Will a $15 an hour minimum wage make LA more affordable? The museum is a venue more than a hundred years in the making, Terry Crews joins to talk about Idiocracy turning 10.
A Nation Engaged: Will the bump in minimum wage raise people out of poverty?
One way to create that opportunity is through wage growth and, here in California, there's been a lot of focus on raising the minimum wage.
Take Two found one local worker who makes just a little more than minimum wage. She shared her story:
Last year, LA's city council voted to gradually increase that basic pay level until it hits $15 an hour in the year 2020. About a year later, the county and the state voted to do the same thing. Now, both presidential candidates say they want a higher national minimum wage.
But does raising the minimum wage lift people out of poverty?
KPCC's Ben Bergman looked into the question and spoke to Take Two's A Martinez.
(Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.)
Ben, you have been talking to minimum wage workers all week. What have you heard?
I wanted to talk to workers in two cities where the minimum wage is already higher than it is in LA. In July, the wage went up to $10.50 for most businesses in LA County. Just a year ago, the California minimum wage was $9 an hour: then it went up to 10 dollars in January. But in the little town of Seatac Washington, right outside Seattle, the wage is $15.24. So I called up an airport worker there to find out how her life has changed.
"Usually, I used to do two jobs to even live in the area I live. Now, I do one job, and it's enough for me."
-Habiba Ali
So what did workers say they're doing with the extra money?
Well, not much. I asked one: Do you eat more, or take vacations? She laughed and said 'absolutely not.' She said she makes just enough to get through school and pay the bills. I asked another what he uses the extra money for, and he said paying the rent because he said yes, his wage has been going up, but so has his rent. I asked 'well, what about when wages goes up again?' He expects his rent to go up again.
Have there been any studies about Seattle's higher minimum wage and whether it's helping reduce income inequality?
Yes, the University of Washington has studied this, and they found a lot of good things have been happening in Seattle. Wages have been going up, employment has been rising, And the local economy has been strong, but the study said all these things happened in spite of the wage increase, not because of it. That's because Seattle's economy has gotten a big boost from Amazon and other tech companies.
The study also found workers were working fewer hours. So for some, they might be making the same as before, but working less. The study found only a minuscule increase in wages could be attributed to the law — about $5 a week.
What lessons can we take away as far as LA is concerned?
It's important to note that a $13 wage in Seattle, or a $15 one, does not mean the same as in Los Angeles, let alone the poorer areas of the state where this will apply to in the coming years.
The median income in LA is about $56,000. In Seattle, it's over 80 thousand. So the minimum wage will go further here, but a lot of our costs are similar to Seattle's. In fact, you would need to make at least $33 an hour to afford to average the house in LA.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
California to use a new tool to track police shootings
On Thursday, the California Department of Justice launched a new database expected to shed new light on shootings, and other uses of force, by police officers.
The system is called URSUS. Alex Cohen spoke to Frank Stoltze about it.
Click on the blue player above to listen to the whole interview
Clarification: In the interview we said the name Ursus was the nickname of the bear on the California flag. To be clear, Ursus is the Latin name for bear.
The new Museum of African American History and Culture tells tales of tragedy, triumph
This Saturday, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens its doors in Washington DC.
The inauguration of the $540 million dollar museum will feature performances by Living Colour, Public Enemy, and the Roots.
It's a museum more than a hundred years in the making.
Michele Norris, the former host of All Things Considered on NPR, got a preview and wrote about it for National Geographic.
She shared her immediate reflections with Alex Cohen.
Press the blue play button above to hear the full interview.
'Goat' director on the link between hazing and acting: 'Sometimes actors are masochists'
The new film 'Goat' is not a horror film, per se, but it is a truly terrifying look at a commonplace practice on American college campuses: hazing.
'Goat' is based on a memoir by Brad Land which recounts the violence he experienced when he was 19-years-old.
First, he is physically beaten by strangers during a carjacking, then he is further tormented by guys he looks up to as friends, as a pledge to Clemson University's Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Actor Ben Schnetzer plays Brad in the film. His old brother Brett, also a member of Kappa Sigma, is played by Nick Jonas:
Director and co-writer Andrew Neel talked with Take Two's Alex Cohen about the film.
Interview highlights:
On the balance between keeping actors safe and creating an environment in which the abuse felt almost real
There were parameters in place that safeguarded everyone from getting hurt. And there was a 'safe word' that people could yell at any moment that would stop the whole set. There were certainly moments when I actually called cut because I felt as though it was going too far. But for me it was important to set up an environment where it could get to that point. We had to take it right to the point of real abuse so we could make that all feel real... And, you know, I think any good actor is excited to get into a situation like that. Certainly scared, I could see a little fear on their faces. But in a lot of ways, that's the fun of acting is really pushing yourself into intense environments psychologically. I mean, in a lot of ways, sometimes actors are masochists in their own strange process.
On the idea of violence as a way to bond, and as a part of human nature
Well when you're poor you're in a gang, and if you're middle class, maybe you join a frat. You know, this behavior is not exclusive to fraternities. In fact, that's the tip of the iceberg. Hazing behavior, bullying, gang behavior, whatever you want to call it, I think it is in pretty much every single culture and it transcends pretty much all socioeconomic strata. It is part of who we are, and how we deal with that part of who we are is the question that we have to face. I think often behind the thin veil of law and order lurks a very dark, violent tendency in the human animal.
To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.
Investigation: Drugmakers fought state opioid limits amid crisis
A recent investigation by the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity looked at the influence of the pharmaceutical lobby on the nation's response to the opioid epidemic in the U.S. and found that it often contributed to delays in policy and fought limits and regulations on the drugs.
