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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    How 3 iconic Angelenos shaped the idea of LA

    In the early 1900s, three Angelenos were instrumental in the huge and sudden growth of the city: engineer William Mulholland, movie director DW Griffith, and charismatic evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson.

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    By Madeleine Brand • May 21, 2018 • 48m Listen

    In the early 1900s, three Angelenos were instrumental in the huge and sudden growth of the city: engineer William Mulholland, movie director DW Griffith, and charismatic evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. They’re the subject of the new book “The Mirage Factory.”

    Images of Santa Monica Boulevard and the founders of United Artists: DW Griffith, Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, and Douglas Fairbanks (front row); courtesy of the Library of Congress.

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:00

      Will Trump's demand for FBI probe lead to constitutional crisis with the Justice Department?

      In a tweet, President Trump demanded that the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI infiltrated or surveilled his campaign for “political purposes,” and if the Obama administration ordered that surveillance.

      Read the story
      7 min
    2. 7:17

      The Supreme Court hands employers a victory

      The court ruled that non-union workers are not allowed to band together to sue their employer over wage disputes. They must file their lawsuits individually. In her dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg called the decision “egregiously wrong.”

      Read the story
      9 min
    3. 16:13

      Hawaii volcano spews lava into the ocean, creating tiny shards of glass in the air

      On Sunday, lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano crossed a highway and emptied into the ocean. It’s quite a sight to behold: massive dark clouds billowing into the air. Those clouds are are a mix of steam, hydrochloric acid, and tiny shards of glass.

      Read the story
      7 min
    4. 22:52

      How 3 Angelenos were instrumental in the sudden growth of LA

      In the early 1900s, a city suddenly sprouted up, like an unlikely weed, out of the bare desert of Southern California.

      Read the story
      16 min
    5. 38:41

      #MeToo and gender inequality at Cannes

      Italian actress and director Asia Argento gave a speech at the Cannes film festival on Saturday, saying Harvey Weinstein raped her at Cannes in 1997. She called the festival his hunting ground.

      Read the story
      8 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

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      Gina Pollack

      Producer

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

      News

    In this episode

    5 stories
    1. 0:007 min

      Will Trump's demand for FBI probe lead to constitutional crisis with the Justice Department?

    2. 7:179 min

      The Supreme Court hands employers a victory

    3. 16:137 min

      Hawaii volcano spews lava into the ocean, creating tiny shards of glass in the air

    4. 22:5216 min

      How 3 Angelenos were instrumental in the sudden growth of LA

    5. 38:418 min

      #MeToo and gender inequality at Cannes

    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand