Today on the show, we'll have analysis of President Obama's speech about changes to the NSA. Then, the Sunset Strip venue Whisky A Go Go turns 50 this year. How is it faring in a changing music landscape? Plus, Kenneth Branagh talks "Shadow Recruit," Gov. Brown declares a drought in California, plus much more.
Legal questions surrounding Obama's proposed NSA changes
President Obama just announced reforms to the NSA's surveillance program. Joining us to talk about these changes is Siobahn Gorman, intelligence correspondent for the Wall Street Journal.
Obama's reforms to the NSA surveillance program will likely intensify the legal questions surrounding this issue. For more, we're joined by David Cole, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University. He's also the legal affairs correspondent for the Nation Magazine.
Friday Flashback: NSA changes, unemployment benefits, Oscar noms and more
It's Friday, which means it's time for another Friday Flashback, our weekly look at the week in news. To help us with that we're joined by LA Times columnist James Rainey, and Nancy Cook of National Journal.
We start with what we just heard from President Obama. Is this going to change the NSA as we know it? Speaking of the President, last week we were tracking his work on unemployment insurance and this week, Congress failed to extend unemployment benefits for people who've been out of work for more than 26 weeks. That's going to affect about 1.3 million Americans.
Some who opposed the bill say the recession is behind us, and 2014 is looking like it will be a good year for recovery and because of that -- extending unemployment benefits just isn't necessary... Who's winning here? Any sense of whether this will affect this year's mid-term elections?
Italy has agreed to serve as the transfer port for Syria's chemical weapons. That means they'll load them onto a U.S. cargo ship before they're taken out to sea and destroy them. They seem to be on schedule to get this done by June. How significant is this, Jim?
Here in California, this week we learned the verdict in a case that's grabbed national attention and that was the Kelly Thomas trial. He was a schizophrenic homeless man in Orange County who was beaten to death by Fullerton police officers who were acquitted on Monday.
There was graphic video of this beating but a jury ultimately found that the police officers were carrying out protocol within their training. How will case be remembered? Is this going to change anything about the way law enforcement officers are trained to deal with the mentally ill?
In New Mexico, a 12-year-old boy opened fire in his school gym with a sawed-off shotgun, fired three rounds and seriously injured two classmates. In response, the New York Times ran an article arguing that lock downs have become the new fire drills. Is this just the new normal, Jim?
Moving on to climate change. Today, California Governor Jerry Brown is expected to declare a drought here in California. We also learned this morning that Republican Senator Tom Coburn, a longtime climate change denier, announced he's retiring, This week California Senator Barbara Boxer announced a new climate change task force she's created in the Senate.
But its goals are to simply protect existing laws rather than to try and push through new laws. Is this a sign of resignation on the part of climate change activists?
Moving on to some lighter fare, it was Oscar noms week. "American Hustle" and "Gravity" swept the categories with the most nominations with "12 Years a Slave" close behind. Any surprises there?
Whisky A Go Go at 50: A look at the iconic venue's past, present and future
On January 16, 1964 — 50 years ago today — a small club on the Sunset Strip opened its doors for the first time. The Whisky A Go Go was an incubator for bands like the Doors, Buffalo Springfield, Frank Zappa.
With a seating capacity of just 500, anything goes attitude and signature go go dancers, the Whisky became one of the most important clubs in Los Angeles. But as the Sunset Strip changed, so has the way business is done at the Whisky. KPCC's Kevin Ferguson reports.
"Rock and Roll history" is a term that gets thrown around a lot, but the Whisky a Go Go has earned it, according to music critic Steve Hochman.
"The history of it is singular, certainly in Los Angeles and arguably in the U.S. it's one of the iconic clubs in the major music capitals," said Hochman.
Mikael Maglieri owns the Whisky a Go Go now, but in 1966 he was just 15 years old and a busboy there. His dad, Mario was the manager.
"I worked there anywhere from well, usually about seven days a week, but at least six days a week," said Maglieri. "And on my night off, my father would tell me not to come there. I didn't belong there!"
