; Credit: LA Johnson/NPR

While most high school seniors are currently finishing up college applications, some have already received early decision admissions.

Early decision is a process by which a student applies to one university in November and, should they be accepted, are obligated to attend. This helps universities lock in a portion of their incoming class, and increases yield rate, which boosts rankings and has financial benefits for the school.

Critics of early decision say this poses a disadvantage to lower income students, who may not have the resources needed to navigate the application process, and also need to compare financial aid offers from various school before committing. Additionally, the perks of applying early, namely a much higher chance of acceptance, incentivizes students to commit to a school before they’ve had a chance to think through what they want from higher education.

On the flip side, for the student who knows exactly where they want to go, early decision is a boon, and should they be accepted, allows them to experience a stress-reduced senior year. And Ivies have argued that their skewed early decision admittance rates are actually a result of the applicant pool being stronger, not special preference.

Students, parents, educators, counselors – what do you think of early decision? Does it create an unfair playing field or is it a helpful course of action for students who’ve committed to one school?

Guests:

Bruce Poch, dean of admission and executive director of college counseling at Chadwick School and former Dean of Admissions of Pomona College, which offers early decision  

Jon Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, co-author of Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US President-elect Donald Trump(R) and Vice President-elect Mike Pence(2nd-R) leave the Lamington Presbyterian Church after Sunday services in Bedminster, New Jersey November 20, 2016.; Credit: DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

The cabinet President-Elect Donald Trump has assembled has been called the wealthiest in modern American history.

It includes billionaires like ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson (worth$2.5 billion) for Secretary of State, to Ben Carson (worth $29 million) for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

The combined net worth of Trump’s cabinet picks is about 5 times greater than President Obama’s Cabinet and 34 times greater than the one in place for the second term of George W. Bush’s presidency.

Vetting these individuals, particularly ones with complex business ties, might take some time, though. On Thursday, Senate Democrats said in a statement that they would not move forward with the confirmation process until all the nominees disclose certain financial information.

Guests:

Jennifer Steinhauer, Congressional reporter for the New York Times. Her latest piece looks at the financial vetting of some of Trump’s cabinet picks. She tweets from @jestei

David Lauter, Washington bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, who has been covering the transition, including the combined net worth of Trump’s cabinet picks. He tweets from @DavidLauter

Timothy Naftali, Clinical Associate Professor of Public Service at NYU

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

In this Feb. 25, 2016, file photo, water flows through an irrigation canal to crops near Lemoore, Calif. ; Credit: Rich Pedroncelli/AP

There's good news for Governor Brown's giant water tunnels project. The state just released its environmental impact report for the two massive tunnels that would divert an additional five-percent of Sacramento River water to Southern and Central California.

The report concluded the twin 35-mile long tunnels would be the least environmentally destructive option for increasing diversions from the Sacramento Delta.

But opponents insist the project isn't necessary, and that the nearly $16-billion would be better spent on local water conservation projects. Northern CA farmers and environmentalists also hate the project.

Guests:

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

John McManus, executive director of the Golden Gate Salmon Association

John Fleck, Director of University of New Mexico Water Resources Program and author of “Water is for Fighting Over: and other myths about water in the west”

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Containers of Silk soy mik are displayed on a shelf at United Market on July 7, 2016 in San Rafael, California.; Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Two U.S. Representatives are urging the Food and Drug Administration to require “fake milk” manufacturers to adopt an alternative phrase.

Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) penned the letter last week, stating that the term “milk” in products such as almond and soy milk is “misleading to consumers, harmful to the dairy industry and a violation of milk’s standard of identity.” The letter adds that milk prices have declined 40 percent since 2014. According to The Soyfoods Association of North America, they have used the term “soymilk” for more than a century and has asked the FDA to recognize “soymilk,” but it has failed to do so.

Are these plant-based “milks” misleading to consumers? How should the FDA react?

You can read the full letter below.

Guest:

Ernest Baskin, assistant professor of food marketing at Saint Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Travelers go through the TSA PreCheck security point at Miami International Airport on June 2, 2016 in Miami, Florida.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In a recent Op-Ed in the LA Times, former Transportation Security Administration Director Kip Hawley criticized the agency’s PreCheck program for its vulnerabilities, which he said include unreliable identity verification and security oversights.

