Take Two

Unemployment dropped to 7.8 percent, the lowest rate since President Obama took office in January 2009.; San Bernardino may be bankrupt, but Riverside is still in good shape thanks to UC Riverside and scrappy entrepreneurs.; LAPD Chief Charlie Beck unveiled new rules redefining his department's stance on detaining illegal immigrants.; Congressional Democrats need 25 seats to retake the gavel from Republicans this November.; Governor Brown recently signed off on legislation that will enable classic car enthusiasts to buy brand new license plates with a retro look.; "Precious" director Lee Daniels joins the show to discus his latest work, "The Paperboy."; The presidential elections are this Sunday in Venezuela, what does it mean for Hugo Chavez?; Ruxandra Guidi talks to some Venezuelan-Americans about who they're voting for.; Entertainment Weekly writer Anthony Breznican explains how Tim Burton's childhood home of Burbank inspired his work.; Finally, our Weekend Alibi and the Week In Review.

A food fight of sorts is stewing between Mexico and the United States over tomatoes.; Headstart programs in South L.A. remain closed.; KPCCs Steven Cuevas reports there can be surprising rewards to doing business in one of the nation's poorest cities.; The operator of the San Onofre nuclear power plant formally submitted a plan to restart part of the shuttered station.; We talk to John Koza, chair of an organization lobbying to get rid of the Electoral College.; Officials in Iran attempted to halt the decline of their currency, due to the West’s economic sanctions.; Los Angeles has a sizable Iranian community, many worry about how the economic crisis will affect family members.; We talk with the filmmakers of the documentary "Last Call at the Oasis," about the global water crisis.; British scientists predict that robot bees are the answer to colony collapse, the epidemic killing honey bees and threatening agriculture around the world.; How exactly do you control your Klout score? And is it legal for employers to ask for it?

This week the U.S. government began flying Mexican deportees to Mexico City.; Are banks who were found to be using fraudulent lending practices cleaning up their acts?; David Kipen, book critic and owner of Libros Schmibros, joins the show to talk about Banned Books Week.;Kevin Ferguson reports on the use of graffiti as commercial art in Los Angeles.; A slew of political video games out this election season are trying to snag the youth vote.; We'll be unveiling a new debate bingo game so listeners can play along at home.; A record number of openly gay candidates are running for seats in the next Congress and almost all of them say their sexuality is a non-issue on the campaign trail.; A new book seeks to explain to Afghan soldiers common Western behavior, actions that sometimes are perceived as an insult.; How is it possible that some athletes, some who make millions within a few years, lose all their wealth within five years of retirement?; The Cinefamily challenges Angelenos to a Video Nasties Watch-a-thon contest.

The L.A. City Council is voting on whether to repeal the ban on pot shops that they passed this July.; We look into the argument that when you tax the walthiest more, they move to states where the rates are lower.; We talk to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, who was barred from participating in the presidential debates.; The MacArthur Foundation announced this years $500,000 Genius Grant winners, including four Californians.; We find out what Arnold Schwarzenegger's new autobiography called "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story," is all about.; Time Warner owns the rights to air Lakers games, but what if you don't have Time Warner Cable?; Music critic Drew Tewksbury talks about the history of Dubstep.; Detroit auto companies and Silicon Valley tech companies are figuring out how to let you Facebook while driving.; A slew of SoCal restaurants have been experimenting with carbonated cocktails and homemade soda pops.

Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday signed 65 bills into law but made more noise about the ones he vetoed. Are presidential debates about questions and answers?; Roxana Soto, co-author of the new book, 'Bilingual is Better,' joins the show to talk about the benefits of growing up bilingual.; The magazine Scientific American, is publishing a Global Science Scorecard, a ranking of nations on their science credentials. We'll discuss the results.; Kate Zernike, author of the book, "Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America,' talks about the state of the Tea Party.; What low voter turnout during the primaries means for the November election.; Will Schwalbe talks about the End of Your Life Book Club he started with his mother, who was dying of cancer.; Self-driving cars could be on California roads in just a few years.; Plastic surgery's a booming business, but the industry's been changing in Southern California.

