Today, we hear from a journalist on the ground in Iraq after ISIS militants began their attack on the region. Then, a battle is brewing over what makes a true Tennessee Whiskey. Plus, remembering Casey Kasem, Starbucks says it will pay for its employees college education, we learn how climate change is affecting the desert landscape, U.S. coach Klinsmann opts for youth, international experience at World Cup and much more
The ISIS insurgency continues in Iraq
As reports out of Iraq continue to detail the offensive launched by militant organization Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the group's takeover of Tikrit and Mosul and more violence over the weekend continues to threaten those within the country.
Hermione Gee, a reporter currently based in Northern Iraq, joins Take Two to describe the scene on the ground in several cities in the country as this insurgency continues to build.
SoCal vets express frustration with unrest in Iraq
More than 700 Californians were killed in combat during the eight years of war in Iraq. Now that terrorist-backed extremists are overrunning many of Iraq's cities, veterans are watching the gains they made being reversed.
Some Southern California vets shared their frustrations with KPCC's Sharon McNary.
If baristas finish college, Starbucks will pick up the tab
Starbucks will announce today that it will pay for thousands of its employees to finish college. Employees who work 20 hours or more will be able to finish up their degrees online through Arizona State University, and Starbucks will pick up the tab.
For more, we're joined by Nirvi Shah. She covers education for Politico Pro.
World Cup 2014: US coach Klinsmann opts for youth, international experience
This piece is part of KPCC's occasional series on the World Cup in Los Angeles, which takes a look at the diverse communities of Southern California through the lens of their love for their country's teams. Let us know whom you're rooting for in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter (@KPCC).
If you tune in to see the U.S. play Ghana today, you may be watching more than just an opening game: you could be getting a glimpse at the future of U.S. soccer.
You won’t see all-time top scorer Landon Donovan in his number 10 jersey. The 32-year-old former captain was cut from the team in May. What you will see are guys you’ve probably never heard of: seven players are under the age of 25 and seven were either born or spent much of their lives abroad, mostly in Europe.
That’s by the design of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Named coach in 2011, he’s spent the past three years building this team.
"I’m very excited to lead the national team because of the moment we’re going through now all together, fans, players coaches," said Klinsmann after a practice game against Azerbaijan in May in San Francisco.
"Ten, fifteen years ago we didn’t have any soccer channels, now we have five, six channels showing non-stop soccer. Obviously, social media changes, as well. It’s so much going on."
Klinsmann is set to coach through 2018, the date of the next World Cup in Russia. That gives him the rare chance as a national coach to plan long-term.
"He’s definitely building for the future," said Steve Han who covers soccer for KoreAm Journal and Goal.com.
"One thing he’s trying to do is incorporate more of an international, European-style of soccer into the current American soccer and what better way than to do that than to bring in players that have experience playing abroad."
Players with strong ties abroad include Aron Johannsson of Iceland, Mikkel "Mix" Diskerud of Norway, and from Germany, Timmy Chandler, Jermaine Jones, John Brooks, Fabian Johnson and 19-year-old Julian Green.
Klinsmann made a name for himself as a stand-out striker for Germany’s national team, leading them to win the World Cup in 1990. He also coached Germany to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2006.
One of the players people are excited about is 23-year-old Mix Diskerud, who came to Klinsmann’s attention by playing in Norway.
During that game against Azerbaijan in May, Diskerud battled his way through a crowded defense and rocketed the ball into the back of the net for the US’ first goal of the game.
Afterwards, Diskerud spoke about the thrill of playing for the US team and the thrill of inheriting the Number 10 jersey from Landon Donovan.
"It’s an honor for me, if you look back to all the US national team that have been wearing number 10, Tab Ramos, Claudio Arena, Landon Donovan, so for me I’m kind of just borrowing it right now," said Diskerud.
The team is still led by veterans Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and goalkeeper Tim Howard.
But Diskerud and other younger players will get a chance to make their mark.
After Ghana, the US will play Portugal before facing off against Klinsmann’s old team, Germany on June 26. That will be another match to watch.
LAUSD teachers confused over changing arts education plans
As the school year draws to a close, many teachers, principals, parents and school board members have found themselves stuck in a whirlwind of confusion. The subject: arts access.
