Press Play with Madeleine Brand

A new report from Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services tries to discredit gender-affirming care, contradicting leading medical experts who say it can save lives. Yale grad student Tetiana Kotelnykova grew up in war-torn Eastern Ukraine. She says appeasing Russian President Putin with territory captured during the war will make him want more. Critics review the latest film releases: “Another Simple Favor,” “The Surfer,” “Rust,” and “Thunderbolts.*” LA cheese shops offer sandwich menus, monthly clubs, events, and specialty grocery items. All make enticing cheese boards with charcuterie.

From meme coins to branded merch, President Trump has become marketer-in-chief, using his office to pad his personal wealth like few, if any, of his predecessors. President Trump praised Jeff Bezos for quickly denying that Amazon would list how much tariffs would add to the price of what you buy. But prices are expected to rise since most items on Amazon come from China. The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago today with the fall of Saigon. What is the war’s legacy in both countries? A duo found about 20 still-functioning payphones in LA and, with stickers, encouraged people to leave goodbye messages to anyone or anything.

A hundred days into his second White House term, Donald Trump has reshaped the conversation around immigration in the U.S., once seen as a proud melting pot of immigrants and cultures. Trump is trying to deport an unprecedented number of people. The Silicon Valley company Palantir is compiling a database of sensitive information to help him do it. Waves in NorCal, Maui, and Nazaré can be 100 feet tall, posing serious injury or death to professionals. Still, athletes are undeterred. They are the subject of “100 Foot Wave,” now in season three. UC Berkeley scientists have discovered a new color, “olo,” visible only with special lasers, offering a glimpse into the untapped potential of human vision.

President Trump’s attempts to freeze federal dollars for “sanctuary” jurisdictions were thwarted in court last week. Where is the battle headed? The Supreme Court is considering two cases about public education this week. One involves the bar to prove discrimination related to disability, and the other involves state funding for a religious charter school. “Sinners” takes the box office for a second week, sparking debate about originality, biased media coverage, and what its success means for Hollywood’s future. Rufus Wainwright’s new album, “Dream Requiem,” is interwoven with Lord Byron’s poem “Darkness.” It’s partly inspired by Giuseppe Verdi, and is dedicated to Wainwright’s dog named Puccini.

Elon Musk says he's scaling back his work in Washington D.C. and returning to Tesla. He and DOGE had promised to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. After reporting Tesla’s tanked first quarter profits, Elon Musk blames protests and vows to spend more time with the company. Will it be enough to turn things around? Goods coming into the U.S. face a baseline 10% tariff, and those from China face 14.5%. Chefs and owners of Firstborn and Bé Ù share how that’s affected profits and menu items. Critics review the latest film releases: “The Accountant 2,” “Havoc,” “On Swift Horses,” and “Until Dawn.” Knafeh (shredded filo) is the star ingredient in Dubai chocolate bars, which are also stuffed with pistachio cream. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for this treat.

Journalist Katherine Stewart charts the rise of the Christian right and its influence in the Trump administration in her new book “Money, Lies, and God.” “The Empire Strikes Back,” now 45 years old, changed Hollywood with its bold twists, deeper characters, and the introduction of Yoda. It's the franchise that shaped sequels. Women are less likely to have kids than ever, says a new CDC report. The fertility rate in the U.S. has dropped for years — now the White House wants to reverse that trend.

LA Mayor Karen Bass has released her next budget. To help close a massive deficit, the city may have to lay off around 5% of the city workforce. LA’s Japanese American National Museum is refusing to follow the Trump administration’s orders to end DEI efforts. Now it's at risk of losing $2 million of federal funding. The documentary “One to One” follows John Lennon and Yoko Ono through a tumultuous period in their lives and American politics, reassessing Ono’s artistry and her influence on Lennon. YouTube turns 20 this year. The popular video site democratized content on the web, but also inflamed culture wars, radicalized users, and further polarized an already divided society.

Pope Francis, who died overnight, is remembered for having a more progressive approach to immigration, climate change, and the LGBTQ commmunity than his predecessors. Early Saturday morning, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from deporting another group of Venezuelan migrants it claims are gang members. Marie Davidson’s album “City of Clowns” is inspired by the book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” which focuses on a new form of capitalism based on data mining. Apple is rolling out AI technology that will train itself on your messages, pictures, and more — while keeping the source material private. Is it secure?

Google and Meta are under fire in court. Officials claim they crushed rivals to stay on top. The outcome could upend how Big Tech works. The University of South Florida surveyed more than 1,500 kids, and found that 11 to 13-year-olds who had their own smartphones fared better psychologically than their peers who didn’t have phones. Critics review the latest film releases: “Sinners, “The Wedding Banquet,” “The Shrouds,” and “The President's Wife.” “Metal mouths” are back. Old-school metal braces are becoming the teeth-straightener of choice among kids and adults.

The Oakland mayoral race is a close call between progressive Barbara Lee and moderate challenger Loren Taylor. In SF, Mayor Daniel Lurie rounds out his first 100 days. A cinematic heist in Downtown Los Angeles: Thieves recently tunneled from a historic theater through “castle-like” walls into a store packed with bling. Hungarian Susan Polgar earned chess’ highest honor at age 15. She and her family faced antisemitism and harassment from the ruling Communist Party, and sexism from opponents and officials in chess. Her new memoir is “Rebel Queen.” What’s the relationship between art and democracy? After his firing from the Kennedy Center, poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph has some thoughts.

Harvard will not comply with sweeping demands from the Trump administration targeting pro-Palestinian organizing. Can other universities afford to join them? Mohsen Mahdawi’s detention exposes the rising risks faced by pro-Palestinian students during the Trump administration’s crackdown on campuses. Netflix’s “Adolescence” explores the issue of growing up online and what social media pressures can do to lonely, angry young men. It also looks at generational male violence. The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank more than 100 years ago, but the disaster has captured the imagination of Generation Alpha.

The Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. The White House is asserting its power to say “no.” Immigration agents visited two South LA schools recently, looking for five students they said were undocumented. School officials turned them away in a test of LAUSD’s policy of noncooperation with ICE. An autocracy journalist discusses the rise of authoritarianism in Hungary and sees parallels in some recent actions by the Trump administration. In the 1970s and 80s, Jeff Bridges recorded songs with his childhood buddies in his West LA neighborhood. Now those songs are in the new album “Slow Magic, 1977-1978.”

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.”

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.

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.