Today on the show, we start with a discussion about the multiple investigations looking into Michael Brown's death. We’ll take a look at the influx of unaccompanied minors in school, the surge of early jail releases due to the state's prison realignment, using fish to prevent the spread of mosquitos and much more.
Why are there multiple investigations into the Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown?
The attorney for the family of Michael Brown, the Ferguson, Missouri teen killed by a white police officer on Aug. 9, said today that an independent autopsy showed he was shot multiple times.
The results come from just one of three separate autopsies that are taking place as part of investigations into the incident, which has sparked ongoing protests outside St. Louis and a strong debate nationwide over the use of deadly force.
The U.S. Justice Department says it will conduct its own autopsy as part of a federal probe into Brown's death.
So when does the federal government step into local cases like these?
S. David Mitchell, associate professor of law at the University of Missouri Law School, says that the feds often step in when it appears the public has lost faith in local authorities to conduct an investigation properly and that, sometimes, multiple investigations can be at odds.
On The Lot: 'Expendables' are expendable, Lassie finds her way home and more
In "On The Lot"
joins Alex Cohen to talk about the latest in Hollywood news.
"The Expendables 3" did terribly this weekend, even though it has one of the biggest movie casts ever. It only made $15.9 million, but it cost around $100 million to make. As a reference - "The Expendables 2" took in $28 million on opening weekend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xD0junWlFc
Lassie could be on her way home - according to a recent article in the New York Times.
And Steven Zeitchick draws a parallel between the early deaths of James Gandolfini, Robin Williams and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
British indie-pop Arctic Monkeys set up in LA's Hollywood Hills
It began more than ten years ago when Alex Turner was just 17-years-old, when he and a bunch of his high school friends were playing their instruments at home. Then, they got their first gig at The Grapes, a pub in Sheffield, England.
"I could honestly say getting to the end of that first show was as far as like the ambition went at that stage," Alex Turner, the band's lead singer, says.
Acne on their faces, shy and sort of dorky-looking teens, they stepped up to play and took England by surprise.
"I think that was the first time that I’d ever been on a stage and something did change at that time, and it was like actually this is what I'm going to do, what I'd like to do."
And they became one of the most successful musical acts in the UK - with one of the fastest-selling albums in the country’s history. But, while there’s a decent chance that you’ve heard their name, you might not be very familiar with their work.
They exploded onto the scene here in the U.S., but after their debut, few of their songs caught on. Slowly over the past 10 years, they’ve been chipping away, building an audience - and now it’s at the point where people camp out overnight in downtown Los Angeles, just to get good spots in general admission.
Anna Marie Marin has been standing outside Staples Center since 7:30 the night before the show. "I wanted to be first,” she says.
But she wasn't the first.
“Unfortunately you take a bathroom break, you step out and people just crowd in front of the line,” she said.
Fans were lined up around the building to hear songs off the band's latest album - "AM."
With this album, the band has finally broken into the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart, and that’s why Alex Turner is sitting back stage in a closet sized room, waiting to play to 18,000 screaming fans.
He’s a bit different now than when he started down this path. The acne’s gone. The dorky look’s been replaced by slicked back hair. He’s got a leather jacket on and a cigarette in his mouth, and now he’s living in L.A.
“The first time I came here it totally freaked me out," says Turner. "I just remember getting out of the car from the airport on Sunset —right in the shit — and feeling like you're right in this movie or something and being, like, perturbed by my surroundings."
He said that moving here was a natural transition for a band too big for their home country — and that while they played all of the biggest venues there, here, they still have to compete for space.
“We were playing theaters and smaller places again and it was like that thing of having something to prove," says Turner.
The band's been recording records in L.A. for a while. But it was only after their last album, "Suck it and See," that they decided to set up shop in the Hollywood Hills.
“There's the thing, that age-old idea that you're a lot more sort of anonymous in a town like this," Turner says.
Who knows how much longer that anonymity’s going to last.
“Their audience has grown to heights that I don’t think even they expected in the U.S. with this last album," says Molly Bergen, a contributing music writer at "L.A. Weekly." "But I think that this is really their moment to shine. And playing at Staples is a really big monument to their success."
“Alex Turner’s one of the best songwriters in music," Bergen says. "He’s got that right combination of just dangerous enough for girls to turn their heads and just safe enough for their parents to let them go to his show.”
We’ll have wait and see if listeners in their adoptive country start to like them as much as they do back in Sheffield.
Protests in Ferguson highlight racial disparity
News regarding the death of 18-year-0ld Michael Brown have been flooding out of Ferguson, Missouri. Among those news is the racial disparity that exists in the town. Two-thirds of the town's population is African American and yet, it's police force is predominantly white.
