Headlines From The Times

There’s been a new Cold War brewing for years now between the United States and China. And a big battleground on that front is Central America.Today, we look into how China’s billions of dollars and influence in Central America could strengthen a new generation of regimes hostile to the U.S.More reading:In Latin America’s new Cold War, will China lift up autocrats?Taiwan loses one of its last diplomatic allies as Nicaragua recognizes ChinaIs China good for the Americas?

Something disturbing has happened since the last time most of us took vacations — it’s getting harder to clean rooms because of COVID-19 protocols. Hotel workers say ever since the pandemic started, their work has been harder and dirtier than ever.Today, we hear from one of those workers.More reading:How the pandemic made hotel housekeeping more difficult — and disgustingTourists are back: L.A. hotel bookings reach 100% of their pre-pandemic levels‘Tsunami’ of hotel closures is coming, experts warn

Dr. Warren Hern has seen the past, present and future of the abortion debate in the United States. The Colorado doctor remembers treating women for illegal abortions, was there for the opening arguments of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade — and now fears what might happen if it’s struck down.Today, Dr. Hern talks about his career.More reading:As a med student, he saw women nearly die from illegal abortions. At 83, he sees no end to his work60 hours, 50 abortions: A California doctor’s monthly commute to a Texas clinicCalifornia plans to be abortion sanctuary if Roe vs. Wade is overturned

Here in the United States, we’re already feeling the cost of Russia’s war in a place none of us can escape: the rising price of oil.Today, we look into how global conflicts upend global energy supplies and efforts to fight climate change, how gas prices keep getting higher and might continue to rise, and what can be done about it.More reading:How high could gas prices go? More pain at the pump likely comingUkraine is a climate story. Because everything is a climate storyThe truth about L.A.’s most notoriously expensive gas stations

Greg Bledsoe is a former morning news anchor for NBC 7 in San Diego. About a year ago, he, his wife and their two children got into an SUV and began to drive. Forty-four states, more than 20 national parks and more than 27,000 miles later, they’re still at it.Today, Greg shares with us some of their stories — and lessons.More reading:Follow the Bledsoes’ adventures on InstagramOpinion: I live on the road with my wife and two young kids — and I highly recommend itCoronavirus ruined our family vacation this year. We turned to an RV for a new adventure

For more than a month now, L.A. Times Middle East Bureau Chief Nabih Bulos has been on the ground in Ukraine, covering the escalating Russian invasion. Bulos has seen fierce fighting by Ukrainians, nonstop bombardment by Russians, hope and fear and chaos. He’s crisscrossed Ukraine to hear residents tell their stories.Today, he talks to us about what he has seen.More reading:Raining rockets, scattered corpses, an existential battle: A 500-mile journey across a week of war‘We’re keeping watch’: What foreign correspondents Nabih Bulos, Marcus Yam are seeing in UkraineDead soldiers. An icy river. Ukraine town on the front lines prepares to battle Russians

The European Union is doing everything possible to welcome Ukrainian refugees. And people around the world have donated money and supplies to help. But this open-arms response has people in similar situations wondering: Why so much goodwill toward Ukrainians, and not us?Today, we talk about the media’s role in deciding who is the “right” type of refugee — and how that helps or hinders displaced people around the world.More reading:In Ukraine reporting, Western press reveals grim bias toward ‘people like us’20 years after 9/11, an American Muslim recalls the costs of war you didn’t see on TVTrevor Noah slams media for racist remarks on Ukraine: War ‘was Europe’s entire thing’

Ariana DeBose has made history as the first Afro-Latino and openly queer woman to be nominated for an acting Academy Award. In this crossover episode with “The Envelope,” DeBose talks about the expectations she must carry, her experience with “West Side Story” and more.More reading:Ariana DeBose wants you to feel Anita’s presence before you even hear her‘West Side Story’s’ Ariana DeBose makes the case against ‘ethnically ambiguous’Here’s how Oscar nominee Ariana DeBose could make history