RELATED: School board members want answers on district's arts plan
Over the past few months, Los Angeles Unified School District administrators have put out pieces of an expansion plan — a budget outline here, new teacher assignments there — that seem to contradict each other and in some cases seem to reduce arts instruction time for some students, rather than follow the school board's mandate to increase it.
They announced plans to reduce elementary school orchestra classes from a year-long program to one semester — then reversed themselves. Shortly after, schools that had orchestra for years suddenly found out they'd been cut for next year.
On The Lot: World Cup effect, Hollywood internships, Kate Mantilini closes and more
The World Cup steals the world moviegoers, a Beverly Hills industry hot spot closes down, and "If you build it they will keep coming...for 25 years. LA Times film reporter Rebecca Keegan joins Take Two for the latest movie news.
The World Cup kicked off last Thursday, and while here in the states it might still be building an audience, around the globe it garners billions of viewers. Does that really affect movie box office returns? What regions is this most pronounced? Are there certain types of films that are untouched by football fever?
Good news for aspiring interns, but maybe bad news for all the studio workers used to getting their coffee fetched. All of the Hollywood studios except one, Lionsgate, have now done away with their unpaid internship programs. How much will the interns have to be paid? Are we talking minimum wage? How is Lionsgate getting out of this? I find it hard to believe this is the end of the abuse of interns in Hollywood. No more "Swimming with Sharks" style servitude?
Speaking of Hollywood traditions, Kate Mantilini — the iconic Wilshire Boulevard restaurant where Academy members used to rub shoulders over martinis — closed down over the weekend. Why was this such a fixture of the industry?
Kate Mantilini closes but hopefully the Academy Museum will open someday. Rebecca recently profiled the newly named director, Kerry Brougher. What is he taking on?
Draft Day might not exactly go down in history as a classic of the genre, but Kevin Costner will always be remembered for "Field of Dreams."
World Cup 2014: European upsets, grudge matches, and what's coming up
It's now day five of the World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
This weekend was rife with upsets as the Netherlands dismantled Spain and Switzerland pulled out a last second win over Ecuador. France won against Honduras on Sunday, and earlier in the weekend, England lost to Italy.
Today, Iran faces off against Nigeria. Unlike other games, this match will lack the star power that other nations have brought to the field.
In the final match of the day, the United States will be facing Ghana. It looks to be the "Group of Death" grudge match for the Americans as Ghana has beat the United States in the last two World Cups.
The American team's coach Jurgen Klinsmann made a controversial change for this year's World Cup. For the first time since 2002, the American team will play without Landon Donovan, the highest scoring American player in World Cup history. In the past, Klinsmann said that his squad would not win the Cup, but it's up for debate as to what a successful run for the United States team would look like.
Mexico will face Brazil tomorrow after their victory over Cameroon last Friday.
Steve Crossman of the BBC joins Take Two from Brazil for more on the latest World Cup news.
How climate change is affecting the desert landscape
Nearly all of the Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park could disappear by the end of the century because of climate change.
It can be hard to imagine that, in the deserts of the American Southwest, a few degrees hotter can drastically affect a place that's already hot. Many predictions of rising worldwide temperatures often conjure up images of swelling shorelines because of shrinking polar ice caps.
But Ian James, environment reporter for The Desert Sun, wrote a three-part investigation on how climate change could drastically affect the flora, fauna, and people of this arid landscape.
"Basically in the desert there's very little humidity in the air," said James on Take Two. "That lack of humidity in the air, in the soil, in the whole region makes it so the hotter temperatures don't have that one other element to bump up against that would make it a little less intense."
As a result, he adds, places like the deserts of the Southwest have seen a higher increase in average temperature than elsewhere in the country. Researchers like Cameron Barrows, ecologist at UC Riverside, told James that could lead to profound impacts on the landscapes, including a site like Joshua Tree National Park.
"About 90 percent of the Joshua trees within the park would be gone," says Barrows, explaining that it would take just decades for that to happen. But already husks of Joshua trees are scattered throughout the park where, a few years ago, lush, vibrant trees had stood.
