White House won't come after states that legalize pot; Why pandas in captivity are often 'reproductively incompetent'; Friday Flashback: Syria, immigration reform, Obamacare and more; Labor Day Travel: What to do if your flight is delayed; Zimmer calls for details on LAUSD's arts plan, plus much more.
White House won't come after states that legalize pot
In a major policy change, the White House announced yesterday that it will not interfere with states laws allowing for recreational marijuana use. That is, as long as those states do a good job regulating pot sales.
With more on what this means is Beau Kilmer. He's co-director of the Rand Drug Policy Research Center.
Lawmakers split on Syria, but not along party lines
UN inspectors there investigating last week's chemical weapons attack have been ordered out of Damascus in anticipation of possible US military strikes. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to speak about the broader situation in Syria from the State Department within the hour.
We'll bring that to you live as it happens.
Meanwhile, Congress has been decidedly split on how the U.S. should respond. As KPCC's Kitty Felde notes, that mixed response does not fall along party lines.
Zimmer calls for details on LAUSD's arts plan
Earlier this summer, Los Angeles Unified released a grand plan to revitalize arts education. The 44-page document calls for new teaching techniques and restoring millions of dollars in arts funding.
But KPCC's Mary Plummer finds there's one big thing missing in the plan.
Friday Flashback: Syria, immigration reform, Obamacare and more
Obamacare. Immigration. Tackling the deficit, and funding the government. All issues Congress faces as they return from their summer recess next week, and some of the stuff we'll talk about on our weekly news analysis, The Friday Flashback.
Joining us today from Washington, DC, Christina Bellantoni, political editor at PBS Newshour, and here with us at the Mohn Broadcast Center, James Rainey, political columnist for the Los Angeles Times.
Before we talk about the other issues facing Congress, it's starting to look more and more like the President is moving toward some sort of military strike against Syria. Earlier in the program we talked about how the issue of using force has split California lawmakers, and not really along party lines. Is that true for the Congress as a whole?
How are Californians, and maybe Americans in general, feeling about using military force against the Assad government?
The Brits have decided not to participate, but the French are ready to go. The French military has put down a coup in Mali, and they were a big factor in Libya. Maybe it would be smart to let them take the lead in Syria?
Meanwhile, back at home, all those issues facing Congress. Members had a nice long recess. What were some of the more memorable "What I did on my summer vacation" stories coming out of the Congressional delegation?
Let's tick through some of the issues Congress faces in the fall, starting with one we've talked a lot about - immigration reform. Dead? Clinging to some sort of marginal existence?
The House GOP seems determined to continue hammering away at Obamacare. It looks like they may try to make it an issue in two big upcoming debates: the budget and the debt ceiling. Even though they are pretty united against Obamacare, it seems like at least some Republicans are pretty wary of going to the wall over this, like letting the government shut down or default on its debt.
The Treasury has warned that the government will run out of money by the end of October is Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling. But House Speaker John Boehner was out talking tough this week. In a speech in Idaho, here's part of what he said:
"I wish I could tell you it was going to be pretty and polite, and it would all be finished a month before we'd ever get to the debt ceiling. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way"
The markets are already spooked by the prospect of another brush with default. Pretty much every time the GOP takes a hard line on this, they wind up bruised. Will anything be different this time around.
There was also the announcement this week that Wal-Mart would allow same-sex partners of employees to participate in company-sponsored health plans. I think you could say that was something of a surprise. What do you make of this?
We had the strike by fast food workers, who are pressing for a major increase in the minimum wage. What are the chances that Congress will increase it?
Yesterday the Washington Post published a series of stories, based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, about the so-called "black budget" that funds the governments spy operations. And the numbers are pretty staggering. More than $52 billion for 2013.
Labor Day Travel: What to do if your flight is delayed
The Labor Day weekend is upon us. According to AAA, more than 29 million of us will hop in our cars for roadtrips and about 2.5 million will head to the airport for a longer journey.
If you're one of those airport-bound people, listen up! Slate contributor Amy Webb is with us and she's got some tips for the flying public.
The Taste: Wolfsmouth and Starry Kitchen on the art of the pop-up restaurant
There are of course, plenty of reasons to stay in town this weekend. The LA Times is hosting its annual food and wine festival called The Taste.
There will be cooking demonstrations, wine tastings and discussions about the dining experience, including a chat about pop-up restaurants; those temporary eateries that pop up inside other restaurants, or sometimes even private homes.
For a preview of that chat, we're joined by Craig Thornton , the chef behind a wildly popular home dinner party popup known as Wolvesmouth. A cook so dedicated to his customers, he once created a 40-course menu to celebrate a diner's 40th birthday.
Also with us Nguyen Tran of the pop up Starry Kitchen, which started as an underground covert eatery in Tran's apartment. They've made a name for themselves serving up delicious asian fusion cuisine and once even served a nine course meal built around marijuana.
