New Episodes

Episode 36 hours, 900 machines, 1 ball: Inside LA’s wild pinball scene
LA is home to more than 900 pinball machines and a thriving pinball scene. This crowd is so hyped, they’ll go all night.
Episode Midweek Reset: Why we hate
This week, historian George Makari explores the powerful human emotion of hate, xenophobia and fear of the other and says some people “fall in hate, the way the rest of us fall in love.”
Episode ‘Casablanca,’ ‘The Godfather’: What makes films the most popular?
People watch certain films repeatedly, and not all are masterpieces. “ The Power of Film ” explores why. The docu-series is based on Howard Suber ’s book of the same name.
Episode Rockstar musician is voiceless in ‘Last Days’ opera
Gus Van Sant’s film about musician Kurt Cobain’s final days has been adapted into an opera that will make its U.S. debut with the LA Phil this week.
Episode Superstitions and well-being
It is hard to avoid superstitions, but they are usually harmless and can provide a boost of confidence
Episode Dan Levy, Andrew Haigh, and Leslie Odom, Jr. on The Treat
Emmy-winning comedy star Dan Levy gets vulnerable, director Andrew Haigh avoids easy answers, and Leslie Odom Jr. shares a hip-hop “Treat.”
Episode application/x-troff-me Why allergies and gut health are getting worse
Authors and scientists Theresa MacPhail and Alanna Collen delve into the history and science of allergies, proposing that a potential solution for allergy sufferers may lie within the body's own microbiome.
Episode Troff document (with manpage macros) Netflix shake-ups, Jon Stewart’s big news, and Matthew Heineman on ‘American Symphony’
Kim Masters and Matt Belloni banter about Netflix and Jon Stewart. Plus, Masters speaks with Matthew Heineman about his new documentary on the prolific and multi-Grammy winning musician Jon Batiste, American Symphony.
Episode Afghan cuisine, LA restaurant closures, Hmong cooking
Zarghuna Adel learns classic recipes from older Afghans living abroad and reintroduces them to a younger generation living in the country.
Episode Pascal source code With likely rematch, Biden and Trump start shaping their visions
Will the potential candidates’ visions for the country match what voters are looking for? Plus, a Supreme Court case spotlights dueling approaches to compassion.
Episode The Un-Oppenheimer: The story of a teenager who sought to save the world
Journalist and filmmaker David Lindorff explores the story of Ted Hall, who, at the age of 18 years old, leaked the secrets of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union in an attempt to secure a balance in the world’s most dangerous arms race.
Episode Troff document Weekend film reviews: ‘Miller’s Girl,’ ‘Tótem,’ ‘The Breaking Ice’
The latest film releases include Miller's Girl, Tótem, The Breaking Ice, and The Sweet East. Weighing in are Christy Lemire and Alonso Duralde, co-hosts of the YouTube channel Breakfast All Day.
Episode text/texmacs Film reviews: ‘Tótem’ ultimately gives emotional relief
Critics review the latest film releases: “Miller's Girl,” “Tótem,” “The Breaking Ice,” “The Sweet East.”
Episode D source code Can an influencer make it in Hollywood — and why bother?
After gaining a sizeable following on TikTok, can an influencer become a showrunner? And does he even need to?
Episode ‘Racist Trees’ chronicles debate about race and real estate
A row of tall trees separating a golf course from a historically Black neighborhood in Palm Springs is the subject of a new PBS documentary called “Racist Trees.”
Episode Midweek Reset: Ikigai
This week, Iza Kavedžija, a cultural anthropologist who lived in the Kansai region of Japan, while researching the older members of Japanese society, talks about how Japanese culture values the modest pursuit - a concept called ikigai - small…
Episode Zero-carbon homes exist. Can you really live in one?
A Malibu mansion and a humble home in Ventura have something in common: Their carbon emissions are net-zero. Is this the next trend in home building?
Episode Designing with Nature (from “Sea Change”)
Today we’re sharing an episode from an environmental podcast you might like, Sea Change, from WWNO in New Orleans. If you like what you hear, check them out wherever you get podcasts.
Episode LA Times grapples with massive layoffs, undefined identity
​​The LA Times said today that it will lay off more than 20% of the newsroom. Owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said the paper has been losing $30 to 40 million annually.
Episode chemical/x-mdl-rdfile Inside June Carter’s prolific music career, before and after Johnny Cash
The documentary “June” features never-before-seen archival material of June Carter, who boasted a prolific music career solo and with Johnny Cash.
Episode Pet custody is a tricky topic for child-free millennials
You fall in love, move in, adopt a dog, and then? You break up. So who gets the dog? Dividing up the pets can be as contentious as a child custody battle.
Episode D source code Diagnosing ADHD
The condition is difficult to diagnose, and errors drive toward overdiagnosis.
Episode God is a verb: The mystical, existential poetry of Christian Wiman
Poet and author Christian Wiman talks about his cancer diagnosis, confronting death, and how his faith has taught him to embrace the unknown.
Episode AVI video Brad Falchuk, Laurent Bouzereau, and Dorsay Alavi on The Treat
Brad Falchuk on “The Brothers Sun,” Laurent Bouzereau on Steven Spielberg, and Dorsay Alavi on The Treat.
Episode Inside the Tom Cruise-Warner Bros. deal; Jon Batiste talks ‘American Symphony’
Kim Masters and Matt Belloni look into the Tom Cruise-Warner Bros. deal and what that means for his projects at Paramount.
Episode Soil, the future of farming, policing avocados
Journalist and author George Monbiot has a radical idea for fixing farming's environmental devastation — but can a post-agricultural world feed the planet?
Episode What did Trump’s Iowa victory reveal about the political landscape?
Where do GOP hopefuls stand after Donald Trump’s Iowa caucus win? Can the Israeli government eradicate Hamas without triggering all-out regional conflict?
Episode The kidnaping of the century: How Patty Hearst became a revolutionary
One of the biggest stories of the twentieth century, big enough to displace Watergate from the front pages of newspapers nationwide, takes the form of a novel in an attempt to use fiction as a vehicle to expose the truth of this media spectacle.
Episode Year after mass shooting, Monterey Park community continues to heal
Local leaders are encouraging survivors of the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting to seek mental health care, but getting elderly Asians on board can be difficult.
Episode Weekend film reviews: ‘I.S.S.,’ ‘The Kitchen,’ ‘Founder’s Day’
Critics review the latest film releases: “I.S.S.,” “The End We Start From,” “The Kitchen,” and “Founder’s Day.”