Imperfect Paradise
Imperfect Paradise
Imperfect Paradise is LAist's weekly on-demand news magazine show that pulls back the curtain and dives deeper into the biggest and most consequential SoCal stories of the week from our newsroom. New episodes drop every Friday. 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.Social links:
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Imperfect Paradise: Can this museum rebrand AI art?
Los Angeles has a new museum: Dataland –- the world’s first museum completely devoted to AI-generated art. In a time of high anxiety around the impact of AI on jobs, the environment and human creativity, can Dataland change the conversation around human-AI collaboration? LAist All Things Considered…
22:09
Can this museum rebrand AI art?
Los Angeles has a new museum: Dataland –- the world’s first museum completely devoted to AI-generated art. In a time of high anxiety around the impact of AI on jobs, the environment and human creativity, can Dataland change the conversation around human-AI collaboration? LAist All Things Considered…
22:09
Imperfect Paradise: On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests (Redux)
This episode originally aired on June 13, 2025. ICE raids began last Friday across Southern California. People have been detained and there have been confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. What exactly went down and where does Los Angeles go from here? We hear from family members o…
37:09
On the ground for LA's historic ICE protests (Redux)
This episode originally aired on June 13, 2025. ICE raids began last Friday across Southern California. People have been detained and there have been confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. What exactly went down and where does Los Angeles go from here? We hear from family members o…
37:09
Imperfect Paradise: War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup
The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles – after months of uncertainty over whether they’d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final…
23:49
War, politics, and sports collide as Iran competes in LA for the World Cup
The Iran national soccer team competed in its first match at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles – after months of uncertainty over whether they’d play amid the US war on Iran. It's the first time in the tournament’s history that a host nation has gone to war with a participating nation. In our final…
23:49
Imperfect Paradise: From immigrant roots to celebrities, how LA became a soccer city
Los Angeles is hosting eight matches for this year’s FIFA World Cup. Today, LA is home to three professional soccer teams and one of the biggest soccer youth organizations in the nation, but did you know its history with soccer goes back over a century? With the world cup at our doorstep, LAist cor…
22:38
From immigrant roots to celebrities, how LA became a soccer city
Los Angeles is hosting eight matches for this year’s FIFA World Cup. Today, LA is home to three professional soccer teams and one of the biggest soccer youth organizations in the nation, but did you know its history with soccer goes back over a century? With the world cup at our doorstep, LAist cor…
22:38
Imperfect Paradise: The World Cup is more than just soccer. How it’s a flash point for politics, the economy and ICE for host cities like LA
The stakes are high for this year’s FIFA World Cup. For the first time in the tournament's history, 48 national teams will compete across 16 cities. That includes Los Angeles. And despite the sport’s biggest names battling it out on the field, high ticket prices, ICE’s role at the games, and other …
26:06
The World Cup is more than just soccer. How it’s a flash point for politics, the economy and ICE for host cities like LA
The stakes are high for this year’s FIFA World Cup. For the first time in the tournament's history, 48 national teams will compete across 16 cities. That includes Los Angeles. And despite the sport’s biggest names battling it out on the field, high ticket prices, ICE’s role at the games, and other …
26:06