The improbably rise of Bernie Sanders, new clues in last year's disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines jet, Sturgis motorcycle rally turns 75
Break in the case of flight MH370
Officials in Malaysia are saying that recent debris is very likely to be part of flight MH370 that disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March of last year.
There have been false alarms before, but this could be the most concrete evidence found so far. We talk to Matt Schiavenza who's a contributor for The Atlantic and has reported on this story.
Bernie Sanders 'mania' could complicate the Clinton campaign
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders hosted what he calls ‘the biggest grassroots campaign event of the 2016 race,’ last night.
Sanders says over 100,000 tuned in to hear him speak in a live webcast, and his campaign says there were watching parties in all 50 states.
The Vermont senator’s meteoric rise to fame has come as a surprise to many in the political world—even Sanders himself. His campaign speeches are well-attended, and he has successfully raised over $15 million in small donations.
Though recent polls show him trailing Hillary Clinton by as much as 30 points nationally, Sanders continues to gather support from discontented Democrats and Republicans across the country. The Washington Post’s Rebecca Sinderbrand tells Take Two, Sanders’ strong stance against income inequality has helped change the tone the election:
“He’s coming out with a message that is [at least rhetorically] much stronger against Wall Street, against the corporate elites than Hillary Clinton has been comfortable with doing … Hillary Clinton has responded to this. [She gave] a speech just this month in which she pushed back on Wall Street … She went to Iowa immediately after that, talking to base voters … You can’t necessarily say that’s because of Bernie Sanders, but you can say that it’s a message that she absolutely needed to deliver now, with Bernie Sanders out there.”
Press the play button above to hear about what impact the Sanders ideology could have on the 2016 election.
Inside the Sinaloa cartel tunnels that freed 'El Chapo,' Mexico's most-wanted drug king
Nearly 5,000 feet long, with pipes and fluorescent lights, carved deep into the earth. That's the tunnel where Mexico's most-wanted drug lord fled in a daring escape earlier this month from a maximum-security prison.
Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as El Chapo and head of the violent Sinaloa cartel, is still at large. While much of how he escaped is still a mystery, one thing is known: It was the tunnel that carried him to freedom.
The Sinaloa cartel has pioneered the use of tunnels to smuggle drugs, equipment and even people across the border.
Reporter Monte Reel has written about the tunnels for the New Yorker, and joined the show for more.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Craig Robinson and Christian Slater take the stage for 'Spamalot' at the Hollywood Bowl
In 1975, a group of exceptionally witty Brits put out the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Loosely based on the legend of King Arthur's quest for the Holy Grail, it was the second film from the Monty Python bunch, but the first to truly cement the troupe's popularity in the US.
The film became a cult classic and it's considered the... well, the Holy Grail of comedy by many for everything from its wacky opening credits to killer rabbits to knights singing about eating "ham and jam and spam a lot." That line inspired Monty Python member Eric Idle to write a musical version of the film appropriately called "Spamalot," which debuted on Broadway in 2005.
And despite the fact that "Spamalot" poked fun at the musical theater tradition, it did extraordinarily well, winning a Tony that year for best musical. Since then, the show has been performed all over the world for audiences from Australia to South Korea, Norway to Mexico.
An now the play is coming to Southern California, debuting at the Hollywood Bowl where the likes of Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Craig Robinson and Christian Slater will all be playing parts.
This production of "Spamalot" runs Friday, July 31st through Sunday, August 1st. For more information click through here.
To hear Alex Cohen speak with the cast of the play about what it's like to put on a major musical after only ten days of rehearsal, click through on the audio embedded above.
Cecil the lion and trophy hunting
Cecil the African lion continues to be the subject of much attention and outrage on social media.
The backlash against Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer, the man accused of killing Cecil, has been swift and deafening.
Authorities from Zimbabwe reported that he paid at least 50-thousand dollars to hunt a live lion. But despite the international headlines - this is not an isolated incident.
We talk about it with Jason G. Goldman, an animal behavior researcher, and science writer based in Los Angeles.