Aaron Bray is a San Diego native who’s lived the last couple of years in Kharkiv, Ukraine, after a stint with the Peace Corps. And now, alongside over a million Ukrainians and foreigners, he’s had to flee the country in the wake of Russia’s invasion.Today, we hear Aaron’s first-person story about what it was like to leave his adopted home behind … and why he says he’s going back.More reading:Read the L.A. Times’ full coverage of the war in UkraineCosta Mesa couple barely escape Ukraine with days-old newbornCommentary: ‘I’m scared, bro’: Inside Ukraine, through the harrowed eyes of two U.S. athletes‘A lot of innocent people will die’: Ukrainians in California decry Russia’s attack‘When there are troubles, we go to God’: Ukrainian Americans gather in grief at L.A. church

A small, tight-knit community grew inside an abandoned building in L.A.’s Koreatown. The people who found shelter there felt lucky. In a city where unhoused people have to set up encampments wherever they can — in parks, on sidewalks, beneath freeway overpasses — this old building offered a real sense of home.But the people who lived there knew their community couldn’t last.More reading:In an abandoned Koreatown building, homeless Angelenos create a community‘Gimme Shelter’: The gap in California’s homelessness plan‘Remember that can easily be you’: Angelenos closest to the homelessness crisis urge compassion

On Feb. 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping just hours ahead of the opening ceremony for the Beijing Winter Olympics. The meeting made headlines, and has people asking: Could China be the overlooked player in the Russia-Ukraine crisis?Today, we dive into the complicated history between the two countries — and whether Russia’s moves on Ukraine might serve as a template with China and Taiwan.More reading:Beijing may be tempted to side with Putin in the Ukraine conflict. But at what cost?Putin heads to China to bolster ties amid Ukraine tensionsOp-Ed: Whether it sides with Russia or not, China will pay a price

Gun violence has killed more than 100,000 people in Mexico over the last decade. Yet most of the guns involved are illegal, smuggled into the country from the U.S. Now, the Mexican government has had enough.Today, we talk about a federal lawsuit filed by Mexico against American gun manufacturers that seeks to reduce the bloodshed.More reading:Column: Don’t shield U.S. gun makers from liability for Mexico’s gun violenceThere is only one gun store in all of Mexico. So why is gun violence soaring?Op-Ed: For Mexico, taking a stand against gun trafficking is a moral imperative

As more and more workplaces have instituted COVID-19 vaccine mandates, a cottage industry has sprung up to help skeptics evade them. Today, we look into what constitutes a deeply held religious belief, how those beliefs can play out in the workplace, and what employers can do about shady religious exemption requests.More reading:Online pastors, form letters: The cottage industry helping workers avoid vaccine mandatesNew workplace mandate for COVID-19 vaccine pushed by California lawmakersColumn: L.A.'s unvaccinated public workers go Ayn Rand, throw fit over city’s vaccine mandate

In this crossover episode with “The Envelope” podcast, Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks about “The Lost Daughter,” her directorial debut.More reading:Review: ‘The Lost Daughter’ is quintessential Maggie Gyllenhaal, even though she’s never on screenOlivia Colman and Maggie Gyllenhaal dig into that ‘Lost Daughter’ endingMaggie Gyllenhaal is a natural-born director. Netflix gives her the spotlight

Americans eat billions of dollars of Mexican avocados every year. Demand is such that drug cartels and other criminal elements have muscled in on the business, centered around the Mexican state of Michoacán. This reality got worldwide attention Super Bowl weekend, when the American government announced it was temporarily suspending any avocado imports from Mexico.Today, we talk about this development — and why Americans are so obsessed with avocados in the first place.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times Mexico correspondent Leila Miller, and L.A. Times acting deputy food editor Daniel Hernandez.More reading:Avocado imports from Mexico are blocked. What does that mean for you? How we got to peak avocado: Super Bowls to Mexico’s drug cartelsInside the bloody cartel war for Mexico’s multibillion-dollar avocado industry

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country would recognize the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and send Russian troops there for “peacekeeping” purposes. The move immediately drew worldwide condemnation — but signaled the culmination of a decades-long desire by Putin to bring Ukraine closer to Russia’s control.Today, we talk to our reporter on the ground about this past, what’s happening now — and what’s next.More reading:Russian troops move into eastern Ukraine, EU says, as fear of war growsArtillery fusillades from Russian-backed separatists set Ukraine’s east on edgeWill war come to a town called New York in Ukraine?

