In the late 1990s, a turf war between the Arellano-Felix and Sinaloa cartels in Tijuana led to mayhem and corruption. But as the cartel-fueled violence continued, residents in the city lived their lives.

Sandra Dibble was a reporter for the San Diego Union-Tribune at the time, and she treated her visiting mom to handmade corn tortillas, Cafe de la olla, and eggs drenched in mole in Tijuana’s upscale neighborhood. She took her brother to Tijuana’s famous Mercado Miguel Hidalgo to buy tamales. And she got on stage to play a noblewoman in a Tijuana Opera performance of “Romeo and Juliet.”

During the day, though, she reported on the mayhem. She talks about this dichotomy in Episode 5 of “Border City.” Read the transcript here.

Host: Sandra Dibble

More reading:

The collapse of Mexico’s ‘invincible’ drug cartel

Los Tucanes de Tijuana: Banned in their namesake border city

Arts are beginning to blossom in Tijuana

Roe vs. Wade is expected to be struck down this summer, which would mean abortion will no longer be a federally protected right. If that happens, about half the states will probably ban abortion altogether, or make getting one a lot more difficult. But for those who live in Texas, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, it’s already hard to get an abortion.

Today, we look at how Texas has made it nearly impossible for low-income women to get an abortion. And how other states want to copy that. Read the transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Houston Bureau Chief Molly Hennessy-Fiske

More reading and listening:

Even with Roe vs. Wade in place, low-income women struggle to get abortions in Texas

Podcast: Future of Abortion Part 1 | Medicine

Future of Abortion Part 2 | Church

It’s barely spring in 2022 and California has already broken record heat and drought levels never before seen in 1,200 years. Major reservoirs across the American West are at record lows. Groundwater is drying up. It’s projected to get even worse in the upcoming summer months. Come June 1, millions of Southern Californians will have to learn how to live with the region’s most severe water restrictions ever.

So who can we blame? Today, our Masters of Disasters tell us. Read the transcript here. 

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times earthquake reporter Rong-Gong Lin II, L.A. Times wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth and L.A. Times breaking news reporter Hayley Smith

More reading:

A drought so bad it exposed a long-ago homicide. Getting the water back will be harder than ever

It’s not even summer, and California’s two largest reservoirs are at ‘critically low’ levels

Your lawn will suffer amid the megadrought. Save money and put it out of its misery

The arrest in Russia earlier this year of WNBA superstar Brittney Griner made worldwide headlines. But few dug into why she was playing abroad in the first place.

Today, we hear how Griner is just one of many female athletes who find themselves abroad year after year to play the games they love, geopolitics be damned. All because they can’t get a fair wage in the United States. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guest: L.A. Times sports editor Iliana Limón Romero

More reading:

Brittney Griner’s arrest in Russia: What you need to know

WNBA to honor Brittney Griner with decal on teams’ floors

Commentary: Why Brittney Griner was in Russia, and what it says about women’s sports in the U.S.

Mickey Mouse has been the mascot for Disney going back to the days of, well, Walt himself. But the copyright for the mouse that Disney has zealously guarded for decades is set to expire in just two years. That means the black-and-white version of Mickey Mouse depicted in “Steamboat Willie” would be in the public domain, where anyone can do anything with him and all of his magic and fame.

A group of Republicans, mad at some of Disney stances on social issues recently, want that to happen. Disney though, ain’t going to let Mickey go without putting up a hell of a fight. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times travel reporter Hugo Martín

More reading:

Republicans are trying to exterminate Mickey Mouse. Does anyone care?

Whose mouse is it anyway?

Disney Wins Big in Battle to Keep Company Icons

Disney Led Push to Add 20 Years to Copyrights

Aerial strikes, targeting civilians, cutting off supply chains: Russia’s brutal war tactics in Ukraine are shocking, but also hauntingly familiar. These are tactics the country has used before.

Six years before Russia launched its brutal attack on Ukraine, it began another horrific military operation in Syria. Today, we talk about what we can learn about Russia’s strategy in Ukraine from its involvement in Syria. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Middle East correspondent Nabih Bulos

More reading:

Syrian fighters ready to join next phase of Ukraine war

Humanitarian corridors, from Syria to Ukraine, explained

Russia has been Assad’s greatest ally — as it was to his father before him

More and more companies worldwide are making the switch to a 32-hour work week. And in California, there’s even talk of making it the law. Today, we discuss what the State Legislature is discussing. And we hear from people at companies that already have done that. And guess what? Worker productivity, at least according to them, is as great as ever. 

Read the transcript. 

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times breaking news reporter Hayley Smith, and Andrew Barnes, 4 Day Week Global co-founder

More reading:

Proposed bill would shorten California workweek to 32 hours. Here’s what you need to know

Editorial: What if every week was a four-day workweek?

Working 7 to 5—Four days a week : Companies are increasingly turning to a compressed workweek to meet anti-pollution laws and to recruit workers.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has been campaigning to become the next president of the Philippines via the power of TikTok and other social media. And Bongbong’s whitewashing of his family’s violent past has him on the cusp of victory.

Today we go to the Philippines, where the presidential election is taking place next week. And we talk about how social media disinformation, yet again, might put a populist onto the global stage of power. Read the transcript.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times Asia correspondent David Pierson

More reading:

Dictator’s son uses TikTok to lead in Philippine election and rewrite his family’s past

Troll armies, a growth industry in the Philippines, may soon be coming to an election near you

The Marcos diary : A lust for power, an eye on glory

We repeat our episode from last year on Cinco de Mayo because it’s that good. Axios reporter Russell Contreras takes us to the forgotten history of the holiday that’s more American than Mexican, and offers a case for why we should celebrate it. Read the transcript here. 

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: Axios reporter Russell Contreras

More reading:

If it’s Cinco de Mayo, the cooking should be Mexican

Op-Ed: Cinco de Mayo -- a truly Mexican American holiday

Five ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at home

On June 7, voters in Los Angeles will elect their preferred candidates in the primary. A couple of races — the mayor’s seat, L.A. County Sheriff, a possible recall of Dist. Atty. George Gascón — are earning national attention against a backdrop of voters angry with what they think is out-of-control crime and homelessness.

Today, we air a live panel on all this and more, originally held during the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith, L.A. Times mayor’s race reporter Julia Wick, and L.A. Times sheriff’s department reporter Alene Tchekmedyian.

More reading:

Rick Caruso’s campaign spending tops $23 million in L.A. mayor’s race

Column: Sheriff Villanueva acts like he’s above the law in L.A. County. What if he’s right?

First eyewitness account of Sheriff Villanueva lying in a cover-up revealed in filing