"Generation Unbound: Drifting Into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage" by Isabel V. Sawhill

In her new book Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood Without Marriage, Isabel Sawhill explores the changing relationship between marriage and parenthood. Things have changed a lot over the decades -- in the past, most single parents were a product of divorce, and stereotypical single mothers were high school dropouts.

Recently, the demographics have flipped: single parents are more frequently never married -- the average woman has her first child before she is married, and a majority of first births out of wedlock are to women with a high school diploma or even some college. Teenage pregnancy rates have plummeted in the past two decades, but 20-somethings have a new host of unwanted pregnancies -- 70 percent are unplanned, and just under half are carried to term.

The reasons behind single parenting may be shifting, but in her book, Sawhill describes similar consequences -- increased poverty. Rather than advocate for more marriages or increased social support, Sawhill argues that more births should be by design, and calls for more and better options for long term birth control.

Should women focus more on birth control methods that prevent pregnancy in order to raise a child in planned circumstances with more financial stability? What is the best form of family or birth planning -- what roles do finances and relationship stability play?

Guest:

Isabel Sawhill, author of “Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage.” (Brookings Institution Press, 2014)

The Vatican released a document expressing reforming approaches toward divorce, homosexuality and premarital sex. The announcement, released Monday, is the first public move indicating shifting views on sensitive issues within the Catholic Church; Credit: Master Designer/Flickr

In a document released Monday, the Vatican expressed reforming approaches towards divorce, homosexuality, and premarital sex. The release follows a gathering of Church leaders in the Vatican, the third of its kind -- the announcement is the first public move indicating shifting views on sensitive issues within the Catholic Church.

The report signals a light approach to the LGBT community, saying "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community, are our communities capable of providing [a welcoming home], accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?" The Church prohibits same-sex marriage, but the report indicates the Vatican’s desire to create a more welcoming home is a sign of changing perspective compared to past Church declarations condemning homosexuality. The report also signals new attitudes regarding divorce, saying that "What needs to be respected above all is the suffering of those who have endured separation and divorce unjustly." The report does not initiate a call to change Church doctrine.

How will changing attitudes in the Vatican impact modern Catholicism? What does the new report mean about the Church doctrine?

Guest:

Jason Berry, GlobalPost religion writer who has been following the Synod. He is the author of “Render unto Rome: The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church” (Broadway Books, 2012).

A technician withdraws deep-frozen cells for in-vitro culturing at a laboratory of German pharmaceutical giant Schering.; Credit: Handout/Getty Images

There are many perks to working for a Silicon Valley tech firm. In this competitive field, retaining skilled workers can be a challenge, leading companies to offer everything from free meals to game rooms and gym memberships. But in recent releases, Apple and Facebook announced they’re offering a new plus to female workers: free egg freezing. In hopes of keeping experienced female employees on the job longer, these two tech giants will be picking up the tab (up to $10,000) for women hoping to maintain a successful career and still have a family. Facebook will even offer an additional $10,000 for workers who plan on using a surrogate.

Could egg freezing become the new norm in fast-paced workplaces? Does this put excess pressure on women to stay competitive? Would you take advantage of this perk if it was offered by your employer?

Guest:

Danielle Friedman, Senior Editor for NBCNews.com who broke the story

HBO Chairman & CEO Richard Plepler (L) HBO Programming President Michael Lombardo speak onstage at the Executive Session panel during the HBO portion of the 2014 Summer Television Critics Association at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 10, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. ; Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Cord-cutters rejoice! HBO Chief Executive Richard Plepler announced today that HBO will be made available to subscribers as a separate web-streaming service. It’s a move that’s sure to shake up long-time web-streamers like Netflix and Amazon.

Until now, HBO has only been available to cable package subscribers, but the CEO noted that as many as 80 million American homes don’t subscribe to HBO, leaving hundreds of millions of potential dollars on the table. Plepler tells investors, “It is time to remove all barriers to those who want HBO.”

HBO has enjoyed record success recently with successful hit programs like Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire. The service is slated to debut in 2015.

Have you already cut the cable?  If so, why? And if not, will you be more willing to do, now that you can get HBO separately?