A foreign exchange student at La Mirada High School in L.A. is one of the most talked about high school football athletes in the state.; Think your academic career hinges on junior year? Think again. New research may prove that it’s actually the third grade that is the most critical pivot point for students.; Prop 31 is an initiative that claims it will improve government efficiency and accountability, which sounds good, but does this claim hold water?; Rich business people from Mainland China are snapping up high-end real estate in California. Their location of choice: San Marino.; A new movement in medicine embraces the parallels between human and animal physiology.; We’ll speak to Brian Taylor, the co-author of a UCLA study titled "Why It Wasn't Carmageddon."; Governor Jerry Brown has until Sept 30 to sign AB 889, which seeks to provide domestic workers with many new workplace benefits.; LA-based band Ozomatli joins the show to talk about their new album, Ozokidz.'; and the Dinner Party joins the show.

This fall, the issue of same-sex marriage will appear on the ballot of four states: Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. Why these states, and what are the chances of voters’ passing the measure?; We meet Aram Sahakian, the man who oversees special traffic operations and street closure for the Los Angeles' Department of Transportation, then, Corey Moore reports on what the Carmageddon construction project entails.; Jason Felch from the LA Times joins us to talk about his series on how the Boy Scouts failed to report sexual abuse to the police.; We’ll look at how new Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has changed the calculus of power in the region.; Author Davy Rothbart talks about his new collection of essays, “My Heart is an Idiot.”; After 19 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, John Edwards Smith walked out of Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail this week. He joins the show to talk about his ordeal.; A new book delves deeper into the life and career of photographer Ansel Adams.  

Mitt Romney’s faces an ever-widening gap in Ohio, which begs the question: can he win without the Buckeye State?; Which state races will Republican super PACs invest in?; We find out more about the cyber attack that affected Wells Fargo customers yesterday.; Jay Greene, a Senior Writer with CNET, joins the show to discuss his three-part series on the lifecycle of the iPhone.; Director Daniel Barnz joins the show to discuss his latest film, "Won't Back Down."; Congressman Xavier Becerra will be on the show to talk about Congress's plans to avoid sequestration and fix the budget mess.; Amy Howe of Scotus Blog joins the show to give a preview of the important cases Congress has coming down the pipeline.; We break down the five myths of early voting.; Magnum Opus theatre injects new life into discarded, rejected film scripts.

A surge in early voting by absentee ballot is challenging campaigns' conventional wisdom about the final "72-hour push;" The multi-state recall of peanut and almond butters is spreading even wider; Arnold Schwarzenegger is making an effort to repair his public image; We take a look at President Obama's address today at the U.N.; The NFL referee lockout continues, and many fans worry the dispute will have lasting impact on the season; Can a few words dramatically increase the economic value of a yard sale castaway? California corrections officials investigate an unusual spike in prison riots; And Actor Bob Balaban joins the show to talk about his children's book, "The Creature From The 7th Grade."

We look into the varying voting rights throughout the country and how they might have an impact on the election in November.; Reporter Sharon McNary looks into the Super PAC money being spent in two races in California.; In the latest installment in our series "Props to You," we'll cover Proposition 35, which stiffens penalties for those found guilty of human trafficking.; A new report out today from the international environmental group, Oceana, says climate change is affecting the seas and making food from it more scarce in vulnerable nations.; We'll take a look back at which shows came out on top at the Emmys last night. Will changes in ownership of AEG affect the future of football in Los Angeles?;

Can House and Senate agree on an immigration reform plan?; Affordable Care Act may not cover all Native Americans; NASA's Kepler planet-hunting spacecraft in jeopardy; Teen cooking show teaches culture, cameras and chopping skills; Joe Mantegna on bringing 'Glengarry Glen Ross' to the stage, plus much more.

