Press Play with Madeleine Brand

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.

Plus, Hollywood’s worst summer in decades, our weekly film reviews, and Evan Kleiman on where to get the best walnuts, and what to make with them.

Plus, a court throws out the redrawn Congressional map in Texas and Democrats are taking a victory lap, and cartoonist R. Crumb delves deep into conspiracy theories in his first comic book in decades.

Plus, the prospects for peace in Gaza after the UN Security Council approves the American peace plan, and the Netflix series Boots follows a gay teenager who wants to become a Marine.

Plus, Mr. bin Salman goes to Washington, a federal judge says a prosecutor may have botched the indictment of former FBI director James Comey, and how to find new music in your fifties.

Plus, the impact of the LA City Council tightening rent increases, our weekly film reviews, and Evan Kleiman has suggestions for spots offering takeout or dine-in Thanksgiving.

Plus, what Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to get out of the COP30 climate conference, Inspector General Max Huntsman on LA County jail conditions, and what to see (or skip) on TV this fall.

Plus, an oral history of D-Day and the veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944, and a new documentary sheds light on Hitler’s favorite filmmaker, Leni Riefenstahl.

Plus, the latest legal fight over SNAP benefits and cases the Supreme Court will (and won’t) take up, travel chaos continues at airports, and how criticism is changing as legacy media cuts back.

Plus, how New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani might transform the city, our weekly film reviews, and Evan Kleiman’s stuffed pumpkin recipes.

Plus, California voters approve a plan to redraw the state’s Congressional map, campaigning against trans rights backfires for Republican gubernatorial candidates, and the photography of Sister Corita Kent.

Plus, President Trump claims the War Powers Resolution doesn't apply to strikes against alleged drug cartel members in the Caribbean, how Vice President Dick Cheney redefined executive power, and Obamacare enrollees make hard healthcare choices as premiums are set to rise.

Plus, President Trump’s tariffs go before the Supreme Court, a new book details the history of abortion pills, and 90s R&B stars Brandy and Monica headline a tour coming to Inglewood this weekend.

Plus, the Dodgers are on the brink of elimination in the World Series, our film critics review a satirical take on Dracula ahead of Halloween, and Evan Kleiman has a decadent dessert for the holiday season.

Plus, warnings about President Trump’s tariffs come to fruition for consumers, making sense of the latest protein craze, and why HBO’s Task is a rare TV show that gets working class America right.

Plus, Los Angeles plans to spend $2.3 million to build an iron fence around MacArthur Park. The Hammer Museum is back with its biennial Made in LA exhibition. And celebrity gossip website TMZ turns 20.

Plus, a multimillion dollar donation from a Trump benefactor to pay troops during the shutdown, UCLA makes a proposed $1.2 billion settlement with the Trump administration public, and sports betting in California.

Plus, the future of U.S.-Japan relations under new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, our film critics review the new Bruce Springsteen biopic, and Evan Kleiman schools us on the history and delicacy of dates.

Plus, the immigration judges who actually work for the Department of Justice. The government shutdown could soon affect federal food assistance and Covered California. And the future of male birth control.

Plus, President Trump and Colombia’s president spar over strikes on alleged drug traffickers, a $650 million Hollywood Ponzi scheme, and why the Louvre heist is different from other famous art thefts.

President Trump may invoke the Insurrection Act to send troops to San Francisco. And the Los Angeles Dodgers return to the World Series behind a legendary performance from Shohei Ohtani.