Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Exide Battery Plant Closes, a Karl Ove Knausgaard Subject and 'Going Clear'
We start today with a look at the Exide battery plant in Vernon, which is closing and cleaning up its site after decades as a notorious polluter. How did the company escape prosecution? Also, where will all those batteries now go to die?
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenWe start today with a look at the Exide battery plant in Vernon, which is closing and cleaning up its site after decades as a notorious polluter. How did the company escape prosecution? Also, where will all those batteries now go to die? Then, we talk to a photographer who unwittingly became a character in a piece by the bestselling Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard. Next, a new documentary, 1971, details a break-in at an FBI office more than 40 years ago that revealed the bureau’s extensive spying operations and shocked the American public. We hear from the director and discuss why we’re not having the same reaction to the Edward Snowden revelations. And finally, in our weekly film segment, our critics discuss Alex Gibney’s documentary about Scientology, Going Clear.
Banner Image Credit: Touring Club Suisse
In this episode
5 storiesExide Battery Plant to Close in Vernon
U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura announced this week that after more than 90 years, the Vernon battery recycling plant a few miles from downtown L.A. is shutting down for good. It was a notorious polluter.
Read the story7 minThe Bigger Problem of Battery Waste
So what’s going to happen with all those batteries now that the Exide plant is closed? Where will they be recycled? We take a broader look at the system of battery disposal -- a bigger and bigger issue to deal with these days.
Read the story7 minWhat It’s Like to Be Written About by Karl Ove Knausgaard
A depressed Norwegian novelist. An enthusiastic young American photographer. A road trip through the midwest… it sounds like the plot of an indie comedy. But it’s real: The New York Times hired novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard to write a two-part travel piece in North America.
Read the story8 min'1971': Documentary Profiles Activists Who Uncovered Hoover-Era Surveillance
Thanks to Edward Snowden, we all now know about the N.S.A.’s massive electronic spying program -- though it’s surprising how many people seem to have responded to the revelations with a shoulder shrug. We were a lot more shockable back in 1971.
Read the story15 minFriday Film: 'Cinderella,' 'Going Clear,' and 'Run All Night'
It’s Friday, which means it’s time to talk about film. This week catches us during an “in-between” moment in the movies industry, post-Oscars and pre-summer blockbusters. But there’s a genre for everyone this weekend, from a sugary sweet princess story to Liam Neeson’s latest action movie -- kind of a genre unto itself.
Read the story9 min
