UC Berkeley students protest Milo Yiannopoulos, Budweiser releases Super Bowl ad with immigration theme, the economic future of the Inland Empire.
Draft of ‘religious freedom’ executive order causes alarm for LGBT rights groups
The draft of an executive order from President Trump is causing alarm for both advocates of LGBT rights and for the separation between church and state.
The document, obtained by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting, allows federal employees to abstain from their duties if they conflict with their religious beliefs. It also gives companies the ability to base employment practices and stipulate healthcare benefits on their faith.
While the draft defines the order as protection for religious freedom, others say it opens the door for legalizing discrimination. The details of the order have not been officially announced by the White House.
Reveal's Jennifer Gollan told Take Two's A Martinez, "earlier this week, Trump vowed support for protections for the LGBT community and some critics say this really flies in the face of that promise."
To hear the interview, click on the Media Player above.
Federal court in LA orders temporary halt to Trump ban on immigrant visas
Standout 2017 Super Bowl ads make a statement
A 30-second spot during Sunday's game costs a cool $5 million, meaning only the biggest companies can afford to advertise.
But one of them has already been making the rounds, a Budweiser ad called "Born the Hard Way." It tells the story of one of Bud's founders, Adolphus Busch, and his 1857 journey from Germany to the U.S. The trip is depicted as one that's long and dangerous.
But it also seems to touch on some political themes ... in this clip of it, the actor who plays Busch has just reached the shores of the U.S. and he's met by an angry mob of people:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtBZvl7dIu4
If you didn't catch that, a person in the mob says, "You're not wanted here. Go home!"
To many, it seems that the commercial is making a statement about the immigration debate. For more on the ad and its possible effect on the company, A Martinez spoke to Kristina Monllos, she's a staff writer for Adweek, and she wrote an article about the commercial.
Kristina: "It feels very current which just kind of happened coincidentally. The brand was certainly aware that talking about immigration in this political climate could be something that they would have to address and something that they're prepared to address but it's not necessarily something they were gunning for."
A lot of the ads in the Super Bowl will be car ads and that's the subject of The Ride, our weekly look at personal mobility. For more on that aspect, A Martinez was joined by KPCC motor critic Sue Carpenter. She's been previewing this weekend's Super Bowl auto ads.
Mercedes
"Sue: My favorite is definitely Mercedes' ad for its AMG GT Roadster sports convertible, starring Peter Fonda, which plays off Easy Rider. There are a bunch of tough-looking bikers in a bar, and they discover a car has parked in front of their bikes."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEM-9n9m310
Kia
"Sue: There are tons of stars this year, so if you're watching the weekend's game for the football, NFL quarterback Cam Newton, he's starring in a Buick ad...and that ad for the Cascada convertible also features lingerie model Miranda Kerr because it's impossible to watch Super Bowl advertising without seeing at least on super model, right?...Comedian Melissa McCarthy who stars in Kia's ads for its new Niro crossover. She's called on to help save the planet, which of course ends in a disaster..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQ9a5EFZeI
Audi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6u10YPk_34
"Sue: As a woman and a mother, that one really speaks to me. And it's a smart play for Audi, because 80 percent of car purchases are influenced by a woman."
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
State of Affairs: Berkeley protests and California draws political lines in the sand
It was a night of unrest at UC Berkeley Wednesday.
Protests broke out ahead of an event that was supposed to feature controversial conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos. The event was eventually canceled.
President Trump weighed in on the protests Thursday morning, tweeting:
If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view - NO FEDERAL FUNDS?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017
It was just one of the many dramas that played out on California's political stage over the past week.
Carla Marinucci, senior writer for Politico's California Playbook and Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College, joined Take Two to discuss.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue media player above.
Trump could upend the Inland Empire's economy
You think of Hollywood as being a major economic engine to Southern California.
But in the Inland Empire cities of Riverside, San Bernardino and others, some of the biggest industries to watch are health care and logistics (that's the business of moving imports and exports between other countries and the U.S.)
And they could take huge hits under the policies of Donald Trump.
"Health care's really been one of those sectors that have powered the region's economy," says economist John Husing, who recently published his economic outlook for 2017.
More than 27,300 health care jobs were created in the Inland Empire during 2011-2016, such as technicians that run MRI and ultrasound devices.
"It's a sector we are very worried about because of what could potentially happen with the Affordable Care Act," he says. "It would throw the sector and the insurance market into chaos."
Logistics workers are also a big part of the area's economy.
"It is by far our number one growing sector," says Husing. "It has added 54,000 jobs in 2011 - 2016, which is 23 percent of all of our job growth in the Inland Empire."
Workers in that field help move goods to and from overseas. That includes dockworkers at the Port of Los Angeles, to truck drivers, to warehouse workers who will store goods until they're bound for stores across the country.
Southern California has the biggest network of its kind in the United States.
But President Trump could have a major impact on this industry if he institutes tariffs on imports or exports.
Those jobs could be lost with fewer goods moving over our borders, and it would hurt consumers, too.
"It would have the effect of raising the prices of products we buy at major outlets," says Husing.
Listen to more of our interview with John Husing by clicking the audio player above.
The Binge: Near-death experiences, alien abductions and living in an empty hospital
Every month we take a look at all of the options you have to stream, from Hulu and Netflix to Amazon Prime, HBO Now and Showtime Anytime. Our very own
offers his top picks.
The OA (Netflix)
The OA tells the story of a young blind woman who had been missing for seven years and when she suddenly returns her sight has been restored. The young woman, who know calls herself the OA, was a survivor of a near death experience – which she calls a NDE.
People of Earth (TBS.com and On Demand)
This TBS comedy is run by Greg Daniels, who developed the American version of The Office and co-created Parks and Rec. It's full of that tone and humor, and its about a support group for people that believe they have been abducted by aliens. But these aliens aren't the scary type...
Crashing (Amazon Prime)
The show Crashing focuses on a group of very different people living together as property guardians in an abandoned hospital. This is a rather common thing in the UK – people keep the place safe and clean in exchange for free rent. It is funny and sexy – a bit like a British Friends meets Girls.