Maglieri is more than willing to share stories of what he's witnessed at the venue: hearing Fleetwood Mac play to an empty room, seeing John Lennon throw a tantrum over a waitress, serving Janis Joplin drinks the night she died.
A Sunset Strip Hot Spot
In the late 60s, West Hollywood's Sunset Strip was a seedy part of town, but a safe place for the counter culture to thrive. Bands that are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame now would perform for each other back then. Where police officers, city councilmen and parents saw crime, drugs and decadence, the bands saw community.
"Back in those days, you had the record companies that were supporting the groups, they didn't have sound checks, the bands came in and rehearsed," said Maglieri. "I mean, The Doors were the house band, Chicago was a house band, War was a house band, that played for like months on end until they got discovered."
After a decade or two of business, music changed on the Sunset Strip. Folk Rock and Psychedelia gave way to punk, new wave, and eventually metal. Gradually, the Whisky changed, too. It was no longer a club for new talent to smooth out the rough edges. Playing there meant your band had accomplished something.
"The Whisky always represented kind of the iconic club of the Sunset Strip. And I had a very strong awareness of that," said Susana Hoffs, who grew up dreaming of playing venues like the Whisky
In the early 1980s, Hoffs posted a flyer at the venue looking for other women willing to start a band with her. Eventually she found them and Susanna got her wish to play at the Whisky a Go Go. The band called themselves The Bangs, but you might know them better by their later name, the Bangles:
"It really did feel like we had arrived when we got our gig at the Whisky," said Hoffs.
The Pay-To-Play Model
More bands played the Whisky: Metallica, Nirvana, Hole, Guns and Roses, but in the last decade or so, even though LA music is as vibrant and successful as ever, the venue's role has declined. Sunset Strip isn't as gritty as it once was, Starbucks and clothing stores now line the streets.
Starting in the '90s, the Whisky a Go Go adopted a new model for booking talent. Many of the bands that play there are given a set amount of tickets to sell on their own. If they don't raise enough money, they can't go on.
Often, these bands are young and inexperienced — some call it "pay to play," the venues consider it a pre-sale. Call it what you will, veteran musicians in LA generally avoid it.
Best Coast is one of most most successful acts to come out of Los Angeles in recent years. Bobb Bruno plays guitar for the band.
"All those places on the Strip, that was kind of the rap they had, 'Oh, they're all pay to play now.'" he said.
Bruno grew up watching Van Halen play there on TV, listening to X's live album at the Whisky, but it was a different place back then. Bruno's played shows in LA for almost 20 years, and he's been on stage at the Troubadour, the Coliseum, the Wiltern, Walt Disney Concert Hall, etc., but never the Whisky.
For bands like Best Coast, they played house shows and at venues in neighborhoods like Downtown, Echo Park, Silver Lake.
"If you have like an audience where you feel confident you can actually sell that amount of tickets they give you, then I don't see any problem with it," said Bruno. "But if you're just starting out, it seems like maybe just kind of work your way up playing smaller places and getting a fan base before you attempt to… it seems like you just kind of get over your head in that situation."
According to music critic Steve Hochman, the move to pay-to-play venues is a definite "scene killer."
"It just feels like everything is artificial there. And, you know, it's great for the bands to need to have the initiative and go out and get people to come in and see them and be able to support it," said Hochman. "You know, ideally you want them to be able to that without having to try, that they already have a following. That would be the best way to do it, but the bands that already have a following don't need to do pay to play."
Surviving A Changing Music Scene
Mike Maglieri Jr., Mikeal's son, manages and books bands for the venue now. He estimates a little under half the shows they do now involve pay-to-play bands. He says he isn't wild about the practice, either, but the Whisky needs it to survive, and the Sunset Strip isn't the same place it was.
"After the '80s invasion the scene kind of died down, so there wasn't just a following of just people who would come here every night. So we had to do something to just insure that the room would get filled up," said Maglieri Jr. "I mean, it's a big capacity room, and you put five bands on there, and nobody draws...it's not worth it for us to open the doors. Just insurance and staffing and liquor and everything together, yeah, it's very high. And it's not easy, and it costs us a lot on a daily basis to keep the place running."
