Analysis of the first Democratic debate, Cassini gets within 30 miles of Saturn, the latest news in the fashion world.
Democratic debate: Latino politics professor, young dems weigh in
Ratings were pretty strong for Tuesday night's debate between Democratic presidential candidates. About 11 percent of all homes with televisions tuned into CNN to watch the event.
The cable network says almost 1 million additional viewers live-streamed the match-up in Las Vegas. The numbers indicate it's the most-viewed Democratic debate in history.
So how did the candidates do?
Louis DeSipio, professor of political science and latino studies at UC Irvine, says viewers came to hear about the issues, and the presidential hopefuls didn't disappoint.
"I thought it was a good show," he said. "I think they were civil with each other, which was a little bit different from the Republican debates, so overall I think the Democrats put on a good face."
The tone of the evening was noticeably different than that of the previous two GOP debates. Moderator Anderson Cooper wasted no time drilling Hillary Clinton on her frequent policy shifts. DeSipio says she handled the pressure well.
"She came across -- I think -- much more comfortable with the audience than she did in some of the 2008 debates, and she was comfortable with her peers," he said.
DeSipio says Clinton's only hangup came when she attempted to speak about subsidized college tuition for undocumented students.
"She was pulling her punches a little bit, and she gets lost in long sentences then -- as opposed to things that she's comfortable with like foreign policy where she's very clear." DeSipio said.
DeSipio added that Clinton is walking a fine line. She must answer in a way that will position her to win the primaries and the general election.
"[She's] not always sure which audience she's talking to," he said.
Turning his attention to Sen. Bernie Sanders, DeSipio says his dedication to socialist principles went over well with Democrats, but could make him a tough sell if he progresses to the general election.
"As secretary Clinton pointed out, we valorize small business in the United States much more than any of the other advanced democracies. We've had a very entrepreneurial kind of culture going back to our first days, and socialism has always been the enemy in that," he said.
Three other candidates occupied the stage last night. DeSipio says only one managed to stand out.
"I think that governor O'Malley did a good job," DeSipio said. "He was probably the most comfortable of the three of those. He was supportive at times of senator Sanders, at times of secretary Clinton, and he demonstrated knowledge of a range of policy areas," he said.
DeSipio added that Sen. Jim Webb stood out as well, albeit for a less-than-desirable reason.
"Sen. Webb -- I think -- probably hurt himself by constantly complaining that he wasn't getting enough speaking time," he said.
LA's young democrats react
The Los Angeles County Young Democrats held an official debate viewing party at Gamz Tuesday night. The group's president, Daniel Lopez, said Clinton started the debate on the defensive, but that was to be expected.
"The first debate of the year and of the cycle? You're going to have this. You're going to have a lot of questions," he said. "You have a lot of people who have not been in the political process since the 2008 cycle, and they're going to have a lot of questions about Hillary, and I think she did a very good job at defending herself and explaining why she has the best leadership to lead the country."
Press the play button above to hear more from UC Irvine professor Louis DeSipio.
To hear more from the viewing party, click the bonus audio below the audio player.
Cassini orbiter begins final probe to moon with possible 'life'
NASA's Cassini space probe has embarked on the first of three flybys to Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. The moon has scientists extremely excited because they think it might actually be home to living things.
KPCC science reporter
joined the show with the latest updates.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
California backtracks plans allowing inmates with violent offenses to fight fires
UPDATE 3:42 PM: Department of Corrections officials say 40 percent of the state’s inmate firefighting crew have previous convictions for violent offenses and inmates convicted of violent offenses have been serving since the 1990s, Associated Press reports.
Take Two's Alex Cohen spoke with Don Thompson from the Associated Press before the Department of Corrections update.
Before, they were considering a plan to allow inmates who had committed violent crimes to participate in fighting fires, but then decided to drop those plans.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Impatient: Are 'low-risk' C-sections happening when they shouldn't be?
According to the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly a third of all births in this country happen by Cesarean section.
C-sections can be life-saving procedures for both moms and babies, but they're not without risks. That's why public health experts say they should only be performed when truly necessary.
Those same experts also say, in far too many cases, C-sections are happening when they aren't really needed. A new study looks at just how often these so-called "low-risk" operations occur.
Southern California Public Radio's health reporter Rebecca Plevin joined host Alex Cohen with more. You can also get more information at her blog.
What makes a supercomputer so super?
A special Happy Birthday shout out to the San Diego Supercomputer Center, which turns 30 years old on Wednesday. It's one of a handful of labs in the world that feature science's most powerful computers, and one of the ways its been celebrating this year is with a brand new machine called Comet.
Bob Sinkovits, the director of scientific computing applications, joined the show to talk about the San Diego Supercomputer Center and what Comet is capable of.
If you'd like to hear the entire conversation click on the segment audio embedded at the top of the post.
The Styled Side: how to find that spook-tacular Halloween costume
Even though Halloween is weeks away, we're in Southern California. There are a lot of professional costumers, make-up artists, cosplayers and more who live here.
It can be tough to look good in a costume when they can do it so much better. To help you keep up while dressing up, Fashion Trends Daily's Michelle Dalton Tyree joins Take Two for The Styled Side.
One piece of advice is that parents can take a sigh of relief: "Frozen" fever may be letting up. Instead, Tyree says some of the hottest costumes this year are based on Disney's "Descendants," a film that follows the story of the children of Disney villains through high school.
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.