Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Poverty rates are down, median income is up
News today from the Census Bureau shows that the economic situation for millions of Americans got better last year: More than three million people escaped poverty and median income is up more than 5 percent.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenNews today from the Census Bureau shows that the economic situation for millions of Americans got better last year: More than three million people escaped poverty and median income is up more than 5 percent. In South LA, violent crime is up. The LAPD is fighting the trend with the Community Safety Operations Center, a coordinated effort between precincts. It’s the 20th anniversary of the murder of Tupac Shakur in a drive-by in Las Vegas. Press Play looks at his legacy and influence. And Keith Morris, founding member of punk bands Black Flag and the Circle Jerks, has a new book out: “My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor.” Finally, a new investigation shows that the sugar industry cooked the books about the health dangers of their product back in the 1960s.
In this episode
5 storiesMedian income goes up for the first time in years
News today from the Census Bureau shows that the economic situation for millions of Americans got better last year. More than three million people escaped poverty – the biggest drop in the poverty rate since 1999. According to the census, the middle class is doing better too. The median income jumped more than 5 percent.
Read the story7 minHow community policing is changing South LA
The Los Angeles Police Department realized five months ago that it had a problem: violent crime was up, and half of the city’s shootings and murders were happening in just four of the LAPD’s 21 divisions -- all of them in South LA. So the LAPD came up with the Community Safety Operations Center.
Read the story9 min20th anniversary of the death of Tupac Shakur
Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the death of rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas; his murder is still unsolved. He is one of the most controversial figures in hip-hop and still one of the most influential.
Read the story10 minKeith Morris on 'My Damage'
When you think of the early days of punk rock, maybe you think of London and the Sex Pistols and the Clash; or New York and the Ramones and the New York Dolls. But Los Angeles also had a homegrown and influential punk scene. The LA sound was harder and thrashier, developed by bands like Black Flag.
Read the story13 minThe dangers of sugar
A new investigation shows that the sugar industry cooked the books about the health dangers of their product back in the 1960’s. Recently discovered documents reveal that the Sugar Research Foundation paid three Harvard scientists to publish a review of sugar’s effect on fat and heart disease.
Read the story7 min
