The people and policies that paved Hillary Clinton's path to the nomination, a young Republican makes the case for Trump, Runyon canyon re-opens next week.
Hillary Clinton's breakthrough moment was a long time coming
Last night in the city of Brotherly Love, history was made. Hillary Clinton officially accepted her party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention, making her the first woman to be nominated to lead a major party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2T-sNGMx2I
The candidate didn't dwell too much on gender last night, however. She talked about her personal background, her work with kids, her travels around the world as Secretary of State.
She also appeared thoroughly impressed by the pyrotechnical portion of the evening.
So how did Clinton get to this point, and what does this mean for women in politics going forward?
Take Two put that question to Rachel Van-Sickle Ward. She's a professor of political science at Pitzer College.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
Young GOP: One is for Donald Trump. The other isn't. Can she be convinced?
With the conventions now behind us, the campaign for President begins in earnest.
Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Tim Kaine are still in Pennsylvania, appearing at a series of events today in what is expected to be a critical state in the campaign.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, is out West. He's set to hold a town hall and a rally in Colorado.
The point of the conventions is to unite the parties in support of the nominees and convince the unconvinced, but that doesn't mean there aren't holdouts.
Throughout the election cycle, Take Two has checked in with young Republicans Mary Perez and Claire Chiara. They both study political science at USC and UC Berkeley respectively. Mary Perez and Claire Chiara. They both study political science at USC and UC Berkeley respectively.
Claire and Mary feel differently about the man chosen to lead their party, however. Claire was one of California's youngest delegates for Donald Trump. Mary is a proud member of the "Never Trump" movement.
They both joined Take Two to make their cases.
The transcript has been edited for clarity.
Highlights
A Martinez: I want to start with your reactions. Hillary Clinton is officially the nominee for the Democratic party. What is your three-word reaction?
Claire: Stale, uninteresting and unexciting.
A Martinez: Wow, you managed to contain it in three words. I'm very impressed by that. Mary?
Mary: Typical, nauseating, just flat-out there she goes again.
A Martinez: That's over three words! That's over three words. Mary, why that reaction?
Mary: Hillary just goes in with the same rhetoric that she's moving the country forward. In light of all the scandals that she's been through,
it's just so hard to watch someone go up there on stage to be our potential president, and to put down Donald Trump too. It's just like, okay, we've heard the same thing from you.
A Martinez: Let's get to the GOP nominee. Claire, you were there at the convention last week. You saw Donald Trump speak. How are you feeling about him today?
Claire: I thought that his closing remarks, his acceptance speech on the last night of the convention were a fantastic turning point in the Republican party's history, showing that our party is unified. We are the Republicans; we have our Republican nominee, we want to beat Hillary Clinton in November. Despite some of the differences that people felt arriving on Monday, by the end of the week when Trump gave a very compelling speech, I think he encouraged people to recognize this is the time to come together and focus on defeating the party that doesn't represent us, rather than nit-picking the candidates within the party that do.
A Martinez: Mary. Mary, Mary, Mary. We have checked in with you a lot through this election process. Each time, you have been staunchly against Donald Trump. You have not waivered once. Are you at least feeling better about Donald Trump today than maybe a few months ago?
I'll say this: I think Mike Pence was a good choice for him, but no, I still have not waivered, and I'm a purist.
A Martinez: Really? Why not?
Mary: Because Trump is not a conservative. And yes, I understand that he's better than Hillary. Anything is better than Hillary. I'm hashtag never, ever Hillary. The way I see it is that my vote in California is purely symbolic. There is a slight part of me that is rooting for Trump in the sense that I hope that he does beat Hillary in November because I do not want him to win the election.
A Martinez: But wouldn't you have to vote for him, though?
Mary: No, not necessarily. When I cast my vote for Donald Trump, I am saying that he is going to be the brand and the face of the new Republican Party. And if he loses the election, in 2020, how am I going to defend myself saying, 'well, everything that Donald Trump stands for is going to be the platform of the Republican Party?'
He just came out with his comment about NATO, how he's going to abandon his NATO alliances and the only way that he would support them is if they paid us in cash. What type of foreign policy is that?
Claire: I'm very surprised by that because I think your position that it's symbolic to be a Republican voting in California dictates that you should take your vote even more seriously. Often in California, Republicans feel disenfranchised by the Democrat large majority, and so, in this instance, you are choosing to self-select and disenfranchise yourself, and I'm surprised that some who's as passionate about politics and passionate about what the Republican Party means to you would let that happen. I don't think that any voter, regardless of party, should be discouraged from participating in elections just based on the fact that their candidate might not win in their region.
Press the blue play button above to hear more from the conversation.
Click the audio link below that to hear the full, uncut recording.
Congressman Adam Schiff reflects on the Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention hosted a substantial line up of California speakers. Congressman Adam Schiff talks with Take Two's Alex Cohen about his experience speaking at the convention.
Keegan Michael Key thinks humor can be a 'spoonful of sugar' in tense times
Before Keegan Michael Key became one half of the duo behind the hit show Key & Peele, he started in the world of improv, at Second City in Detroit.
