President Obama nominates Merrick Garland for the supreme court, unmarried women may be the country's most potent political force, one of the few women in the early skateboard scene talks about her love of Vans.
What's next for Obama's pick for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland?
This morning, President Obama announced his choice to fill the key spot on the Supreme Court: Merrick Garland.
He's a chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. But Republican leaders in Congress say they won't bring the nomination to a hearing. They say it's a choice that should be left to the next President, after November's election.
"He does have a reputation for being fair, even-minded and is a centrist," said Allan Ides, professor at the Loyola Law School, noting that he also shares a background with other past nominees, including his service in the DC Circuit and his law background at Harvard.
"I feel like this was a very, very political choice. The President is putting somebody before the Senate that would be both palatable and maybe even favored by a number of Republicans," said Ides.
Young Republican would rather write in a candidate than vote for Donald Trump
For much of the presidential race, USC junior Mary Perez rooted for the two Rs: Marco Rubio and Rand Paul. Perez, like many of her peers, hoped longtime frontrunner Donald Trump’s fame would fade. But as the Republican presidential field continues to dwindle, Perez faces a tough decision this fall.
Republican Donald Trump walloped Marco Rubio in the senator's home state of Florida Tuesday night, forcing him to resign. Trump went on to pick up Illinois and North Carolina.
The billionaire developer lost one big state to its favorite son, however. Governor John Kasich handily trumped Trump in Ohio.
Kasich vows to fight on, as does Texas Senator Ted Cruz, but it’s Donald Trump who holds the best chance of gaining a majority of the delegates. That could mean a bruising fight at the Republican convention this summer. But if Trump emerges victorious, Perez says she knows what she’ll do.
“I decided that I’m going to stick with my principles … I’m just going to write in a candidate’s name,” Perez said. “I don’t feel like I would be serving my party correctly if I voted for Donald Trump.”
A political science major and member of the USC GOP, Perez says she thoroughly researches issues before voting. When she looks at the Trump campaign, she sees a man who rode a wave of anger to victory.
“I’ve never seen someone that can just bring [in] a whole group of Republicans who probably would have never supported Donald Trump a long time ago,” Perez said. “But now all of the sudden, with President Obama’s administration you see divisiveness, and I think what Donald Trump was doing right was attracting a base that normally wasn’t ready to speak and involve themselves in the political process.”
Perez says Trump’s presence overshadowed the Republican race, sending establishment favorites like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio packing.
“Had Donald Trump not been in this race, I think we could have seen Marco Rubio definitely be the nominee in June,” Perez said.
She admits, however, that Rubio’s recent decision to match Trump’s insults fatally poisoned his otherwise auspicious campaign — an opinion echoed by GOP analysts.
“I think that was actually a disadvantage for Marco Rubio,” Perez said.
In a speech Tuesday evening, Senator Ted Cruz made an appeal to Rubio supporters, encouraging them to stand for his campaign. Cruz could be the party’s last hope for slowing Trump’s momentum. Perez doesn’t have high hopes, however.
When asked who she would write in if Trump becomes the party nominee, Perez thoughtfully replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know, A. I’m not sure.”
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
All the Single Ladies: Unmarried women wield more political power than you think
"All the Single ladies" is not just the title of a catchy Beyoncé song anymore.
It's also part of the title of journalist Rebecca Traister's new book: "All the Single Ladies: Unmarried women and the Rise of an Independent Nation".
Rebecca spoke to Take Two's host Alex Cohen about the just how influential single women are at the polls.
"They made up 23 percent of the electorate - so almost a quarter of the electorate - in 2012, " Traister noted. "Interestingly, it's not that unmarried women are consciously politically motivated. This is become a mass behavior - women understand they are no longer required to be married because they can be economically independent, because they can have a sexually liberated life in advance of or outside of marriage."
Interview highlights
On why some single women may like Bernie more...
"Their platforms are very similar...and that would be so good for supporting this population of independent women. So a lot of it comes down to differences in preference for style or approach and one of the things that I think Bernie does that is perhaps especially appealing to some young women is offering a more inspirational and aspirational version..."
