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    The Times: Essential news from the L.A. Times

    “The Times" is a podcast from the Los Angeles Times hosted by columnist Gustavo Arellano along with reporters from our diverse newsroom. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, our podcast brings listeners the most essential stories from the L.A. Times. We've got the West Coast angle on the most interesting news stories of the day, taking on topics like entertainment, the environment, immigration, politics, the criminal justice system, the social safety net, food and culture and more, and delivering it in a tone that isn’t so stressed or intense. Through interviews and original stories, we are the audio guide you need to understand the day’s news, the world and how California is at the epicenter of it all.
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    Episodes (446)

    How trans surfers find community

    How trans surfers find community

    Trans surfers are beginning to find community among themselves in a sport that too often isolates and even shuns them. 

    Today, we hang out with some at the beach, to hear their joy and pain. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: L.A. Times senior producer Denise Guerra

    More reading:
    Biden sports plan angers transgender advocates and opponents

    Black surfers find moments of reflection, rejuvenation at ‘A Great Day in the Stoke’

    For transgender kids, a frantic rush for treatment amid bans

    Masters of Disasters origin stories!

    Masters of Disasters origin stories!

    In a live taping, three of our Masters of Disasters talk about how they got into covering catastrophes, why they continue to do it — and how they try to convey hope. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Rong-Gong Lin, L.A. Times wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth, and L.A. Times coastal reporter Rosanna Xia

    More reading:

    Read Rong-Gong LIn II’s stories here

    Read Alex Wigglesworth’s stories here

    Read Rosanna Xia’s stories here

    Can anything stop distracted driving?

    Can anything stop distracted driving?

    After a decades-long decline in automobile fatalities, numbers began to go up with the dawn of smart phones. Laws banning use of cellphones while driving haven’t stopped the rise — and the dawn of smart cars seems to be making things worse.

    Today, we talk about efforts to stop distracted driving — and why they don’t seem to work. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times auto industry reporter Russ Mitchell

    More reading:

    Highways are getting deadlier, with fatalities up 22%. Our smartphone addiction is a big reason why

    ‘We are killing people’: How technology has made your car ‘a candy store of distraction’

    The DMV said it would investigate Tesla over self-driving claims. Then, crickets

    The music genre Korean elders 'trot' to

    The music genre Korean elders 'trot' to

    “Trot” is a Korean music genre that has been around for decades. But in recent years, it has exploded in popularity in Southern California. The biggest fans? Immigrant seniors.

    Today, we talk about trot’s history, staying power and role in the Korean American community. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times Asian American communities reporter Jeong Park

    More reading:

    K-Pop isn’t the only hot ticket in Koreatown — how ‘trot’ is captivating immigrants

    Koreatown’s elderly immigrants find the lure of the casino bus a blessing and a curse

    Club helps older Korean immigrants find their political voice

    Is Biden too old to run again?

    Is Biden too old to run again?

    When Joe Biden won in 2020, he became the oldest president in U.S. history. If he runs again in 2024 and wins, he’ll beat own record. Is that a problem?

    Today, we talk about the grumbles from Republicans and Democrats alike over Biden’s age. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times reporter Courtney Subramanian

    More reading:

    Column: Are Joe Biden and Dianne Feinstein too old to do their jobs?

    Newsletter: Joe Biden, the bumbling old president who outwitted Republicans

    ‘What an old politician understands’ — Biden turns the age issue to advantage

    Can Dr. Simi cure the Mexican healthcare system?

    Can Dr. Simi cure the Mexican healthcare system?

    Farmacias Similares is the largest privately owned chain of pharmacies in Mexico, and has a cute mascot — Dr. Simi — who is beloved across the country. What could possibly be wrong about this scenario? Many things.

    Today, we talk about what the rise of Dr. Simi says about Mexico’s broken healthcare system. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times foreign correspondent Leila Miller

    More reading:

    Mexico promised healthcare for all. Its failure to deliver made this smiling mascot famous

    El Dr. Simi es una estrella de TikTok. También es una muestra de la crisis del sistema de salud de México

    Introducing 'Foretold'

    Introducing 'Foretold'

    "Foretold" is the newest podcast from the L.A. Times, and we're sharing the first episode with you here today. 

    In the fall of 2019, reporter Faith E. Pinho received a tip from a woman named Paulina Stevens. Paulina claimed she had grown up in an insular Romani community in California, where she was raised to be a wife, mother and fortuneteller — until she decided to break away. That first call unraveled a story spanning multiple continents, hundreds of years, and complex metaphysical realities. 

     Follow "Foretold" to hear new episodes every Tuesday

    Check out photos and more information about this episode. 

    Read the episode transcript

    Dive deeper: Our Romani cultural consultant's op-ed describing how her heritage fits into her own life.

    An FBI investigation into college basketball gone wrong

    An FBI investigation into college basketball gone wrong

    An FBI investigation tried to expose malfeasance in the world of NCAA men’s basketball. Instead, the mirror was turned on the agency itself when one of the lead agents abused his position.

    Today, you’ll hear the story of how that came to be — and whether the investigation turned up anything. Read the full story here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times sports investigative reporter Nathan Fenno

    More reading:

    How an FBI agent’s wild Vegas weekend stained an investigation into NCAA basketball corruption

    10 charged in college basketball corruption probe

    Congressional committee wants answers in college basketball bribery scandal

    Who suffers if the U.S. bans TikTok

    Who suffers if the U.S. bans TikTok

    Democrat and Republican lawmakers are pushing for a U.S. ban on TikTok, arguing the Chinese-owned social media app is a national security risk. But many of its users argue that will severely harm their businesses.

    Today, we hear from some of them. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times reporter technology reporter Brian Contreras and L.A. Times business reporter Jaimie Ding

    More reading:

    For some, TikTok is a path to riches and the American dream. With a ban, it could all disappear

    TikTok might get banned after ‘disaster’ testimony. Why do some TikTokers not care?

    The Biden administration’s threat to ban TikTok: Here’s what you should know

    The mainstreaming of curanderos

    The mainstreaming of curanderos

    For centuries, communities across Latin America have relied on curanderos — healers who rely on indigenous tradition — for their physical and mental health. Will mainstream American health ever embrace it?

    Today, we examine the subject. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times utility reporter Karen Garcia

    More reading:

    Some Latinos don’t trust Western mental health. That’s where curanderos come in

    Curandera’s spell may soothe your soul

    Bringing medicine from the village into the public eye

    Are Biden and Trump border buddies?

    Are Biden and Trump border buddies?

    During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden decried U.S. border policies enacted by the Trump administration as racist. But Biden has not only not rolled some of them back — in some cases, he’s doubled down.

    Today, we try to figure out what changed. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times immigration reporters Hamed Aleaziz and Andrea Castillo

    More reading:

    Top Democrats warn Biden: Don’t restart family detentions

    Biden immigration plan could force asylum officers to break law, union warns

    Asylum seekers face decision to split up families or wait indefinitely under new border policy

    So Donald Trump got indicted...

    So Donald Trump got indicted...

    The indictment of former president Donald Trump has provoked praise and criticism alike. So what’s next? We talk to two of our political wizards to figure it out.

    Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak, and L.A. Times national security reporter Sarah D. Wire

    More reading:

    Full coverage: Trump hush-money probe

    Trump indicted in alleged hush-money scheme, becoming first former U.S. president in history to be prosecuted

    Column: Scandal after scandal, Trump has defied political physics. Will this time be different?

    Can music make people care about climate change?

    Can music make people care about climate change?

    Lucy Jones, California’s beloved earthquake expert, sits down with environment reporter Rosanna Xia to discuss her new project: using music to inspire people to take action against climate change. Listen to hear Lucy go through her process, her collaborators explain the psychology behind it all, and  — of course — a sampling of the compositions. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Rosanna Xia

    Guests: Lucy Jones

    More reading:

    Column One: Can music inspire more people to care about climate change? 

    Lucy Jones is leaving her job - to shake up more than just earthquakes

    The RV homeless encampments of L.A.

    The RV homeless encampments of L.A.

    Over the last couple of years, RVs in Los Angeles turned from a vehicle for camping to shelter for people who are unhoused. That’s led to multiple complaints — and deaths.

