Atmosphere inside at Fox's "Take Me Out" Speed Dating Event at South Restaurant & Bar on June 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.; Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Most of us know what qualities we want in a potential mate. But what is that one thing — one big turn off — that would make you call the whole thing off?

A recently-published study from a group of researches looks at these so-called “relationship dealbreakers.” It finds that women have more dealbreakers than men;  that those who think they are a “keeper” have more dealbreakers; and that someone looking for a long-term relationship has more nonstarters than someone looking for a fling.

Call us at 866-893-5722 and let us know what your relationship nonstarters are or tweet at us with the hashtag #dealbreaker

Guests:

Peter K. Jonason, a senior lecturer in psychology at Western Sydney University in Sydney, Australia. He is the lead author of study, “Relationship Dealbreakers: Traits People Avoid in Potential Mates,” recently published in the journal, “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin”

Rachel Dolezal tells NBC's Today show that she knew "at some point, I would need to address the complexity of my identity."; Credit: /Today Show/NBC

The name Rachel Dolezal came into the national spotlight after it was revealed that the 37-year-old president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP, who identifies as black, was actually born to white parents.

The bizarre case sparked a national conversation about race, identity, and passing. Dolezal eventually copped to the truth, but maintains that it is nonetheless valid for her to call herself black. Dolezal was subsequently fired from her position at the NAACP.

Five months after that incident, Dolezal re-emerged this week to appear on the talk show, The Real, where she told the hosts and audiences that, “I acknowledge I was biologically born white, to white parents, and I identify as black.”

When pressed over the incongruence of her statement, Dolezal went on to say that she has walked the walk of a black woman, alluding to the fact that she’s lived as a black woman since graduating from Howard University.

Has Dolezal, as she claimed, “walked the walk”? Does passing as a black woman for nearly two decades legitimate her identification as being black?

Call us and share your thoughts! We're opening our phones at 866-893-5722.

A photo taken of the Los Angeles County Fair.; Credit: Omar Bárcena via Flickr

Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors says it plans to audit the Los Angeles County Fair Association in response to an L.A. Times piece that says the organization is hemorrhaging money but still paying its top brass a pretty penny.

The Times investigation found that the L.A. County Fair Association, which is classified as a nonprofit and has tax-exempt status, pays its CEO nearly $900,000 a year and compensates other high-level employees well, too. It also found that from 2010-2013, the association lost more than $6.2 million while bonuses that the CEO and other top brass collected neared $3 million.

The Board of Supervisors audit will also examine and look to restructure the terms of the lease that gives the association control of the publicly-owned fairgrounds in Pomona. A spokeswoman for the L.A. County Fair association says they’re audited by the county every year and are open to it as well as the lease renegotiation talks.

Residents of the area surrounding the Fairplex are frustrated that the taxpayer-funded fairgrounds are being used for things like raves and other events they say are disruptive.

Supporters of the audit also say that because it doesn’t pay taxes, the association is taking money from local schools and the city of Pomona.

Should the Los Angeles County Fair Association be considered a nonprofit in the first place? What about the salaries of the CEO and other top brass?

Guests:

Michael O'Hare, a UC Berkeley public-policy professor who has studied the economics and management of fairs

Deanna Marquart, a Sacramento-based public policy analyst who’s studied county fairs

Jim Tucker, President and CEO, International Association of Fairs & Expositions (IAFE)

Signs showing support for Proposition F are posted on a shop window in San Francisco, California on November 2, 2015.; Credit: JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

In a 55- to 45-percent vote, San Franciscans voted against a measure that would have limited short-term Airbnb-style rentals.

Proposition F would have capped rental nights at 75 nights per year - instead of the current cap of 90 days for entire unit rentals. It would have required the city to monitor how often hosts sleep at home to ensure neighborhoods don't become hotel districts. 

Supporters of Prop F say less than one in ten hosts follow the current Airbnb limits and that large numbers of short-term rentals are adding to the city's housing shortage.

Airbnb spent more than $8-million defeating the measure. It argued Prop F encouraged neighbors to sue each other over perceived violations of rental regulations regardless of whether the City found any merit in their complaint. How would Angelenos vote on Prop F?

