The Brief

Larry Mantle: conversations with my son

On a warm March night nearly 40 years ago, I was walking from the studios of KPCC to my car when I was approached with a question that would set my professional course for the next four decades. Our then-General Manager Bob Miller was also on his way to the parking lot. He offered kind words about my on-air work as the station’s News Director and anchor of KPCC’s newscasts. Bob asked if there was something more personality-driven I might want to do. I described a daily interview show I’d been thinking about with a call-in element that would allow me talk about the day’s news with our extremely informed and intelligent listeners.

A month later, AirTalk went on the air.

At that time, public radio leaders were rather dismissive of call-in shows. This was well before NPR’s Talk of the Nation came and went. The accepted model was closer to Fresh Air, with its focus on professors, journalists, and creatives. That model has, of course, produced greatness, even beyond the tremendously popular and important work of Terry Gross. Nevertheless, I really wanted listeners to be at the center of our program. I could’ve never foreseen the level of support we’ve received throughout Southern California.

Now, as I approach four decades as AirTalk’s host, I’ve been thinking about new opportunities, like podcasting. As more public radio listeners embrace the format, I’ve been wondering what it might allow me to do that AirTalk doesn’t. I asked myself a variant of Bob Miller’s 1985 question, “Would podcasting provide a platform to do work that’s more personal than what I do on the radio each day?” LAist management thought so, and suggested I team with my son, Desmond, to share the kinds of conversations that regularly take place in our home.

AirTalk host Larry Mantles "interviews" his young son Desmond who was a toddler at the time. Now father and son are co-hosting a podcast from LAist Studios, Passing the Mantle.

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Courtesy of Larry Mantle and family

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Courtesy of Larry Mantle and family

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It’s hard for me to overstate how much I’ve learned from years of talking with him. Many times I’ve brought into on-air conversations on AirTalk points that Desmond raised at home. I hope that his mother and I helped expose him to a world of nuance and complexity. Desmond certainly gave us an even wider range of questions to consider.

He just finished his first year of law school, and we’ve been able to continue our two decades of back-and-forth on politics, religion, language, law, sexuality and movies. We’re looking forward to bringing these freewheeling, highly personal, conversations to Passing the Mantle listeners.

Desmond Mantle: learning from my father

Growing up, I got two common questions when people found out that my father was Larry Mantle. The first was, “Who the heck is Larry Mantle?” But more frequently, I got this question: “What’s your dad like at home?” The answer is that he’s essentially the same at home as he is on air, so much so that my mom occasionally teases him for sounding like a live announcer when we’re just sitting in our living room. The next question folks would often ask me is, “What’s it like having him as your dad?”

That question was harder to answer because Dad is the only father I’ve had, and with no siblings or first cousins, I had very limited exposure to what another kind of childhood would look like. I went with my parents to jazz concerts, watched classic films with them and talked with them about the world. When Dad would pick me up from school, we’d talk in depth about the subjects he had covered on his show, the material I’d learned in classes and the current events of the day. I vividly remember my elementary school peers being shocked that I watched the news every morning with my parents. But to me, those moments are cherished memories of the only childhood I knew, unusual though it may have been.

Because my father and I are rather unique, it hasn’t always been easy being ourselves. We’re both only children, and although we’re both lucky to have many friends, we’re also well-practiced in the art of being happy while being alone. We both love the same styles of music, the same era of films, the same type of humor and the same kinds of foods. We had to change clothes quickly before one of our Passing the Mantle recordings because we had accidentally dressed identically without communicating beforehand. Though we’re grateful for the love and friendship we receive from those around us, it does sometimes feel like we’re two of a kind — and the only two of that kind.

