Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications, 8.6 percent of state prisoners have Valley fever, Eddie Redmayne talks 'The Theory of Everything.'
US sets Feb. 18 to begin applying for immigration relief
The February 18 date will be for those who qualify under the program known as DACA, or deferred action for childhood arrivals, an expanded program for those who came to the U.S. as minors. California has the largest share of immigrants who could qualify.
Surge in U-visa applications leaves thousands of crime victims in limbo
If you're an undocumented immigrant and a victim of a crime, you may hesitate to report it for fear of deportation. But you may qualify for a special Visa to stay in the United States if you do report the crime.
It's called a U-visa. And applications for one have surged over the last five years -- to about 26,000 annually in 2014. But Congress set a cap of 10,000 U-visas issued per year, and now thousands sit on a waiting list.
For more on the increase in U-visa applications and the thousands awaiting their approval, Los Angeles Times Reporter Kate Linthicum joined Take Two.
Obama's nominee for ambassador to Mexico withdraws
President Obama's nominee to be the new U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Maria Echaveste, has withdrawn her nomination after months of delay.
Andrew Selee, Mexico scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, joins Take Two to discuss.
Indecent and surprised: Eddie Redmayne on his Oscar nomination
When Eddie Redmayne found out that he was nominated for an Academy Award, he was awoken early in the morning by a loud rapping on the door.
"I... stumbled out of bed, hit my knee, got to the door, realized I wasn't appropriately dressed to open the door. Stumbeled back in the dark, got a towel, opened the door, and there was my manager standing with a phone with this team of people who've been supporting me for 12, 14 years, and there was screaming out of the phone and I assumed... I hoped that was good news. And that was a wonderful moment."
Redmayne was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of world renowned physicist Stephen Hawking in the new film "The Theory of Everything." It spans several decades - focusing on both Hawking's quest for his doctorate at Cambridge University and on his gradual decline and struggles with the neurogenerative disease, ALS, with which Hawking was diagnosed.
For his depiction of Hawking, Redmayne has already won both a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award.
He recently sat down with Alex Cohen to talk about the awards, meeting Stephen Hawking in person, struggling to understand some of the science he talks about in the movie, and working hard on techniques in an effort to accurately portray Hawking.
"When you meet Stephen, the amazing thing is that he can move very few muscles, but all of the energies that able bodied people have of gesture or even tone of voice, all of those things, it's like all of those energies get channeled into those few muscles that he can move... And although he can move very little he has one of the most expressive and charismatic of faces. But it's all delivered in the minutia. And so for me... I would sit in front of the mirror and try to learn to isolate those muscles."
Check out the audio for more of the conversation.
Police confession points to mayor in Mexican journalist's death
Supporters of slain Veracruz journalist Moises Sanchez hope his case could be a turning point for holding Mexican officials accountable.
8.6 percent of California inmates test positive for Valley fever
Recently, California spent more than $5 million to test inmates for Valley fever. Joyce Hayhoe with California Correctional Health Care Services has an update on the results.
Immigration, President Obama's budget and the Mitt Romney effect
Every week, Take Two will give you a preview of the important stories that you should be paying attention to.
Helping us put everything into context is Jamelle Bouie, writer for Slate, and Alexia Fernandez Campbell, correspondent for National Journal.
When apps and city hall collide
When apps like Uber and Lyft first debuted, they took the tech world and roads by storm – people liked using them as an alternative to driving or taking cabs.
But then cabbies, themselves, stepped in and said, hey wait a minute! Then so did local officials and regulators.
How can techies develop solutions to real world problems without city halls shutting them down?
Christopher Koopman argues that lawmakers should step back and let them play. He's a research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
Puerto Rico dangles tax incentives for departed natives
Puerto Rico's rough economy and job market have driven natives away. But new tax incentives aim to lure them back, and brighten the island's economic picture.
Dinosaur discovered in China resembles mythical dragon
Ph.D student Tetsuto Miyashita of the University of Alberta tells more about a dinosaur discovered in China that bears a striking resemblance to a dragon.
2015 Super Bowl ads: Crowd-pleasers and buzzkills
For non football fans, the Super Bowl is more about the chips, the dip, the halftime show, and...the ads.
James Othmer is the author of "Adland: Searching for the Meaning of Life on a Branded Planet." He's also Global Creative Director at Young and Rubicam Advertising, and he joined to Take Two to talk about his favorites, and a couple of buzzkills.
Watch a couple of Othmer's favorites:
And the big buzzkill of the evening:
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