Press Play with Madeleine Brand

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 first album in 24 years, plus sex, marriage, and growing up (21:33 - 42:22). In a kayak made of mushrooms, LA artist Sam Shoemaker paddled 26 miles from Catalina to San Pedro, showing fungi could be an alternative to plastics (42:24 - 49:37).

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 Bold Beautiful Journey,” “Where to Land,” and “Happyend.” Depending on how you treat it, eggplant can be meltingly tender, smoky, chewy, or crisp. But whatever you do, never undercook it.

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 chef Sami Tamimi, highlights the diversity and vibrancy of Palestinian cuisine. Some books to look forward to this fall are about long COVID-induced insanity, true crime, and a mother speaking to her son from the afterlife.

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 Recovered Voices program, the importance of educating young people about classical arts, and why “West Side Story” is significant to him. The Dodgers fight through injuries and a tough loss ahead of the MLB playoffs. The Valkyries hope to make WNBA playoff history. And UCLA football scrambles after another coaching shakeup.

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 comes with a twist. Michael Crichton’s estate says the show borrows heavily from “ER,” the hit medical drama he created based on his life. The long out-of-print pre-Fleetwood Mac album by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks — the only album they ever released as a duo — is being re-released for the first time in decades this Friday.

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 the latest film releases: “The Long Walk,” The History of Sound,” “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” and “Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues.” Writer Vanessa Anderson’s project “The Grocery Goblin” explores food and consumer culture via the grocery store. Her latest Substack post wondered what was in Evan Kleiman’s fridge.

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, jokes, and mispronunciations — that bond them together, linger for years. Linguists call this “familect.” KCRW host Sam Sanders dishes on all things pop culture — the moments, movies, music, and TV shows people couldn't stop raving about over the summer.

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 spinoff from “The Office,” mixing newsroom chaos, nostalgia, and laughs about the future of print journalism. A displeased astrologer weighs in after the New York Times reports that your zodiac sign is out of date. KCRW explains the long controversy between astronomers and astrologers.

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” explores the budding rivalry between tennis phenoms Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and what it means for the future of the sport. No candidate exists for 2025’s “song of the summer.” Media consumption is fragmented, streaming allows people to listen to the same songs for longer, and more artists are competing for attention.

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 professor with an insatiable obsession with little girls, who sexually assaults his 12-year-old stepdaughter. It’s also one of literature’s most celebrated novels — acclaimed for its prose and wordplay. Critics review the latest film releases: “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” “Preparation for the Next Life,” “Twinless,” and “The Threesome.”

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 MicroCo is launching a new version of that idea. Today’s protein-obsessed culture is rediscovering cottage cheese. On social media, people are blending it into ice cream, dips, pancakes, and even pasta sauces. Downtown LA’s iconic Mayan Theater’s current operators have run the venue since 1989. KCRW looks at the history that’s showcased everything from Gershwin, to porn, to Mexican wrestling.

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 thousands of workers in cities that technically didn’t exist. The single bloodiest day of World War II was the firebombing of Tokyo — before atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why isn’t it mourned that way?

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,” “The Roses,” “The Toxic Avenger,” and “A Little Prayer.” Finger clapping — touching your thumb and middle finger together in a form of silent applause — may seem like a hot new thing on TikTok. But the queer ballroom scene has been doing it for years.

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, impoverished background to become a movie star in Britain and then Hollywood. But her career fizzled out in the 1940s, and all that cover-up had a psychological impact. Consider setting up a pickle bar for your Labor Day get-together. Pickles fit right in with cheese, charcuterie, and crackers. They can also be used for sandwiches and cocktails.

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 revisits the story of Amanda Knox, the American college student studying abroad who was accused of killing her roommate. Knox and Monica Lewinsky are executive producers. The colonial-era Mercator map distorts continental size, making Africa look smaller than it is. The 55-nation African Union joins the push to embrace a new world map.

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 the states. FEMA employees say this leaves the U.S. unprepared for the next Hurricane Katrina. Terry Riley is known for creating minimalist music, which influenced artists across genres, including ambient, electronic, pop, and rock. On Sept. 7, the Ford amphitheater will host a concert celebrating his work.

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 film releases: “Honey Don’t!,” “Splitsville,” “Lurker,” and “Suspended Time.” Granola and energy bars often start with the same pantry staples such as oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. They diverge in the proportion of ingredients and the technique used to make them.

Israel has approved a West Bank settlement plan that would split the territory and pave the way for thousands of apartments, drawing global criticism and threatening hopes of a Palestinian state. Gov. Newsom last year accused oil companies of “screwing” customers, but now he wants to increase oil drilling in Kern County to prevent a possible rise in gas prices in 2026. Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead were counterculture icons. But according to author Jim Newton, Garcia himself wasn’t particularly political. At least not publicly, or even in ways we might traditionally think. Forty-two cats in a traditional portrait setting. Felines filling the frame in an array of poses on blue and pink fabrics, bathed in soft light. The 1891 masterpiece "My Wife's Lovers" is just as fabulous as it sounds.

Sam Tsemberis came up with Housing First — permanent housing with supportive services. He explains the root causes of homelessness and why Trump’s executive order paints a false reality. When Amber Mariah Metzinger entered a Housing First program, she stopped using meth, and started working toward a career in drug and alcohol counseling. After 15 years off air, “King of the Hill” returns with new laughs, old neighbors, and storylines that echo today’s political and social divide. Dan Tana, 90, died of cancer on Saturday in his native Serbia — far from the city where his name welcomed diners and scenesters for decades.