In the midst of increased holiday traffic, TSA PreCheck is a popular program that allows travelers to skip long lines in exchange for a fee, a background check and interview.

But what are the trade-offs? Do improved wait times for passengers justify the security risks involved?

Guest:

Hugo Martin, travel reporter for the Los Angeles Times

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Election workers sort through unprocessed vote-by-mail ballots at the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters office on Monday.; Credit: Ben Adler/Capital Public Radio

It’s been a whirlwind of a year, especially in the world of politics.

And in California, the election came a slew of new bills and therefore, new laws. The landscape of the state’s highly debated issues such as minimum wage, assault weapons and even mascot names will begin to change in 2017, according to the Sacramento Bee.

John Myers of the Los Angeles Times and Melody Gutierrez of the San Francisco Chronicle speak with Patt Morrison today to give you a roundup of what’s to come.

Guests:

John Myers, Sacramento Bureau Chief for the LA Times, who’s written a piece on the topic; He tweets from @JohnMyers

Melody Gutierrez, politics reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle’s Sacramento bureau

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Japanese businessmen take naps on benches in Hibiya park, central Tokyo, 04 August 1994.; Credit: YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

According to Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s latest research, “work hard now, play hard later” is general wisdom that robs the mind of creativity, productivity and the chance to thrive.

Pang details his research in his new book “REST: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less,” and argues that the way to achieve a rich and fulfilling life is not by sacrificing leisure to work harder, but to follow the likes of Charles Dickens who enjoyed long strolls, or Thomas Edison and Winston Churchill who made time for afternoon naps.

Americans are among the “most hours logged” workers in the world, averaging about 35 to 50 hours a week. If you’re feeling overworked and under-rested, Pang offers tips to help carve out time for what he calls "deliberate rest."

Guest:

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, founder of the Restful Company and author of “REST: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” (Basic Books, 2016); he tweets @askpang

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Why are artists' brains different?; Credit: Chris Nickels for NPR

There hasn’t been much research to determine what makes some people more creative than others. But that’s about to change.

UCLA's Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity’s “Big C” project has been conducting studies to see if artists reject more social conventions, have different brain organization and if there’s an increase in brain tissue dedicated to higher visual processing. They’re also asking big questions about whether creativity is innate or learned.

So what did they find? Robert Bilder, a researcher on the project talks to Patt Morrison today to reveal the findings and unanswered questions about creativity and the brain.

Guest:

Robert Bilder, chief of medical psychology and neuropsychology at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and one of the researchers on UCLA's Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity's “Big C” project

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A digital representation of the human genome August 15, 2001 at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Each color represents one the four chemical compenents of DNA.; Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Imagine if scientists could edit the DNA of mice to make them immune to Lyme disease, the antibodies in those mice in turn killing Lyme bacteria in ticks, thereby destroying the transmission cycle and eradicating Lyme disease for good.

That’s not science fiction. It’s the topic of Michael Specter’s latest piece in the New Yorker, which explores how the gene-editing tool CRISPR can work in tandem with gene drive to alter the behavior of entire species. This approach could be used to create a mosquito that would eliminate mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria and yellow fever. This would be a victory for public health and it could change the way we do science – but this sort of research affects communities, rather than individuals, and gaging its potential impacts on entire ecosystems is difficult.

What is the viability of this research? What are the potential positive and negative implications?

Guest:

Michael Specter, staff writer at The New Yorker magazine focusing on science and technology, whose latest piece “Rewriting the Code of Life,” appears in this week’s magazine. He is also the author of “Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives” (Penguin, 2009)

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

US Secretary of State John Kerry lays out his vision for peace between Israel and the Palestinians December 28, 2016, in the Dean Acheson Auditorium at the Department of State in Washington, DC.
; Credit: PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday gave a speech outlining the Obama Administration’s plan for peace in the Middle East, just weeks before President-Elect Trump takes office.

Kerry's speech marked the latest escalation in a row between the U.S. and Israel over the U.S.’s abstention from voting on a U.N. Security Council resolution last week that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a violation of international law.

The extraordinary display of discord between allies - with U.S. and Israeli officials openly disparaging each other - has also pitted President Barack Obama against President-elect Donald Trump, who has firmly taken Netanyahu's side.

