of allergy and immunology at the University of Virginia, first linked the insect to the allergy in 2011. He says that instances of people developing an allergy to red meat have been around years before that. However, Dr Platts-Mills says he's seeing more of these cases become common.
Platts-Mills joined Take Two Wednesday to explain more about how a bug bite is changing people's diets.
Sports Roundup: The new owner of the Clippers, the new head of the Major League Baseball and Drake versus the NBA
It's time for sports with
, who've covered sports for ESPN.
New Clippers owner
The $2 billion dollar sale of the Clippers to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is official. He can move his stuff into Donald Sterling's old office. What are fans saying about him?
Ballmer has made it clear he will not move the team to Seattle and that he's looking forward to spending more time in LA. But should he think about changing the team's name? It has such a connection to Donald Sterling. Why not start fresh with a new name?
Major League Baseball and the new commissioner
After 22 years, MLB commissioner Bud Selig is five months away from retiring. Tomorrow, MLB owners will vote on his successor. Regardless of who it turns out to be, what are the top two things that person should do right away for the sport of baseball?
Rapper Drake gets in hot water with the NBA
The next big free agent in basketball is Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hits the market in two years, when he's 27 years old -- right in his prime. Durant has led the league in scoring four out of the last five years and is the reigning MVP. Teams such as the Lakers are already getting ready to make a run at him two years from now, but the Toronto Raptors might have already started.
The rapper Drake is the Raptors official global ambassador for the team and last week, Durant was at Drake's show in Toronto. The rapper gave him a shout out and urged fans to show Durant what it would be like if he played for the Raptors. The NBA has fined the Raptors $25,000 for tampering. Was it worth it for Toronto?
Judge rules in favor of English language learners
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that California education officials are violating the constitutional rights of English learner students who are not getting specialized instruction in public schools.
KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has been covering this, and joined Take-Two to discuss it with us.
A new way to mete out discipline in schools?
Starting in September, teachers at some San Diego schools will be disciplining students in a whole new way.
The goal is to reverse the “zero tolerance” policies that many experts feel don't work in the first place .. and often end up targeting black and Latino students disproportionally.
The new pilot program is called “restorative justice” ... and the goal is to actually reduce the number of suspensions its already making the upcoming school year.
Host Alex Cohen talks with Richard Vernon Moore, Executive Director of Student Services for the San Diego Unified School District.
A handy guide to health plan choices
Covered California will start this fall offering health plans for next year. But, you can get a jump start on your shopping now, because insurance companies recently released their rates for next year's plans.
App Chat: Doctor on Demand gets major funding
We've talked about Doctor on Demand on the show before - and in short, it's a service that allows users to speak with doctors, via video chat, from their smart phones for $40 bucks. Well, that same service just got an infusion of $21 million dollar last week, which interested us here at Take Two in the business of online healthcare.
We were wondering whether the DOD model works well, and if it's destined to turn healthcare on its head, so we called up Mark Sullivan from Venturebeat. He got on the phone to chat with Alex Cohen about the topic.
California lawmakers close to finalizing water bond measure after extension
The Legislature is close to approving a water bond ballot measure that will appear in the November ballot. Initially, lawmakers had until Monday to wrap the measure up, but were given a two-day extension.
Take Two is joined by Melody Gutierrez, who has been reporting on this for the San Francisco Chronicle. She joins us from Sacramento.
Lawmakers pining for Tesla to bring battery factory to California
Sacramento lawmakers are trying to soften the state's landmark environmental regulations for Tesla. It's a bid to lure the electric car-maker to build it's massive battery factory in the state.
Alan Ohnsman covers the auto industry for Bloomberg News, and he talked to Take Two on Wednesday.
Remembering Lauren Bacall
Much has been said about actress Lauren Bacall since we learned of her death late yesterday: Her stunning beauty. Her storybook romance and marriage to Humphrey Bogart. Her tendency to tell it like it is and take no prisoners, in life, as in the movies.
Bacall went on to have a full professional life, making films with Bogart like "Key Largo" and "The Big Sleep." She also became active politically during the '50s, protesting the Hollywood Blacklist of suspected communists, and supporting progressive candidates.
When her film career faltered, she turned to the stage and conquered it, winning two Tony awards. She wrote a well-received autobiography, and she raised three children.
Her role as Slim in "To Have and To Have Not" created a lasting public image: Tough. Brassy. Confident. It was an image that was comfortable to her in some ways, and in others, not so much.
It's not so unusual for performers to be best remembered for their first hit. It's hard to think of Elvis without "Hound Dog," or to forget Tom Cruise in "Risky Business."
For Bacall, it was that little scene about whistling. One that was racy then, and still seems provocative, seventy years after she spoke the words...
Bacall died yesterday at her home in New York. She was 89.
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema coming to Los Angeles
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas got its start in the late '90s as a second run movie theater which made a name for itself for serving food and drink , including beer. Since then they've expanded to locations across the country.
Now, they are coming to Los Angeles. The Alamo Drafthouse's founder, Tim League, spoke to Take Two about the move.
Bettye LaVette covers James Brown at the Hollywood Bowl
Tonight at the Hollywood Bowl, the late James Brown will be remembered with a series of covers by artists like Aloe Blacc, D'Angelo and Take Two's guest, Bettye LaVette.
LaVette is a master at interpreting the work of other musicians, with one of her most recent albums Thankful N Thoughtful including covers of artists ranging from Tom Waits to Neil Young to Gnarls Barkley.
Tonight, LaVette performs the songs of James Brown at the Hollywood Bowl, but in her conversation with host Alex Cohen, she talks about how she was disgusted by Brown's behavior while on tour with him, how she became best friends with a woman who kicked in her door and pointed a gun at her, and what she thinks about covering other peoples' work.