Guest:

Guy Marzorati, reports on AirBnB issues for The California Report at KQED

"The Comedians" by Kliph Nesteroff; Credit: Grove Atlantic

Comedy has been a significant part of American pop culture for years.

Now, readers can finally enjoy a comprehensive history of the art form.

Kliph Nesteroff’s newest book, “The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy,” explains the history and the trials and tribulations of standup comics.

The former stand-up comic turned professional writer takes readers on a journey throughout the last century of comedy to experience the art form from past to present.

In addition to the history of comedy, Nesteroff has included more than 200 original interviews from many household names, like Steve Martin, to numerous unforgotten comic geniuses.

Guest:

Kliph Nesteroff, author of “The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy” (Grove Press, 2015). He is a former standup comedian

An October 13, 2015 photo shows a view off Soapstone Valley trail, near Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC.; Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

The divide between urbanites and country-dwellers is growing.

It’s not just about agriculture or gun control. Our surroundings influence our ideologies heavily, but what is the price for this opposition and how did it all begin?

In his recent op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times, “How the widening urban-rural divide threatens America," Victor Davis Hanson dissects the urban-rural divide. As someone who spends half his time on his farm and half as a fellow at Stanford University, Hanson has an affinity for both worlds. Today, he speaks with Larry Mantle on how the divide happened, and how this opposition is affecting our country.

​Guest:

Victor Davis Hanson, contributing editor of City Journal and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University; Read his piece: "How the widening urban-rural divide threatens America"

Ships wait to be loaded at the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach on February 13, 2015.; Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images

The long-awaited text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been released.

The proposed trade deal would join the US with 11 other Pacific Rim countries, which collectively represent 40-percent of world GDP. It's been a priority for President Obama, but is being criticized by many of his own party, including Hillary Clinton.

Supporters say it'll help level the playing field between all sizes of US companies and their counterparts abroad. They also say it'll increase worker and environmental protections in the member countries.

But critics claim the TPP primarily benefits multinational corporations at the expense of  working class Americans and the deal will lead to job losses in this country, as well as open up the floodgate for unsafe products to enter the US.

Guests:

Caroline Freund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. One of her specialities is global trade policy

Peter Navarro, a professor of economics and public policy at UC Irvine. He is the author of the new book, “Crouching Tiger: What China’s Militarism Means for the World” (Prometheus Books, 2015)

A woman handles a pistol at a gun shop.; Credit: MIGUEL SCHINCARIOL/AFP/Getty Images

Silicon Valley Congressman Mike Honda has a new bill directing the CDC to resume gun studies that were blocked by Congress back in the '90s.

Republicans claim CDC gun studies morphed into advocacy work for gun control.  After the Sandy Hook mass shootings three years ago, President Obama ordered the Centers for Disease Control to resume research into gun violence. Congress blocked funding for that research 20 years ago. Republicans claimed that the CDC's methodology for its studies was so biased it amounted to gun control advocacy.

There still isn't funding for such studies, despite the President's executive order that they resume.

That's not deterring Democratic Congressman Mike Honda from Silicon Valley. He introduced a bill today that would direct the CDC to research and quantify gun violence. It would also encourage doctors to ask their patients if they have guns and to talk with them about gun safety.

The bill's prospects are bleak, with a GOP House majority. Nonetheless, we'll debate whether it would be good policy or not.

Guests:

Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney, Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence based in San Francisco

Dr.Timothy Wheeler (MD), Director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, a Project of the Second Amendment Foundation; he testified before Congress in 1996 against the CDC’s collection of gun violence data 

Marijuana plants grow on the grounds of the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, Jamaica.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

In Pueblo County, Colorado - described as being bullish on burgeoning marijuana ventures - voters approved a new weed tax on Tuesday that will create a marijuana-funded college scholarship.

New taxes are usually opposed by industry, but Pueblo's booming pot players didn't oppose the measure, which brings their tax rate from 15 percent to 20 percent, phased in over five years.

Is this measure anything like a traditional "sin tax" on tobacco or alcohol? Or is it reminiscent of tobacco sponsorship of community events that was effectively banned by the Food and Drug Administration?

