Breaking down the President's gun control statements, the annual Consumer Electronics Show kicks off, how does Facebook decide what shows up in your newsfeed?
Obama expands background checks as part of gun measures
President Barack Obama is outlining executive actions on guns and how they're purchased, calling it a necessary move to reduce gun violence and stop firearms from falling into the wrong hands.
The move is already getting criticism from gun rights advocates and Republican leadership in Congress, who call it an overreach of his presidential power.
The orders include more staff and resources for federal agents, expanded mental health care and a boost for gun safety technology.
Mike McLively, staff attorney at the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, joins the show with more.
Faraday Future: A plan to fully disrupt the auto industry status quo
Faraday Future, the L.A.-based automotive startup, put on a big show-and-tell Monday night in Las Vegas. The Chinese-funded company made a series of promises to radically change the way cars are designed, built and marketed. Not content with that, they also promised to redefine the way we think about our vehicles.
The presentation was capped by the unveiling of a concept vehicle, the FFZERO1. Seen by some as an exercise in excess, this design prototype promised a 1,000 horsepower electric motor and top speed of 200 mph. Slung low, with fins, it seems to beg to be compared to the Batmobile.
Introducing the Faraday Future FFZERO1 Concept.https://t.co/8ixzLtzVAj
— Faraday Future (@FaradayFuture) January 5, 2016
Motor critic Susan Carpenter and others dismissed it as ridiculous, and a missed opportunity.
Still, Faraday has a compelling story. They've assembled a rock star roster of talent from auto, tech and aerospace, including veterans of Apple, Google, BMW and Boeing. And they've got some very deep pockets in Chinese partner LeTV, described as "the Netflix of China." Faraday has announced plans to build a manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas, but the company has also been vague about details, including failing to identify the person who serves as its CEO.
Among the more interesting ideas Faraday embraces is one that could replaces the idea of car leasing and ownership with a subscription model. Subscribers could potentially have access to a wide variety of self-driving vehicles, choosing a tiny urban buggy for a trip to the movies, and a full-size cruiser for a family road trip.
To listen to the full interview with Susan Carpenter, click on the blue audio player above.
Everything you should look out for at CES 2016
An estimated 170,000 people are expected to attend the annual technology orgy that is the Consumer Electronics Show, also known as CES, in Las Vegas this week. They'll be hawking and gawking at high tech products, everything from smart earbuds that find themselves when you lose them, to a ceiling phone you control with your iPhone.
, who is covering the event for CNET, is among the legions of journalists in Vegas. She joins host A Martinez to talk about what you should be looking out for.
To hear the entire interview click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
New music from Daniela Mercury, Baaba Maal and Aoife O'Donovan
If you don't have the time to keep up with the latest in new music, we've got the perfect solution for you: Tuesday Reviewsday. Every week our music experts come by to talk about the best new tunes in one short segment. This week, music journalist
Artist: Aoife O’Donovan
Album: "In the Magic Hour"
Songs: "Magic Hour," "The King of All Birds"
There is a voice that appears at the end of two songs on Aoife O’Donovan’s new album, old and craggy, earthy and real, but somehow, seemingly in the act of disappearing. It’s the voice of her grandfather, who died just as the young singer was starting to write songs for this set. That loss brought to the Massachusetts-raised O’Donovan a flood of memories, of summers spent visiting him and a couple of dozen cousins in the small Irish town of Clonakilty. Here, a recording of his voice on the song "Magic Hour" and the traditional "Donal Og" is not so much a ghost as a beam of muted, fading light, illuminating O’Donovan’s remembrances throughout the album much as a setting sun for visual artists provides what for visual artists is that titular "Magic Hour."
Dusk threads through the album, the second solo set from O’Donovan, who first emerged with the bluegrassy/folky ensemble Crooked Still. Suns seem to be setting, and not just on the two songs in which her grandfather’s voice is heard, fleetingly. Opener "Stanley Park" is all about escaping back to childhood, all the while coming to grips with the passing of time. In the muted waltz "Not the Leaving," she combs through old family photos, a viola played by Eyvind Kang echoing her voice as she sings "It’s not the leaving that’s grieving me so, it’s the thought of you gone."
Many public radio listeners are familiar with O’Donovan, even if they can’t pronounce, or spell, her first name. Even after hearing Garrison Keillor say it on her many "Prairie Home Companion" appearances. Even after she guest-hosted the show along with fellow musicians Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz last October. It’s pronounced EE-fe, for the record.
Whatever which way you say it, the name would likely imply traditional Irish folk music to some, but this Irish-descended singer from Newton, Massachusetts, treads a more Americana territory, having first emerged in the somewhat bluegrassy/folky band Crooked Still. But she’s also been featured with the ensemble Goat Rodeo (a sort of progressive bluegrass-and-beyond project fronted by "Prairie Home Companion" host-to-be Chris Thile and Yo-Yo Ma) and in 2012 on the adventurous album "Be Still" with jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas’ quintet exploring themes derived from folk and folk-inspired classical sources.