Currently, researchers are finding that new trees and seedlings are propagating more at higher elevations — and cooler climates — but what's unknown is if they can sustainably adapt in the long-term.
Another finding by reporter Ian James is climate change's impact on the populations of the people in the deserts as well as throughout Southern California. For example, Lake Mead, a reservoir just east of Las Vegas, has steadily lost more and more water over the years that a stories-high bathtub ring has formed around its perimeter. That indicates how its current level compares with where it's historically been.
"It's a lifeline of water for this region, and it's less than half-full right now," said James. "What will this region need to do to adapt?"
He adds, "I hope that readers and people who look at the photos and videos [of my series] will come away with more knowledge of what's known about what's happened so far. And based on that, have more an idea of how climate change will affect the region in the future."
Read all of James' series that looks into climate change's effects on the plants, animals and people of the desert.
Correction: An earlier version of this post said that the Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Forest could be gone in a few decades. To clarify, scientists estimate that the trees could be completely gone in by the end of the century.
Close Calls: Hikers survive Grand Canyon rock slide
Bill Ferris is an avid hiker in the Grand Canyon. He rolled out a map of the Grand Canyon covered in red lines.
“All the red lines are places I’ve hiked,” Ferris said.
Ferris has hiked more than 1,000 miles in the canyon.
“Over here by Hall Butte is where the descent route is into Vishnu Canyon," Ferris said. "And so this is where all the badness happened."
Ferris and his friend Dennis Foster were on a nine-day backcountry trip in the Grand Canyon in March 2010. Both are middle aged and pretty fit. Foster has done more than 300 trips in the canyon. He heard this particular route was menacing.
“It had a reputation of being a little bit hairy so some exposure some loose rock,” Foster said. “And by the time we reached the descent it was getting to be dusk we were a little bit hurried and we were a little bit tired. Things that earlier in the day might be a little problematic almost turned tragic for us.”
They were zigzagging down a steep ravine. Each step dislodged rocks the size of golf balls. Foster, hiking above Ferris, recalls putting his hand on the canyon wall to steady himself.
“I could feel this big rock pass over my back,” Foster said. “Whatever it is I touched came right off the side. And this rock I’m pretty sure it was the size of a shopping cart.”
Foster tripped, and fell onto his back. But he could see the boulder rushing toward his friend.
“It was just thundering down that ravine making all kinds of noise,” Foster said. “I could see Bill looking up at it. I remember thinking he needed to move.”
“Watching the rock come down the ravine it was almost slow motion,” Ferris said. “I’m standing there thinking it’s going to miss me. Now was I kind of frozen? Here comes a large boulder towards me what do I do now?”
The boulder clipped Ferris' backpack just enough to send him tumbling.
“He spun around in the air 180 degrees horizontally then he started tumbling down the ravine -- big tumbles up in the air, then hit the ground, then up in the air, then hit the ground,” Foster said. “I just thought he’s going to die.”
“It wasn’t an outer body experience but I did have this third-person perspective,” Ferris said. “I do remember thinking, OK, this could be it. It was completely out of control. There was nothing I could do to snap my fingers and stop it from happening.”
After half a dozen cartwheels, Ferris slid to a stop just shy of avery steep cliff.
“So then I called down to him I yelled, ‘Bill, are you alright?’" Foster said. "And he yelled back, ‘Dennis, are you alright?’”
They both were alright. They had injured knees but nothing life threatening. They crawled to the side of the ravine and tried to sleep. The next day the two hikers hobbled their way to a creek. Since they were only on the fourth day of a nine-day trip no one would be looking for them. Both were too injured to hike out. But Dennis decided he could walk even though his knee would buckle every few steps. Bill wanted to stay put. They rationed their food and said, ‘see you in a few days.’
Two and a half days later -- twice the time it would normally take him -- Foster reached a ranger, who sent a Search and Rescue team to Ferris.
“I was enjoying my lunch it was a fine spring day in Grand Canyon,” Ferris said. “I was getting comfortable.just after lunch I hear the wump, wump, wump. That was the second time that week I broke down and cried.”
