The effectiveness of 'correcting the record' through digital discourse, the goal to register 15,000 Asian American millennials, LA Magazine's 11th annual food festival.
A pro-Clinton online task force could be changing conversations this election season
Social media has played a pivotal part in this election cycle.
For Donald Trump, a burst of tweets can dominate headlines for days.
But if the Republican presidential nominee takes the scatter-shot approach, you might consider Hillary Clinton's strategy as a series of surgical strikes. The social media arm of her campaign has more than 100 staffers, and a Clinton super PAC, called Correct the Record, has been hard at work this season tackling online trolls.
People working with the group use profiles to engage Clinton critics in digital dialogue.
The Atlantic's Clare Foran has reported on this digital task force in the past and gave an update to Take Two.
Who are the people on this digital taskforce?
Correct the Record, which is a pro-Clinton super PAC, announced back during the primaries they're going to invest $1 million into this effort to fight online harassment. At the time, they didn't really specify exactly what that would mean, but in my reporting, I've come to realize that it means two things: one is that they'll have accounts that just post a lot of images that have pictures of Clinton with inspiration messages that are essentially there for the taking. They're hoping that people will come to them as a resource and share these images.
On Twitter they're doing more direct engagement with people, and they probably have eight Twitter accounts set up -- they're not masquerading as a person -- but what these Twitter accounts will do is pop up and tweet at people who are tweeting very anti-Clinton messages, and most of the time they'll respond with an image that says something like, 'I'm with Her' or 'I trust Hillary Clinton.'
Looking back on the primaries, one of the major differences between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders was his enthusiasm and grassroots support online. Sanders supporters online might rival Beyonce's "Bey-hive." Do the CTR staffers play a role similar to Sanders volunteers?
I do think that must have been on some level a response to the perception that Bernie Sanders supporters were more enthusiastic and more engaged online.
On the other side of things, Donald Trump seems to be a one-man band, at least when it comes to tweeting. Does he have anything similar to Clinton's Correct the Record?
There's been no equivalent in terms of an effort like Correct the Record announced, but Adrian Chen, who is a writer now at the New Yorker, wrote a piece for New York Times magazine a while back and it was looking at Russian trolls who would often disseminate information and often disinformation on the internet, and he said in a follow-up conversation to his profile that he's noticed a lot of them have switched to tweeting pro-Trump content. To be clear, there's no reason to think that's connected with the campaign, but there are at least some reports that there may be some pro-Trump bots.
Correct the Record announced that they'd spend $1 million on this task force back in May. So here's the million-dollar question: Is it actually influencing the conversations happening about Hillary Clinton online?
I think that it's very, very unlikely that anything like this would change anybody's mind. When I was reporting this story, I even spoke to some online sociologists who suggested that this kind of an effort might even increase polarization, because if you're somebody with a deeply-held conviction that's anti-Clinton and all the sudden you feel like you're getting challenged, that might cause you to dig in and be resentful and dislike her more. So I don't think we're changing any minds here, but it is possible that this could be a way to get Hillary Clinton supporters to be more enthusiastic for her, and maybe if they see this kind of thing online, maybe they'll be more likely to donate to the campaign, maybe they'll be more likely to volunteer. It is possible it's having an impact there.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
(Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.)
A Nation Engaged: being transgender means you have two American identities
All this week, Take Two explores what it means to be an American through the eyes of Southern California residents. It's part of, "Nation Engaged," a collaboration between NPR and local member stations.
Jen Winslow is an American.
But in America's eyes, there are two of her: Jen as she is now, and Jen before she transitioned.
She is a transgender woman, and the process to change is as much bureaucratic as it is biological.
The thing that people miss when they think a transition is just surgery, is that everything else in your daily life that goes along with your identity that you don't really think about is actually tied to your identity in one way or another.
Say you're at a restaurant and you hand over your credit card. The waitress doesn't really think that much about it, but when she gets to the back she's like, "Wait a minute, this is not who was sitting at the table." And they come and they say, "Can I see your ID for this?"
Out comes the ID. They look at that, they look at you, they look at that, then they look at you again for about 5 minutes. Then they either buy it, or you then have to explain, "This is what's going on."
The process of changing your official government identification is personally rewarding but it's absolutely necessary. The amount of things that have your identity tied to them is astronomical.
There's insurance tied to my ID. The bank is tied to my ID. There are Netflix accounts tied to my ID. There are utilities tied to my ID, which actually, the utilities are proving to be the tougher thing to change than I would've ever thought in a million years. It was almost more than the DMV!
I was surprised even at the DMV that they have a form that's for the gender change. They actually do! I remember I went up to this person when I got there because I really didn't think that would be a form that would be fillable ahead of time.
When I got my new license – my official one – in the mail, I ran up to my apartment and I opened it as soon as I got in the door. My legs were literally weak, so I ran over, sat down and just cried. I was married so I had a daughter. I can actually put this probably number two to having a child.
There is that gnawing aspect of trying to make sure that, when everything is changed, they actually change those records as far back as they can. For the birth certificate, my old birth certificate is sealed up now. That birth certificate no longer exists.