To take a closer look at the police's relationship with the community, Take Two is joined by Merrick Bobb, founding director of the Police Assessment Resource Center, an organization dedicated to increasing police oversight.
NRCC explains digital strategy behind sites targeting Democratic candidates
Last week, we spoke to National Journal Reporter Shane Goldmacher, who had written about some websites sponsored by the National Republican Congressional Committee that look like news sources, but aren't.
The group drew some criticism for these sites that Goldmacher and others in the media labeled "Fake News Sites." The NRCC wanted to share their reason behind these sites. Take Two is joined by Daniel Scarpinato, NRCC press secretary, to explain its overall digital strategy.
Las Vegas attracts politicians looking to raise money for campaigns
Las Vegas is attracting politicians of all stripes who are looking to raise money for their respective parties. The appeal of campaign possibilities and industry gatherings has made this city the go-to destination for candidates like Hillary Clinton and John Boehner.
Chief investigative reporter at Politico, Ken Vogel has been in Las Vegas witnessing the action and recently wrote about this.
Navajo community's smoking ban has some casinos worried
This year, dozens of communities on the Navajo Nation passed local clean air resolutions. They ban tobacco use in both government buildings and work places.
However, there's concern about how these policies could affect tribal businesses like casinos where smoking is not only legal, but very popular. KJZZ's Carrie Jung bring us more on this.
Police response in Ferguson highlights militarization of local law enforcement
Protesters continue to take to the streets in Ferguson, Missouri after the shooting death of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer more than a week ago.
Immediately following Brown's death, local law enforcement responded to protesters with a strong show of force, including military-grade weapons and armed vehicles.
But after much criticism and some striking images of protesters met by heavily-armed police, Ferguson's police department adjusted its approach in an attempt to ease the tensions in town. Still, the situation drew attention to the militarization of local police departments all over the country.
G.W. Schulz has written about this for the Center for Investigative Reporting. He says police departments began to use heavier grade equipment and weapons in the late 1990s, but ramped up use after the events of 9-11.
Child migrant crisis prompts some to open their homes
The recent wave of Central American families and children coming across the U.S. border has prompted outrage for some citizens of Arizona, but not everyone has reacted that way.
Some have volunteered to help migrants at bus stations or donate clothes, and a few are even opening up their homes. From the Fronteras Desk in Phoenix, Jude Joffe-Block reports.
How will schools handle the influx of unaccompanied minors?
With the school year in full swing, there still remains the question of how schools will handle the influx of unaccompanied minors who immigrated to the U.S. recently. Under federal law, all children are entitled to a free public education no matter their immigration status.
Joining Take Two to talk more about how schools are handling this is National Education Association president Lily Eskelsen Garcia.
Early jail releases surge in California as response to overcrowding
Thousands of prisoners are let out early each month in California as part of an effort to shift low-level offenders from state prisons to local jails, and to release the least dangerous offenders to make more room for more serious criminals. A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that the policy has had some unintended consequences.
LA Times reporter Paige St. John talked with Take Two about the investigation.
California prisons begin use-of-force reforms for mentally ill inmates
The treatment of mentally ill inmates in California prisons has been a prominent issue in past years. Last year a federal judge ruled that the state must change the way it handles those inmates, calling the former use of force "horrific."
A new reform plan establishes limits on when and how correctional officers can physically force uncooperative inmates to leave their cells or comply with orders. The California Report's Julie Small has more.
Orange County to use warrants and fish to control West Nile Virus
There have been 57 human cases of West Nile Virus in California this year, four of which have been fatal. The West Nile infection is caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitos.
In an effort to try to stop the its spread, officials in Orange County are trying out a new method, placing fish into neglected pools. To explain how this works, Take Two is joined by Robert Cummings, director of scientific technical services at O.C. Vector Control.
'A Band called Death,' playing punk rock before there was punk rock
Before punk was a thing - there was Death. We're not talking about actual death, but a band called Death. Bobby, Dennis and David Hackney, three brothers from Detroit, created a unique and unusual sound.
They suffered setbacks and tragedy, but now the band is going through a resurgence. Much of the credit can go to the he award-winning documentary, "A Band Called Death," that told their story. It was directed by Mark Covino and Jeff Howlett. Here's the trailer for the film:
In 2000, David Hackney passed away, but because of the documentary and a lot of renewed interest in the band, they reformed with guitarist Bobby Duncan. They stopped by the studio recently and talked to A Martinez.