He channels those roots in the film "Don't Think Twice." Key plays Jack, a member of an improv troupe trying to make it on the national stage.
Each member hopes for a big break, especially Jack, who often steals the show with his impersonations.
Key spoke with Take Two about his love for improv, the way "code-switching" was portrayed on Key & Peele and comedy's role in addressing racial tension.
Interview Highlights
On what appeals to him about improvisational comedy:
It's the immediacy of it and the connection that people crave in the theater. It happens every night. There's always going to be that sense that when you're saying a line, you're saying another human's words. And that's the challenge... Someone said, in performance there's always a divine dissatisfaction. You can't ever achieve this moment of now or this sense of immediacy. But you can! In this other art form known as improvisation.
On code-switching in sketches:
[A]t Second City, very often I'd play a person from this socioeconomic cultural background, then play a different person from a different socioeconomic background. So what we wanted to do in Key & Peele is go, "No, but Jordan [Peele] and I do that every day as the same person." The very first thing that aired on Key & Peele on the very first episode was a code-switching scene.
I think we achieved what we wanted in that moment better than we achieved it ever again. I felt like we started making the same scene over and over again. ... It's just, that's the trick, because that's the technique we use in life to survive.
On comedy's role in dealing with racial tension:
I am a firm believer that humor can help cure what ails us. Humor can be a spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down. But the issue is, if you're comfortable in your fear, if you're thriving in your fear, you're not looking to make that stuff to go away. And that's part of what's happening right now. As a society we don't understand, the fear makes us stuck and some people go, "I don't care."
If you fed someone glass every day of their lives since they were three years old and then met them at 40 and said, "Um, dude, you're eating glass," and then you give them something else to eat, they'd get upset with you. Because they were comfortable eating glass... That said, I am trying to discover, how do you get to the people who'd rather be stuck in their fear? Humor's it. Because if you're laughing, you're busted. Something made you giggle, something made you have that visceral reaction. And that should make you explore.
My problem is, you will explore if you're a person who's open to ideas. And [those who] won't explore — you'll go, "Oh, I guess that was funny," and go about the rest of your life. It's tough. We haven't discovered it yet. We're still working on it.
(Click on the blue arrow above to hear the entire interview.)
The Dish: Looking for Puerto Rican food in LA? Mofongos is the spot
Mexican food. Sushi. Pupusas. Korean Barbecue. The list of delicious food in Los Angeles is as diverse as the people who live here.
But what if you're looking to try cuisine of a Puerto Rican persuasion? As it turns out: You're in luck. Head to North Hollywood, and you'll find a bright orange restaurant called Mofongos on Lankershim Boulevard. Mofongos takes the glory of being the only Puerto Rican restaurant in the L.A. area. Take Two takes you there to kick off our summer food series, The Dish.
For the uninitiated, mofongo is a classic Puerto Rican dish made up of mashed plantains that are fried and shaped into a bowl. That bowl is then filled with savory meat, like steak, chicken or pork.
But Augusto Cohen, one of the owners at Mofongos, recommends adorning your mofongo with shrimp. The jumbo shrimp are cooked in a red sofrito sauce — a cilantro-based sauce that is a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine — and enveloped by the flavorful moat of plantains.
Cohen was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and began learning to cook from his mother at age 6. He eventually made his way to L.A. and graduated from UCLA in 2003. He's been serving up delicious Puerto Rican food to hungry Angelenos every since, and has gained a loyal customer following.
"If nothing else, you can talk to your friends and they're like, 'Oh, you're Puerto Rican? Oh, you're the only Puerto Rican I've met.' And you can say, 'Well hey, you know, there's not much to do out here to experience Puerto Rico, but you can go check out Mofongos," he said.
For those who aren't familiar with Puerto Rican food, Cohen says the first thing he has to explain is that this is not spicy food.
"It's not picante, it's sabroso," he said. "The same way that Italian food has a lot of flavor, Puerto Rican food has a lot of flavor. Lots of garlic, oregano, very seasoned, very adobado food."
Get ready for a Caribbean food coma.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Soberanes wildfire continues to ravage Monterey County
Firefighters in Monterey County continue to battle a blaze that broke out last week. Since then, the fire has consumed over 31,000 acres, forced hundreds of residents from their homes, and has claimed one life.
Drought in the area has also exacerbated the problem. With high temperatures and low humidity continuing into the weekend, firefighters are struggling to manage an inferno that's currently only 15% contained.
KPCC's A. Martinez talks to Robert Fish, California Fire Battalion Chief and Information Officer, about the challenges that lay ahead for firefighters and residents alike.
#HealingHikes aim to help black Americans cope with racial violence
Back in 2009, Rue Mapp started a blog called Outdoor Afro about her experiences getting out into nature as a woman of color.
That blog then turned into a national online network for African Americans to connect with each other and organize all sorts of outdoor activities, like hiking, mountain biking and camping.
