Nearly 200 countries signed on to a deal to cut emissions worldwide, plus why Millennials don't vote, and a new kid's books explains how the Golden Gate Bridge got it's color.
Paris Climate Deal: Behind-the-scenes on how it came together
The climate accord reached in Paris aims to avert the worst consequences of climate change in coming years by holding countries to emission cuts and heading off what scientists say could be catastrophic global warming.
The deal, signed by nearly 200 nations in talks that spilled over into the weekend, relies on emission targets to hold increasing global temperature "to well below 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels" and seeks regular updates to ensure countries hit their goals.
"For the first time we have a structure where every country is really pledging to reduce its emissions," said Cara Horowitz, co-director of UCLA's Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, who was in Paris during the latest UN-backed talks.
Still, she said, it will take time to assess the full impact of the deal, which still needs to be officially adopted by countries and outlines target cuts starting in 2020.
"In two or three years, we'll have a sense of whether it's true that this agreement sent a signal – not just to countries, but to cities, to states and even to some of the world's institutional investors – that the world is ready to move beyond fossil fuels," she said.
The agreement was reached in the final month of 2015, the hottest year in recorded history. It also comes at a time when scientists say glaciers in some areas are melting faster than anticipated.
What's in the Paris climate change accord for California?
With California's nearly 40 million people and influential technology hub in Silicon Valley, it could be poised to be a key player in terms of mitigating climate change. Over the weekend, nearly 200 nations came away from the latest UN-backed climate talks with an accord that aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and encourage a transition to more renewable energy sources for both rich and developing nations.
"The rest of the world does look to California as a model," said Sean Hecht, co-director at UCLA's Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. "California, unlike the United States, really does have a binding commitment to reducing emissions, under its landmark law AB32...We also have a set of policies that get us beyond that, and ultimately, we have an aspirational goal to get to 80 percent below our baseline emission levels by the middle of the 21st Century, which is very consistent with the aspirational goals that have been set in Paris."
That could all mean big things for California in the coming years, especially in the area of energy and transportation, said Hecht.
California's largest desalination plant opens near San Diego
Today marks the grand opening of the first major desalination facility to be built in California in recent years. The plant is also largest in the Western Hemisphere.
It's called the Carlsbad project near San Diego. The extended dry spell has led some to the idea of desalination - the process of making sea water potable - as a potential solution.
We're joined by Dale Kasler, who's been reporting on it for the Sacramento Bee.
On the Lot: Ron Howard stumbles, Star Wars insider premiere, diversity tipping point.
Director Ron Howard has had a string of hits, including Cocoon, Apollo 13 and the Di Vinci Code. But his latest film, In the Heart of the Sea, opened to tepid box office this weekend. It's just the latest disappointment for Warner Bros., and the LA Times' Rebecca Keegan breaks down what happened.
Rebecca is among the 5000 or so Hollywood insiders who will be attending a mega-preview screening of the new Star Wars film tonight. It's the first time anyone can remember a studio leasing out three major theaters in Hollywood for a simultaneous preview.
And, on a topic we've touched on again and again, Keegan looks back at the year as a milestone in diversity, pointing to gains by women and people of color in the distinctly monochrome film industry. But, she says, it remains to be seen whether executives have finally realized that diversity is more than just a noble goal, but in fact, makes good business sense.
The people behind the ‘invisible primary’
Another Republican Presidential debate rolls around tomorrow. CNN will air the event live from Las Vegas -- a fitting backdrop for a race that's been far from predictable.
While the Democrats are focused on two key candidates, there's a broad range of Republican contenders. At the top, three candidates who have branded themselves as "outsiders." Each has enthusiastic supporters, but none of the three can be said to have broad appeal. And that has some in the Grand Old Party worried.
Traditionally, party insiders have played a key role in determining who ends up as the nominee. They're part of a process known as the "invisible primary." But this election season has been an outlier; party elites have remained relatively silent thus far.
John Sides is a professor of political science at George Washington University. He explained the role of the little-known assemblage.
