Brazilians are heading to the polls on Sunday to choose between two very different candidates: current president Jair Bolsonaro and a former one, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, more popularly known as Lula. The icon of the left spent years in prison on corruption charges but is now on the cusp of regaining the presidency.Today, we talk about how that happened. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times Latin America correspondent Kate LinthicumMore reading:Three years ago he was in prison. Now he’s poised to be Brazil’s next presidentEchoing Trump, Brazil’s president prepares for election loss by declaring vote riggedCOVID-19 cautionary tales from India and Brazil 

Alex Villanueva was elected as Los Angeles County sheriff in 2018 with support from progressives riding an anti-Trump wave. But since he took office, he has shifted to the right. His opponent in the November election, retired Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna, leads in the polls.But at a time when issues surrounding law enforcement are part of a national conversation, how much do they differ? We talk about it, as we hear from both candidates at a debate this month. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times law enforcement reporter Alene TchekmedyianMore reading:Luna, Villanueva trade charges in antagonistic L.A. sheriff debateAlex Villanueva thought his ‘Quien es más Latino?’ strategy would sink his opponent. NopeSheriff Villanueva in tight race as challenger Robert Luna has edge in new poll

Record heat. Record drought. Record floods. Record hail. Record bad air. In a world where climate disasters seem to break records every year, do records even mean anything anymore? And if not, then what’s next when it comes to measuring climate misery?Today, we reconvene our Masters of Disasters to examine this existential question. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth, L.A. Times energy reporter Sammy Roth, and L.A. Times air quality reporter Tony Briscoe.More reading:Destructive rain in Death Valley, flooded Vegas casinos mark a summer of extreme weatherAs forests go up in smoke, so will California’s climate planCalifornia’s epic heat wave is over. Here’s what we learned

There are dozens if not hundreds of cases involving prosecutors using rap lyrics that are about crimes as evidence of actual crimes, even when there was no other credible evidence. But finally, the recording industry and California lawmakers are pushing to put an end to the practice.Today, we talk about groundbreaking legislation that could limit how music is used as evidence in criminal court. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times columnist Erika D. SmithMore reading:Column: America loves rap, not Black people. Don’t be fooled because this bill protects lyricsRapper ‘Tiny Doo’ and college student arrested under controversial gang law get day in court against policeSan Diego council approves $1.5M payout to two men jailed under controversial gang law

Ever since California legalized cannabis in 2016, the state’s weed market has become a multi-billion dollar industry. It’s estimated to be the largest legal market of its kind in the world. But whenever you get that much money anywhere; well, you’re gonna get political corruption.Today, our investigation into how illegal moves around marijuana are plaguing city halls across the state. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times investigative reporter Adam ElmahrekMore reading:$250,000 cash in a brown paper bag.’ How legal weed unleashed corruption in CaliforniaLegal Weed, Broken Promises: A Times series on the fallout of legal pot in CaliforniaWould this California town have become so pro-cannabis if not for a councilwoman’s pot industry ties?

Housing L.A.’s homeless population has unsurprisingly proved to be a herculean task. With tens of thousands of people on the streets, it’s become a top issue for this year’s mayoral election in November. But until now, neither candidate — Congresswoman Karen Bass and real estate developer Rick Caruso — had offered specifics on the type of housing they would create, where it would be or how much it would cost.So we asked. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporters Ben Oreskes and Doug SmithMore reading:Bass and Caruso have talked big on homelessness. Now they’re offering some detailsCan Bass or Caruso solve the L.A. homeless housing crisis? Here are their divergent plansBass, Caruso sling mud over USC scholarship, alleged hacks and homelessness fixes

Sometime soon, NASA plans to launch a powerful new rocket. The launch is part of an ambitious quest to get people back to the moon for the first time in half a century — and just maybe, even further.Today, why the U.S. and its partners are determined to go back to the moon and the role politics plays when we reach for the stars. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times business reporter Samantha MasunagaMore reading:NASA’s return to the moon is delayed again after scrub because of fuel leakColumn One: 50 years after Apollo 11, the moon’s allure still resonatesReaders remember the Apollo 11 moon landing, 50 years later

California voters legalized cannabis in 2016, and one of the issues that was supposed to be solved was the violence and environmental wreckage associated with the drug’s illegal trade. But that hasn’t happened.Inside California’s famed “Emerald Triangle,” a region north of San Francisco known for its weed, there’s an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 illegal cannabis farms alone. The under-the-radar cultivation is messing with once-peaceful communities. Today, we get into this issue. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times investigative reporter Paige St. JohnMore reading:Legal Weed, Broken Promises: A Times series on the fallout of legal pot in CaliforniaNobody knows how widespread illegal cannabis grows are in California. So we mapped themThe reality of legal weed in California: Huge illegal grows, violence, worker exploitation and deaths

A Los Angeles Times analysis found that thousands of short-term Airbnb rentals are in California’s most hazardous fire zones. But the company does not provide warnings or evacuation information to guests when they make a reservations, and some customers say the company’s refund policy adds to the potential dangers.Today, as climate change threatens so many aspects of our lives, are even our vacations not safe anymore? Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporters Ben Poston and Alex WigglesworthMore reading:In California’s high-risk fire country, Airbnb offers guests no warning or escape planIs your vacation rental in a risky wildfire zone? What you need to knowCalifornia fires are burning faster, hotter, more intensely — and getting harder to fight

Street takeovers. Street races. Burnouts. They’re the latest manifestations of car culture in the region — cousins to the drag races, lowrider cruises, V-dub love-ins and other gear-head gatherings that’ve gone on here for decades. But what you’re seeing right now — a lot of people say the scene feels different. And some people say the film franchise “Fast & Furious” is to blame.In a region where car culture is king and stunts are all over social media, residents, politicians and law enforcement have had enough. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporter Nathan SolisMore reading:Inside L.A.’s deadly street takeover scene: ‘A scene of lawlessness’19 cars seized, 27 arrested in illegal street takeover in PomonaLA Times Today: Dangerous street takeovers take a deadly toll on L.A.