Today on the show, we'll discuss the images coming out of Ferguson, Missouri, which some civil rights organizations say resemble those of the Civil Rights movement. Plus, the latest on the Ezell Ford shooting investigation, how police thwarted the plans of two South Pasadena High School students who planned to killed staff and students and more.
A civil rights icon shares his thoughts on Ferguson
The case of Michael Brown's shooting death has sparked racial tensions throughout Ferguson, Missouri.
Meanwhile, many images that the rest of the country sees -- black demonstrators squaring off with white police officers in riot gear -- are reminiscent of a time long ago: the Civil Rights Era.
Events like this show that, despite America coming far, there are places where things have not changed much for African-Americans.
Terrence Roberts knows this well.
In 1957, he was one of nine black students to enroll at the all-white Little Rock Central High School, dubbed the Little Rock Nine.
Even though Brown's own actions in the incident have come into question, Roberts says that just feeds into the national narrative on race.
"Young black men are criminals — Michael Brown met his death in part because of that way of thinking," says Roberts. "Can you imagine a police officer accosting non-black youth in the street and using the same approach? I don't think so."
For example, he cites a study conducted by UCLA that shows black children are seen as less innocent than white kids their same age.
"When children lose their innocence in the eyes of the law, they are more vulnerable than ever," says Roberts.
Terrence Roberts also says that the fight for civil rights didn't end back in the 1950s and 1960s when he was a child: It continues today.
"The narrative to date suggests that there was racism in our society — we used to be quite racist — but that is all gone and we should get on with the business as if that's true," he says. "Well, the movement in Ferguson alerts us, along with other movements, that it is not true."
President Obama addresses beheading of James Foley by Islamic militants in Iraq
Today, President Barack Obama addressed a room full of journalists to discuss the recent execution of US journalist James Foley, by Islamic militants in Iraq. Elias Groll from Foreign Policy joins the show to talk about the President's remarks and the US's continuously changing roll in the region.
Below is a transcript of the President's statement.
Good afternoon, everybody. Today, the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder of Jim Foley by the terrorist group, ISIL.
Jim was a journalist, a son, a brother, and a friend. He reported from difficult and dangerous places, bearing witness to the lives of people a world away. He was taken hostage nearly two years ago in Syria, and he was courageously reporting at the time on the conflict there.
Jim was taken from us in an act of violence that shocks the conscience of the entire world. He was 40 years old -- one of five siblings, the son of a mom and dad who worked tirelessly for his release. Earlier today, I spoke to the Foleys and told them that we are all heartbroken at their loss, and join them in honoring Jim and all that he did.
Jim Foley’s life stands in stark contrast to his killers. Let’s be clear about ISIL. They have rampaged across cities and villages -- killing innocent, unarmed civilians in cowardly acts of violence. They abduct women and children, and subject them to torture and rape and slavery. They have murdered Muslims -- both Sunni and Shia -- by the thousands. They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can for no other reason than they practice a different religion. They declared their ambition to commit genocide against an ancient people.
So ISIL speaks for no religion. Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents. No just God would stand for what they did yesterday, and for what they do every single day. ISIL has no ideology of any value to human beings. Their ideology is bankrupt. They may claim out of expediency that they are at war with the United States or the West, but the fact is they terrorize their neighbors and offer them nothing but an endless slavery to their empty vision, and the collapse of any definition of civilized behavior.
And people like this ultimately fail. They fail, because the future is won by those who build and not destroy and the world is shaped by people like Jim Foley, and the overwhelming majority of humanity who are appalled by those who killed him.
The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. We will be vigilant and we will be relentless. When people harm Americans, anywhere, we do what’s necessary to see that justice is done. And we act against ISIL, standing alongside others.
The people of Iraq, who with our support are taking the fight to ISIL, must continue coming together to expel these terrorists from their communities. The people of Syria, whose story Jim Foley told, do not deserve to live under the shadow of a tyrant or terrorists. They have our support in their pursuit of a future rooted in dignity.
From governments and peoples across the Middle East there has to be a common effort to extract this cancer, so that it does not spread. There has to be a clear rejection of these kind of nihilistic ideologies. One thing we can all agree on is that a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century.
Friends and allies around the world, we share a common security and a common set of values that are rooted in the opposite of what we saw yesterday. And we will continue to confront this hateful terrorism, and replace it with a sense of hope and civility. And that’s what Jim Foley stood for, a man who lived his work; who courageously told the stories of his fellow human beings; who was liked and loved by friends and family.
Today, the American people will all say a prayer for those who loved Jim. All of us feel the ache of his absence. All of us mourn his loss. We keep in our prayers those other Americans who are separated from their families. We will do everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.
May God bless and keep Jim’s memory, and may God bless the United States of America.
St. Louis police sergeant: Ferguson is 'a wake up call'
In the aftermath of the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown, a lot of anger has been directed at the police in Ferguson and at law enforcement everywhere.
Sergeant Darren Wilson, an 18-year veteran of the St. Louis Police Department and the President of the Ethical Society of Police, a largely black policeman's association, says that what's going on in Ferguson is a wake up call and that the events there are unfolding because of a lack of diversity and poor communication.
