Analyzing Trump's "make America work again" plan, how Twitter has responded to bullying and abuse, why Covered California premiums are more than tripling.
How exactly will Donald Trump 'make America work again?'
It was Make America Work Again night at the "Q" in Cleveland Tuesday.
Delegates there heard from a variety of voices, including Ben Carson, Donald Trump Junior, and the House Majority Leader, California Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who delivered a scathing assessment of the economy under President Obama.
https://youtu.be/VQ-tWguepdI?t=1m55s
Noticeably absent from the remarks yesterday: concrete details on what Donald Trump would do to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
For a look at how California would fare under a Trump administration, Take Two spoke to two guests:
- Bill Whalen, research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution
- Louis DeSipio, professor of political science and Chicano studies at UC Irvine
Highlights
Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he will grow jobs as president. On his website under the tab titled "the economy" he offers this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97iL5er3Mkc
He references his tax plan. What is the Trump tax plan?
Whalen: He wants to lower rates, and he wants to reduce regulatory effects on the economy. It's very similar to Reaganomics of the 1980s in that regard.
Louis, Donald Trump Jr. referred to Hispanics in his remarks yesterday:
"[Democrats] gave us the worst immigration system in the world, one that imports immobility, one that drives down employment and wages for Hispanic Americans, for African Americans, and for everyone..." - Donald Trump Jr.
How would you describe Latino employment during the Obama presidency?
DeSipio: It's grown dramatically, as it has for all groups in US society. President Obama entered at the depths of the Great Recession and has seen a slow growth out of the Great Recession. Latino unemployment has dropped by over half in the Obama years.
Trump Jr. seems to be making the case that undocumented immigrants are making it harder for other minorities to grow economically. What does data tell us about the impact that undocumented workers have on the California economy?
DeSipio: The way that I would sum it up is to suggest that unauthorized labor compliments rather than substitutes for native-born labor, so it adds to the strength of the economy. Certainly, immigrants and unauthorized immigrants specifically have kept certain industries alive here in California. They create jobs and contribute to the state economy, and pay quite a bit in taxes... I'd also challenge Donald Trump Jr. in that unauthorized immigration has been the result of both Democratic and Republican administrations, in fact, the biggest growth was under President Bush.
If there's an undecided voter walking into this convention, do you think they'll walk away with a more positive outlook on the party under Donald Trump?
Whalen: We have to see what Trump does tomorrow night. If Trump gives a very good speech, if Trump makes sense on some policy issues, if Trump does not go off course and starts deviating into judges and ridiculous other side trips that he tends to take, he maybe gets a small boost. But I think we have to diminish the results of this convention in this regard.
This is an election that I think will be decided by two things: Number one: How these two do against each other in debates come October. They're going to go head to head 2, 3 times in October in debates. Let's see how they do. But the other thing I think that's going to drive this election is providence — I'm not referring to the small town in Rhode Island, but providence in terms of events beyond these candidates' control. Look at what shootings have done to the national debate in the last couple of week. Coups in Turkey and things like that.
Press the blue play button above to hear more.
What Covered CA rate hikes mean for the continuing debate over the ACA
President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law more than six years ago now.
The main goals of Obamacare, as it's commonly known, were to create better health outcomes while lowering costs. But that can be a tricky balancing act, as seen here in California.
Yesterday, the state health insurance exchange known as Covered California released its proposed premiums for next year and they're going up.
, Senior Correspondent at Kaiser Health News, joined Take Two to discuss what's behind the price hike and what it may mean for you.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.
'Ghostbusters' actor Leslie Jones' and the perils of being a minority on Twitter
Despite a following of more than 227,000 users, Leslie Jones shut down her Twitter account this week. The final post from the African American comedienne read:
I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart.All this cause I did a movie.You can hate the movie but the shit I got today...wrong
— Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) July 19, 2016
That movie was the new Ghostbusters reboot and it sparked a flood of hateful messages and abusive posts. Many of those posts were written by the technology editor at the conservative news site Breitbart, Milo Yiannopoulos who goes by the twitter handle @Nero. This week, Twitter shut down his account.
For more on all this, we were joined by another twitter user who has also had an experience with the darker side of social media, Ijeoma Oluo. She's Editor-At-Large for the website, the Establishment.
Interview Highlights
What kind of reactions has Leslie Jones been receiving on Twitter?
"She's been receiving absolutely vile reactions, not just people saying 'I don't like the movie' or 'I didn't like your part in the movie', people have been attacking her looks, they've been attacking her race. People have been saying she looks like a man, people have been comparing her to gorillas. She's been getting racist slurs and threats, it's been a nonstop onslaught for the last few days."
Could you share a little bit about, what has happened to you in this realm?
"Yes, this has happened to me and this has happened to pretty much any somewhat prominent black woman on Twitter. There will be times where you will write something or say something that an online group doesn't like and you end up on a message board, and this has happened to me...
