State of Affairs

This week, Republicans take aim at vote-by-mail plans… as a well-known congressional candidate sues California. Meanwhile, The Democrat's chances of keeping the House this November may have gone up… a little. We'll get into those stories and more.

Guests: 

• Marisa Lagos, political correspondent for KQED
• Jack Pitney, Roy P Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College

Coronavirus: California's prisons Release Low-level Offenders

To reduce the prison population in Los Angeles amid the pandemic, jails have been releasing low-level offenders early. We discuss how that is working out for many of them.

Guest: 

• Emily Dugdale, KPCC's Veterans and Criminal Justice Reporter

Gov. Newsom's Task Force Seeks COVID-19 Relief

This week, Governor Newsom's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery announced they are urging Congress to pass $1 trillion in relief for state and local governments. Members of the task force say the funding is needed to properly reopen our economies during the coronavirus pandemic.

Guest:

• Manuel Pastor, USC Professor and Task Force member

Movie Therapy

For an escape during these troubled times, the right prescription might be a good movie. Take Two talks to the hosts of the podcast, "Movie Therapy," about how to find the right films to soothe your souls.

Guests: 

• Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman, Hosts of "Movie Therapy"

Coronavirus: Gov. Newsom Urges California Tribal Casinos to Reconsider Opening

Casinos across California are rolling the dice on COVID-19 this week and reopening their doors to visitors. Many of them are on Native American Reservations and have tribal sovereignty, so they’re not subject to U.S. laws or state ones, for that matter, including stay-at-home orders during the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped Governor Gavin Newsom from pleading with tribal leaders to reconsider.

Guest:

• Tracy Stanhoff, President of American Indian Chamber of Commerce of California and a former tribal leader of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

Weekend Preview: Virtual Events

The three-day weekend ushers in the unofficial start of summer. A number of SoCal restaurants are offering holiday to-go specials. The Airborne Toxic Event, Scary pool party and Sublime all perform virtually. CHIRLA holds a star-studded music festival. And there's a drive-in movie at The Muck and a drink-in screening of The Thin Man. 

Guest:

• Leo Duran, Take Two

You can find the full list of events on LAist.com here.