Headlines From The Times

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Keke Palmer’s Hollywood reality — and dreams Dec 09, 2022

Show notes

Keke Palmer has already racked up two decades in show business. She acts, sings, hosts a TV show and is the face of numerous memes — and she has big plans for more.
Fresh off hosting "SNL" and starring in “Nope,” Palmer recently sat down with our sister podcast "The Envelope." She shares what it was like to work with Jordan Peele on his blockbuster sci-fi thriller, how she felt about being her family’s breadwinner during her childhood and the advice Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett gave her on the set of “Akeelah and the Bee.” Read the full transcript here.

Hosts: Mark Olsen and Yvonne Villarreal

Guests: Keke Palmer

More reading:
Surprise! Keke Palmer announces pregnancy and SZA reveals album release date on ‘SNL’

Is there anything better than Keke Palmer on a press tour? Nope

Review: A superb Keke Palmer keeps underdeveloped ‘Alice’ mostly on track

The grad student strike at UC schools Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

The workload for graduate students, researchers and assistants who take on-campus jobs for their discipline is notoriously underpaid and endless. That’s why 48,000 of those workers throughout the University of California system have gone on strike, demanding better pay and conditions. The strike is happening even as finals loom.

Today, we examine the background and what’s next. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times education reporter Teresa Watanabe

More reading:

Nearly 48,000 UC graduate students poised to shut down many classes, labs and research with strike

UC postdoctoral scholars and researchers reach tentative deal but strike continues

Chaos over grades, finals and ongoing classes erupts as UC strike continues

Has zero-COVID checkmated China's Xi? Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

Mainland China is roiled by protests, the size of which have not been seen in a generation. People are calling for an end to the government’s strict “zero-COVID” restrictions. The moment has also brought rare public criticism of its architect, President Xi Jinping. Just months ago, he secured an unprecedented third term, but now is as vulnerable as he’s ever been.

Today, we examine whether the zero-COVID policy could be Xi’s downfall. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times China correspondent Stephanie Yang

More reading:

‘Zero COVID’ is roiling China. But ending the policy may cause a massive health disaster

Protests over China’s strict COVID-19 controls spread across the country

Dreams of a Red Emperor: The relentless rise of Xi Jinping

Why the U.S. clamps down on rail strikes Dec 02, 2022

Show notes

This week, Congress passed a bill that effectively imposed an agreement between rail workers and their companies and prohibited a strike. Politicians feared that any work stoppage would cripple the U.S. economy for the holidays, costing the country billions of dollars.

Today, we talk about the unique, violent history of rail workers trying to fight for better union contracts. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: University of Rhode Island history professor Erik Loomis

More reading:

Senate moves to avert rail strike amid dire warnings

Biden calls on Congress to head off potential rail strike

Big rail unions split on contract deal with railroads, raising possibility of a strike

The megaflood, next time in California Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Few people associate urban and suburban Southern California with floods anymore, mostly because many of its rivers were dammed up or transformed into concrete gulches long ago. But scientists say a megaflood could hit the entire state and would submerge cities, hitting communities of color particularly hard.

The state is nowhere near prepared for that. Today, our Masters of Disasters talk about this upcoming flood, what it could mean for a rising sea and more. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times earthquake-COVID reporter Ron Lin, L.A. Times coastal reporter Rosanna Xia, and L.A. Times environmental reporter Louis Sahagún

More reading:

Major flood would hit Los Angeles Black communities disproportionately hard, study finds

Risk of catastrophic California ‘megaflood’ has doubled due to global warming, researchers say

More than 400 toxic sites in California are at risk of flooding from sea level rise

A decade of downers with DACA Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

For the last decade, about 800,000 individuals who came to the United States as children but have no legal status have been protected from deportation by a program commonly referred to as DACA. It has allowed them to legally work, apply for driver's licenses and even travel abroad. But the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to strike DACA down, leaving the individuals enrolled with no clear step on how to legalize their status.Today, we hear from DACA recipients who aren't going to wait to find out and have moved from the U.S.. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guest: L.A. Times immigration reporter Andrea Castillo

More reading: Why these DACA recipients traded living in the U.S. for other countries

‘I can’t keep fighting the system’: DACA recipients are leaving the U.S., disheartened by years of instability

On the 10th anniversary of DACA, Janet Napolitano reflects on program she helped create

Mexico's unique, binational soccer fans Nov 25, 2022

Show notes

Right now, the eyes of much of the world is on the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as 32 teams fight for national pride. One team is Mexico, whose unique fanbase sets it apart from the world. With loyalties to both Mexico and the United States, it’s a representation of resilience, controversy and so much more.

Today, we examine the phenomenon. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: Univisión News anchor León Krauze

More reading:

Watch “Al Grito de Guerra”

Gracias Fútbol: Reliving our favorite World Cup memories

This soccer-mad L.A. Latina has attended seven World Cups. Qatar will make it eight

Your future meal might be grasshoppers Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

Grasshopper hunting has been going on in Mexico for thousands of years, but lately eating them has gained wider acceptance. Consumption of the jumpy little protein-packed insects is booming, and more and more restaurants are putting them on the menu ... and not just in Mexico.

Today, chapulines, the world of harvesting and eating grasshoppers in Mexico. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Latin America correspondent Leila Miller

More reading:

Are grasshoppers as delicious as ham? Mexico’s insect hunters would like you to find out

Review: ‘Bugs’ documentary explores insect-eating as a cure for world hunger

This pop-up dinner menu is full of bugs. Yes, those kinds of bugs

Hospice for the homeless Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

The Inn Between in Salt Lake City offers a revolutionary program: hospice care for homeless individuals. We visit to see what resistance they have met — and what hope they've inspired.

Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times California politics reporter Mackenzie Mays

More reading:

The place where homeless people come to die with dignity

Column: He was homeless and in hospice. His recovery is a lesson in what it takes to save a life

Column: Stalked by death, they are gathered off the streets and cared for by an army of angels

How ham radio can save Taiwan — and the world Nov 18, 2022

Show notes

Taiwan has more than 25,000 enthusiasts of ham radio, the antiquated communication technology that is increasingly being used in war zones when all other communications is down. If China declares war on Taiwan, then these ham radio enthusiasts could be crucial for civilians and officials alike — and can offer lessons for the rest of us.

Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times China correspondent Stephanie Yang

More reading:

If China declares war, these ham radio enthusiasts could be crucial

Living in space can get lonely. What helps? Talking to random people over ham radio

China on Taiwan: ‘External interference’ won’t be tolerated