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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Life amid Trump’s ICE is tougher than era of illegal street vending in LA
A 2009 Obama-era environmental finding has underpinned a lot of climate-related regulation. It’s now the latest target of the Trump administration.
Street vending in LA is now tougher than when it was illegal, a MacArthur Park clothes merchant says. SB 635 would prohibit state agencies from sharing street vendor data with ICE.
Ever wonder what your life would look like if you made one radically different choice? Magician Penn Jillette takes that idea and runs with it in his new book.
An unattractive little plush doll from China has taken the world by storm. Labubus’ rising popularity also comes with higher price tags, sparking an underground market of counterfeits.
College grads face highest unemployment rate in 10 years. AI’s partly to blame
UCLA is the latest college to settle an antisemitism case, and it will give several million to Jewish organizations. A lawsuit by pro-Palestinian activists remains pending.
6.6% of college-educated 20 to 24-year-olds are unemployed and actively job-hunting, according to the Labor Department. Why are they struggling to launch?
Employers in coveted fields are turning to AI instead of hiring recent college graduates. The white-collar sector is threatened.
‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ is the defining American sitcom because it satirizes the dark side of human nature, argues M.H. Miller.
Lollapalooza begins this weekend. The ‘95 lineup is worth remembering
In response to Texas’ plan to redraw its congressional map to add GOP seats, CA Gov. Newsom is threatening to redistrict here to add Democratic seats. Is it legal?
Considered the most powerful psychedelic, 5-MeO DMT causes extreme trips that last only 30 minutes. Two startups are trying to take it to market as a depression treatment.
Lollapalooza runs July 31 to August 3 in Chicago. Three decades ago, it was the country’s biggest music festival. It peaked with the 1995 lineup, argues NYT culture editor David Malitz.
Last week’s “South Park” season premiere targeted President Trump for his lawsuits against media companies. What’s next for creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone?
How 9/11 gave birth to ICE
LA Mayor Karen Bass said ICE was conducting a “reign of terror” in Los Angeles. Ironically, it was the War on Terror that produced ICE in the first place.
A proposed housing authority to help people affected by Palisades and Eaton Fires is on hold after some residents, like reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, complained.
The 2025 California Biennial at the OC Museum of Art features works and artifacts from teen artists and adults reflecting on their teen years. It’s called “Desperate, Scared, but Social.”
Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday at age 76. He transformed his image from Black Sabbath frontman to irascible TV dad. “The Osbournes” set the scene for the glut of celebrity TV family shows that followed.
NPR stations are losing federal funds. What will they do?
NPR, PBS, and member stations will lose $1.1 billion in federal funding. KCRW hears from two people who run smaller stations: KOSU in Oklahoma City and KCBX in San Luis Obispo.
Harvard gets its day in court against the Trump administration. In Texas, Trump wants lawmakers to redraw Congressional maps ahead of schedule.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was reportedly losing money, though a pending merger for CBS’ parent company may have also factored into the network’s decision to cancel the TV program.
Backstreet Boys are out with “Millennium 2.0,” and will perform concerts this summer in Las Vegas. KCRW talks about their long trajectory to fame in the U.S., lawsuit against their manager, and cross-generational appeal.
ICE’s deportation campaign leaves many agents morally conflicted
Former and current ICE officials and agents told The Atlantic morale is low due, in part, to the relentless pressure from the Trump administration to arrest people.
After a judge blocked federal agents from carrying out “indiscriminate” raids and denying detainees access to lawyers, an attorney says compliance is “spotty.”
Critics review the latest film releases: “Smurfs,” “Eddington,” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”
Opposing Trump’s immigration stance is ‘personal’ for Sen. Alex Padilla
Senator Alex Padilla says the vast majority of people getting caught up in Trump’s immigration raids and detentions are those without serious criminal convictions. He also weighs in on the Jeffrey Epstein files and Trump’s push to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS.
Trump’s budget gives ICE $75 billion for recruitment and the construction of new jails. Historically, police expansions are rife with corruption, according to journalist and historian Garrett Graff.
Michelle Huneven is rebuilding her Altadena home after the Eaton Fire. Her latest book follows a family across multiple decades and locations as they struggle with grief, dislocation, and addiction.
When used judiciously, lavender can add an air of mystery to a dish, amplifying flavor without calling attention to itself.
Expect a surge in EV purchases as federal tax credits will expire
In March, President Trump signed an executive order to begin shuttering the Department of Education. A lower court forced him to stop the process, but on Monday, the Supreme Court overturned it.
President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” eliminates federal tax credits for new and used EVs and plug-in hybrids purchased after September 30, 2025. How will this affect consumers and manufacturers?
The number of immigrants leaving the U.S. this year may surpass the number of those who arrive. Liberal and conservative economists warn of impacts.
Once dominated by ceremonies and roses, reality TV dating is leveling up. “Love Island” has real-time twists, social media presence, and viewing parties.
LA-based Caltex Records is the biggest Iranian music label
A federal judge says ICE has been racially profiling people it detains at raids in California. And a second judge says the LAPD has been targeting journalists at anti-ICE protests.
Lawmakers toured the high-security immigration detention center called Alligator Alcatraz, where conditions differ depending on who you ask. The Miami Herald reports over 250 detainees have no criminal record.
People who heavily rely on AI have brains that are less active and less original, according to new research.
LA-based Caltex Records represents most mainstream Iranian music released since the 1950s. A 25-year-old Iranian immigrant founded it after the 1979 revolution.
What pushed 5 American families into homelessness
President Trump’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has pushed for hardline immigration policies. Some people, including Mayor Karen Bass, wonder if Miller wants revenge on his hometown.
A number of Republicans opposed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” then voted for it anyway. Is Trump more powerful than ever?
Journalist Brian Goldstone set out to uncover the true scope of homelessness, and followed five families for more than five years. His new book is “There Is No Place for Us.”
Feds are trying to show bravado, test LA: Bass on troops in MacArthur Park
Federal troops paraded through MacArthur Park on Monday in an astonishing show of force. Mayor Karen Bass says LA is a testing site for a national project.
The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig has spent years closely covering capital punishment. She’s written a powerful and deeply personal meditation on what witnessing executions has revealed to her about her own faith, and the power of forgiveness.
NPR’s Eric Deggans reviews the latest in TV: “Ballard,” “Dexter: Resurrection,” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (season three), and “Billy Joel: And So It Goes.”