Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Plus, in a surprisingly competitive race for Los Angeles mayor, reality star Spencer Pratt is polling just behind Mayor Karen Bass. And analysis of the verdict in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI.

Plus, the Bay Area has dominated California politics for a generation. Could this chaotic governor’s race signal a resurgent Southland? And our film critics review a family revenge road trip.

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.