Donald Trump's small contingent of LA-based Chinese supporters, etiquette on the Metro, Tesla plant contractor may have been responsible for labor violations.
Bernie Sanders and his supporters
This past weekend Bernie Sanders' supporters protested wildly at the Nevada state Democratic convention. They objected to the caucus process Hillary Clinton originally won in February, and afterwards, state officials said they received death threats and vile messages.
Yesterday he was compelled by Democratic elites to try and control his supporters to which he released a statement.
We talk about it with Adam Wollner, senior analyst with National Journal.
Meet the Chinese American supporters of Donald Trump
Donald Trump’s rise might be built on white, working-class Americans who feel they have been abandoned by the political establishment in DC and alienated by the growing liberalism on the coasts.
But they are not the only ones.
If they can have it their way, those belonging to the group “Chinese Americans for Trump” would also want to see the billionaire hotelier become the next leader of the free world. The organization has about 1,000 members, comprised mostly of immigrants from mainland China residing now in different parts of the U.S, from Nebraska to Pennsylvania to New York to, of course, California.
The group was founded just two days after Trump declared his presidential run in June by 32-year-old David Wang, a boyish-looking Beijing transplant who now lives in the city of Diamond Bar with his family. Wang caught a YouTube video of someone making fun of Trump, and that plunged him down a rabbit hole. He ended up spending the next five hours devouring clips of the man. The more Wang watched, the more he found himself liking the Donald – not just as a politician, but as a person.
His reasons aren’t all that different from Trump’s other supporters: The promise of jobs and prosperity embodied in the figure of a plain-speaking DC outsider who also happens to be crazy rich.
“Some of his message I don’t particularly support, but I like 99 percent of his message,” Wang says, such as Trump’s stance against undocumented immigration – including his threat to ban all Muslims from entering the U.S.
Even Trump’s rebuke of China – for taking away U.S. jobs and for manipulating its currency, the yuan – has done little to dampen Wang’s enthusiasm. His cohorts feel the same way, like Lilly Wang (no relation to David), a mother and a small business owner in the San Gabriel Valley. She voted for President Obama in 2008, but became disillusioned by the Affordable Care Act and the White House's policy on LGBTQ rights.
“Obamacare is a concern of mine. For a lot of us in the middle class it’s way too expensive. We basically can’t afford it, particularly us small business owners,” Lilly Wang says.
That sense of disappointment with the Democratic Party permeates the group. If anything, it goes to show that the long-held assumption that Chinese Americans will always lean blue politically might no longer be a given, despite the fact that close to three out of four Asian American voters supported President Obama in 2012.
Mark Ma, an IT consultant who learned about “Chinese Americans for Trump” just days ago, says the difference might be generational.
“It’s probably because of education and socioeconomic status,” says Ma.
Many in the current wave of new Chinese immigrants are better off, Ma explains, saying that the issues that matter to them are dovetailing more with the values of the Republican Party – like taxes.
“The older generation mostly fled from war or unrest, they might be unskilled labor and stuff like that," says Ma.
The group has a big day on their calendar next week. They're scheduled to meet Trump himself next week when he is in town. It's certainly one thing organizer David Wang can cross off his bucket list. But his eyes, like Trump’s, are on the biggest prize. And then, Wang reasons, Trump will change his rhetoric on China.
"He’s just running for president right now. He’s not the president right now yet, but he will be. When he becomes president , he’ll change his views," Wang says. "Trump is a very smart man, and he will definitely find an equilibrium among foreign policy and economics with China."
But what if Trump doesn’t win? It’s not a reality Wang deigns to entertain, so certain is he that his candidate of choice will prevail.
No matter what, “I’ll still be a Republican going forward, for sure,” Wang says.
Understanding what's behind Venezuela's crisis
Today in Venezuela, opposition leaders say they've planned protests to hit the streets in Caracas and other major cities. President Nicolás Maduro and his supporters say it's a coup in the making. Meanwhile, hospitals are in crisis mode, and residents face electricity shortages and long waits for basic goods.
So how did the country get to this point?
For more, we're joined by Miguel Tinker Salas. He's a profesor of Latin American History at Pomona College and author of Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know and Una Herrencia que Perdura, Petróleo, Cultura y Sociedad en Venezuela.
Automaker Tesla accused of labor violations
According to a new report by the San Jose Mercury News, workers were flown from around the world and paid as little as $5 an hour to build a new paint factory in Fremont for automaker Tesla.
Tesla has responded to the allegations with a statement and then multiple tweets and interviews by its founder, Elon Musk, which have pushed blame to subcontractors.
Louis Hansen wrote the report and he takes time to speak with Josie Huang about his discoveries.
Upfronts: Netflix teams with Univision, Telemundo brings back Don Francisco
Netflix got its start streaming shows that first aired on broadcast television. Then it started producing its own original series. And now it's flipping the script.
As part of a new partnership announced yesterday with the Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, some shows that first aired on Netflix will now air on Univision.
The two companies are also pairing up to co-produce an original series about Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman.
Meanwhile, Telemundo announced that it's bringing back Mario “Don Francisco” Kreutzberger, the hugely popular TV host who parted ways with Univision last year.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- Veronica Villafañe, founder and editor of Media Moves, a site covering Latino media
Sports roundup: Lakers clinch a top pick in NBA draft, Dodgers and Angels rivalry heats up
With the second pick in the NBA draft, can the Lakers get a franchise player to restart their sputtering franchise? And the first Freeway Series of the year ramps up between the Dodgers and Angels.
