Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.
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Gaza native on region’s power struggles after ceasefire agreement
A Supreme Court case focused on race-based redistricting could upend the Voting Rights Act and change the balance of congressional power for a generation. It’s the latest fault line in the battle over voting maps.
Hamas publicly executed eight political rivals on a crowded street in Gaza City in a show of intimidation over the local population. With a fragile ceasefire plan, will Hamas retain control of the Gaza Strip over the long term? “It seems to me that Hamas is still powerful enough to control the streets of Gaza and to intimidate the local Palestinian [sic] there,” says Mkhaimar Abusada, political science professor at Al-Azhar University-Gaza. “What's going to happen next, I do not know it. At the end of the day, Hamas has accepted the ceasefire plan, and part of it is that Hamas must disarm itself. There has to be destruction of the tunnels and ammunition. When that is going to happen, I think it is going to take some time before going into the so-called next stage of the ceasefire agreement.”
Film critics Amy Nicholson and Monica Castillo review the latest releases: Black Phone 2, Frankenstein, The Mastermind, Good Fortune, and It Was Just an Accident.
For home cooks who’ve been waiting for temperatures to drop before they crank up their ovens – baking season is finally here. KCRW's Evan Kleiman kicks off the season with focaccia ideas.
Today's episode was produced by Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin, Robin Estrin, Jack Ross, Nihar Patel, and Zeke Reed.
Raoul Peck on today’s Orwellian world, language and democracy
The U.S. destroyed another boat in the South Caribbean, which the Trump administration alleges was engaged in drug trafficking. This is the fifth such strike since September, and Venezuela’s president has labeled this aggression. Are the strikes legal, and are both countries headed for war?
Flock Safety operates more than 80,000 license plate readers across the U.S. In Texas, a sheriff’s deputy used them to find a woman who had self-administered an abortion.
Filmmaker Raoul Peck is known for his unconventional biopics of people like James Baldwin and Patrice Lumumba. His latest documentary is about the writer George Orwell. “I was always suspect of the use of words, and Orwell as well,” Peck tells KCRW. “And he studied it, and he demonstrated how damaging it is. … For him, when language is being destroyed, you're basically destroying democracy. But … what I did not expect is that he would be so close to my own experience. I didn't expect that this film would have become so intimate, so organic to things that I went through in my life, and coming from … the third world. And I was really surprised that, in fact, he was not some cold British intellectual, writing on his desk and reminiscing about the world. No, he was somebody who took risks with his own life and wrote from his belly and heart and [in] a very sincere way.”
The numbers 6 and 7 are taking Gen Alpha by storm. They’ve become a meme signifying nothing, yet sending middle schoolers into fits of laughter and driving math teachers nuts.
Today's episode was produced by Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin, Robin Estrin, Jack Ross, Nihar Patel, and Zeke Reed.
‘Shocking level of lawlessness and abuse’ inside Alabama prisons
Ceasefire in Gaza means some aid can get through an Israeli blockade. But with over half a million people experiencing famine, Israel is still withholding food to achieve military goals.
Peter Thiel, an influential tech billionaire with ties to the White House, gave a series of private lectures in San Francisco in which he likened opponents of technological progress to the antichrist. Why is Thiel, a devout Christian, using such hyperbolic rhetoric
Inside an Alabama prison, hidden cameras expose violence, cover-ups, and a state’s controversial plan to fix it. A new HBO documentary, The Alabama Solution, reveals what really happens behind prison walls.
Forget swiping right — people are now falling for chatbots. Humorist Patricia Marx dated a handful of AI lovers — some sweet, some clingy, and one downright mean. KCRW explores computer love.
Today's episode was produced by Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin, Robin Estrin, Jack Ross, and Zeke Reed.
Cate Le Bon on making music from the ‘ruins’ of a relationship
Trump joined the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey to sign a Gaza peace deal. The agreement could end the war, but it remains unclear who will rebuild and govern Gaza and whether peace can last.
Legal roundup: The DOJ prosecutes former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, while court rulings try to curb ICE and National Guard deployment.
Should comedians have performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival? While some have been focusing on Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record and speech restrictions, the festival is part of the Kingdom’s push to diversify economically, and culturally.
Heartbreak caught up with Welsh musician Cate Le Bon when she was producing albums for Wilco, Deerhunter, and Devendra Banhart. Songs poured out that she initially didn’t want to write — about the end of a romantic relationship with her longtime music collaborator. They make up her seventh album called Michelangelo Dying.
Today's episode was produced by Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin, Robin Estrin, Jack Ross, Nihar Patel, and Zeke Reed.
ChatGPT was partly the downfall of Palisades Fire suspect
Federal authorities have charged a 29-year old Florida man for intentionally starting a New Year’s Day fire, which one week later rekindled into the Palisades Fire. The evidence against the suspect includes his actions from the night, including his ChatGPT searches. The LA Times’ Richard Winton tells KCRW, “He basically walked up the trail, and at some point, used a lighter, and he was smoking at the time, and ignited the fire with an open flame. … Seemingly in a panic, he started to then dial 911, he couldn't get through. And then he, a little bit later, tried to again. And then … this is probably the most obvious thing he did, which is … literally typed into his phone to ChatGPT: Are you at fault if a fire is lit because of your cigarettes?”
While most reporting on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has moved to Chicago and Portland, the online news outlet LA Taco is still documenting incidents in SoCal. In fact, though the outlet began as a food blog in 2006, it’s now the leading local news organization covering the impact of deportations on our immigrant communities. Memo Torres, director of engagement for the outlet, tells KCRW that recently in Orange County, a citizen under age 18 was pulled over by Border Patrol agents. He ended up having an obscenity-laden shouting match with one of the agents — who claimed to be part of the Florencia gang.
Under a new bill, rideshare drivers can now organize as independent contractors in California. It’s a big win – but it doesn’t protect the right to strike.
In 2025, even celebrities have a side hustle. You can buy makeup from Lady Gaga, shampoo from Blake Lively, a red-light face mask from Gwyneth Paltrow. Now, you can also purchase children’s books penned by famous people. Celebrity picture books are everywhere, but that’s not a good thing, according to one writer.
Today's episode was produced by Brian Hardzinski, Angie Perrin, Robin Estrin, Jack Ross, Zeke Reed, and Nihar Patel.