The other side of that is, really, the technology age where you live forever as your old identity. So at some point, when I change my ID on something as simple as Twitter or Facebook, they let you update your name, but their original record is still going to have my old name.
When I'm 90, someone is still going to be able to look up my name and it's still going to be tied to my birth name. That old identity is never truly going to go away.
After this election, I think that part of the country is going to come together. I think right now we're a broken country.
My ideal president is someone who's going to not only support us, but carry on the progress that's already been started for us.
To see it first hand, when I transitioned, I was working on the sales floor of Target in a very small Indiana town. At the end of one week, I had been there as my old self. The following Monday, I came in as Jen.
That's where I saw the progress because I had regular customers that came in that, as soon as they realized it was me or I spoke to them or told them, the smile that came over their faces and the hugs that came out of that just ... that is the progress that is America.
When you look at the deepest, small farming community in Indiana and these people hugging you and congratulating you, that's what America is.
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.
A Nation Engaged: What Oaxacan and Ethiopian cuisine have to do with being an American
What does the food we eat have to do with what it means to be an American?
If it's difficult to come up with a definition of what it means to be an American, it's just as hard to define what makes American food.
Bricia Lopez is co-proprietor of the restaurant Guelaguetza in L.A.'s Koreatown. She's also an immigrant from Oaxaca state in Mexico.
Lopez says that, to her, American food isn't any one thing.
"I think that's why I love mole so much, because mole is that," Lopez says. "There's so many ingredients that came from all over the world to create this one thing. And I feel that is what America is today. There's so many influences from all over the world."
Ethiopian American chef Genet Agonafer, owner of Meals by Genet, says that when she arrived in the U.S. from Ethiopia in 1981, she felt like an American right away, because the people she met were so kind and accepting.
And she says that's something she's found to be the case in the restaurant business as well. Agonafer says that while customers who come into her restaurant may not always be familiar with Ethiopian food (or how to eat it), most are very open to trying it.
"We eat by hand," Agonafer says. "And everybody eats off the same tray. And in this country, they just love that experience of eating by hand. Some of them they have never done it, so it's fun. People, they come and they just have a ball. Some of them don't know what to do with the injera, the Ethiopian bread, some of them put it on their laps."
And for her American customers who aren't familiar with the Ethiopian dish of doro wat, Agonafer says, she likens it to mole, which more are familiar with.
Maybe instead of a melting pot, America is more like a pot of Oaxacan mole or Ethiopian doro wat.
To hear the full interview with Bricia Lopez and Genet Agonafer, click the blue player above.
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.
How to get Asian American millennials to vote... with a concert
Asian Americans have one of the lowest participation rates in presidential elections of any racial or ethnic demographic. They're the fastest growing minority in the U.S. and yet half of Asian Americans don't vote.
This weekend, #IAmAsianAmerican will host a nationwide concert, anchored in L.A., designed to get at least 15,000 Asian American and Pacific Islander millennials to register to vote.
For more on the organization and the untapped power of the Asian American vote, Take Two host A Martinez spoke with:
- Executive producer of #IAmAsianAmerican, Jeff Yang
- Campaign Strategist at 18 Million Rising, Taz Ahmed
- Kollaboration Global Executive Director, Minji Chang
Why target millennials?
Jeff Yang: Among, especially Asian American millennials the group that we're focusing on, just 37 percent are registered to vote and in terms of actually voting, it's less than one in 10 Asian Americans...
It's horrific in a lot of ways because it's not speaking to the fact that millennials and Asian American millennials, in particular, aren't passionate, aren't engaged with the issues, aren't ready to move and act. I think one of the things we're seeing, this group in particular, and we're talking about 4.3 million individuals across the country, they're the most educated, the most technologically savvy, the most media literate of any generation in history...what they're finding is that in a lot of ways the social change that is most productive to them, the kinds of things that they actually feel are getting things done relate to either organizing in communities or organizing online. But when it comes to going to the polls there's a real sense that either their voices don't stand out or their votes don't matter.
How will this event get Asian Americans politically organized?
Minji Chang: Well, that's the creative process of the group we're speaking with right now. We know the power of our artists as being role models and bringing people together to have a good time is a great way to get the dessert with your vegetables and say 'Look, we're here to celebrate and to show everybody these are people that care. These are people that you watch on YouTube and that you watch on television, that you root for. And these are also people that know that they have a role in speaking on behalf of the Asian American community and want to influence and share that story.
I think that the idea of bringing everyone together through a concert is a great way to highlight not only the advances we're making in entertainment but use that as a leverage point to get people to understand and engage in the political process.
Looking towards the future
Taz Ahmed: At 18 Million Rising we do online advocacy, petitions, memes, digital campaigns, whatever it takes to get the Asian American millennial community excited about issues that are important to them and we're going to continue to do that. We do realize that in addition to doing cultural work, we also have to do the on the ground work: Registering people to vote, getting them the materials they need to go vote.
To hear the full interview, click the blue play button above.