    Today, we examine how L.A. got to this point. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith

    More reading:

    The real and complicated reasons why Los Angeles still has so many RV encampments

    Q&A: L.A. Mayor Karen Bass: ‘The city is demanding the tents go away’

    Los Angeles lifts moratorium on towing RVs, pledges to move problem campers

    How college gymnasts can finally cash in

    How college gymnasts can finally cash in

    For over 100 years, college athletes couldn’t make money competing in their sports. A new NCAA rule around name, image and likeness, or NIL, has changed that. The biggest winners? Gymnasts.

    Today, we talk to a few current and former gymnasts at UCLA, including Olympians Jordyn Wieber and Jordan Chiles, about how this rule change has affected their lives. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times college sports and NBA reporter Thuc Nhi Nguyen

     

    More reading:

     

    Once empowered by Title IX, female athletes are now among big winners in new NIL era

     

    ‘My medals are my armor.’ Jordan Chiles’ persistence guides her pursuit of greatness

     

    How California paved the way for college athletes to cash in big

    A surrender hotline for Russian soldiers

    A surrender hotline for Russian soldiers

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Ukrainian military officials have set up a hotline for Russian soldiers to call in and surrender. Is it working to end the war?.

    Today, we talk to the people behind it. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times global affairs correspondent Laura King

    More reading:

    Lots of Russian soldiers want to surrender. Ukraine makes it easier with a high-tech hotline

    A soldier’s tale: Russian serviceman’s scathing memoir depicts a senseless war

    Read the L.A. Times’ full Ukraine coverage

    The flooding in Pajaro, Calif. — and how it all could have been avoided

    The flooding in Pajaro, Calif. — and how it all could have been avoided

    This year’s historic storms have hit communities of color like Pajaro, Calif., especially hard. It’s a recurring problem that could’ve been avoided entirely.

    Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times investigative reporter Susanne Rust

    More reading:

    Residents left in flooded California farm town feel ‘abandoned’ as levees fail

    Spring storm sets sights on Southern California with strong wind, heavy rain

    How a long history of racism and neglect set the stage for Pajaro flooding

    A murder mystery, a cover up, and femicide in Mexico

    A murder mystery, a cover up, and femicide in Mexico

    Ariadna López was found murdered on the side of a road in Mexico, one of thousands of women murdered every year in the country. But her death outraged the country like never before.

    Today, the problem of femicide in Mexico — and whether Lopez’s death will help change that. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell

    More reading:

    A single mother in Mexico was blamed for her own death. Now a well-connected playboy has been charged

    Femicides in Mexico: Little progress on longstanding issue

    In Mexico, a grisly killing inflames debate about femicide

    Silicon Valley Bank's collapse may affect your interest rate

    Silicon Valley Bank's collapse may affect your interest rate

    When inflation is high, the Federal Reserve has historically raised interest rates. But the recent failures of banks like Silicon Valley Bank have sparked worries about the stability of our banking system. Now the feds must weigh whether the banking system could withstand the turmoil that raising interest rates could bring. To get inside the mind of Fed chair Jerome Powell, we look to a previous era of high inflation, the late 1970s and early ‘80s, and the decisions of then Fed chairs Arthur Burns and Paul Volcker.

    Today, we talk about what's next. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times economics reporter Don Lee

    More reading:

    Did deregulation lead to Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse?

    Federal Reserve officials sound warnings about higher rates

    U.S. inflation eases but stays high, putting Fed in tough spot

    The judge who likes to overturn gun laws

    The judge who likes to overturn gun laws

    U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez is known for overturning gun bans. Derided and hailed in equal measures, he’s now presiding over a case with far-reaching consequences.

    Today, we talk about his history and impact. Read the full transcript here.

    Host: Gustavo Arellano

    Guests: L.A. Times enterprise reporter Laura J. Nelson

    More reading:

    The judge upending California’s gun laws: ‘Blessed’ jurist or ‘stone-cold ideologue’?

     

    Thanks to the Supreme Court, California gun cases hinge more on history than modern threats

    War on California gun laws revs up after Supreme Court’s ‘right to carry’ decision