Take Two

Packs of teens go on robbery spree in Hollywood; Santa Monica parters with state to improve work conditions at nail salons; US offers 'athlete' visas to League of Legends video game players; Home Run Derby viewers critical of ESPN reporter's bilingual interviews, plus much more.

Trayvon Martin rallies spur vandalism, arrests; Top Zetas cartel leader captured in Mexico; Is Gavin Newsom stuck in political purgatory as California's lt. governor?; Tracing Oscar Grant's last day in 'Fruitvale Station'; Why aren't quinoa growers keeping up with rising demand? Plus much more.

What does the Zimmerman verdict mean for race relations in the U.S.?; Talking about the Zimmerman verdict with your kids; The man behind the Spanish-language radio show, 'Piolín por la Mañana'; Study: Fracking in Salton Sea area triggers earthquakes; Beachcombing: SoCal's geologic history, as told by the sand; New abortion regulations impact the US-Mexico border, plus much more.

Today we'll get an update on day 4 of the Pelican Bay State Prison hunger strike. Then, Texas laws spur underground world of flea-market abortions; A new UN report shows that Mexico has surpassed the US as most obese country; Pentagon may reduce danger pay for nearly 56,000 troops, plus much more.

Is immigration reform bill headed for a slow death in the House?; Gay rights group plans state-by-state same-sex marriage fight; CrowdShake: Using smartphones to predict quakes and save lives; Nebraska researchers developing faster test for concussions, plus much more.

Many lawsuits likely to follow Asiana Airlines accident; Do background checks on ammunition sales work?; How US casino owners made Macau into the world's gambling Mecca; CA prisoners resume hunger strike to protest treatment; How the brain creates the 'buzz' needed to spread ideas; Picture This: Photographer David Guttenfelder and the plight of the songbird; Jay-Z's album release sparks privacy concerns, and much more.

Take Two looks at the latest on the Asiana flight 214 crash, Congress resets to tackle student loans and immigration reform, and we preview the new film "A Girl and a Gun"

What to make of Morsi's overthrow in Egypt; Pope John Paul II becomes a saint; Friday Flashback: Crisis in Egypt, U.S. jobs and more; Edward Snowden's hacker training; A tool to prevent sexual assault in Egypt; Preparing for the royal baby; Congress' plan to increase student loan interest rates.

Today, we take a look at part one of the Lance Armstrong/Oprah Winfrey interview. Then, can Congress save the struggling U.S. Postal Service? John C. Reilly goes country with a little help from his friends Becky Stark and Tom Brosseau, and we take a further look at the intersection of a pregnant woman's civil liberties and the rights of the fetus. Plus the Friday Flashback and your Weekend Alibi.

How do California's strict gun laws match up with President Obama's 23 executive order for gun control? Then, Oakland, California is caught in a turmoil of gun violence because of a gang feud. We also look at the rich history of the Presidential inaugurations and the role music plays in ushering the President into office. Plus much, much more.

This morning, President Obama and VP Joe Biden announce their plans to curb gun violence. Even though California already has some of the strictest gun laws, some lawmakers are working harder to curb gun violence. Then, a researcher calls for a change to Scrabble's point system, an L.A. photographer documents prison inmates' 'Re-Entry' into society, and much more.

Lance Armstrong reportedly admitted to doping in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, though details are not yet public. Will this big score for Oprah give her struggling cable network, OWN, a boost? Severe air pollution in Beijing, China is causing a frenzy in the state-run media, plus much more.

A Southern California cold snap threatens citrus farming, plus, we take a look at L.A.'s first public fruit orchard. Then, California's prison realignment causes dangerous row of dominoes at local level, a California judge will rule if a 12-year-old boy guilty of murdering neo-Nazi father two years ago, the Los Angeles Kings skate back on the ice, and much more.

Vice President Joe Biden is meeting with film and game industries to talk gun violence. Plus, Saturday marks the 3-year anniversary of the Haiti earthquake. We check in with the ongoing relief effort there. Then, Ventura County strawberry farmers fight frost, Chinese tourism skyrockets in the U.S. and much more.

California Governor Jerry Brown will release his new budget proposal today. Will is help shrink the state's deficit? Then, an autopsy on NFL star Junior Seau shows he suffered from a brain disease caused by head trauma. The Oscar noms are out, who came out on top and who got snubbed? Then, Anglers reel in thousands of 'red devil' jumbo squid in Orange County, we run down the top LA-based crime movies, a San Juan Capistrano woman is fighting to save her beloved dinosaur statue and much more.

According to a new report, 2012 was the hottest year on record for the U.S. On the other side of the world, Australia has been suffering from a longterm heat wave and dangerous brush fires. Then, Latin American countries are reconsidering the legalization of marijuana after similar measures get voted through in the U.S. A new article explains how Tide detergent became a hot commodity in the drug trade. Florida readies for it's annual Python Challenge, where hunters from all over the country compete to rid the Everglades of the overpopulous Burmese Python, plus much more.

A new CA bill proposes the strict tracking of all bullets and shotgun shells sold in the state. Plus, a judge rules that names in the LA archdiocese sex abuse files should be public. Then, 'Awesome Tapes From Africa' blog transports obscure tunes beyond Africa's borders, the Mars500 experiment is over...How did the six volunteers fare during 500 days of solitude? Plus much more.

Kids at LAUSD campuses return to school today for the first time since the Newtown shootings. Have enhanced security measures been put in place yet? Plus, we'll check in with students and parents as they arrive to school. Plus, a new study shows classroom design can have an affect on kids' grades. Then, school citations remain high despite reforms, gadgets and gimmicks take center stage at Consumer Electronics Show, and much more.

Will policy chief Michele Flournoy be the first female secretary of defense? Plus, depictions of torture in 'Zero Dark Thirty' prompt a Senate inquiry; A biofuel-carrying train crosses the US-Canada border, reaping fraudulent carbon credit rewards; San Diego's water supply is evolving because of new demand and a massive desalination project in the works, plus much more.

The 113th Congress is to be sworn in today, ushering in 14 new faces. Then, what issues are ahead for California in 2013? President Obama's new immigration policy could ease separation time for immigrants and their American families, and dialect experts convene in Boston for a conference about the development and new trends in American English, plus much more.