Headlines From The Times

The historic Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles reopened in 2021 with a commitment to make it easy for low-income and unhoused people to occupy its rooms. So why have so few people taken advantage of this offer?Today, we examine why this well-intentioned and funded solution to L.A.'s homelessness crisis is having trouble fulfilling its original vision. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times Fast Break reporter Jaimie DingMore reading:A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly empty. Here’s whyLA Times Today: A year after opening 600 rooms to L.A.’s unhoused, the Cecil Hotel is still mostly emptyOnce a den of prostitution and drugs, the Cecil Hotel in downtown L.A. is set to undergo a $100-million renovation

An earthquake as devastating as the one that hit Turkey and Syria this month has been forecast to hit Southern California for decades. What can residents and governments do to prepare?.Today, our Masters of Disasters talk to us about how to prepare. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Ron-Gong Lin II, and L.A. Times coastal reporter Rosanna XiaMore reading: California faces threat from the type of back-to-back mega-earthquakes that devastated TurkeyA deadly building flaw common in California brings destruction and misery to Turkey, SyriaSubscribe to “Unshaken,” the L.A. Times’ earthquake newsletter

The Colorado River is supposed to end at the Gulf of California, but hasn’t done so for decades. A joint effort between the United States and Mexico seeks to change that.Today, we travel to the Colorado River Delta to see what’s happening. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times water reporter Ian JamesMore reading:A pulse of water revives the dry Colorado River DeltaThe river’s end: Amid Colorado water cuts, Mexico seeks to restore its lost oasisListen to our special Colorado River series here

Teenager Piper Rockelle and her friends created a multimillion-dollar YouTube empire. A lawsuit threatens it, and brings up questions about whether what young influencers do for a living constitutes “work.”Today, we examine the history of child labor laws in California, and what might happen in this digital age. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times senior entertainment reporter Amy Kaufman, and L.A. Times arts and culture writer Jessica GeltMore reading:Inside the blockbuster lawsuit threatening one teen YouTube star’s multimillion-dollar empireColumn: Social media platforms must stop the exploitation of child performers. NowWho’s protecting social media’s child stars? Inside the lawsuit against one YouTuber’s empire

For decades, NFL teams actively discouraged Black players from playing quarterback, the sport’s marquee position.Today, we go through this shameful history — and celebrate this year’s historic Super Bowl, which features two Black starting quarterbacks for the first time. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuest: L.A. Times opinion columnist LZ GrandersonMore reading:Column: The NFL should stop running from its racial historyNo one should forget about Doug WilliamsThe Big Book Of Black Quarterbacks

California’s Imperial Valley has some of the lowest rainfall in the state, yet uses the largest allotment of Colorado River water. Why is such an arid part of the state an agricultural powerhouse?Today, we look into how the region secured its rights. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times water reporter Ian JamesMore reading:In California’s Imperial Valley, farmers brace for a future with less Colorado River waterColorado River in Crisis: A Times series on the Southwest’s shrinking water lifelineCalifornia is isolated and alone in battle over Colorado River water cuts

Black people have been part of the American West for centuries. But mainstream cowboy culture long downplayed their contributions, even as they exist in the present day.Today, we hear from some of them. Read the full transcript here.Host: L.A. Times national reporter Tyrone BeasonMore reading:Black Californians have long celebrated cowboy culture. We’re just catching upA proud group of Black Californians keep the traditions of the Old West and cowboy culture alive.Excerpt: Cowboys in Compton find hope and healing on horseback

All across California, people are asking the same question: Why are eggs so expensive?Californians walk into grocery stores only to find them sold out, or that they’re going for $7 or more a dozen. Thanks to inflation, everything is more expensive right now. But when it comes to eggs, there’s more to the story.Today, how a history of California policy and a global bird flu scrambled the economics of a food staple. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times metro reporter Sonja SharpMore reading:$7 a dozen? Why California eggs are so expensive — and increasingly hard to findWatch: California eggs are becoming expensive, and increasingly hard to findOp-Ed: Why does California have an egg shortage?

For over a century, Native American tribes along the Colorado River have seen other entities take water that had nourished them since time immemorial. With the depletion of this vital source for the American West, Indigenous leaders see an opening to right a historical wrong.Today, we check in on one tribe doing just that. Read the full transcript here.Host: The Times senior producer Kasia BroussalianGuest: L.A. Times water reporter Ian JamesMore reading:Colorado River in Crisis, Pt. 1: A Dying RiverColorado River in Crisis, Pt. 2: The SourceInside the water crisis: A journey across the Colorado River Basin

In a span of 25 hours, three men of color died after encounters with Los Angeles police officers. Could a change in tactics long asked for by activists have prevented the deaths?Today, we talk about the incidents, the aftermath — and what’s next. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times investigative crime reporter Richard Winton and L.A. Times metro columnist Erika D. SmithMore reading:Column: MLK had a dream about ending police brutality. In L.A., we’re clearly still dreamingLAPD’s repeated tasing of teacher who died appears excessive, experts sayAmid concerns over three deaths, LAPD releases video