logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
31m 33s

Who is America?

L.A. Times Studios
About this episode

Since the start of 2021, L.A. Times national correspondent Tyrone Beason has been on the road. He’s doing what a lot of us are thinking about: he’s on a quest to find out what’s up with the United States. In a year-long series called “My Country,” Beason has been trying to find the things that bind us, while also trying to make sense of the issues that keep tearing us apart.

Today, we check in with Beason and hear some of his dispatches. Read the full transcript here.

Host: Gustavo Arellano

Guests: L.A. Times national correspondent Tyrone Beason

More reading:

Read Tyrone Beason’s full “My Country” series here

In the vastness of the Inland Empire, people of color find ‘peace in these troubled times’

This California wine country town is multicultural. So why do so many feel invisible?

Up next
May 2025
FBI to Release Epstein Jail Video; Santa Monica Fights Waymo; Elyse Walker Rebuilds Flagship
The FBI says it will release video footage to prove Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, aiming to end years of speculation. In Santa Monica, residents are taking on Waymo’s driverless taxis, blocking cars and demanding quieter streets. In fashion news, Elyse Walker announces her fla ... Show More
3m 34s
May 2025
Inside Diddy’s Investigation, California's Title IX Fight, and the Rise of AI Shopping
New details emerge in the federal case against Sean “Diddy” Combs, including allegations of violence and coercion. The Justice Department is investigating California schools over transgender athletes and potential Title IX violations, and tech giants like Google and Amazon are ro ... Show More
3m 40s
May 2025
Trump Targets CA Funding, Kennedy Alters Vaccine Guidance, NPR Sues and Disney Takes CoComelon
President Trump threatens to cut California’s federal funding over transgender athletes. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says COVID vaccines are no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women. NPR sues the Trump administration over defunding public media. An ... Show More
3m 39s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
America’s Song, Part 2
With his performance of “God Bless America” during Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, New York City Police Department Officer Daniel Rodriguez comforted a nation still grieving in the wake of 9/11. It felt like a timeless moment. Instead, it proved fleeting. Twenty years later, the ... Show More
31m 36s
Sep 11
Thomas Chatterton Williams' "Summer of Our Discontent"
<p>Peter and Michael discuss a book that&apos;s light on facts and long on sentences.</p><p><b>Where to find us: </b></p><ul><li><a href='https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod'>Our Patreon</a></li><li><a href='https://ifbookspod.dashery.com/'>Our merch!</a></li><li><a href='https:// ... Show More
1h 31m
Sep 20
(#6) Elise’s Top Ten: Racism has a cost for everyone | Heather C. McGhee
<p>Racism makes our economy worse — and not just in ways that harm people of color, says public policy expert Heather C. McGhee. From her research and travels across the US, McGhee shares startling insights into how racism fuels bad policymaking and drains our economic potential ... Show More
16m 13s
Jul 2023
W.E.B. Du Bois: Black Reconstruction in America
<div class="DraftEditor-paragraphElement" data-block="true" data-editor="d4sap" data-offset-key="9f8rk-0-0"> <div class= "public-DraftStyleDefault-block public-DraftStyleDefault-ltr" data-offset-key="9f8rk-0-0"><span data-offset-key= "9f8rk-0-0"><span data-text="true">Dr. Gerald ... Show More
1h 34m
Jan 2025
Why can I make a citizen's arrest?
After seeing someone make an illegal left turn, Mike joked to his daughter that they should do a citizen’s arrest. She had no idea what he was talking about, and now Mike wants to know: wait, are citizen’s arrests actually a real-life thing, or just something he saw on TV? And if ... Show More
39m 2s
Nov 2023
America's Sickness
America's people feel a certain way; the government is acting another way, while universities and big cities have their own reactions. What is going on? Why is America so divided? The Bible gives us the answer in Proverbs when it says, "Every man will do what is right in his own ... Show More
22m 41s
Aug 2024
What's Behind the Violence on England's Streets?
Today, we look at what causing people to riot on the streets of England.Unrest has broken out in multiple towns and cities through the week, the first example of which was see in Southport, where three young girls were killed on Monday.In Sunderland on Friday night, three police ... Show More
33m 8s