Arts

Press Play with Madeleine Brand

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

Latest Episodes:

College grads face highest unemployment rate in 10 years. AI’s partly to blame Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

UCLA is the latest college to settle an antisemitism case, and it will give several million to Jewish organizations. A lawsuit by pro-Palestinian activists remains pending.

6.6% of college-educated 20 to 24-year-olds are unemployed and actively job-hunting, according to the Labor Department. Why are they struggling to launch?

Employers in coveted fields are turning to AI instead of hiring recent college graduates. The white-collar sector is threatened.

‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ is the defining American sitcom because it satirizes the dark side of human nature, argues M.H. Miller.

Lollapalooza begins this weekend. The ‘95 lineup is worth remembering Jul 28, 2025

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In response to Texas’ plan to redraw its congressional map to add GOP seats, CA Gov. Newsom is threatening to redistrict here to add Democratic seats. Is it legal?

Considered the most powerful psychedelic, 5-MeO DMT causes extreme trips that last only 30 minutes. Two startups are trying to take it to market as a depression treatment.

Lollapalooza runs July 31 to August 3 in Chicago. Three decades ago, it was the country’s biggest music festival. It peaked with the 1995 lineup, argues NYT culture editor David Malitz.

Last week’s “South Park” season premiere targeted President Trump for his lawsuits against media companies. What’s next for creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone?

We just lost $1.3 million Jul 25, 2025

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ICYMI...something you should know from the team at Press Play.

The future of public TV without federal funding Jul 25, 2025

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U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli has filed felony charges against 38 ICE protestors, but only secured seven indictments. Some in his office question whether his approach is based on the evidence.

PBS SoCal is losing millions in funding from the federal government. The cuts to public broadcasting will be particularly felt in rural areas. Can the system survive?

Critics review the latest film releases: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” “AJ Goes To The Dog Park,” “Cloud,” and “Diciannove.”

DineLA Restaurant Week is an opportunity to support the local restaurant community after it was hit by COVID shutdowns, the Hollywood strikes, and January wildfires.

How 9/11 gave birth to ICE Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

LA Mayor Karen Bass said ICE was conducting a “reign of terror” in Los Angeles. Ironically, it was the War on Terror that produced ICE in the first place.

A proposed housing authority to help people affected by Palisades and Eaton Fires is on hold after some residents, like reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, complained.

The 2025 California Biennial at the OC Museum of Art features works and artifacts from teen artists and adults reflecting on their teen years. It’s called “Desperate, Scared, but Social.”

Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday at age 76. He transformed his image from Black Sabbath frontman to irascible TV dad. “The Osbournes” set the scene for the glut of celebrity TV family shows that followed.

The magic of Shari Lewis’ Lamb Chop Jul 23, 2025

Show notes

Since the end of the last cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in March, people in Gaza are facing increasingly dire humanitarian conditions.

Over nearly seven decades, research conducted at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory taught us that global warming is happening and humans are causing most of it. Trump's proposed budget for 2026 would shutter the observatory.

Before “Mister Rogers” or “Sesame Street,” Shari Lewis created, voiced, and performed a diminutive sock puppet named Lamb Chop. Her story is the focus of a new documentary.

NPR stations are losing federal funds. What will they do? Jul 21, 2025

Show notes

NPR, PBS, and member stations will lose $1.1 billion in federal funding. KCRW hears from two people who run smaller stations: KOSU in Oklahoma City and KCBX in San Luis Obispo.

Harvard gets its day in court against the Trump administration. In Texas, Trump wants lawmakers to redraw Congressional maps ahead of schedule.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was reportedly losing money, though a pending merger for CBS’ parent company may have also factored into the network’s decision to cancel the TV program.

Backstreet Boys are out with “Millennium 2.0,” and will perform concerts this summer in Las Vegas. KCRW talks about their long trajectory to fame in the U.S., lawsuit against their manager, and cross-generational appeal.

ICE’s deportation campaign leaves many agents morally conflicted Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Former and current ICE officials and agents told The Atlantic morale is low due, in part, to the relentless pressure from the Trump administration to arrest people.

After a judge blocked federal agents from carrying out “indiscriminate” raids and denying detainees access to lawyers, an attorney says compliance is “spotty.”

Critics review the latest film releases: “Smurfs,” “Eddington,” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

Opposing Trump’s immigration stance is ‘personal’ for Sen. Alex Padilla Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Senator Alex Padilla says the vast majority of people getting caught up in Trump’s immigration raids and detentions are those without serious criminal convictions. He also weighs in on the Jeffrey Epstein files and Trump’s push to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS.

Trump’s budget gives ICE $75 billion for recruitment and the construction of new jails. Historically, police expansions are rife with corruption, according to journalist and historian Garrett Graff.

Michelle Huneven is rebuilding her Altadena home after the Eaton Fire. Her latest book follows a family across multiple decades and locations as they struggle with grief, dislocation, and addiction.

When used judiciously, lavender can add an air of mystery to a dish, amplifying flavor without calling attention to itself.

Expect a surge in EV purchases as federal tax credits will expire Jul 16, 2025

Show notes

In March, President Trump signed an executive order to begin shuttering the Department of Education. A lower court forced him to stop the process, but on Monday, the Supreme Court overturned it.

President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” eliminates federal tax credits for new and used EVs and plug-in hybrids purchased after September 30, 2025. How will this affect consumers and manufacturers?

The number of immigrants leaving the U.S. this year may surpass the number of those who arrive. Liberal and conservative economists warn of impacts.

Once dominated by ceremonies and roses, reality TV dating is leveling up. “Love Island” has real-time twists, social media presence, and viewing parties.

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