Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Jan 30 2025 100 ep. 53 mins 1.3k
Press Play with Madeleine Brand Podcast artwork

Host Madeleine Brand looks at news, culture and emerging trends through the lens of Los Angeles.

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LA fires: Toxic waste disposal, rebuilding considerations

Jan 30 2025 53 mins  
The EPA designated two locations for sorting and processing locations for hazardous debris from the Palisades and Eaton Fires. Residents in both areas are concerned.  We must rethink city planning and development following the LA fires, says UCLA Professor Alex Hall, who advises building homes away from wildlands. Critics review the latest film releases: “Dog Man,”

LA fires: Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, architectural historian on rebuilding

Jan 29 2025 56 mins  
On Monday, President Trump rescinded trillions in federal funding. On Tuesday, a federal court paused the freeze. Today, Trump walked the entire plan back.  LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath addresses residents' criticisms of officials' initial response to the Palisades Fire. She also discusses fire department investments, cleanup, and rebuilding. Architectural historian Er

Firefighter mental health, recovering lost stuffed animals

Jan 28 2025 51 mins  
President Trump’s new executive order says people identifying as a different gender from their “individual sex” do not meet military standards. Trans service members are defending their right to serve. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begins Senate confirmation hearings Wednesday to lead HHS. His views of alternative medicine are increasingly embraced by the MAGA movement. T

Legality of US troops at the border, cleanup of LA fires

Jan 27 2025 52 mins  
President Trump has deployed 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S. border with Mexico. But a nearly 150-year-old law, the Posse Comitatus Act, bars using the military for domestic law enforcement purposes. The CA Environmental Protection Agency secretary explains the cleanup phases for LA’s wildfires, and expects no complications from the Trump administration.   Deep

LA fires: Lost business for domestic workers, tips on navigating insurance claims

Jan 23 2025 54 mins  
Monica Motta runs a small house cleaning business and has lost her clients in Pacific Palisades, an area that accounted for two-thirds of her income.  President Trump’s executive orders on immigration face legal roadblocks. But he’s still sending U.S. troops to the southern border, and threatening to investigate local officials who stand in the way of arresting and

LA fires: Delayed evacuation texts, destruction of Will Rogers Ranch House

Jan 22 2025 52 mins  
LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger responds to reports of residents not receiving text evacuation alerts, and shares updates on rebuilding efforts.  Among his executive orders, President Trump has discontinued diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government. It's part of a larger rollback of DEI efforts nationwide.   Will Rogers S

LA fires: Impact on artists, delayed evacuation orders

Jan 21 2025 53 mins  
A sculptor/printmaker and the J. Paul Getty Trust president share how the recent fires devastated LA’s artist community.  Residents in western Altadena experienced a delay in getting evacuation notices as the Eaton Fire raged, according to an LA Times investigation. President Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of every January 6 insurrection defendant, including En

Donald Trump sworn in, LA musicians take stock of fire losses

Jan 20 2025 52 mins  
President Trump took office today and immediately signed a slew of executive orders related to immigration, energy, trade, and gender. They’ll almost certainly face legal challenges. President Trump’s embrace of tech bosses raises questions of conflicts of interest during his term.  Poolside’s Jeffrey Paradise and rapper “Fat Tony” Obi both lost t

Councilwoman Traci Park on Palisades Fire, David Lynch remembrance

Jan 16 2025 52 mins  
LA City Councilmember Traci Park represents Pacific Palisades and has introduced a suite of legislation to respond to last week’s devastating wildfires and protect affected residents. In President Biden’s farewell speech, he listed his administration’s accomplishments and echoed another president when it came to a “tech industrial complex.” Critics re

Ceasefire in Gaza, Palisades Fire’s impact on schools

Jan 15 2025 53 mins  
Both the incoming and outgoing White House administrations played a role in negotiating, and applying necessary pressure, for a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Hamas and Israel.  A senior from Palisades Charter High and a coordinator at the Westside Waldorf School share how students and staff are faring amid the wildfires. There has been so much misinformation, and