Press Play With Madeleine Brand

A majority of women voters cast ballots for Kamala Harris. But Harris did worse among women voters than Joe Biden did in 2020. Why? The war in Ukraine, the future of NATO, and what across-the-board tariffs could mean for Europe’s economy all loom large in a second Trump administration.  Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he may end wars as a gesture towards Trump, according to NPR. But doing so is complicated for both men. Critics review the latest film releases: “Heretic,” “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” “Christmas Eve in Miller's Point,” and “Small Things Like These.”

President-elect Donald Trump appears to be on track to win all seven battleground states and is ahead in the popular vote. The GOP has also won the Senate, and could keep control of the House.  The Supreme Court’s ruling that past and future presidents are immune from prosecution for official acts could give President-elect Trump wide latitude to wield power. In California, high-profile ballot initiatives passed, like re-criminalizing some theft and drug offenses, and enshrining marriage equality in the state constitution.  LA County voters ousted progressive District Attorney George Gascón and approved Measure A. Kevin de León is likely to lose his City Council seat.   

Will Americans know, or have a good sense at least, of who our next president will be by the end of election night?  Polls show a majority of voters are concerned about violence following the election. Officials are monitoring threats and working to safeguard the vote.  Abraham Lincoln’s close friendships with four men may have been sexual relationships too, according to a new documentary called “Lover of Men. Ratings for Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel have plummeted in the last decade. Kids aren’t watching TV the way they used to, or even the shows they used to.

A new poll shows Harris surprisingly winning Iowa, another shows swing states leaning toward Trump but within the margin of error. KCRW talks about the state of the presidential race. This presidential election is the most litigated in history, breaking a record set by the 2020 contest. The RNC has filed 130 lawsuits, and recent court decisions involve who can vote and how votes are counted.  KCRW celebrates Quincy Jones' legacy by revisiting a 2018 interview with the cultural icon and his daughter — about a documentary highlighting his extraordinary life. The latest season of the KCRW podcast takes listeners to the Sunset Strip of the 1960s and 1970s. There, center stage and bathed in limelight, are the groupies.  

The LA Dodgers are World Series champs! The Boys in Blue rallied from a five-run fifth inning deficit Wednesday night to beat the New York Yankees. Donald Trump says he’ll deport millions of undocumented immigrants if he’s elected for a second term. Immigration lawyers across the country are ready to fight.  Alice Neel’s paintings of the queer community and their allies are on display at the David Zwirner gallery. She captured people’s true essence and never followed the herd.   Critics review the latest film releases: “Here,” “A Real Pain,” “Blitz,” and “Emilia Perez.”

Both presidential candidates have promised big economic plans — with hefty price tags. Donald Trump has vowed tax cuts and across-the-board tariffs. Kamala Harris has also pledged tax cuts, a cracking down of price gouging, and the construction of new homes. Third-party candidates could significantly impact the 2024 election, potentially swaying votes in key swing states and challenging major party dynamics. Sean Baker, director of the new film "Anora," talks about how having a bigger budget and professional actors changed his filmmaking process.  Orecchiette, the pasta shaped like an ear, plus cime di rapa, known as rapini or broccoli raab in the U.S., makes for a quintessential Pugliese dish when brought together in the pot.

Many of former President Trump’s Cabinet members and executive branch staffers from his first administration have publicly disavowed him. Who would serve in his White House if he wins again? Pro-cryptocurrency donors have made almost half of all the corporate contributions to political action committees this election, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on both sides of the aisle. A decade after the events of “Black Klansman,” undercover police detective Ron Stallworth relocated to Utah to infiltrate the same Bloods and Crips who waged gang warfare in LA and now expanded into the rich, mostly white Mormon church. New York curators have uncovered a waltz by Frederick Chopin. The short and turbulent composition captures the Polish composer’s sorrow while in exile.  

After ugly comments about Latinos at a Trump rally over the weekend, the spotlight is on that demographic’s changing voting patterns and role in key swing states. House Democrats are suing the Federal Election Commission over campaign ads by Republicans they say are exploiting a legal loophole. And the City of Santa Ana will decide if noncitizens can vote in local elections. Governor Gavin Newsom wants to bring film and TV production back to California by expanding the state’s tax credit program. Could it reverse Hollywood’s fortune?   The album “Quiet in a World Full of Noise” is an orchestral blend of intimate piano ballads and raw songwriting. Many tracks emerged out of personal loss and pain.

LA Times editorial page editor Mariel Garza resigned Wednesday after the paper’s owner Patrick Soon-Shiong ordered the Times not to endorse a presidential candidate. Two Sudanese brothers are accused of targeting Israel’s warning system during the Hamas attack last October 7. They also attacked Cedars-Sinai hospital, an indictment says. Oscar-winner Morgan Neville goes behind the scenes of directing a LEGO movie that chronicles Pharrell’s musical journey from discovery to stardom.  Critics review the latest film releases: “Venom: The Last Dance,” “Conclave,” “New Wave,” and “No One Asked You.” 

Donald Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff, John Kelly, recently spoke to news media about concerns that the former president would govern as a dictator if re-elected.  James Carville was part of the campaign to get Bill Clinton elected in 1992 — and an early critic of Joe Biden’s choice to run for a second term. He talks about the high stakes in the Nov. election.  Longtime Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela died on Tuesday at age 63.  “Fernandomania” in 1981 left an indelible mark on LA and its Mexican American community. Evan Kleiman offers a recipe for flavoring your whole chicken with rosemary-infused maple syrup and combining it with a melted butter baste. It’s inspired by Colu Henry and Samin Nosrat. 

