Headlines From The Times

On Nov. 2, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai published a letter on her verified social media account that accused a former top Chinese government official of sexual assault. Then suddenly, she disappeared. But it’s not just people with name recognition who are disappearing in the country. Human rights group Safeguard Defenders estimates that more than 45,000 people were subjected to a form of secret detention since President Xi Jinping assumed power in 2013.Today, we speak with L.A. Times Beijing Bureau Chief Alice Su, who has been investigating this phenomenon. And we’ll also hear from a writer who studies feminism in China.More reading:They helped Chinese women, workers, the forgotten and dying. Then they disappeared Women’s tennis tour suspends events in China over Peng Shuai concerns EU wants ‘verifiable proof’ that Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai is safe

Today, we’ll spend the show with food personality David Chang to talk about his new Hulu series, "The Next Thing You Eat," which — full disclosure — our host Gustavo Arellano appears in. We’ll discuss what David found, why he thinks Southern California is such a great place for food, and also the future of the food industry in the era of COVID-19.He also has a raw conversation about how the harsh working conditions in restaurants can be improved, and about his own anger.More reading:Watch "The Next Thing You Eat" on HuluDavid Chang on restaurants and his own life: ‘The old ways just don’t work anymore’David Chang doesn’t want your compliments

For more than a century, California's approach to incarcerating people has gone mostly like this: Incarcerate them. But now, there’s a program offered by the Cal State University system that helps incarcerated folks not only develop skills but also reimagine themselves — as people who could have lives after serving long prison terms, as scholars. Today, we’re going to talk about this new educational opportunity for those on the inside with L.A. Times education reporter Colleen Shalby.More reading:They were supposed to die in prison. Instead, they earned freedom as college graduates Editorial: For former prisoners to have a shot at a normal life, we need successful reentry programs Apodaca: UC Irvine law professor sees college degrees as a way to reduce recidivism 

An L.A. Times investigation found that from 2017 to July of this year, 70% of bicyclists that L.A. County sheriff’s deputies pulled over were Latinos, even though the group makes up only about half of the county’s population. And they searched 85% of bike riders they stopped, even though deputies often had no reason to think they’d find something illegal. They ended up making arrests or writing citations 21% of the time. Today, we talk to the L.A. Times journalists who reported this story. And we talk to a Latino cycling activist about how it is to cycle around Los Angeles.More reading:L.A. sheriff’s deputies use minor stops to search bicyclists, with Latinos hit hardest Bicyclists share stories of being stopped by L.A. County deputies: ‘Everybody is a suspect until proven otherwise’ L.A. County supervisors seek to decriminalize bike violations after Times investigation

Our guest host Faith E. Pinho, a Metro reporter at the L.A. Times, speaks with Times culture writer Daniel Hernandez about the cast of characters and cars that have been lining the wide boulevards of Southern California for decades. They look at who is embracing cruising culture and its uneasy relationship with law enforcement.An earlier version of this episode was published May 28, 2021. More reading:The lowrider is back: The glorious return of cruising to the streets of L.A. Here are 8 key lowrider moments in pop films and TV, according to Estevan Oriol During pandemic, trash and crime increased on Whittier Boulevard. Lowrider clubs said: Enough

Alison Roman is a chef, food writer, cookbook author and video maker whose unfussy recipes pack a punch. Those recipes, along with her fun persona, made her a bright spot for many fans especially as the pandemic began taking hold. Then Roman, who is white, lobbed some criticism at celebrities Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo — women of color — and controversy engulfed her. Roman was canceled. Or was she? What exactly does being canceled mean, anyway? What can a person learn, and where can they go from there? L.A. Times reporter Erin B. Logan asks Roman these questions. But first: What's Roman making for Thanksgiving, how did she get into the food world, and how does she make simplicity taste so good?  (Psst: This is the last episode before The Times' Thanksgiving break. We'll be back Monday!)More reading: Alison Roman moves beyond Chrissy Teigen backlash and vows to grow from itWhen Alison Roman insulted Chrissy Teigen: Everything to know about their online spatColumn: Cancel culture is as American as apple pieAlison Roman's website  

Sohla El-Waylly is famous for her cooking videos for outlets like the History Channel’s “Ancient Recipes,” Bon Appetit’s “Test Kitchen,” and so, so much more. She also writes a column at Food52 and contributes to the cooking section at the other big-time Times newspaper (the one on the East Coast).Today, we do another crossover episode with our sibling podcast “Asian Enough,” where El-Waylly talks about food appropriation, her inspirations and much more.Hosts: Johana Bhuiyan and Tracy BrownGuest: Chef Sohla El-WayllyMore reading:Babish expands as pandemic boosts YouTube cooking showsVulture: Going SohlaSohla’s website

This story of Los Angeles’ 1930s era of gambling boats — and Tony Cornero, the underworld boss at the center of the action — is a portal to another version of the city, one that’s glamorous and seedy. Business reporter Daniel Miller spent months chasing down the tale, poring over FBI records, reviewing newspaper accounts and interviewing the few people alive who remember when barges bobbing off the coast of Santa Monica offered the chance at a sea-sprayed jackpot. He tells us about this world of water-cannon gangsters and floating vice dens — which paved the way for the popularity of Las Vegas and dramatically met its end 82 years ago this month.More reading:The secret history of L.A.’s glitzy gambling boat kingpin — and the raid that sank him

Last month, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen revealed she had released thousands of documents that showed how the company knew yet did little to curb harmful content for its billions of users. Those documents also showed that Facebook’s parent company, Meta, knew disinformation on its platforms was particularly corrosive to Latino communities — yet the company did little to stop it. Today, we talk about the damage and what activists are doing to try to stop it.More reading:What Facebook knew about its Latino-aimed disinformation problem Misinformation online is bad in English. But it’s far worse in Spanish Facebook struggled with disinformation targeted at Latinos

When it rains, it pours, and when it pours after a long dry spell, water can become dangerous. Fire-scarred lands see mudslides devastate homes. Parched soil can’t absorb the rain that comes. Water, water everywhere, and California is still on the brink.Today, we reconvene our Masters of Disasters to discuss how too much rain after a drought can be bad. And who knew the term "mudslide" could be so controversial?More reading:Threat of mudslides returns to California after devastating fires. How do they work?California rains break all-time records, spurring floods and mudslidesOctober’s torrential rains brought some drought relief, but California’s big picture still bleak