Desmond Mantle and his father Larry sit in the AirTalk studio at LAist. They are co-hosting a new podcast from LAist Studios, Passing the Mantle

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Ashley Balderrama

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LAist

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With that realization has come a tremendous degree of mutual respect. Since I was an infant, my father communicated with me the same way he communicated with adults. Our conversations covered subjects from psychology to philosophy, economics to history and much, much more. I learned plenty of new things in school, and then in college, and now in law school. But to this day, the largest single source of my knowledge is simply asking my dad questions and having him know the answers. As I’ve collected more knowledge, I’ve increasingly been able to inform my father in return.

After so many years of having these conversations, we decided that sharing them with an audience is a great way for us to grapple with intergenerational trends and differences, and show listeners what my dad is like in a more intimate setting.

We’re very grateful for this opportunity. We hope you enjoy!

Passing the Mantle premieres July 8. Take a listen to our first episode. 

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Passing the Mantle is a new podcast from LAist Studios about family, curiosity and the things that change — and stay the same — across generations. In this first episode, Larry Mantle and his son, Desmond, 23, talk about their wide-ranging interests and shared drive to understand why things are the way they are, and discuss whether today's generation is as intellectually curious as Larry's peers in the 1970s.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

Is Gen Z less curious than the Baby Boomers?

Passing the Mantle is a new podcast from LAist Studios about family, curiosity and the things that change — and stay the same — across generations. In this first episode, Larry Mantle and his son, Desmond, 23, talk about their wide-ranging interests and shared drive to understand why things are the way they are, and discuss whether today's generation is as intellectually curious as Larry's peers in the 1970s.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live.

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The Los Angeles World Cup host committee has quietly posted its guidance on human rights after months of speculation over where the plan was and when it would be published.

Advocates had pushed the committee, an arm of the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, to produce its plan. But now that it's out, they're not satisfied with what they're seeing.

The human rights guidance is required by FIFA and outlined on the host committee's website. It includes a list of online resources including where to file complaints with various local and state level agencies and a summary of local, state and federal laws protecting human and civil rights. The committee is also touting a partnership with L.A. County in which people can call 211 to report a concern during the tournament.

"Los Angeles is weeks away from hosting one of the largest sporting events in the world, and yet what has been posted is not a plan,” Stephanie Richard, director of the Sunita Jain Anti‑Trafficking Initiative at Loyola Law School, said in a statement. “It is a list of laws and hotline numbers."

The human rights document also skirts fears around ICE and its potential presence at the tournament and surrounding celebrations. Todd Lyons, the agency's head, said earlier this year that ICE's investigatory branch will play a key role in security for the tournament.

But ICE and immigration enforcement aren't mentioned on the host committee's web page on human rights or in its outline of its approach to human rights. "Immigration status" only gets a mention in the list of existing anti-discrimination laws.

"It certainly could have been much stronger," Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said of the plan. She added that her organization participated in a roundtable on the plan, and she was disappointed ICE and recent immigration sweeps weren't mentioned in the resulting document.

"In order for all of this to happen, immigrant workers are part of it," she said of the World Cup. "Your hotel workers, your service workers, stadium workers, drivers." 

LAist reached out to spokespeople for the host committee for comment via email, phone and text, but did not hear back in time for publication. FIFA's press team also did not respond to an email from LAist.

According to the host committee's website, the human rights plan is the result of coordination with the city and county of Los Angeles, the city of Inglewood, and 14 roundtable discussions held in the fall of 2025.

"As a non-profit organization, the Host Committee’s role is primarily and necessarily focused on aligning and collaborating with governmental and non-governmental organizations," the document sums up the committee's approach.

The plan also promises more actions, including "Know Your Rights" training for L.A. residents and visitors and "Know Your Responsibilities" training for businesses and vendors. The committee also says it will develop a "rapid response" strategy to respond to potential problems at the tournament.

Available details on those plans were scant. And with the tournament just 30 days away, labor unions and community groups are continuing to voice concerns about potential ICE presence at SoFi Stadium and other potential consequences of the tournament coming to town.

The mayor of Arcadia has agreed to plead guilty to a charge she acted as an agent for China, federal prosecutors announced Monday. She has resigned from her position with the city.