What does the Obama administration hope to achieve with the speech?

With AP Files

Guest:

Aaron David Miller, Vice President for New Initiatives and a Distinguished Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He has written numerous books on the Middle East, including “The Much Too Promised Land: America’s Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace" (Bantam, 2008)

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Bob Lavezzari clears ashen mud from his street in a neighborhood threatened with a possible major mudslide below a burned hillside as a storm brings rain in the midst of record drought.; Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

Los Angeles received about five times the amount of rain this December than it did during the same month last year.

William Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has attributed our wetter weather to several changes, including a dissipated “blob” and an absent La Niña condition. Though this is good news, Patzert said it’ll take more than a single rainy season to quench California's drought.

Guest host Patt Morrison speaks with Patzert and Daniel Swain to find out more about what’s in store for Southern California’s weather forecast.

You can read more here.

https://vimeo.com/135756389

On predicting rainfall:

William Patzert: I'm pretty optimistic that as we get into the wetter months — which are January, February and March — you're definitely going to get to use your umbrella this winter.  

Daniel Swain: I think it's a little bit early to say that [rain] is something we're going to continue to see for the rest of the winter, continuously, and that it's something we can rely on. But I'm hopeful. Already, just based on what's fallen to date, we're in better shape than we were this time last year, and certainly in a better state than we were a couple of years ago.

Quotes have been edited for clarity.

Guests:

William Patzert, a climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Daniel Swain, NatureNet postdoctoral fellow, UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. He tweets from @Weather_West

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A hand out image made available by the European Southern Observatory on August 24 2016, shows an artist's impression of a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Solar System. ; Credit: -/AFP/Getty Images

It was a big year in the world of science. According to a list of 2016’s best breakthroughs in the Guardian, gravitational waves made the list.

Thanks to that physics discovery, it’s now possible to take a look at the universe’s inception--I know right?

Using DNA from three people to create human life and CRISPR gene editing were also in the headlines this year.

Another area that made strides in 2016 was artificial intelligence. With Amazon’s “Echo” as a personal assistant in people’s homes, AI went from a futuristic dream to an everyday reality.

To round up these breakthroughs, Patt weighs in with Scientific American’s Michael Lemonick on what new developments literally and figuratively made waves in 2016.

Guest:

Michael Lemonick, opinion editor at Scientific American; he tweets @MLemonick

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

The Margerie Glacier, one of many glaciers that make up Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park. ; Credit: Kathy Matheson/AP

If you try to have a conversation about the changing climate, you could find yourself in a heated debate about its scientific legitimacy.

But as mentioned in a recent episode of “Codebreaker,” there’s an almost complete consensus among the scientific community that it is real, and humans are to blame.

What are some viable solutions? Can reengineering humans to have cat-like vision so they consume less energy, or producing renewable energy on a global scale actually help? These are some of the topics Ben Johnson, the host of “Codebreaker” explored. What are some of your suggestions?

Guest:

Ben Johnson, host of Marketplace Tech and the podcast Codebreaker; he tweets from @TheBrockJohnson

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (C), a Democrat from California, speaks to reporters about the committee's report on CIA interrogations at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, December 9, 2014. ; Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

California Senator Barbara Boxer announced her retirement in 2015 and set off a series of political jockeying to fill her spot.

The LA Times has identified a number of CA  legislators that could bow out of Congress in the next couple of years. Patt Morrison speaks with UC Irvine political scientist Matthew Beckman about the implications and what these potential retirements could mean for CA and national politics.

Guest:

Matthew Beckmann, an associate professor of Political Science at UC Irvine

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Futurist Amy Webb.; Credit: Amy Webb

There’s a lot more to planning for the future than you might think.

Whether it’s your personal career goals, or keeping up with the latest advances in tech, or even spotting out the chances of a fringe candidate like Donald Trump – who will now become the 45th president of the United States – noted futurist Amy Webb says the present yields enough signs to prepare for what's to come, as long as we’re willing to catch them.

In her book, “The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream,” Webb offers a guide on how to gain a more accurate forecast in fields ranging from politics to technology, the economy and more. She also calls for the presidential cabinet to create a Department of the Future and a Secretary of the Future.

Guest host Patt Morrison talks to Webb about the importance of futurist thinking and its breadth of impact.

