SoCal Connected: In the Studio

Santa Monica wants to create a "wellbeing index" for its citizens, but how do you measure happiness?

Fifty years after "The Feminine Mystique" was published, female executives are saying some unexpected things. Is there a new war on women?

After a nurse in Bakersfield refused to give CPR to an elderly woman, ethical questions arose anew over what it means to be a "Good Samaritan."

It's no secret that money drives politics -- this year, perhaps, more than ever for Los Angeles. Now there's a way to follow the campaigns, dollar by dollar.

USC's Dan Schnur handicap's L.A.'s mayoral race with the most recent poll data.

By the end of this century, great apes, including gorillas and chimpanzees, may be extinct. Researcher Craig Stanford has written a plea to help save our closest genetic cousins in the animal kingdom.

Jason Sisney is the deputy legislative analyst for state and local finance for California, and he knows where the money goes. He joins Val from Sacramento to outline some of the effects the federal sequester budget cuts will have on the Golden State.

The Church of Scientology is an organization cloaked in secrecy, but Pultzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright uncovered some of that mystery in his new book.

Catholic scholar Father Thomas Rausch of Loyola Marymount University joins Val to talk about the once and future Pope and the church's possible new direction.

Screenwriter Mike White believes it's imperative for fellow filmmakers to change Hollywood's portrayal of violence.

Filmmaker Jules Hart makes the case for female priests in 'Pink Smoke Over the Vatican.'

As Pope Benedict XVI prepares to leave the Vatican, can the Catholic church restore faith amid the priest abuse scandal?

Los Angeles is one of the most important cities in the world, but when it comes to local politics, no one seems to care. Raphael Sonenshein explains why.

The real winners at the Oscars: the best dressed! Jessica Morgan of Go Fug Yourself joins Madeleine and Val to recap the night hotties and hot messes.

As "sequester" cuts loom, Democrats and Republicans continue to play the blame game. Aaron Blake has the latest from Washington, D.C.