What President Trump's Supreme Court pick could mean for California, how a L.A. councilwoman plans to cut sex trafficking, fashion, function and medical necessity.
3 ways Trump's SCOTUS pick could impact California
With Neil Gorsuch tapped by President Donald Trump to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Senate Democrats are now considering whether to block the pick.
Shortly after Trump's announcement Tuesday, for instance, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said he would “do everything in my power to stand up against this assault on the Court.”
Still, it's not yet clear how far the Democrats will go to oppose the nomination, and by many accounts, it could prove difficult to attack Gorsuch on his record: he has a reputation as a thoughtful and intellectually sharp conservative.
If confirmed, he'll join a court that will make some key decisions in the coming months that could have direct implications for California.
Here are three cases that could affect California and how Gorsuch could change the outcome:
1. Unions: Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association
"This has to do with the power of public employee unions to access dues for people, whether or not they support being part of that union," says KQED's Scott Shafer. "This is a case that made its way up to the Supreme Court last year and the lower courts had ruled for the union. It came up to the Supreme Court, and it was a 4-4 deadlock without Scalia being there."
Shafer says the union dodged a bullet.
"If their ability to access dues had been taken away, as it probably would have been if Antonin Scalia had been there, it would have been a serious blow to their viability, which is exactly what conservatives have been aiming for for some time," Shafer says.
With Gorsuch in the Supreme Court, employees will likely be allowed to "free ride" on the backs of union members, says Adam Winkler, professor of constitutional law at UCLA.
"All employees benefit from the deals the union cuts for better wages, better benefits, but if Gorsuch votes, not all employees will pay their fair share for costs of collective bargaining," Winkler says. "Unions will have an increasingly difficult time raising the money necessary to pay for the negotiations that give employees those benefits."
2. Guns: Peruta v. California
The case of Peruta v. California was filed by five gun owners in San Diego against the San Diego Sheriff's Department, which denied them concealed carry permits.
"In many cases, counties just require that you want to use it for self-defense. The San Diego Sheriff has a higher standard," Shafer says. "It's a fundamental case about the second amendment. In a previous decision that Scalia wrote — the Heller Decision — he said that the right to bear arms is not unlimited. So the question is what are those limits and is the San Diego policy within those limits."
Winkler predicts the impact of a vote for the gun owners:
"Gorsuch would likely be a strong vote in favor of a right to carry a gun in public," Winkler says. "If so, and that vote sways the Supreme Court, then it could mean that places like Los Angeles, where today only a few hundred civilians have a right to carry a gun in public, it would mean that maybe several hundred thousand Los Angeles residents would be able to carry guns in public."
3. Pensions: CalPERS v. ANZ Securities
California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) bought stocks and bonds from the (now defunct) investment bank Lehman Brothers shortly before the housing market collapsed. The firm declared bankruptcy. Since then, they've been trying to recover about $200 million in lost funds.
"Originally, CalPERS was part of a class action lawsuit. They dropped out and decided to go it alone, rather than sharing in a settlement with others," Shafer says. "A federal court in New York said 'Sorry, time's up. You missed the deadline. You can't really go it alone.'"
But CalPERS, taking advantage of a four-decade-old extension put in place by the Supreme Court, will have their case heard again.
"CalPERS is a $300 billion fund," Shafer adds. "It probably isn't going to make or break the fund, but I'm sure they'd like to get that money back."
To listen to the interview, click on the blue media player above.
Sports Roundup: how will the sports world be affected by the travel ban?
President Trump's travel ban bars entry into the U.S. from seven countries. Since he signed it Friday night we've seen and heard how emotional the reaction has been.
When it came down, a lot of us who are sports geeks began to wonder about athletes and how they might be affected. And they have been.
Here's a for instance: Americans J.P. Prince and Joseph Jones are a couple of pro basketball players in Iran. They've been denied re-entry to the country in retaliation and they're now stranded in Dubai.
There are other examples, and lots of questions, for more A Martinez was joined by sports brothers, Andy and Brian Kamenetzky.
Interview Highlights
Brian, you were at the Lakers game last night. You heard from Luol Deng and what he thinks about everything that's going down.
"He sent out a tweet, I believe it was yesterday, that had a statement about his pride in being a refugee and he expanded on those comments yesterday after the game at Staples center. He was very careful to couch his response as non-political. He didn't want to pick a side...what he was really trying to do was explain his perspective as a refugee.
