Bill Cosby is charged with sexual assault in a 2004 case, looking at what happened in immigration courts this year, the best holiday cocktails.
Bill Cosby set to be arraigned for 2004 sexual assault
After years of allegations regarding sexual assualt, entertainer Bill Crosby now faces a criminal charge.
Pennsylvania authorities announced early Wednesday they were charging the entertainer with a single count of aggravated indecent assault — a felony.
The charge stems from a woman's 2004 accusation that he drugged and abused her in his home.
Cosby was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Eriq Gardner, senior editor for The Hollywood Reporter, to breakdown the charges and what they mean for Cosby in the future.
A rare look inside San Quentin's death row
It’s been more than ten years since officials at San Quentin State Prison opened up their notorious death row for a media tour.
Yesterday, a small group of reporters were allowed a rare glimpse inside the facility, which now houses more than 700 condemned killers.
Scott Shafer, from member station KQED in San Francisco, was among one of those journalists.
"What has struck me in the past, when you're not at death row, is all these inmates walking around. There's a lot of freedom of movement," says Shafer. "Death row is very different. It's dark, it's cramped."
Shafer and other journalist also got the opportunity to speak to some of the inmates.
"The most extreme reaction I got was from Richard Allen Davis, the guy who murdered Polly Klass," says Shafer. "He was in his cell when I walked up and just said 'Hey, what's going on?' And he said 'Get the F out of here' at the top of his lungs."
Shafer also got a tour of the new $800,000 execution chamber, which has never been used. It's been almost more than a decade since California's last execution.
"It's unlikely that it will ever be used, but we'll have to wait and see on that."
Immigration courts complete more cases, but big backlog remains
For the first time in six years, the number of completed cases at the nation's busy immigration courts has risen, perhaps turning a corner on the long-standing backlog of cases.
That's according to federal data obtained by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, or TRAC, that finds that judges completed 198,105 cases in 2015, up 7.3 percent from the previous year.
The data also shows a continued shift in where migrants are coming from with Mexico dropping by nearly 10 percent while Central American countries – such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – taking a bigger share of the court's docket. Mexico still represents the largest number of cases overall.
Still, pending cases exceed 460,000 nationwide, which presents a big challenge for overwhelmed courts, said Emily Ryo law professor at the University of Southern California's Gould School of Law.
"There's been an enormous backlog of immigration cases that has been clogging up the system," said Ryo. That makes things hard for an immigration system that has long had fewer resources than federal district courts.
"Immigration judges handle 1,400 to 1,500 cases per year on average, with only about one law clerk spread out across four immigration judges," said Ryo.
That's put a big strain on judges and staff, who are charged with hearing often complex cases and determining who should be removed and who can stay.
"Since the summer of 2014, the immigration courts have received tens of thousands of cases involving unaccompanied children and families who crossed the southwest border," said LaFondra Lynch, regional public information officer at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, in a statement.
Many of those cases were put in a priority docket to speed up the process for juveniles.
"Most priority cases completed to date have been removal orders, and many of those removal orders have been issued in absentia," she said, using the term to describe when a person fails to show up in court before a judge. But, she added, a priority for the agency continues to be cases in which the person has been "convicted of serious crimes."
Recent numbers from US Customs and Border Protection also show a rise in apprehensions along the southern border, indicating that another surge may be ahead.
"The immigration issue will really play an important and prominent role in the upcoming election year," said Ryo, the law professor at USC.
The Executive Office of Immigration Review also called the past several years "a tremendous challenge" for the agency and sent Take Two this statement:
"The 2014 border surge put unprecedented pressures on EOIR, and our agency responded by updating its practices and policies, which streamlined and strengthened the immigration court system. EOIR is hiring immigration judges to increase the size of the immigration judge corps, thereby augmenting adjudicatory capacity and working to reduce the case backlog and wait times for those in proceedings."
Last month the EOIR announced the hiring of six assistant chief immigration judges, saying that the new judges would take on management roles and hear cases directly.
This story has been corrected to more accurately reflect a statement from the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which said that "a priority" for the agency continues to be immigration cases in which the person has been convicted of serious crimes. A previous version said it was "the" priority for the agency.
Sports Roundup: LeBron James, Dodgers and Yankees
In this week's Sports Roundup with
:
- In Cleveland on Monday, a grand jury decided not to charge a police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Activist and writer Tariq Toure created a Twitter hashtag #NoJusticeNoLeBron, calling for Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, a Cleveland-area native, to sit out games in response to the decision. James hasn't spoken specifically about the Tamir Rice shooting, but he has made statements in the past about the deaths of Eric Garner and Trayvon Martin. What would it mean if LeBron James actually missed games?