Guest:

Andrew Wallenstein, Editor in Chief, Variety

Nike says it plans to sue 31 companies for copyright infringement including Walmart, Skechers and Kmart. It also plans on filing a complaint with the International Trade Commission that, if successful, could prevent offending models from coming into the country. ; Credit: GemMoth/Flickr

From its rubber toe cap to the black stripes lining its ankle-high canvas body, Converse’s “Chuck Taylor” model shoe is one of the most recognizable on the market, selling nearly a billion pairs since its debut in 1917. Of course, a brand this popular is bound to have imitators, but now parent company Nike says that it plans to take 31 copy cats to court for blatant trademark infringement.

Mega distributors Walmart, Kmart and Skechers are just some of companies that will be served. In addition, Converse plans on filing a complaint with the International Trade Commission that, if successful, could prevent offending models from coming into the country.

But legal experts say that it could be an uphill battle for the shoe manufacturer. In an interview with the New York Times, Professor Polk Wagner of the University of Pennsylvania Law School explained, “It can’t just be that consumers like your design. It can’t just be that your design is different or novel or interesting. It has to be that customers associate the design with the source of the design.”

What are the standards used to determine a copycat? Why is Converse doing this? Why do you believe that their odds of success are pretty low? Have you ever purchased a pair of Converse look-alikes? What did you notice about their quality? Do you have an old pair of Chuck Taylors in the closet? If so, how long have you worn them?

Guest:

Polk Wagner, Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School

A nurse leaves an isolation room after checking a man on August 14, 2014 at the district hospital of Biankouma, during a simulation operation organized by the Ivory Coast Health Ministry to train medical staff to treat potential patients with Ebola. ; Credit: ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images

A second nurse who treated Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to die from the disease on US soil, has been confirmed to have contracted the virus. Nina Pham, the first Dallas nurse who was diagnosed, has been in treatment and is in “clinically stable” condition. Their plight highlights the risk health and aid workers face and the sacrifices they make to save lives. An American doctor and a North Carolina missionary working in Liberia with Ebola victims were the first people to be treated for the virus in the US. Both survived the disease.

According to the World Health Organization, over 380 healthcare workers have contracted the virus since the beginning of October, and over 100 have died fighting the disease. The number will certainly climb. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that Liberia alone needs some 10,000 health care workers, including doctors and nurses, to run its isolation units. And news of infection has discouraged some volunteers from going abroad to help. Still, many are persisting, despite the tremendous danger it entails.

How does an aid worker or a healthcare volunteer weigh their personal safety against doing a greater good? Have you ever been in that situation before? What’s the psychological profile of someone willing to risk their lives to help others?

Guests:

Margaret Aguirre, head of Global Initiatives, International Medical Corps. IMC is one of a few aid organizations with Ebola treatment units in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Rich Moseanko, senior relief officer currently serving in Iraq for World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide. He specializes in setting up emergency relief field operations

Senior Matron Breda Athan demonstrates the procedure when preparing to treat potential patients with Ebola on August 12, 2014 in London, England.; Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Last week, the country faced one of its most recent fears as a man who returned to Texas from Liberia died due to Ebola; this week, a second nurse has contracted the disease on domestic soil. As dozens of people are held under quarantine, extensive media coverage of the disease is continuing and reports are coming out daily with new developments. West African healthcare workers, airports and travel agencies, hospitals around the nation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are among those under the spotlight as the virus has begun its domestic spread. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have come under fire for not putting more money into vaccine research and creating structures for containment of highly infectious diseases, although the institution contends that this is due to severe budget cuts over the last decade.

Are you scared that Ebola will become an epidemic in the United States? Is our healthcare system and infrastructure prepared to deal with this crisis? Should quarantine be implemented more widely as the spread has occurred here?

