Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Do scare tactics make people care about climate change?
A New York Magazine story envisions a future of broiling and drowned cities if nothing is done on climate change. But some climate scientists say it’s disaster porn and counter-productive.
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenPhoto: A performer takes part in an event titled "Science in the Square" which is used to highlight science and in particular, climate change in Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. May 31, 2017. (Carlo Allegri/Reuters)
In this episode
5 storiesTrump Jr. and Russia: Collusion or incompetence?
In an email from last year, which Donald Trump Jr. released today, he wrote “I love it” to news that Russians had damaging information on Hillary Clinton. We get reaction from Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff about whether this is the collusion smoking gun. Schiff is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
Read the story13 min'It's worse than you think:' PR strategies around climate change
A New York Magazine story envisions a future of broiling and drowned cities if nothing is done on climate change. But some climate scientists say it’s “disaster porn” and counter-productive. We talk about the best way to convince people to take climate change seriously.
Read the story9 minScientists find humans' sense of smell is far stronger than we think
There are several explanations for why humans allegedly have a poor sense of smell. As humans began walking upright, smell became less important than sight. It’s been thought that since humans are logical creatures, we don’t need to rely on smell to direct our behavior and that our sight is more powerful than our smell.
Read the story9 minBreaking the Grim Sleeper serial killer case in South LA
In January 2006, Christine Pelisek was chatting up a source -- the LA Coroner -- to check on murders over the weekend. He mentioned there had been a large number of body dumping cases in recent years. She eventually got his list of cases, and broke the story of a serial killer in South Central LA. Pelisek chronicles how she got the story.
Read the story12 minEast Coast chefs are trying to colonize LA, but will we stand for it?
As LA’s restaurant scene continues to boom, East Coast chefs want in on the game. While some new arrivals embrace the West Coast’s laid back vibe, others don’t. We have a conversation about the new chefs in town, and what an east coast invasion could mean for LA food.
Read the story7 min