- The New York Yankees acquired Cincinnati Reds closer Ardolis Chapman. He's arguably the most dominant closer in baseball. The Dodgers had a deal for him that fell apart a while back, after allegations of domestic abuse popped up. But did the Dodgers win by losing out on this deal?
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
California could lose 58 million trees because of the drought
No doubt California's ongoing drought has taken a toll on the environment and yet it can be hard to discern just how serious that toll is.
A new report published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that 58 million trees might be in peril thanks to this long dry spell.
For more on this and what it means for the future of California Alex Cohen speaks to the the study's lead author Greg Asner, an ecologist at the Carnegie Institution at Stanford University.
To hear the entire conversation click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
The Styled Side's guide to fashion trends for 2016
It's out with the old and in with the new as 2016 approaches, especially in the fashion world.
Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily joins Take Two for what sizzled in the past year and what's on its way to flopping.
Big fashion names walked off the runway
It was a year of really big fashion exits, or even better, call it, "Fashion 2015: the Exodus."
The fashion world wept little polo horses as Ralph Lauren stepped down as CEO of his legendary brand after nearly 50 years.
Donna Karan exited her company in June and the Donna Karan collection has been halted for the time being.
Designer Raf Simons left Dior after only 3 years and, ironically, after the 2015 documentary, "Dior and I," which chronicled the making of his first haute couture line.
To top it all off, Alber Elbaz was pushed out of Lanvin after 14 years of reinvigorating the French house.
Some mall-favorites also stumbled in 2015
J. Crew, once the specialty retail darling that could do no wrong, took a big hit this year.
A glimmer of hope comes in the form of Somsack Sikhounmuong, the head of design of J. Crew's successful sister brand Madewell. He's been tasked with heading up J. Crew's women's business.
Banana Republic also struggled this year. Earlier, the brand appointed designer Marissa Webb to head up the creative team, but that lasted less than a year.
Collaborations and Guo Pei soared in 2015
Balmain for H&M caused mass fashion hysteria, and we were there for it on KPCC and covering the crazy.
For us Southern Californians, watch for Chinese designer Guo Pei who's making her big American splash by focusing on Orange County.
Guo caused a huge fashion commotion when Rihanna wore one of her creations to Met Ball, catapulting a relatively unknown Chinese fashion designer into stardom.
What to leave behind in 2015 and start wearing in 2016
Trends that should go away: if it had fringe, suede, looked like a bell bottom or poncho, people were clamoring over it. But Tyree has Post Traumatic Boho Disorder.
Also, festival wear is looking lackluster. Coachella/festival wear hit an apex of feather crowns, braids and fringe this year, but it's looking tired for 2016.
But among the things with the potential to hit it big in the coming year: culottes. Yes, men hate it but women dig it, so expect to see more of them this spring.
For men, well-tailored blazers, trousers and brogues will all be in style.
And in 2016, look for things in for subdued pinks and light blues. Why? Pantone, which sets color trends, declared the 2016 Color of the Year. Or colors: Rose Quartz and Serenity.
Spice up your holiday cocktails with some classic movie fun
When it comes to things to enjoy while watching a movie, we usually think about popcorn. But what about a cocktail?
There's a new book out that's intended for those who enjoy movies AND Mixology.... it's called "GONE WITH THE GIN: Cocktails with a Hollywood Twist."
Author Tim Federle joins host Alex Cohen.
These health care stories will be big in 2016
With 2016 just over the horizon we take a look at some of the health stories that will be making headlines next year. Southern California Public Radio's Rebecca Plevin joins A Martinez for her regular health news segment called "Impatient."
To hear the entire conversation click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
These new winter cocktails will keep you (very) warm this holiday season
Ringing in the New Year with family or friends?
Litty Mathew is the co-founder of the L.A.-based distillery, Greenbar. She and her husband developed two new drinks that are sure to impress at your next holiday gathering.
She stopped by the studio to whip up a few festive drinks for Alex Cohen.
Adventurous enough to try making one yourself? The recipes are below.
TRU-DOLPH
- 2 oz TRU organic lemon vodka
- 1 oz fresh lemon juice
- 1 oz freshly prepared cranberry sauce
- .5 oz simple syrup
Directions: Shake hard and strain into a martini glass. Garnish your glass with cranberry bits or lemon twists.
SLOW FREEZE
- 1 ½ oz Slow Hand Six Woods Whiskey
- 1 oz ginger liqueur
- ½ oz simple syrup
- ½ oz cream
- 4 dashes Bar Keep Chinese Bitters
Directions: Shake and serve on the rocks with a cinnamon stick