Guests:

Eric Aasen, digital news editor at KERA, the NPR affiliate in Dallas, Texas, who’s been reporting on the outbreak in Dallas

Dr. Amesh Adalja, MD, an infectious disease doctor and a representative of the Infectious Diseases Society of America

A man holds up a placard as he takes part in a rally to urge the Lebanese parliament to sign a law against domestic violence, on April 1, 2014, in Beirut. ; Credit: JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images

While tragedies of family violence are looming large in recent weeks, UC Irvine law professor Jane Stoever is combining the expertise of nurses, psychologists, even engineers and artists to collaborate on prevention and intervention. Launching this week, UCI's Interdisciplinary Center of Family Violence aims to be a premiere site for research, education, clinical care and community collaboration. Stoever recently wrote about how common domestic violence is - while it rarely makes national news as in the case of NFL player Ray Rice. "Janay Rice's experience is not really sensational or extraordinary, it is ordinary," Stoever wrote on CNN.com. She adds, "We could talk about [a] client whose boyfriend (now husband) burned her with a scalding hot iron, permanently scarring her arm, and later tried to run her over with his car."

The Centers for Disease Control reports that one in three teenage girls and women experience intimate partner violence in America. Stoever says our society has been slow to evolve from a time when spousal abuse was not just condoned, but legal. If family violence is perpetuated by gender inequality, how can something so systemic be changed? How will this center aim to improve intervention in local cases of family abuse?

Guests:

Jane Stoever, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the Domestic Violence Clinic at the University of California, Irvine School of Law\

Dara Sorkin, Associate Professor, Division of General Internal Medicine & Research Fellow, Health Policy Research Institute, UC Irvine

A woman holds a Beretta pistol at a gun buyback event at the Bridgeport Police Department's Community Services Division on December 22, 2012 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.; Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

L.A. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Wednesday that he will file criminal charges against the mother of a 17-year old high school student who allegedly brought a loaded gun to school.

The gun, a .45-caliber semiautomatic, was reported by a witness at the boy’s school on May 13th, 2014. In his backpack, L.A. school police found an additional 7-round magazine, also loaded.  A subsequent search of the boy’s home led to the discovery of four more guns, each placed in easily accessible locations throughout the house.

The boy’s mother Leah Wilcken now faces four misdemeanors: allowing a child to carry a firearm off-premises, allowing a child to take a firearm to school, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and permitting a child to be placed in a situation where their person or health is endangered. If convicted, she may face up to year of jail and $4,000 in fines. The 17-year old will face lesser charges.

Does the City Attorney’s decision send a strong message to gun-owning parents, or does it not go far enough? Could this decision help stop or reduce the number of school shootings?

Guest:

Mike Feuer, LA City Attorney

"Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood" by William Mann

Students of the history of Hollywood might know the name William Desmond Taylor, the Irish-born American actor and director who helmed and appeared in a number of films in the 1910s and early 1920s. His career abruptly came to an end in February 1922, when he was found murdered in his Los Angeles apartment. The case was never solved.

In the new book “Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood,” veteran Hollywood chronicler William Mann brings together a cast of characters that may or may not be involved in the crime. Ostensibly a true-life whodunit, the book is also a portrait of Hollywood in its infancy.

Guest:

William Mann, biographer, movie historian and author of “Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood" (Harper/HarperCollins, 2014)

Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy speaks during a press conference at South Region High School #2 in Los Angeles, California February 6, 2012.; Credit: AFP/AFP/Getty Images

Although his contract was renewed last year through 2016, LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy announced his resignation today. Former LAUSD Superintendent, Ramon C. Cortines, will begin serving as interim Superintendent on October 20. The Board of Education’s decision to temporarily replace Deasy with Cortines reflects their controversial support of the latter despite paying $200,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in 2012. Deasy did not encounter personal controversy, but he experienced substantial push-back as he fought for significant changes to the district. His vision to move the district in a new direction meant reforming punitive discipline policies that criminalized students and expanding the daily free school breakfast program to feed over 300,000 of them.

Yet Deasy waded through controversy since the beginning of his tenure as superintendent of the nation’s second-largest school district, especially as he pushed through severe budget cuts and the layoff of thousands of LAUSD employees during the recession. Among his biggest detractors were members of the school board and the teacher’s union, and the lightening rod of their criticism came over his fight for increased technology in classrooms. Controversy over the $30 million program peaked as KPCC reported on emails among Deasy, Pearson, and Apple a year before bids were placed.

