Teacher David Nieder of 'Knowledge is Power Program' (KIPP) Academy takes questions from his class October 4, 2000 in The Bronx, New York. ; Credit: Chris Hondros/Getty Images

The U.S. House decided not to vote today on a bill that would overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Supported by many House Republicans, the Student Success Act (SSA) seeks to roll back federal control over schools across the country, giving states the power to oversee school systems as they see fit.

Part of an eight-year effort to revamp former President George Bush Jr.’s NCLB, the bill would allow states to decide whether they wish to opt-out of Common Core testing benchmarks set up by the Department of Education. It would change the way that federal financial assistance is disbursed to low income families, allowing qualifying students to take funding to a school of their choice. In addition, the SSA would let states decide how much federal funding to spend on teacher training, recruitment and support.

The bill faces opposition from both sides of the political spectrum; some House Republicans argue the Act isn’t conservative enough, threatening to vote “no” unless states are given even more control over federal funds. Meanwhile, Democrats argue that the bill takes away support from low income and at-risk students and provides no accountability for federal funds.

Should states have more control over the use of federal education dollars? NCLB mandates that students take 17 tests between 3rd and 8th grade, but many state tests have added to the load. Should states be able to opt out of federal testing? What changes need to be made to NCLB?

Guests:

Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy at the Center for American Progress, an independent policy institute

Rick Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics and social welfare.

Libby Mattern, a swimwear production managerfor Malia Mills, an upscale women's wear manufacturer, works at the company's offices at Industry City on October 3, 2014 in the in Brooklyn borough New York City. ; Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Less than a third of part-time workers, the majority of whom are women, receive sick days and other paid time off from work according to data from more than 1,000 American businesses profiled by the Families and Work Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Study author Kenneth Matos says, "[T]he changing nature of work, where more individuals are working multiple jobs or are working part-time positions because they can’t find full-time work, can pose economic and work-life challenges for these employees.”

As for full-time workers in companies with more than 50 employees, 99 percent of workers have some form of time off with pay. Mike Aitken with SHRM says, "When employers control their own benefit offerings, there can be flexibility and creativity, which benefit both employers and employees." But how does that apply to part-time workers who appear to lack leverage? How many part-time workers are also primary caregivers at home? Do they need more time off than their work hours provide? What is fair compensation?

Guests:

Kenneth Matos, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research at Families and Work Institute - a nonpartisan group that researches workplace issues

Jack Mozloom, Media Communications Director, National Federation of Independent Business

People march in memory of Russian opposition leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov on March 01, 2015 in central Moscow, Russia. Nemtsov was murdered on Bolshoi Moskvoretsky bridge near St. Basil cathedral just few steps from the Kremlin on February 27. Nemtsov, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, was shot dead ahead of a major opposition rally this weekend. ; Credit: Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images

Just a day before a planned protest against President Vladimir Putin's rule, Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, was shot and killed in Moscow.

The former deputy prime minister was a sharp critic of Putin, assailing the government's inefficiency, rampant corruption and the Kremlin's policy on Ukraine, which has strained Russia-West ties to a degree unseen since Cold War times. The Kremlin said that Putin will personally oversee the investigation.

With files from AP

Guests:

Charles Maynes, radio producer and multimedia journalist based in Moscow, @cwmiii3

Nina Tumarkin, Russian Historian and Professor of History at Wellesley College; author of "The Living and the Dead: The Rise and Fall of the Cult of World War II in Russia" and "Lenin Lives! The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia"

Meatball Sliders at The Little Owl in NYC; Credit: TheBittenWord.com via Flickr

Mimi Sheraton started writing about food way before social media made it a trendy hobby.

In her six decades in the food criticism business, Sheraton has travelled the five continents writing about restaurants, testing recipes, and sampling dishes from the boeuf bourguignon to the Sichuan cold jellyfish salad. In “1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die,” the incomparable Sheraton offers the ultimate gastronomic guide for the jet-set eater.

Guest:

Mimi Sheraton, food critic and author of “1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover’s Life List” (Workman Publishing Company, 2015)

"I Voted!"; Credit: Vox Efx via Flickr

With voter turnout reaching 70 year lows in recent LA elections - the City Council is looking for all sorts of ways to boost participation.

It turns out science has some suggestions. From using peer pressure to offering cash rewards, social researchers have found lots of ways to get people to the polls.

