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?;

Today, President Obama meets with small business owners and middle-class Americans to discuss the fiscal cliff. Then, we look at why freshman Democrats and Republicans are segregated in Congress, How Tijuana kitsch is still alive and well, David Denby of The New Yorker asks "Do The Movies Have A Future," and much more.

Today we take a look at the latest news coming out of the Middle East, including Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's latest power grab. Then, the U.S. is facing the worst drought in 25 years, California couples are turning to social media to find open adoption opportunities, John Horn of the LA Times gives us a year-end movie preview and much more.

It's holiday travel time again! We look at how airlines are working to improve their on-time statuses and how LAX workers are protesting during the busy holiday. Then, we'll look at how to put a multicultural spin on the Thanksgiving turkey, how baristas are competing for the best latte art and much more.

We'll discuss whether U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice is a good choice for Secretary Of State. Rice has come under fire following comments she made after the terrorist attacks in Benghazi. Then, a Pasadena Council OK'd the use of the Rose Bowl for NFL games, but not everyone's happy about the decision. Then, how the NHL lockout is affecting local businesses and the Kings' fanbase momentum, stolen petroglyphs shock archaeologists in Bishop, and much more.

Today we check in on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. What will motivate both sides to stop the fighting? The conflict isn't just being waged on the ground, but also via social media. Then, Wal-Mart employees nationwide are preparing for a series of protests on Black Friday. We talk to the author of "Bet The Farm" about why food prices are what they are, and much more.

An update on the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas-run Gaza. Is a ground war inevitable? Then on the show, DirecTV will now be able to air Lakers games, but we'll look at how bars and restaurants have been impacted by the Lakers blackout so far. Then we talk to Eric Deggans, author of "Race Baiter," about how the media feeds fears of the 'other,' The Dinner Party guys are here with a weekend's full of hot topics and we give you a rundown of the biggest stories in this week's Friday Flashback.

Republican Governors are meeting in Las Vegas this week to reflect on election outcome and brainstorm the future of the GOP. Then, we talk with Melissa Rosenberg, screenwriter for all five "Twilight" films about the success of the vamp series on the big screen. Plus, we take a look at the life of Wilbur K. Woo, an influential leader in L.A.'s Chinese community who passed away this week at 96. Also, a new study finds that California has the highest poverty rate in the U.S., and much more.

We look into the latest on the Petraeus scandal, and talk to an expert about how the military handles scandals that involve top military brass. Then we look at Jill Kelley, the Tampa-based socialite whose complaint began the revelation of the Petraeus-Broadwell affair. Plus, California gears up to debut its cap-and-trade emissions-reducing program, and NBC investigation looks at allegations of abuse in the Calif. National Guard, we take a look at the French Foreign legion and then we listen in to Obama's first press conference since reelection.

How will the looming fiscal cliff affect California? Then, five women have been elected to the US Senate. We'll look at the role of women in government and why there is a lack of women recognized as geniuses throughout history. Plus, we'll take an early look at who's expected to get Academy Awards nominations this year, we'll check in on a local group offering parenting classes for new dads, we'll check in with two L.A. college sports superfans about the USC vs. UCLA football game this weekend, and much more.

The first issue Obama has to tackle now that the election is over? The looming fiscal cliff, which threatens to push the U.S. into recession and raise the unemployment rate. Plus, singer-songwriters Jill Sobule and Gary Eaton join the show for a political, but friendly battle of the bands, a LA-based training course helps new dads become better fathers. then, The Dinner Party gives us something to talk about this weekend and we take a look back at the week's news with our Friday Flashback.