Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.

  • 51 minutes 26 seconds
    ‘Gasoline Rainbow’: Timeless and feels like a true road trip, critics say

    Critics review the latest film releases: “Back to Black,” “IF,” “Gasoline Rainbow,” and “Babes.”

    Google will start putting AI-generated answers at the top of search results. Content creators and media outlets say this will cost them clicks.

    A military historian and retired Army colonel discusses Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy against Hamas, and what the war in Gaza means for Israeli politics domestically and globally. 

    How are various sugars made, and what textures and flavors do they add to baked goods and other dishes? Evan Kleiman walks you through her library of sugars.

    16 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 49 minutes 52 seconds
    Will UC divest from Israel?

    Billions in the UC system’s portfolio are tied to holdings targeted by pro-Palestinian protests. Plus, did CHP officers break California law during its UCLA encampment sweep?

    Cartels in Mexico have created one of the deadliest election years in the country’s history. What will this mean for voters heading to the polls next month?

    The 401(k) has increased the wealth of millions while exacerbating income inequality among older Americans. What can be done to close that gap?

    Growing up in mostly white, small towns in Ohio, Jamie Figueroa felt cut off from her Puerto Rican heritage. She chronicles her journey to connect with her Boricua roots in a new book.

    15 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 49 minutes 48 seconds
    Highway 1 in Big Sur: We keep rebuilding, nature keeps destroying

    Decades of erosion and climate change constantly shut down Highway 1 through Big Sur. The damage is worsening as more intense storms hit the coast.

    President Biden today announced higher tariffs on Chinese goods, saying the aim is to protect the U.S. economy from overseas competitors. Trump has taken aim at U.S.-China trade policy as well. 

    The New York Times spoke to dozens of people who reported COVID side effects, ranging from shingles to brain damage, as part of a year-long probe. Despite reports to the CDC, concerns have gone unanswered.

    Comedian Richard Gadd says “Baby Reindeer” is a true story of his stalker. That woman says Gadd exaggerated greatly and is threatening to sue.

    14 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 27 seconds
    Gustavo Dudamel: New York is a new chapter, Los Angeles is home

    LA Philharmonic Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel talks about conducting Beethoven's only opera, plus his choice to start leading the New York Philharmonic in 2026.

    The New York Times/Siena College polls show Biden losing to Trump in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia. Biden has lost support with key Democratic demographics.  

    The state of California tried to stop a lawsuit relating to a fatal COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin prison. Today, the Supreme Court allowed it to go forward.

    Roger Corman, who died last Thursday, helped launch the careers of directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, and James Cameron.

    13 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 33 seconds
    Celebrate AAPI Month with Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Chinese cookbooks

    Andrea Nguyen, Clarissa Wei, and Hetty Lui McKinnon have all been nominated for a James Beard Award. Try their cookbook recipes during this AAPI Month.

    The new book “White Rural Rage” explores anger in the heartland and the threat it poses to American democracy. 

    Critics review the latest film releases: “The Poolman,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “Last Stop in Yuma County,” and “Power.” 

    Though he hated being called a “producer,” Steve Albini was behind albums by The Pixies and Nirvana. He helped create a D-I-Y, analog sound in rock music that influenced others. 

    9 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes
    ‘Help Wanted’: Inside the lives of struggling retail workers

    In “Help Wanted,” part-time employees of a big-box retail store in New York are barely making a living. Author Adelle Waldman’s own job experiences inspired the novel. 

    Ryan Crocker, a former U.S. ambassador to Middle Eastern countries, says Israel should heed the message behind the Biden administration’s withholding of bombs.

    Hollywood’s summer box office season is here. So far, it pales in comparison to last year’s $4 billion bonanza brought in by  “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” 

    Actor Chris Pratt razed an architecturally significant house. Another wealthy homeowner wants to demolish Marilyn Monroe’s former home. What are LA’s historic preservation rules?

    8 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 53 seconds
    Small Santa Cruz newsroom nabs Pulitzer for their environmental reporting

    Lookout Santa Cruz has earned the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting. The winning coverage was about the flooding and mudslides along the Central Coast last January.

    Once viewed as a progressive movement for a Jewish state, Zionism has taken on a settler colonialist connotation for many pro-Palestinian protestors. 

    One reason for sky-high veterinary bills? Private equity funds and big corporations have been gobbling up small, independent vets.

    Maya Rudolph spent eight seasons on “Saturday Night Live” doing impressions. In her latest show, she’s a billionaire determined to donate her fortune.

    7 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 51 minutes
    Folk icon Joan Baez gets personal in her new poetry collection

    Joan Baez talks about her poetry, memories of abuse, living with dissociative identity disorder, and abstaining from the Gaza protests on college campuses. 

    After violence broke out between pro-Palestinian activists and counter-protestors at UCLA, campus officials are launching its new Office of Campus Safety. 

    Student protesters are demanding universities divest from Israel. But in California, divestment may not be legally achievable because of a little-known civil rights law. 

    Six months after the Hollywood strikes, film and TV productions are still down. Now IATSE is at the table with the AMPTP. Could a strike be on the horizon? 

    6 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 51 minutes 52 seconds
    ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ could be best 2024 film, says critic

    Critics review the latest film releases: “The Fall Guy,” “I Saw the TV Glow,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” and “Mars Express.”

    Police arrested more than 130 people at UCLA after law enforcement dispersed protesters and dismantled a pro-Palestinian encampment. The demonstrations have taken attention away from the actual war in Gaza. 

    Arizona's Republican-led legislature repealed the state's Civil War-era abortion ban, reverting to a 15-week limit. Meanwhile, Florida enforces a six-week ban.

    Shows that have all the trappings of prestige TV — the cinematic look, the big names — are everywhere on streaming services. But one critic says they’re all average.

    2 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 50 minutes 25 seconds
    Celebrate Mother’s Day with marinated strawberries (and ice cream)

    Strawberries are easy to transform into a dish that’s like a gift. To kick them up a notch, marinate them with a drizzle of flavorful balsamic vinegar.

    After violence between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian sides broke out at UCLA overnight, two Dartmouth lecturers with differing views on the war offer a model for cooperation.

    The Department of Justice proposed making cannabis a Schedule 3 drug, acknowledging after decades of illicit use that it has medical value and a lower risk for abuse. It’s currently Schedule 1, along with heroin.

    The daughter of late film critic Gene Siskel is out with a new poetry book, “Two Minds,” about grief and the sudden death of her father when she was 12 years old.

    1 May 2024, 7:00 pm
  • 49 minutes 58 seconds
    Trader Joe’s: Fun romp through global cuisine comes at a price

    Trader Joe’s works with global suppliers to make eclectic products, but some small food producers say the company rips them off, reports Adam Reiner, founder of Restaurant Manifesto. 

    Campus protestors nationwide are demanding universities divest of financial ties to Israel. Is that possible in today's complex, global economy? 

    The NLRB has accused Trader Joe’s, Starbucks, Amazon, and SpaceX of harassing and intimidating workers. The companies are challenging the power of the board to protect workers’ jobs. 

    Author and USC professor Viet Thanh Nguyen won a Pulitzer Prize for his 2015 novel “The Sympathizer.” It’s been adapted into a new limited series from HBO.

    After the Denver Nuggets eliminated the Lakers from the NBA playoffs on Monday night, Lebron James refused to say whether or not he’ll be wearing purple and gold next season.

    30 April 2024, 7:00 pm
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