Uber’s under fire over its treatment of transgender drivers after the Los Angeles Times published a story about the alleged mistreatment.Today, we’ll hear from the L.A. Times reporter who broke the story. And we’ll also hear more from an Uber driver who hopes other trans people won’t ever have to go through what she went through.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times business reporter Suhauna HussainMore reading:Uber blocks transgender drivers from signing up: ‘They didn’t believe me’Uber faces ‘serious questions’ over transgender drivers’ treatment after Times reportUber’s self-driving cars put tech’s ‘move fast, break things’ credo to the test

Marfa, Texas, is known internationally for its arts scene. But on the south side of the city, there’s this old school. It’s a school where teachers once paddled Latino students for speaking Spanish. Now, some of those same students — grandparents and retirees in their 80s — are working to save the long-shuttered segregated Blackwell School and make it a national historic site to teach the history of segregated schools for Latinos in the United States.This episode has been updated. An earlier version included audio of Jessi Silva describing an integrated school she attended in addition to the Blackwell School in Marfa, Texas. That school was in California, not Marfa.More reading:Saving the school where kids were paddled for speaking SpanishLorenzo Ramirez, late plaintiff in famed school desegregation case, honored by OrangeMendez vs. segregation: 70 years later, famed case ‘isn’t just about Mexicans. It’s about everybody coming together’

A new podcast series from KPCC and LAist Studios called "Imperfect Paradise: Home Is Life" zeroes in on the battles over homelessness in suburban communities. Today, we air Episode 2 of this three-part series, which focuses on an effort in 2018 to build housing for unhoused people in the Orange County city of Fullerton.More reading:Listen to “Imperfect Paradise”Fullerton will start enforcing parking regulations on street where homeless live in RVs‘No place to go’: Fullerton ordinance, on hold for now, could force out homeless living in RVs

For decades, California voters and politicians have vacillated over the future of the death penalty. Currently, Gov. Gavin Newsom has put a moratorium on them and has ordered that death row at San Quentin State Prison — the largest in the United States — be emptied. Is this the end of the line for capital punishment in the Golden State — for real?More reading:California moves forward on plans to shut down death rowCalifornia is closing San Quentin’s death row. This is its gruesome historyEditorial: Dismantle death row, but don’t stop there

The U.S. labor movement has experienced a resurgence in recent years in sectors that historically have hired younger people. And one of the biggest battlegrounds is where you get your lattes. Today, we’re taking you to a Starbucks in Santa Cruz, where workers are demanding more from their corporate employer.This episode has been updated to clarify when the Starbucks store in Buffalo, N.Y. filed its union petition, who resigned at the Starbucks in Santa Cruz, Calif. and to include a response from a Starbucks spokesperson about the conditions at the Santa Cruz outlet mentioned. More reading:Starbucks workers at Santa Cruz store file union petition, joining a national pushDid baristas lose their jobs because of COVID-19 or because they tried to unionize?Starbucks workers vote to unionize at a store in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Roots drummer and music legend Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson sifted through 40 hours of archival footage of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival for his documentary, “Summer of Soul.” It was a festival where legends like Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder performed in the same summer as Woodstock.The film is now in the running for Best Original Documentary at this year’s Oscars. So today, we’re airing an episode with Questlove from our sister podcast, “The Envelope.”More reading:Review: ‘Summer of Soul’: A rousing cultural and musical revolution, now finally seenQuestlove’s ‘Summer of Soul’ is much more than a music documentaryMeet the archivist who saved the historic footage that became ‘Summer of Soul’

With more economic development and rents on the rise, Inglewood is struggling to meet its goal of encouraging more investment while trying to preserve one of California’s last remaining Black enclaves. Today, we examine this through the prism of SoFi Stadium, which is hosting the Super Bowl this Sunday.More reading:Op-Ed: For Inglewood, it won’t be a Super Sunday‘A crisis for renters’: Football sent Inglewood home prices and rents skyrocketingMust Reads: One of California’s last black enclaves threatened by Inglewood’s stadium deal