In recent years, Outdoor Afro has taken on a new goal as part of it's mission— to help black Americans deal with the trauma, grief, and anger brought on by police shootings of black men.
They're called #HealingHikes. Rue Mapp joined Take Two to explain more about them.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.
Runyon Canyon to reopen Tuesday — with a few improvements
You'll be able to enjoy a popular Hollywood Hills hiking trail again in just a few days.
Runyon Canyon reopens Tuesday after a four-month closure for a pipe replacement project, though visitors will notice some other improvements, as well, according to Marty Adams of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
"There is much improved firefighting capability there, new hydrants," Adams told KPCC. "There'll be some new drinking fountains, including dog-watering fountains. And then on top of that the surface that most people use to hike through the main part of the park will be in great condition."
Runyon Canyon is "one of the quintessential hikes in LA," Casey Schreiner, founder of the blog Modern Hiker, told Take Two's A. Martinez. "Probably 90 percent of the time when you talk to someone in L.A. and they say they're a hiker, they generally do Runyon Canyon."
While there have been many efforts to renovate the park, not all of them were appreciated by those in the local neighborhood, Shreiner said. "There was this controversial plan to put in a basketball court, which sort of got everybody up in arms."
Neima Khaila, founder of the clothing company Pink Dolphin, attempted to convert the park's underused tennis court into a basketball court. Many park-goers took umbrage with the fact that the court would be corporate sponsored.
"[Khaila] didn't request that corp sponsorship. The city offered it to him," Schreiner said. "It seemed like he was really trying to do some good things for a park he loved. It's this whole sort of comedy of miscommunication and government bureaucracy that has led to this outrage."
When Runyon Canyon reopens on Tuesday, it won't have that basketball court. But Schreiner said that won't likely away from the trail's appeal.
"A lot of sort of 'serious' hikers sort of pooh-pooh Runyon Canyon a little bit. I've done this as well," he said. "[But] it's a great place to be! It's an invaluable resource for that neighborhood. It's one of the very few parks in LA that's sort of transit accessible. And it's very well loved by its users."
To hear the full conversation, click the blue player above
Dragon ants: Another species gets a 'Game of Thrones’ treatment
Who said dragons aren't real? Well, dragon ants, anyway. A new study out this week identifies two new ant species, and scientists are seeing similarities to the mythic creatures.
Obviously, these are not your common house ants. You'll have to go to New Guinea to find them, and it's their unique curved, hooked and vertical spikes that earned them the names Pheidole drogon and Pheidole viserion.
Drogon and Viscerion are the character Daenerys Targaryen's dragons from the popular TV show "Game of Thrones."
This isn't the first time a species has received the "Game of Thrones" treatment. In 2013, a new species of slug was named after the Khaleesi herself, Daenerys Targaryen, the mother of dragons. It's nothing new that science has been taking cues from pop culture. Both Johnny Cash and David Bowie have spiders named after them.
For more on the paper and its findings on these dragon ants, Eli Sarnat, author of the study, joined the show to discuss.
Interview Highlights
What's so special about this species?
This genus Pheidole is commonly called the bigheaded, because of that soldier ant [with] these massive heads that look almost impossible for the body to support, and they absolutely dominate the Earth. They're on every continent in almost any habitat. So, almost anywhere you go on Earth, you're going to find these Pheidole ants.
Why is this study important?
The study was trying to get at this basic question, why do these ants have these spines? and I'll cut to the chase, we still don't know, and a lot of work needs to be done. But one thing I noticed was that some of these soldiers had spines where the minor workers, the ones with the little heads of the same species, only had these little nubs on their shoulders. And I thought to myself, "Well, perhaps these spines on the shoulders of the soldier workers are actually providing more space for muscle attachment that can support these very large heads."
What about their names, how did they get their really awesome "Game of Thrones" names?
It's a bit of a funny story, I guess. I was trying to figure out a good name for some of these and I asked my wife for help, and she came up with a great classic Latin name meaning "branched spine," which very nicely describes one of the species. And I ran it by my co-authors, and they said, "No, that's too boring. These are remarkable ants, we need to come up with something better." And we're all, "Game of Thrones" — which we spent a lot of time talking about the ins and outs of all the intricate plots — and one of the authors, Evan, said "Oh, that black one has to be Drogon," which is one of Daenerys Targaryen's dragons, and it's jet black just like this ant.
And if you look at the ant, it's true that the spines on the back do look like wings, and then these shoulder spines do look like claws. So, I think dragon ants is actually a pretty fitting common name for them.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Dance the night away at the Autry Museum
It's been quite toasty here in Southern California. Just another way the event known as Sizzling Summer Nights has been living up to its name.
Every Thursday night through August you can dance the night away to bands like Conjunto Oye. They're part of a line-up that includes some of L.A.'s best salsa and Latin fusion bands at the Autry Museum.
As part of our ongoing look at ways to enjoy music outdoors this summer, Take Two's Alex Cohen spoke earlier with Keisha Raines of the Autry.
To hear the full conversation click the blue player above.