Press Play with Madeleine Brand

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

  • 53 minutes 8 seconds
    LA fires: Impact on artists, delayed evacuation orders

    A sculptor/printmaker and the J. Paul Getty Trust president share how the recent fires devastated LA’s artist community. 

    Residents in western Altadena experienced a delay in getting evacuation notices as the Eaton Fire raged, according to an LA Times investigation.

    President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of every January 6 insurrection defendant, including Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys.

    TV critics review “The Pitt,” “Apple Cider Vinegar,” “On Call,” and “Severance” season two.

    22 January 2025, 2:45 am
  • 52 minutes 4 seconds
    Donald Trump sworn in, LA musicians take stock of fire losses

    President Trump took office today and immediately signed a slew of executive orders related to immigration, energy, trade, and gender. They’ll almost certainly face legal challenges.

    President Trump’s embrace of tech bosses raises questions of conflicts of interest during his term. 

    Poolside’s Jeffrey Paradise and rapper “Fat Tony” Obi both lost their homes and studios in the recent fires. Each vows to stay in LA.

    21 January 2025, 5:42 am
  • 52 minutes 35 seconds
    Councilwoman Traci Park on Palisades Fire, David Lynch remembrance

    LA City Councilmember Traci Park represents Pacific Palisades and has introduced a suite of legislation to respond to last week’s devastating wildfires and protect affected residents.

    In President Biden’s farewell speech, he listed his administration’s accomplishments and echoed another president when it came to a “tech industrial complex.”

    Critics review the latest film releases: “One of Them Days,” “Wolf Man,” “I'm Still Here,” and “Wish You Were Here.”

    Filmmaker David Lynch was known for an unconventional approach and non-linear storytelling. His name was used as an adjective — Lynchian — to express surreal normalcy. He died today at age 78.

     

    17 January 2025, 3:25 am
  • 53 minutes 4 seconds
    Ceasefire in Gaza, Palisades Fire’s impact on schools

    Both the incoming and outgoing White House administrations played a role in negotiating, and applying necessary pressure, for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel. 

    A senior from Palisades Charter High and a coordinator at the Westside Waldorf School share how students and staff are faring amid the wildfires.

    There has been so much misinformation, and even outright conspiracy theories, circulating since the wildfires broke out last week. Press Play debunks some of the more egregious claims.

    LA’s cooks, restaurateurs, caterers, small grocers, etc. went from (barely) making profits to donating meals to wildfire victims. They still need to make payroll, so please eat out.

    16 January 2025, 1:13 am
  • 51 minutes 4 seconds
    Investigating causes of SoCal wildfires, rent price gouging

    Was the Palisades Fire caused by embers left over from another extinguished fire? Was Eaton the fault of power lines? It may take months before investigators know.

    National and international firefighters have been coming to SoCal to help fight the wildfires devastating the region. How are they deployed? 

    These wildfires have displaced tens of thousands of Southern Californians, many of them suddenly entering LA’s brutal, competitive, and already crowded rental market.

    Writer Caitlin Flanagan’s friendship with Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Seamus Heaney profoundly shaped her life and her Catholic faith. She writes about their bond in The Atlantic.

    15 January 2025, 2:40 am
  • 52 minutes 12 seconds
    SoCal wildfires: Insurance claims, FEMA response, toxic air and water

    California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara addresses challenges facing homeowners affected by the wildfires, possible solutions, and what the future holds for the state’s insurance market.

    FEMA provides assistance to individuals, local aid organizations, and state and local agencies before, during, and after disasters. What kind of help is available?

    LA faces ongoing fire danger with strong winds expected. Water officials advise against drinking tap water in some areas, and air quality remains a concern.

    “Hard Truths” explores family dynamics through sisters: one angry and fearful, the other loving. Director Mike Leigh teamed up with Marianne Jean-Baptiste. 

     

    13 January 2025, 11:41 pm
  • 51 minutes 52 seconds
    Community losses, mental health, criticism of Mayor Bass

    A Palisades community leader and a co-owner of an Altadena restaurant both describe the destruction of their areas as apocalyptic. Still, they have plans to rebuild.

    A trauma studies professor offers guidance on alleviating your own grief, talking to someone who’s lost everything, and preparing for the long recovery. 

    Mayor Karen Bass has faced political blowback for being in Ghana as devastating wildfires broke out all across Los Angeles.

    Critics review the latest film releases: “Hard Truths,” “Vermiglio,” “Diane Warren: Relentless,” and “The Last Showgirl.”

    10 January 2025, 4:25 am
  • 52 minutes 31 seconds
    Palisades, Eaton, Hurst Fires: Evacuation stories, weather predictions

    The entire LA basin is on high alert as three major fires are burning uncontrolled. The Palisades Fire has burned nearly 16,000 acres as of Wednesday 2 p.m. Altadena’s Eaton Fire has exceeded 10,000 acres. And Sylmar’s Hurst Fire: 700 acres. 

    Residents of Topanga, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena share their experiences evacuating the fires. 

    A KQED reporter describes the situation for Eaton Fire evacuees at the Pasadena Convention Center.

    NOAA estimates how long the fierce winds will last and what the coming forecast may look like.

    9 January 2025, 1:09 am
  • 51 minutes 36 seconds
    Windstorm-driven fires in LA, Jimmy O. Yang on ‘Interior Chinatown’

    At least two wildfires — in Pacific Palisades and West Hollywood — have started as the worst windstorm in more than a decade blasts SoCal. 

    Meta announced today it would remove fact-checkers and have fewer speech restrictions on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The move signals an attempt to garner favor with the incoming Trump administration.

    Jimmy O. Yang talks about his early difficulties landing bit parts in Hollywood, to now playing the lead in Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown.” He says Asian storytellers must be “undeniably good” to move Hollywood forward.

    Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants cancer warning labels on all bottles of booze, but there are conflicting reports about the health impacts of alcohol. 

    7 January 2025, 8:38 pm
  • 53 minutes 5 seconds
    Jan. 6 anniversary, TikTok trial, yacht rock

    Four years after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election win, President-elect Trump was certified on another January 6 day.

    The Supreme Court hears a challenge on Friday to a federal law that will ban TikTok if the Chinese parent company ByteDance doesn’t sell the popular social media app.

    In the mid-1970s and ‘80s in SoCal, bands like Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and Toto blended jazz, R&B, and pop to create a new soft style: yacht rock. 

    The newly expanded college football playoffs were supposed to make games more competitive. How come all the top-seeded teams crashed out?

     

    7 January 2025, 12:57 am
  • 53 minutes 15 seconds
    Domestic terrorism, ‘Nickel Boys’ director, 2025 film previews

    On New Year’s Day, a former Army veteran drove a car into a crowd on Bourbon Street, and opened fire on civilians and law enforcement. He had shown sympathies with ISIS. 

    Filmmaker RaMell Ross’ latest movie looks at the plight of two boys incarcerated in an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. 

    Big-screen films to look forward to in 2025 are “Wicked: For Good,” “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” “28 Years Later,” “Mickey 17,” and more.

    Sometimes called a German pancake or bismarck, a Dutch baby is baked in the oven, and is made of eggs, flour, milk, and sugar.

     

    2 January 2025, 11:58 pm
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