Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Did USC violate medical ethics?
An LA Times investigation revealed that the dean of USC’s medical school had been taking illegal drugs and regularly consorting with a prostitute. USC received questions from the LA Times for more than a year before publishing the story. However, the school only began to investigate recently.
By Madeleine Brand • • 47m ListenPhoto of Carmen Puliafito courtesy of the Keck School of Medicine of USC
In this episode
5 storiesWill Democrats' new 'Better Deal' gain traction?
Jared Kushner told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he did not collude with Russia, and he didn’t know anyone on the campaign who did. As the Russia story threatens to dominate another week in Washington, we look at the Democrats’ new legislative agenda called “A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages.”
Read the story8 minHow President Trump is remaking the federal judiciary
President Trump is filling federal judge openings faster than previous presidents. Those judges are generally more conservative and younger than usual, meaning they could be around for decades. Also, California’s new and very controversial recall election law has its first legal challenge.
Read the story8 minWhat does the scandal around former USC med school dean say about ethics?
The LA Times dropped a bombshell a week ago about the former dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Carmen Puliafito used illegal drugs and regularly consorted with a prostitute. In the week since the Times investigation came out, USC has begun the process of firing Puliafito.
Read the story9 minISIS lures in weed-loving surfer from Laguna Beach
Rez Courdee is second-generation Iranian American, born and raised in wealthy Laguna Beach. He likes to surf and smoke weed. When jihadi terrorism hits a nearby mall, many neighbors and friends start looking at him as a possible enemy. Rez then looks into what means to be Muslim. That’s the setup for Laleh Khadivi’s novel “A Good Country.”
Read the story14 minIs FYF the better Coachella?
While Frank Ocean sang at FYF on Saturday night, a close-up of Brad Pitt showed up on the giant screen, with him standing at the lip of the stage and looking soulful with a cell phone to his ear. Missy Elliott did her first full live show in almost a decade. The lineup also included Bjork, Nine Inch Nails, and A Tribe Called Quest.
Read the story7 min