Yosemite still open to visitors despite Rim Fire
This Labor Day weekend you may be hitting the road, but one destination you might not be considering is Yosemite.
The Rim Fire is burning in part of the park, and the fire is now more than 30 percent contained. Full containment is not expected until September 20th.
Despite this though much of the park is open for business. Kari Cobb, park ranger and spokesperson for Yosemite, joins the show with an update on the status of the park.
We also speak with park ranger Maggie Dowd, for an update on the other side of the park, just beyond it in the Stanislaus National Forest, where the fire has hit the hardest.
3 top LA chefs help you get creative for your Labor Day BBQ
Plenty of Angelenos will be hovering over the grill on Monday, even with these ridiculous temperatures.
We thought it would be fun to talk with some L.A.-area chefs about what they like to make on a holiday Monday like this. Perhaps something other than the usual burgers and dogs.
Our first stop was Industriel at 6th and Grand in downtown L.A. Chef Antonio David Luna took us back-of-house to the kitchen for a grilled peach salad with parmesan cheese, arugula and an apple cider vinaigrette, and grilled hangar steak:
Grilled Peach Salad
2 peaches, halved
2 cups Arugula
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon olive oil
Balsamic reduction
- Brush peach halves with oil and place on grill until just seared, about 1 1/2 minutes per side.
- Remove from heat, let cool for several minutes, and slice.
- In a salad bowl, toss arugula with parmesan and apple cider vinaigrette.
- Place on plate and top with peach slices. Drizzle with balsamic reduction.
Grilled Hangar Steak
8 ounces hangar steak
Salt
Pepper
4 roma tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh Thyme
2 cups Pea tendrils
- Roast tomatoes and thyme in foil in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, set aside.
- Season steak with salt and pepper, place on hot grill, let cook on each side about 8 minutes.
- Let steak sit on place for several minutes after that. Carve into slices.
- Place tomatoes on top of steak.
- Place pea tendrils on hot grill for about 5-15 seconds, remove immediately and place on top of tomatoes and steak.
Next we headed to Chichen Itza restaurant in the Mercado La Paloma just south of downtown L.A. Chef-owner Gilberto Cetina taught us how to make a dish to help us cool down.
Gilberto Cetina's Yucatán Ceviche
2 pounds sole or red snapper (or other film, mild white fish, such as a grouper or halibut) cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/3 cup lime juice (about 4-6 limes)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 plum tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped (without stems)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 chile habanero, sliced (optional)
Lime wedges
- Marinate the fish in a nonreactive bowl on the lime juice , salt and pepper.
- Add tomatoes, onion, cilantro and olive oil. Toss.
- Add chile habanero, if desired.
- Serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips or saltine crackers. The ceviche also makes a good tostada.
- Tip: use a spoon to scrape the inside of the tomatoes to remove the seeds and pulp.
Our last stop was Bestia, in the arts district of downtown L.A. After sampling some house-made charcuterie, we sat down with chef-owner Ori Menashe to talk about his pick for barbecued ribs.
Ori Menashe's BBQ ribs
BBQ sauce:
4 cups Balsamic vinegar
1 cup Ketchup
3 tablespoons Tabasco
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 shallots, chopped
1 cup whiskey or rum
1 cup veal or chicken stock (optional)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon chili flakes
Reduce on medium heat until syrupy.
For the ribs:
- Salt and pepper 2-3 slabs of pork or beef ribs
- Place them on a roasting rack covered in aluminum foil at 325-350 degrees F, 2-3 hours for pork ribs/ 4-5 hours for beef ribs
- Remove from oven, cover in sauce and place on grill for 30 minutes
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon
Patagonia increases profit by reducing and reusing
Outdoor clothing company Patagonia has a reputation for reducing and reusing, but somehow, that's increased its profit margin recently. The Ventura-based company has been at the forefront of sustainable business for some time now, partnering with eBay to make it easy for customers to buy and sell used Patagonia wares.
It also link to that initiative on its web site, providing customers with a page to access used clothing and gear to buy or sell from others. On the advertising front, they've previously used Black Friday and Cyber Monday to tell customers "Don't Buy This Jacket", which ultimately failed in their favor.
Less than a year after their "Don't Buy This Jacket" ad, sales have actually gone UP by more than a third. Kyle Stock is an associate editor for Bloomberg Business Week who has covered Patagonia's successful campaign.
Chloe Chaidez of the LA band KITTEN on life as a teen rock star
This week, the L.A. band KITTEN released their newest EP, "Like A Stranger."
Like a number of indie artists these days, KITTEN's lead singer Chloe Chaidez has been greatly influenced by artists from the 1980s, but Chloe wasn't even alive then; she's just 18 years old.
Chaidez joins Take Two to talk about what life is like being a rock star at such a young age.
RELATED: Check out KITTEN at the Observatory in Santa Ana on Sept. 4, 2013