The Brief

The smog appeared out of nowhere on July 8, 1943, blinding drivers and causing car crashes. Mothers grabbed their children and ran inside hotels to escape unwanted fumes. Some thought it was chemical warfare by a foreign country. But no, it was smog.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Fletcher Bowron said he would get rid of the "vexing fumes" within four months. The problem persisted for more than four decades.

L.A. has made progress on the stuffy air, which was once so thick it burned lungs and eyes and caused nausea. But the fight for clean air is far from over as Los Angeles still remains one of the worst-air-polluted cities in the country.

What brought the smog?

People initially blamed the smog on a gas company plant that made artificial rubber. Then, they blamed sulfur.

Chip Jacobs is a co-author of Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles. He said it was almost like L.A. was in a state of denial.

"Some people started suspecting it's cars, it's hydrocarbons from cars reacting in sunlight," he said in an interview with LAist's daily news program AirTalk, which airs on 89.3 FM. "That was not appreciated and embraced until a little scientist at Caltech took a chance."

That scientist was Arie Haagen-Smit, who escaped Holland to avoid World War II. According to Jacobs, he didn't want to be a scientist. But he was angry at the weak science around investigating smog. Lab work revealed tailpipe emissions were the smog culprit. Still, not a lot of people wanted to believe him.

"He was going up against the coolest product you could buy, a car," Jacobs said.

Feeling the burn

The smog ruined the great outdoors for many people in the decades to follow. AirTalk caller Joanne grew up in L.A. during the 1950s. She told host Larry Mantle that when she came home from college she asked her mom, "How can you live here?"

"It felt like the entire world was peeling onions," she said. "That's the only way I can describe it."

Other callers chimed in and remembered schools closing in the 1960s because the air pollution was so bad.

Mantle remembered burning lungs as a child.

"I just remember my lungs burning and wondering, wow, why is that? What's causing this?" Mantle said. "You don't really know what's going on because you take the smog for granted."

Jacobs also said it ruined a lot of fun for him in the 70s. He recalled canceled baseball games.

"You start with a blue sky, and it seemed like a fog rolled in. All of a sudden your asthmatic friends were running for the primatene mist," Jacobs said.

What changed? 

Ed Avol is a professor emeritus at the Keck School of Medicine at USC in the population and public health science department. He said cleaning up the air has been a huge success story in understanding improvement in Los Angeles.

He pointed to technology and policies through the state and regional agencies on refineries, power plants, and chemical and manufacturing.

Avol also credited regulations on trains, planes, ships and cars. Those included smog checks for cars, lead removal from gasoline, and catalytic converters that helped clear some of the air.

"The problem is really so vast here, and so many millions of sources here, that really one has to do a sort of full court approach to try and address everything we can to try and reduce that,” Avol said.

Listen to the conversation

Updated January 11, 2026 at 23:48 PM ET

Timothée Chalamet, Teyana Taylor and Noah Wyle each took home acting awards at the Golden Globes on Sunday night.

Comedian Nikki Glaser hosted the show for the second year in a row, joking in her opening monologue that the Golden Globe for best editing should go to the Justice Department, seemingly referencing the Epstein files — and that the award for most editing ought to go to CBS News, calling it "America's newest place to see B.S. news." (New CBS editor in chief, Bari Weiss, recently drew criticism for pulling a segment about a detention center in El Salvador from 60 Minutes.)

Teyana Taylor's prize was for best supporting actress in a motion picture, one of four awards for One Battle After Another, which also won the evening's prize for best musical or comedy motion picture. Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson took home awards for screenwriting and directing.

Wyle's award was for The Pitt, which also won the prize for best TV drama.

Chalamet's win was the only prize for Marty Supreme, which was nominated as a comedy. Hamnet won the award for best drama film; Jessie Buckley took home the award for best actress in a drama for the same movie.

The Netflix series Adolescence took home trophies for best limited or anthology series, along with prizes for actors Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty. The Studio took home the prize for best TV musical or comedy, with Seth Rogen winning the top prize for actors in that group.

Good Hang with Amy Poehler won the Globes' very first prize for the best podcast.

The nominees in each category are below, with winners noted in bold.

Best motion picture – drama
Winner: Hamnet (Focus Features)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best motion picture – musical or comedy
Winner: One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Bugonia (Focus Features)
Marty Supreme (A24)
No Other Choice (Neon)
Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
Winner: Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You)
Cynthia Erivo (Wicked: For Good)
Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue)
Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)
Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee)
Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy
Winner: Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)
George Clooney (Jay Kelly)
Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)
Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)
Lee Byung-hun (No Other Choice)
Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)

Timothée Chalamet on the Golden Globes red carpet.