Read more about the story here

Guest:

Sanden Totten, KPCC’s Science Reporter

Proud to be a Republican; Credit: Mike Licht via Flickr

The California Republican party voted to formally welcome the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay political group, to the state GOP yesterday.

The party’s state platform still officially opposes homosexuality, but many political analysts say the overwhelming vote in favor of the Log Cabin Republicans marks a new era for the state party.

With California GOP voter registration at a historic low of 28 percent, will this attract new members? Will acceptance of the Log Cabin Republicans usher in real policy reform?

Guests:

Charles Moran, Chairman of the Log Cabin California chapter

Seema Mehta, LA Times political reporter who’s been following the story 

Jeremiah Garretson, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Stony Brook University in New York; Garretson specializes in the intersection of politics and sexuality

A sign reading 'Skid Row' is painted on a wall next to the Los Angeles Mission, September 22, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles' Skid Row contains one of the largest populations of homeless people in the United States.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

The shooting was caught on tape, which quickly went viral.

Police responded to a call Sunday afternoon reporting a possible robbery that eventually led to a confrontation between a man living on Skid Row and police officers. A taser was used, which failed to subdue the man. Officers shot the man after he allegedly got his hands on an officer’s gun.

For more on the story, click here

Guest:

Frank Stoltze, KPCC’s Crime and Politics Reporter

ylen Williams congratulates children after playing soccer at the Nickelodeon Celebrates The Road To Worldwide Day Of Play In San Diego With The Pro Kids: First Tee Of San Diego on July 1, 2014. ; Credit: Robert Benson/Getty Images for Nickelodeon

A Bay area parent and attorney suing 37 schools districts, including LA Unified, for failing to meet physical education standards says a settlement can be reached if schools show proof they are teaching PE.

Donald Driscoll has been challenging elementary schools for failing to provide 200 minutes of PE for every 10 school days. Research from UC Berkeley and San Diego State University shows the majority of California's public schools get failing grades when it comes to providing fitness time for kids. Experts say schools sacrifice PE to satisfy academic pressures, plus teachers don't have relevant training or equipment.

Is 20 minutes of fitness each day realistic for school kids? How much PE did you receive? What about your kids?

Guests:

Donald Driscoll, Attorney suing school districts over physical education standards

Hannah Thompson, MPH,  Research Scientist, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley

People wait in-line to enter the U.S. Supreme Court to hear oral arguments April 22, 2014 in Washington, DC. ; Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The Affordable Care Act heads to the Supreme Court again this week. But before SCOTUS tackles the most high profile case of the year, we take a look at what else is keeping them busy.

Yesterday, the court heard arguments on the authority of an independent redistricting commission in Arizona. And today, the Fourth Amendment comes under fire as arguments begin in The City of Los Angeles vs. Patel over whether police can inspect hotel and motel registries without a warrant.

Also, SCOTUS turned down a case brought by sponsors of California’s now-repealed ban on same sex marriage to keep their names off the public campaign contribution records.

Guests:

Rory Little, Professor of Law, University of California, Hastings. He previewed the City of Los Angeles versus Patel for Scotus Blog

Greg Stohr, Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News. Author, “A Black and White Case: How Affirmative Action Survived Its Greatest Legal Challenge” (Wiley, 2006)

Angie Bryant, mother of nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford, cries as she receives a hug during a memorial service for her daughter March 19, 2005 in Lebanon, Ohio. Jessica Lunsford was abducted and murdered in Florida. The Jessica Lunford Act also known as "Jessica's Law" was enacted following the tragedy. ; Credit: Mike Simons/Getty Images

The California Supreme Court struck down one of the central provisions of Jessica’s Law on Monday, and while the ruling currently only applies to San Diego County, some are saying it’s a sign that residential limits for registered sex offenders in other counties in California could be changing soon too.

In the ruling, Justice Marvin Baxter wrote that the law has severely limited the rights and freedoms of registered sex offenders, limited though they are, and has created circumstances that make it harder for offenders to be monitored and rehabbed.

Do you support the Court’s decision? Will this be a harbinger of change for residential limits for sex offenders in other counties?

Guests:

Ernest Galvan, partner at Rosen, Bien, Galvan, & Grunfield, LLP. He represented the four registered sex-offenders who originally sued the state over Jessica’s Law.

George Runner, former State Senator and co-author of Jessica’ Law. He’s currently the vice chair of the Board of Equalization, representing District 1.