Guests:

Sal Pace, a Commissioner of Pueblo County, Colorado; Pace authored the “weed scholarship” taxation policy passed by voters on Tuesday

Rachel Barry, Policy Researcher, Policy Researcher, UCSF’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education; Commissioner, (Regulatory & Tax Structure Working Group), Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy (created by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom)

California Gov. Jerry Brown attends the Drive The Dream 2015, an event aimed at accelerating the continued adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in California.; Credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

(AP) Gov. Jerry Brown last year directed state oil and gas regulators to research, map and report back on any mining and oil drilling potential and history at the Brown family's private land in Northern California.

After a phone call from the governor and follow-up requests from his aides, senior staffers in the state's oil and gas regulatory agency over at least two days produced a 51-page historical report and geological assessment, plus a personalized satellite-imaged geological and oil and gas drilling map for the area around Brown's family ranchland near the town of Williams.

Read the full piece.

Guest:

Ellen Knickmeyer, AP reporter who wrote the piece Gov. Brown had state workers research oil on ranch

Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School and president of the L.A. Ethics Commission

An investigation has begun to determine if Exxon Mobil mislead the public and investors about the risks of climate change; Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Did Exxon Mobil mislead its investors and the public about the risks of climate change?

The question has prompted an investigation by the attorney general for New York State, Eric Schneiderman, whose office has sent a subpoena to Exxon Mobil looking for numerous documents and records. New York’s Martin Act, a securities law designed to protect investors, gives Schneiderman the broad range to do the investigation

A spokesperson for Exxon Mobil says the company rejects any allegations that they hid climate change research and that they are assessing their response to the New York AG’s subpoena.

Environmental groups are touting this as a big win because they have been searching for years for proof that Exxon Mobil has been influencing the climate change debate by withholding research from the public and supporting think tanks and advocacy groups who are skeptics of climate change. Opponents say the investigation is unfounded and a purely political move by Schneiderman.

What evidence is available to support or refute the claim that Exxon Mobil misled the public? What are the laws that allow AG Schneiderman to investigate Exxon? If Exxon is guilty of misleading the public, how should they be punished?

​Guests: 

Pat Parenteau, a professor of environmental law at Vermont Law School

Jacob S. Frenkel, chair of Securities Enforcement, White-Collar Crime, and Government Investigations Practice at Shulman Rogers, a law firm in Potomac, Maryland. He’s also a former federal prosecutor and SEC enforcement attorney

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - JUNE 17: Hollywood car creator George Barris arrives in the TV Batmobile for the Friars of Beverly Hills celebrity fundraiser dinner gala presenting their Life Achievement Award to Barris at the Friars of Beverly Hills on June 17, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images); Credit: David Livingston/Getty Images

George Barris died on Thursday, he was 89 years old.

His son, Brett Barris, said he passed on peacefully in his sleep.

The "King of Kustomizers" began working on cars at an early age and designed some of the most iconic vehicles, including the original Batmobile, the Munster Koach, the Beverly Hill Billies jalopy.

US President Barack Obama speaks on the Keystone XL pipeline, watched by Vice President Joe Biden, on November 6, 2015 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC. ; Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

President Barack Obama killed a Canadian energy giant's application to build the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, declaring the proposed project wouldn't serve U.S. national interests and would have undercut America's global leadership on climate change.

The decision capped a seven-year saga that spiraled into one of the biggest environmental flashpoints of Obama's presidency. Announcing his decision at the White House, Obama said he agreed with Secretary of State John Kerry, whose department recommended rejecting the proposal for a 1,179-mile pipeline crossing the nation's heartland.

He downplayed the claimed economic benefits of the pipeline, arguing it wouldn't have lowered U.S. gas prices, created long-term jobs or reduced U.S. dependency on foreign energy. 

Just because President Obama has rejected the proposal doesn't mean it'll stop being an issue in the Presidential race. A Republican President could revive the project. AirTalk parses the pros and cons of Keystone XL. 

With files from AP

Guests:

Nicolas Loris, an economist who focuses on energy, environmental and regulatory issues at The Heritage Foundation.

