Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.

rss_feed RSS Feed

Most Recent Episode

Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Newsom’s podcast angers his political base, arts groups pull back programming

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new podcast has featured far-right provocateurs like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon. It’s been angering his political base.

Trump’s executive orders mandate no federal money should pay for programming that promotes diversity. Museums are falling in line. 

Critics review the latest film releases: “Black Bag,” “Opus,” “Novocaine,” and “The Electric State.”

Chicories, which include radicchio and known for bitterness, are often paired with bacon/pancetta and winter citrus in salads. You can also cook the different varieties of this vegetable.

00:50:46
Mar 13, 2025 5:26 PM
Clean

More Episodes

Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Environmental justice cuts, figure skating among Harlem’s Black girls

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate offices that handle environmental justice issues, like pollution in poor neighborhoods and communities of color. It’s part of a wider crackdown on Biden-era climate policies.

The Trump administration is dismantling public health infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad. How ready are we for the next public health crisis? 

Figure skating is seen as an elite, mostly white sport, but a new documentary series tells the story of a program for girls in Harlem looking to change that.

The legal dispute between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over alleged sexual harassment has become a cause celebre among right-wing media. 

00:49:56
Mar 12, 2025 5:23 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Whether Tesla can survive Musk’s politics, LAHSA is accused of poor management

Tesla sales have plummeted since Elon Musk followed Donald Trump into the White House in January. How much trouble is his company in now?

LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman discusses a new scathing audit of LAHSA. Her ideas on addressing homelessness include building more housing and cutting red tape.

Five years ago today, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic. COVID transformed this country in ways that are still coming into focus, argues the New York Times’ David Wallace-Wells.

00:48:51
Mar 11, 2025 4:31 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Green card revocation, Franc Moody’s ‘Chewing the Fat’

Columbia University grad student Mahmoud Khalil is considered a leader in anti-Israel protests on campus. ICE arrested him on Saturday and revoked his green card. Activists are calling this an attack on free speech.

On Friday, several Native American tribes sued the federal government over staff cuts at Native colleges. They claim the cuts violate the government’s unique legal and moral responsibility to the tribes.

U.K. natives Ned Franc and Jon Moody blend soul songwriting with analog synthesizers and disco grooves to produce dancefloor euphoria. Their fourth album is “Chewing the Fat.”

The cheap American egg was the product of billions of dollars of investment in industrial agriculture. Now those technologies are spreading bird flu — and hiking egg prices. 

 

00:49:30
Mar 10, 2025 7:0 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire, tariffs’ impact on CA wine

President Trump’s ambitious goal to deport 10 million immigrants faces legal challenges and pushback. What do the on-the-ground realities look like?

With roughly two dozen hostages still alive, the Gaza ceasefire is in trouble. How is Trump impacting the negotiations? 

Critics review the latest film releases: “Mickey 17,” “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,” “Night of the Zoopocalypse,” and “The Rule of Jenny Pen.”

Canada is the top export market for California wine. Trump’s threatened 25% tariffs on our northern neighbor have led some Canadian provinces to pull not just wine, but all American alcohol, from their shelves.

00:52:17
Mar 6, 2025 3:54 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Impact of Trump’s tariffs, goodbye to Original Pantry Cafe

President Trump’s trade war and Friday’s Oval Office berating of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky represent a remarkable shift in American foreign policy.

President Trump has imposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China. That could mean car price increases of nearly $10,000.

Set in 1970s New Mexico, “Dark Winds” follows Tribal police officers who must balance their traditional Navajo beliefs with modern law enforcement. Season three sees Lt. Leaphorn haunted by his past.

The Original Pantry Cafe, famous for its pancakes, abruptly shut down amid a labor dispute, leaving loyal patrons and decades-long employees heartbroken.yt

00:49:56
Mar 4, 2025 4:35 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Oscar winner Sean Baker on ‘Anora,’ cellist Abel Selaocoe on ‘Hymns of Bantu’

Zelensky’s visit to the white house turned catastrophic when Trump and Vance accused him of disrespecting the U.S. What does it mean for peace talks?  