People gather at a makeshift memorial for a homeless man, known by the name of "Africa," who was shot and killed by LA police on March 2, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

Protesters rallied at the LAPD police commission meeting this morning in reaction to last weekend’s fatal shooting of a homeless man by police on Skid Row.

Read the full story here

Guests: 

Frank Stoltze, KPCC crime reporter

Steve Soboroff, President of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners 

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during a during a round table event to launch the "Talking is Teaching: Talk Read Sing" campaign at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute on July 23, 2014 in Oakland, California. ; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton came under fire yesterday after the New York Times revealed that she exclusively used her personal email account while at the State Department.

Although her staff recently turned over thousands of pages of emails to comply with federal records keeping practices, critics say her use of a personal account was a serious breach in government accountability. But is it a violation of the law? How common is it for other government officials to use a personal server? And what does this mean for Clinton’s presidential bid?

Guests:

Chris Lehane, a democratic political consultant and partner in the strategic communications firm Fabiani & Lehane.

John Wonderlich, a policy director at the Sunlight Foundation, an advocacy group for government accountability

A nurse holds a baby's hand at the Critically Ill Baby Aid Center of Anhui Children Hospital on April 14, 2005 in Hefei of Anhui Province, east China.; Credit: China Photos/Getty Images

In the latest move to investigate “birth tourism,” federal agents served search warrants at 20 locations in Southern California early Tuesday.

The feds raided the homes of people suspected of running the “maternity hotels” as well as apartment complexes in Irvine, Rowland Heights, Walnut, and Rancho Cucamonga. According to affidavits, the operators of these homes would charge Chinese women tens of thousands of dollars to help them travel to the U.S. on a fraudulent tourist visa, teach them how to get into the country, and then house them for the months until they give birth.

What else can the federal government do to help quell “birth tourism?” Is it becoming a more prevalent phenomenon across the country? What economic and social concerns does it pose? 

Guests:

Frank Shyong, reporter with the Los Angeles Times

Leslie Berestein-Rojas, KPCC reporter

Curt Hagman, State Representative for District 4 on the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. He is also a former Assembly member who introduced legislation aimed at reducing the amount of illegal birth tourism in California.

U.S. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) speaks during a Tea Party Patriots rally against the Affordable Care Act in front of the U.S Supreme Court during a rally March 4, 2015 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of King v. Burwell that could determine the fate of health care subsidies for as many as eight million people. ; Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Oral arguments begin today in King v. Burwell, the latest Supreme Court challenge to the Affordable Care Act.

At the heart of the case is whether residents in the 37 states that did not set up their own marketplaces still qualify for federal subsidies. The outcome will be determined by how the court chooses to interpret a key phrase in the section of the law that defines those subsidies. A victory for the plaintiffs could seriously rollback a critical portion of Obamacare.

Lisa McElroy joins us to break down the legalese and what it means for the future of health care.

Guests:

Lisa McElroy, Law Professor at Drexel University, where she specializes in Supreme Court cases

Sarah Ferris, health and politics reporter for The Hill who’s been following the Supreme Court challenge. She was at the oral arguments this morning. She tweet at @sarahnferris

Joana Briones places "Vote here" signs into supply tubs on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014 at Los Angeles County's Elections Operations Center in Santa Fe Springs. The tubs will be distributed to thousands of voting precincts in L.A. County for the Election Day.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

Only about 8.6% of voters turned out in Los Angeles on Tuesday to overwhelmingly approve Charter Amendments 1 and 2, two measures that will align municipal and school board elections with bigger turnout statewide and nationally in even-numbered years.

Read more here

Guests:

Raphe Sonenshein, executive Director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at CSU Los Angeles

Kathay Feng, Executive Director, California Common Cause and Member, City of Los Angeles Municipal Elections Reform Commission; she was co-chair of the campaign for Charter Amendments 1&2        

Ben Allen, Democratic California State Senator representing the 26th district, which includes the Westside and coast South Bay communities of Los Angeles County. Co-Chair of the Joint Oversight Hearing on L.A. County Voter Turnout

Annie Gilbertson, KPCC education reporter

Close-up Lamb Curry, Chilli Chicken, Mixed Vegetable Curry, 1-roti and half-rice; Credit: Alpha from Zam Zam Cafe Restaurant via Flickr

With its combination of pungent aromas and unique flavor profiles, Indian food is one of the most coveted cuisines in the world.

