KCRW's Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Amid the Trump administration’s ramped-up efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to strengthen protections for children whose parents are at risk of being deported.

Philosopher Owen Flanagan talks about life as an alcoholic and offers insights into the brain science and complexities that lead to addiction.

Data suggests that barriers may exist with adults being aware of this option for care at the end of life.

Actor André Holland’s latest role might not seem like much of a stretch at first glance. He plays an actor with amnesia in 1950s Ohio in Duke Johnson’s The Actor. But the role proved challenging for Holland nonetheless, given the character’s inability to gain a solid grip on his identity. Holland also stars in the upcoming film The Dutchman, which is adapted from the 1964 play Dutchman by Amiri Baraka. Holland tells The Treatment that one of the things that drew him to The Actor was the fact that many of the film’s performers would be playing multiple roles. He talks about why he is drawn to characters grappling with identity, and he discusses approaching the final part of The Dutchman as poetry… as opposed to approaching it as a monologue.

Coming from a family lineage rich in Hollywood history, it's no surprise that Jack Huston has showbiz in his blood. His grandfather was the iconic actor-director John Huston, and the Oscar-winner Anjelica Huston is his aunt. But he’s managed to carve out an industry niche that’s all his own. You might recognize him from playing gangster Richard Harrow in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, or from his roles in American Hustle and The Irishman. Now, he’s stepping into a new spotlight as a director with his latest project, the drama Day of the Fight. More: Jack Huston on his directorial debut Day of the Fight (The Treatment, 2025) For his Treat, Huston dives into his fascination with Hilma af Klint, a Swedish artist-turned-mystic whose story is as intriguing as her art. After a series of séances with four other women artists, Klint retreated into isolation, dedicating all of her time to painting. But her will stipulated that her work — likely among the earliest Western examples of the once nascent abstract art movement — not be shown until years after her death. She maintained that the world simply wasn’t ready to fully grasp her visionary art. This segment has been edited and condensed for clarity. Something I've been fascinated by recently, or someone, I should say, was an artist called Hilma af Klint. She was a Swedish painter who was more of a portrait, sort of landscape artist. She got into something, into these seánces, and she and these other four women called themselves the “five”. Hilma af Klint, Primordial Chaos, No. 16, The WU/ROSEN Series. Grupp 1, 1906-07. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons They went really deep, so deep that at a certain point they said, ‘Hilma, you're going too far. You're contacting some dark entities.’ Hilma af Klint then goes into reclusion. She lives away, off the grid. Nobody sees her; nobody hears from her. All this time while she's secluded, she's painting, she's painting, and she's contacting this higher entity … no one's allowed to see these paintings. Her nephew was invited, and I think only one critic, one person, came to the house and saw the paintings or saw a very, very small amount of the work she was doing because she was doing some crazy work. She wrote in her will that her work must be hidden from public view because they were not ready for them. Hilma af Klint, De tio största, nr 3, Ynglingaåldern, grupp IV, 1907. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons I think there's something fascinating that, as an artist, what are you doing but presenting your work? The idea of saying, ‘I can't show you my work because you're not ready’. That's zero ego because it's after death; you will never know what will happen. So there must be something much deeper going on, if that's what you're saying. And I was like, ‘God, that's a real story.’ And I think this work is miraculous. They're huge paintings, abstractions, colors that you've never seen… and you realize she was doing this stuff earlier than all the guys.

Yiddish, the historic language of Jews in Europe, was once spoken by tens of thousands of Jews in Los Angeles before largely fading away. Now it’s making a comeback.

To help raise money for California’s Wildfire Recovery Fund , Fritz Colema is performing “Unassisted Residency” on March 30 at the El Portal in North Hollywood.

The arrest of a student protester raises questions on free speech. Is the White House picking which speech is illegal, or are they enforcing anti-discrimination laws?

Disney is dialing back the rollout of its upcoming, live action Snow White remake starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. Why is the studio pulling its talent from red carpet press appearances at the film’s US premiere? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni investigate. Poisoned by politics? Following Rachel Zegler’s comments criticizing aspects of the original 1937 animated film , Disney has decided to reel back its talent from press opportunities at the upcoming Snow White premiere on March 15. “In these very charged times where people use these comments as flames for the culture wars, she has become one of those politicized figures,” says Belloni. “Disney, I think, mistakenly canceled this press line, because now all the headlines about this movie are about the fact that they're scared of it, which is not what they wanted.” Fearing to tread? In addition to the stifled Snow White premiere, Disney's knee jerk reaction to the current presidential administration includes rolling back DEI initiative and pulling a transgender storyline from a Pixar series. “They're certainly responding to what they see as changes in the culture and in the new administration,” Belloni explains. “They are just so terrified of becoming part of the culture war, and what that brand issue might be for the company with parts of the country that believe in this movement. They are walking on eggshells here.”

Lesli Linka Glatter’s director credits are all over your favorite TV shows. Think: Twin Peaks, The West Wing, and Homeland. She also took on several episodes of Mad Men, most notably “the lawnmower one” (iykyk), and multiple installments of Gilmore Girls — including the remarkably assured pilot of the quippy family dramedy. And her talent has been apparent from the jump, as evidenced by a short film early in her career that led to at least one invaluable mentorship: “[Tales of Meeting and Parting] got nominated for an Academy Award and Steven Spielberg saw it on an airplane, which I thought was the most exotic thing,” recalls Glatter. “He called me up and I hung up on him because I thought it was a prank call. Fortunately, he called me back. Steven, I think, gets hung up on a lot.” Glatter joins Kim Masters for a conversation about her career in television and her new Netflix limited series, Zero Day. Among the show’s many credentials, it features Robert De Niro in his first television role(!). She also tells us more about her many mentors — a list that includes Spielberg, George Miller, and David Lynch. And she dishes a bit on the surreality of directing for streamers.

The latest film releases include Black Bag, Opus, Novocaine, and The Electric State. Weighing in are William Bibbiani, film critic for the Wrap and co-host of the Critically Acclaimed Network podcast, and Christy Lemire, writer for RogerEbert.com and co-host of the Breakfast All Day podcast.

Five years after the pandemic started, 2 million people still need treatment for long COVID. Doctors say there’s much yet to learn about the condition.

With a $350,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation, The LA County Public Library intends to expand social services and bolster community programs.

St. John’s Community Health is meeting its undocumented patients’ needs for at-home care through its new Health Care Without Fear program.

The Anaheim Elementary School board voted out Mark Lopez for being on two elected seats in Orange County. California Attorney Rob Bonta is investigating.

This week, polar scientist, explorer and author of “ Life Lessons From Explorers: Learn how to weather life’s storms from history’s greatest explorers” Felicity Aston reflects on her experience of leading a failed North Pole expedition and the time it’s taken her to face and process that failure. Aston uses the example of the historical Scottish explorer David Livingston to show how much can be gained from time and perspective and to illustrate the challenge of balancing success and failure in exploration and in life.

As Angelenos volunteer to support wildfire recovery, another cause is bringing folks together: Fireproofing history — by preserving it online.

As the Eaton Fire raged, some people never left. Then came battles with looters, isolation, loss of power, dirty water and military checkpoints.

We often make choices that are short-sighted and seem to serve our own interests rather than the interests of all

Polar scientist Felicity Ashton reflects on her fascination with exploration and shares lessons on survival, risk, and adventure.