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 ha...
Jan 18, 2022•24 min
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 ce...
Jan 17, 2022•20 min
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 he...
Jan 14, 2022•30 min
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 playli...
Jan 13, 2022•18 min
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 w...
Jan 12, 2022•19 min
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 st...
Jan 11, 2022•40 min
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....
Jan 10, 2022•19 min
It’s been a season of crime in California. Smash-and-grab thefts, follow-home robberies, high-profile murders — national, even international news accounts have painted a Golden State of chaos. The numbers tell a different story: Some major crime indicators are up, but others are down, and they’re nowhere near historical highs. But that reality isn’t placating anyone. And when Californians get mad about crime — watch out, America. Today, L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith discusses California’s ...
Jan 07, 2022•21 min
Across Latin America, the political left is making a comeback not seen since the 2000s. Izquierdista presidential candidates won recent elections in Peru and Honduras. Activists are mounting protests against the conservative presidents of Brazil and Colombia. The left’s biggest win so far is in Chile, where Gabriel Boric was elected president last month. He’ll take office in a country that’s about to rewrite its constitution, which was put into place by dictator Augusto Pinochet. Today, L.A. Tim...
Jan 06, 2022•24 min
Hopefully the COVID-19 nightmare will soon wane, but it’s unlikely to be the last pandemic of our lifetimes. Because the virus that will cause the next pandemic is probably already out there. Animals carry hundreds of thousands of viruses that have the potential to infect humans. Buffer zones between where people live and where wild animals live lower the risk of viruses jumping from another species to our own. But now human behaviors such as deforestation and urbanization, along with climate ch...
Jan 05, 2022•21 min
Los Angeles Times congressional correspondent Sarah D. Wire knew she was in for a historic day when she walked into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She was there to cover the counting of the electoral college votes for the 2020 presidential election. Because of then-President Trump’s allegations of election fraud, she was expecting controversy. But she didn’t expect to be caught in the middle of an insurrection. Today, Sarah tells us about the day a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capi...
Jan 04, 2022•23 min
Kevin Merida became the Los Angeles Times’ executive editor last summer at a tumultuous time. Newsroom morale was down, the publication had lost $50 million in 2020, and several of his recent predecessors hadn’t endeared themselves to staffers. So what drew him to the job? Today, Merida reflects on the first six months of his tenure, talks about his vision for the L.A. Times and answers the eternal Southern California question: What does he think about In-N-Out? More reading: ESPN’s Kevin Merida...
Jan 03, 2022•21 min
Skateboarding is a mainstay of California street culture, from San Diego to San Francisco and beyond. It’s so popular that L.A. County filled outdoor skateparks with sand earlier in the pandemic so no one could grind on them. But during the pandemic, skateboard sales surged — and communities long marginalized from the sport are now making their own spaces. Today we talk to reporter Cerise Castle, who’s covering and participating in this rise, and skateboarders from various parts of America — inc...
Dec 30, 2021•21 min
Video games had always been a point of division between L.A. Times science reporter Deborah Netburn and her 12-year-old son. Then the pandemic hit, and the gap between them seemed to widen. Today, Netburn shares her journey from ignorance to understanding. She did it by playing the games. An earlier version of this episode was published May 7, 2021. More reading: Video games came between me and my son in the pandemic. Could they bring us back together?...
Dec 29, 2021•24 min
This year, the Chinese Communist Party kicked off its 100th anniversary by celebrating China’s economic success and ambitions to create a new world order. The festivities, of course, are carefully choreographed. For decades, the Communist Party has crushed any counter-narratives to promote a whitewashed version of Chinese history. Those who deviate from the party’s official narrative suffer retribution — and in recent days, records of that punishment have been expunged as well. Today, we focus o...
Dec 28, 2021•30 min
Two years ago, the world watched as millions of people in Hong Kong marched in the streets to call for autonomy from China. Beijing responded by passing a national security law last summer that broadly defined acts of subversion, foreign collusion and terrorism. Critics say the law crushed civil liberties. Since it was enacted, many people have fled Hong Kong — some to neighboring Taiwan. Yet Taiwan, a self-governing island that China claims as its territory, is at risk as well. Today, we start ...
Dec 27, 2021•29 min
QAnon or New Age? Increasingly, in California’s vast health, wellness and spiritual worlds, there's an intersection between the two communities so pronounced that the phenomenon has a new nickname: “Woo-Anon,” and it’s coming to a yoga studio near you. Today, we speak with L.A. Times investigative reporter Laura J. Nelson and yoga instructor Seane Corn about the growing movement, as well as the broken friendships and business partnerships that are happening in a once-placid scene. An earlier ver...
Dec 23, 2021•29 min
For a few days this week, we’re highlighting the work of students from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Maya Abu-Zahra started college with every intention of becoming a doctor. But about half of pre-med students end up choosing a different path. Today, she brings us down two of those paths, speaking with former pre-meds who ended up in very different careers.
Dec 22, 2021•14 min
For a few days this week, we’re highlighting the work of students from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Today, Jillian Carmenate introduces us to her older sister, Madison, who’s forging into the entertainment industry. Madison Carmenate hopes to create movies and TV shows that feature people with disabilities, like her — and like a full quarter of U.S. adults. More reading: How entertainment professionals with disabilities are fighting for inclusion This manager is worki...
