Take Two

Amid all the talk of the looming fiscal cliff — the tax cuts which will go into effect with potential drastic effects if Congress can't come to a compromise to avert them— we have a voice of optimism today, and a call to take the long view on political deadlines.

A record-breaking petition is asking the Obama Administration to label the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group. With over 280,000 signatures in two weeks, it's one of the fastest growing petitions ever on a site created just over a year ago by the White House.

L.A. Times columnist James Rainey and The Guardian’s U.S. Finance and Economics editor Heidi Moore will discuss the big headlines of the last year, including the winners and losers in politics, economics and media.

The veteran lawmaker is proud of his accomplishments, but laments that Congress has moved progressively down a pathway towards partisan confrontation.

When it comes to who we vote for to represent us, we all face some limitations. Most of us work long hours, raising kids and doing all the little things that make up a normal day. Around Election Day, you're expected to keep the hectic schedule going and be up every ballot measure, congressional race and figure out who should be the next president? Good luck.

One policy change the new year will ring in the end of an age-old tradition, at least in California. On January 1, a new law goes into effect banning the use of hounds to hunt bears or bobcats.

The Centers for Disease Control used to study the relationship between guns and violence as a matter of public health, but their efforts were curtailed by Congress in 1996 after gun rights advocates accused them of using their research for political purposes, not science.

From race to politics, Hollywood often explores tense topics in the news. Now, some movies and TV shows are taking on another headline grabbing issue: fracking.

A strange thing is happening on some of the worlds most remote islands. From coastal California to the South Pacific, native birds, mice, turtles and foxes are emerging from the threat of extinction.

Usually when sports teams go retro with their uniforms, for fans it brings back fond memories of a simpler time. The Atlanta Braves baseball team has tuned the clock back on the logo for their batting practice caps but in a surprising and some say, racist way.

This season, the LA Lakers became the first NBA team to broadcast every game in Korean. But the announcers don't actually attend the games.

A new study reveals what's going on under the hood (i.e. in the brain) when a rapper busts out a freestyle rap on the fly.