Even if you don’t like football, you probably have opinions about the Super Bowl halftime show. Today, we look at the history of this curious spectacle, from its humble beginnings to the mega-star extravaganzas of today. And along the way, we’ll take a look at how this roughly 15-minute intermission became an unlikely reflection of American culture.More reading:At SoFi Stadium, Dr. Dre assembles a hip-hop dream team for Super Bowl halftime showJanet Jackson says she and Timberlake ‘have moved on’ from Super Bowl scandalAdam Levine thanks you for hating Maroon 5’s Super Bowl performance

In a league where Black players make up 70% of active rosters, the NFL currently has only two Black head coaches. League officials and even fans have offered all sorts of excuses about this discrepancy for decades. But now there’s an explosive federal lawsuit about the matter. It was filed this month by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores. In it, he puts this persistent and longstanding problem on stage.Today, we dive into why the NFL just can’t seem to hire Black head coaches.More reading:Seven things you need to know about Brian Flores’ lawsuit against the NFLOp-Ed: The NFL fails on Black leadership. So do most institutions in AmericaColumn: Brian Flores’ lawsuit features memorable receipts that could force the NFL to change

For the latest installment of our “Masters of Disasters” series, we talk tsunamis in the wake of a volcanic eruption near Tonga last month that caused waves felt across the Pacific. There was none of the devastation like the world saw in Fukushima in 2011, or across the Indian Ocean in 2004. But what happened in Tonga got us thinking: How are the effects of tsunamis so devastating, yet so little is known about them?More reading:The tsunami that battered Santa Cruz highlights the threat facing California’s coastCan a tsunami happen in Southern California? What should you do about it?Surprising tsunami triggers may lurk off California’s coast, scientists say

Everybody is talking about the metaverse right now. But Times host Gustavo Arellano didn’t want to just talk about it; he wanted to experience it firsthand.And so off he went inside the metaverse with a guide. Is it all it’s cracked up to be?More reading:Explainer: What is the metaverse and how will it work?Want to glimpse our metaverse future? Theme parks are already on the caseOp-Ed: Mark Zuckerberg makes a ‘mwahahaha’ metaverse move

A first-of-it’s kind case in Los Angeles County is going to play a big role in determining culpability whenever self-driving cars get into accidents. Prosecutors have charged a driver with felony manslaughter after his Tesla crashed into a car in 2019, killing two people. The accused was in the driver’s seat, but prosecutors say his Tesla … was on autopilot.More reading:A Tesla on autopilot killed two people in Gardena. Is the driver guilty of manslaughter?Are self-driving cars safe? Highway regulator orders industry to cough up the dataWhy do Tesla cars keep crashing into emergency response vehicles? Federal safety agency is investigating

There’s a growing realization that the brilliance of the world’s best athletes isn’t enough anymore to cover some glaring problems that come with putting on the Olympics every two years.The International Olympics Committee has always claimed the Games are about promoting goodwill and celebrating the brotherhood of mankind. But as it turns out, not only do Olympics not do that, they tend to make democratic states… more authoritarian.So what does that mean for the Games coming to Los Angeles in 2028?Guests: Human Rights Watch China Director Sophie Richardson, and Pacific University political science professor Jules BoykoffMore reading:The ‘Feel Guilty Games’?: China human rights issues have forever marked the Beijing Olympics2028 L.A. Olympics: Agreement outlines key issues but final price tag remains unclearOp-Ed: Tokyo’s Olympics have turned nightmarish. L.A., are you watching?

Mexico trails just Syria and Iraq as the deadliest country in the world to be a journalist. That’s according to data collected from 2000 through 2022 by the Committee to Protect Journalists. And the Mexican government has done little to stop it.But in the wake of the murder of four reporters so far this year — José Luis Gamboa, Margarito Martínez Esquivel, Lourdes Maldonado López and Roberto Toledo — Mexican journalists are openly criticizing President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador and government officials like never before.More reading:Journalists throughout Mexico say enough to killings and crimes against pressPhotojournalist shot to death outside his home in TijuanaShe told Mexico’s president she feared for her life. Then she was killed

Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, is a national holiday, not just in Vietnam but all over the world wherever Vietnamese may be. And in the United States, red envelopes filled with money, special dishes and other traditions have become a part of life in major American cities such as San Jose, Houston and especially in Orange County, which is home to the largest Vietnamese expat community in the world.Today, we talk about Tet memories and its evolution with the authors of the recently released “The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook.”More reading:Buy “The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook”A new nuoc mam: Red Boat ‘first press extra virgin’ fish sauceGifts for food lovers: Red Boat fish salt, kids chef caddy, cooking classes

In Santa Monica during the 1950s and ‘60s, city leaders evicted hundreds of Black families to build what ended up being the 10 Freeway. But now, in an act of civic penance, Santa Monica is trying to bring some of those families back. It comes at a time when municipalities across the United States are reckoning with their racist actions from the past.We’ll talk about Santa Monica’s attempt to redress a historical wrong. And we’ll also talk to a woman whose family was one of many Black households that Santa Monica wants to make right by.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times housing reporter Liam Dillon, and Santa Monica native Nichelle MonroeMore reading:Santa Monica’s message to people evicted long ago for the 10 Freeway: Come homeFreeways force out residents in communities of color — againTour Santa Monica’s once-vibrant Black neighborhoods, nearly erased by racism and ‘progress’

It was the Taylor Swift diss heard around the world. “She doesn’t write her own songs.” That’s what Damon Albarn, the lead singer for the British bands Blur and Gorillaz said to L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood.The drama between Taylor and Damon got real. But it also hit on something really interesting — songwriting, and who gets the credit for it, is a thing … now more than ever.More reading:For Damon Albarn, modern life is still pretty much rubbishColumn: Taylor Swift slapped back for all the women who have been told ‘you didn’t write that.’After insulting Taylor Swift, Damon Albarn says he was cast into ‘social media abyss’

Just when it seemed schools and parents and teachers were figuring out how to do in-person learning again, Omicron hit.The highly contagious variant really blew up while schools were on winter break in California. So when schools reopened and students returned, there were problems.Today, we hear from a parent and high school students who are trying to navigate their teenage years while worrying about COVID-19.More reading:California schools under intense strain, fighting to stay open during Omicron surgeAmid high absenteeism, incoming L.A. schools chief says campuses are safeOmicron surge anxiety, absences and confusion mark first day of new LAUSD semester

On New Year’s Day, comedian Jen Murphy boarded a cruise ship out of Miami and got ready to perform for 1,800 people. She never did end up getting on that comedy stage, though. Instead, she ended up getting trapped in a COVID cruise quarantine.Today, Murphy gives us a hilarious and intense look into why she got on a cruise ship in the middle of the pandemic in the first place and what she learned from it.More reading:Shame and fish filets: Diary of a comedian trapped in COVID cruise ship quarantineCruise passengers share what it’s like to be on a ship with COVID casesVisit Jen Murphy’s website

Xiomara Castro is about to be inaugurated as the first-ever female president of Honduras. But la presidenta has a daunting task in front of her. Her countrymen continue to leave the nation, tired of poverty, government corruption and violence.And the legislative majority she was counting on to help her reform Honduras is now gone.Today, we’ll talk about how Castro promises to solve her country’s problems. But, in light of what’s happening right now in the National Congress of Honduras, will she even get a chance?More reading:Honduran Congress splits, threatens new president’s plansKamala Harris headed to Honduras for inauguration of country’s presidentLa diáspora hondureña en EE.UU mira a Xiomara Castro como el ‘cambio’ y la ‘esperanza’

Native American culture and history have long been ignored or romanticized as vestiges of a lost people — or both.The Serrano people of Southern California have seen their Indigenous language nearly vanish. But tribe member Ernest Siva has been working to save it. Among his efforts: The octogenarian contributes to Cal State San Bernardino’s language program.Then, 25-year-old Mark Araujo-Levinson found the classes through a Google search — and started making YouTube videos of himself learning the language.Today, we hear their voices. And L.A. Times Metro reporter Nathan Solis takes us through their story and how their efforts have gained momentum.More reading:The Indigenous Serrano language was all but gone. This man is resurrecting itSan Bernardino County recognizes Serrano language and museums sitting on tribal landTongva, Los Angeles’ first language, opens the door to a forgotten time and place

