What drives people to share the truth, even when it could be damaging, sexual assault's blurred lines, San Jose may allow tiny homes for the homeless
What exactly is sexual assault? Expert says definitions vary
The New York Times has published the stories of two women who claim they were touched inappropriately by Donald Trump.
One of them described an incident on a first class flight to New York in the 1980s when she said Trump groped her breasts and attempted to put his hand up her skirt.
On Twitter, the Republican presidential nominee called the New York Times piece "phony" and a "total fabrication."
Some of the Trump accusers said that they didn't speak up because such incidents were more frequent at the time, and feared that what happened was their fault.
To better understand the subject, Take Two spoke to Jennifer Long, a former prosecutor, and CEO of AEquitas, a group that provides support in cases of gender-based violence and human trafficking.
Press the blue play button above to hear the interview.
Wells Fargo whistleblower: 'I didn't know if I'd done the right thing'
Wells Fargo's beleaguered CEO, John Stumpf announced his retirement late yesterday, after revelations that the company pressured employees to create millions of fake bank accounts. It was all part of a scheme to collect extra fees from unwitting customers, and inflate sales numbers.
Eight years ago, Wells Fargo banker Yesenia Guitron spoke up about the questionable practices at her Napa Valley branch. She continued to complain, and eventually lost her job.
Unfortunately, that's what often happens to whistleblowers.
Yesenia Guitron and William Black, a law professor at the University of Missouri, joined Take Two to talk about the pros and cons of whistleblowing.
Interview highlights
On her early experiences at Wells Fargo
Guitron: "I went through about a month of training, and they go at length about the ethics and values of Wells Fargo. When I started working, I did what I have been doing for a long time. And I noticed a lot of customers coming in complaining about fees that they didn't know about, or 'why did they get another debit card', people getting collection calls.
Whistleblowing and retaliation
Guitron: "I suspected [wrongdoing]. When I noticed a clear pattern, I reported to the manager first, to the trainer, and eventually went up the chain of command. I called HR, I called the ethics hotline. And no one seemed to care. Later when the retaliation happened and things intensified, I [didn't] know if I'd done the right thing."
On what drives whistleblowers to finally speak up
Black: "There's literature on this, and it says overwhelmingly people just want to do the right thing. A lot of people experience what Yesenia explained here: 'I was trained in a certain way in an organization, I saw violations, I reported them just like I've been told'. Then people see it persist, and you realize it isn't a problem that they don't know what to do about, it's a problem with the incentive structures."
Guests:
- Yesenia Guitron - Former Wells Fargo Employee, one of the first whistleblowers on the bank's corporate culture.
- William Black - Economic law professor at the University of Missouri, Kansas City. He's the founding member of Banks Whistleblowers United and the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One.
The chocolate milk incident: On being young, black and confused in America
Tyree Boyd-Pates was just a child when he learned the truth: he was black.
An avid chocolate milk drinker, one day a group of youth posed a question that would spark a lifetime of racial contemplation.
"Tyree, Tyree, why do you drink so much chocolate milk? Is it because you want to be darker?"
All this week, Take Two has been exploring the American identity through the eyes of people living right here in Southern California.
Tyree-Boyd-Pates, is a regular on Take Two — especially in conversations about race. Long before that, however, he was a boy growing up in mid-city Los Angeles who often grappled with his identity as an African-American.
After the awkward childhood exchange over his proclivity for chocolate milk, Boyd-Pates says things changed for him.
"It was that very moment that I was confronted with what it means to be a black person, a black boy in the U.S.," Boyd-Pates says.
Early years
I was raised in a single-parent home, Section 8 housing, to a grandmother, after my mother — who abused substances throughout the beginning of her pregnancy — was given over to the state. You hear the stories of the 'crack mother' and the 'crack baby' and 'welfare mother' and 'welfare children,' and I was those things. We were on Section 8 housing; we were on food stamps, and we saw how the media portrayed us.
An American Identity
My identity is one that is becoming more and more fixed. If you're an African-American in this country, you have to look at yourself through two lenses: you see yourself through your eyes, but you also see yourself through another set of eyes, which is typically those of the dominant group.
Every single day, I have to wear this double consciousness of how I carry myself, the ways that I respond to certain inquiries. Through those lenses, I can see very, very, very concisely how America aspires to depict me and also the dissonance that I have with that particular perception.
A Turning Point
The United States of America is at a crossroads. It is completely rife with stagnation, complacency, and apathy. And the only way to alleviate those three things is if they choose to deal with the things that they've never decided to.
Boyd-Pates would go on to receive a master's degree in African American studies. He's currently on sabbatical from Cal State Dominguez Hills, where he teaches on the subject.
Press the blue play button above to hear Tyree Boyd-Pates' full story.
(Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.)
Series: A Nation Engaged
America is changing. The crosscurrents of demographic and cultural change are upending traditional voting patterns and altering the face of the American political parties in significant ways. As part of our collaborative project with NPR called "A Nation Engaged," this week we're asking: What does it mean to you to be an American?
Read more in this series and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on Facebook.
Thailand's King dies after 70 years of rule
Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, one of the world's longest reigning monarchs, passed away at the age of 88 after 70 years of rule.
