Today on the show, we examine President Obama's remarks about the the violence that has erupted in Ferguson, Missouri. We'll also speak to a former U.S. Air Force pilot who lost faith in the system when police shot his son. Plus, Chinese hackers steal 4.5 million medical records from a Tennessee hospital chain, we weigh in on the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' and much more.
President Obama's role in Michael Brown case and Ferguson violence
Tensions in Ferguson, Missouri remain high as protesters continue to clash with police officers. On Monday President Obama addressed the unrest with the following statements:
"Well, I understand the passions and the anger that arise over the death of Michael Brown. Giving into that anger by looting or carrying guns and even attacking the police only deserves to raise tensions and stir chaos. It undermines, rather than advancing justice. Let me also be clear that our Constitutional rights to speak freely, to assemble and to report in the press must be vigilantly safeguarded, especially in moments like these. There's no excuse for excessive force by police or any action that denies people the right to protest peacefully"
Slate's Jamelle Bouie, frequent guest on Take Two, initially believed it was best that the President refrain from addressing the events in Ferguson and the details in the Michael Brown case. He later shared a Tweet saying that Obama was needed in Ferguson. He joins the show to explain what changed his mind and what the President's actions might signal.
After Michael Brown shooting, calls for outside review of police
The parents of 18-year-old Michael Brown spoke out Tuesday about the ongoing unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown was killed by a police officer on Aug. 9, setting off protests and a swift police response.
On The Today Show, Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, said "justice will bring peace" and his father, Michael Brown, said he maintained faith in the system, though he added that it hasn't worked so far. Both parents called for the officer who shot their son, Darren Wilson, to face charges.
But the calls raise a tough question when it comes to police shootings: Who should investigate? It is often the police itself or a local law enforcement agency that leads the initial probe.
But that may be changing, at least in some places.
Wisconsin passed a law this year that calls for an outside investigator to step in when a police shooting ends in a death. That law was spurred by the 2004 police shooting death of a 21-year-old man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The man's father, Michael Bell, led that effort. He says it was a long, uphill battle, and one that was funded partly by a wrongful death lawsuit settled six years after the shooting.
Read Bell's article in Politico Magazine: What I Did After Police Killed My Son
The argument for body cameras on police officers
Many details about what happened between the Ferguson Police Department and Michael Brown are still unknown. The same can be said for the death of Ezell Ford, an unarmed mentally-challenged man in South LA who was shot and killed by police last week.
In both cases, police officers say one thing while nearby witnesses say another. And in both cases, what could have filled in the blanks is a camera mounted to the officer. Around the country, more police departments are experimenting with body cameras that officers wear to document their encounters.
The LAPD is currently testing out two different body cam systems on officers in Skid Row until mid-September. They hope that by 2015 they'll have an official program in place, and have raised $1.3 million to make it happen.
Greg Meyer, retired captain with the Los Angeles Police Department and expert witness during the Rodney King civil trial on the use of recordings, argues that cameras can help police officers and civilians in the long run.
Chinese hackers steal medical records of 4.5 million patients
In the latest data breach, a group of Chinese hackers stole 4.5 million medical records from the Tennessee hospital chain, Community Health Systems. Some of the information includes social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers.
This might seem like every other data breach, but according to Bloomberg reporter Michael Riley, it’s unusual for the group to steal this type of records.
Why parents are opting out of the Vitamin K shot
Vitamin K shots have been given to newborn babies for decades. They're used as a preventative measure to avoid spontaneous internal bleeding.
But recently, more parents have been electing to skip this measure for their kids. KPCC's Rebecca Plevin looks at why parents are turning down the shot and why doctors are concerned.
Is the viral 'Ice Bucket Challenge' just 'slacktivism'?
The "ice bucket challenge" has gone viral, raising millions of dollars for organizations focused on ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Bill Gates has done it:
Jennifer Lopez too:
The basic premise? People make a choice: either give a hundred dollars to an ALS organization or pour a bucket of ice water over their heads. Afterwards, they challenge several others to do the same. Many choose both the ice bucket and the donation. Some call it one of the most brilliant charitable giving campaigns ever, others call it silly and narcissistic.
Marcia Stepanek, professor of New Media at New York University's Heyman Center for Philanthropy, says it's really nothing new. Social media "has always been about being able to look good, and to share that with family and friends... This media has allowed us to show off a little bit, but that certainly is not unlike what people who are donors in the philanthropy sector have been doing for generations."