Ferris had a bone-bruised knee and Foster had torn his ACL, but both lived to tell the tale. It hasn’t stopped them from hiking the canyon. In fact, Ferris has returned twice to the spot where he fell and says it was satisfying to leave on his own terms.
Why mental health training for law enforcement isn't enough
Tragedies such as the homicides in Isla Vista and the Kelly Thomas death in Orange County have raised the issue of how well police are trained to deal with the mentally ill. Some departments have beefed up their training.
But KPCC's Stephanie O'Neill reports that still doesn't guarantee success.
Scientists discover evidence of vast reservoir of water deep below Earth's surface
Scientists from Northwestern University and the University of New Mexico have discovered evidence of a vast underground reservoir with three times the volume of all the oceans combined.
The water is locked in a mineral called ringwoodite and located in a layer of hot rock 400 miles beneath the Earth's surface. Researchers believe the hidden water could be the source of the Earth's oceans, and contradict prevailing theories about how water arrived on Earth.
The new evidence, published last week in the journal Science, could change what we know about the composition of the Earth and how the planet evolved.
Geophysicist Steve Jacobsen, one of the co-authors of the study, joins Take Two to explain the findings of the study.
Battle rages on over what makes a true Tennessee Whiskey
Most whiskey drinkers know exactly how they like their poison, whether it's on the rocks, neat or with soda. But there's a bit of a battle brewing in Tennessee between rival distillers over what makes a true 'Tennessee Whiskey.'
Jack Daniels and the lesser known George Dickel distillery have been fighting over the right to label their drink as following authentic Tennessee style production rules.
Nashville-based AP reporter Erik Schelzig joins the show with more.
Remembering Casey Kasem, host of American Top 40
Casey Kasem, the host of "American Top 40," died yesterday at 82 years old.
RELATED: How Casey Kasem changed the pop music industry forever
Kasem will always be remembered for that voice, but he was more than just a pretty voice. Pop Music Critic Randall Roberts wrote about Kasem's legacy for the LA Times and he joins us now.
CDC Survey: Teen smoking down, but other risky behaviors remain
Whether it's drinking too much sugary soda or secretly smoking cigarettes, there are plenty of vices that teens like to experiment with.
However, a new survey by the Center for Disease Control shows today's teens are making healthier choices than they did back in 1991, at least when it comes to certain behaviors. The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) gleaned answers anonymously from more than 13,000 teens from public and private high schools throughout the United States.
Among the findings are that teens are smoking much less today than they were in 1991. Today, only 15.7 percent of teens said they regularly smoke tobacco products, down from 27.5 percent in 1991 and the peak of 36.4 percent in 1997. This number also means the U.S. has already met its "Healthy People 2020" goal of lowering the smoking rate to 16 percent by 2020.
Other notable statistics from the survey include:
Texting While Driving:
- The percentage of high school students who texted or e-mailed while driving ranged from 32 percent to 61 percent across 37 states and from 19 percent to 43 percent across 15 large urban school districts.
- Nationwide, 41 percent of students who had driven a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days reported texting or emailing while driving.
Teen Sex:
- The percentage of high school students who are currently sexually active has declined from 38 percent in 1991 to 34 percent in 2013.
- 59 percent of high school students say they use condoms, down from 63 percent in 2003.
Physical Fights:
- High school students who had been in a physical fight at least once during the past 12 months decreased from 42 percent in 1991 to 25 percent in 2013.
- Fights on school property have been cut in half during the past 20 years. Just 8 percent of high school students reported fighting on school property in 2013 compared to 16 percent in 1993.
Dr. Stephanie Zaza, director of the CDC's division of adolescent and school health, joins Take Two to talk about some of the findings.
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2013 by scprweb
Suzi Yoonessi wins LA Film Festival's 'Make 'em LAFF' competition
The L.A. Film Festival this year joined forces with the comedy video website Funny or Die in a talent search for diverse, unique and authentic voices in the comedy world.
The submissions to the "Make 'em LAFF" competition were whittled down to the top 25, then the top 5, and this weekend, the first place winner was revealed:
Suzi Yoonessi, the creator of "Olive and Mocha: Fast Times at Sugar High" joins Take Two to talk about her win.