A look at homegrown extremism and self-radicalization, how moms and dads can have tough conversations with their kids about sexual assault, E3 preview with Mike Roe.
Understanding the complex world of self-radicalization
In the days since the shooting at Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida, the investigation has turned to the gunman, Omar Mateen.
He allegedly claimed allegiance to ISIS in a 911 call from the club. The shooter had previously been interviewed by the FBI for possible ties to extremist organizations, but authorities found no evidence he posed a threat.
The topic now is homegrown extremism and self-radicalization: What does it mean, and how can it be confronted?
Seamus Hughes is the deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University. He joined the show to explain more about the process of self-radicalizing, and what factors have changed that process.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
A tragedy by any other name: Nation torn over how to describe worst shooting in history
In the hours after the Orlando massacre that left 49 dead, several lawmakers expressed their condolences to the victims and their families using social media.
Many of those killed Sunday were part of the city's LGBTQ community. As the Washington Post observed, few tweets from Republican leaders mention the community directly. That includes tweets from prominent Republican voices like Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Arizona Senator John McCain, and House Speaker Paul Ryan. An op-ed in Slate went as far as to suggest that they were "erasing LGBTQ people from their own tragedy."
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has not hesitated to mention the community but brought controversy to the conversation by branding the killings "radical Islamic terror." It's a label both President Obama and presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton have avoided.
This weekend's violence spotlights two minority groups — both have been a point of division in partisan politics and have left the American public split over how to talk about it. If civilians and policymakers can't agree on how to discuss Sunday's shooting, however, what hope do they have of preventing more violence?
"Republicans have to walk a fine line on gay rights," says Matthew Mendez. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from USC and is a member of the Southern California LGBTQ community. "As the country has become — overall — more accepting of gay rights, there is a portion of their base that is not supportive of gay rights. So — in this case — the social conservative and evangelicals, some of whom are actively opposed to gay rights. And any signal [...] could potentially turn some individuals in their base against them, or spark some outrage that they would prefer to avoid in an election year," Mendez says.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Sunday killings have quickly become a hot-button issue in the election. Many Republican lawmakers find themselves caught between four longstanding points of political contention: gay Americans, Muslim Americans, gun control and presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has reignited the debate over what to call killers who claim to follow Islam. Trump has labeled Sunday's shooter a "radical Islamic terrorist." Marwa Abdelghani, the community outreach fellow at the Muslim Public Affairs Council, says this is wrong.
"I think that when we use that kind of language, it's very divisive, and it only perpetuates the violent stereotype [of Islam], and as long as we continue using that kind of language [...] there will always be this association between terrorism and the religion," Abdelghani says. "We just need to call it out for what it is, which is just terrorism. Just violence, hate — and that is all it is. There is no association with a particular faith," she says.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
80 percent of LGBT people killed are minorities
When violence strikes the LGBT community, the victims often look like those who died in the Orlando tragedy.
People of color made up 80 percent of the LGBT people killed in America during 2014, according to the most recent report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Crimes against LGBT people in L.A. County spiked 14 percent that year, according to the county's Report on Hate Crime.
"We are still closeted within our community that, unfortunately, may still deny we still exist," says Ari Gutiérrez with the Latino Equality Alliance. "We've seen bullying in the school environment, and then take that out to the community-level."
Gutiérrez says many pockets of cultures – including here in Southern California – still harbor fearful and violent views towards LGBT people, and she talks with communities in their native tongue to open up their minds.
"I think we're a vulnerable target," she says.
LGBT people are also less likely to trust law enforcement to help them, believing it will lead to more harassment by officers.
Just last week, for example, a transgender woman in Santa Ana was shot in the back by an assailant. She survived her injuries, but also didn't cooperate with authorities to find the perpetrator.
But Gutiérrez says the tragedy in Orlando should serve a wake-up call – to LGBT people and others – that this should not continue.
"It just happens so often," she says. "You see these young people being victimized, not because of what they were doing or they were in the wrong place, it's just because of who they are."
There's more with Ari Gutiérrez by using the blue audio player above.
