Take Two

The week in California politics, answering questions about that second dose of the vaccine, and music to take help you decompress from the stresses of this week.

Take Two devotes an hour to LAist's Racism 101 Project to help answer people's questions about race and facilitate conversation.

LA Supervisor Janie Hahn talks about why it's ok to reopen outdoor dining, California energy secretaries respond to Biden climate plan, Selena gets a podcast.

LA will be hit hard by rain this week, plus an audit of the state's unemployment agency finds it woefully unprepared for recession, restaurants react to re-opening

The Governor, citing flattening of curve, drops statewide stay-at-home orders, though LA still in purple tier; media literacy in 2021

We look at the future of CA's relationship with the Whitehouse, an update on L.A.'s vaccine rollout and Becerra announces a concerning "pattern and practice" by LASD.

We look at the implications of President Biden's environmental policy on the state, check in on how LA hospitals are holding up during the coronavirus surge, and look at history of Smallpox in L.A..

The historic inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, meet the mentor of the first Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, and a reflection on the Chilean coup.

We answer the latest questions about the spread of the coronavirus in LA County, So Cal teachers get serious about civics post-insurrection, and Biden expected to push for path to citizenship

Dodger Stadium opens up as a mass vaccination site, Kemp Powers has a written two films this winter, including 'One Night in Miami,' and we profile one of LA's to citizen journalists.

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.