What do you think of the ice bucket challenge? Let us know in comments. To hear this segment, click on "Listen Now" above.
Tuesday Reviewsday: Bárbara Padilla, Chayanne, Ethan Johns and Chłopcy Kontra Basia
- Associate Editor of Latin at Billboard Magazine and music critic
join
to talk about new releases from several different artists. Tune in every week for our regular new music segment Tuesday Reviewsday.
Justino Aguila
Artist: Chayanne
Album: "En Todo Estaré"
Songs: “Humanos a Marte,” "Tu Respiración"
Summary: Puerto Rican Latin pop singer Chayanne returns with a new album showcasing the crooner’s powerful voice, his iconic romantic musical style and a commanding illustration of vibrant music in “En Todo Estaré.”
The pop ballads, compositions and rich orchestrations on the new project prove why the singer, who began singing in the mid-‘80s in the boy band Los Chicos, continues having a thriving career with nearly two dozen albums to his name.
“Humanos Marte” is a vibrant song, uplifting in it’s fast-paced melodies that show off Chayanne’s impressive range. “Tu Respiración” also captures the essence of the entertainer’s pop appeal in romantic ballads that are also danceable.
The new album, also available in a deluxe edition, features 11 new songs and includes a variety of producers such as Estefano, Franco de Vita, Kany Garcia and Yandel—all well-known artists whose collaborations allow for the music to feel fresh as delivered by Chayanne’s smooth vocals.
Artist: Bárbara Padilla
Album: "Bárbara Padilla"
Songs: "Fuerte," "Algún Día Triunfarás"
Summary: Classically trained soprano Bárbara Padilla was ready to conquer the musical world with her music. Then she was diagnosed with Stage-4 cancer/Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
After recovering from chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant in the middle of finishing a graduate degree in music at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, her family encouraged the songstress to audition for “America’s Got Talent” in 2009. She impressed the judges and was picked to appear on the show.
The program allowed Padilla to perform in front of a national audience all the way to the finals. The opportunity opened the door to her debut self-titled album, which was recorded at the Capital Records studios in Los Angeles and the iconic Abbey Road studios backed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
The result is an album that beautifully showcases the Guadalajara-born singer’s ability to captivate in Spanish, English and Italian in music that highlights her mesmerizing voice—a voice that doctor’s at one point believed would be damaged with her cancer treatments. But she was unaffected.
Padilla’s debut album introduces the singer’s favorite arias, classical compositions and pop songs with a total of 10 tracks. Producers include Gregg Field and Jorge Calandrelli, who is also the arranger and conductor. The album was engineered, mixed and mastered by Al Schmitt, Mike Hatch, Paul Blakemore, Field and the late Phil Ramone.
Steve Hochman
Artist: Ethan Johns
Album: "The Reckoning"
Songs: “Dry Morning,” “Black Heart”
Summary: For a while now, Englishman Ethan Johns has been a go-to producer for Americana artists — Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon and Ray LaMontagne among them — and also some rather noted fellow Brits looking for some of that American edge. You may have heard of Paul McCartney (the strong “New”) and Tom Jones (his recent gospel and songwriter-oriented albums, both wonderful), to name a couple. Only recently, now in his 40s, has he started releasing his own music. And with his second album, The Reckoning, he really shows his English side.
Ironically, or maybe fittingly, this is accomplished by the formula being flipped, with the very American Adams producing him. Not that it’s all Jolly Olde or anything. But there’s a thread through the album, primarily in such solo acoustic performances as “Go Slow” and “The Roses and the Dead” — just Johns’ finger-picked guitar and somber voice — that strongly echoes a generation of English folk that emerged in the ‘60s and ‘70s, notably that of the late Bert Jansch.
The dark, understated beauty of those make a strong foundation for other approaches. “Dry Morning” opens up melodically, with the Section Quartet’s strings coming in to accent some brighter — though still muted — tones. That continues with “The Fool,” which almost sounds like a lost Harry Nilsson demo, which is a high compliment. Each variation, each added element is applied with a nuanced hand, moving away from the folky roots.
Until “Talking Talking Blues,” where an electric slide guitar brings a very different feel. A very American feel. Johns, of course, comes by this naturally. Not only has he lived in Los Angeles since the turn of this century, but his father Glyn Johns was at the heart of some of the most iconic examples of English musicians putting their own stamps on American blues. As a top producer and engineer he helped shape Led Zeppelin’s debut, the Rolling Stones’ live Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!, the Who’s Who’s Next and Eric Clapton’s Slowhand, as well as such American faves as Bob Dylan, Steve Miller and the Eagles.