It’s not hard to hear why she’s gotten that kind of work. She has a gorgeous voice, smooth and lilting, nicely understated yet full of emotion and poetry. It’s also not hard to head what she’s gotten from it. With this, her second solo album, she emerges as a songwriter of grace and beauty to match her voice, and imaginative settings to take that voice into new spaces. Her grandfather is the key presence and inspiration for this, but Watkins, Jarosz and Thile also contribute in guest appearances, as do Nate Query of the Decemberists and the always-exploring string quartet Brooklyn Rider.
And just as present as dusk is its mirror, dawn. It’s trite to say that endings are also beginnings, but it’s true. And each time she examines what’s gone, she asks "What’s next?" Of course, it’s never mundane in her asking, more a poetic musing, and sometimes as much a musical statement as one of words. As such, the centerpiece of the album is "King of All Birds," an effecting meditation with limpid cascades of Brooklyn Rider’s strings (arranged by Gabriel Kahane) bathing her voice, taking the case of a hawk, an owl, a wren, each making a case for it as the avian monarch. In the expansive music and, particularly, an elastic bass line, though, there’s perhaps a nod in the direction of Joni Mitchell’s wintry portrait of another bird-as-spirit, "Black Crow," soaring regally over a remembered landscape.
Artist: Baaba Maal
Album: "The Traveller"
Songs: "Fulani Rock," "Traveller"
For decades, Senegal’s Baaba Maal has been one of the most passionate and powerful musical advocates for a modern Africa, yet devotedly tied to its traditions. With "Fulani Rock," the opening song of his 11th album, he digs deep into his heritage — his Fulani people are one of the ancient nomadic lines at the heart of the region’s culture. And he does it in a powerful rock context, the rhythms at once ancient (conveyed on a djembe drum by cohort Mamadou Sarr) and right-now (swirls of electric guitars). Most pointedly, he sings in the Fulani language, something in itself often marginalized by modern life:
"Language is a weapon," he writes in the liner note for the song. "I’m not using it to destroy, but to build bridges and bring people together. I am a messenger of the people so every one’s voice can be heard. It is my duty and honour to use my voice to represent my people."
But as with much of Maal’s music, this is not just a West African album, let alone a Fulani one, but a truly international presentation. Much of the album, including "Fulani Rock," was recorded in sessions both in Dakar and London. Producing is Johan Hugo of the young South African rock-influenced band the Very Best, and his and Maal’s global view is heard on such songs as "Lampenda," at once an ode to fisherman (Maal comes from a family of fisherman) and an uplifting anthem of international scope. Despite having words that Maal says cannot be translated into English, the song could stand nicely alongside U2, Coldplay or Mumford and Sons.
For good measure, Mumford’s banjo man Winston Marshall guests on the title song, the result of Hugo bringing Marshall to Maal’s Blues du Fleuve Festival in Northern Senegal back in 2013. In the song "Traveller," Maal’s voice often floats in a cry at once joyful and sad, the banjo (which, of course, is descended from West African origins) an echo of many traditions at once.
The album ends with twin songs "War" and "Peace," both with words written and dramatically, very dramatically, spoken by poet Lemn Sissay, born and raised in England but of Ethiopian heritage and the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics. Language, this time English, is no less a weapon, and the music, this time very traditional-sounding, is no less an embrace reaching across any and all cultural borders.
Artist: Daniela Mercury
Album: "Virtual Vinyl"
Songs: "De Deus, De Alah, De Gilberto Gil," "Minha Mãe, Minha Patria"
The Brazilian star has long been known for bold moves and grand gestures. Just look at the cover of her new album: In an homage to the final portraits Annie Leibowitz shot of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, a day before Lennon’s death, Mercury (naked) embraces her wife, journalist Malu Verçosa (clothed). And one of the album’s key songs is titled "De Deus, De Alah, De Gilberto Gil" — "God, Allah, Gilberto Gil," the latter figure standing as a modern musical god of Brazil and one of her key models and mentors.
As an artist she’s explored many avenues in a truly mercurial career, among other things credited for introducing electronic sounds to the boisterous Carnaval and evoking the controversial "Cannibalist" art movement of the early 20th century with her provocative "Canibália" projects of recent years, her attempt to "reinvent" popular culture via Artistic Cannibalism. She’s also stirred controversy as an advocate for condom use (despite being a devout Catholic) and with several tabloid-level marriages and affairs, not least her coming out as lesbian in 2013 with her relationship with Verçosa. But through it all, she’s become the most popular female Brazilian music artist, selling 20 million albums worldwide and having 14 No. 1 records at home, the most there for a woman.
Against that background, "Virtual Vinyl" is almost a conservative work, starting with the opening "A Rainha de Axé (The Queen of Axé)," axé being a regional sound of her native Bahia. Of course, it’s not totally straightforward, as the subtitle of the song is "Rainha Ma" — "Bad Queen." But the tone it sets is one of bad as in playful, carefree, not destructive. "Tô Samba de Vida (I’m Samba Life)" is another homage to popular music at the heart of Brazil.
