Today, we'll start with a look at Obama's plan to designate "Promise Zones" in cities to combat poverty. Then, Designer Diane von Furstenberg's iconic wrap dress turns 40. We'll take a tour of a local exhibition honoring the design. Then, LA band The Record Company stops by KPCC for an interview and a live set of their new music. Plus, the latest on the Kelly Thomas trial, Jahi McMath, and whale watching in SoCal.
Why US businesses should market to customers south of the border
If American businesses are looking to grow, should they focus their sights across the border? US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker has announced a plan to increase trade between the US and Latin America.
Her argument? There's a wealth of customers south of our border, and the US businesses should tap into that market. For more we're joined by Ted Alden, senior fellow specializing in US trade policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.
LA neighborhoods to get millions in 'Promise Zone' grants to fight poverty
President Obama announced a new anti-poverty program. His proposal, called the Promise Zones, comes as the nation looks back on Lyndon B. Johnson's "War on Poverty" 50 years go. Los Angeles is one of five cities in the U.S. that'll get funds to help alleviate problems of the poor.
KPCC's Washington Correspondent Kitty Felde says LA's mayor and local members of Congress were on hand at the White House for the announcement.
Rep. Janice Hahn on Obama's 'Promise Zone' plan
President Obama's announcement of the Promise Zone plan was great news for those living in the areas designated to receive aid. But it left others feeling a bit left out.
Congresswoman Janice Hahn represents California's 44th district,a zone just south of the Promise Zone. She joins the show to talk about her views on the plan and what it means for her district.
Friday Flashback: Chris Christie, 'Promise Zone,' Baca resignation and more
It's Friday! That means it's time for another Friday Flashback, our look at the week in news. And what a week it's been. To help us break all that down we're joined in studio this week by James Rainey of the LA Times and in Washington, DC, Nancy Cook of National Journal.
We've got December jobs numbers out this morning and they're much worse than we thought. While we're on the topic of jobs, President Obama this week announced an extension of unemployment insurance.
President Obama announced an extension of unemployment insurance this week, but Republicans aren't happy about it. Obama also announced the creation of "Promise Zones", and LA is one of them. What exactly are they?
While we're on the subject of money, this week came news that JP Morgan has once again avoided criminal charges despite having "turned a blind eye" to evidence of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. The bank will pay $1.7 billion to defer the charges for 2 years. Do you think we're ever going to see criminal charges brought?
The story that's been dominating the national headlines this week is the so-called "Traffic Jam" scandal that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has found himself in. Exactly what happened here? Of course we're all wondering how this could affect his chances for a possible run for the presidency in 2016. Is it too early to tell just yet?
Moving closer to home, here in LA it's been a big week for news. First there was the news that LA County Sheriff Lee Baca is leaving his term early. It seems like the big question still unanswered is why is he leaving early, why now, and did he cut a deal with federal prosecutors investigating his department? Who were the winners and who were the losers in Baca's announcement?
This is arguably one of the most powerful positions in LA and now Mayor Eric Garcetti gets to pick his own person. Any idea who might be on his short list?
It was leaked a couple days early, but we got a look at Governor Jerry Brown's budget proposal. All in all we're in a much better fiscal state than we were when he took office in 2011, but what's the takeaway here?
Diane von Furstenberg's iconic wrap dress turns 40 (Photos)
In 1974, a 26-year-old Diane von Furstenberg created the iconic wrap dress. It's a dress made of often colorful and elaborately patterned jersey material that wraps around the body, crosses at the chest and cinches at the waist. It can be short or long, collared or not, and with sleeves or without.
But most importantly, it was comfortable and flattering for millions of women, from your next door neighbor to the A-list celebrity on the red carpet.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of von Furstenberg's creation, which will be celebrated with "Journey of a Dress" from Jan. 11 to April 1 at the Wilshire May Co. building in Los Angeles. The retrospective exhibition will display vintage and contemporary wrap designs, from the first sample to what has become a symbol of power and freedom for generations of women.
Host Alex Cohen took a tour of the exhibit with von Furstenberg to learn about why the dress made such an impact on the lives of so many woman.
Interview Highlights:
On what the wrap dress means to her:
"I always treated this little dress, you know how you treat something from your family and you take it for granted? And yet she gave me everything. She is the dress. She gave me my freedom, my independence, paid for all my bills, gave me fame, gave me confidence, gave me success, changed my life, and changed so many women's lives, over 40 years. But I never honored her, and sometimes I almost resented her, because whenever you see Diane von Furstenberg, you always say wrap dress, but you know, I have designed many other things."