A federal judge has extended a block of President Trump’s plan to withhold funding from medical institutions that provide healthcare to transgender youth.

“Anora” won Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday, and director Sean Baker took home four awards total. He explains how having a bigger budget and professional actors changed his filmmaking process.

South African musician Abel Selaocoe explains his “paper” technique of practicing cello as a kid, the power of singing to unite a community, and how he more deeply explored his roots while away from his homeland. 

00:50:52
Mar 3, 2025 5:19 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Measles resurgence, ‘We Hold These Truths’ book, film reviews

Measles is spreading in a West Texas community with low vaccination rates. What’s the risk in Southern California? 

A new book argues Americans need a deeper understanding of how our government works to spot historical myths that hold us back.

Disaffected Silicon Valley separatists and mostly trans women have formed a mysterious collective known as Zizians. They’re linked to murders in California, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Last Breath,” “My Dead Friend Zoe,” “Cold Wallet,” and “The Accidental Getaway Driver.”

00:51:27
Feb 27, 2025 4:4 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Effects of Texas abortion ban, bulgar wheat recipes

Consumer confidence had the biggest drop since August 2021, due mostly to concerns about the president’s proposed tariffs and high prices on staples like eggs. 

Sepsis cases in pregnant women have spiked roughly 50% since Texas’ abortion ban took effect in 2021, according to ProPublica’s new analysis. Sepsis is a life-threatening infection, often seen in the elderly and those with prolonged hospital stays.

Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote an acclaimed memoir in 2003 about changing from a man to a woman. She’s back with a new book about life before, and after, her transition.

Bulgar wheat has a fantastic chew, minimal cooking time, and multiple nutrients. It’s a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, and a great addition to any leafy salad or grain bowl. 

00:49:45
Feb 26, 2025 4:34 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Deep problems at CA homeless shelters, ‘Fake It Until You Make It’

A fraction of people in temporary shelters end up in permanent housing, according to CalMatters’ year-long investigation. Conditions are squalid. Fraud is rampant. And residents often endure physical and sexual abuse.

LA Fire HEALTH is a research consortium with experts from multiple universities. They intend to fill in some of the gaps in environmental and public health monitoring left by the government. 

The Trump administration’s classification of sex as either “male” or “female” erases the nearly 2% of people who are intersex.

Playwright Larissa FastHorse’s “Fake It Until You Make It” is a farce about two women — one Indigenous, the other white — competing for a grant to fund their nonprofits. 

00:49:53
Feb 25, 2025 5:50 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
CA gubernatorial race, Bartees Strange’s ‘Horror’ album

A group of government workers filed a lawsuit in federal court in California today, arguing that Elon Musk’s demands for federal employees to provide a bulleted list of everything they accomplished last week violates federal law.

Some Democrats and a few Republicans have announced they’re running in California’s 2026 gubernatorial race. Others are waiting to see if 2024 Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris will enter. 

In his third album “Horror,” Bartees Strange channels terror and heartbreak into newfound confidence and wide-ranging sonic pastiche.

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic bring health gains, but at what costs to relationships? Couples must face new challenges as eating habits, routines, and identities change.

00:50:18
Feb 24, 2025 5:43 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Dept. of Edu’s impact on LAUSD, homemade onigiri and spring rolls

Germans head to the polls Sunday at a time of increasing popularity for far-right politicians and Europe at a crossroads over Ukraine. 

Trump wants to stop funding schools with diversity initiatives. LAUSD officials fear losing more than a billion dollars in federal funding.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Old Guy,” “The Monkey,” “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.”

Two foods that are fun to make and satisfying to eat: onigiri (Japanese rice balls) and spring rolls. Both involve steamed rice wrapped in seaweed sheets or rice paper, and a wide variety of fillings. 

The Museum of Jurassic Technology has recreated a meditative space from medieval Andalusia as part of the Getty’s region-wide PST Art event. 

00:49:44
Feb 20, 2025 5:45 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Trump’s freeze on foreign aid, meaning of home from Angeleno who lost it

With President Trump back in the White House, Ukraine finds its once top ally has now become a wild card in its three-year war with Russia.

