Oscar Corral

Host Steve Chiotakis goes on a grunion run. Embattled LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva takes tough questions from KCRW's Warren Olney.

California’s relentless clean-air enforcer, Mary Nichols, has divided the automobile industry. After weeks of secret negotiations, the Chair of the State’s Air Resources Board has announced that Ford, Honda VW and BMW of America won’t go along with President Trump’s rollback of Barack Obama’s fuel-economy standards. Nichols claims it’s an “olive branch,” giving car makers the “flexibility” to clean up the air at the same time they continue to market vehicles that make the most money. Brady Dennis of the Washington Post calls it a “big deal,” even if Toyota, GM and 11 other companies revert to Trump’s new federal standards--at least for the moment. Alan Baum is a consultant for both the industry and environmental organizations. He says the four who made the deal with California have a slight lead on their competitors in developing the technology of the future, with China currently far ahead of them all. He says the western car makers are doing a poor job of educating consumers about the benefits of hybrids and electrics. Nichols’s history with the Air Resources Board goes back to the 1970’s. She was named Chair by Republican Governor Arnold Schwartenegger and reappointed by Democrats Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. She made an international name for herself for years ago when she blew the whistle on Volkswagen for faking emissions tests on the diesel cars it sold for decades all over the world.

The communities of Gilroy, El Paso and Dayton are recovering after attackers shot and killed at least 34 people and injured dozens more.  Erroll Southers, Director of Homegrown…

Former special counsel Robert Mueller is appearing in two separate hearings before the House judiciary and intelligence committees.

President Trump infuriated a fractured Democratic party this week by telling four of its newest members to go back to where they came from, but did his statement galvanize his base or…

The 2020 presidential race has a crowded field of competitors, and many are making their way to Los Angeles for fundraisers, rallies, and other events. KCRW is tracking LA visits by…

Last week's mass shooting in El Paso has been particularly painful for Angelenos, because so many have close ties to that city.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller finally testifies before congress but did anything new come to light?

Once again it’s the race for the White House as Reality TV, with  20 performers focused on making the next audition. Are “bold proposals” politically risky?