For over 100 years, college athletes couldn’t make money competing in their sports. A new NCAA rule around name, image and likeness, or NIL, has changed that. The biggest winners? Gymnasts. Today, we talk to a few current and former gymnasts at UCLA, including Olympians Jordyn Weiber and Jordan Chiles, about how this rule change has affected their lives. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times college sports and NBA reporter Thuc Nhi Nguyen   More reading:   Once empowered by Title IX, female athletes are now among big winners in new NIL era   ‘M ..read more

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, Ukrainian military officials have set up a hotline for Russian soldiers to call in and surrender. Is it working to end the war?. Today, we talk to the people behind it. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times global affairs correspondent Laura King More reading: Lots of Russian soldiers want to surrender. Ukraine makes it easier with a high-tech hotline A soldier’s tale: Russian serviceman’s scathing memoir depicts a senseless war Read the L.A. Times’ full Ukraine coverage ..read more

Ariadna López was found murdered on the side of a road in Mexico, one of thousands of women murdered every year in the country. But her death outraged the country like never before. Today, the problem of femicide in Mexico — and whether Lopez’s death will help change that. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell More reading: A single mother in Mexico was blamed for her own death. Now a well-connected playboy has been charged Femicides in Mexico: Little progress on longstanding issue In Mexico, a grisly killing infl ..read more

When inflation is high, the Federal Reserve has historically raised interest rates. But the recent failures of banks like Silicon Valley Bank have sparked worries about the stability of our banking system. Now the feds must weigh whether the banking system could withstand the turmoil that raising interest rates could bring. To get inside the mind of Fed chair Jerome Powell, we look to a previous era of high inflation, the late 1970s and early ‘80s, and the decisions of then Fed chairs Arthur Burns and Paul Volcker. Today, we talk about what's next. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo ..read more

U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez is known for overturning gun bans. Derided and hailed in equal measures, he’s now presiding over a case with far-reaching consequences. Today, we talk about his history and impact. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times enterprise reporter Laura J. Nelson More reading: The judge upending California’s gun laws: ‘Blessed’ jurist or ‘stone-cold ideologue’?   Thanks to the Supreme Court, California gun cases hinge more on history than modern threats War on California gun laws revs up after Supreme Court’s ‘right to carry’ dec ..read more

The recent release of toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailment was a reminder of how devastating such environmental events are for poor communities. Can we prevent the next one? Today, our Masters of Disasters reconvene to talk toxic contamination and cleanup — and why toxic spills will probably never go away. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times environmental reporter Tony Briscoe, L.A. Times energy reporter Sammy Roth, and L.A. Times reporter Erin B. Logan More reading: Essential Politics: Shock waves from East Palestine train dera ..read more

Last year, the California State Legislature approved a bill that aimed to improve wages and conditions for fast-food workers, but the fast-food industry raised millions to oppose it. As petitioners collect signatures, voters allege that they were lied to by petitioners. Today, we get into the food fight — and California’s murky world of signature-gathering. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times reporter Suhauna Hussein More reading: ‘I feel duped’: Inside the fast-food industry’s push to dismantle a new California labor law   UC Riverside should investig ..read more

Californians have long moved to Nevada in search of new business and personal opportunities. But a massive business park near Reno is drawing in businesses like never before. Some long-timers aren’t happy. Today, we visit the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center to learn more. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times national enterprise reporter Noah Bierman More reading: Californians are pouring into Nevada. Not everyone is happy about it   ‘Don’t move to Texas’: Billboard warns L.A., San Francisco residents about moving to Lone Star State Nashville’s Southern hos ..read more

When California voters legalized cannabis, growers vowed a break from decades of worker exploitation in the state’s agricultural industry. A Times investigation found otherwise. Today, where it all went wrong and what’s being done to stop it. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times investigative reporter Paige St. John More reading: Dying for your high: The untold exploitation and misery in America’s weed industry The reality of legal weed in California: Huge illegal grows, violence, worker exploitation and deaths Lawmakers want investigation, hearings into ‘Wi ..read more

Faced with high levels of worker stress, anxiety and burnout as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies pledged that employee mental health would become a top priority. But actions haven’t always followed promises. Today, we look into what bosses and employees can do to better the workplace. Read the full transcript here. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guests: L.A. Times business reporter Samantha Masunaga, and The Times senior producer Denise Guerra   More reading: Bosses say they care about mental health — can workers trust them? Use these mental health resources to help yourself — or ..read more