Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.
Episodes
What does President Trump's rambling, hour-long speech before the U.N. General Assembly mean for other countries, and how will world leaders respond to his accusations that their "countries are going to hell?"
Experience heartbreak, hilarity, and the chaos of a very real Jewish family. From the mind behind BoJack Horseman, Raphael Bob-Waksberg talks about his new animated series, Long ...
Jimmy Kimmel is back on air – but not on stations owned by media giants Nexstar and Sinclair, whose standoff with Kimmel could shape the future of late-night TV.
New Pentagon restrictions on journalists are the latest in a series of actions by the Trump administration to control coverage and weaken First Amendment protections for the press.
A new documentary ex...
The effort to turn Charlie Kirk into a martyr reflects the rising tide of Christian nationalism (00:00 - 11:43).
President Trump is demanding the prosecutions of James Comey, Letitia James, and Adam Schiff — echoing Richard Nixon’s “Saturday Night Massacre” (11:45 - 21:31).
Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker talks about the Britpop band’s...
ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely after threats from the Federal Communications Commission. The move has broader implications for press freedom in the Trump era.
New Yorker fact checkers go to extraordinary lengths to nail down the truth. It’s a rarity in today’s media landscape.
Critics review the latest film releases: “Him,” “A Big ...
White supremacists recently disrupted memorials for Charlie Kirk in Huntington Beach. Their presence reignited concerns about hate groups in the community.
Over the past decade, people have increasingly used medications that affect the brain and induce drowsiness, which are problematic in increasing the risk of falls.
Amid severe hunger in Gaza, “Boustany,” a new cookbook by the Palestinian-British ...
Slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk combined organizational acumen and internet savvy to build a political machine. Now his death is being used to justify a crackdown on the left.
Actor, filmmaker, and activist Robert Redford died today at 89. He made dozens of legendary movies and founded the Sundance Film Festival.
LA Opera Music Director James Conlon talks about the Rec...
The 2025 state legislative session has ended. Hundreds of approved bills include measures to unmask cops, boost oil drilling, and increase pay for incarcerated firefighters.
A bill banning law enforcement officers from covering their faces is sitting on Gavin Newsom’s desk. Does California have the power to regulate federal agents?
“The Pitt” earned several Emmys, but the celebration com...
A former Obama staffer was meeting a Project 2025 author when she got news of Charlie Kirk’s death. KCRW discusses political violence and a plea for calm.
Voters are bombarded by mailers and ads for and against Prop 50, which would allow California's legislature to redraw its Congressional maps mid-decade. Millions are pouring in from unions, billionaires, and national players.
Critics review ...
An economist explains that people are staying put in their current jobs amid economic uncertainty, it’s tougher to find a new role, and mass deportation policies are affecting the overall economy.
Twenty-two TV series were just awarded the first round of expanded Hollywood tax credits. Is it enough to breathe life back into the industry?
Families invent their own secret languages — nicknames, ...
Many immigrants have feared going to work amid ICE raids. Weekly earnings for immigrant renters fell 62% this summer, according to The Rent Brigade’s recent survey.
As the trial for an alleged assassin of President Trump begins this week, KCRW looks back on September 1975, when two different women had plans to kill President Gerald Ford.
A small-town paper gets the mockumentary treatment in a new spi...
In a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court overturned a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked federal immigration agents from indiscriminately arresting people on sidewalks, at Home Depots, swap meets, etc.
Santa Monica is on the verge of a fiscal emergency as massive sex abuse settlements and shrinking revenues stretch city services, reflecting a wider crisis across LA County.
The book “Changeover” exp...
The Trump administration halted major offshore wind projects in the Northeast, citing cost and national security concerns. Environmental advocates say wind power is key to meeting clean energy goals.
The Eames House survived the Palisades Fire, underwent smoke remediation and other repairs, and reopened in late July.
Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita” is the story of a middle-aged p...
Today, the governors of CA, OR, and WA launched a health pact to coordinate their states’ vaccine recommendations and “ensure residents remain protected by science, not politics.”
A deadly U.S. airstrike on a boat in the Caribbean signals a more aggressive turn in the war on drugs.
In 2020, Quibi offered phone-based 10-minute (or less) videos. Now, the Hollywood-based company Micro...
Judge Charles Breyer ruled that the Trump administration’s use of the military as domestic police violated federal law, setting the tone for legal challenges in other cities.
Thousands of people hoping to join ICE attended a recruitment fair in Texas. Many applicants were Latino.
Building atom bombs was a feat rivaling the science behind them. The Manhattan Project oversaw hundreds of thousand...
In the 1970s, actress Candy Clark shot relaxed, intimate portraits of her friends and boyfriends, including Jeff Bridges, Nicolas Roeg, and Ed Ruscha. The images are now part of a new book.
An anthropologist and a psychiatrist weigh in on “AI psychosis,” following several recent, high-profile cases of users losing touch with reality during conversations with bots.
The summer COVID spike is here, but new FDA vaccine restrictions limit who can get a booster, and CDC turmoil impacts U.S. public health policy.
Critics review the latest film releases: “Caught Stealing,” “T...
The Federal Reserve was set up over 100 years ago to insulate monetary policy from politics. Now Trump is trying to exert authority over the organization.
The Spotify habits of politicians, celebrities, and other public figures were released on a site called Panama Playlists. The leak revealed just how much of our online lives may be less private than we think.
Merle Oberon hid her mixed-race, impove...
After Kamala Harris declined to run for California governor, the crowded field lacks a clear frontrunner. Former Congresswoman Katie Porter has a slight edge, but Rick Caruso could shake up the race.
Heat waves are among the deadliest natural disasters. Shade is a vital defense. But in cities like LA, it’s treated as a privilege, not a right.
A new Hulu series&nbs...
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was wrongly deported to a Salvadoran prison. Now the Trump administration is trying to send him to Uganda.
States are redrawing congressional maps in an aggressive battle for control. Texas and California are leading the charge, sparking a partisan fight leading up to the midterm elections.
President Trump has said he wants to get rid of FEMA and shift relief responsibility to t...
HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is cutting hundreds of millions of dollars of mRNA vaccine funding research. The groundbreaking technology is used in most COVID-19 vaccines, and shows promise in other areas.
At the end of Ruth Asawa’s life, an encounter with an auction house curator turned her from a relatively obscure artist into one whose works command millions of dollars.
Critics review the latest...
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