Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Broad Museum Delays, the NFL in L.A., and Hacker Hostage-Takers
What’s delayed the opening of downtown’s new Broad Museum? Also, hackers have found a way to hold people’s computer files for ransom. What can we do to protect ourselves?
By Madeleine Brand • • 52m ListenIs the U.S. drone program in peril? An internal Air Force memo suggests it’s hit hard times. Then, why hasn’t downtown’s Broad Museum opened yet, months after it was scheduled to? In our weekly sports roundup, a look at the proposal to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood. Next, we hear from an author who’s compiled a new book of Raymond Chandler’s writings that sheds light on how Chandler felt about the city he’s so closely associated with, L.A. And finally, hackers have found a way to hold people’s computer files for ransom. The attacks have affected some 1 million PC users. What can we do to protect ourselves?
Banner Image: The Broad on Grand Avenue in Downtown LA.
In this episode
5 storiesIs the U.S. Drone Fleet at a Breaking Point?
According to an internal memo, the Air Force doesn’t have enough pilots to fly its drones, and the drone program is stretched nearly to its breaking point. Drones have become essential in targeting and gathering intelligence against the Taliban, al Qaeda and ISIS, among others.
Read the story8 minCatching Up With the Broad Museum
The scaffolding that shrouded downtown’s new Broad Museum during its construction was finally removed during the holidays. But some people are underwhelmed by the big reveal. One architecture critic compared the building’s facade to a giant cheese grater. Why don’t they like it and, more importantly, when will we get to see the interior?
Read the story7 minNFL to L.A.?
Los Angeles football fans, dare to dream: an NFL team could be headed our way. The owner of the St. Louis Rams says he plans to build a stadium in Inglewood, a possible sign that the former L.A. team could be coming home. We get up to speed on the deal and more in our weekly sports roundup.
Read the story10 minRaymond Chandler’s Los Angeles
Raymond Chandler’s dark vision of Los Angeles was as much a character in his novels as his hard-drinking, wise-cracking private eye Philip Marlowe. But one of L.A.’s most iconic writers was actually a transplant here. Chandler was born in Chicago and raised in Europe.
Read the story12 min“How My Mom Got Hacked”
Imagine you wake up one morning, go to your computer, and find that all your files have been encrypted overnight. The price for unlocking them? $500. That nightmare is a reality for some 1 million PC users who have been victims of so-called ransomware viruses, engineered by hackers.
Read the story9 min