New music from Kany Garcia, Gloria Trevi, Joss Favela and Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea
If you don't have the time to keep up with the latest in new music, we've got the perfect solution for you: Tuesday Reviewsday. Every week our music experts come in to talk about the best new tunes in one short segment. This week, Billboard's
and music journalist
Leila Cobo
Artist: Kany Garcia
Album: "Limonada"
Songs: "Limonada," "Perfecto Para Mi"
Artist: Joss Favela
Album: "Hecho a Mano"
Songs: "Me Gusta Verte Arrepentida," "No Vuelvas a Llamarme"
Justino Aguila
Artist: Gloria Trevi
Album: "Inmortal (En Vivo)"
Songs: "Como Yo Te Amo," and "Pelo Suelto"
Artist: Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea
Album: "Tribute a Joan Sebastian y Rigoberto Alfaro"
Songs: "Secreto De Amor," "Amorcito Mio"
For parents, Stanford case can start a conversation about consent
Earlier this month, Brock Turner, a former student at Stanford University, was sentenced for the sexual assault of an unconscious woman.
A judge gave him six months, even though his convictions earned him a potential sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
That decision has sparked outrage and protest. It's also given parents an opportunity to have a very frank discussion about physical boundaries and moral responsibility with their kids.
But how do you do that? How much can you share and in what way?
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- John Holland, parenting editor of The Good Men Project and a father of three boys
- Rosalind Wiseman, parent, educator and author of "Masterminds and Wingmen" about boys' social dynamics
Native American foster care and the struggle to find indigenous carers in LA
Back in March, a six-year-old girl named Lexi was removed from her foster home in Santa Clarita, California. A video of the young girl being handed over to social workers made national headlines. Lexi had lived with her carers, Summer and Rusty Page for four years.
At issue? Lexi's Native American heritage and the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act; a long law designed to keep indigenous families together. Yet part of the problem is the number of certified Native American foster carers in Los Angeles. There's just one.
Lisa Smith is a member of the Cherokee tribe and cares for two young boys of Cherokee heritage at her home in Diamond Bar, California. They represent a small proportion of the 169 Native American children in L.A.'s foster care system. Yet for Smith making the decision to step forward as a foster parent was a difficult one:
"It took me some time before I trusted DCFS [the Department of Children and Family Services]. I had to see that they truly were coming with the right intentions for our children because it was failing and there's still a lot to overcome."
Daniel Heimpel from the Chronicle of Social Change has written about efforts to recruit more Native American foster carers in Los Angeles. He spoke with Take Two's A Martinez about his story, along with David White, assistant regional administrator overseeing the Department of Children and Family Services' American Indian Units, and Robert Rodriguez, supervising children's social worker overseeing one of the two American Indian Units in Covina.
More information on how to become a foster carer can be found here or by calling 888-811-1121
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
This post has been updated.
The game has changed: LGBT athletes are welcomed by teams
Just a few years ago, names like Michael Sam, Jason Collins and Brittney Griner were all making headlines – pro-athletes who are LGBT on the fields and on the courts.
Since then, though, another major athlete has yet to debut with the same level of enthusiasm and energy.
What happened? And how do you get sports and sports fans to be more open and accepting of LGBT athletes?
Cyd Zeigler, creator of Outsports, says the game has already changed in his new book, "Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in Sports."
"The idea that athletes are going to be rejected by their teammates and their coaches and fans just is not true anymore," he says. "The media is failing its job to demonstrate that."
Zeigler argues that most media attention is focused on issues in the locker room and the challenges in coming out, not the camaraderie and community within teams.
"In 2012, 60 percent of NFL players polled supported same-sex marriage rights," he says. "Less than 50 percent of the general population did at the time."
Excerpt: "Fair Play: How LGBT Athletes Are Claiming Their Rightful Place in Sports."
Sharks are in SoCal waters. But what does it mean for them?
Picture this: You're at the beach, enjoying a day of sand in your toes and sea breeze in your hair.
When suddenly... YIKES! Someone spots a shark!
These ocean creatures have been popping up off our coasts lately, leading to beach closures. But what does this signal for the sharks themselves, and their conservation?
To find out, Christopher Lowe joined Take Two. He's a professor of marine biology, and the director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.