The first time I remember it happening to me was actually discussing the Starbucks race together campaign and somehow that got onto a white supremacist message board and I was suddenly flooded with really violent hateful messages from white supremacists. I was getting pictures of lynchings, I was getting pictures of mutilated bodies, I was called names that I didn't even know were still in use for black people in America and it was really shocking and it's overwhelming."
Oluo went into further detail about the abuse she received online, the user who was at the forefront of Jones's abuse and how people can go about promoting more peaceful and thoughtful discussions online.
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.
#StopBuzzThieves: Plagiarism in the digital age
The internet is filling up with Melania Trump memes. They exploded after an LA-based journalist recognized passages from a Michelle Obama speech in Trump's Monday night address at the GOP convention.
But she isn't the only one facing accusations of plagiarism. Buzzfeed video, an arm of the media powerhouse, Buzzfeed- is at the center of dozens of accusations.
A lot of these are coming from online content creators, who protest that Buzzfeed editors scour sites like YouTube, find interesting, funny videos and then remake them and publish them under the Buzzfeed brand. The claims have spawned the popular hashtag
.
While we're talking about Melania Trump's plagiarism. Let's not forget @BuzzFeedVideo #StopBuzzThieves pic.twitter.com/sp24TSmDKf
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) July 19, 2016
Down to the same purple background too.🙊 #holyguacamole #StopBuzzThieves https://t.co/apqVvMj6WH
— Jennerz✌😊💕 (@1born2write) July 4, 2016
#StopBuzzThieves from profiting off of stealing from original creators. https://t.co/GWTxbnbyEq
— kp (@KdoubleP) July 4, 2016
But the accusations aren't stopping there. Last month, Gaby Dunn, an ex-Buzzfeed employee wrote an op-ed in Fusion in which she cautioned up-in-coming content creators to think twice before signing their image and ideas away to big corporations for free. In her op-ed, Dunn also pointed out Buzzfeed:
"...still own a Facebook fan page with my face on it. They can promote whatever they want there using my name and image...They could conceivably cut together all the videos I made for them into a series, sell that series for millions of dollars using my work and my name and likeness, and not give me a penny or tell me about it at all. All of this is 100% legal."
While many of the claims are troubling, some are ideas and concepts that have resonated in pop culture long before the internet was around. So, how do you define 'plagiarism' in the digital age where many ideas are shared?
Amara Aguilar, associate Professor of Professional practice of digital journalism at USC, joined the show to discuss this question and more.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Sports Roundup: social commentary and diversity in sports
Every week we take a deep dive into the world of sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky, who have covered the sports scene for ESPN and the L.A. Times.
On tap this week, Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell, who after the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile posted an image on Instagram of a police officer getting stabbed. The backlash was strong, but what he did afterwards is what people are talking about now.
And the Rooney Rule is a policy that requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior football operation jobs. Recently ESPN took a look at NFL team's coaching staffs and found that the Rooney Rule isn't really making that much of a difference.
And coaching diversity isn't just an issue in the NFL, the majority of NBA coaches are white in a league where 80% of the players are black. In the MLB there are 2 black managers and no Latinos.
All that and a lot more.
Olympian Kim Rhode shares the pros and cons of shooting as a sport
California native Kim Rhode has some serious hardware in her house. She's a five-time Olympic medal winner, thanks to her skills in skeet and double trap shooting.
Funfact: They only stop a shooting match for lighting not snow! What's the worst weather you've had to over come? pic.twitter.com/lCSE3NatSV
— Kim Rhode (@KimRhode) July 13, 2016
But her sport has also led to some unwelcome attention, especially in the wake of any mass shootings.
Rhode is making her final preparations for the summer games, but took a few moments to tell Take Two about shooting as a sport.
First, a primer:
"In international skeet, you have a high and a low house. You have seven stations set in a half semi-circle, with the eighth station being in the middle. You have to start with the gun at your hip, and when you call pull the bird can come out the second you call pull, or anywhere at random."
What traveling with a gun is like:
"Traveling with your firearm is a little tricky, to say the least, especially if you're going into other countries. There's a lot of people, a lot of things, a lot of hoops we have to jump through. And usually for something like the Olympics, it's going to be a little bit of a wait in the customs office once we arrive. Our guns will be taken at the airport and taken straight to the shooting facility, and we won't see them until the day before our event. So we'll get, literally three rounds of practice and then it's go time for the match."
How she handles the negative attention from mass shootings:
"After the London Games, I had just won an Olympic medal and the first question I got asked wasn't, 'What is it like representing your country?' or 'What does it feel like to see the flag go to the top of the pole?' ...It was, 'Can you comment on Aurora?' Which, you know, really kind of take you aback. Obviously our heart breaks for the victims and the family members and everything, and our heart goes out to them. But at the end of the day our sport is something completely different. It teaches responsibility, discipline, focus and really has nothing to do with any of those events."