On how she'd advise the candidates:
"There is this question in front of politicians, how directly do you address your single women voters? And of course with politicians it's always hard because they all make things so hokey. I shudder to think of presidential candidates trying to talk to the single ladies in a cool way. But I do think that the key thing is a lot of these policy positions: for example paid leave, for example a higher minimum wage...it's a matter of putting these proposals out there and just explaining how they make sense. It makes sense to people who are living the way we live now."
For more on the history of single women and their influence in politics, you can also read Rebecca's article in NY mag.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
Sports roundup: March Madness, Dodgers Spring training, college athletes
It's that time of the year again, for the best college basketball teams to compete for the national title. So how to pick the best teams to win your work pool? Let the mascots be your guide. And the Dodgers are in Spring training, with a big goal: to get to the World Series.
For more, we're joined by
.
The Phillie Phanatic has advice for Chuck the Condor
The Clippers' hoped he would soar into the hearts of fans.
But their new mascot Chuck the Condor is getting roasted online.
Chuck the Condor is the type of thing Ill tell my kids will eat them if they don't eat all their vegetables. Still not as bad as the Pelican
— Thunder Digest (@Thunder_Digest)
Chuck the Condor is the type of thing Ill tell my kids will eat them if they don't eat all their vegetables. Still not as bad as the Pelican
— Thunder Film Room (@ThunderFilmRoom) March 3, 2016
Chuck the Condor seems like something the doctors would have invented to feed the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell)
Chuck the Condor seems like something the doctors would have invented to feed the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) March 1, 2016
The Clippers' owner also got feedback from some pretty big celebrities.
Steve Ballmer can I please redesign the Clippers mascot
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest)
Is there any way this bird can get some love instead of fans wanting to give him the bird?
Take Two gets some expert advice from mascot royalty, the Phillie Phanatic.
Seriously.
But when the Phanatic is not on the field, he takes on the alter ego of David Raymond, who helps train sports mascots and was the first person to play the Phanatic.
Los Angeles establishes first Transgender Advisory Council
Yesterday, Los Angeles became the nation's largest city to establish a permanent transgender advisory council.
The nine member council will help city leaders understand how to best serve the needs of transgender Angelenos.
Alex Cohen recently spoke with City Council member Mike Bonin and Karina Samala, one of the nine members of the advisory council.
To hear the conversation click on the audio link embedded at the top of this post.
'It said something about you to wear Vans': Skater Cindy Whitehead looks back on 50 years of Vans
On this day 50 years ago, a legendary Southern California brand was born.
The Van Doren Rubber Company opened up shop in Anaheim on March 16, 1966. The store offered rubber-soled canvas deck shoes that were manufactured on the premises overnight to be picked up the next day.
Fast-forward, and Vans hit $2 billion in annual sales in 2015. The incredible success of Vans came in no small part from Southern California skaters.
Cindy Whitehead was one of the few women in the early skateboarding scene. Now, she's a sports fashion stylist and an avid Vans collector.
Whitehead dropped by Take Two to share more about the iconic brand... and, oh yeah — that one time she skated down the 405 Freeway in her bright pink Vans.
Interview Highlights
About the first pair of Vans she ever had:
"My very first Vans were the two-tones, so they were blue and red, and I loved them. I think it was the first year they came out, I think it was '76 and I got them at the end of '76/'77. Those were pretty big with skaters, so I got those pretty quickly."
On why Vans were so popular with skateboarders:
"They were super grippy, the soles were great with that waffle sort of sole that they have on them. And they looked good, and they weren't like what everybody else was wearing. They weren't like the Nikes or the other shoes that were out there. They set us apart, they were different. They kind of were skate — and they still are — skate, surf culture, Southern California. And it said something about you to wear Vans."
What it was like to be one of the few girls skating in the 1970s:
"It was great. I wish there was more girls skating — there were a few, we rarely saw each other, they were all at different skate parks — but, you know, you become one of the guys, guys treat you with respect. You skate with respect and you get respect. It was a really good scene back then, I really enjoyed it. I miss those days. But now there's a lot of girls coming up, and that's even more fun."
On skating the 405 Freeway during Carmageddon II — in her hot pink Vans:
"The freeway was closed, but all entrances were blocked with police stationed at every single one, and snuck on the freeway, got my pink Vans very dirty and greasy. I still have them. They haven't been worn much since. They're kind of iconic to me. I'm going to keep them forever."
