Headlines From The Times

Latest Episodes:

Dianne Feinstein calls it a career Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

California U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced this week she will not run for reelection next year, ending a legendary career that saw her go from San Francisco City Hall to Capitol Hill. With her upcoming retirement, there’s much speculation as to who will replace her.

Today, we look back at the career of the storied politician and look ahead as to who’ll be running for Feinstein’s seat. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak

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Sen. Feinstein makes it official: She will retire at the end of her current term

Dianne Feinstein retires: Looking back on tragedy, triumph and her contentious perseverance

Column: Dianne Feinstein is one of California’s greats. Let’s remember her that way

Why hotel rooms for L.A.'s homeless sit empty Feb 15, 2023

Show notes

The historic Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles reopened in 2021 with a commitment to make it easy for low-income and unhoused people to occupy its rooms. So why have so few people taken advantage of this offer?

Today, we examine why this well-intentioned and funded solution to L.A.'s homelessness crisis is having trouble fulfilling its original vision. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Fast Break reporter Jaimie Ding

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A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here’s why

LA Times Today: A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty

Once a den of prostitution and drugs, the Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A. is set to undergo a $100-million renovation

Turkey's earthquake, California's "Big One" Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

An earthquake as devastating as the one that hit Turkey and Syria this month has been forecast to hit Southern California for decades. What can residents and governments do to prepare?.

Today, our Masters of Disasters talk to us about how to prepare. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Ron-Gong Lin II, and L.A. Times coastal reporter Rosanna Xia

More reading:

California faces threat from the type of back-to-back mega-earthquakes that devastated Turkey

A deadly building flaw common in California brings destruction and misery to Turkey, Syria

Subscribe to “Unshaken,” the L.A. Times’ earthquake newsletter

Colorado River in Crisis, Pt. 6: The End Feb 10, 2023

Show notes

The Colorado River is supposed to end at the Gulf of California, but hasn’t done so for decades. A joint effort between the United States and Mexico seeks to change that.

Today, we travel to the Colorado River Delta to see what’s happening. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times water reporter Ian James

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A pulse of water revives the dry Colorado River Delta

The river’s end: Amid Colorado water cuts, Mexico seeks to restore its lost oasis

Listen to our special Colorado River series here

Do social-media child stars "work"? Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

Teenager Piper Rockelle and her friends created a multimillion-dollar YouTube empire. A lawsuit threatens it, and brings up questions about whether what young influencers do for a living constitutes “work.”

Today, we examine the history of child labor laws in California, and what might happen in this digital age. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times senior entertainment reporter Amy Kaufman, and L.A. Times arts and culture writer Jessica Gelt

More reading:

Inside the blockbuster lawsuit threatening one teen YouTube star’s multimillion-dollar empire

Column: Social media platforms must stop the exploitation of child performers. Now

Who’s protecting social media’s child stars? Inside the lawsuit against one YouTuber’s empire

A Super Bowl with two Black quarterbacks Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

For decades, NFL teams actively discouraged Black players from playing quarterback, the sport’s marquee position.

Today, we go through this shameful history — and celebrate this year’s historic Super Bowl, which features two Black starting quarterbacks for the first time. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guest: L.A. Times opinion columnist LZ Granderson

More reading:

Column: The NFL should stop running from its racial history

No one should forget about Doug Williams

The Big Book Of Black Quarterbacks

Colorado River in Crisis, Pt. 5: The Valley Feb 03, 2023

Show notes

California’s Imperial Valley has some of the lowest rainfall in the state, yet uses the largest allotment of Colorado River water. Why is such an arid part of the state an agricultural powerhouse?

Today, we look into how the region secured its rights. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times water reporter Ian James

More reading:

In California’s Imperial Valley, farmers brace for a future with less Colorado River water

Colorado River in Crisis: A Times series on the Southwest’s shrinking water lifeline

California is isolated and alone in battle over Colorado River water cuts

What it means to be a Black cowboy Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

Black people have been part of the American West for centuries. But mainstream cowboy culture long downplayed their contributions, even as they exist in the present day.

Today, we hear from some of them. Read the full transcript here.

Host: L.A. Times national reporter Tyrone Beason

More reading:

Black Californians have long celebrated cowboy culture. We’re just catching up

A proud group of Black Californians keep the traditions of the Old West and cowboy culture alive.

Excerpt: Cowboys in Compton find hope and healing on horseback

What’s up with eggs? Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

All across California, people are asking the same question: Why are eggs so expensive?

Californians walk into grocery stores only to find them sold out, or that they’re going for $7 or more a dozen. Thanks to inflation, everything is more expensive right now. But when it comes to eggs, there’s more to the story.

Today, how a history of California policy and a global bird flu scrambled the economics of a food staple. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times metro reporter Sonja Sharp

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$7 a dozen? Why California eggs are so expensive — and increasingly hard to find

Watch: California eggs are becoming expensive, and increasingly hard to find

Op-Ed: Why does California have an egg shortage?

Colorado River in Crisis, Pt. 4: The Tribe Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

For over a century, Native American tribes along the Colorado River have seen other entities take water that had nourished them since time immemorial. With the depletion of this vital source for the American West, Indigenous leaders see an opening to right a historical wrong.

Today, we check in on one tribe doing just that. Read the full transcript here.

Host: The Times senior producer Kasia Broussalian

Guest: L.A. Times water reporter Ian James

More reading:

Colorado River in Crisis, Pt. 1: A Dying River

Colorado River in Crisis, Pt. 2: The Source

Inside the water crisis: A journey across the Colorado River Basin