Press Play with Madeleine Brand KCRW

Sea otter 841 went viral last summer for stealing surfboards and evading authorities. Now she’s returned to the Santa Cruz waters where she made her name.
Can Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Juan Merchan, the judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial, be impartial about the former president, given their actions outside the courtroom that could be perceived as political bias?
Noah Gittell’s new book, “Baseball: The Movie,” traces the lineage of and connection between two great American pastimes — baseball and film.
Critics review the latest film releases: “Young Woman and the Sea,” “Jim Henson Idea Man,” “In A Violent Nature,” and “The Young Wife.”

Some travel tips for summer: Set price tracking alerts based on locations or dates, fly earlier in the day, and consider cargo pants/vests for extra storage space.
The White House says the latest Israeli airstrikes in Rafah didn’t cross the red line, in spite of civilian casualties and the growing humanitarian crisis.
The French Open kicked off on Sunday. Rafael Nadal lost in the first round, Coco Gauff advanced, while Naomi Osaka fell to Iga Swiatek in an intense match.
Decades worth of Negro League figures are now part of the Major League Baseball’s record books . Poet, historian, and author Rowan Ricardo Phillips argues that MLB should do more.
Chow down on cherries — dozens of varieties exist — while they’re still in markets for the next few weeks. Use them in pudding, salads, pies, and more.

TV critics share the best shows to watch, including “We Are Lady Parts,” “Lady in the Lake, ”The Acolyte,” and the 2024 Summer Olympics.
UCLA academic workers are protesting the school’s response to its Gaza Solidarity Encampment — days after Congress members grilled Chancellor Gene Block on the unrest.
Last week the Supreme Court upheld a voting map in South Carolina that concentrates Republican power. The ruling will make it harder to bring challenges on grounds that districts are racially gerrymandered.
A bit of sun exposure can benefit many people — Australia recently updated its public health guidelines to reflect this. So how much — or little — sunscreen should you wear?
Bill Walton, a UCLA star-turned-Clippers player, died on Sunday. After shooting hoops in the NBA, he became an ESPN broadcaster known for colorful commentary.

As Disney plans to pour $1.9 billion into upgrading its Anaheim resort, workers say the company needs to look out for them too.
The Department of Justice and more than two dozen states want to break up Live Nation-Ticketmaster. Joe Biden’s former trust-busting architect discusses what it means.
The LA Sparks host the Indiana Fever (and phenom Caitlin Clark) on Friday. They’ve moved the game from the 5,000-seat Walter Pyramid in Long Beach to the Crypto.com Arena in Downtown LA, which seats close to 20,000.
Critics review the latest film releases: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Taking Venice,” “Hit Man,” and “Queen of the Deuce.”

The California coast spans 840 miles and boasts diverse flora and fauna. Pat Krug’s new book explains why these creatures live where they do, and gives tips on how to spot them.
Scarlett Johansson says ChatGPT’s new AI assistance, “Sky,” sounds alarmingly like her. She previously declined a request from OpenAI to be its voice.
Film critic Tim Grierson reviews what’s new at Cannes, including works from Francis Ford Coppola and Yorgos Lanthimos. A Donald Trump biopic is also in the lineup.
Alyse Whitney’s new cookbook is exuberant, fun, and filled with recipes for all kinds of dips — classics, five-minute ideas, plus light and healthy fare.

The first laws criminalizing stalking in California stemmed from the 1991 trial of Tucson resident Robert Bardo, who tracked down and killed LA actress Rebecca Schaeffer.
Nevada is crucial for another Biden presidential victory in November. But an emerging group of evangelical Latino voters could deliver a win for Trump, who leads in the polls.
After closing arguments next week, Trump’s legal fate will be with a New York jury. They must decide whether he ordered a hush money payout and falsified business records to cover it up.
A new HBO docu-series looks at the rise of Stax Records. The label that boasted Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes couldn’t survive the cut-throat music industry.