Guest:

Amy Webb, founder of the Future Today Institute and author of “The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is Tomorrow’s Mainstream” (PublicAffairs, 2016); she tweets @amywebb

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

A picture taken on September 17, 2013 in Saint-Denis, outside Paris, shows a room of cabling servers "clients" at the French branch of Digital Realty. ; Credit: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images

“The cloud,” an online form of computing that provides digital storage and streaming services, may be intangible, but its environmental footprint is not.

That’s because it’s backed by computer data centers, facilities filled with servers and powered by electricity. And while some of that electricity comes from renewable sources, a portion of it still comes from coal.

Data centers in the U.S. have risen in number, but their energy use is fairly steady, thanks to increased efficiency. The growth of data centers in China have also prompted efforts to make them more cost and energy efficient. And tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Amazon have taken steps reduce their energy consumption, both in terms of their data centers and their supply chain.

But carbon offsets, coal-generated electricity and lack of consistent renewable energy are all issues tech companies will have to deal with in order to make the cloud more “green,” according to Wired’s Klint Finley. 

What is the current state of data center energy consumption? What steps can tech companies take to mitigate climate change and make the internet more green in 2017?

Guest:

Katie Fehrenbacher, journalist with a focus on technology and energy, former senior writer at Fortune; she tweets @katiefehren

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

This combination of file photos shows US President Barack Obama speaking at the White House in Washington, DC on December 16, 2016 and Vladimir Putin speaking in Moscow on December 23, 2016.; Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

The White House has unveiled a series of sanctions against Russia for election-related cyberhacking.

The package of penalties include the ouster of 35 Russian officials and the closure of two Russian state-owned enterprises in the U.S.

The measures are the toughest yet the Obama administration have taken to date for a cyberattack. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response has been muted. He has rejected the country’s foreign minister’s recommendation to retaliate and vowed to work with President-Elect Trump to better US-Russia relations.

Guest host Patt Morrison discusses the censures with a panel of Russian experts and historians.

Guests:

Jeffrey Tayler, author and journalist, Russia correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly; he tweets from @JeffreyTayler1

Nina Tumarkin, a professor of History and Slavic Studies at Wellesley College. She is an expert on US-Russia relations

Yoshiko Margaret Herrera, Professor of Political Science specializing in Russia and the former Soviet states at University of Wisconsin-Madison

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

In this handout image provided by Disneyland, The Disneyland Resort entry in the 2016 Rose Parade brings to life the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration at the 127th Tournament of Roses Parade.; Credit: Handout/Getty Images

If you're headed to the Rose Parade or the Rose Bowl game on Monday, be prepared to face heightened security. Pasadena police and other law enforcement agencies will be taking numerous measures to prevent terrorist attacks like those seen in European cities this past year.

Sturdier barricades and more checkpoints will be set up to control cars coming to the 128th annual parade. More than 1,000 police officers, including many in plainclothes, and dozens of bomb-sniffing dogs will work the 5 ½-mile parade route, said Pasadena police Chief Phillip Sanchez.

"There are no known security threats to the city of Pasadena, to the parade or to the football game," he said. "Nevertheless, we will ensure that aggressive measures are in place to do the best we can to mitigate concerns."

Key measures will be the placement of water-filled barricades that Sanchez said are designed to stop terrorists from racing vehicles onto the parade route, where hundreds of thousands of people will stand shoulder-to-shoulder Monday to watch a steady stream of marching bands, equestrian units and flower-covered floats.

The route runs through the popular Old Pasadena shopping district, past a community college and under a busy freeway.

Terrorists driving trucks into crowds killed dozens of people  during a Bastille Day celebration in  Nice, France, in July, and at a Berlin Christmas street market on Dec. 19.

Parade and game goers can also subscribe to text messages from Pasadena police for updates on traffic and safety issues:

Security will be just as tight at the 103rd annual Rose Bowl football game following the parade.

"Vehicles that will be entering the Rose Bowl area will all be scanned," Sanchez said. "Bomb dogs will roam across those vehicles as well."

Officers have been trained to spot suspicious packages in cars, he said, and for weeks police have been working with federal authorities to compile lists of suspicious license plates and vehicles.

People going to the game must pass through metal detectors and can expect delays. Anyone who shows up 10 minutes before it is set to start likely won't see the opening kickoff.

"Arrive early, bring a lot of patience," Sanchez said.

In planning the parade, Pasadena police officials have been working with the FBI, TSA, Secret Service, Homeland Security, ICE and other agencies.

Sanchez said they have studied the deadly terror attack on Brussels in March in which three suicide bombers killed 32 people and injured more than 300 at an airport and train station. Two suicide bombers carried explosives into the airport in large suitcases and detonated them while another suicide bomber planted explosives on a train.

Authorities said it could take more than just preparation to ensure safety at the Rose Parade and game. Sanchez and others are repeating the security mantra: If you see something suspicious, say something to police.

"It will be quite evident to you that there is extra uniformed security there," he said. "And you can just assume that if you see uniformed security there is likely either plainclothes security or cameras or some other technology that we will be utilizing to monitor and to ensure concentric circles of security for our parade-goers."

For a full list of safety guidelines, visit tournamentofroses.com

On AirTalk, Patt Morrison spoke with Lt. Vasken Gourdikian of the Pasadena Police Department to get an inside perspective of what to expect at the events:

Here's what you need to know:

Pack light, but don't forget your patience

Gourdikian:We do have extra security measures for grandstand personnel, even parade watchers along the entire route, and for the Bowl game.

Plan early, come ahead of schedule. Pack light as well. We don't anticipate it to be a very cold New Year's morning, so the less bulky items you bring, the easier it will be for you to traverse through the security measures. There are also prohibited items such as ladders and umbrellas and selfie sticks, etc. 

The events will be a no dog zone

Gourdikian: Dogs are prohibited in the Rose Bowl venue at the game and dogs can be problematic along the parade route as well. 

. . .And a no drone zone

Gourdikian: Due to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, drones are prohibited in crowded and public areas. Drones at the events will be confiscated and owners may be cited. 

To get constant updates, use Nixle, a public safety app

Gourdikian: I will be sending out frequent messages regarding parade information and updates on the Bowl game, etc. We encourage the community to sign in or log on to Nixle. If they type in Rose Parade, it should pop up and they can get information that way as well. At cityofpasadena.net, there are all the basic do's and don't's so they can get updates that way. It will also help you navigate the terrain that day and get in and out more efficiently.

*Note: This interview was edited for clarity. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Guests:

Brian Michael Jenkins, Senior Advisor to the President of the Rand Corporation and one of the nation's leading experts on terrorism and homeland security; he tweets @BrianMJenkins

Lt. Vasken Gourdikian, Lieutenant with Pasadena Police Department; he tweets @PPDVGourdikian

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

; Credit: Susan Walsh/AP

On January 2, House Republicans voted to take away the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics – less than 24 hours later, after facing criticism from Democrats, Republicans and the President-Elect, they moved to reverse the plan.

The measure to strip the office of its power was led by establishment Republicans and was opposed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, as reported by Politico.

What is the Office of Congressional Ethics and is it valuable? Why did the GOP move to strip its power? What did we learn from this turn-around and what does this mean for the incoming administration?

Guests: 

Jessica Levinson, President of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission and a professor of law at Loyola Law School

Bre Payton, staff writer for The Federalist; she tweets @Bre_payton 

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly speaks with Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz on Jan. 28.; Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Megyn Kelly, the Fox News star whose 12-year stint has been marked by upheavals at her network and personal attacks on the campaign trail, is headed to NBC News.

The move was confirmed by Kelly's publicist, Leslee Dart. Kelly's departure deprives Fox News of its second-most-watched host, behind only Bill O'Reilly. Her contract with the network was due to run out this summer. In his analysis of the news, NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik says "Kelly's departure creates upheaval in Fox News' prime time, but also [a] moment to define/refine network for Trump era and the future."

On AirTalk today, Folkenflik will detail what is behind Kelly's decision, plus what it says about NBC which had a series of controversies during its coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign such as the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape, Matt Lauer's questions of Donald Trump, plus Jimmy Fallon's interview with the GOP candidate.

With files from the Associated Press.

Guest: 

David Folkenflik, Media Correspondent for NPR and Author, "Murdoch's World: The Last of the Old Media Empires" (Public Affairs; 2013)

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.