Josh Mogerman, The National Resources Defense Council's national media director who's been involved in the Keystone Project Campaign

Stressed business people at work; Credit: Getty Images/Getty Images

A new study is challenging the conventional wisdom that happiness comes with age.

Using data from as far back as the 1970s, San Diego State University professor Jean Twenge and her team found that people in their 30s and up used to be a lot happier than those in their 20s and teens.

But that’s not the case anymore today.

Social Psychological and Personality Science

Guest:

Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University who is the study's lead author. She is also the author of the book, “Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable Than Ever Before” (Free Press, 2006)

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/tyler-hunt-of-the-missouri-tigers-breaks-loose-for-a-72-news-photo/495947036; Credit: Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Timothy Wolfe, the president of University of Missouri system has resigned today after months of racial tension that has gripped its flagship Columbia campus.

In light of a series of racial incidents on campus, a student last week started a hunger strike that eventually led to 30 players of its football team, the Missouri Tigers, to threaten to sit out of the season unless Wolfe resigns.

The move by the group of football players would have cost the school $1 million per game unplayed.

Wolfe’s resignation comes amid a wave of protests happening on the campus of Yale University, where students have charged administrators for not doing enough to make the Ivy League school a more hospitable place for minority students.

​Guests:

Aaron Reiss, Missouri football beat writer for the Columbia Missourian

Scott Jaschik, an editor at Inside Higher Ed, a publication devoted to covering college education. One of his latest stories look at simmering racial tension at both the University of Missouri and at Yale University

A general view shows planes sitting on the tarmac at the airport in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on November 5, 2015. ; Credit: MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images

An explosion can be heard on the black box recording from the Russian passenger jet that crashed in the Sinai desert Monday, analysts say.

While the U.S. has not confirmed the explosion, the crash left 224 dead and countless travelers stranded in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

With speculation that a bomb planted by IS was responsible for the crash, inspectors in the Egyptian resort city are likely to look into how security may have been compromised and what can be done to prevent future breaches. British vacation packages may be on hold until next July which could mean a major blow to Egypt’s economy.

What does the crash of Airbus A321-200 mean for the rest of the world’s security measures? How will travel be affected, especially now that the holiday season is upon us?

Guests:

Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Advisor to the President of the RAND Corporation, one of the nation's leading experts on terrorism and homeland security

Brett Snyder, airline industry expert and author/founder of "The Cranky Flier blog" and "The Cranky Concierge" air travel assistance service. He’s held many jobs in the airline industry, including in operations, sales, pricing, and planning

Michael L. Barr, senior instructor at USC Aviation Safety Programs

(L-R) AirTalk host Larry Mantle, Anita L. DeFrantz, Rich Llewellyn, Jeff Millman, Barry Sanders and Herb Wesson at the LA84 discussion on November 5, 2015.; Credit: Bill Youngbood/SCPR

It has been said that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

If the 2024 Summer Olympics are awarded to Los Angeles, repeating history wouldn’t be such a bad idea. The 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are widely considered the most successful games of all time, and now the city is once again vying for the Games, along with Paris, Hamburg, Rome, and Budapest.

The decision on where the 2024 Summer Olympics will be held isn’t slated to come out until late 2017, which leaves Los Angeles with plenty of time to figure out what went right, what went wrong, and what can be learned from the ’84 Games if the International Olympic Committee chooses L.A. for 2024. 1984 was the first time in history that the government didn’t supply funding for the Olympics - local businessman Peter Ueberroth created and led an organizing committee that sought to fund the games through private donors, corporate sponsorships, and television deals.

Despite concerns about venues, finances, and the L.A. landscape’s ability to handle the influx of people, the games went off without a hitch, L.A. got some great face time on a national stage, Ueberroth was named TIME Magazine’s ‘Man of the Year,’ and the Games generated a surplus of over $200 million dollars. Part of that was used to create the LA84 Foundation, which is still using the money to help fund local youth sports today.

The 1984 Olympics weren’t a success for Los Angeles just because of the profit they turned. L.A. proved to the rest of the world that smart logistics planning and financial foresight could, indeed, make for a great Olympic experience that not only showcases the host city on a global stage, but also creates a lasting impact on the city’s culture and urban core.

