Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Plus, the billionaires working to defeat a wealth tax that’s not even on the ballot yet, how AI can help someone grieving, and what exactly is beef tallow?

Plus, the future of Iran’s regime after hundreds of protesters are killed, the Supreme Court hears two big trans rights cases, and why President Trump is so obsessed with Greenland.

Plus, why rebuilding the Palisades and Altadena exactly as they were could be a huge missed opportunity, the controversy surrounding “Zone Zero” regulations, and a review of a horror film about a chimp gone wild.

Plus, how the disaster turned ordinary people into activists, and an LA Times investigation reveals the Los Angeles Fire Department made big mistakes that could have prevented much of the destruction.

Plus, why President Trump is so interested in Venezuela’s oil, and new TV shows you might want to binge, including yet another Ryan Murphy production.

Plus, the legal questions surrounding Maduro’s ouster, new so-called “Trump Accounts” seed a retirement-style investment for kids, and a new album celebrates women who sing Jewish religious music.

Plus, how one of the most reputable galleries in the world trafficked $80 million in fake art, and Susan Choi’s new novel about family and Korean politics.

Plus, ‘Electric Nebraska’: the Bruce Springsteen album that never was…until now. And how to find new music in your fifties.

Plus, Wall Street investors are hoping to profit from LA County sex abuse settlements, KCRW’s Evan Kleiman eulogizes restaurants shuttered this year, and our weekly film reviews.

Plus, CBS top editor Bari Weiss draws ire after pulling a segment critical of the Trump administration, Argentinian musician Juana Molina is back with a new album, and the playoff-bound Rams and Chargers could lead to an all-LA Super Bowl.

Plus, the “slow-motion, slightly-off-the-front-page collapse” of the FBI under Kash Patel, our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman has the best spice blends for last-minute stocking stuffers.

Plus, President Trump’s chief of staff spoke candidly to Vanity Fair about her boss and others in the White House, and how to choose a holiday movie everyone will like.

Plus, an attack on Americans in Syria and the Bondi Beach antisemitic shooting renews focus on ISIS, and the origin story of the drunken, debaucherous SantaCon.

Plus, nine former Justice Department attorneys resign over pressure to investigate antisemitism on UC campuses, and the band HAIM dishes on their new album, relationships, and Paul Thomas Anderson.

Plus, our weekend film reviews (including the latest Knives Out entry) and Evan Kleiman brings brisket and salmon recipes ahead of Hanukkah.

Plus, why he’s going mask-off as a reviewer, assessing the first year of President Trump’s immigration agenda, and a look at the Best Books of 2025.

Plus, Australia bans social media for users under 16, Target continues to face backlash over its rollback of DEI efforts, and Paramount’s Landman drops us right in the middle of a West Texas oil boom.

Plus, Paramount’s hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, the Supreme Court considers expanding presidential power, and LA-based quintet SML blurs the lines between jazz and electronica.

Plus, why self-driving cars could be a “public health breakthrough,” a new documentary follows a woman in rural Iran who won a seat on her village council, and our weekly film reviews.

Plus, children are working on California farms and an investigation finds the state is turning a blind eye to safety violations, a mom writes a private letter to her son every year and gives them to him when he turns 18, and Evan Kleiman on the loved (and loathed) holiday fruitcake.

Plus, longtime Ukraine watcher Alexander Vindman doesn’t expect the war with Russia to end anytime soon, an LA Times investigation adds context to the Trump administration’s claims about attacks on ICE agents, and whether or not a domesticated raccoon would make a good house pet.

Plus, the Trump administration pauses granting asylum and visas to Afghan nationals, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments over online piracy, and the Cal State system invests in “AI-empowered higher education.”

Plus, LA County fire officials are advising residents of Topanga Canyon on a different strategy when a fast-moving fire approaches, a chaotic year of tariffs hasn’t stopped holiday shopping deals, and our weekly film reviews.

Plus, the Trump Administration has labeled an alleged Venezuelan cartel as a terrorist organization, and claims President Nicolás Maduro is its leader, the Trump Administration has begun targeting some DACA recipients who previously weren’t at risk for deportation, and a Hollywood Hills house made famous by a 1960 photograph is up for sale for the first time.

Plus, a federal judge tosses cases against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, autism experts say the CDC is now peddling misinformation by linking vaccines and autism, and how USAID cuts are affecting children in Africa.