He was widely beloved, but his death leaves the country in jeopardy, facing political instability and the threat of a possible coup.
Our colleague and longtime journalist Tess Vigeland is currently based in Thailand's capital, Bangkok. She joined A Martinez with reaction on the ground.
To hear the entire conversation click on the audio embedded at the top of this post.
BMW's vision for future motorcycles: They won't crash
It's impossible to know what life will look like in 30 years, but BMW has some pretty cool ideas, especially when it comes to motorcycles.
This week, the German car and bike maker was in L.A. showing off a concept bike that balances by itself and doesn't need the rider to wear a helmet. The reason: Motorcycles in the future will be too smart to crash.
Called the Vision Next 100, the bike is BMW's idea of what motorcycling might be like in 2046. With a look that combines the aggression of Mad Max with the futuristic Jetsons, it has a shape that is artistic, chunky and triangular. An upside-down A frames an engine that looks like a classic BMW boxer but is instead emissions free.
Coupled with the bike itself is a pair of "data glasses" that extend across the rider's field of vision, providing wind protection and also operating as a sort of head-up display. Reading the rider's eye movements, the glasses display information ranging from the rider's speed and gear position to warnings about upcoming hazards.
Because the bike of the future will be equipped with computer systems that make it too smart to crash, BMW has also developed riding gear that foregoes its usual safety role in favor of comfort. There's no need for leather or armor. Because of the bike's built-in digital safety systems, the riding suit will never make contact with the pavement.
Instead, it automatically warms or cools depending on the weather, based on sensors that keep track of the wearer's pulse and body temperature. At higher speeds, the neck section of the suit inflates for extra support of the upper vertebrae. The suit also provides haptic navigation -- vibrating the arms or legs to tell the rider when to turn.
In BMW's vision of the future, most vehicles will drive themselves. People will organize their lives through digital devices. And most of the population will have migrated to cities. Should that future play out, BMW's Vision Next 100 motorcycle is ready to take on the role traditional motorcycles have long played -- as an experience that rebels against the norm.
Sanders back in CA and the 'Trump effect' on down-ballot races
On this week's State of Affairs, Bernie Sanders is back in town, early voting kicks off, and some California races turn especially nasty.
Joining Take Two to discuss:
- Katie Orr, KQED's Politics and Government Reporter
- Jack Pitney, Roy P. Crocker Professor of Politics at Claremont McKenna College
San Jose to build tiny houses as temporary shelter for homeless
Solving a crisis of homelessness is a complicated and growing problem for cities across the country, but some suggest the solution is to think small.
While the tiny homes movement may seem like remedy to some, others are concerned the one-room structures could prove a health and safety hazard.
So far, no California city has officially adopted the tiny home concept. Individuals in Los Angeles have attempted to provide them but with mixed results and some have even been removed by the city.
A new law that goes into effect in January could open the door to the possibility. The city of San Jose is now hoping to be first in the state to provide transition shelter to their homeless with the construction of tiny homes.
For more, Take Two's A Martinez spoke with San Jose's Homeless Response Manager, Ray Bramson.
The hear more, click the Blue Arrow above.
Photographer Rafael Cardenas documents a changing LA
Photographer Rafael Cardenas captures vivid images of a changing city: A flower-vendor standing outside a Cheesecake Factory, a man playing bass in front of a wall of Mexican movie posters, teenagers doing skateboarding tricks by a soda shop.
"For me, documenting is important," said Cardenas. "A moment becomes something else once it's photographed – and then it becomes its own thing."
Cardenas, born in Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in East Los Angeles, shoots many of the beautiful black and white images of people, buildings and moments in a place he now calls home.
A collection of his images make up a new book called Mas Aca, and will feature in an exhibition this weekend at East Los Angeles College, Tastemakers & Earthshakers: Notes from Los Angeles Youth Culture, 1943-2016.
The documentation that his photography provides is more important than ever, said Cardenas, as the neighborhoods he shoots go through rapid change. The new businesses and changing demographics in places like Frogtown, City Terrace and Boyle Heights offer a mixed picture, he said.
"It is that double-edged dagger," he said. "It hurts when you see people displaced, when you see businesses displaced. When you see businesses come in that really don't welcome you, that's tough."
But he constantly strives to explore new ways to capture his city.
"It's a learning process, every single time I shoot," he said.
What: Tastemakers & Earthshakers: Notes from Los Angeles Youth Culture, 1943 - 2016
When: Opening Reception: October 15, 5-8PM
Where: Vincent Price Art Museum, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754
More info: http://vincentpriceartmuseum.org/exhibitions%3Aupcoming.html
20 myths about Native American culture and why they persist
If you were asked to name states with large populations of Native Americans, which states would come to mind? You might think of the Dakotas, and maybe Arizona or Oklahoma.
But in fact, the state with the most Native Americans is California. More than 360,000 native people call the state home, and it has well over one hundred recognized tribes.
In spite of this, Native American culture is still often misunderstood. Now a new book aims to explore and debunk these myths that surround native culture.
Roxanne Dunbar -Ortiz and Dina Jilio-Whitaker are the authors of "All the Real Indians Died Off - and 20 other myths about Native Americans." They joined Take Two's A Martinez with more on some of the most persistent myths.
To hear the full segment, click the blue play button above.