Eileen Wang, 58, faces one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison.

What we know about the criminal case

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Wang and Yaoning “Mike” Sun of Chino Hills worked at the direction of the Chinese government and with individuals based in the U.S. to promote pro-People’s Republic of China propaganda in the United States. Those actions occurred between 2020 and 2022, prosecutors said.

According to federal prosecutors, Wang and Sun operated a website — known as U.S. News Center — billed as a news source for the local Chinese American community in Los Angeles County. They posted content on the site, described as "pre-written articles," based on directives from Chinese government officials.

Sun, 65, pleaded guilty in October 2025 in federal court to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government. He is serving a four-year federal prison sentence.

Prosecutors also said Wang communicated with John Chen, whom they described as “a high-level member of the [Chinese government] intelligence apparatus,” in November 2021, and asked him to post an article from her website.

In a group chat, Wang referenced the article and wrote: “This is what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants to send,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Chen pleaded guilty in New York to acting as an illegal agent of the People’s Republic of China and conspiracy to bribe a public official. In 2024, he was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison.

What's next

Wang, who was elected to the City Council in November 2022, was expected to make her first appearance in U.S. District Court Monday afternoon.

Citing a plea agreement, prosecutors said she's expected to enter the guilty plea within the next few weeks.

Arcadia's mayor is selected from the elected council members. A post on the city's website announced that Wang had resigned her position as of Monday and that a new mayor would be picked from the remaining council members at the next meeting.

The Supreme Court on Monday gave itself more time to consider a national ban on telemedicine access to the abortion pill mifepristone.

Justice Samuel Alito extended an earlier order he issued by three more days, so rules for prescribing mifepristone online or through the mail remain in effect through Thursday at a minimum.

The case at issue

The tumult over the future of telemedicine access to mifipristone started on May 1 with a ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. That ruling re-instituted prescribing rules from before the pandemic that required patients to receive mifepristone in person in a doctor's office or clinic.

The Food and Drug Administration determined that the rule was medically unnecessary in 2021. The state of Louisiana sued last fall, arguing that telemedicine access undermines the state's abortion ban.

What is telemedicine abortion?

The telemedicine abortion process starts with a patient connecting with a healthcare provider on the phone or online. If the patient is eligible, that provider can prescribe two medications — mifepristone and another pill called misoprostol. Patients can pick up the medicine at a local pharmacy, or providers can mail the drugs to a patient's home.

That access is a big part of the reason why the number of abortions nationally has actually increased since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. Now, most abortions in the U.S. use this combination of medications, and one quarter happen via telemedicine.

After the 5th Circuit ruling, some providers said they would continue offering telemedicine access to abortion medication using a different protocol that involves higher doses of misoprostol and no mifepristone.

Researchers say that method is just as safe and effective, but tends to cause more pain for patients and more side effects, like nausea and diarrhea. Misoprostol has other medical uses, such as treating gastric ulcers and hemorrhage, and has been on the market longer than mifepristone. It is likely to remain fully accessible, even if mifepristone is restricted.

Since the FDA's prescribing rules for medications apply to the whole country, a change to the rules about how mifepristone can be accessed has national impact. That means it affects states with constitutionally-protected access to abortion, states with criminal bans, like Louisiana, and all states in between.

States' rights

Nearly two dozen Democratic-led states submitted an amicus brief in this case, writing that the appeals court decision put the policy choices of states with bans above the choices of states "that have made the different but equally sovereign determinations to promote access to abortion care."

There are also stakes related to the power of FDA and other expert agencies to set rules. While the Trump administration's FDA did not respond to the Supreme Court's request for briefs, a group of former leaders of the agency, who served under mainly Democratic and some Republican presidents, wrote about this in an amicus brief.

They defended the FDA's process in approving the medication and modifying the rules for prescribing it, and say the appeals court decision "would upend FDA's gold-standard, science-based drug approval system."

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