The medical diagnosis used to convict a Texas death row inmate has drawn growing skepticism. At least 30 others similarly convicted have been exonerated. California’s Proposition 6 would end forced labor in prisons. Currently incarcerated people can be required to work, sometimes for pennies per hour or nothing at all, and face punishment if they refuse. Millions of square feet of online shopping warehouses are popping up in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Residents are fighting new developments. A developmentally disabled woman wants to marry her partner, but they'll lose their medical benefits and social security if they wed. Now they're fighting to change federal law.

The Dodgers are back in the World Series after a wild win over the Mets. Now they’re set to face the Yankees in a matchup that’s pure baseball magic. Days after Yahya Sinwar’s death, Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to the Middle East to bring calm to the region. But prospects for peace don’t look good. Elon Musk is offering swing state voters $1 million to sign his petition. But some election law experts worry that Musk is trying to buy votes for Donald Trump. “New Wave” is a documentary about Vietnamese refugees leaning into Eurodisco as they built new lives in SoCal after the fall of Saigon. It also speaks to generational trauma and grief. 

Congressman Adam Schiff was Donald Trump’s chief antagonist during 2017-2021. He responds to Trump’s latest attacks on him, and reacts in real time to the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Critics review the latest film releases: “Smile 2,” “Anora,” “Woman of the Hour,” and “Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party.” KCRW's new host talks about the pop culture latest, including the likelihood of Charli XCX stretching "brat summer" into fall, and the "car crash" appeal of Francis Ford Coppola's "Megalopolis."   Donnie and Joe Emerson recorded “Dreamin’ Wild” as teenagers in 1979. It took decades to become a hit. Now Donnie and his wife are on their first West Coast tour. 

Voter suppression tactics now include strict voter ID laws, reduced early voting times, and limits on mail-in ballots. VA and AL are facing lawsuits related to purging voter rolls.  Lilly Ledbetter, who passed away last Saturday, was instrumental in pushing for equal pay between the sexes. So why has the gap remained roughly the same over two decades? The new book “Den of Spies” chronicles the Reagan campaign’s efforts to delay the release of U.S. hostages in Iran to hurt President Jimmy Carter’s re-election chances. 

Kamala Harris is doing worse among Black voters than Joe Biden did in 2020 — Black men are driving that decline, according to a new poll. Today Harris is unveiling an economic plan aimed at Black men.  The Department of Justice sued Virginia and Alabama, claiming the states violated federal law by removing voters from their rolls too close to an election.  “Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell” chronicles the singer’s experiences of loss and sacrifice — and the songs marking turning points in her life. 

After back-to-back major hurricanes hit the Southeast U.S. in two weeks, can FEMA and other federal agencies handle the response? KCRW looks at how Hurricanes Helene and Milton have affected the political fortunes of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and what the latest polls and focus groups are saying about the presidential candidates.  Critics review the latest film releases: “Piece by Piece,” “The Apprentice,” “We Live in Time,” and “The Last of the Sea Women.” Linguine with clam sauce is a classic dish. Use a transparent sauce of clam juices, white wine, garlic, red chile, and lemon.

In Tuesday’s debate, Republican Steve Garvey and Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff tried to use Donald Trump against each other. They’re vying to fill Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat.  CA Attorney General Rob Bonta has expressed concerns that Latino voters aren’t fairly represented in the city. The LA Times reports he’s urging the council to redraw district maps. “The Apprentice” shows how notorious lawyer Roy Cohn helped turn Donald Trump into who he is today. After it aired at Cannes, the former president threatened to sue. It’s do or die for the Dodgers in tonight’s playoff game against the San Diego Padres. If they win, there will be another game. If they lose, that’s it for them.

Hurricane Milton intensified from Category 1 to Category 5 in just nine hours. An unseasonably warm Gulf of Mexico is one reason such a powerful storm is headed toward Tampa Bay’s 3 million residents. CalTech professor John Hopfield and Google scientist Geoffrey Hinton’s discoveries taught computers to learn the same way humans do, paving the way for A.I. Benjamin Kersten, a graduate student and UCLA chapter leader for Jewish Voice for Peace, talks about his support for Palestine.  Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents in 1989. New Netflix series are focusing on the case, and LA’s district attorney is reviewing evidence that may shed new light. HBO’s “Chimp Crazy” revolves around a woman who’s trying to raise a primate in Missouri. She unsuccessfully fights PETA’s legal efforts to move the animal to a sanctuary. 

Bar Hinitz, 27, lost his best friend, Dan, during the Hamas attack at the Nova Music Festival in Israel. He wants to keep Dan’s memory – and humanity – alive.  A Palestinian American who’s lost dozens of family members in Gaza is trying to forge a new way forward without Hamas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.  KCRW previews the new Supreme Court term, which will see big cases on ghost guns, transgender rights, and likely the 2024 presidential election. John Lennon and Yoko Ono hosted the “Mike Douglas Show” for a week in 1972, using it to discuss women’s liberation, peace, and inclusion. But Richard Nixon saw it as a threat.

A 165-page court filing unsealed on Wednesday outlines special counsel Jack Smith's new strategy to cast Donald Trump's actions on January 6 as those of a private citizen and not a president. A new California law bars public schools from serving snacks with synthetic food dyes that have been linked to behavioral disorders in children. People who are at high risk of diabetes and heart disease could drop weight and lower their blood sugar and cholesterol if they intermittently fast, new research shows.   Critics review the latest film releases: “Folie a Deux,” “Salem's Lot,” “It's What's Inside,” and “The Outrun.” Tzimmes is the Yiddish word for making a big fuss. It’s also a stew of sweet root vegetables and dried fruit, often served for Rosh Hashanah.