Today on the show, we start with an update to the Donald Sterling saga. The NBA has charged the Clippers owner with damaging the league and the team. Then, a Pentagon official warns of the possibility of war in space. Plus, how doctors are turning to ecstasy to help patients with PTSD, 'Freakonomics' authors explain why it's important to 'Think Like A Freak', birds of prey across Southern California show sharp drop in breeding and much more.
NBA charges Sterling with damaging league, Clippers franchise
This week the NBA charged Clippers owner Donald Sterling with damaging the league and its marketing partners. They're planning a hearing on June 3rd after which owners could vote to force him to sell the franchise.
LA Times reporter James Rainey joins the show to give us an update on this continuing saga.
Star Wars for real? Pentagon warns of possible conflict in space
On Tuesday, the Pentagon's chief space commander, Gen. William Shelton, warned of the risk of conflict in space at a trade conference in Colorado Springs. He also stressed the importance of ending reliance on Russian-made rocket engines.
Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, said the U.S. military has come to rely on space-based technology for things like communications and GPS, and countries like China have expressed interest in targeting military space technology.
Recently, tensions between the U.S. and Russia have escalated over Russia's annexation of Crimea. The U.S. issued sanctions against Russia, some involving Russian officials involved in their space program.
In retaliation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dimitry Rogovin announced last week that Russia will pull out of the International Space Station after 2020 and cease transporting American astronauts. He also threatened to stop exporting Russian engines used in American rockets that launch national security equipment into space.
Could a conflict in space be in our future?
Scientists look to ecstasy to treat PTSD
This is Part Three of our Psychedelic Science series. Click here for Part One, here for Part Two, and here for Part Four.
Studies of MDMA — often called "ecstasy" or "molly" — suggest the drug could be a valuable tool for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), researchers say.
MDMA had a track record of use in couples therapy before it exploded onto the 1980s rave party scene. In 1985 the federal government classified it as a dangerous and illegal “schedule one” drug with "no currently accepted medical use."
But nearly a dozen recent studies of its therapeutic potential are changing attitudes.
KPCC's Stephanie O'Neill reports.
'Freakonomics' authors explain why it's important to 'Think Like A Freak'
The term "freak" has certainly been around for a while, you've got freak of nature, control freak, super freak. But in 2005 people started talking about another kind of freak, "Freakonomics."
It was a best selling book that promised to illustrate the "hidden side of everything," and it very quickly became a phenomenon. Written by journalist Stephen Dubner and University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt, it was a nonfiction book that basically blended two worlds that seemed totally opposite: pop culture and economics.
Then there was the sequel "SuperFreakonomics" and the movie of the same name:
The pair now has a new book that aims to teach readers how to "Think Like A Freak." Dubner joins the show to talk about the new book and how we often don't think in our own best interest.
Read an excerpt of "Think Like A Freak":
The "Think Like A Freak" authors will be at All Saints Church in Beverly Hill tonight at 8 p.m. Click here for more info.
The controversy over the NFL's alleged misuse of painkillers
A group of retired National Football League players have sued the league for its alleged use and promotion of pain killers.
The suit, filed yesterday in San Francisco, accuses the NFL of illegally supplying players with narcotics and other pain killers to speed up their return from injuries. Some players claim they were never told about broken legs and ankles they suffered and that instead of surgery were given pills to mask the pain.
The NFL says they have not reviewed the lawsuit. Lawyers for the players are seeking class action status and say more than 500 other former players have signed on.
One of them is Billy Davis, two-time Super Bowl champion wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens who retired in 2000. Davis joins Take Two to talk about the allegations.
Sports Roundup: NBA draft, LA Kings, Donald Sterling and more
It's time for sports with Andy and Brian Kamenetzky. They've covered sports for ESPN and Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers roll a seven, but for them it might not be a good thing. After having the worst record in franchise history the Lakers and Lakers fans were eagerly waiting to hear where they will wind up in the NBA's Draft lottery.
What does the lottery process mean for the Lakers? What are all of the Lakers options with the 7th pick? How will this affect their head coaching search?
Moving on to the story that keeps on giving, Clippers owner Donald Sterling. We heard earlier about how the NBA is starting the process to get rid of him, but we also were hearing about how NBA players were threatening to boycott if this isn't resolved by the start of next season. Will they follow through?
Now to the Kings who are in Chicago for game two of their series versus the Blackhawks. The Kings lost the series opener and they are facing arguably the best player and best goalie going in Jonathan Towes and Corey Crawford.
Tiger Woods missed the Masters due to back injury. It looks like he's also going to miss the U.S. Open too. How's Tiger doing and is there any eta on a return?
Dick's Sporting Goods reports their shares have gone down in value by 15 percent lately, saying it has a lot to do with usually slow sales in golf and hunting products. I don't know about hunting, but could Tiger have something to do with the golf?
The Dodgers have had good luck signing Cuban baseball players, Yasiel Puig has been a big success, but apparently someone went Mike Tyson on their latest Cuban sensation.
In California, veterans face VA claims backlog and housing challenges
President Obama met with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki today behind closed doors at the White House.
The meeting comes after months of controversy surrounding the agency and accusations the VA delayed treatments which could have prevented deaths. Following the meeting, President Obama made this promise to veterans during a brief speech in the White House press room:
"So today I want every veteran to know. We will fix everything that is wrong and as long as I am commander in chief I will keep fighting to deliver the care and the benefits that the families deserve."