Residents demand answers from LAPD Chief Charlie Beck over Ezell Ford shooting
The case of Ezell Ford of South Los Angeles has been drawing comparison to Ferguson, Missouri. Ezell was shot last week in an officer-involved shooting. Relatives say he was mentally ill.
Several community members and activists believe it to be another case of excessive force, not unlike the killing of Michael Brown. About 200 people showed up at a community meeting in South L.A. last Tuesday night, where LAPD Chief Charlie Beck took questions about the incident. Southern California Public Radio's Frank Stoltze brings us the latest.
South Pasadena shooting plot: How students might be charged
Earlier this week, police stopped the plans of two South Pasadena High School students who were planning to carry out a school massacre. The two hadn't purchased any weapons, or hurt anyone, but when arrested, police say, the two admitted to planning to kill three staff members and as well as students.
The District Attorney is expected to file charges Wednesday, although it's not clear if they'll be charged as adults or minors.
Jojo Liu is the co-director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and joined Take Two to discuss some of the charges that might be brought against the two minors.
How Steve Ballmer turned a high school basketball team into a success
Steve Ballmer recently announced he's out of Microsoft. The former CEO resigned from his board position to tend to his new responsibilities as the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. It has been Ballmer's longtime dream to own a basketball team.
But this isn't the first time he has shaped a basketball program. Years ago, Ballmer exercised a heavy — sometimes questionable — involvement in this children's high school basketball team.
Mike Baker from the Seattle Times has been investigating how Ballmer turned the high school team from district losers to district champions.
Sports Roundup: The NFL's bad boy, Clippers new era and Little League World Series superstar
The NFL could be adopting a pay to play model and the Clippers new boss kicks off a loud new era.
That means it's time for sports with
, they cover sports for Take Two and ESPN.
The NFL and "Johnny Football"
The Cleveland Browns have chosen to start Brian Hoyer over Johnny Manziel as their QB. Manziel is the former Heisman Trophy winner and unapologetic hard partier who in the 3 months since being drafted has been late to practice, flipped the bird to an opposing team and has been photographed hitting parties from Vegas to Austin riding an inflatable swan ...
Can a quarterback in today's NFL party the way guys like Joe Namath famously did?
The Super Bowl halftime show
The NFL is the biggest sports show in America with the Super Bowl as the crown jewel of the whole thing. For some the Super Bowl halftime show is the best part of the game. Some of the acts under consideration for Super Bowl 49 are Rihanna, Katy Perry and Cold Play. According to the Wall Street Journal, the NFL has asked the artists to give a portion of their post-Super Bowl tour proceeds to the league OR make some other contribution to the league in exchange for being offered the gig.
The best story of the week - Mo'ne "Money" Davis is the newest Little League World Series star
13-year Mo'ne Davis made history last week when she became the 1st girl to throw a shutout in the Little League World Series.
This week she became the 1st Little Leaguer to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She is scheduled to pitch tonight BUT there is an urban legend of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx where seemingly those who appear experience bad luck afterwards.
The Clippers and their new owner
The Steve Ballmer era has begun for the Los Angeles Clippers, but he's already being criticized for making it all about him, and for being so loud.
Thousands of middle school dropouts go unnoticed in California
Thousands of middle schoolers never make it to high school in California. Middle school dropouts in L.A. Unified alone add up to more than 1,000. Sarah Butrymowicz, an education writer with The Hechinger Report, says these dropouts mostly go unnoticed and few schools are focusing on the problem.
Federal proposal seeks to expand Mexican gray wolf recovery zone
In the southwest, the endangered Mexican gray wolf is not thriving as well as its cousins to the north. To help boost their population, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to substantially expand the area where they can release new wolves into the wild. Mónica Ortiz Uribe from the Fronteras Desk reports some people who live in wolf country are strongly opposed.
Study: California allocates more surface water than it owns
California has given away rights to five times more surface water than the state actually has. How much water is that? Just about enough to fill Lake Tahoe 2 1/2 times.
That's according to a new study from University of California researchers that is the first comprehensive review of how much water the state has allocated, relative to the actual supply.
Ted Grantham, a USGS research biologist who led the study, offers recommendations for what needs to be done to fix California's broken water-rights allocation system.
At Lake Tahoe Summit, Governor Brown avoids the "debate" question
The annual Lake Tahoe Summit took place on Tuesday. It brought together politicians from both the right and left together to talk about the environment and the protection of Lake Tahoe. David Siders from the Sacramento Bee brings us the latest on some of the major concerns present at the summit, like preservation efforts at the lake, plus Governor Brown's desire not to talk to about the upcoming debate with Republican Rival Neel Kashkari.
Drought and hard freeze threaten California's olive production
The ongoing drought, coupled with a hard freeze last winter has been bad news for olive farming in the state. Olive production has dropped 45 percent this year, making life hard for olive growers like Rod Burkett.
He's a third generation olive grower and has been an olive grower for 25 years in Porterville, California. Burkett's crops were badly damaged by the hard freeze, leaving him without a crop this year.
Schizophrenia: What it's like to hear voices
Schizophrenia causes millions of Americans to hallucinate, hearing voices which seem to come from nowhere. Since the 1950s, doctors have prescribed strong anti-psychotic drugs to quell those voices.
But one local researcher suggests a controversial new theory, drawing from other cultures. The theory goes in some cases, those voices may be helpful. Reporter Amy Standen has the story