Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Plus, students nationwide are doing poorly in English and math, but LA is bucking that trend. And Evan Kleiman celebrates local cheese shops and gives you advice on how to handle delicate cheese.

Plus, the move to get rid of California’s top two “jungle primary.” The Lakers are swept in the NBA playoffs. Should LeBron James hang it up? And our favorite food scenes in film.

Plus, Democrats panic after court rulings give Republicans advantages in redistricting, and studies confirm a third circulatory system in the body that gives scientific backing to Chinese acupuncture.

Plus, two LA politicians and a reality TV star mix it up in their first mayoral debate, our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman is here with a dish that sounds disgusting, but is actually delicious.

Plus, LA’s infrastructure is a mess. Now there’s a plan to make a plan. Also, why Latinos make up half of the Border Patrol, and a new book examines the idea of a bad mom.

Plus, the Iran War leaves California refiners scrambling to find new sources of crude, the hantavirus that killed three people on a cruise is part of life in the Mammoth area, and how to be a dissident.

Plus, whipsaw court rulings over the abortion drug mifepristone, a new report says New Orleans could be underwater in decades, and how the Met Gala became the party everyone loves to hate.

Plus, new apps allow people to “nudify” photos, how The Devil Wars Prada 2 is part fan service, part documentary, and Evan Kleiman makes her case for the tuna melt.

Plus, a chaotic debate with eight candidates jockeying to be California’s next governor, does the Left have their Joe Rogan in Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, and the final days of a landmark museum show here in Los Angeles.

Plus, California’s electric car dream is sputtering as sales drop dramatically after President Trump ditches federal rebates, and the U.S. Mint is using illegally mined gold from a Colombian cartel for its gold coins.

Plus, how the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner reveals a side of journalism many journalists find disgusting, Supreme Court cases on agriculture and privacy, and why Catalina Island’s mule deer’s days are numbered.

Plus, the White House shifts the war on drugs and reclassifies medical marijuana, San Diego has so much water it's going to sell it to other states, and Evan Kleiman on how to make perfect fried rice.

Plus, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco recently seized 650,000 ballots from last year’s election. A new investigation sheds light on why. And LAUSD bans digital devices for kindergartners and first-graders.

Plus, Xavier Becerra is the biggest beneficiary of Eric Swalwell’s stunning political collapse, surging in the latest polls. And a new study divides Shark Tank competitors into good and bad narcissists.

Plus, will Star Wars’ return to the big screen save theaters? A Texas man sues a California doctor for mailing his girlfriend mifepristone, and AI so powerful its maker is keeping it from the public.  

Plus, Yale confirms higher education is in crisis and says the blame lies mainly with…elite universities like Yale, our weekly film reviews, and Evan Kleiman on how tofu can be creamy.

Plus, how a culture on Capitol Hill may have enabled Eric Swalwell’s alleged crimes and sexual misconduct, a split in the U.S. Catholic Church between more progressive leaders and their flock, and Tax Day’s winners and losers.

Plus, labor unions in LA’s public schools unite to win big salary increases, layoffs and sluggish sales in the video game industry, and how a chimpanzee civil war makes humans look good by comparison.

Plus, who will succeed Eric Swalwell after he resigns from Congress, how a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would work, and a love letter to the music of the Texas-Mexico border.

Plus, the Iran War’s economic impact will last for a while, a rave review for a new Steven Soderbergh film called The Christophers, and Evan Kleiman’s elegy for peas.

Plus, the European man MAGA loves, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, fights a tough reelection battle, how we name colors, and one frustrated Angeleno’s experience trying to buy the elusive $28 Olympics ticket.

Plus, assessing the success and shortcomings of LA's Inside Safe program, President Trump’s former personal attorney now leads the Justice Department, and rapper Ye attempts a comeback after years of antisemitism.

Plus, the Supreme Court sides with Steve Bannon, how AI is changing the books you’re reading, and all the new music venues in Los Angeles. Some have taken over old spots.

Plus, war in Iran may be a boon for California pistachio farmers, our weekend film reviews, and what to bake for Passover and Easter with Good Food’s Evan Kleiman.  

Plus, President Trump’s shifting goals in Iran, how American children became such picky eaters, and safety tips for rattlesnake encounters on hiking trails.

Plus, the Supreme Court hears a case that could redefine birthright citizenship, high gas prices push drivers to e-bikes, and rapper IDK served time and found freedom in music.

Plus, the IOC bans trans athletes, our weekend movie reviews, including arthouse body horror and a Vince Vaughn crime caper, and Evan Kleiman on how to cook an underappreciated vegetable: the leek.

Plus, a jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in a groundbreaking personal injury lawsuit. Why is flying so awful? Blame 1970s deregulation. And a requiem for Echo Park’s beloved restaurant Taix.  

Plus, think LA city politics are boring? Think again. The week before the deadline to file as a candidate in the mayoral election was filled with drama. And Saudi Arabia may be pushing President Trump to continue the war with Iran.

Plus, two Republicans lead the California governor’s race, the Supreme Court appears skeptical of mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day, and LA’s Darwinian left turns at a yellow light.

Plus, California moves to rename Cesar Chavez Day, how to detox from your phone, reviews of the new Ryan Gosling movie and other big releases, and the hot weather has Evan Kleiman thinking soft serve.

Plus, LA County DA Nathan Hochman says ICE is interfering with his prosecutions, the prolific career of composer Philip Glass, and Reuters purportedly identifies mysterious street artist Banksy.

Plus, President Trump restarts an oil pipeline in California to lower prices, why he talks about Hannibal Lecter like he’s a real person, and the Sklar Brothers preview the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Plus, President Trump loses a court battle against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a free music showcase called The Rehearsal at a downtown market, and remembering the philosopher who coined the term “the public sphere.”

Plus, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s first public statement raises questions about the health of Iran’s supreme leader. And our weekend film reviews include a Colleen Hoover drama all about yearning.

Plus, a preliminary report says the U.S. fired the missile that hit an Iranian school, new shows starring Tracy Morgan, Rachel Weisz, and Steve Carrell, and Evan Kleiman on how to make the simple potato sing.  

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.