Category: 1-HeadlineNews

Lawmakers want California to eliminate the state’s carbon footprint altogether by 2045. They’re taking all sorts of steps to get to that ambitious goal; from phasing out gas-powered engines in new cars and lawnmowers to electrifying home stoves. But there’s an even bigger plan ahead, one that environmental experts say could derail it all.

Today, we talk about California’s plan to pump carbon gas into the ground. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but that’s exactly what California says is key to be able to make the state carbon neutral. Can it work? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times air quality reporter Tony Briscoe

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Pollution from California’s 2020 wildfires likely offset decades of air quality gains

How California will fight Supreme Court’s limits on EPA climate enforcement

In the 5 months since Russia’s invasion, the American public’s attention has turned back to problems at home — and US President Joe Biden hasn’t gotten a good grade for his handling of them. But last week, he was able to lead major policy breakthroughs at the NATO and G7 summits.

Today, can President Biden’s push to spread democracy abroad help him deal with various crises back home? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times White House reporter Eli Stokols

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News Analysis: Bold in shoring up democracy abroad, Biden is criticized as timid on the domestic front

Biden commits to more U.S. forces in Europe as NATO invites Sweden and Finland to join

Implored by Zelensky, Biden and G-7 allies will increase Ukraine defense aid, economic support

Randall Emmett had built a career for himself in Hollywood over the past decade as a producer of schlocky action films featuring cameos of iconic actors like Bruce Willis and Al Pacino. But in recent years, he was at the cusp of finally gaining mainstream respect. He had a recurring role on the reality TV hit “Vanderpump Rules” and produced Martin Scorsese’s last two films. But a Times investigation found that multiple former assistants and people who worked for Emmett alleged improper behavior.

Today, we get into the rise and fall of Emmett, and what it says about the Hollywood of today. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times corporate media reporter Meg James and L.A. Times senior entertainment writer Amy Kaufman

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The man who played Hollywood: Inside Randall Emmett’s crumbling empire

Bruce Willis halts acting career after diagnosis with cognitive disorder

Randall Emmett’s drive to produce films is paying off

Few things are more beautiful on a California summer evening than the sight of lowriders cruising slow and low and bouncing up and down through the streets. But for decades, municipalities across the Golden State have been declaring war on lowriding.

Today, why cities banned car cruising in the first place and how activists are finally winning. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: San Diego Union-Tribune reporter Tammy Murga

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California Assembly urges cities to repeal bans on cruising

Podcast: Lowriders. Cruising. A Southern California ritual returns

During pandemic, trash and crime increased on Whittier Boulevard. Lowrider clubs said: Enough

Classic cars are a staple of California culture, but they have a dirty secret – they're gas guzzlers. And with gas prices so high, collectors are beginning to convert their cars into electric vehicles. In this episode, L.A. business reporter Ronald D. White talks about the creative ways that Californians are getting their hands on electric cars.

A 22-year-old woman and an abortion doctor from California played key roles in the legal fight that eventually led to Roe vs. Wade. But now that Roe’s been struck down, is that history our future? Today, we look at what it was like for women seeking abortions in California and the doctors who served them before the procedure was legalized, and what that past might say about a future without the constitutional right to abortion. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times reporter Brittny Mejia

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Her illegal abortion paved the way for Roe. 56 years later she shares her story

“The Future of Abortion” series

California will see rush of people from out of state seeking abortion care, study says

For decades, weekly lunches between the American president and his vice president have piqued the interest of D.C. insiders. Today, we take a look at this unique tradition and examine what the most exclusive meal in D.C. tells us about the evolution of the vice presidency. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times White House reporter Noah Bierman

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It’s not just a meal: Inside the nation’s most secretive and exclusive power lunch

Opinion: Obama and Biden do lunch

Gorbachev, Reagan, Bush to Lunch

President Biden has vowed to help protect the ability of those who seek abortions to travel to other states. California and other states have stepped up to offer expanded access. And now companies are vowing to do what they can to help their employees continue to access abortion. But how much do those vows from private businesses really matter?

Today, we talk about how corporations are stepping up when the government won’t. But are they actually changing anything in a meaningful way? Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guest: L.A. Times business reporter Sam Dean

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Companies vow to help employees access abortion after Roe vs. Wade is overturned

Hollywood companies vow to pay travel costs for abortions after Roe vs. Wade decision

How Apple, Levi Strauss and other U.S. companies are creating a brand-new abortion benefit

We’ll be having fun all summer long ... or not. Hazards are everywhere this season — in the bonfires we set, the trash we leave behind, the sunburns we get. Today, our Masters of Disasters talk about all the hazards out there, including us. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Rong-Gong Lin II, L.A. Times wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth and L.A. Times coast reporter Rosanna Xia

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In California’s high-risk fire country, Airbnb offers guests no warning or escape plan

Where are California’s dirtiest beaches? This list might surprise you

First suspected cases of monkeypox in Riverside and Santa Clara counties reported

More than 20 states have already worked to ban or severely limit abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade. But in California, access to abortion will continue to be protected. In fact, the state’s Democratic leaders want to expand the right to abortion — for those who live here, and even for those who don’t.

Today, how and why California is setting itself up as a “beacon of hope” for people who want an abortion.

Read the full transcript here. 

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times California government reporter Melody Gutierrez

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What happens in California with Roe vs. Wade now dead?

Newsom signs bill protecting California abortion providers from civil liability

In an America divided by abortion, guns and COVID, California and Newsom seize the moment