Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Plus, writer Susan Orlean on her critically acclaimed, bestselling love letter to libraries, our weekend film reviews, and Apple TV’s Widow’s Bay surprises with 19 Emmy nominations.

Plus, how 19th century immigration backlash led to the antisemitic trope of the Jewish arsonist, a documentary on the dangers of the Pacific Coast Highway, and Evan Kleiman’s chicken parmesan recs.

Plus, a real actor named John Early stars as a woman in Maddie’s Secret. And the family that ran Cafe Gratitude has moved out of California, turned their back on veganism, and is embracing MAHA.

Plus, President Trump pressures the House to pass a voting bill, the administration withholds federal aid to LA’s homeless housing organizations, and KCRW DJ John Tejada’s song of the summer.

Plus, Venezuela's natural disaster is exacerbated by a human one, our weekend film reviews including the latest Minions movie, and the U.S. survives and advances in the World Cup.

Plus, a hard-fought housing bill goes into effect today. The goal is to lower housing costs by building more homes near transit stops. And Evan Kleiman celebrates the Fourth of July…and the hot dog.

Activists screamed insults at him and accused him and “Zionist handlers” of supporting genocide. Plus, big Supreme Court decisions on birthright citizenship, trans athletes, and campaign finance - and this summer’s best TV.

Plus, the Supreme Court’s dramatic expansion of presidential power, the Democratic infighting as California voters decide whether to tax billionaires, and a celebration of Mel Brooks as he turns 100.

Plus, the Court’s ruling against a Rastafari man who sued prison officials for shaving his head has again turned Black hair into a political flashpoint, our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman loves tiki drinks.

Plus, the LAPD shooting of a dog renews questions about police shootings. And it’s not your imagination - fruit is a lot sweeter these days. It’s on purpose.

Plus, Congo’s soccer team is looking good both on and off the field, how Uber and Lyft use dynamic pricing in all sorts of ways to make you pay more, and the rise of the online apartment scout.

Plus, how a New York six-year-old’s disappearance changed parenting, the UK’s prime minister bans social media for kids as one of his last acts, and why summer concert season is becoming a financial flop.

Plus, a chance to amend the Los Angeles City Charter for the first time since the 1990s. One idea? Letting noncitizens vote in city elections. Our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman’s Ojai road trip recommendations.

Plus, how Luigi Mangione captivated people after he allegedly murdered a healthcare executive, how filmmakers use baseball to signal virtue, and using goats, sheep, and cattle to reduce wildfire risk.

Plus, Gov. Newsom says the DOJ is investigating him because he’s considering running for president, why some Iranian-Americans booed Iran’s soccer team while others cheered, and Serena Williams says taking a GLP-1 helped her get back on the tennis court.

Plus, the Justice Department’s top prosecutor in LA continues to push election fraud conspiracies, the DOJ approves the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, and remembering artist David Hockney.

Plus, how soccer’s success at the 1984 Olympics in LA set the stage for the ‘94 World Cup, our weekend film reviews, and Evan Kleiman has easy dinners you can make even when you don’t feel like cooking.

Plus, immigration agents descended on Los Angeles a year ago this month, conducting mass arrests and sparking violent protests. Now the tactics have changed. And author Sarah Wang on her new novel about a Taiwanese immigrant addicted to plastic surgery.

Plus, President Trump says the Iran War is ending, but Iran doesn’t seem as eager to move on. And we remember Iranian novelist Marjane Satrapi, whose last book celebrated the women, life, freedom movement.

Plus, Nithya Raman is now in second place in the mayor’s race. That prompted President Trump to cry voter fraud. And Cubans in both Cuba and the U.S. worry about Trump’s efforts to target them.

Plus, a far-right, Trump-loving lawyer who calls himself “El Tigre” promises to eradicate Colombia’s drug cartels. We’ll have your weekend movie reviews, and Evan Kleiman brings us a peculiar French dessert.

Plus, recapping the statewide races, how last year’s fires affected people on the streets, and we’ll meet a man who worked with the homeless who became homeless himself after the Eaton Fire.

Plus, a two-year analysis of Gov. Newsom’s signature homeless policy reveals a deeply flawed program, how AI can detect cancer in mammograms, and ‘90s cult fave Koo Koo Roo promised to return, but so far, nary a squawk.

Plus, the fight for California governor comes down to the wire, a judge orders President Trump to take his name off the Kennedy Center, and Noah Kahan’s new album tackles mental health, success, and celebrity.

Plus, new polling shows the Los Angeles mayor’s race tightening, dozens of immigrants are on a hunger strike at a detention facility near LA, our weekend movie reviews, and Evan Kleiman talks zucchini.