For the latest on this, we're joined by journalist Aaron Glantz who covers veterans issues for the Center for Investigative Reporting.
Veterans Face Housing Challenges in Los Angeles
California has the nation's highest population of former service men and women at nearly 2 million, according to the Census Bureau.
More than $1 billion has been set aside for veterans to buy homes, but it's been difficult for veterans to get access to that money. Now there's a push to put some of that $1 billion toward providing low rent apartments for veterans. It's an issue that will be up for a vote on the June 3rd ballot.
For more, we're joined by Deputy Secretary for California's Veterans Services Keith Boylan.
App Chat: 4 apps to find trails, go camping, spot stars and more
Do you really need apps to enjoy in the outdoors on Memorial Day weekend? No, but they can still be helpful. That's why I've put together a list of four apps that will help you identify trails, campgrounds, plants and animals, and stars in the sky.
1) RACamping: Discover campsites
Part of the Reserve America brand, the RACamping app lets users search for and book camp sites around the country. You can dig into the app and filter out sites that are specific to things like tent or RV camping, and whether there are things like electrical hook ups.
2) AllTrails: Discover trails
Pretty self explanatory, this app is all about discovering trails. It uses a nifty map that lets users search their area for spots. But if someone wants to go into more detail and filter trails for certain needs, it can identify trails that are for things like hiking, fishing, mountain biking, etc.
When a user selects a trail in the app, the description includes the length of the trail, the difficulty, pictures and descriptions of views. Users can also rate individual trails. I was surprised by the amount of trails available in my area (West Hollywood, CA), even though I'd grown up in Los Angeles.
3) Audubon Apps from Green Mountain Digital: For identifying plants and animals
If you're outside and you need help identifying everything from mushrooms, to birds, to insects to mammals, there's a series of Audubon apps that'll help you do as much. Using the mushroom app as an example, first you can browse by mushroom shape and name. And once you find what you're looking for, the app tells you if the mushroom is edible, the habitat that it grows in and more.
4) Star Walk: For spotting constellations, stars, satellites and more in the sky
Point the app at the sky and it'll orient itself to tell you what you're looking at. It identifies things like constellations, comets, galaxies, stars and planets. It will also let you search constellations and planets by name, and it'll point you to where you should be looking. And if you're in a place like LA and you can't see any stars, that's ok because the app orients itself using data already downloaded onto the phone. It'll also let you know if something that you're seeing in the sky is a man made satellite. And if you want more information about it, you just touch it and description comes up that covers when the satellite was launched, why, how much it weighs and more.
Bonus: Spyglass: A beautiful compass to help guide you
In addition to being a compass, it also has a built in speedometer, altimeter, rangefinder, gyrocompass, hi tech viewfinder and sextant.
Bison cause problems at the Grand Canyon
Yellowstone National Park also has plenty of trails and it has long been home to the iconic bison, but since the late 1990s the animal has also made the Grand Canyon its home.
That herd has grown too big and is now over-grazing park land, draining already low water resources and trampling through archaeological sites. From the Fronteras Desk, Laurel Morales reports from Flagstaff.
Birds of prey across Southern California show sharp drop in breeding
Across Southern California, birds of prey are showing sharp declines in breeding, and many researchers believe the drought is a leading factor in the drop off of the raptors.
They're seeing more and more emaciated hawks, falcons, kites, owls and eagles, and a change in the way the birds hunt.
"We're finding birds that are emaciated, that appear to be on the verge of starvation," Scott Thomas, a bird researcher based in Orange County, told Take Two.
Thomas says that in about 25 years of monitoring the raptors, he's never seen them in such dire shape.
"Whatever kicks in to say that it's time to start producing eggs and it's time to start working on the nest, just didn't kick in this year," he said.
A drop in small mammals, a primary source of food for raptors, could be to blame, said Thomas. Though it will take a while to figure out how the population could change long term, he called the drop off "concerning."
Activist mother of missing man is killed in Mexico
Amid ongoing drug and gang violence, thousands of people who have gone missing in Mexico in recent years.
Relatives of the missing have often felt the need to take matters into their own hands because the government has been unresponsive to their pleas for help.
Sandra Luz Hernadez was one mother who for years had been searching for answers about her missing son. This week she was shot and killed by masked gunmen. Those who knew her believe her activism led to her death.
Tracy Wilkinson of the Los Angeles Times wrote about Sandra Luz Hernandez's story this week, and she joins the show to talk about her life and work.
Are English Learner services in public schools working?
The Department of Justice is looking into California's massive program to educate students who don't speak English as their first language. It's called the English Learner program.
KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez explains what it is, and how it works.
Why advertisers are turning adjectives into nouns
English can be a tough nut to crack, even for those of us who grew up speaking it. Advertisers certainly aren't making things any easier.
Recently they've been bending the rules of grammar and turning adjectives into nouns.
Some examples you might be familiar with:
- "Where there's happy it has to be Heinz"
- "Rethink possible"
- "Your best beautiful"
- "Where better happens"
- "Welcome to Fabulous"
- "111 Years of Extraordinary"
- "The Future of Awesome"
What's behind the grammatical phenomenon?
Ben Yagoda teaches English and writing at the University of Delaware and he says that for advertisers, it's all about getting consumers to sit up and pay attention. Using one part of speech as another (the technical term is "anthimeria") is one way to do that.
Ben Yagoda has written about "anthimeria" here, here and here. His latest book is "How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them".