Felicia Rangel-Samponaro used to live a fairly normal life as a suburban stay-at-home mom in the border city of Brownsville, Texas. But now the half Black, half Mexican-American mom crosses the border to help Black and Latino migrants, many of them asylum seekers stuck in camps in the border town of Reynosa, Mexico. Today, we hear her story.More reading: The woman defending Black lives on the border, including her own Podcast: Our nation’s Haitian double standard Podcast: Biden shut a migrant camp. Then this bigger one appeared

For over 140 years, street vendors hawking Mexican food have been a staple of life in Southern California. Horse-drawn tamale wagons turned into taco trucks, turned into hot dog carts, turned into pop-up tents — …and, eventually, hipsters caught on and these trends went national.But even as SoCal has become famous worldwide for its street food scene, government officials have amped up their war on it.Today, we examine one city’s crackdown on street vendors. And we also talk to an East L.A. taquero affected by code enforcement.More reading:Column: He’s L.A. food royalty. He began with a taco cart. Let street vendors thriveAnaheim teams with county to take down taco stand pop-upsWhere to get beef birria, and a haircut. Seriously.

This past December brought record-high amounts of snow to the Sierra Nevada, California’s main mountain range. The state, of course, has suffered for years from bad, bad drought, so we should all be happy that the dry days are over with all this snow, right? In fact, those who monitor such things are saying we should be saving water more than ever. Because there’s a real possibility that one day, blizzards in the West might be gone. Today, our Masters of Disasters reconvene to talk about this possible future. More reading: A ‘no snow’ California could come sooner than you think California is suddenly snow-capped and very wet. But how long will the water rush last? Editorial: Welcome the bout of winter storms, just don’t call them drought busters

The COVID-19 era is rough, to say the least. But let’s put it in perspective. Every pandemic ends eventually, and this one will too.Today, assistant editor Jessica Roy with the L.A. Times’ utility journalism team walks us through a century of past pandemics — from the 1918 flu to SARS — and the different ways they resolved, and she describes what’s likely to happen in our future.Then medical historian Frank Snowden, a professor emeritus at Yale, reaches further back to explore how pandemics have changed society and what we’ve learned from them.More reading:Will this pandemic ever end? Here’s what happened with the last onesCDC shifts pandemic goals away from reaching herd immunityFrom the archives, April 2020: From the Black Death to AIDS, pandemics have shaped human history. Coronavirus will too

Two years ago, Nikole Hannah-Jones launched “The 1619 Project,” a collection of New York Times Magazine articles, photography and podcasts. That project became a launching point to talk about Black people’s roles in shaping the United States. Hannah-Jones has been praised and vilified for her work ever since.Today, we share highlights from a L.A. Times Book Club chat between Hannah-Jones and L.A. Times executive editor Kevin Merida. They talked about how Black people can be patriotic despite centuries of mistreatment … and about using mountains of research to get back at haters. More reading:Nikole Hannah-Jones dives into the origins and language of ‘The 1619 Project’Nikole Hannah-Jones became a political target. What she’s learned from the ‘hurtful’ attacksHoward-bound Nikole Hannah-Jones plans to ‘even the playing field’ for HBCUs. Here’s how

COVID-19 has been devastating for everyone, but in the United States, there’s one demographic hit particularly hard: Latinos. According to the California Department of Public Health, Latinos make up about 39 percent of the state’s population but nearly half of all cases and 45 percent of all deaths. A perfect storm of factors made Latinos especially vulnerable to the coronavirus: Multigenerational households. Crowded neighborhoods. Essential jobs that required us to show up in person. Vaccine hesitancy among too many. Today, we hear about the devastation.More reading: Pandemic portraits: The Latino experience COVID stole the heart of my family. It also divided it Column: Don’t be a ‘pandejo.’ Take the pandemic seriously

How the hell does a chain based on an orphaned mouse who plays in a band survive and thrive? Very carefully. Today, we’ll talk to L.A. Times business reporter Samantha Masunaga about the company, and we’ll hear from its new chief executive about everything Chuck E. Cheese, including its infamous animatronic band.More reading:How do you make a 44-year-old animatronic rodent appeal to today’s kids? Chuck E. Cheese unveils a new look for its mousy mascotListen to Chuck E. Cheese's Spotify playlist

A Gallup poll last fall found that 45% of full-time U.S. employees were still working from home at least some of their hours. A full quarter of them exclusively work from home. Because of this, companies are increasingly using technology to monitor the activities of their workers while they’re on the clock, wherever they are. Today, we examine how and why companies are spying on their workers at home… and whether there’s a backlash coming.More reading: Is your company secretly monitoring your work at home? Since COVID, the practice has surged How your employer can keep track of your work at home So your employer is monitoring you. What you should know

Issa Rae is the brilliant, hilarious mind behind the recently concluded HBO show “Insecure.” In this crossover episode with The Envelope, Rae talks about the incredible trajectory of her career, from a YouTuber turned Hollywood powerhouse, and how she repped South Los Angeles in a way that wasn’t just real but uplifting.More reading: Issa Rae almost ended ‘Insecure’ differently. But she couldn’t ‘deny Issa her soulmate’ Issa Rae on the music business: ‘It’s an abusive industry... it needs to start over’ How ‘Insecure’ achieved its ‘mission’ to forge a real bond with South L.A.

To fight climate change, municipalities across the United States are banning natural gas lines from being installed in new buildings. That means no gas stoves. Politicians and policymakers in those places — Berkeley being one of the first — want people to use electric appliances, such as electric stovetops or the more advanced induction stovetop. (There’s a health factor too. Open flames put out some gases you might not want to breathe.)But the natural gas industry is fighting back. Today, L.A. Times national correspondent Evan Halper talks about the multimillion-dollar battle being fought between gas companies and municipal and state governments. And that battle is being waged in your kitchen.More reading:Clash of the kitchens: California leads the way in a new climate battlegroundVideo: Would you get rid of your gas stove and go electric?California ditched coal. The gas company is worried it’s next

It’s been a season of crime in California. Smash-and-grab thefts, follow-home robberies, high-profile murders — national, even international news accounts have painted a Golden State of chaos.The numbers tell a different story: Some major crime indicators are up, but others are down, and they’re nowhere near historical highs. But that reality isn’t placating anyone. And when Californians get mad about crime — watch out, America.Today, L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith discusses California’s legacy of crackdowns. And business reporter Sam Dean discusses how some stores may be taking advantage of public fear.More reading:Column: Don’t let Jacqueline Avant’s shooting get pulled into L.A.'s crass politics of crimeSan Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. citiesRetailers say thefts are at crisis level. The numbers say otherwise

Across Latin America, the political left is making a comeback not seen since the 2000s. Izquierdista presidential candidates won recent elections in Peru and Honduras. Activists are mounting protests against the conservative presidents of Brazil and Colombia.The left’s biggest win so far is in Chile, where Gabriel Boric was elected president last month. He’ll take office in a country that’s about to rewrite its constitution, which was put into place by dictator Augusto Pinochet.Today, L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell and Universidad de Chile professor Claudia Heiss speak with us about this “pink tide” and what it could mean for a region coming to terms with soaring inequality, a legacy of colonialism and a bloody, authoritarian history.More reading:Leftist lawmaker Boric wins polarized election in Chile, to become nation’s youngest presidentChile’s new president (Taylor’s version): Gabriel Boric is a SwiftieChileans approve rewriting of constitution in landslide vote

Hopefully the COVID-19 nightmare will soon wane, but it’s unlikely to be the last pandemic of our lifetimes. Because the virus that will cause the next pandemic is probably already out there.Animals carry hundreds of thousands of viruses that have the potential to infect humans. Buffer zones between where people live and where wild animals live lower the risk of viruses jumping from another species to our own. But now human behaviors such as deforestation and urbanization, along with climate change, are erasing those zones.Today, L.A. Times foreign correspondent Kate Linthicum, who recently traveled to the Amazon rainforest, and national correspondent Emily Baumgaertner, who focuses on medical investigations, explain the issue. And they talk about ways to solve the problem — or at least dial down the risks.More reading:Where will the next pandemic begin? The Amazon rainforest offers troubling cluesOp-Ed: What it will take to keep the next pandemic at bayLetters to the Editor: Want to help prevent the next pandemic? Go vegan