According to the report, drugmakers have employed hundreds of lobbyists and spent millions on campaign contributions to suppress measures aimed at fighting the nation's prescription opioid epidemic.
Opioids are similar to heroin and are prescribed to help manage pain, but they have been linked to a rise in overdose deaths, including that of pop megastar Prince earlier this year.
Here's more from the Associated Press:
The drugmakers vow they're combating the addiction epidemic, but The Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity found that they often employ a statehouse playbook of delay and defend that includes funding advocacy groups that use the veneer of independence to fight limits on their drugs, such as OxyContin, Vicodin and fentanyl, the narcotic linked to Prince's death.
The industry and its allies spent more than $880 million nationwide on lobbying and campaign contributions from 2006 through 2015 — more than 200 times what those advocating for stricter policies spent and eight times more than the influential gun lobby recorded for similar activities during that same period, the AP and Center for Public Integrity found.
The drugmakers and allied advocacy groups — such as the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network — also employed an annual average of 1,350 lobbyists in state capitals from Olympia to Tallahassee during that span, when opioids' addictive nature came under increasing scrutiny.
The pharmaceutical companies and allied groups have a number of legislative interests in addition to opioids that account for a portion of their political activity, but their steady presence in state capitals means they're poised to jump in quickly on any debate that affects them.
Alex Cohen spoke to the AP's Geoff Mulvihill, one of the reporters on the story. Click the blue player button to listen to the full interview.
Terry Crews: 10 years after 'Idiocracy,' the film resonates this election year
The film "Idiocracy" debuted 10 years ago this month. The movie starred Luke Wilson as an Army Librarian picked out for an experiment: to be sealed in a chamber for a year.
The experiment is abandoned and Wilson wakes up in the year 2505 to find a world that is radically different. Crops are dead because they’ve been fed electrolyte drinks instead of water. Americans speak a dumbed-down version of English, where every other word is an obscenity. Then there’s the president, Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, played by actor Terry Crews. He's a gun-toting, motorcycle-riding former wrestler.
Crews will appear at a special screening of "Idiocracy" at the Echo Park Tennis and Recreation Center, along with director Mike Judge and co-star Dax Shepard.
The event, produced by Eat|See|Hear (eatseehear.com), was the brain child of artist Shepard Fairey and his wife Amanda as part of their #MakeAmericaSmartAgain campaign. It aims to increase voter education and participation in a non-partisan way.
Crews and Fairey joined host Alex Cohen to tell more about the event.
"Idiocracy" screens Saturday at 5 p.m. Click here for more information.
Interview Highlights
What it was like for Terry Crews to land the role of President Camacho
Terry Crews: "I remember when I got the role I was so happy because they were like, 'Dude you don't want to know the big names that came in here, you'd be kind of shook up.' I was like, 'Oh my God! Really?' But I got the script, and you know what it reminded me of? I grew up in the church, and I knew there were a lot of good people, but I knew a lot of crooked people who were charismatic, who were extremely charismatic. It didn't really matter what they said, it was just how they said it, and people were like, 'Yeah I like it!' And that's what I did with Camacho... The thing was, he's talking jibberish, but he says it so good! ...That is very mesmerizing. And to prove that sometimes, people don't really want the truth, they just want it syrup and smooth and sweet, and that's what I put into Camacho. He doesn't really care that much, he cares about what he's about and everything, and he knows he has the charisma to woo America, and everybody's with it... He's like a human explosion. But what that does, it just get people off the real subjects and it keeps people from actually thinking about what they're doing."
The purpose of #MakeAmericaSmartAgain, and how 'Idiocracy' fits into the movement
Amanda Fairey: "My husband Shepherd Fairey and I one day were watching TV, and 'Idiocracy' was on. I looked over at him and I said, 'Make America great again? Make America smart again? What the heck is going on?' This movie is so relevant now and we've been watching it for about 10 years... It just made us realize that there is a lot of voter apathy, and the spread of a lot of miscommunication among the American citizens. Our concern for this lead us to create this call to action that would encourage voter education and motivate voter turn out. It's a non-partisan movement to promote education on all issues, and not align with or disparage any candidates. So, really, we just want to make American smart again, and we thought doing screenings of 'Idiocracy' would be the perfect way to get people fired up over this and to go out there and find out for themselves what everybody's talking about, what all the candidates are talking about, and make a real decision on their own without being swayed by misinformation."
What people can take away from "Idiocracy" in 2016
Terry Crews: "The message is, you need to be involved, you need to read, you need to learn for yourself, you need to think for yourself, which is a beautiful, beautiful sentiment. But this is the deal, you try to give that message out and if you give that message, it tends to be rejected. It's kind of like, 'OK don't tell me what to do.' But comedy is always the best way to give a message. You know, when you would hear something from Chris Rock, and you go 'Oh wow I never thought of it like that!' But if someone told you just very seriously it's kind of like, 'Alright, what agenda are you trying?' This is not about agendas, this is about waking people up to thinking for themselves and being active and motivated to do something about your own future."
To listen to the full interview, click on the blue audio player above.
Your go-to guide for the weekend in SoCal
A look inside the Children's Forest in the San Bernardino National Forest
If you are looking for a remote-yet-close getaway for your family this weekend, KPCC's Deepa Fernandes has a recommendation: the Children's Forest
It's not far - just down the 210, up from San Bernardino on the 18.
The forest is in a town called Running Springs and it's part of the San Bernardino National Forest, and its for those families who love the outdoors but prefer a not too heavy hiking experience, especially with little ones in tow.
Deepa spoke to Take Two's A Martinez about it how it can give kids a hands-on lesson in the environment, as they explore the dry creek beds that remain after 5 years of drought.
Click on the blue player to listen to the interview