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Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.

Latest Episodes:

IRS in turmoil, US-China trade war, ‘The Great Gatsby’ turns 100 Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

Several top IRS officials resigned as the Trump administration revealed its plans to use tax data to target undocumented immigrants.

Despite vowing to fight a trade war to “the end,” Chinese officials are dealing with economic dilemmas at home.

Critics review the latest film releases: “The Amateur,” “Drop,” “Warfare,” and “One to One: John & Yoko.”

“The Great Gatsby” was published 100 years ago today. Its enduring message about the empty and corrupting power of wealth may be even more relevant now.

The fight over Beverly Hills abortion clinic, expansion comes to The Broad Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

President Trump’s pause on tariffs against most nations sent the stock market soaring. Meanwhile, tariffs against China, and from China, are going up.

DuPont Clinic was supposed to open in Beverly Hills to provide late-term abortions. However, after abortion rights activists got involved with city officials, the lease for the clinic’s office got rescinded.

PAPER Magazine Co-founder Kim Hastreiter talks about her new book, “STUFF: A New York Life of Cultural Chaos.” It’s a memoir and a 50-year cultural history of NYC.

The Broad is breaking ground today on an expansion that will add 55,000 square feet — offering more galleries, programming space, and open-air patios.

Dire AI future, ‘Deli Boys,’ Canadian tourism in Palm Springs Apr 09, 2025

Show notes

President Trump is not backing down from imposing tariffs on all countries doing business with the U.S., including 100% or more on China. China has threatened tariffs against U.S. exports too, which could begin Thursday.

Dire predictions about the future of artificial intelligence are in a recent report by a Berkeley-based group called the AI Futures Project.

“Deli Boys” creator Abdullah Saeed and actor Saagar Shaikh discuss the personal stories that shaped Hulu's dark comedy about family, crime, and identity.

Palm Springs’ economy has heavily relied on Canadian tourists, and now officials are worried about losing that revenue due to increasing political tensions between the U.S. and Canada.

Fighting to keep an Altadena pub alive, mapping LA’s lost record stores Apr 09, 2025

Show notes

California’s nearly $4 trillion economy is heavily dependent on international trade. A tariff war could impact that significantly.

The Altadena Ale and Wine House survived the Eaton Fire. Owner Gail Casburn also lost her house — and won’t give up her beloved pub.

Dyanne Cano put together an archival map of 84 independent record stores that closed in LA between 1956 and 2020. They highlight Dolphin’s of Hollywood Records, Record Store Discos Exitos No. 2, and Vinyl Fetish.

“White Lotus,” about ultra-rich people’s antics, wrapped its third season. How does the series continue to grab our imagination?

Tariff impacts on business owners and your 401K, war on higher ed Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

The manager of Rafu Bussan in Little Tokyo says she’s been stockpiling goods imported from Japan in preparation for Trump’s tariffs, but she may have to eat costs or raise prices soon.

Stocks are in a tailspin following President Trump’s tariffs. Now’s the time to prepare for a possible recession, says personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary.

With cuts to Ivy League and other schools, President Trump tries to reshape higher education. Schools are falling in line, but some professors are fighting back.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Freaky Tales,” “A Minecraft Movie,” “The Luckiest Man in America,” and “The Friend.”

Layering matzo sheets with veggies borrows heavily from the idea of lasagna. After baking, you get layers of unbelievable lightness, and this dish works as both a satisfying side or entrée.

Building more homes on tiny LA lots, recording sounds of climate change Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

Democrats won a key Wisconsin Supreme Court race. The result is being seen as a rebuke of Elon Musk, who campaigned in the state and spent millions on the GOP candidate.

New auto tariffs are supposed to be for “foreign” cars and parts, but no US-made vehicle will escape the impact. Detroit’s obsession with big cars won’t help.

UCLA’s cityLAB has launched a design competition where contestants can submit proposals for low-cost, easy-to-build starter homes on vacant city-owned lots.

Bernie Krause’s thousands of hours of recordings reveal how climate change is affecting the natural world. His life and work are the subject of the documentary “The Last of the Nightingales.”

Actor Val Kilmer died Tuesday at age 65. His career included both “Top Gun” films, “Batman Forever,” “Heat,” and an iconic performance as Jim Morrison in “The Doors.”

Trump’s tariffs, toxic algal bloom, ‘Alternate Realities’ Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

What is President Trump trying to accomplish with reciprocal tariffs, and do economists think he can reach his goals with these tactics?

The Trump administration admitted in court on Monday that it mistakenly deported a Maryland father to a notorious Salvadoran prison.

Scientists say a massive algal bloom is releasing toxins that are making some marine animals more aggressive, and causing others to wash ashore either dead or seriously ill.

Zack Mack’s father went down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole that tore apart his family. Mack spent the past year making a podcast about it called “Alternate Realities.”

The agony and ecstasy of March Madness were on full display this weekend for LA college basketball fans.

Cesar Chavez Day special: ‘Porcelain War,’ Johnny Carson, yacht rock Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

On this Cesar Chavez Day, Press Play reairs some of our favorite segments:

“Porcelain War” is a documentary that vividly portrays the lives of civilians-turned-soldiers on and off Ukraine’s battlefield against Russia.

Johnny Carson was seemingly a friend to millions as the host of "The Tonight Show" for three decades. That wasn’t the case in his personal life, according to “Carson the Magnificent,” published in November 2024.

In the mid-1970s and ‘80s in SoCal, bands like Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and Toto blended jazz, R&B, and pop to create a new soft style: yacht rock.

Students’ gender identities, soil testing in wildfire areas Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

The federal government is planning to investigate the CA Dept. of Education over a state law that says schools cannot require officials to notify parents if students identify as transgender or are exploring their gender identity on campus.

The federal government will not test soil in the fire zones, so USC researchers are doing it for them. For earth scientist Josh West, the work is close to home.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Death of a Unicorn,” “Grand Tour,” “An Unfinished Film,” and “The Ballad of Wallis Island.”

The appearance of rhubarb stalks in markets is a welcome burst of color and tart flavor. You can use the vegetable in breakfast, dessert, and cocktail recipes.

Big law firms under attack by Trump, giant-clawed dino is found Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

The Trump administration has halted a program financing lawyers for immigrant children. That leaves 26,000 kids nationwide at risk of immediate deportation, unless alternate funding can be found.

President Trump continued his assault on the country’s biggest law firms by signing an executive order targeting Chicago-based Jenner & Block. It revokes security clearances from the firm’s lawyers who require them to do their jobs, and limits attorneys’ access to federal buildings.

Harriet Tubman has come back to life and wants to make a hip-hop album. That’s the premise of Bob the Drag Queen’s debut novel.

Duonychus tsogtbaatari is a newly discovered plant-eater that roamed Earth tens of millions of years ago. It had a long neck, two legs, and two massive claws.

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