To listen to the full interview with Cindy Whitehead, click on the blue audio player above.
The Styled Side: fashionable tennis, anyone?
People in LA will go about their day wearing yoga pants and basketball shorts, even when they're not doing yoga or not playing basketball.
Add tennis to the list of sportswear-turned-everyday wear, where people are falling in love-love with they style all over again.
"It's both on and off the court," says Michelle Dalton Tyree from Fashion Trends Daily, with tennis apparel and shoes being a $416.2 million business.
Tyree visited the BNP Paribas Tennis Tournament in Indian Wells, right outside of Palm Springs. It's largest two-week combined event outside of the four majors, with over 456,000 attendees during last year's tourney.
"The BNP Paribas tournament is a big place for brands to showcase their hottest and latest," she says.
On the court, Fila uses it as a big showcase with players, ball kids, officials and volunteers all wearing the brand.
"We're seeing a lot of emphasis on the back of the clothes, too, since the cameras are focused on players' backs while they are playing," says Tyree.
Big-name designers such as Stella McCartney have gotten into tennis gear, too, with her collections for Adidas.
Off the courts, men are loving the vintage tennis look – think Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums."
Fila launched a fall collection with Urban Outfitters, and a new one is set to drop in April that really harkens back to 1970s Swedish tennis star Bjorn Borg.
Tyree talked with Fila's Lauren Mallon who says the company has seen interest in the styles spike.
"The styles that were inspired by the great Bjorn Borg and what he wore on court – something that you can pair very well with a pair of jeans – those have been very, very popular especially with a younger customer," says Mallon.
Tyree notes there are several casual clothes that are taking their inspiration.
"V-neck white tennis sweaters are still hotter than ever," she says. "They made a big comeback last year when Rag & Bone launched one and it spawned dozens of copycats."
She also points to Tommy Hilfiger, who has been drawing a lot of influence from the courts these past couple of seasons with little tennis dresses.
The authentic Native American-inspired fashion of Bethany Yellowtail
The world of fashion has long been one of appropriation....
Designers often base their work on various cultures throughout the world. They would call it honoring heritage. Some might call it stealing.
Bethany Yellowtail is a fashion designer based here in LA, but she grew up on the Crow Nation reservation in Southeastern Montana.
Yellowtail was unsatisfied with many of the pieces that she saw based on her own culture. So she started her own line: B. Yellowtail.
She spoke with Take Two's Alex Cohen about how she first decided to be a create fashion.
"I was always creating my own pieces when I was younger," Yellowtail said. "I had a really incredible mentor who was like 'You could be in fashion,' And I was like 'Okay, I believe you!'"
As Yellowtail grew up on her reservation, among folks wearing mostly Wranglers and cowboy hats, she became an avid consumer of pop culture. She soon realized how underrepresented her Indigenous culture was in the world of fashion
"When I graduated from [design] school and I was working at BCBG Max Azria, I remember a conversation I had [with my mentor]," Yellowtail recalled. She was shown an fashion installation by a European designer that featured Native American iconography such as feathers and beads.
"I just remember the colors were off. They were nothing like what you would find back home [on the reservation]."
These sorts of things are toyed with a lot, even among celebrities. In 2014 Pharrell was on the cover of Elle Magazine wearing a Native American inspired headdress.
"I come from a tribe where headdresses are reserved for specific people," Yellowtail said. "There are stories about how people receive their eagle feathers. The problem is people aren't educated in that way. And that's the danger of using sacred imagery."
Even though her clothing is clearly inspired by the culture of her people, Yellowtail insists that her clothes are for everyone to wear.
"It's for all people. I design for people of all nationalities, all backgrounds," She said. "I don't want people to feel [like], 'I'm not a native person, I'm not supposed to wear them.' There's certain things you're not supposed to wear, but I would never make something that you weren't supposed to."
Yellowtail says that her goal is to educated people about the stories her people hold dear, not to draw a line around her culture.
"I don't see it as I'm fighting against this appropriation. I'm seeing that there is a space for an authentic voice and an authentic vision to be there [in the world of fashion]. And that's what I'm trying to do."
To browse the collection of clothing on B. Yellowtail, visit her website here
Audio coming soon