In a new study from researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, we’re getting a look at what makes Indian food different than most other cuisines around the world. Data scientists compiled more than 2,000 popular Indian recipes and discovered that flavor profiles for the ingredients in most Indian dishes almost never overlap, making for a much more complex tasting experience than is found in most Western cuisines.

What is the science behind why the flavor profiles of Indian dishes are so different than here in the West? How does the body identify the ways that different ingredients react and overlap with one another? What can we learn in Western cuisine from the findings of this study?

Guests:

Roberto Ferdman, reporter for the Washington Post’s “Wonkblog” covering food, economics, and immigration. He wrote the Post’s article on the Indian food study.

Emily Liman, associate professor of biological sciences at USC’s Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. She’s an expert in taste, smell, and pain

Rancho Mirage, CA. Photo by Bill Youngblood. ; Credit: Bill Youngblood

California — which  makes and breaks national elections — once sent Republicans Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan to the White House. But the Republican Party in the state is at a crossroads as 2016 approaches, and those who would see the state GOP succeed argue that it's time to adapt to the new realities of the state's increasingly diverse population.

That was the prevailing view of panelists who spoke with AirTalk at a forum, Monday, on the future of the California GOP, which took place at Sunnylands, the historic Annenberg estate in Rancho Mirage. The occasion was AirTalk’s 30th anniversary. 

Republican groups are seeking both to emphasize a more diverse pool of candidates and to reframe issues to appeal to the state’s growing bloc of independent voters, whom politicos call NPPs, or no-party-preference.

“There’s a narrative that 'we can target our base, boost turnout’” and win elections that way, said Mindy Romero, director of the nonpartisan California Civic Engagement Project at UC Davis’ Center for Regional Change. “That ship has sailed in California.”

One sign that the state GOP is already preparing for the future: This week, the state GOP formally recognized the gay rights group Log Cabin Republicans in its charter.

“This wasn’t a close vote,” said Log Cabin Republicans outgoing chairman Charles Moran. “It was an overwhelming landslide.

He added: “We are part of a line of strategic moves to incorporate diverse Californians.” He also pointed to GOP gains among Asian-Americans in Orange County.

Party members also point to the local GOP's importance on the national stage as 2016 approaches:

• Former California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina may be mounting a presidential campaign.
• Prominent governors like New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Texas’s Rick Perry and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal are coming to rally votes, not just to collect checks from donors.
• And constituents who once were seen as automatic Democrats — young voters and people of color — are more and more likely to call themselves independents.

By 2040, California will have 8.3 million new registered voters, according to projections by the nonpartisan California Civic Engagement Project at UC Davis’ Center for Regional Change. Of those, 8 million will be people of color.

Old white guys need not apply?

Latinos, meanwhile, are the fastest-growing group in the state, accounting for 38 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census.

“Speaking as an old white guy, I’d advise the party not to run people like me,” said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College and longtime Republican observer.

There’s no magic formula for the perfect candidate to attract Latino voters to the GOP, said Ruben Barrales, whose political action committee Grow Elect funds up-and-coming Latino Republicans.

“I don’t know if it was a blue and black dress or a white and gold dress,” he joked. But Barrales sees color-flipping opportunity in the voter registration rolls when it comes to expensive and controversial public policy.

“The largest growing demographic in our state is Hispanics. So guess who’s going to be holding the bag in 10, 20, 30 years, when in comes to pension reform or education reform?” he asked.

California Republicans often chafe against the image that the national party projects, particularly its emphasis on social issues.

“There are a lot of people — aside from the social issues — who would connect deeply with the Republican Party. [But] we’re seen as a party that rhetorically if not actually wants to run the car into a wall,” said Pepperdine professor Pete Peterson, who was the Republican candidate for Secretary of State in 2014.  

Moran echoed that sentiment, referring to candidates like Peterson, whose party affiliation looms in the minds of socially progressive Californians.

“We have got phenomenal candidates that we're running in this state, but they're getting completely washed out because people want to argue about abortion and gay marriage and immigration, even though the bulk of the elected officials on the municipal level in the state of California are Republicans."

The disconnect between state and national Republicans may cut both ways. Pointing to the GOP's major Congressional wins in the 2014 midterms, Claremont McKenna’s Pitney noted that Republicans in California “probably would have picked up more seats if the national party had been more supportive.”