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Best television series – musical or comedy
Winner: The Studio (Apple TV)
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Best television series – drama
Winner: The Pitt (HBO Max)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Severance (Apple TV)
Slow Horses (Apple TV)
The White Lotus (HBO Max)

Best performance by a female actor in a motion picture – drama
Winner: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love)
Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)
Julia Roberts (After the Hunt)
Tessa Thompson (Hedda)
Eva Victor (Sorry, Baby)

Best performance by a male actor in a motion picture – drama
Winner: Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)
Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)
Oscar Isaac (Frankenstein)
Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine)
Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)
Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere)

Best television limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television
Winner: Adolescence (Netflix)
All Her Fault (Peacock)
The Beast in Me (Netflix)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
The Girlfriend (Prime Video)

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Winner: Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another)
Emily Blunt (The Smashing Machine)
Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value)
Ariana Grande (Wicked: For Good)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value)
Amy Madigan (Weapons)

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role in any motion picture
Winner: Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value)
Benicio del Toro (One Battle After Another)
Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly)

Best performance by a male actor in a television series – drama
Winner: Noah Wyle (The Pitt)
Sterling K. Brown (Paradise)
Diego Luna (Andor)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Mark Ruffalo (Task)
Adam Scott (Severance)

Best performance by a female actor in a television series – musical or comedy
Winner: Jean Smart (Hacks)
Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This)
Ayo Edebiri (The Bear)
Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)
Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face)
Jenna Ortega (Wednesday)

Best performance by a male actor in a supporting role on television
Winner: Owen Cooper (Adolescence)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Walton Goggins (The White Lotus)
Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus)
Tramell Tillman (Severance)
Ashley Walters (Adolescence)

Best performance by a male actor in a television series – musical or comedy
Winner: Seth Rogen (The Studio)
Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This)
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
Glen Powell (Chad Powers)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)

Best podcast
Winner: Good Hang with Amy Poehler (Spotify)
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (Wondery)
Call Her Daddy (SiriusXM)
The Mel Robbins Podcast (SiriusXM)
Smartless (SiriusXM)
Up First (NPR)

Best original song – motion picture
Winner: "Golden" – KPop Demon Hunters
"Dream as One" – Avatar: Fire and Ash
"I Lied to You" – Sinners
"No Place Like Home" – Wicked: For Good
"The Girl in the Bubble" – Wicked: For Good
"Train Dreams" – Train Dreams

Best screenplay – motion picture
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme)
Ryan Coogler (Sinners)
Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O'Farrell (Hamnet)

Best director – motion picture
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another)

Ryan Coogler (Sinners)

Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein)

Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident)

Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value)

Chloé Zhao (Hamnet)

Best performance by a male actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television
Winner: Stephen Graham (Adolescence)
Jacob Elordi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)
Paul Giamatti (Black Mirror)
Charlie Hunnam (Monster: The Ed Gein Story)
Jude Law (Black Rabbit)
Matthew Rhys (The Beast in Me)

Best performance by a female actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television
Winner: Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex)
Claire Danes (The Beast in Me)
Rashida Jones (Black Mirror)
Amanda Seyfried (Long Bright River)
Sarah Snook (All Her Fault)
Robin Wright (The Girlfriend)

Cinematic and box office achievement
Winner: Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Avatar: Fire and Ash (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
F1 (Apple Original Films)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
Weapons (Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best motion picture – animated
Winner: KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Arco (Neon)
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (Aniplex, Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Best original score – motion picture
Winner: Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein)
Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another)
Kangding Ray (Sirāt)
Max Richter (Hamnet)
Hans Zimmer (F1)

Best motion picture – non-English language
Winner: The Secret Agent (Neon) - Brazil
It Was Just an Accident (Neon) - France
No Other Choice (Neon) - South Korea
Sentimental Value (Neon) - Norway
Sirāt (Neon) - Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab (Willa) - Tunisia

Best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television
Winner: Erin Doherty (Adolescence)
Carrie Coon (The White Lotus)
Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)
Catherine O'Hara (The Studio)
Parker Posey (The White Lotus)
Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus)

Best performance in stand-up comedy on television
Winner: Ricky Gervais (Ricky Gervais: Mortality)
Bill Maher (Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?)
Brett Goldstein (Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life)
Kevin Hart (Kevin Hart: Acting My Age)
Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts)
Sarah Silverman (Sarah Silverman: Postmortem)

Best performance by a female actor in a television series – drama
Winner: Rhea Seehorn (Pluribus)
Kathy Bates (Matlock)
Britt Lower (Severance)
Helen Mirren (Mobland)
Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)
Keri Russell (The Diplomat)

Copyright 2026 NPR

DUARTE, Calif. — Veteran actor T.K. Carter, who appeared in the horror film "The Thing" and "Punky Brewster" on television, has died at the age of 69.

Carter was declared dead Friday evening after deputies responded to a call regarding an unresponsive male in Duarte, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Police did not disclose a cause of death or other details, but said no foul play was suspected.

