Headlines From The Times

It’s hard to avoid Gov. Gavin Newsom these days, even if you don’t live in California. He frequently attacks other governors, lobs daggers at members of his own Democratic Party, and expounds on the “California way” when talking about everything from abortion access to combating climate change and more. All this action on the national stage has people asking, is Newsom low-key testing the waters f...

For hundreds of years, Mexican fermented drinks like tepache, tejuino and pulque were looked down upon by polite society. But a younger generation in Mexico has embraced them for their taste and curative powers. Now, they’re having a moment in the United States — and becoming a multimillion-dollar industry. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times food editor Daniel...

Mahsa Amini died Sept. 16 in Iran after an encounter with the country’s so-called morality police. Since her death, Iranians have taken to the streets in protest of the country’s modesty laws. But what began as a call for women’s rights in Iran has since ballooned into something so much bigger. Today, we hear from the Iranian diaspora about why they’re protesting in solidarity. Read the full trans...

There’s a test used across Latin America to determine whether a baby was born dead or alive. And depending on the result, it could allow prosecutors to bring murder charges against mothers who might have had a still-born birth. And there’s an even bigger problem. This test is 400 years old and very unreliable. Today, how the so-called flotation test is sending women to prison for killing their new...

Brazilians are heading to the polls on Sunday to choose between two very different candidates: current president Jair Bolsonaro and a former one, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, more popularly known as Lula. The icon of the left spent years in prison on corruption charges but is now on the cusp of regaining the presidency. Today, we talk about how that happened. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gus...

Alex Villanueva was elected as Los Angeles County sheriff in 2018 with support from progressives riding an anti-Trump wave. But since he took office, he has shifted to the right. His opponent in the November election, retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, leads in the polls. But at a time when issues surrounding law enforcement are part of a national conversation, how much do they differ? W...

Record heat. Record drought. Record floods. Record hail. Record bad air. In a world where climate disasters seem to break records every year, do records even mean anything anymore? And if not, then what’s next when it comes to measuring climate misery? Today, we reconvene our Masters of Disasters to examine this existential question. Read the full transcript here . Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L...

There are dozens if not hundreds of cases involving prosecutors using rap lyrics that are about crimes as evidence of actual crimes, even when there was no other credible evidence. But finally, the recording industry and California lawmakers are pushing to put an end to the practice. Today, we talk about groundbreaking legislation that could limit how music is used as evidence in criminal court. R...

Ever since California legalized cannabis in 2016, the state’s weed market has become a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s estimated to be the largest legal market of its kind in the world. But whenever you get that much money anywhere; well, you’re gonna get political corruption. Today, our investigation into how illegal moves around marijuana are plaguing city halls across the state. Read the fu...

Housing L.A.’s homeless population has unsurprisingly proved to be a herculean task. With tens of thousands of people on the streets, it’s become a top issue for this year’s mayoral election in November. But until now, neither candidate — Congresswoman Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso — had offered specifics on the type of housing they would create, where it would be or how much it...

Sometime soon, NASA plans to launch a powerful new rocket. The launch is part of an ambitious quest to get people back to the moon for the first time in half a century — and just maybe, even further. Today, why the U.S. and its partners are determined to go back to the moon and the role politics plays when we reach for the stars. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. T...

California voters legalized cannabis in 2016, and one of the issues that was supposed to be solved was the violence and environmental wreckage associated with the drug’s illegal trade. But that hasn’t happened. Inside California’s famed “Emerald Triangle,” a region north of San Francisco known for its weed, there’s an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 illegal cannabis farms alone. The under-the-radar cult...

A Los Angeles Times analysis found that thousands of short-term Airbnb rentals are in California’s most hazardous fire zones. But the company does not provide warnings or evacuation information to guests when they make a reservations, and some customers say the company’s refund policy adds to the potential dangers. Today, as climate change threatens so many aspects of our lives, are even our vacat...

Street takeovers. Street races. Burnouts. They’re the latest manifestations of car culture in the region — cousins to the drag races, lowrider cruises, V-dub love-ins and other gear-head gatherings that’ve gone on here for decades. But what you’re seeing right now — a lot of people say the scene feels different. And some people say the film franchise “Fast & Furious” is to blame . In a region wher...

There’s a Gold Rush right now happening in Wyoming — for wind. Billionaire developers are putting up wind turbines to help power California and turn the American West, long a place where fossil fuels ruled, into a green energy powerhouse. But not everyone is happy. Today, we get into the challenges around what’s planned to be the largest wind farm in the country. Read the full transcript here. Hos...

Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador came into office promising to get the military off the streets. Instead, he’s more than doubled their numbers. He claims there’s just no other way to handle Mexico’s narco-violence. Today, we look at Mexico’s delicate dance with its military. It’s an institution that’s among the most trusted in the nation, and potentially its most dangerous. Read the fu...

For her role as Shauna in “Yellowjackets,” Melanie Lynskey has an Emmy nomination for lead actress in a drama series.  Today, we've got another episode from our sister podcast " The Envelope ." Lynskey joins host Yvonne Villarreal to dish on how this year has helped her feel more empowered and less underestimated, arriving at a place of self-love after struggling with an eating disorder, and why n...

Millions of Americans who attended college could have their debt completely canceled or reduced under a plan announced by President Joe Biden last week. But the move is unsurprisingly stirring debate among the right and left, but for completely different reasons. Today, we talk about how this announcement might impact the midterms. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A....

After displacement from Haiti, an exodus from South America and an epic journey through the Americas, what became of Haitians’ American dream? Today, in the final episode of the “Line in the Land” podcast produced by Texas Public Radio and the Houston Chronicle, we hear from Haitian migrants about where they ended up. Read the full transcript here. Hosts: Joey Palacios of Texas Public Radio, and E...

One year ago this month, U.S. forces left Afghanistan after 20 years of war. Some 94,000 Afghan nationals, American citizens and lawful permanent residents have arrived in the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Today, we hear some of their stories. Read the full transcript here . Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times diaspora reporter Sa...

In 1999 in New York, Serena Williams won her first major tennis title at the U.S. Open. Everyone knew she was gonna be a star in the sport and a transformational one too, but few thought she would become the greatest of all time. Today, we talk about the legacy of Serena Williams, not just as an athlete, but as a woman — a Black woman. And what’s next for the tennis icon. Read the full transcript...

For his role as Ali in “Euphoria,” Colman Domingo has an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor in a drama series. Today, we've got another episode from our sister podcast, " The Envelope ." Domingo joins "The Envelope" host Mark Olsen to discuss how his character — who is the sponsors to a struggling teenage drug addict played by Zendaya — is a symbol of redemption and forgiveness, which he...

Surprise, surprise: California cities are banning new gas stations and other cities across the world are watching. The bans are part of an ongoing quest to combat climate change, this time on a local municipal level. The movement is small so far, but now even the car capital of the world, Los Angeles, is thinking about it. Today, what would happen if L.A. hops on this no-new-gas-station brigade. A...

When an earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010, the international community pledged billions of dollars toward recovery. Much of that aid never went to rebuilding Haiti – or even to the Haitian people. But Haiti’s instability goes back even farther. In fact, it has a lot to do with outside political forces dating back to the country’s origin story as the world’s first Black republic. Today, episode 4...

Two of the largest race discrimination cases investigated by the federal government in the past decade allege widespread abuse of hundreds of Black employees by supervisors and coworkers at warehouses in Southern California’s Inland Empire. Anti-black bias on the job is sadly nothing new. But as the Latino population across the US, and especially California continues to grow, anti-Black bias by La...