We look at who might step into Pope Benedict XVI's shoes after he leaves his post. Then, a look at the rising popularity of Pentecostalism among Latinos, Josie Huang reports on military vets working in Hollywood, a SoCal group uses lasers to make 3D models of California's missions, and much more.
Who should succeed Pope Benedict XVI?
Speculation is mounting over who will succeed Pope Benedict the sixteenth. Will it be a liberal or a conservative, and what does that even mean?
Joining us to define terms is senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, John Allen.
Catholic Latinos increasingly find new faith in Pentecostalism
While the Latino population of Catholics is fast-growing, influential and will no doubt have some bearing on the choice of the new pope, the church that once dominated Latin America now has serious competition from Pentecostalism.
Is the Catholic Church losing its grip on the Spanish-speaking world?
Joining us now to talk about the rise of Pentecostalism in Latin America is Juan Martinez of Fuller Theological Seminary, where he specializes in Latino protestant identity.
A mistake on your credit score? You're not alone
This week the Federal Trade Commission released a report saying that one in 20 consumers had significant errors on their credit reports, mistakes that could lower their credit scores, making them pay more for things like auto and home loans. We'll speak to credit expert Liz Weston for more.
Wrestling's out of the ring at the 2020 Olympics
Wrestling is down for the count at the 2020 Olympic Games.
The International Olympic Committee has voted to drop the sport from its "core" group of events. However, it could find its way back in, vying with seven other sports for a single opening during the games.
It was a surprise to many Olympic followers like Phil Wallace, who explains how the event's ejection may have to do less with the sport than the politics at the IOC.
Guest:
Phil Wallace, board member of the LA Sports Council and part of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games. He's also worked on past bids by New York and Chicago to host the games.
SAP Open tennis tournament leaves California for Brazil after 125 years
The SAP Open tennis tournament is moving on after 125 years in the Bay Area. It's been home to some of the tennis greats, like John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
But now the men's tournament is packing up and moving to Rio de Janeiro. Tennis columnist Bruce Jenkins from Sports Illustrated.com joins us to talk about some of the tournaments highlights.
New Music Tuesday: Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
This week for our New Music Tuesday segment, we turn our attention north to San Francisco. That's where you'll find Thao Nguyen, the Vietnamese-American lead singer of the indie rock band Thao and the Get Down Stay Down.
Their latest album is called "We the Common:"
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down are known for their upbeat, pop sound. A sound which is somewhat surprising considering how Thao Nguyen got into music. Nguyen picked up the guitar when she was just twelve years old, after her troubled father abandoned her family.
Thao Nguyen recently spoke with Alex Cohen about how music helped her get through the tough times.
What's on the horizon for the Department of Defense?
President Obama addresses the nation tonight in his fifth State of the Union speech. The focus will be jobs and the economy, but he's also expected to announce the withdrawal of 34,000 troops from Afghanistan.
That move comes at a time of turmoil for the Department of Defense. It's scaling down operations in anticipation of looming spending cuts, and the nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary is stalled in committee while Senate Republicans threaten a filibuster.
For more we're joined by Gordon Lubold with Foreign Policy Magazine.
Patt Morrison on what it takes to get fired from the LAPD
Here in California, police have fielded more than 1,000 tips from the public in the search for Christopher Dorner. The ex-LAPD officer is suspected of three murders and three attempted murders. Police say Dorner wrote a lengthy manifesto detailing his grievences against the department.
Chief among them is how he is upset over being fired for accusing a fellow officer of using unnessacary force against a civilian. The manifesto also alleges that an officer involved in the Rodney King beatings was never fired and even promoted.
All of this has raised questions about the LAPD review process and what actions get discplined.
Here to talk about that is KPCC's Patt Morrison. Welcome.
Esquire cover story stirs controversy over veteran benefits
A cover story in Esquire magazine about a former Navy Seal is generating lots of controversy. According to the report, the unnamed Seal claims he was the man who actually killed Osama Bin Laden. The story was c0-reporterd with the Center for Investigative Reporting:
While there are questions about that claim, what's making waves is his allegation that, upon leaving the Navy after 16 years of service, they left him, in his words, "with nothing." No pension. No protection. No health care.
Almost immediately, people familiar with military benefits and the VA challenged those statements. One of them is Brandon Friedman, a combat veteran and a longtime activist for veterans rights. He's the author of a memoir about his service in Iraq and Afghanistan called "The War I Always Wanted."
