The latest research on L.A.'s middle class, a new investigation unveils a link between the drug trade and global terrorism, Cinespia showcases 'Die Hard.'
Where has LA's middle-class gone?
The middle class is falling behind, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center,
For more than four decades, this income bracket held a comfortable majority. But now, they're outnumbered by those who earn more and those who earn less.
Researchers say this could signal a tipping point.
To help us understand what that tipping point might be and what these findings mean for those of us living in Southern California, Take Two talks with Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics.
Reexamining the DEA's stance on narco-terrorism
The term "narco-terrorism" became part of the counterterrorism lexicon shortly after the September 11th attacks. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) quickly drew a link between terrorist networks like al-Qaeda and drug producers in South America. The DEA contended that terrorists were selling illicit substances to fund their operations.
This fear spawned large undercover investigations, culminating in a court ruling that expanded the powers of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Suddenly, any drug dealer suspected of working with terrorist organizations anywhere in the world could be spied on, arrested, and extradited to the US to stand trial.
The effectiveness of the program is hard to gauge, however. It's a policy that reporter Ginger Thompson explores in a recent article for The New Yorker. She followed three foreigners, who were at the center of one investigation, in a case that provides a revealing look at the controversial expansion.
Press the blue play button above to hear more
What the law replacing No Child Left Behind will mean for CA
The headlines wrote themselves yesterday: "No Child Left Behind" was left behind.
President Obama signed off on a bill to replace the unpopular federal education law on Thursday. The new plan is known as the "Every Student Succeeds Act" (or ESSA).
"No Child Left Behind" was signed into law by then President George W. Bush in 2002. It faced a fair amount of criticism, especially here in California.
Michael Kirst, president of the California State Board of Education, says the 2002 law set unrealistic targets for 2014.
"By 2014, all children had, in every school, to reach a proficiency level of a fairly high level or else that school was labeled by the federal government as not meeting annual yearly progress and failing," Kirst says. "So we had almost every in California with these schools and we had about 6,000 schools called failing."
ESSA is a compromise that will keep some of the elements of "No Child Left Behind," like required statewide reading and math tests, and fines for the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools.
But, Kirst says, ESSA also aims to give states "much more flexibility on identifying schools that aren't working well and on prescribing what they do when they intervene. So we can tailor the interventions to what California thinks we ought to be doing, and we can vary it by school much more specifically."
To hear the full interview with Michael Kirst, click the player above.
What happens to cities when low wage workers are priced out?
A new report from the real estate company Zillow finds commutes into San Francisco have gotten a lot longer for lower wage workers over the past few years. That's because they've been forced to move out of the city as rents have risen and wages have stagnated.
What happens to a community when lower wage workers can no longer afford to live there, like in parts of LA, where, as one-time presidential candidate Jimmy McMillan would say, the rent is too damn high.
A Martinez speaks with Jessie Handbury, Assistant Professor of Real Estate at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Brian Uhler, Senior Fiscal & policy Analyst with the Legislative Analyst's Office, about the impacts of high priced real estate.
UCLA project aims to curb violent extremism
According to a poll out this week from the New York Times and CBS, Americans are more fearful about the likelihood of another terrorist attack now than at any other time since the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001.
This Sunday at L.A. City Hall, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti will lead a rally against violence and extremism.
A similar mission is fueling a student initiative at UCLA called Safe Spot.
Those behind the program hope to use the Internet to undermine the recruiting tactics of extremist groups in Southern California.
For more on Safe Spot Take Two's Alex Cohen spoke with UCLA professor Barry Sanders and one of the students behind Safe Spot, Cody Hitchcock
Click on the blue button above to listen to the audio
Calif. students access mental health services; boosts economy
Investment in student mental health services in California is paying off, according to a new study from the RAND Corporation.
Since 2011, the California Mental Health Services Authority has targeted funding on student-centered programs, including suicide prevention and tackling depression.
The cash injection appears to be having a positive impact; the number of students accessing mental health services has increased by 10 percent in the last year.
Researchers also found an uptick in graduation rates among students seeking help, which, it's thought, could be good news for the future of the economy and wider society.
For more on the study, Take Two's A Martinez spoke with report author and RAND senior scientist, Bradley Stein.
Click on the blue button to listen to the full interview
Cinespia's holiday party celebrates with 'LA's Christmas movie,' 'Die Hard'
When it comes to movies with a Christmas theme, there are no lack of options. "It's a Wonderful Life," "A Christmas Story" and "Elf" have become classics.
But what if you like your cinema with a bit more of an edge?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxBXm7ZUTM
"Die Hard" will be playing Saturday at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles. It's Cinespia's Holiday Party, complete with holiday themed cocktails and DJ Gaslamp Killer. He joins host Alex Cohen along with Cinespia founder John Wyatt.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Stella Abrera came back from a devastating injury to make ballet history
It's not easy being a ballerina.
For the most part, the world of ballet is dominated by young, white women. They generally have short careers— often retiring before they reach age 30.
That's around the age that ballet dancer Stella Abrera feared her career in dance was coming to an end. After suffering a devastating injury, she had to learn the most basic steps all over again.
But now she's back, and making history too. At 37-years-old, Abrera became the first Filipino American to be promoted to principal dancer at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.
She's appearing now as Clara in a performance of "The Nutcracker" at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California.
Abrera joined Take Two for a conversation about how she came back from her injury and how she feels about making history.
To listen to the full interview with Stella Abrera, click the link above.