Barrales pointed to Republican members of Congress who are elected repeatedly in majority-Democratic districts in the Central Valley, like Modesto’s Jeff Denham and Hanford’s David Validao.

On issues like immigration, Barrales said, “You’ll see them distancing themselves [from the national party]. They’re the models I think for successful Republicans in California.”

Likewise, Pepperdine’s Pete Peterson had an optimistic slant.

“There are some significant changes going on within the Republican Party in California. And we’re competing against a party in the Democrats that is showing fissures.”

AirTalk panelists had some suggestions for areas of improvement in Republican messaging when it comes to engaging California voters:

• Pete Peterson: “We have got to do a better job of promoting life. Foster care… adoption… these are Republican issues.”
• Jack Pitney: highlight Republicans’ record of supporting people with disabilities
• Ruben Barrales: Education, pension reform. “We’re not spending a lot of time on ideology. I think that’s the model.”
• Charles Moran: Pension reform (“it’s coming” in the form of a ballot initiative). “The public and the vast public in California is going to be with us.”
• And advice from non-partisan researcher Mindy Romero on for anyone looking to engage Latino voters: “You have to have deep contact.You have to connect. You have to talk their realities, their community, and why vote at all.”

Which issues could California Republicans own? If you’re an NPP voter (no party preference), or a Democrat, could you be persuaded to choose a Republican candidate? Please post a comment below, post to our Facebook page or answer on Twitter (@AirTalk).

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey elephants Bunny, Susie and Minnie line up in front of a table full of hot dog buns July 2, 2010 in Coney Island, New York. ; Credit: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced today that it's winding down its elephant acts by 2018.

Animal rights activists have long criticized how the animals have been treated. Some cities, like Los Angeles, have passed bans on bull hooks and other devices to guide and control elephants. Circus elephants have a long history, but heavy criticism of the animals' treatment appears to have brought the acts to an end.  Sea World is also dealing with public scorn for its use of trained orcas. Are animal acts going the way of the wolf boy and bearded lady?

Guests:

Stephen Payne, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Feld Entertainment

Catherine Doyle, director of science, research, and advocacy for the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

Protesters at Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters rally to express their anger over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed homeless man on March 3, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Less than a week after a homeless man was shot by the police on Skid Row, a similar confrontation took place Monday in Downtown.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a man on tased twice and apprehended by police on Skid Row after he grabbed an officer's holster. The episode recalls a police shooting case that happened last weekend--albeit with a vastly different outcome--when police shot and killed a man who had allegedly went for an officer's weapon.

How is Downtown's homeless population being affected by the rising tension? Organizations serving the homeless population on Skid Row depends heavily on volunteers, has last weekend's shooting impacted the number of people wanting to volunteer?

Click here for KPCC’s coverage

Guest:

Andy Bales, CEO, Union Rescue Mission, the oldest Mission in Los Angeles serving homeless men, women and children. It’s located in Downtown Los Angeles.

A runner passes a banner and memorial near a shooting site on Del Playa Drive May 25, 2014 in Isla Vista, California. According to reports, 22 year old Elliot Rodger, son of assistant director of the Hunger Games, Elliot Rodger, began his mass killing near the University of California in Santa Babara by stabbing three people to death in an apartment. He then went on to shooting people while driving his BMW and ran down at least one person until crashing with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Officers found three legally-purchased guns registered to him inside the vehicle. ; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Parents of three victims killed during a rampage by Elliot Rodger near UC Santa Barbara last year have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department, Santa Barbara County and the housing management companies where Rodgers fatally stabbed his roommates.

The parents say the sheriff's deputies failed to find Rodger's weapons stockpile by neglecting to execute a thorough check on Rodger after his parents had warned of his strange and sadistic behavior. As for the property companies, the suit claims that over a three-year period, Rodgers was "assigned numerous different sets of roommates and transferred several times to other apartment units" by property management, who failed to alert residents to complaints from previous roommates. Rodger killed six people and injured 14 people before killing himself.

In the aftermath of the massacre, California lawmakers passed a law allowing family members and law enforcement officials to ask a court to seize guns from family members who they believe pose a threat. Are there any other policy changes - either in the medical or legal spheres - that could be changed to prevent a massacre such as this? How strong is the families' case against Santa Barbara officials? What about the property management?

Guests:

Jody Armour, Professor of Law, University of Southern California; Armour specializes in civil liability law

Dr. Amy Barnhorst, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor, UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and associate medical director at a county crisis clinic