Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.
Most Recent Episode
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.
More Episodes
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.
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.
Republican tax cuts, LA mayor v. former fire chief fight
Republicans insist they will not cut Medicaid, the health program for poor and disabled Americans. But the budget they drew up depends on it.
LA Mayor Karen Bass fired Kristin Crowley as LAFD chief two weeks ago, and City Council denied Crowley’s appeal to be reinstated on Tuesday. But questions remain over who and what’s to blame for the Palisades Fire response.
Corporations are backpedaling on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Is the era of the ethical multinational in the past?
This month, Regarding Her, the organization born out of the pandemic to support women entrepreneurs in hospitality, is hosting events to help people affected by the fires.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.