We're joined by
The Styled Side: Alice, fashionable in the looking glass
The upcoming film, "Alice Through the Looking Glass," debuts next week, but it's also starring in stores right now.
"One of the big tie-ins for movies nowadays is through beauty brands," says Michelle Dalton Tyree of Fashion Trends Daily.
Orange County-based Urban Decay launched a new collaboration with the film featuring a limited-edition eye-shadow palette and 5 lipsticks.
It's a follow-up to its offerings for the first movie in the series which sold out in mere hours.
Sherman Oaks-based beloved nail polish brand OPI launched a limited-edition release, too.
It's an evolution of how movies work where in the past, films would have products like bedsheets and toys aimed at kids.
But studios are working adults into the merch action.
"The notion that movie licensing is about toys and tchotchke is definitely outdated," says Tyree. "These tie-ins make the adult movie consumer really feel like they're on the inside."
High fashion retailers are getting into the action, too.
West Hollywood jewelry boutique Roseark offers Alice-themed necklaces, rings and bangles that run between $300 and $3,100. Meanwhile, tea party-ready hats and headbands from milliner Patricia Underwood go for $650 to $2,800.
Tyree adds that retailers like movie tie-ins because they can ride the buzz wave.
"They want to be part of that conversation on social media, and the more ways you can connect with an audience, the better," she says.
#PonleAcento: Latino baseball players lead move to put accents on jerseys
The next time you turn on a Dodgers game, you may notice a difference. And it's on the back of some players' jerseys. Here's a hint: Adrian González.
The first baseman has added the accent to his last name. It's part of a campaign to encourage Major League Baseball players to add the accent to their names to correctly reflect the pronunciation, and spelling, in Spanish.
It brings up a larger question: is the change merely cosmetic or a signal of the future?
For more, we're joined by Anthony Salazar, chair of the Latino Baseball Committee, Society for American Baseball Research.
Understand proper Metro etiquette before you ride
On Friday, the Metro Expo line expansion will officially open to the public.
For the first time, Angelenos will be able to go all the way to Santa Monica by rail. No traffic, no searching for a parking spot.
It's all pretty exciting. But let's face it: Los Angeles has a deeply entrenched car culture. We're not all used to having to share our commutes with a number of other people.
And with sharing space, there comes a list of etiquette expectations that you'll want to understand before you rid the rails.
But never fear, Take Two's A Martinez is here to help. And since LA doesn't have a ton of experience with public transportation, he got an assist from another part of the country that does: New York.
Brian Lehrer is the host of WNYC's political affairs program, "The Brian Lehrer Show." He's got plenty of stories about improper public transportation etiquette that he's happy to discourage.
1. Blocking the door
This is especially annoying whenever the train comes to a crowded stop: Instead of moving to the center of the car or towards the seats like they're supposed to, there always seems to be one person who's only focussed on getting inside and stopping. This makes it more difficult for anyone else to get on, short of pushing the offending party out of the way.
"They do this without malice, but with no situational awareness," Lehrer says. "This happens so much that it makes me fret for human nature."
2. Eating
In New York, eating on the light rail or subway trains is merely frowned upon. Here in Los Angeles, it's flat-out forbidden. It's something that Lehrer says he's struggled with. He says he's frequently drawn ire from his fellow passengers for eating while onboard.
"I wonder if it comes down psychologically to the old Pre-K dictum, 'If you bring enough for you, bring enough to share it with the class,'"
Sure everyone gets hungry, but trains move pretty fast at they can at times, so the chance that your drink or food will spill all over the floor is usually high. Leave the food contained.
3. Holding the door
It's understandable that someone might be rushing to catch a spot on the train at the last minute. It's even understandable that someone might have sympathy for their fellow rider and want to hold the automatic doors to let them on.
Rider solidarity aside though, this is just an inconvenience to other riders and a delay in the schedule of the transit. Besides, there will be another train along in a few minutes.
4. Talking or playing music loudly
Before the advent of iPhones and earbuds, it wasn't uncommon to hear people bring their boomboxes and play their music so loud that the entire car could hear it. "Now it's not as much of a problem," Lehrer says. That's not to say that it doesn't happen, however. But it's something that's best left in the past.
With regards to loud conversations, it's important to remember to be as courteous as possible to your fellow riders. If someone is trying to sleep a seat behind you, it won't kill you to lower the volume of your conversation.
5. Panhandling
Asking for money, selling things and performing for money on the metro isn't allowed and there are frequent announcements over the PA that say as much. But anyone who's taken a train with any frequency knows that this is a natural occurrence.
Lehrer says that how you handle this largely depends on your own personal policies. "Some people who are very generous on the street will draw the line at giving in a Subway car," he says. "It's so annoying to have a parade of people [asking for money]."
These points of etiquette may be a bit much for some. There are probably some people who have considered giving the metro a try, but will be put off by the idea that they have to curb any of the behavior that they didn't have to in their car. For those, Leher has a timeless message to share:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The rest is just commentary."
To hear the full conversation click the blue player above.
Did we miss anything? Comment below and let us know what your biggest point of etiquette is on public transit.
Embryo adoptions: The alternative that's on the rise
As people wait well into their 30's and 40's to have kids, in vitro fertilization has soared in popularity and as a result so has the number of unused embryos left over from IVF.
One solution that is gaining popularity is to donate the leftover embryos to other parents or individuals facing fertility challenges.
It's called embryo adoption or donation, it just depends on where you stand, and it brings up all sorts of thorny ethical issues. Whitny Braun is a bioethicist at Loma Linda University, she joined the show to discuss the history, motivations and ethical complexities of utilizing donor embryos.
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.