Now the question for teachers, parents, and schoolchildren becomes: What will it take for the next superintendent to lead the district?

Guests: 

Annie Gilbertson, KPCC’s education reporter

Alicia Lara, Vice President of Community Investment for United Way Los Angeles

Cheryl Ortega, current substitute teacher in LAUSD and a retired LAUSD teacher who has taught in the district for over 38 years

Iraqis who have fled recent fighting in the cities of Mosul and Tal Afar try to enter a temporary displacement camp but are blocked by Kurdish soldiers on July 2, 2014 in Khazair, Iraq.; Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Militants unleashed a wave of attacks in Iraq on Thursday, mainly targeting Shiite areas in and around the capital of Baghdad, killing at least 47 people and wounding dozens, authorities told the Associated Press. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the day's deadliest attack.

While the latest news focuses on Baghdad, fighting and destabilization spans Iraq. A new documentary from Al Jazeera’s “Fault Lines” TV series takes viewers on the ground covering several hundred miles of the country. Correspondent Josh Rushing and his crew visited a camp for internally displaced people in Northern Iraq where desperate Yazidis recount fleeing Islamic State fighters, though not all of them survived. Rushing also spoke with Sunni Arabs fleeing from the Iraqi military and Shiite militias, funded in part by U.S. funds.  

Elsewhere Kurdish fighters talk about trying to claim more territory for a future Kurdistan. The rise of the Islamic State group (also known as ISIL) has reignited historic sectarian divides in Iraq in ways not seen since the wake of US coalition forces’ invasion of Iraq.

In fighting IS militants, are the U.S. and allies deepening the divide between sects? Is splitting Iraq the answer?

Al Jazeera Fault Lines’ “Iraq Divided: The Fight Against ISIL” will air this Saturday, October 18th at 4 pm PT/7pm ET. Al Jazeera America is available in southern California on AT&T Channel 1219, Time Warner 445, Dish Channel 215 and DirecTV 347.

Guest: 

Josh Rushing, Co-Host, Al Jazeera's "Fault Lines" Emmy-winning investigative series; Rushing is a former U.S. Marine

Actors Emma Stone and Michael Keaton attend the Closing Night Gala Presentation of "Birdman Or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance" during the 52nd New York Film Festival at Alice Tully Hall on October 11, 2014 in New York City. ; Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Andy Klein, Henry Sheehan and Charles Solomon  review this week’s releases, including “Birdman,” “Fury,” “The Best of Me” and more. TGI-Filmweek!

"Birdman": 

"Fury": 

"The Best of Me":

Guests: 

Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com

Andy Klein, film critic for KPCC and L.A. Times Community Paper Chain

Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine

A man dressed in protective hazmat clothing treats the front porch of an apartment where a second person diagnosed with the Ebola virus resides on October 12, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. ; Credit: Mike Stone/Getty Images

Infected nurses, fearful flyers, disaster rehearsals and a familiar face returns to become the Ebola Czar: nobody can deny that this week in Ebola news has been as eventful as it has been alarming. As hysteria reaches new heights, we’ve decided to review what we know so far, and to take a look at where policymakers may go from here: This morning, President Obama tapped former White House official Ron Klain to be the new “Ebola Czar.”

A Texas healthcare worker who treated Thomas Duncan boarded a cruise ship shortly thereafter. Upon learning about possible exposure to Ebola, the unidentified worker voluntarily quarantined themselves on board the ship. Ebola-infected nurse Nina Pham told doctors at her hospital, “don’t cry” before being transferred to a National Health Institute isolation unit. CDC officials want to issue a warning to passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight, who unknowingly shared a cabin with a Texas nurse who later tested positive for Ebola. UCLA Medical Center’s Ebola preparedness exercises will be a dress rehearsal for hospital staff. Full body suits, will be implemented. Finally, California says “me, too” and asks the feds for airport screeners.

As the federal government works to play a more proactive role in the fight to contain Ebola, do you feel more safe? Should California airports be screening all passengers for Ebola? Would you be willing to wait in longer lines?