On the inspiration for the wrap dress:
"It first started like it was ballerina wear. That's how it started. I had been working for an Italian man who had a printing plant, so he taught me everything about print, but I still wanted to be independent. So I said to this man, can I please make a few samples from your factory that I will try to sell in America, and that's how it started."
On why it seems to be flattering on most women:
"It embraces the body in a very nice way. You can be proper and sexy at the same time. I remember I saw a women lately and she told me she's a southern woman. She said, 'Oh, I remember my first dress in 1975, I love it so much because it allowed me to be sexy during the day."
On what it's like to see all the dresses together:
"I don't think I have ever embraced it the way I am embracing it today. When I look at all of them together like that I say wow, it's really something that one little idea has so many lives and so many generations. My mother wore them, I wore them, my daughter, my granddaughter now. It's pretty amazing."
On what she hopes the wrap dress will be like in the future:
"All I want is, I think that through the dress, my message is to always tell women that they can be and they should be the woman they want to be. What we do is celebrate freedom and empower women, and sell confidence, because at the end it's the confidence that makes you beautiful."
Talk to Take Two: Do you have a von Furstenberg wrap dress story? Tell us about it in the comments, or submit your story on our Facebook page!
LA roots rock band The Record Company performs live at KPCC
KPCC's Crawford Family Forum has been home to film screenings, debates and other fabulous events, but earlier this week Take Two had its very first performance chat there with The Record Company.
They're an LA-based roots rock trio made up of guitarist Chris Vos, bassist Alex Stiff and drummer Marc Cazorla, and all three members can sing.
Their raw blend of blues and rock and roll is catching on quickly, as the band has been playing with the likes of Buddy Guy, Social Distortion, and BB King. Their latest single "Feels So Good" was even featured in the theatrical trailer for "Last Vegas," starring Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas and Morgan Freeman.
You can check out their most recent album "Feels So Good" on Spotify, or you can catch them live at a performance on January 25th at Hotel Cafe.
The band brought their gear to the KPCC's studios for an interview and to play a couple live tracks:
What does the resignation of LADWP head Ron Nichols mean for the agency?
LA Department of Water and Power head, Ron Nichols, announced his resignation yesterday, which came amid growing scandals at this powerful agency.
Recently, the DWP came under fire for an electronic billing system that issued thousands of inaccurate bills to rate payers. There's also mounting questions about $40 million in revenues that were mysteriously spent by two trusts managed by Nichols and the head of DWP's biggest union.
But the DWP is more than just a political player in the city, it's also a huge force in environmental issues. KPCC's environment correspondent Molly Peterson joins the show for more on what Nichols departure means in that arena.
Jahi McMath story highlights the difficult aftermath of a brain dead diagnosis
We've been following the story of Jahi McMath, the 13-year-old girl in Oakland declared brain dead following complications from surgery.
Her family firmly believes Jahi is still alive, and they successfully fought for the legal right to remove her from a hospital which had planned to take her off a ventilator. Meanwhile in Texas, a hospital is keeping a brain dead pregnant woman named Marlise Munoz alive to save the baby, despite her family's wishes.
For more on the very difficult questions which arise in these two cases, we're joined by Benedict Carey of the New York Times.
Report card on the status of kids in California leaves plenty of room for progress
With 13 percent of the nation's kids living in California, the decisions made here in terms of education, health and child welfare can affect policy choices across the country.
Children Now, an organization based in Oakland, gave a grade for 27 different categories related to the well-being of kids within the state. California didn't receive a single "A". Jessica Mindnich, director of research for Children Now, joins the show to discuss the organization's findings. You can read the full 2014 California Children's Report Card here.
SoCal whale watchers spotting record numbers this season
Whale watching tours | Map of watching locations
It's been an exciting season for whale watchers in Southern California. A record number of gray whales have been spotted along the California coast since the beginning of December. And the reason we know it's a record year is due to a dedicated group of volunteers who count the whales one-by-one. Reporter Katherine Davis met them.
Why LA's unseasonably warm weather isn't always something to celebrate
Weather in Southern California has been warm and dry this week, and it's expected to continue. Several of you don't think it’s a good thing, and that we at KPCC should stop talking about the good weather.
Mark Jackson, a meteorologist at the Los Angeles Weather Forecast Office in Oxnard, gives us the bigger picture.