The latest on California's CARE Courts

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Today on AirTalk: CARE Courts; Comedy in China; SCOTUS check-in; Cricket returns for LA28; and TV Talk.

The latest on California's CARE Courts

Today on AirTalk: CARE Courts; Comedy in China; SCOTUS check-in; Cricket returns for LA28; and TV Talk.

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The latest on California's CARE Courts

When CARE Courts were introduced in California in 2022, they were touted as a way to help California’s most vulnerable. The system was designed to allow family members, first responders, and others to petition the courts on another person’s behalf, who may be homeless, severely mentally ill, or both, to compel them into a variety of treatments. As of July of 2025, just 2,421 petitions have been filed, with 45% of all petitions being dismissed. New legislation has been introduced to address some perceived gaps in care. We check in on what CARE Courts have and have not been able to accomplish with Marisa Kendall, CalMatters reporter covering homelessness; Martin Jones, Jr., L.A. County CARE Court Program Manager, and Kim Johnson, California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary.

Jesse Appell on his new book, and bridging U.S.-China relations through stand-up comedy

In his new memoir, This Was Funnier in China: An American Comedian’s Cross-Cultural Journey, Jesse Appell shares how studying Mandarin in High School led him down a cultural rabbit hole that has culminated in a stand-up comedy career that has seen him flying between the United States and China. But how does an American find themselves in China in front of packed audiences on a regular basis when geopolitical tensions are so seemingly high? Today on AirTalk, we talk to Jesse Appell about being in a very Chinese time in his life, and how he joined a small community of comedians that is a humorous, refreshing bridge between the U.S. and China.

SCOTUS check-in: court limits Voting Rights Act, mulls over TPS protections

The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district in a decision that could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress. In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority found that the district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields, relied too heavily on race. As the Voting Rights Act is dealt a legal blow, the Supreme Court is also considering a decision on the Trump Administration’s attempt to end Temporary Protected Status, potentially impacting more than 300,000 Haitian and Syrian migrants. Joining us to check in on the Supreme Court is Justin Levitt, professor of constitutional law at Loyola Marymount University; and Ron Elving, NPR senior contributor.

With files from the Associated Press.

Cricket returns to the Olympic stage with a new arena for LA28

It’s been 126 years since cricket — the second most-watched sport in the world — made an appearance in the Olympics. That’s about to change in 2028. Last week, shovels hit the ground in Pomona, a city on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County, where construction has begun for a 10,000-plus capacity premier cricket stadium. It will serve as the venue for men’s and women’s games, played by six teams in each competition. The stadium is being erected in the Fairplex fairgrounds as the home of the Los Angeles Knight Riders, a professional Major League Cricket team owned by the Mumbai-based Knight Riders Sports. The company is co-led by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Cricket is already woven into the cultural fabric of U.S. diaspora communities from all over the world, particularly South Asia, where it is followed with religious fervor. In the U.S., cricket fans, coaches, and players view a dedicated cricket stadium in a major sports market like Southern California as a huge milestone. Today on AirTalk, we are joined by Deepa Bharath, reporter for the Associated Press, and Walter Marquez, CEO of the Fairplex in Pomona, to go over what’s in store for SoCal’s latest sports venue. We are also joined by Abhimanyu Rajp, Chairman of Los Angeles Cricket, Co-Owner of Los Angeles Lashings, and former USA National Cricket Team player, to talk about the history and impact of Cricket in Southern California.

With files from the Associated Press.

TV Talk: ‘Widow’s Bay,’ Running Point,’ Allegedly with Ellison Barber,’ and more!

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching withDominic Patten, executive editor at Deadline Hollywood, and Kristen Baldwin, freelance TV critic (most recently with Entertainment Weekly).

TV Shows:

• Widow's Bay [Season 1] (Apple TV)
• House of the Spirits [Limited Series] (Prime Video)
• The Other Bennet Sister [Limited Series] (BBC | BritBox)
• Soccer Meets America [3-part series] (Roku Channel)
• Running Point [Season 2] (Netflix)
• Allegedly with Ellison Barber [Video-Podcast] (Netflix)