Headlines From The Times

Latest Episodes:

Are Biden and Trump border buddies? Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden decried U.S. border policies enacted by the Trump administration as racist. But Biden has not only not rolled some of them back — in some cases, he’s doubled down.

Today, we try to figure out what changed. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times immigration reporters Hamed Aleaziz and Andrea Castillo

More reading:

Top Democrats warn Biden: Don’t restart family detentions

Biden immigration plan could force asylum officers to break law, union warns

Asylum seekers face decision to split up families or wait indefinitely under new border policy

So Donald Trump got indicted... Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

The indictment of former president Donald Trump has provoked praise and criticism alike. So what’s next? We talk to two of our political wizards to figure it out.

Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak, and L.A. Times national security reporter Sarah D. Wire

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Full coverage: Trump hush-money probe

Trump indicted in alleged hush-money scheme, becoming first former U.S. president in history to be prosecuted

Column: Scandal after scandal, Trump has defied political physics. Will this time be different?

Can music make people care about climate change? Mar 31, 2023

Show notes

Lucy Jones, California’s beloved earthquake expert, sits down with environment reporter Rosanna Xia to discuss her new project: using music to inspire people to take action against climate change. Listen to hear Lucy go through her process, her collaborators explain the psychology behind it all, and — of course — a sampling of the compositions. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Rosanna Xia

Guests: Lucy Jones

More reading:

Column One: Can music inspire more people to care about climate change?

Lucy Jones is leaving her job - to shake up more than just earthquakes

The RV homeless encampments of L.A. Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

Over the last couple of years, RVs in Los Angeles turned from a vehicle for camping to shelter for people who are unhoused. That’s led to multiple complaints — and deaths.

Today, we examine how L.A. got to this point. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith

More reading:

The real and complicated reasons why Los Angeles still has so many RV encampments

Q&A: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass: ‘The city is demanding the tents go away’

Los Angeles lifts moratorium on towing RVs, pledges to move problem campers

How college gymnasts can finally cash in Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

For over 100 years, college athletes couldn’t make money competing in their sports. A new NCAA rule around name, image and likeness, or NIL, has changed that. The biggest winners? Gymnasts.

Today, we talk to a few current and former gymnasts at UCLA, including Olympians Jordyn Wieber and Jordan Chiles, about how this rule change has affected their lives.Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times college sports and NBA reporter Thuc Nhi Nguyen

More reading:

Once empowered by Title IX, female athletes are now among big winners in new NIL era

‘My medals are my armor.’ Jordan Chiles’ persistence guides her pursuit of greatness

How California paved the way for college athletes to cash in big

A surrender hotline for Russian soldiers Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Ukrainian military officials have set up a hotline for Russian soldiers to call in and surrender. Is it working to end the war?.

Today, we talk to the people behind it. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times global affairs correspondent Laura King

More reading:

Lots of Russian soldiers want to surrender. Ukraine makes it easier with a high-tech hotline

A soldier’s tale: Russian serviceman’s scathing memoir depicts a senseless war

Read the L.A. Times’ full Ukraine coverage

The flooding in Pajaro, Calif. — and how it all could have been avoided Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

This year’s historic storms have hit communities of color like Pajaro, Calif., especially hard. It’s a recurring problem that could’ve been avoided entirely.

Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times investigative reporter Susanne Rust

More reading:

Residents left in flooded California farm town feel ‘abandoned’ as levees fail

Spring storm sets sights on Southern California with strong wind, heavy rain

How a long history of racism and neglect set the stage for Pajaro flooding

A murder mystery, a cover up, and femicide in Mexico Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

Ariadna López was found murdered on the side of a road in Mexico, one of thousands of women murdered every year in the country. But her death outraged the country like never before.

Today, the problem of femicide in Mexico — and whether Lopez’s death will help change that. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell

More reading:

A single mother in Mexico was blamed for her own death. Now a well-connected playboy has been charged

Femicides in Mexico: Little progress on longstanding issue

In Mexico, a grisly killing inflames debate about femicide

Silicon Valley Bank's collapse may affect your interest rate Mar 17, 2023

Show notes

When inflation is high, the Federal Reserve has historically raised interest rates. But the recent failures of banks like Silicon Valley Bank have sparked worries about the stability of our banking system. Now the feds must weigh whether the banking system could withstand the turmoil that raising interest rates could bring. To get inside the mind of Fed chair Jerome Powell, we look to a previous era of high inflation, the late 1970s and early ‘80s, and the decisions of then Fed chairs Arthur Burns and Paul Volcker.

Today, we talk about what's next. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times economics reporter Don Lee

More reading:

Did deregulation lead to Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse?

Federal Reserve officials sound warnings about higher rates

U.S. inflation eases but stays high, putting Fed in tough spot

The judge who likes to overturn gun laws Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez is known for overturning gun bans. Derided and hailed in equal measures, he’s now presiding over a case with far-reaching consequences.

Today, we talk about his history and impact. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times enterprise reporter Laura J. Nelson

More reading:

The judge upending California’s gun laws: ‘Blessed’ jurist or ‘stone-cold ideologue’?

Thanks to the Supreme Court, California gun cases hinge more on history than modern threats

War on California gun laws revs up after Supreme Court’s ‘right to carry’ decision