Dec 21, 2021•13 min
For a few days this week, we’re highlighting the work of students from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Today, Cari Spencer guides us through her journey of figuring out her identity. Half Taiwanese and half white, she felt all her life that she had to “pick a side” — or that she wasn’t enough of one thing or the other. Then she found another option. Host: USC student Cari Spencer More reading: Five takeaways from the new U.S. census data From the archives, 2001: Census’ ...
Dec 20, 2021•21 min
Today we’re doing something a little different: channeling our inner holiday spirit and sharing stories from some of our awesome colleagues across the L.A. Times newsroom. They submitted stories about losing a loved one to COVID-19. Finding new ways to bond with family. Reconnecting with choirmates after months of virtual performances. And the exploits of one seriously sassy pet rabbit. (Thank you, Steve Padilla, Karen Garcia, Wendy Lee and Jazmín Aguilera!) We at The Times have been working rem...
Dec 17, 2021•25 min
His nicknames: El Hijo del Pueblo — the People’s Son. El Ídolo de México — Mexico’s Idol. El Rey — the King. Or just plain Chente. Ranchera legend Vicente Fernández passed away this week at age 81, and millions of his fans in the U.S., Mexico and beyond are mourning a man who was their soundtrack of love and sadness and resistance for over half a century. Today, L.A. Times journalists who grew up with Chente’s music — host Gustavo Arellano, deputy sports editor Iliana Limón Romero, video journal...
Dec 16, 2021•25 min
Need a quick, yummy gift for Christmas or any other occasion? For generations of Californians, the answer has been a box of See’s Candies. With stores that sport a black-and-white checkerboard design and offer a galaxy of sweets — chocolates, peanut brittle, butterscotch lollipops — the South San Francisco-based company is nostalgia in a box or bag. Today, L.A. Times food columnist Jenn Harris talks with host Gustavo Arellano about See’s on the occasion of the chain’s 100th anniversary. And you'...
Dec 15, 2021•17 min
2021 has been a bad year for disasters: Drought. Oil spills. Bomb cyclones. Wildfires. Delta. Omicron. Yet if you’re reading this, you’ve survived. Our Masters of Disasters — L.A. Times reporters Ron Lin, Alex Wigglesworth and Rosanna Xia — reflect on the year and offer a bit of hope on apocalyptic issues such as the coronavirus, the environment and wildfires. More reading: The American West went through climate hell in 2021. But there’s still hope More than 400 toxic sites in California are at ...
Dec 14, 2021•20 min
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is political royalty in the City of Angels. His father was a district attorney. Eric Garcetti won his last election with over 80% of the vote. There were even rumors he would run for president in 2020. This summer, the Biden administration has tapped Garcetti as the U.S. ambassador to India. A Senate panel will consider his nomination this week. And people from Kolkata to Calexico are still saying ... huh? Him? Today, we speak to L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez, ...
Dec 13, 2021•16 min
Hungry? The Los Angeles Times' annual list of the 101 best restaurants just dropped. Whether you live here, want to visit or are just craving inspiration for types of food to explore near your own home, the list has something for you. Today, L.A. Times restaurant critic Bill Addison tells us about some of his favorite local restaurants — high-end spots, mom-and-pop places, Middle Eastern, Mexican, Korean and beyond — and how he chose which ones made the cut. He also talks about how food journali...
Dec 10, 2021•18 min
The Miss Navajo Nation pageant has been going on almost every year since the 1950s. It’s not about swimsuits or evening gowns, though. This tradition is all about making sure the culture of the largest Native American tribe in the United States remains alive — and vibrant.In this episode, you’ll hear from this year's contestants, judges and the winner. And you’ll get a sense of why the Diné — what Navajos call themselves — place such importance on something nonmembers, at first glance, might dis...
Dec 09, 2021•19 min
Jacqueline Avant was a force many times over in Black Los Angeles and beyond. She was a renowned philanthropist, a political king and queen maker, a patron of the arts. She was also a wife, mother, a friend to community activists and U.S. presidents alike. Last week, an intruder fatally shot her in her Beverly Hills home. Tributes from across the world have poured in to mark a life ended too soon. Today, we devote our episode to the life and legacy of Jacqueline Avant, who was 81 years old. More...
Dec 08, 2021•18 min
There are about 20 million people in the United States with felony records and unemployment rates among the formerly incarcerated is especially high — 27%, a few years ago, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Compare that with the overall unemployment rate around the same time, which was less than 4%. The stigma of a criminal record has long influenced this reality, but with the Great Resignation unfolding before us, the situation for these folks seems to be looking up. Today, we'll hear ...
Dec 07, 2021•20 min
Our sister podcast “The Envelope” — which does deep-dive interviews with movie and TV stars — just started a new season, so we’re giving you a taste. In this episode, Kirsten Dunst shares stories about growing up in Hollywood, why she decided to publicly address her mental health break, and the joyful — though sometimes awkward — moments of acting opposite her real-life partner, Jesse Plemons, in “The Power of the Dog.” More reading: ‘Power of the Dog’ writer-director Jane Campion explains her e...
Dec 06, 2021•34 min
