The Times: Essential news from the L.A. Times

Trans surfers are beginning to find community among themselves in a sport that too often isolates and even shuns them. Today, we hang out with some at the beach, to hear their joy and pain. Read the full transcript here.Host: L.A. Times senior producer Denise GuerraMore reading:Biden sports plan angers transgender advocates and opponentsBlack surfers find moments of reflection, rejuvenation at ‘A Great Day in the Stoke’For transgender kids, a frantic rush for treatment amid bans

In a live taping, three of our Masters of Disasters talk about how they got into covering catastrophes, why they continue to do it — and how they try to convey hope. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Rong-Gong Lin, L.A. Times wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth, and L.A. Times coastal reporter Rosanna XiaMore reading:Read Rong-Gong LIn II’s stories hereRead Alex Wigglesworth’s stories hereRead Rosanna Xia’s stories here

After a decades-long decline in automobile fatalities, numbers began to go up with the dawn of smart phones. Laws banning use of cellphones while driving haven’t stopped the rise — and the dawn of smart cars seems to be making things worse.Today, we talk about efforts to stop distracted driving — and why they don’t seem to work. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times auto industry reporter Russ MitchellMore reading:Highways are getting deadlier, with fatalities up 22%. Our smartphone addiction is a big reason why‘We are killing people’: How technology has made your car ‘a candy store of distraction’The DMV said it would investigate Tesla over self-driving claims. Then, crickets

“Trot” is a Korean music genre that has been around for decades. But in recent years, it has exploded in popularity in Southern California. The biggest fans? Immigrant seniors.Today, we talk about trot’s history, staying power and role in the Korean American community. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times Asian American communities reporter Jeong ParkMore reading:K-Pop isn’t the only hot ticket in Koreatown — how ‘trot’ is captivating immigrantsKoreatown’s elderly immigrants find the lure of the casino bus a blessing and a curseClub helps older Korean immigrants find their political voice

When Joe Biden won in 2020, he became the oldest president in U.S. history. If he runs again in 2024 and wins, he’ll beat own record. Is that a problem?Today, we talk about the grumbles from Republicans and Democrats alike over Biden’s age. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporter Courtney SubramanianMore reading:Column: Are Joe Biden and Dianne Feinstein too old to do their jobs?Newsletter: Joe Biden, the bumbling old president who outwitted Republicans‘What an old politician understands’ — Biden turns the age issue to advantage

Farmacias Similares is the largest privately owned chain of pharmacies in Mexico, and has a cute mascot — Dr. Simi — who is beloved across the country. What could possibly be wrong about this scenario? Many things.Today, we talk about what the rise of Dr. Simi says about Mexico’s broken healthcare system. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times foreign correspondent Leila MillerMore reading:Mexico promised healthcare for all. Its failure to deliver made this smiling mascot famousEl Dr. Simi es una estrella de TikTok. También es una muestra de la crisis del sistema de salud de México

"Foretold" is the newest podcast from the L.A. Times, and we're sharing the first episode with you here today. In the fall of 2019, reporter Faith E. Pinho received a tip from a woman named Paulina Stevens. Paulina claimed she had grown up in an insular Romani community in California, where she was raised to be a wife, mother and fortuneteller — until she decided to break away. That first call unraveled a story spanning multiple continents, hundreds of years, and complex metaphysical realities.  Follow "Foretold" to hear new episodes every Tuesday. Check out photos and more information about this episode. Read the episode transcript. Dive deeper: Our Romani cultural consultant's op-ed describing how her heritage fits into her own life.

An FBI investigation tried to expose malfeasance in the world of NCAA men’s basketball. Instead, the mirror was turned on the agency itself when one of the lead agents abused his position.Today, you’ll hear the story of how that came to be — and whether the investigation turned up anything. Read the full story here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times sports investigative reporter Nathan FennoMore reading:How an FBI agent’s wild Vegas weekend stained an investigation into NCAA basketball corruption10 charged in college basketball corruption probeCongressional committee wants answers in college basketball bribery scandal

Democrat and Republican lawmakers are pushing for a U.S. ban on TikTok, arguing the Chinese-owned social media app is a national security risk. But many of its users argue that will severely harm their businesses.Today, we hear from some of them. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times reporter technology reporter Brian Contreras and L.A. Times business reporter Jaimie DingMore reading:For some, TikTok is a path to riches and the American dream. With a ban, it could all disappearTikTok might get banned after ‘disaster’ testimony. Why do some TikTokers not care?The Biden administration’s threat to ban TikTok: Here’s what you should know

For centuries, communities across Latin America have relied on curanderos — healers who rely on indigenous tradition — for their physical and mental health. Will mainstream American health ever embrace it?Today, we examine the subject. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times utility reporter Karen GarciaMore reading:Some Latinos don’t trust Western mental health. That’s where curanderos come inCurandera’s spell may soothe your soulBringing medicine from the village into the public eye

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden decried U.S. border policies enacted by the Trump administration as racist. But Biden has not only not rolled some of them back — in some cases, he’s doubled down.Today, we try to figure out what changed. Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times immigration reporters Hamed Aleaziz and Andrea CastilloMore reading:Top Democrats warn Biden: Don’t restart family detentionsBiden immigration plan could force asylum officers to break law, union warnsAsylum seekers face decision to split up families or wait indefinitely under new border policy

The indictment of former president Donald Trump has provoked praise and criticism alike. So what’s next? We talk to two of our political wizards to figure it out.Read the full transcript here.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times political columnist Mark Z. Barabak, and L.A. Times national security reporter Sarah D. WireMore reading:Full coverage: Trump hush-money probeTrump indicted in alleged hush-money scheme, becoming first former U.S. president in history to be prosecutedColumn: Scandal after scandal, Trump has defied political physics. Will this time be different?