On November 5, Larry Mantle and a distinguished panel of guests, all of whom had a hand in the success of the 1984 Games, sat down to discuss what the city learned from the 1984 Olympics and how it can apply those lessons if the IOC calls its name for the 2024 Games.

The UCLA Department of History will be hosting "L.A. 2024 and the Lessons of Olympic Past" as part of their "WHY HISTORY MATTERS" series on Tuesday, November 17 at 6 p.m. Click here for more information.

Find us on Twitter at @KPCCforum and @AirTalk and join the conversation using the hashtag #LA2024

Guests:

Anita L. DeFrantz, President of LA84 Foundation and current member of the IOC Executive Board

Rich Llewellyn, Chief Legal Counsel for the Office of L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti

Jeff Millman, Chief Communications Officer of LA24

Barry Sanders, Chair of Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games

Herb Wesson, L.A. City Council President

Zev Yaroslavsky, former L.A. County Supervisor

SeaWorld San Diego has announced that it’ll end its signature killer whales show by 2017.
; Credit: Getty Images/Getty Images

In the face of unrelenting public pressure, SeaWorld San Diego has announced that it’ll end its signature killer whales show by 2017.

What the theme park will introduce is a new kind of orca show, one that is less dependent on Shamu whales performing tricks. Instead, the relaunched show will be more “informative” and will place these whales in a more natural setting. No other details of the show have been released.

SeaWorld San Diego has been embroiled in a public relations nightmare since the release of the documentary, “Blackfish,” in 2013, which brought unprecedented public attention to what critics charge as the marine park’s inhumane treatment of orca whales in captivity.

Last month, the California Coastal Commission ruled to ban orca breeding at the San Diego theme park. SeaWorld San Diego is appealing the decision.

​Guests:

Grey Stafford, PhD, Director of Conservation at the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Phoenix, AZ. He is the incoming president of the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association, which represents some 2,000 animal trainers around the world

Naomi Rose, PhD, Marine Mammal Scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute, an animal rights organization based in DC

"Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers" by Simon Winchester.

When looking out at the Pacific Ocean, it’s difficult to comprehend its power.

It's the world's oldest and most vast body of water, and creates much of earth's weather systems.

Beyond the Pacific's natural wonders it has also been a site of military battle, political tension and the separating factor between East and West.

Ecologically, the ocean is threatened by climate change, struggling wildlife and dying coral reefs.

Simon Winchester's book, "Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers," explores the ocean's global primacy. Winchester speaks with Larry Mantle today and the possibilities for the Pacific and how our actions could determine its effect on the future.

Simon Winchester will be at the Mark Taper Auditorium at the Central Library in Downtown tonight at 7:15p to talk about his book. Click here for more information.

Guest:

Simon Winchester, journalist and author of many books. His latest is “Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers” (Harper, 2015)

A police officer in uniform.; Credit: Maya Sugarman/KPCC

In a special analysis, KPCC has compiled the most complete picture to date of how often and under what circumstances cops in Los Angeles County (and, eventually, the Southern California region) use deadly force and hurt or kill people.

Despite the recent increase in witness videos, the details of most police shootings remain in investigative files. There is no meaningful, comprehensive public accounting of when officers use deadly force in California.

By reviewing prosecutor, coroner and state Department of Justice reports, KPCC is bringing to light factors the public never learns, but cares deeply about: how often those shot were unarmed, how many of them showed signs of mental illness or other impairments, where the deadly force occurred, what led the officers to think they were in danger.

We get the behind-the-scenes story from some of the project leaders.

Learn more here.

Officer Involved: A KPCC investigation

Introducing #OfficerInvolved, a KPCC investigation into police shootings in #LACounty. Explore the data at kpcc.org/officerinvolved. (Music credit: "Is That You or Are You You" by Chris Zabriskie)

Posted by KPCC on Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Guests:

Evelyn Larrubia, Interim Sr. Managing Editor for News, KPCC

Chris Keller, KPCC News Editor with a focus on data