“It’s invisible -- for the most part -- because it reflects conversations and interactions that we can’t see,” Sides says. “At times you can see more visible manifestations of it in the endorsements that candidates get from party leaders, but it also involves lots of non-elected people. People who may be wealthy donors, people who may lead important interest groups.”
For example, he says, Democratic candidates often seek favor from labor groups. Republican candidates tend to benefit from evangelical endorsements. Backing from the right powers can greatly improve a candidate’s chances of receiving enough votes to win their party's nomination during the primary elections.
As far as campaigns go, Sides says support for Democrat Hillary Clinton has been “textbook.” Not so on the Republican side, however. Why have relatively few politicians, donors and interest groups publically backed one GOP candidate? Sides says it’s possible that party elites may doubt that leading candidates Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson have enough appeal to actually win a general election.
“Each of these candidates has a couple of things in common that concerns some people within the Republican Party,” Sides says. “I think Republicans are hearing a lot of commentaries and seeing a lot of data that suggests there may be some challenges for the Republican Party in a national, presidential electorate as the country becomes less white, less-Christian over time.”
Sides says some people in the party may be waiting for a candidate that can speak to newer constituencies to stand out. Marco Rubio, for example.
Sides says that, in the past, when an undesirable candidate has taken the lead, parties resort to a series of tactics aimed at slowing their momentum.
Press the blue play button above to hear about the tactics a party may use.
Fatal Lynwood shooting is latest to raise questions about police use of force
Last night, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released photos, surveillance video, and 911 calls related to the fatal police shooting of 28-year-old Nicholas Robertson.
Officials said that sheriff's deputies were responding to calls of a man with a gun, shooting into the air, and entering at least one business around 11am on Saturday.
A 30 second cell phone video that went viral after the shooting appeared to show that Robertson was walking away from deputies when they opened fire.
The longer surveillance video released by the Sheriff's Department yesterday seemed to show Robertson turning toward the officers with a gun, as he walked toward a gas station.
David A. Klinger, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, joined Take Two to talk about this latest case to spark debate about police use of force.
To hear the full interview, click the link above.
Does your workplace have an active shooter emergency plan?
Some schools in California prepare for the emergency of an active shooter on campus by developing a safety plan, sometimes even running students through a drill.
But does your workplace have a plan, too?
According to an FBI study of active shooter incidents between the years 2000 and 2013 - 70 percent happened at schools or businesses.
Jay Hart of the Force Training Institute says more employers are coming to him to craft an active shooter plan that's on par with their fire and earthquake emergency policies.
He joins Take Two with more of what those policies look like.
Face and eye scanning now at the US–Mexico border
The last time any group crunched the numbers, around 40 to 45 percent of those living in the U.S. illegally overstayed their visas.
That was according to the Pew Research Center back in 2006 but most policy makers accept that number as being pretty consistent and continue to cite it today.
As a result, the Department of Homeland Security is trying to tackle the issue with one of its most ambitious efforts to date.
Starting this week, it will begin taking scans of the faces and eyes of all foreigners entering the U.S. on foot at San Diego's Otay Mesa.
If it's successful, the program will be rolled out across the almost 2,000 mile stretch of the U.S.–Mexico border.
Marc Rosenblum, deputy director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, joins Take Two to explain how it works.
Why is the Golden Gate Bridge orange? A kid's book explains
Kids ask all sorts of good questions about the world surrounding them: Why is the sky blue? Why is the earth round?
Unless your family lives in Northern California, your child may not ask, "Why is the Golden Gate Bridge orange?" But it's a really good question.
The fascinating answer is beautifully explained in a new book for kids, written by Dave Eggers and brought to life with paper cut-outs by artist Tucker Nichols, called "This Bridge Will Not Be Gray."
Part of the answer to why the Golden Gate Bridge turned out the way it did, Tucker Nichols explains, can be explained by happenstance. But it's also something more than that.
"There is something really at the heart of it about boldness," Nichols says. "It's not just serendipity. It's really saying, 'We've just built this thing, people have died making it, no one said it could be done, here it is. If we're going to make it this big, if we're going to make it this great, let's go for it. Make it bold, make it memorable to everyone in the world.'"
To hear the full interview with Tucker Nichols, click the link above.