Maglieri Jr. also says the Whisky tries to find headlining bands that will draw more fans out to the venue, and that the goal is to make it worth it for the bands playing.
Susanna Hoffs, from the Bangles still loves the venue, and no matter what happens at the venue today, she'll always have the memories:
"I always see the Whisky the exact same way that it was in the '60s and then in the '80s. I can't imagine it any other way," she said.
You can see Susanna and the Bangles live this Saturday, at the Whisky a Go Go, they're doing 50th anniversary concerts all month long.
Kenneth Branagh gives Jack Ryan saga a new twist in 'Shadow Recruit'
This weekend, the latest reboot of Tom Clancy's Cold War spy thrillers opens in movie theaters nationwide.
"Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit" features Chris Pine in the title role. The film's director, Kenneth Branagh, also does a turn as a nasty Russian villain with one finger on the button of world destruction. This time, it's the stock market button instead of the nuclear one.
Fans of the previous Jack Ryan films have enjoyed seeing the noble hero save the world from nuclear annihilation, uncover U.S. involvement in Colombia, and avert an attack at the Super Bowl. Now the story is being retold with a different backstory.
Director Kenneth Branagh joins Take Two to talk about tackling the franchise and how this iteration compares to those of the past.
Northridge at 20: Truck driver who escaped collapse recalls his near miss
Ervin "Nick" Nichols was driving a truck south along the 5 Freeway when the Northridge Earthquake hit 20 years ago, causing a section of bridge to drop out in front of his rig. He barely managed to stop, mere inches from a more than 70 foot drop.
Officer Clarence Wayne Dean wasn’t as fortunate. He plunged to his death from a collapse in the interchange that now bears his name as a memorial.
Despite their drastically different outcomes that day, the men shared many similarities. Both were in their late-40s, both loved driving and both became instant icons of the 6.7 magnitude earthquake, their images broadcast across national news. KPCC's Jed Kim reports.
Northridge Earthquake Anniversary: The story behind the San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas fault runs hundreds of miles, from high mountains to low deserts. It passes through dozens of California's communities, and, according to scientists, a large earthquake could be imminent.
But that earthquake, commonly known as the Big One, could actually be a series of powerful shakes.
Author John Dvorak goes back more than 100 years to explore the San Andreas fault in new book, "Earthquake Storms: The Fascinating History and Volatile Future of the San Andreas Fault."
Gov. Jerry Brown officially declares drought in California
A red flag warning of extreme fire danger is in effect with low humidity and dry Santa Ana winds expected through the weekend.
The recent Colby Fire comes amid one of the driest spells in state history. Rainfall has been scarce with little relief foreseen through the winter, and reservoirs and rivers have dwindled to historically low levels.
Now Governor Jerry Brown has officially declared a drought emergency at a press conference in San Francisco. Here to tell us more about what this means is hydrologist Jay Famiglietti, director of the UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling at UC Irvine.
Wilshire Crest among 20 schools that lost art teachers during winter break
Public school students in Los Angeles are back from their winter break. They're tackling things like algebra assignments and history lessons. But KPCC's Mary Plummer says there's something hundreds of elementary kids won't get.
'How I Met Your Mother' creators apologize for 'racist' Kung Fu episode
This week, the creators of the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" became the latest to apologize for their portrayals of Asians. The mea culpa came after Asian-American viewers voiced their outrage on Twitter.
RELATED: #HowIMetYourRacism: How Asian-Americans on Twitter are telling Hollywood to back off
KPCC's Josie Huang says there've been a growing number of instances where Asian-Americans are using the Internet call out stereotyping in the media.
Ask Emily on Take Two: How big is California's Medi-Cal system?
Emily Bazar of the California Healthcare Foundation Center for Health Reporting joins the show for her regular explainer of the Affordable Care Act, Ask Emily.
We've talked so much about the state-run health insurance exchanges, and all the issues associated with them. In California the website is called Covered California, but that's just one piece of Obamacare.
There's also the expansion of Medicaid, the public insurance option for low-income residents, which has ballooned since Obamacare began.