Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Plus, California Republicans are scrambling to hold power after Congressional maps were redrawn to favor Democrats, and how a school in rural Louisiana managed to send so many kids to elite colleges.

Plus, Live Nation settles with the Justice Department, The New York Times details years of abuse by celebrated chef René Redzepi, and how some Academy members skirted new rules for Oscar voting.

Plus, the CIA has been secretly arming the Kurds, possibly encouraging them to mount a revolution in Iran, our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman expresses her love for an ugly vegetable.

Plus, should low-polling Democratic candidates drop out of the California governor’s race? The state party chair says yes. And people are betting on real-world events, like the war in Iran.

Plus, the Supreme Court temporarily blocks a California law that protected trans kids from being outed by their teachers, the leader of an activist group sailing to Cuba with supplies, and the phenomenon of “stay-at-home sons.”

Plus, who will lead Iran after the assassination of the supreme leader, if the airstrikes are legal, and a hip-hop legend on Salt-N-Pepa’s fight to own their master recordings.

Plus, the FBI raid of Alberto Carvalho’s home and office may be tied to a dodgy AI company, our weekend film reviews, and when life gives you lemons, Evan Kleiman is here with suggestions.

Plus, the Department of Justice sues the University of California system for alleged antisemitism at UCLA, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta accuses Amazon of price fixing.

Plus, Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, Paramount tries to ice out Netflix in the fight for Warner Bros. Discovery, and how the Trump administration is trying to water down Black history.

Plus, violence in Mexico after one of the most powerful cartel leaders is killed, President Trump lashes out after SCOTUS strikes down his tariffs, and the classical crossover music of Bridgerton.

Plus, how the movie “Wuthering Heights” is a lot tamer than the nearly 200-year-old novel, our weekly film reviews, and Evan Kleiman celebrates the Lunar New Year with rice cake recipes.

Plus, the U.S. orders warships to the Middle East. Any military action against Iran would likely involve Israel. And is AI coming for your job? It could radically reshape American life. One writer says we’re not ready.

Plus, will LA28’s Casey Wasserman survive the Epstein scandal? A court ruled LA can’t throw away the belongings of unhoused people, and why Texas gives Democrats hope of flipping a Senate seat.

Plus, how Infinite Jest is not just a novel for pretentious guys (according to one female novelist at least), our weekly film reviews, and a new Stanford dating app may be the antidote to swiping.

Plus, new reporting from The New York Times reveals Jeffrey Epstein had hidden cameras in his homes, ICE is recording and identifying people to be deported with technology that’s far from reliable, and Evan Kleiman has a can’t-miss Valentine’s Day idea.

Plus, what a rollback of a landmark environmental policy could mean, how peptides became the “it drug” in the wellness world, and the history of romcoms from the screwball era to today.

Plus, a last-minute addition upends the LA mayor’s race, Instagram and YouTube face accusations their algorithms are addictive, and Tesla kills its iconic models S and X in favor of…humanoid robots.

Plus, more candidates consider running for LA mayor after a critical Los Angeles Times story about Mayor Karen Bass, and our film critics tackle a man in love with vacuum cleaner and a BDSM “dom-com.”

Plus, Raman's efforts to reform LA’s so-called “mansion tax,” big layoffs hit The Washington Post, a former Los Angeles Times editor gets candid about the future of news, and the origin of KCRW’s pie contest.

Plus, inhumane conditions at the immigrant detention facility in the Mojave Desert, deported migrants who become targets of the cartels when they return to Mexico, and why the show Survivor endures.

Plus, the latest Epstein files include LA28 chairman Casey Wasserman, LA County reports two measles cases as an outbreak surges in South Carolina, and how to create music kids and their parents will like.

Plus, the prospects of President Trump’s Board of Peace running Gaza, our weekend film reviews, and the behind-the-scenes studio machinations of the new Melania Trump "documentary."

Plus, how California lawmakers are responding to federal immigration enforcement tactics, why fentanyl overdose deaths suddenly declined in 2023, and why a $1,500 per person dinner sold out in minutes.

Plus, how the narrative about ICE is shaped by cell phone videos from both protesters and agents, President Trump turns his eyes to Cuba, and a dispatch from the Sundance Film Festival.

Plus, how LA activists are monitoring ICE activity at a MacArthur Park Home Depot, and rapper IDK on how serving time set him on a path to make music.