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Standing up for Black lives at the border Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

Felicia Rangel-Samponaro used to live a fairly normal life as a suburban stay-at-home mom in the border city of Brownsville, Texas. But now the half Black, half Mexican-American mom crosses the border to help Black and Latino migrants, many of them asylum seekers stuck in camps in the border town of Reynosa, Mexico.

Today, we hear her story.

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The woman defending Black lives on the border, including her own

Podcast: Our nation’s Haitian double standard

Podcast: Biden shut a migrant camp. Then this bigger one appeared

Where carne asada is a crime Jan 20, 2022

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For over 140 years, street vendors hawking Mexican food have been a staple of life in Southern California. Horse-drawn tamale wagons turned into taco trucks, turned into hot dog carts, turned into pop-up tents — …and, eventually, hipsters caught on and these trends went national.

But even as SoCal has become famous worldwide for its street food scene, government officials have amped up their war on it.

Today, we examine one city’s crackdown on street vendors. And we also talk to an East L.A. taquero affected by code enforcement.

More reading:

Column: He’s L.A. food royalty. He began with a taco cart. Let street vendors thrive

Anaheim teams with county to take down taco stand pop-ups

Where to get beef birria, and a haircut. Seriously.

An American West with no snow? Jan 19, 2022

Show notes

This past December brought record-high amounts of snow to the Sierra Nevada, California’s main mountain range. The state, of course, has suffered for years from bad, bad drought, so we should all be happy that the dry days are over with all this snow, right? In fact, those who monitor such things are saying we should be saving water more than ever. Because there’s a real possibility that one day, blizzards in the West might be gone. Today, our Masters of Disasters reconvene to talk about this possible future.

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A ‘no snow’ California could come sooner than you think California is suddenly snow-capped and very wet.

But how long will the water rush last?

Editorial: Welcome the bout of winter storms, just don’t call them drought busters

The pandemic will end. We promise. Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

The COVID-19 era is rough, to say the least. But let’s put it in perspective. Every pandemic ends eventually, and this one will too.

Today, assistant editor Jessica Roy with the L.A. Times’ utility journalism team walks us through a century of past pandemics — from the 1918 flu to SARS — and the different ways they resolved, and she describes what’s likely to happen in our future.

Then medical historian Frank Snowden, a professor emeritus at Yale, reaches further back to explore how pandemics have changed society and what we’ve learned from them.

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Will this pandemic ever end? Here’s what happened with the last ones

CDC shifts pandemic goals away from reaching herd immunity

From the archives, April 2020: From the Black Death to AIDS, pandemics have shaped human history. Coronavirus will too

Nikole Hannah-Jones on her triumphs and trolls Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

Two years ago, Nikole Hannah-Jones launched “The 1619 Project,” a collection of New York Times Magazine articles, photography and podcasts. That project became a launching point to talk about Black people’s roles in shaping the United States. Hannah-Jones has been praised and vilified for her work ever since.

Today, we share highlights from a L.A. Times Book Club chat between Hannah-Jones and L.A. Times executive editor Kevin Merida. They talked about how Black people can be patriotic despite centuries of mistreatment … and about using mountains of research to get back at haters.

More reading:

Nikole Hannah-Jones dives into the origins and language of ‘The 1619 Project’

Nikole Hannah-Jones became a political target. What she’s learned from the ‘hurtful’ attacks

Howard-bound Nikole Hannah-Jones plans to ‘even the playing field’ for HBCUs. Here’s how

The tragedy of Latinos and COVID-19 Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

COVID-19 has been devastating for everyone, but in the United States, there’s one demographic hit particularly hard: Latinos. According to the California Department of Public Health, Latinos make up about 39 percent of the state’s population but nearly half of all cases and 45 percent of all deaths. A perfect storm of factors made Latinos especially vulnerable to the coronavirus: Multigenerational households. Crowded neighborhoods. Essential jobs that required us to show up in person. Vaccine hesitancy among too many. Today, we hear about the devastation.

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Pandemic portraits: The Latino experience

COVID stole the heart of my family. It also divided it

Column: Don’t be a ‘pandejo.’ Take the pandemic seriously

Chuck E. Cheese forever Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

How the hell does a chain based on an orphaned mouse who plays in a band survive and thrive? Very carefully. Today, we’ll talk to L.A. Times business reporter Samantha Masunaga about the company, and we’ll hear from its new chief executive about everything Chuck E. Cheese, including its infamous animatronic band.

More reading:

How do you make a 44-year-old animatronic rodent appeal to today’s kids?

Chuck E. Cheese unveils a new look for its mousy mascot

Listen to Chuck E. Cheese's Spotify playlist

Work from home, get spied on by your boss Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

A Gallup poll last fall found that 45% of full-time U.S. employees were still working from home at least some of their hours. A full quarter of them exclusively work from home. Because of this, companies are increasingly using technology to monitor the activities of their workers while they’re on the clock, wherever they are.

Today, we examine how and why companies are spying on their workers at home… and whether there’s a backlash coming.

More reading:

Is your company secretly monitoring your work at home?

Since COVID, the practice has surged

How your employer can keep track of your work at home So your employer is monitoring you. What you should know

Issa Rae, take a bow Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

Issa Rae is the brilliant, hilarious mind behind the recently concluded HBO show “Insecure.” In this crossover episode with The Envelope, Rae talks about the incredible trajectory of her career, from a YouTuber turned Hollywood powerhouse, and how she repped South Los Angeles in a way that wasn’t just real but uplifting.

More reading:

Issa Rae almost ended ‘Insecure’ differently. But she couldn’t ‘deny Issa her soulmate’

Issa Rae on the music business: ‘It’s an abusive industry... it needs to start over’

How ‘Insecure’ achieved its ‘mission’ to forge a real bond with South L.A.

Goodbye, gas stoves? The fight heats up Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

To fight climate change, municipalities across the United States are banning natural gas lines from being installed in new buildings. That means no gas stoves. Politicians and policymakers in those places — Berkeley being one of the first — want people to use electric appliances, such as electric stovetops or the more advanced induction stovetop. (There’s a health factor too. Open flames put out some gases you might not want to breathe.)

But the natural gas industry is fighting back. Today, L.A. Times national correspondent Evan Halper talks about the multimillion-dollar battle being fought between gas companies and municipal and state governments. And that battle is being waged in your kitchen.

More reading:

Clash of the kitchens: California leads the way in a new climate battleground

Video: Would you get rid of your gas stove and go electric?

California ditched coal. The gas company is worried it’s next

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