What the Trump administration's new tariffs mean for the market
Financial markets around the world are reeling Thursday following President Donald Trump’s latest and most severe set of tariffs, and the U.S. stock market is taking the worst of it so far. The S&P 500 was down 4.3% in morning trading, more than other major stock markets, and it’s on track for its worst day since COVID shattered the global economy five years ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,538 points, or 3.6%, as of 10:55 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 5.6% lower. Little was spared in financial markets as fear flared globally about the potentially toxic mix of higher inflation and weakening economic growth that tariffs can create. Everything from crude oil to Big Tech stocks to the value of the U.S. dollar against other currencies fell. Even gold, which has hit records recently as investors sought something safer to own, pulled lower. Some of the worst hits walloped smaller U.S. companies, and the Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks dropped 6.6% into what’s called a “bear market” after losing more than 20% from its record. We discuss the latest with Nick Timiraos, chief economics correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and William Lee, chief economist with the Milken Institute, an independent think tank based in Santa Monica.
With files from the Associated Press
LA wants to recycle more water. It might be a while.
L.A.’s big plans to recycle almost all of its wastewater for drinking is likely to take a lot longer than originally proposed. Back in 2019, former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a goal to recycle almost all of L.A.’s wastewater by 2035. But the long-awaited plan on how to actually do that pushes the timeline back more than 20 years — to 2056, though some wastewater would be recycled for drinking by 2040. Joining us to discuss is Erin Stone, Climate Emergency Reporter.
With files from LAist. You can read Erin’s full story here.
Beloved television program ‘This Old House’ arrives to radio with ‘This Old House Radio Hour’
For over forty-five years, the home improvement television program “This Old House” has provided homeowners with a realistic and demystified look into the home renovation process. Often seen as a pioneer in the home improvement genre, the series has become a trusted source for many on everything you need to know about tackling DIY projects on older homes. Now, the team behind the beloved series, in collaboration with LAist Studios and Ember20, is expanding into radio with the launch of “This Old House Radio Hour.” The new weekly radio program will include a ‘call-in’ advice segment as well as special guests, like documentarian Ken Burns, who talk about the homes that shaped their lives. Joining us today to talk about the new radio program is the host of “This Old House Radio Program,” Jennifer Largesse.
You can listen to “This Old House Radio Hour” on Saturdays 1-2 p.m. and Sundays 10-11 a.m. at LAist 89.3 or wherever you listen to podcasts.
LAist investigation found toxic heavy metals in bright red fire retardant used in wildfires
As the wildfires ravaged across Los Angeles in January, planes throughout the region began dropping bright red fire retardant onto hillsides and homes in an effort to rein in the fires. Earlier this year, LAist partnered with researchers at USC to test samples of the fire retardant gathered from fire zones in the weeks after the Palisades, Eaton and Franklin fires where it remained on the ground. Those tests, including tests conducted on unused samples of the retardant, found toxic heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium and chromium. These toxic heavy metals can accumulate in the environment and pose risks to humans and wildlife, according to federal and state environmental agencies. Joining us to discuss their investigation on the heavy metals found in the fire retardant used during the recent wildfires is LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis.
With files from LAist.
A new documentary on folk prodigy Janis Ian chronicles her life and music
Best known for her track At Seventeen– which won a Grammy in 1975– singer-songwriter Janis Ian was able to find success as a young folk artist for penning songs that held strong political messages. Having recorded her first single, Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking), at the age of 14, Ian’s artistry as a teen put her on the map. Although she never reached the name recognition of a fellow folk artist like Joan Baez, Ian and her music have found themselves greatly admired by those familiar — so much so that she is now the subject of a new documentary titled Janis Ian: Breaking Silence. The documentary, directed by Varda Bar-Kar, spends extensive time with Ian to paint a picture of her life and struggles; the film follows formative moments for Ian, such as the release of her 1992 album Breaking Silence, which found the singer-songwriter opening up about her identity as a lesbian. Alongside Ian in the documentary are some of her contemporaries, like Baez and Arlo Guthrie, and other notable figures such as Jean Smart and Lily Tomlin. Today on AirTalk, we discuss Janis Ian: Breaking Silence, with documentarian Varda Bar-Kar, and the film’s subject, Grammy-award-winning musician Janis Ian.
Janis Ian: Breaking Silence is out now in select theaters; click here to find a screening near you.
TV Talk: ‘Lazarus,’ ‘Dying for Sex,’ ‘Pulse,’ and many 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 with Charles Solomon, film critic for LAist, Animation Scoop and Animation Magazine, Kristen Baldwin, TV critic for Entertainment Weekly and Marcus Jones, awards editor for TV & Film at IndieWire