Thomas Kent "T.K." Carter was born Dec. 18, 1956, in New York City and was raised in Southern California.

He began his career in stand-up comedy and with acting roles. Carter had been acting for years before a breakthrough role as Nauls the cook in John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic, "The Thing." He also had a recurring role in the 1980s sitcom "Punky Brewster."

Other big-screen roles include "Runaway Train" in 1985, "Ski Patrol" in 1990 and "Space Jam" in 1996.

"T.K. Carter was a consummate professional and a genuine soul whose talent transcended genres," his publicist, Tony Freeman, said in a statement. "He brought laughter, truth, and humanity to every role he touched. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of artists and fans alike."

Copyright 2026 NPR

Downtown Los Angeles

A person in an inflatable frog suit holds a sign during a protest in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 2026 against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

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Etienne Laurent

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AFP via Getty Images

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A woman holds incense during a protest in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 2026 against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

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Etienne Laurent

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AFP via Getty Images

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A person holds up a sign during a protest in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 2026 against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP via Getty Images)

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Etienne Laurent

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AFP via Getty Images

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A person holds up a sign during a protest in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 2026 against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

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Etienne Laurent

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AFP via Getty Images

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A tourist bus drives past as people protest in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), in Los Angeles, California on January 10, 2026 against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.

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Etienne Laurent

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AFP via Getty Images

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Pasadena

Alison Brett (far right) of La Crescenta at the Ice Out For Good protest in Pasadena on Jan. 10, 2026.

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Josie Huan

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LAist

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Casey Law of South Pasadena at Ice Out For Good protest in Pasadena on Jan. 10.

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Josie Huang

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LAist

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People have been taking to the streets nationwide this weekend to protest the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer this week.

At least 1,000 events across the U.S. were planned for Saturday and Sunday, according to Indivisible, a progressive grassroots coalition of activists helping coordinate the movement it calls "ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action."

Leah Greenberg, a co-executive director of Indivisible, said people are coming together to "grieve, honor those we've lost, and demand accountability from a system that has operated with impunity for far too long."

"Renee Nicole Good was a wife, a mother of three, and a member of her community. She, and the dozens of other sons, daughters, friends, siblings, parents, and community members who have been killed by ICE, should be alive today," Greenberg said in a statement on Friday. "ICE's violence is not a statistic, it has names, families, and futures attached to it, and we refuse to look away or stay silent."

Large crowds of demonstrators carried signs and shouted "ICE out now!" as protests continued across Minneapolis on Saturday. One of those protestors, Cameron Kritikos, told NPR that he is worried that the presence of more ICE agents in the city could lead to more violence or another death.

"If more ICE officers are deployed to the streets, especially a place here where there's very clear public opposition to the terrorizing of our neighborhoods, I'm nervous that there's going to be more violence," the 31-year grocery store worker said. "I'm nervous that there are going to be more clashes with law enforcement officials, and at the end of the day I think that's not what anyone wants."

Demonstrators in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026.

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Sergio Martínez-Beltrán

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NPR

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The night before, hundreds of city and state police officers responded to a "noise protest" in downtown Minneapolis. An estimated 1,000 people gathered Friday night, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, and 29 people were arrested.

People demonstrated outside of hotels where ICE agents were believed to be staying. They chanted, played drums and banged pots. O'Hara said that a group of people split from the main protest and began damaging hotel windows. One police officer was injured from a chunk of ice that was hurled at officers, he added.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the acts of violence but praised what he said was the "vast majority" of protesters who remained peaceful, during a morning news conference.

"To anyone who causes property damage or puts others in danger: you will be arrested. We are standing up to Donald Trump's chaos not with our own brand of chaos, but with care and unity," Frey wrote on social media.

Commenting on the protests, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NPR in a statement, "the First Amendment protects speech and peaceful assembly — not rioting, assault and destruction," adding, "DHS is taking measures to uphold the rule of law and protect public safety and our officers."

Good was fatally shot the day after DHS launched a large-scale immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota set to deploy 2,000 immigration officers to the state.

In Philadelphia, police estimated about 500 demonstrators "were cooperative and peaceful" at a march that began Saturday morning at City Hall, Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson Tanya Little told NPR in a statement. And no arrests were made.

In Portland, Ore., demonstrators rallied and lined the streets outside of a hospital on Saturday afternoon, where immigration enforcement agents bring detainees who are injured during an arrest, reported Oregon Public Broadcasting.

A man and woman were shot and injured by U.S. Border Patrol agents on Thursday in the city. DHS said the shooting happened during a targeted vehicle stop and identified the driver as Luis David Nino-Moncada, and the passenger as Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, both from Venezuela. As was the case in their assertion about Good's fatal shooting, Homeland Security officials claimed the federal agent acted in self-defense after Nino-Moncada and Zambrano-Contreras "weaponized their vehicle."
Copyright 2026 NPR