Guest: 

Olga Khazan, Staff Health Reporter, The Atlantic

Tony Zhan checks out his new iPhone 6 Plus outside the Apple store in Pasadena, California on the first day of sale, September 19, 2014.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Apple’s new iPhone 6 has FBI Director James Comey worried: encryption technology that comes pre-loaded on every device makes it virtually impossible for law enforcement to access its information without the owner’s password. The new software offers users complete privacy, but as nice as that sounds to post-Snowden America, it might not be a completely welcome development.  

Encryption software is designed to hide data in a complex code that can be nearly impossible to crack. While iMessages sent from one phone may be interceptable, only the recipient has the code necessary to unlock it.

While speaking at The Brookings Institute on Thursday, Coney warned, “Sophisticated criminals will come to count on these means of evading detection. It's the equivalent of a closet that can't be opened. A safe that can't be cracked. “

The FBI director argues that laws have not “kept pace with technology” and that this new level of privacy could come at the expense of national security.

Do you worry that criminals may hide behind the iPhone’s security features, or would they just find another way?

Guests:

Reynaldo Tariche, President of the FBI Agents Association; Special Agent in the FBI currently assigned to the Long Island Resident Agency (NYFO). He previously served in the Los Angeles and New York Field Offices.

Greg Nojeim, Senior Counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology - a non-profit public policy organization advocating for global online civil liberties.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks in Cupertino, Calif., on Tuesday. The company unveiled a new mobile payment system called Apple Pay, which uses security built into the latest iPhones.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple Pay launches today. It’s the tech giant’s proprietary mobile payment system that’s available on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. More than 500 financial institutions and retailers are on board, including the big credit card companies. Consumers can use it to pay at brick-and-mortar stores and online purchases alike. It basically lets users store card data on their phones, and they simply wave their phones in front of a reader to pay for something. Because credit card information is encrypted during the entire payment process, the reasoning goes that it’s more also secure.

The technology Apple Pay uses is called Near Field Communication (NFC), a kind of short-range wireless communication. The technology isn’t new, but with Apple Pay’s vote of confidence, it’s certainly going to go mainstream. Because NFC transmit information within a very short range, many security experts believe that the technology is fundamentally safe. Someone who wants to steal your information would have to stand very, very close to you, for instance.

But Apple Pay is entering a crowded mobile payment space. Would Apple Pay become the dominant player in this market? How safe is it? Can Apple revolutionize mobile payment the way it did to the cellphone?  Would you use Apple Pay?

Guests:

Menekse Gencer, founder and owner of mPay Connect, a mobile payment consultancy based in San Francisco. She has written extensively on mobile money on behalf of such organizations as The World Economic Forum and The InterAmerican Development Bank.  

Maria Aspan, senior editor at Inc. magazine who’s been covering the digital wallet space. Her latest piece for the magazine looks at why Apple Pay might not take off. 

Chris Carlis, security researcher and expert. He specializes in penetration testing, where he deliberately breaks into a device or software to identify vulnerabilities.

Cast and crew pose for a portrait during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the Getty Images Portrait Studio at the Village At The Lift on January 20, 2014 in Park City, Utah. ; Credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

In the new movie “Dear White People,” the lives of four black students at an Ivy League college converge after controversy breaks out due to the ill-conceived theme of the campus humor magazine's annual Halloween party. The sharp satire looks at the experience of being a minority and feeling like a fish out of water. While the movie focuses on race, every day we experience being the odd man out, either because of religion, ethnicity, sex, sexuality, education, economics, the options are endless.

When have you experienced truly being the odd man out? How did you handle it? What about the majority that surrounded you?

Guest: 

Shereen Marisol Meraji, reports on race for NPR Code Switch

San Francisco SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) employee Barbara Saunders plays with a cat in its "apartment" as it awaits adoption May 2, 2007 in San Francisco, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Pet owners searching for a place to live in Berkeley may soon have one less thing to worry about during the hunt for an apartment.