That all plays even more dramatically into “Black Heart,” where the slide underscores a haunting tale before it all just explodes into shards of sounds — electric guitars, Adams pounding drums and guest Benmont Tench (of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) on Farfisa organ. This, of course, is what Zeppelin did with American folk and blues, but this is not a classic-rock rehash, but a new, personalized take on it, recreating the turbulent emotions that informed the music of the Appalachian hills once upon a time. Which, of course, was brought over in the first place from — yup — Jolly Olde.
Artist: Chłopcy Kontra Basia
Album: "Oj Tak"
Songs: “Oj Tak,” “Mam Ja Męża (I Have a Husband)”
Summary: First things first: The group’s name looks like Chłopcy Kontra Basia, but it’s pronounced Wh’opsee Kontra Basha. It’s Polish for “Boys Against Basia.” The album title, spelled Oj Tak, it pronounced more like Oy Talk, which means Oh yeah! Which was pretty much my reaction when I heard the album.
The boys are double bassist Marcin Nenko and percussionist Tomasz Waldowski. Basia is the singer, Basia Derlak. The against is the boys’ jazz roots and instincts vs. Basia’s deep connections to the village folk music of rural Poland and nearby Bulgaria. There’s not much more to it, for the most part — voice, bass and percussion, folk-derived melodies with a jazzy spirit, though it’s neither folk nor jazz, per se, though it does draw both a playful spirit and emotional depth shared by the two realms. And it all seems right at home in modern, art-heavy Krakow, where they are based.
The songs, all written by the band, have fairytale qualities, mixes of magic and death: an innocent girl betrayed by a spirit god in “Oj Tak,” a wife seeking relief from a forced marriage — perhaps by poisonous snake in “Mam Ja Męża (I Have a Husband),” spells cast both to stave off and call for the Grim Reaper, a fortune-telling cuckoo, a bear-sized man paired with a flea-sized woman… Of course, it’s all in Polish, so most of us won’t understand a word of it. But the music embodies the same elements with Basia’s nimble vocals darting around the snaky bass and skittery percussion, often in the tricky odd time signatures of the village dance music. Wh’opsee indeed. There is at times, as in the song “Lament (The Cry),” a sense of melancholy, also common territory to folk and jazz. But the default setting here is lively, playful, joyous.
As they say: Oj tak!
Work on California high-speed rail begins, challenges remain
Despite some roadblocks, California is moving forward with its $68 billion plan to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with a high-speed train.
Dan Richard, chair of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, says work on the first phase has begun, but some challenges remain.
Mystery cloaks powerful committees' final actions on bills
It's a hectic time at the state Capitol as the current two-year session of the legislature adjourns in about two weeks. Most of the work on bills happens behind closed doors, and in many cases, the bills are re-written out of public view.
Even those who are paid to know what's going on don't always know. Here's the California Report's John Myers.
Judge orders new segregation policies for mentally ill inmates
Prison inmates who repeatedly break the rules or turn violent are removed from the general population. They often go into special housing sections with multiple barriers separating them from others.
But, there's been a rash of attempted suicides, and some successful ones, so isolation is now being criticized and reconsidered. The California Report's Julie Small brings us this report.
Fresno considers ending health services for the undocumented
Fresno county says it can no longer afford to pay for the medical bills of undocumented immigrants in the county. The issue will likely be put to a vote Tuesday by county supervisors. The California Report's April Dembosky discovered it's a heated debate.
Proposed New York tax incentive to benefit women, minority screenwriters
A team of New York-based writers is calling on the state legislature to pass a new tax incentive to hire local scribes. While television production in New York has been thriving lately, the boom in production hasn't done much to benefit local writers, who say much of the work is going to Los Angeles-based scribes.
Tom Fontana has been involved in the effort to pass the tax incentive. His writing credits include Oz, Homicide: Life on the Streets and St Elsewhere. He says that while he hasn't suffered like many others, this law will benefit women and minority scribes, not "rich, old farts" like him.
Convergences: New Getty exhibit highlights links between disparate works
Convergences are those seemingly random, but definable links between people, things and events. These strange connections are also the subject of a new photography exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Museum in West Los Angeles.
The show groups together contemporary and historical photos from the museum's permanent collection in order to highlight the unlikely — but uncanny — connection between them.
KPCC's John Horn recently spoke with Getty Curator Virginia Heckert about the Convergences exhibition.