The Wheel Thing: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may draw 1 million
Every August, the population of South Dakota almost doubles, as legions of rubber-burning and sometimes hell-raising bikers descend upon the tiny town of Sturgis.
It's always a bit of a madhouse, but this year's festival, which begins next week, is the 75th anniversary, and some expect record-breaking crowds.
Our Wheel Thing emcee, motor critic Susan Carpenter, is a veteran. She's been to Sturgis twice, and she explains the what and the why, along with the how - how do you get as many as a million people to a remote town in South Dakota?
'Happy Birthday' song lawsuit: Potentially game-changing evidence discovered
Warner/Chappell Music has long owned the rights to "Happy Birthday to You," and any TV or movie producers who want to use the song must pay up to do so.
But filmmakers behind a documentary about the popular song are locked in a legal battle in California with Warner/Chappell. On the night before a decision in the case was supposed to come down, lawyers for the plaintiffs discovered evidence that could change the tides.
Eriq Gardner, senior editor at The Hollywood Reporter, joined the show to explain more.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
State of Affairs: Sen. Feinstein's drought-relief bill, statewide poll on drought and climate change
On this week's State of Affairs, Sen. Feinstein introduces a new drought-relief bill and a statewide poll of Californians' views on climate change and the drought.
Capital Public Radio state government reporter Katie Orr and USC professor Sherry Bebitch Jeffe join Take Two.
CA lawmakers attempt to bridge the divide between LA and San Francisco
The rivalry between San Francisco and Los Angeles has been a long-standing source of debate.
Whether it's Giants versus Dodgers, redwoods versus palm trees, fog versus smog, the best Mexican food versus the best Mexican food, things can get pretty contentious.
This week, two California lawmakers are attempting to bridge the divide by trading places for three days for an experiment they're calling
California Assemblymembers
(D-San Francisco) and
(D-Los Angeles) joined Take Two to discuss what they've learned from trading places.
Assemblymembers in helmets for the
.
— David Chiu (@DavidChiu)
Assemblymembers in helmets for the #AD51 #AD17 #DistrictSwap. #WhoWoreItBetter? pic.twitter.com/FjvSabWAKo
— David Chiu (@DavidChiu) July 29, 2015
To hear the full interview with Assemblymembers Jimmy Gomez and David Chiu, click the link above.
Planner for the '84 LA Olympics: Los Angeles would be a great 2024 host
The race to host the 2024 Olympics has become a sports drama in its own right.
Boston has bowed out of North America's bid to hold the games, and now Los Angeles leads the pack as the U.S. contender.
L.A. is no stranger to the Olympics: the games were held here in 1984, and the city is one of just a few hosts to actually turn a profit.
There's also plenty of good will from people who remember that time.
But how did L.A. walk away a success in 1984, and could it do it again?
Last year, we talked with the design firm that prepped those games – The Jerde
Simones says LA had some real advantages over other places when it came to hosting the Games, but it could definitely create another hit if it was picked for 2024.
LA's weird July weather: Is El Niño the culprit?
Southern California is experiencing an unusually wet July. Remnants of Hurricane Dolores moved through the area not too long ago, and monsoon-like conditions are arriving Wednesday.
Is El Niño behind the whacky weather? And does it make a difference to the drought?
Mike Halpert, deputy director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center, joined the show with the answers.
Kelly's Hollywood: A dream come true for a woman with Down Syndrome
The Special Olympics continues in Los Angeles for a few more days, but the games is about more than sports. It's also a platform to highlight the lives and work of people with intellectual disabilities.
Like Kelly Donovan - a young woman with Down Syndrome. She's the focus of a new documentary called "Kelly's Hollywood." written and produced by her brother, Brian.
It tells the story of Kelly's quest to make it in Tinsel Town -- and the unbreakable bond with her brother.
Brian Donovan joined Take Two's A Martinez to talk about Kelly and the amount of life she packed into 40 years.
"Kelly's Hollywood" will be screened at the University of Southern California on Friday July 31 at 1pm as part of the Special Olympics
from
on Vimeo.