Military bonds cross over from the front lines to the film set (Photos)
In an industry where who you know matters, competition for jobs in Hollywood can be cutthroat. That's been the case for many military vets trying to make it in entertainment. But things may be changing.Veterans who've already gained a toehold in the biz are helping newcomers break in. The rest of the industry may be following suit.
In downtown Los Angeles, on the set for a racy hip-hop video, Paquita Hughes has her work cut out for her. The shoot is running behind schedule and it's Hughes' job as assistant director to rush the lingerie-clad models out of wardrobe and to the set downstairs.
Hughes is used to high-wire acts like this. She directed Navy pilots as an air traffic controller for more than eight years, but ever since she was a young girl in Mississippi obsessing over "Star Wars," she's wanted to be a filmmaker.
"I always had a camera in my hand,everybody knew me for having a camera in my hand," said Hughes. "But I just never imagined actually going for that goal. It felt really far away, like 'C'mon if I'm going to make it in Hollywood than I have to be from Hollywood. I have to have a rich family.'"
But since moving to Los Angeles a year and a half ago to attend film school, Hughes has easily found employment, thanks to other veterans.
Her boss, the video's director, Jeff Reyes, is also a vet and fought in Iraq in 2005. Now he operates a Reseda-based production company called EchosWorld. The former Army infantryman makes it a practice to hire veterans.
Over by the snack table is a former Navy cook overseeing craft service, and the line producer looking at his watch? That's an Iraq War veteran in charge of the filming budget.
"It's a world full of rejection, and if I have a chance to help a veteran that's trying to make it in this crazy world why not?" said Reyes. "There's no bigger brotherhood in the world than to be in the military, and I think I owe that to veterans."
Hiring a veteran can bring in more than $2,000 in tax credits for a company, but there are other perks. Veterans have a reputation as model employees: polite, punctual and motivated.
"I work on a lot of sets and these guys are definitely efficient. They're very goal-oriented and get stuff done without being told," said Jesse Lomax, the film's editor.
He recalled working with veterans on a video shoot last year.
"We were out in the desert and it was really hot, and we were waiting for talent who didn't show up for three hours," said Lomax. "I think I must have complained and they were like, 'C'mon, this is nothing!' They've spent much more time in larger, hotter deserts than where we were just outside Los Angeles."
Throughout Hollywood, hiring veterans is starting to happen on a larger scale. Entertainment companies such as Comcast and Disney have launched programs to recruit veterans.
The companies have also joined a group of movie studios and television channels using their media clout to ease veterans return to civilian life through employment, among other things. The project is called Got Your Six (military slang for "I've got your back"), and is fronted by the likes of Alec Baldwin.
Roy Ashton, who represents television writers and directors, said many in Hollywood are grateful to veterans for their service.
"We have freedom in speech and the ability to pursue projects that a lot of other people in other countries don't have. I think we have our freedoms because of the military," Ashton said.
Ashton, who heads the television division at the Gersh Agency, said he would like to see more talented veterans working in Hollywood, especially on military-themed projects. Despite that desire, his own agency has very few veteran clients.
For now, Paquita Hughes plans to keep turning to other veterans for jobs. She said because employers with military experience know what she's capable of, she's given more responsibility.
"Coming out of school with just one year of filmmaking, most likely you get a job as a production assistant," Hughes said. "And here I've landed an assistant director position. I'm so thankful Jeff has offered me that trust."
Hughes has a gig already lined up with another production company founded by a veteran. At this rate, she could be directing her own feature film way sooner than she thought.
This is part II in a series on military veterans in Hollywood. Click here to listen to part I.
'On The Map' traces the history of cartography and what it says about human nature
We speak with author and map collector Simon Garfield about his latest book, "On The Map: A Mind Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Looks," which charts the history of map making and the way maps showcase the best and worst of human nature.
Using lasers to make 3D models of California's missions
Lasers can do more than taunt your tabby: a California non-profit is using thousands of lasers to create 3D digital models of the 28 cultural heritage sites along the state's El Camino Real.
CyArk uses laser beams to measure these buildings down the millimeter. The information is then digitally archived and preserved. And because many of these structures run close to the San Andreas Fault, it's imperative to have that 3D rendering before the buildings become compromised.
RELATED: See more 3D images from the El Camino Real project
Justin Barton is a manager at CyArk, and he says that documenting these buildings have even helped discover a secret room in one of the missions.
With only 4 sites captured so far, she still expects the project to last 3 more years.