On Tuesday, Police Commission President John Mack announced the three finalists to replace Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton. The finalists are Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell, Deputy Chief Charles Beck and Deputy Chief Michel Moore, all from within the department. Deputy Chief Michael Downing was named the Los Angeles Police Department's interim chief.

This morning NASA fired off the Ares I-X, an unmanned test of the first stage of its first new manned spacecraft since 1981. After the space shuttle disasters, NASA hopes this will be the safest craft they've ever built. But the new tall, spindly rocket is already mired in controversy--with critics saying it would be cheaper to repurpose existing launch vehicles.

Conceived by radio host Tavis Smiley, “America I AM: The African American Imprint” is a sweeping presentation of nearly 500 years of African American contributions to this nation’s history. Larry talks with Tavis about the traveling exhibit, which arrives in L.A. this week at the California Science Center.

Israeli journalist Amira Hass has lived and worked in the Occupied Palestinian territories for nearly 16 years. She has reported extensively on the lives of Palestinians and written critically about both Israeli and Palestinian authorities. On October 28 she will receive the International Women’s Media Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in Los Angeles, given to female journalists with a pioneering spirit and a determination that paves the way for women in the news media. Amira Hass joins Larry Mantle to talk about how she provides an accurate portrayal of the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

In the 1970s, a young William Bratton was making his way through the Boston police, rapidly reaching the rank of lieutenant and then becoming the youngest-ever Executive Superintendent, that department's second highest post. From there he moved on to head up New York's Police Department, before coming to Los Angeles in 2002 to head up the LAPD. This is his last week in LA. He will soon move back to New York City to take a position with the private international security firm Altegrity, where he'll head up a new division that will consult on security for police departments worldwide.

Do you fight crime by leaving some gangs alone? That's one of the arguments put forth by Mark Kleiman, author of "When Brute Force Fails." In the book, the UCLA public policy professor argues that police forces get better results by focusing most energy on the most prolific criminal gangs, and punishing them swiftly, to motivate other potential criminals to stay inactive. Is this the solution?