Headlines From The Times

A new Republican-led House of Representatives convenes tomorrow, and after decades as a Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi is stepping away from the helm. Undoubtedly, her strength was in unifying her caucus — something that Kevin McCarthy, the G.O.P frontrunner for the speakership, has already struggled to do. Today, we look back on Pelosi's career — and what could be ahead for House leadership. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times Justice Department reporter Sarah D. WireMore reading:The end of a political era: Nancy Pelosi’s leadership legacy in WashingtonColumn: Nancy Pelosi’s indelible markColumn: ‘There’s this very toxic energy circulating.’ Alexandra Pelosi on her mom, dad and a new documentary

This year, Beyonce blessed fans with her album, “Renaissance,” the Daniels — Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert — released the surreal trip of a movie “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and Bad Bunny released banger after banger after banger.And those were just some of the brightest cultural moments that we couldn’t stop talking about. 2022 had its dark side, too — who could forget Will Smith’s slap or the racist rants of Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West?Today, we review both the highs and lows of Hollywood, music, culture and more. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood, film and television critic Glenn Whipp, music reporter Suzy Expositoand film business reporter Ryan FaughnderMore reading:For global phenomenon Bad Bunny, Puerto Rico remains his playground, battleground and museThe top 10 Hollywood fiascoes that defined 2022 for the entertainment businessReview: Beyoncé's ‘Renaissance’ is a landmark expression of Black joy (and you can dance to it)What happens to ‘Emancipation’ after the slap? 

Ukraine, abortion, midterms, racist tape leaks — 2022 was a lot, politically. We gather our newsroom experts to break down the year. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times U.S. Supreme Court David G. Savage, California politics columnist Mark Barabak, and L.A. city politics reporter Julia WickMore reading:News Analysis: Supreme Court likes separation of powers, but not of church and stateHate grows, L.A. politics go berserk and Gen Z saves democracy: Columnists dissect 2022L.A. on the Record: KDL, absurdist theater and a trick play

This year, we saw a pandemic that just won’t quit, a face-melting heatwave and an underwater volcano eruption that wreaked all kinds of havoc. 2022 brought with it plenty of doom and gloom when it comes to natural disasters. But we also saw an effective new earthquake early warning system, a toilet sink that’s great at reducing water and energy use and more good news for our changing climate.Today, our Masters of Disasters kick off a week of looking back the biggest wins and fails of 2022 by talking about the year’s most memorable disasters. But it’s not all bad: the scribes of scary also offer up some hope as we enter 2023. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Ron Lin, L.A. Times coastal reporter Rosanna Xia and L.A. Times energy reporter Sammy RothMore reading:Massive volcano eruption in Tonga could wind up warming the EarthHow washing my hands with ‘toilet water’ cut my water bills in halfL.A. County coronavirus threat eases for now, but a second wave after Christmas possibleWhy NASA’s new mission will study Earth’s water from space

Dr. Anthony Fauci is one of the most prominent public health officials in history due to his work during the HIV/AIDS crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He’s about to step down from his long-held roles as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical advisor, but before he goes, we wanted to get some last bits of advice about how to stay safe this holiday season and beyond.Today, he joins us to reflect on the lessons learned in his career, the future of public health, and high school memories of basketball and Catholic saints.Plus, stick around after the interview for a moving tribute to P-22. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony FauciMore reading:Fauci’s warning to America: ‘We’re living in a progressively anti-science era and that’s a very dangerous thing’Review: ‘Fauci’ illuminates even as it flatters ‘America’s doctor’Fauci: ‘There’s no way’ the coronavirus was made with U.S. research funds. Here’s why

Cryptocurrency started the year strong. But as 2022 ends, what was supposed to be a revolutionary way to buy, save and invest has collapsed. The price of nearly every cryptocurrency has plunged. Multiple businesses built specifically around them have cratered.Now, members of Congress are calling for more stringent regulations around crypto. But would regulations change cryptocurrency so much that it would essentially stop being crypto? Today, the over-talked-about, often under-understood world of crypto. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporter Michael HiltzikMore reading:Column: Crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried didn’t lose a $16-billion fortune. His ‘fortune’ was never realColumn: Shame, suicide attempts, ‘financial death’ — the devastating toll of a crypto firm’s failureColumn: Thinking of putting crypto in your 401(k)? Think twice

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration authorized over a billion dollars in housing vouchers to help people stay off the streets. The program had problems, but one city — San Diego — succeeded in a big way.Today, we find out how they did it. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: Former L.A. Times fellow Anumita KaurMore reading:How San Diego achieved surprising success housing homeless peopleHow San Francisco fell behind on housing its homeless populationHomeless people wait as Los Angeles lets thousands of federal housing vouchers go unused

The Biden administration is pushing electric vehicles as the future. So are major auto makers. But how will that play out in red states? We travel to small-town Indiana to find out.Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times White House reporter Noah BiermanMore reading: Can California’s electric-vehicle push overcome the red-state backlash?Majority of voters favor gasoline-car phaseout. But all-electric goal faces tough oppositionCalifornia bans sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035. Now the real work begins

After Ticketmaster botched sales for Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert tour, her die-hard fans, known as Swifties, did more than just whine on social media. They took political action, calling their representatives in Congress and flagging their concerns to other lawmakers across the country. Some Swifties even filed a lawsuit.This is far from the first time Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, have been accused of unfairly monopolizing the ticket market. And after another debacle last week that left Bad Bunny fans stranded outside his sold-out concert in Mexico City, it’s clear it won’t be the last time either.Today, we look at whether the latest backlash is big enough to finally break Ticketmaster’s stranglehold on the live music market.Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporter August Brown and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.More reading:More bad news for Swifties: Ticketmaster cancels Friday on-sale for Taylor’s Eras tourYou better lawyer up, Ticketmaster: Taylor Swift fans file Eras Tour lawsuitEssential Politics: Will Taylor Swift end Ticketmaster’s dominance?

Jessica Roy was hanging with friends at a piano bar when her wallet was stolen — and became a victim of identity theft. Roy filed the necessary reports and thought she’d be able to handle everything pretty quickly. That didn’t happen.Today, she shares her ordeal and explains why fixing identity theft is a never-ending nightmare and why recovering from it is so much harder than you think.Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: Assistant Utility Journalism team editor Jessica RoyMore reading:My wallet was stolen at a bar. Then my identity theft nightmare beganAre you the victim of identity theft? Here’s what to doIs identity theft protection worth it? Here’s what you should know