Not that it’s all traditional. "Anthropofagicos São Paulistanos" adds hard rock and hip-hop to the percolating rhythms, while in the lilting bossa nova "Frogs in the Sky," she sings of an idealistic vision for making a better world, in English. And the title track, "Vinil Virtual," subtitled "Aperto de Mente (Mind Squeeze)," is sort of experimental jazz with spoken word
All that comes together on "Minha Mãe, Minha Patria (My Mother, My Motherland)," which recalls the Tropicalia adventures of such groundbreakers as Caetano Veloso and, yes, Gilberto Gil, in a joyous celebration.
Militiamen, protestors, or neither? What to call Oregon’s armed occupiers
This weekend, armed men seized the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Oregon.
The group calls themselves the Citizens for Constitutional Freedom. They gathered in protest Saturday to speak out against the sentencing of two ranchers recently convicted of arson.
The protest soon turned into an occupation. What they hope to accomplish by occupying the federal facility isn’t clear.
Since all this in Oregon began, writers and editors across the country have been hard at work trying to figure out exactly how to describe the group behind these events.
Are these armed Americans protesters? Militants? Or even terrorists? Is what they are doing best called a standoff, an occupation, or an insurrection?
Mike Ananny is a professor of communication and journalism at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, where he specializes in media ethics and public culture. He shared his thoughts with Take Two.
Press the blue play button above to hear more.
BONUS: Did Mormon scripture inspire the Oregon occupation? Press the blue link under the play button to hear Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein weigh in.
How Facebook's newsfeed knows what you'll like
Take a look at your Facebook feed and you might see an ad for the New York Times, a funny graphic titled "Mom Guilt Bingo," an article about a new Star Wars Monopoly set and a really cute photo of two friend's dogs spooning on the couch.
But why would those certain items show up and not something else?
The curious nature of the Facebook feed and the algorithms behind it is a topic writer
tackled recently for Slate, and he joins Alex Cohen for a chat.
To hear the entire conversation click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
NorCal women challenge Catholic hospital's restriction on tubal ligation
A Superior Court judge in San Francisco on Tuesday is hearing a case brought by women who want to be sterilized.
At the center of the case, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, is a woman at a Catholic hospital in Redding, California. Hospital officials say they cannot perform the procedure, known as a tubal ligation, because of their religious beliefs.
Claudia Buck, health reporter with the Sacramento Bee, joins the show with more.
El Niño rains are here, but are the homeless getting help in time?
El Niño rains are finally drenching Southern California.
While that's good news to alleviating the drought, it's very bad for a segment of the population: the homeless. More than 26,000 people live in Los Angeles County without a roof over their heads.
The L.A. City Council pledged in mid-November to take bold steps in getting people off the streets during this time.
SCPR editor Rina Palta joins Take Two to explain what promises they kept in time.
What has Los Angeles done so far to keep people safe during El Niño?
Typically every year, the county opens winter shelters with a capacity of 2,000 beds. They're doubling that because of new funding from the county board of supervisors and the city council.
Also, typically these shelters are only open overnight. But there's new money to keep the shelters open 24 hours for up to 21 days when the weather's particularly bad. Both the city and county governments are also looking for additional emergency spaces that could open up if the shelters fill up and more space is needed.
Before November, several city lawmakers also spoke on the steps of city hall saying they want to declare a state of emergency. But have they actually done that yet?
What they did is direct the city attorney to draft a crisis ordinance. So they expressed their intent to declare an emergency, basically. It hasn't been finalized, but just taking that first step has allowed them to do things they ordinarily wouldn't be able to do.
What kinds of things are they able to do now?
One thing is to expedite the opening up of unconventional shelters.
For example, a church in Highland Park opened its doors and is allowing people to sleep on benches in the pews. Ordinarily to get city or county funding to help with expenses, the church would have to go through a review process, get public comment from neighbors, maybe even put in additional plumbing and restrooms.
But with the emergency, those steps can be bypassed. Plus, the city and the county have been able to provide the church with some money to help with expenses without the red tape.
Once they actually vote on the final ordinance, some council members like Mike Bonin say they can do more of that.
Will any of these planned changes be enough for the area's big homeless population, and will they be in time?
That's the question – a couple thousand extra shelter beds are obviously great to have, but will it be enough?
The L.A. Homeless Services Authority says that it's going to be monitoring the shelters closely to see if they're filling up every night. They'll also be looking for additional emergency space for people. But their funding, for the moment anyway, is pretty much all allocated already.
What have critics said about the pace with which local lawmakers have been moving?
There is definitely tension at play.
In recent years, the city and county have been focusing on what's called "housing first." That means throwing your resources at getting permanent housing for homeless, the idea being that emergency shelters do not solve the problem.
The problem is it takes a long time to build homes. In the meantime, there are thousands living on the streets and now a bad winter this year.
That means there could be added pressure for the city and county to invest in more emergency housing instead of looking long term.
The rains are already here this week, but what else is on lawmakers' agendas?
Homelessness will be a big topic all month at the L.A. City Council.
We're expected to get a strategic plan for the city to deal with the homeless crisis and find necessary funds to provide proper services, so expect more on this soon.