Independent Producer
Gideon Brower is a humorist and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. His radio features, documentaries and commentaries air on NPR stations locally and nationally. He has contributed to Joe Frank's radio programs and sometimes fills in as producer on KCRW's To the Point and Which Way, LA? with Warren Olney.
Electricity: Conversations With Captain Beefheart In this intimate radio portrait of one of music’s most legendary eccentric geniuses, writer Kristine McKenna offers you a visceral experience of what it was like to be friends with Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart).
President Trump and the imagined war on Christmas President Trump’s first year in office has impacted Americans well beyond policy. He’s in every story, in everything, it seems. On our final show, we look at how he and Republicans have even politicized Christmas. We discuss how Americans celebrate in ways that look different than a Hallmark card — including people who want their holiday symbols, like Santa — to look like them.
The politics of pot Recreational marijuana will be legal in California in 2018. Who will benefit from the potential economic boom?
What the tax bill has to do with U.S. wealth inequality The richest one percent of Americans control about 38 percent of the wealth in the United States. Analysts report that the Republican tax bill, very soon to be the Republican tax law, will only exacerbate the problem. How will this break down on racial and ethnic lines? Who benefits and who doesn’t?
Puerto Rico's long road to recovery Almost three months after Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory is still struggling to get basic necessities like water and power. The islands were already dealing with a crushing amount of debt before the storms, how should the U.S. help its territory recover?
Is Trump a threat to the rule of law? The president has gone after the FBI, judges and the First Amendment. But so far his vendetta against so-called sanctuary cities has failed and his attorney general won't start an investigation against Hillary Clinton. Will he spark a Constitutional standoff with the special counsel? Is the GOP forfeiting its claim to be the party of law and order?
Fake news, social media and a new news order From broadcasting to cable news to Facebook, Twitter, websites and bloggers. We hear how technology has changed journalism since this program first went on the air in the year 2000.
US elections: How far have we come since Bush v. Gore? This program began in the year 2000 with coverage of the contested election of President George W. Bush. Changes in the following 17 years were supposed to improve the integrity of the electoral process. Is the "guarantee" that every American has the right to vote more — or less — a reality?
Can a defeated ISIS keep its brand alive? ISIS may have been defeated in Iraq and Syria, but the ideology that motivated the Islamic State isn't dead yet. We hear about ISIS "provinces" around the world… and about fighters who've returned to their home countries.
Will massive tax cuts unite the GOP? "Tax reform" is a process that's full of political pitfalls. That's one reason it's only tried every few decades. President Trump has promised "the biggest tax cuts ever" — which is — even in times of bipartisan unity -- easier said than done.
Will the Harvey Weinstein scandal be a watershed moment? It's been decades since Hollywood liberals denounced the "casting couch" and vowed to end "sexual harassment." But revelations about Harvey Weinstein reveal the hypocrisy of the film industry… and much more.
What happened to the Crenshaw Cowboy? Lovell Moore, the "Crenshaw Cowboy," on board one of his sculptures. Photo by Gideon Brower A Los Angeles street artist named Lovell Moore, known as the "Crenshaw Cowboy," has been entertaining thousands of motorists with his trash sculptures, dance moves and motivational signs for years. But earlier this month, he disappeared along with his sculptures from his usual spot on the 10 freeway on-ramp at Crenshaw Boulevard. Neither the Los Angeles Police Department, the Sanitation Department nor Caltrans will take responsibility for removing his work. And now he is back on the freeway on-ramp, at least for a while. Independent producer Gideon Brower has been following the ups and downs of Moore's creative life.
Zinke recommends rolling back some national monuments President Trump has stirred controversy in the Western States by taking aim at National Monuments protected by former presidents. As he looks at recommendations that he shrink them in size, does he have the legal power?
Bannon unchained Steve Bannon may be out of the White House, but his style of politics and political propaganda lives on. Back at Breitbart News, Bannon has said he will use the tools at his disposal to go after those who oppose his agenda of economic populism. Guest host León Krauze considers, when it comes to the White House, is Bannon a friend or foe?
Race politics and the NFL's culture of silence Devoted sports fans may not like it, but America's most divisive controversy has reached the National Football League. We'll hear how players are speaking out — for racial equality and protection from debilitating injury.
White supremacy on campuses: Moral crisis for higher education? Last weekend's deadly violence at the University of Virginia is a wake-up-call for leaders of higher education. It's another example of how the so-called alt-right is recruiting on campuses—utilizing protections for free speech. We hear about possible responses to a challenging strategy.
One Year Later: Rebuilding from the Thomas Fire This week marks one year since the Thomas Fire descended on the city of Ventura. It burned more than 500 homes within city limits. Since then, roughly half of those properties have received the green-light to start construction, but only a handful have actually broken ground. We visit one neighborhood where some of the first homes are getting rebuilt.
Lessons on rebuilding after the Woolsey and Thomas Fires Monique Quigley’s Christmas this year won’t be like any she’s ever had. Her home in Malibou Lake burned down in the Woolsey Fire last month. She lost nearly everything, including her house.
A call to prepare for the next natural disaster A local environmentalist says we should spend more time and money preparing for natural disasters than responding to them. A Ventura resident who lost his home in the Thomas Fire says rebuilding is taking longer than he’d hoped. Local animal shelters are becoming critical evacuation centers. And California counties must now hold public meetings on their relationship with federal immigration agents.
Remembering George H.W. Bush A balanced look at George H.W. Bush includes: the smear campaign that won him the White House, his successes in war and diplomacy, and his almost forgotten role as an environmental president. Also what lies ahead for the UK, if there’s no agreement on Brexit?