The U.S. has frozen billions of dollars earmarked for foreign aid, significantly hampering medical, food, and other humanitarian aid and development assistance programs overseas.

Instrumentalist and audio engineer Daniel Ramirez lost his family’s rental home in the Eaton Fire. He reflects on his sons’ learning music there, and what the disaster meant for his history of depression. 

Kelsey McKinney hosted the podcast “Normal Gossip” for two years, spilling the tea with guests and dramatizing certain details. Her lessons about gossip are now published in a new book, which combines research, personal essays, and memoirs. 

00:55:56
Feb 19, 2025 5:40 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Palestinian American comedian Mo Amer, Hollywood Forever’s new mausoleum

A federal judge held an emergency hearing on Monday to consider how much access Elon Musk and his DOGE team should have to sensitive government information.

Trump’s rollbacks on DEI and civil rights mark a national shift threatening decades of progress on equality and equal justice across America. 

The second season of Netflix’s award-winning “Mo” is out now. For co-creator and star Mo Amer, the series and the world have gotten more complicated.

Hollywood Forever Cemetary’s new, five-story-tall mausoleum will be able to store the remains of tens of thousands of people.

 

00:50:46
Feb 18, 2025 2:58 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
First days of Trump administration, weekend film reviews

The image of Elon Musk’s Tuesday press conference in the Oval Office — the unelected billionaire not even eligible to be president — punctuated the unprecedented developments we’ve seen over the past three-and-a-half weeks.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Paddington in Peru,” “Universal Language,” and “Sly Lives!”

A new book explores the history of romantic comedies. The genre is as old as Shakespeare, but the modern era begins with the screwball comedies of the 1930s.

00:50:37
Feb 13, 2025 3:52 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Oscar-nominated ‘Death By Numbers,’ Flip Phone February

Investigators are looking into whether one of SoCal Edison’s idle power lines may have become re-energized and caused the Eaton Fire. The utility already faces over 40 lawsuits.

Old press releases from ICE raids dating back to 2008 are topping Google search results, inflating the perceived number of ongoing enforcement operations. 

“Death By Numbers,” now nominated for an Oscar, follows Sam Fuentes as she recovers from the Parkland school shooting and prepares to confront the gunman during his sentencing.

Flip Phone February is a challenge to swear off your iPhone or Android, and return to the app-free days of the Motorola Razr. One Toronto student did this for two years.

00:50:30
Feb 12, 2025 4:26 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Oscar-nominated ‘Instruments of a Beating Heart,’ Valentine’s Day

Heavy rains could bring flash flooding and debris flows, especially in burn scar areas. Officials advise staying off the roads Thursday during the peak of the storm.

Shrinking budgets, withering newsrooms, and President Trump’s assault on the free press have made covering his second administration tougher than ever.

Instruments of a Beating Heart” follows a group of first graders in Japan who form an orchestra to play Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” as part of a welcoming ceremony for the incoming class of 6-year-olds.  

Valentine’s Day can mean not just romantic love, but kindness. Get a little something for that person who showed up for you this past month. Bring sweetness to someone who could use it.

00:49:18
Feb 11, 2025 5:55 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Oscar-nominated ‘I Am Ready, Warden,’ music compilations for fire survivors

A federal judge in Rhode Island says the Trump administration didn’t comply with a court order to unfreeze federal funds. Yesterday Vice President J.D. Vance said, “Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power.”

Russell Vought is known in conservative circles for being an architect of Project 2025. Now he has the job to implement its goals of remaking the government.

I Am Ready, Warden,” nominated for an Oscar, follows John Henry Ramirez in the days before he was executed in Texas for murder. It also spotlights the sons of both Ramirez and his victim. 

Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave, Primal Scream and other artists have produced new music compilations, including “Los Angeles Rising,” to help survivors of the recent LA fires. 

 

00:51:39
Feb 10, 2025 5:11 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
AI in the government, wildfire impact on marine life

The Department of Government Efficiency infiltrated the Treasury and other agencies after Trump’s inauguration, according to the Washington Post. DOGE now reportedly has access to millions of federal workers’ highly sensitive records.

Scientists are worried about chemicals from burned materials (heavy metals, plastics, fire retardants) polluting the ocean. This week’s rain makes it easier for particulates to each the coastline. 

Critics review the latest film releases: “Love Hurts,” “Heart Eyes,” “Parthenope,” and “Armand.” 

Whether it’s called Chūn Jié in China, Tết in Vietnam, or Seollal in Korea, there are commonalities to the Lunar New Year celebrations. Sticky rice in one form or another is found on every table. 

00:50:54
Feb 6, 2025 5:6 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Impact of gender-affirming care, Woolsey Fire survivor’s rebuilding success

President Trump’s executive order seeks to cut federal funding for gender transition medical procedures. KCRW hears from a mom of a 17-year-old who’s been transitioning since age 4.

After the 2018 Woolsey Fire destroyed Gary Scott’s Malibou Lake home, he rebuilt a smaller and more fireproof house on the same land. 

In 1966, Leonard Bernstein gave Orin O’Brien a spot on the New York Philharmonic. She was the first woman to become a full-time, permanent member, and is the subject of a Netflix documentary nominated for an Oscar.

Can LeBron James whip Luka Doncic into shape following the Lakers’ blockbuster trade for the young point guard from the Dallas Mavericks? 

00:50:12
Feb 5, 2025 5:0 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Elon Musk’s DOGE, ‘Nature of the Crime’ film, ‘Who Shot Me’ project

The staff working for Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency are mostly inexperienced engineers in their early 20s. They now have direct access to the U.S. federal payments system.

The Army Corps of Engineers released water from two dams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. State officials had no warning, and there seems to be no practical reason why it happened.

HBO’s “Nature of the Crime” documentary follows three men who repeatedly go before parole boards. It also gives perspectives of their lawyers and the parole board members. 

A mystery photographer documented key moments in 1960s San Francisco, including the Summer of Love and formation of the Black Panther Party. One project is trying to uncover the person’s identity. 

00:50:17
Feb 4, 2025 3:50 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Possible USAID shutdown, Oscar-nominated ‘Incident,’ Grammy highlights

The Trump administration is seeking to dismantle the world’s largest humanitarian aid program — the U.S. Agency for International Development. What lives are on the line as a result?

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) could fall under the purview of the State Department, or be dissolved entirely. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says that would be “illegal and against our national interests.”

Oscar nominee “Incident” uses police body and dashboard cameras, plus security cameras, to show a multi-angle replay of a Black man dying at the hands of Chicago law enforcement in 2018.

At this year’s Grammys, Beyoncé took home Album Of The Year for the first time. Kendrick Lamar scooped up both Song and Record Of The Year. Other big names like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish came up empty.

00:49:35
Feb 3, 2025 5:0 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
LA fires: Toxic waste disposal, rebuilding considerations

The EPA designated two locations for sorting and processing locations for hazardous debris from the Palisades and Eaton Fires. Residents in both areas are concerned. 

We must rethink city planning and development following the LA fires, says UCLA Professor Alex Hall, who advises building homes away from wildlands.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Dog Man,” “Companion,” “Love Me,” and “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.”

Eat out to support restaurants that lost business due to the Palisades Fire. Evan Kleiman shares recommendations for west side eateries participating in DineLA, which is happening now.

Using film, models, music, and costumes, artist and futurist Liam Young envisions a world where everyone on earth lives together in a single city. 

00:50:34
Jan 30, 2025 5:42 PM
Clean
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
LA fires: Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, architectural historian on rebuilding

On Monday, President Trump rescinded trillions in federal funding. On Tuesday, a federal court paused the freeze. Today, Trump walked the entire plan back. 

LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath addresses residents' criticisms of officials' initial response to the Palisades Fire. She also discusses fire department investments, cleanup, and rebuilding.

Architectural historian Erik Ghenoiu and his architect wife made their home more fire-resistant, and they were active in community fire mitigation efforts. Still, their house didn’t survive the Eaton Fire. 

The book “Mood Machine” explains how Spotify contracts with production companies to create so-called “perfect fit content” that it releases under pseudonymous artist profiles.

00:54:23
Jan 29, 2025 5:4 PM
Clean