Does the excitement of the Olympics ever wear off?
"In all the Olympics I've been to, this will be my sixth in Rio, I have to say yo still get nervous, you still get those butterflies, your knees still knock. I think that's what makes the Olympics so unique. It's really about the journey it took to get there, we've been training for over four years for that singular moment, and this is it. So, definitely you have the nerves going, and I don't think you ever get over it. It never gets old."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Is it better to cycle or drive a car in polluted air?
The Styled Side: How stylish are Republicans?
Republicans are whipping up the party faithful in Cleveland for their national convention.
But aside from politics, flamboyant hats, buttons and outfits are all garnering their fair share of attention, too.
"Sartorial choices can be carefully calculated messages of party unity and state pride," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily.
Tyree points out Melania Trump's ivory sheath dress worn during her speech to delegates contained a subtle but deliberate message.
Called the "Margot" from brand Roksanda, it was designed by Roksanda Ilincic, a Serbian-born woman based in London.
"Melania is herself from Slovenia," says Tyree, "and the dress is a notable choice as she works to try and tamp down perceptions that her husband is not exactly foreigner-friendly."
Trump also purchased it off the luxury fashion site Net-a-Porter.
"One of the reasons the fashion press loves Michelle Obama is that she is known for frequently buying at retail like J Crew," says Tyree. "It's interesting that a former high-fashion model such as Melania, known for working with top fashion photographers, would also choose a similar strategy."
What Donald Trump wore also caught Tyree's eye: a blue tie from his own signature collection.
"He has taken heat because it's been reported that his own brand of ties is Made in China, which doesn't pair well with his message of bringing more jobs to America," she says.
"But by wearing his own line and not the Italian Brioni that he's typically worn on the campaign trail, one could read into it that he's seemingly saying that he buys into his brand and voters should, too," says Tyree. "Or is it that he simply likes that tie?"
On the convention floor, loud outfits are a great way to draw media attention to yourself and brand yourself as part of a larger team.
"It's the perfect way to grab a little air time if you're wearing something extra bold," says Tyree.
Plenty of retailers are cashing in as well.
If you want to get your "elephant" on, Tyree has some suggestions:
- Tom's Shoes, based in Playa del Ray, has a line-up of Republican pride shoes (they are equal opportunity, though, with Democrat donkey ones too)
- GOPstore.com is an online resource to get a basic elephant tee or something more sassy like a "Delete Hillary" t-shirt
- DonaldJTrump.com has an assortment of products including presidential t-shirts for your dog
Stayed tuned next week when Tyree rejoins Take Two for a look at the Democratic style when that party convenes for its convention in Philadelphia.
Garry Marshall's advice to one young filmmaker: 'Do anything you need to do to get the film the way you see it'
81 year-old writer, producer and director Garry Marshall has died. He passed away yesterday at a hospital in Burbank. He died of complications from pneumonia following a stroke.
Marshall's long list of credits include films like "Pretty Woman" and "The Princess Diaries" and beloved television shows including "Happy Days," "Mork and Mindy" and "Laverne and Shirley."
We talk about his life and legacy with Martin Garbus, a personal friend of Marshall and his daughter Liz Garbus - director of the documentary - What Happened Miss SImone?
Interview highlights
On how Martin and Garry met
Martin Garbus: Garry and I were 14 years old, he was putting together a basketball team and I played in a neighboring school yard and he thought I was good enough — I was terrible, we were all terrible — to join this basketball team.
He was the coach, the captain, he did everything, he made arrangements for the ball games, he told you who the shooter was, the rebounder was. Whatever skills he laid out as a director, he had all that while he was director of the basketball team, ages 14, 15, 16.
Why was he so successful in TV/film?
Liz: It’s kind of incredible when you think of the talent that he birthed through the various talent through his television shows and films, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Henry Winkler and Ron Howard ... I think Garry saw his role, maybe like on the basketball team, like hosting a movie, breeding talented people and getting people to have a good time. He had people who worked with him for years, decades. It was important for him that they were happy working there.
The professional advice he gave Liz
Liz: One thing Garry said to me when I was putting together my first scripted convo, he said “Find the shot you need. If a producer tells you it’s too expensive, borrow money, do anything you need to do to get the film the way you see it, and don’t let a producer tell you no.”
Martin's lasting memory of him
Martin: He was the kindest, most generous man — it sounds like a platitude — that I ever knew. I saw him through hard times and good times, mostly good times, and he was this warm, gentle, kind person. I saw him under pressure, I never saw him lose his temper, I was on many sets with him, I never saw him treat anyone discourteously, I never saw him being anything other than the extraordinarily decent human being. I do not know you can say that about anyone in Hollywood, let alone life.
Sometimes I’d be going through something, I’d be overseas, different times I’d call him for help, he was always, always there. Always.