He's from South Sudan, as a refugee first went to Egypt and then eventually was resettled in the United Kingdom. He is a dual citizen between South Sudan and the U.K. And so he talked about what that was and not knowing where your family might be from one day to the next and hoping for the opportunity to go anywhere that is safe..."
President Obama was such a sports fan and it seemed like, especially with African American athletes in this country, they seem very comfortable being themselves with him in the White House and I'm wondering, does that change now?
"Actually, I don't think it does. If anything I think you're going to see more African American athletes feeling, not only already empowered to speak out, but I think they're going to feel the onus to do it...and I just feel like the times that we're in right now and also I think athletes realizing that they can speak out, without losing their brand. Without damaging their image. I think if anything, we're going to see more of it."
Now, on the flip side America is made up of people with different opinions, there are people who support Donald Trump all over the place and I'm sure athletes too. But maybe they're not so inclined to say anything. Case and point: Tom Brady.
"...I think it matters that he's a white quarterback, I think it matters that he is...I think it's fair to say...a conservative. One of the things that I find fascinating about this rise in activism and the types of things that Andy was talking about, is how it will play out across different sports and how sports fans will perceive it. The NBA which I think has been the most active, where you see the most synergy between the league, coaches and players, is obviously...a diverse league, dominated by African American athletes but it also appeals to a demographic that tends to be younger and also more diverse. The NFL I think inside locker rooms has that same kind of racial make up...politically you probably have more democratic voters than republicans but the culture that surrounds the NFL is far more conservative than the NBA. Baseball, it all swings towards the right..."
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
'These children are victims,' LA Councilwoman tackles human trafficking
There's a long stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard in Van Nuys that's dominated with strip malls and motels. It's also a pretty well-known area for prostitution and human trafficking.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez grew up in the valley so she knows all about this problem. To tackle it, she put together a task force a few years ago including teaming up with some researchers from Cal State Northridge to track this activity.
Take Two's A Martinez spoke with Councilwoman Martinez about their findings and the solutions she has to stop it.
*Warning: some of the discussion may not be suitable for younger audiences.*
Highlight
On the challenge of getting people talking:
It's an uncomfortable issue to talk about sex. It's an uncomfortable issue to acknowledge that these kids are American girls. People want to pretend that these kids come from other countries— which they do. But the majority of the kids that get trafficked in our city are American girls or are coming from other states. These girls are coming from as far as Memphis and Texas. These kids have probably been molested and raped repeatedly and are threatened to stand on the corners of some of our major cities to sell their bodies for sex.
To hear the full interview click on the Media Player above.
The Styled Side: Got a medical condition? You can still look great
Just because you have a medical condition doesn't mean you can't be fashionable.
"I have a somewhat rare congenital condition called May-Thurner Syndrome," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily. "It primarily affects young women who typically have already had a child, and most people don’t know they have it until they have had a massive blot clot."
The syndrome is caused by an artery that compresses a vein.
"It sits on it like a sumo wrestler and blocks blood flow, eventually causing clots," she says.
Tyree now needs to wear compression socks and stockings often, as well as a medical bracelet that indicates she's on blood thinners.
"I thought, 'There has to be some cuter options and better medical jewelry!"
It turns out, there are.
Rejuva Health, based in California, sells compression leggings, knee-high and stockings for women that come in a variety of colors and styles.
It was created by Kelsey Minarik who struggled with blood clots, herself.
"I was a junior in undergrad and I was living in Newport Beach," says Minarik. "When all my friends were getting all decked out and cute or ready to go the bar, I'd say, 'Hey hang on, let me put on my granny tights real quick.'"
She founded Rejuva as a way to offer more fashionable options.
There are choices for men, too, that look like athletic and dress socks.
This sector of the fashion industry took Michelle Dalton Tyree by surprise.
"Shockingly, when I started looking, there seemed to be a whole new category cropping up of these types companies," she says, with others including Vim & Vigr and BrightLife Go.
There are also a raft of stylish medical bracelets being created, as well.
Tyree notes some of the big ones include N Style ID, Lauren's Hope and Medical ID Fashions.
"Actually, there are a ton of products on Etsy, too!" she adds.
Do protest boycotts really work?
Since the weekend, social media has been flooded with calls to #deleteuber.
It's part of a movement that urges consumers to cut ties with the ride share company.
The whole thing took off last weekend, after some accused Uber of trying to profit off a strike by taxi drivers at New York's JFK airport. The drivers were protesting the Trump administration's order to ban refugees from the U.S.
But: does waving bye-bye to a business really make a difference?
Brayden King, professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University joined Take Two to discuss the ups and downs of boycotts.