Senate approves 5-year farm bill while House readies its own; Payday lenders find ways to skirt Military Lending Act; National Transportation Safety Board recommends lowering DUI limit to 0.05 percent; Are political-minded tech moguls America's new oligarchs?; Women lose political footing at Los Angeles City Hall; Can Mexico's booming tech industry last? Plus much more.

LAUSD board to make decisions on breakfast in classroom, suspensions; NJ Gov. Chris Christie gets big money from California donors; Gov. Brown readies updated budget with $4.5 billion in new revenue; Green card lottery would be axed under Gang of Eight immigration bill; TV Upfronts: Which shows got axed and which are coming back?; Tuesday Reviewsday: Huey Lewis, Frank Turner, She & Him, plus much more.

One week out, we'll take a look at the status of the race for Los Angeles Mayor and find out how difficult it is to run a city as large as LA; California health exchange to hand out millions in outreach grants; Some in California want tougher gun background checks; LA's housing market tightens as number of available homes drop; Design school publishes anti-gun violence children’s books; Report: College may not be a smart investment for everyone, plus much more.

LA transit officials find $43.6 million in fund that 'fell through the cracks'; Bratton group pinpoints problems with Oakland's police force; Los Angeles fails to foster diversity for city contract deals; 'The Source Family' looks back at radical utopian living in 1970s Los Angeles; A look ahead to the 2013 TV/Digital Upfronts; Friday Flashback, and more.

S. Korean president Park Geun-Hye meets with Brown, Villaraigosa; Why are there so few Asian Americans in LA politics?; Are there really 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US?; Lawmakers and unions speak out against Koch brothers' interest in LA Times; Picture This: Donna DeCesare gets inside the world of Central American gangs; 405 Freeway construction running overbudget, behind schedule, plus much more.

USC Study: 2.3 million Californians are undocumented immigrants; Marco Rubio reaches out to Tea Party leaders on immigration reform; Should preschoolers be learning on iPads?; Group says San Bernardino councilwoman avoiding recall process; Getting to know the personal side of mayoral candidate Eric Garcetti; What LA's booming coyote population means for the roadrunner, plus much more.

Prison realignment adding stress to CA probation officers' workload; Study: Immigration reform will cost taxpayers $6.3 trillion; Where is the backlog for veteran disability claims the worst?; Picture This: Introducing AudioVision, KPCC's new blog of visual journalism; Living among coyotes is a fact of life in Los Angeles; Getting to know the more personal side of mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel, plus much more.

LA Mayoral candidates Wendy Greuel and Eric Garcetti faced off in a debate last night, only to find common ground on issues from immigration to education. Then, why has philosophy always played a key role for the man once known as Governor Moonbeam? We'll hear from the author of a new biography of Jerry Brown. Tech entrepreneurs in Southern California want to challenge Silicon Valley's place as the nation's technology startup capitol. One way they hope to get there is to incubate talent. But KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez finds out many youth are left behind because they're growing up in technology deserts.

Ventura County wildfire update; Rolling Stones at 50: San Bernardino set the stage for the band's US debut; Airborne lab being used to measure California snowpack; Solar Impulse plane begins first voyage across the US; Young undocumented Mormons face struggle during missions; Friday Flashback, and much more.

California spends big money on anti-psychotic drugs for inmates; Valley Fever sickens 28 solar workers in San Luis Obispo County; How tech writer Paul Miller survived a year without the Internet; Mexicans urge Obama, Peña Nieto to focus on security; The future of diplomacy between Obama and Mexico's Peña Nieto; Will master plan preserve Union Station's Art Deco charm? Plus much more.

We take a look back at the May Day protests of 2006 Father-in-law of Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman arrested; Big pharma's push for the female 'viagra' pill, Osphena; Yahoo! doubles maternity leave time for employees; Federal task force says everyone 15-65 should get routine HIV testing, plus much more.