Lawmakers in Berkeley are considering a unique new law that would prevent landlords from restricting tenants from having pets. City councilman Jesse Arreguin, who proposed the law, says the pets would have to be well-behaved and easily accommodated, and tenants would have to take responsibility for any damage the pet caused. Arreguin’s proposal would allow landlords to evict a tenant if a pet is a danger to other tenants or is causing a lot of damage.

Landlords often make exceptions on pet bans for emotional-support animals for people who claim mental illness, but Arreguin says these exemptions often confuse other tenants. He says his proposal would make this process easier for both landlords and tenants, who would be required to tell a landlord up front if they have a pet. Arreguin also says that it would cut down on the city’s homeless pet population, as tenants would no longer have to give up their furry friends to the city’s animal shelter because they couldn’t find a pet-friendly place to live.

Landlords in Berkeley aren’t exactly thrilled about the idea. They say repairs such as scratched floors, clawed-up carpets, and lingering pet odors often costs more than what the tenant’s security deposit covers, which leaves them left to cover the difference. City council is expected to vote on the measure Tuesday but may refer it to the housing and animal commission, which would mean it might not return to the council for a full vote for a couple of months.

Guests:

Jesse Arreguin, Berkeley City Councilmember representing District 4. He is behind the proposal that’d ban landlords from turning away tenants with pets

Albert Sukoff, past president and a member of the board of director at the Berkeley Property Owners Association

"Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech " by Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark.

Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes is the new dictionary for a political vocabulary that was created to leave you bewildered. Authors Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark want readers to understand that a simple phrase or choice of words has a very calculated meaning. Expressions such as "I want to spend more time with my family," "regular order," "job creators," "my good friend," "elections have consequences," and "common sense" seemingly lose their common sense meanings in the hands of seasoned politicians and pundits.

For example, "snowflake" is not your conventional miniature crystalline ice structure but rather a news story that fades away quickly without delving into the pros and cons of policy. Then there is the expression, "distraction from the real issues," which politicians use when they really wish you asked a different question that didn't hit so close to home. Without McCutcheon and Mark, even the heavy peruser of politics would have a difficult time with expressions like "hardship porn" - verbal descriptions by political candidates of grueling tasks, activities, or adversities they have had to overcome that qualifies them for office, often done in the context of one-upmanship.

The action-phrase "vote your conscience" is a call for politicians to vote for the public interest instead of their political self-interest; what do you think about the phrase "speak your conscience?"

Guest:

David Mark, Author, Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes (ForeEdge - University Press of New England); previously authored Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning.

A voter shows his photo identification to an election official Feb. 26 at an early voting polling site, in Austin, Texas.; Credit: Eric Gay/AP

As midterm elections arrive in just a couple weeks, the Supreme Court has upheld a voter ID law in Texas that requires voters to present one of seven types of identification at the ballot box. The law had been challenged by Attorney General, Eric Holder. Proponents of the law say that it is a popular measure in line with practices that serve the state’s interest of protecting the integrity of elections, whereas critics attack it because they believe it will disenfranchise approximately 600,000 Texans who do not have one of the required ID cards and are mostly African American or Hispanic. No explanation came with the Supreme Court’s majority decision, although it is known that Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan dissented.

The order comes in the midst of a larger battle over similar laws in various states. Within the last month, the Court let North Carolina terminate same-day voter registration and Ohio curtail the availability of early voting, although it blocked a recently enacted law in Wisconsin as early-voting had already commenced. Soon, voter ID laws in several states will get their first, large-scale test.

Do you think that these voter ID laws are unfair? Are the laws addressing real cases of voter fraud? How do you think these laws will shape the outcomes of the election?

TODAY is the deadline for voters to register to vote in the November 4th election.  Registration forms can be completed online at www.lavote.net.

Registration status can also be verified at the site. Voter registration forms are available at libraries, post offices and many government offices and can be dropped off at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's headquarters at 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk. For any issues with voting, call 866-OURVOTE or 888-VeYVota (Spanish).

Registration events will be held at UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Guest:

Hans A. von Spakovsky, Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at The Heritage Foundation - a think tank described as advocating conservative public policies.

Myrna Pérez,  Deputy Director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program and lead attorney for several of the plaintiffs in the case, including the Texas NAACP and the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus.