Headlines From The Times

Last month, In-N-Out Burger made national news when health officials in San Francisco shut down one of its restaurants. The company’s sin: refusing to comply with a law that requires restaurants to ask customers for proof of COVID-19 vaccination. An In-N-Out spokesperson described the mandate as “intrusive, improper and offensive” — and suddenly, the burger chain became a flashpoint in the country’s culture wars. Today, we talk about this beloved company with L.A. Times reporter Stacy Perman, author of the best-selling 2009 book “In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules.”More reading: Column: What In-N-Out’s vaccine standoff reveals about the California dream Inside In-N-Out Burger’s escalating war with California over COVID-19 vaccine rules ‘We refuse to become the vaccination police’: In-N-Out Burger, and other restaurants defy COVID mandates

Over the last few years, Leyna Bloom has been the first in many categories. In 2017, she became the first trans woman of color to grace the pages of Vogue India. In 2019, she became one of the first trans women to walk Paris Fashion Week. And most recently, she broke barriers again as the first trans cover model for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue.On this crossover episode with our sister podcast “Asian Enough,” Bloom talks about her ties to ballroom, her Black and Filipina identity and reuniting with her mom after decades apart.More reading:How Leyna Bloom became the first transgender actress of color to star in a film at CannesSports Illustrated Swimsuit goes bold: Megan Thee Stallion, Naomi Osaka, Leyna BloomReview: Luminous performances elevate trans romance ‘Port Authority’

In 2011, a group of Muslims in Orange County sued the federal government, alleging that the FBI violated the constitutional rights of Muslims by spying on them solely because of their religion. The feds denied the allegations, but they also said they couldn't disclose why they had spied on this community. To do so, according to the government, would reveal state secrets. Now the lawsuit is before the U.S. Supreme Court, and the feds want it dismissed. Today, we hear from L.A. Times reporter Suhauna Hussain, who is covering the case. We'll hear from some of the plaintiffs and Muslim activists. And we'll also hear from Craig Monteilh, the self-admitted FBI informant in the center of all this. More reading: Supreme Court skeptical of FBI’s claim in monitoring of Orange County MuslimsColumn: In Orange County case, the U.S. is hiding behind claims of ‘state secrets’From the archives: Man says he was FBI informant

This fall, a commemoration in downtown Los Angeles marked the 150th anniversary of when a mob lynched 18 Chinese men and boys — one of the biggest such killings in American history. The recent memorial comes in a year when many similar remembrances have bloomed across the United States. Anti-Asian hate crimes have soared during the pandemic, but that has also spurred an interest in learning the long, and long-hidden, history of such bigotry.  More reading: History forgot the 1871 Los Angeles Chinese massacre, but we’ve all been shaped by its violenceL.A.'s memorial for 1871 Chinese Massacre will mark a shift in how we honor historyThe racist massacre that killed 10% of L.A.’s Chinese population and brought shame to the cityWhite residents burned this California Chinatown to the ground. An apology came 145 years later

Marijuana use is now ubiquitous in mainstream culture — even Martha Stewart’s into CBD products thanks to her good pal Snoop Dogg. Despite this, the federal government classifies basically all cannabis-related products as illegal. That stands in the way of things like medical research. Can California, which sparked a revolution 25 years ago with the legalization of medical marijuana by voters, push the federal government to legalize marijuana once and for all? More reading: California changed the country with marijuana legalization. Is it high time for the feds to catch up?Thousands of California marijuana convictions officially reduced, others dismissedEditorial: What legalization? California is still the Wild West of illegal marijuana

At USC, hundreds of students have been protesting university officials and so-called Greek life itself over the last month after a series of drugging and sexual assault allegations that the school kept quiet about for weeks. It's the latest scandal to hit the school, and some of the loudest criticism has come from an unexpected source: fraternity and sorority members. Today, we talk to L.A. Times higher education reporter Teresa Watanabe about the matter. And a USC student who's a proud sorority sister tells us why she's pushing for change.More reading: USC students protest toxic Greek life after fraternity suspended for alleged drugging, sexual assaultUSC’s ‘Greek experience’ under fire even as fraternities gain in popularity post-pandemicUSC admits to ‘troubling delay’ in warning about fraternity drugging, sex assault reports

In this crossover episode with our cousin podcast “Asian Enough,” hosts Suhauna Hussain and Johana Bhuiyan speak with sociologist Anthony Ocampo. He’s spent his career studying the intersection of race, gender and immigration, which guided his groundbreaking book “The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race.”Today, Ocampo also speaks about another facet of his work: what it means to be brown and gay in Los Angeles. And he reflects on Filipino nurses’ role in battling the coronavirus in the United States.More reading:Filipino American trailblazers speak truth to Hollywood through jokes and rhymesHow the Philippines’ colonial legacy weighs on Filipino American mental healthFilipino-led micro-businesses blossom in the pandemic at L.A.'s Manila District

Skateboarding is a mainstay of California street culture, from San Diego to San Francisco and beyond. It’s so popular that L.A. County filled outdoor skateparks with sand earlier in the pandemic so no one could grind on them.But during the pandemic, skateboard sales surged — and communities long marginalized from the sport are now making their own spaces.Today we talk to reporter Cerise Castle, who’s covering and participating in this rise, and skateboarders from various parts of America — including Washington, D.C., and the Navajo Nation — tell us why they skate.More reading:Skating can be a bridge in L.A. These 3 crews show how bonds form on four wheelsSkateboarding improves mental health, helps build diverse relationships, USC study saysFrom the archives: Skateboarders in urban areas get respect, and parks

Less than 4% of Los Angeles’ firefighters are women — a number that, despite the mayor’s goals, has inched up only slightly in recent years. Many of the female firefighters say their ranks are so small because of a hostile, sexist culture pervading the Los Angeles Fire Department.Today, we talk about what women in the LAFD have been dealing with, including trash in their lockers, feces on bathroom floors and nasty remarks from co-workers they need to trust with their lives. We talk to L.A. Times City Hall reporter Dakota Smith, who has covered this hazing culture, and we also hear from Stacy Taylor, a retired battalion chief who pushed for better treatment during her 26 years in the department.More reading:Women say they endure ‘frat house’ culture at L.A. Fire Department. ‘The worst of my life’Female firefighters, civil rights advocates call for LAFD chief’s removalFirefighters sue over city of L.A.'s vaccine mandate

Every year, people in the American West die from scorching temperatures. Experts fear that the number of deaths is undercounted — and, that as the climate continues to heats up, the death rate is going to rise.Officially, California says 599 people died due to heat exposure from 2010 to 2019. But a Los Angeles Times investigation estimates the number is way higher: about 3,900 deaths.Today we talk to Tony Barboza and Anna M. Phillips, who, along with Sean Greene and Ruben Vives, spearheaded the L.A. Times investigation. We discuss why their count is so different from the state's, who's most vulnerable to the heat and how to protect yourself. More reading:Heat waves are far deadlier than we think. How California neglects this climate threatClimate change is supercharging California heat waves, and the state isn’t readyPoor neighborhoods bear the brunt of extreme heat, ‘legacies of racist decision-making’