#IAmAsianAmerican's Los Angeles Red Carpet Flagship concert will take place at the Wiltern on Sunday, October 16. General admission to the event is free. For more information on tickets and the event, click here.
Voting has begun in California. KPCC is here for you and will help you develop your Voter Game Plan. Use our election guide to find your personalized ballot.
How to get around LA with a kid -- but no car
The last thing I hear before going to sleep is my 13-year-old begging me to use our car again.
And then there’s what I hear each morning, which is more begging — to end my de-carification experiment, or at least cheat and take him to school in our car.
Suffice to say, my kid prefers automotive experiments when they involve a brand new Ferrari.
As the child of a motor critic, born and raised in L.A., he’s grown up with all kinds of vehicles to get him around, so weaning him off has been the biggest challenge of my car-free October. The fact that he’s on crutches is a complicating factor that eliminates public transit as an option to get back and forth to school.
Too much hobbling.
But I have enough experience with public transit now to know it would take three times as long as driving.
That's why I eased him into our personal-car-free life with somebody else’s car for the eight-mile trip back from school. We took a Lyft, which cost $11 and needed me along for the ride.
And that’s the rub that stops most L.A. parents from being able to go car free. The alternatives are cost prohibitive, time consuming, unsafe or all three.
"We started HopSkipDrive really to solve our own problem," said Janelle McGlothlin, co-founder of the L.A.-based, kid-only ride hail service, HopSkipDrive. "As busy parents, my two co-founders and myself have eight children between us. They go to five schools and they have a multitude of activities.
"We were struggling with how do we get them there both as working parents but also when two kids are going in opposite directions, so we really created HopSkipDrive to solve our problem and at the same time solve the problems of parents universally."
The ride hail service with 500 so-called care drivers launched in L.A. last year, but I’d never had occasion to use it until this month, when I downloaded the app and booked my son’s maiden journey to school on his own. And just like that, I saved myself a 45-minute round trip on the road.
For a price. HopSkipDrive pricing starts at $16 per ride. To get my son to his school cost $27. Taking my car would have cost $2.50. So, while HopSkipDrive solved one of my problems, it’s a little too rich for a public radio salary.
And then there was the bigger problem. My son didn’t like being “alone in a car with some random stranger," he told me.
No. My son wanted me to take him. So I have been. In Ubers and Lyfts. Leave it to a teenager to point out the idiocy of taking a ride hail when we have a car in good working order parked in the driveway.
He’s completely right, of course. There’s no better way to drain a bank account than taking Ubers and Lyfts everywhere you need to go in sprawling LA, especially when I have to be with him for the ride. Neither Lyft nor Uber officially allow solo passengers under the age of 18.
But rules were made to be broken, right?
"I’ve taken kids as young as 13 years old if they’re going to school," Uber driver Renardo Page told me the day my son and I drove to school in his Chrysler Sebring.
We weren't the first.
"I’ve taken two young people to school this morning," Page said. "Usually in the morning, it could work out to be maybe five students per day."
Those students could be taking the bus, actually, including my own son. He attends a magnet in L.A. Unified, which makes him eligible for transportation services under the district’s integration program.
Daily, LAUSD runs approximately 1,700 bus routes. That sounds like a lot, but they serve only seven percent of the 560,000 students who attend LAUSD.
Clearly I’m not the only parent who finds it a Sisyphean task just to wake up my teenager. The prospect of rousing him a half hour earlier to get him to the bus has never appealed, especially since I have to drive him to the bus stop 10 minutes away.
I’m too late to sign him up for the bus for this school year anyway. With few exceptions, parents need to sign up their kids for the bus the year prior.
Had I known, I’d be saving tons of money in daily ride hails while helping to combat L.A.’s growing traffic problem.
"For every school bus that we have out there, it would equate to 30 fewer vehicles that would be on the road," said Donald Wilkes, L.A. Unified’s director of transportation services.
Next year my car will be one of those fewer vehicles on school days.
It only makes sense. To live car free without too many sacrifices, I’m learning, is to pick the low-hanging fruit. When the better option is there, I should use it.
The tale of LA construction in one color coded map
Driving around Los Angeles, it's easy to see just how much construction is happening right now.
There are new shopping malls, office towers and apartment complexes popping up all throughout the city.
Ever wonder what it might look like if you could see all that construction at once from up above?
You are in luck! There's a map for that.
Blake Alexander — the man behind the map — joined Take Two to talk about the project and what it's taught him about the changing face of L.A.
The Food Event celebrates what's new on LA's food scene
The idea of Los Angeles as a culinary destination is no big surprise to those of us living here.
The folks at Los Angeles Magazine have been hip to it for some time now, too.
This Sunday, the magazine puts on The Food Event in Malibu. It's their 11th annual celebration of the best that L.A.'s food scene has to offer.
Tracy Seng, Associate Publisher of Marketing at Los Angeles Magazine and chef Evan Funke, whose new restaurant Felix is set to open later this year in Venice, joined Take Two's A Martinez for a preview of the festivities.
For more information on The Food Event, click here.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.