We are joined by Jenn Harris, a columnist and critic for the Food section of the Los Angeles Times. The paper just released its annual 101 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles list, and we talk about many of the selections. Also on the show, we speak with Jordan Okun and Max Shapiro, the team behind the terrific podcast Air Jordan. Jordan and Max are always honest, and we have a great time discussing the year in restaurants in LA. And to kickoff the show, Aliza and Matt share some memorable meals from Los Angeles this year.

Cintas, a maker of workplace products, is offering $5.2 billion for smaller uniform supplier UniFirst. Cintas made its offer public Monday morning as it seeks to put more pressure on UniFirst to engage. Cintas shares were up 2.5%. UniFirst shares closed Friday at $170.16, giving the company a market value of a little over $3 billion. The stock hadn’t done much since right before Cintas made an earlier offer public earlier this year.

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Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN, whose coverage Trump views as hostile to his administration. That’s a fact that David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, has exploited in his bid to acquire Warner Bros. And if Trump succeeds in remaking or destroying CNN, he won’t just be wounding a network. If Trump gets his way with CBS and CNN, he will turn to fresh targets, until everyone in the kingdom submits.

The company says the purchase of LLOG Exploration allows it to deliver on a longstanding goal of entering into the Gulf of Mexico. - COMPANY IMAGEHarbour Energy said it is buying LLOG Exploration for $3.2 billion, expanding into the U.S. as part of a strategy to bulk up its operations through dealmaking. With its latest deal, Harbour is buying Louisiana-based LLOG Exploration from LLOG Holdings for $2.7 billion in cash and an additional $500 million in stock, it said. The share component will give LLOG Holdings a stake of about 11% in Harbour on completion, Harbour added. The acquisition is sizeable for Harbour, which had a market capitalization of nearly 3.5 billion pounds ($4.68 billion) as of Friday’s close, according to FactSet.

"American children grow up in a culture saturated with gun violence. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementWatching my toddler mimic trigger motions reminded me that American children grow up in a culture saturated with gun violence. Most recently, the young people at Brown University have become part of the 393rd mass shooting incident in the U.S. this year. This month, Australia also experienced a mass shooting. Parents are left to navigate raising children in a country where simulated violence is brushed off as harmless fun, even as real violence escalates around us.

The financing comes after Netflix earlier this month agreed to buy Warner Bros. for $72 billion. - Lucy Nicholson/ReutersNetflix is laying the foundation for its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery’s studios and HBO Max streaming service, securing up to $25 billion in bank financing to fund it. Rival suitor Paramount launched a hostile bid for all of Warner Discovery, trying to break up Netflix’s deal, though Warner formally rejected that approach earlier this month. Netflix’s new bank loans will leave it with an additional $34 billion in financing that the banks would sell as bonds. Both replace a portion of commitments under a bridge-financing agreement tied to the deal that Netflix previously disclosed.

If you’re looking for more insights into what makes members of Gen Z tick, there is no shortage of information available online. READ“Brand Takeaways From Gen Z’s Passion for AI Engagement”Marketers can learn a lot from Gen’s Z conversations with AI—starting with how important it is for this generation to feel seen. musebyclios.com“Why Gen Z Is Resurrecting the 1990s”Adults born after 1997 are nostalgic for an era that predates them because they’re captivated by what life was like in the analog past. Pair this New York Times opinion piece with an older New York Times Style story about why Gen Z is channeling 1990s fashion and your 2026 merchandising strategy will be all set. plumbclub.comUnderstand Gen Z’s Shopping HabitsThe Ask Gen Z podcast tackles the people, things, and ideas that inspire this generational cohort to spend, from their obsession with secondhand goods to how influencers affect their consumption habits.

LOADING ERROR LOADINGWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday announced he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry to serve as the U.S. special envoy to Greenland, the vast, semi-autonomous territory of Denmark that Trump has said the U.S. needs to take over. President Donald Trump, right, ‍on Sunday announced he is appointing Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, left, to serve as the U.S. ‌special envoy to Greenland. “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.,” Landry wrote in a posting on X in which he thanked Trump for the appointment.

Politico: “The impediments to reaching a deal that can pass both chambers are more extensive, starting with the fact that Republicans and Democrats on both ends of the Capitol have yet to start negotiating the details of the nine pending funding bills.”“The lack of bipartisan offer-trading is raising the likelihood of another short-term punt — or another shutdown.”

The U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker involved in transporting oil from Venezuela, according to three U.S. officials, part of an accelerating effort by the Trump administration to block ships from moving the country’s crude. One of the officials said the tanker under pursuit was previously sanctioned and part of the so-called dark fleet of vessels involved in moving oil from Venezuela. The flurry of moves against tankers signaled the Trump administration was escalating its pressure campaign against Venezuela. In the separate operation Saturday, the Coast Guard boarded a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker named the Centuries that had been docked in Venezuela, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem . “This escalates U.S. policy into a de facto total naval blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, which would have major negative effects on the Venezuelan economy,” he said.

Uber Clears Violent Felons to DriveOur reporter, Emily Steel, found that in many states, Uber’s guidelines allow people with serious criminal convictions to drive, as long as those convictions are more than seven years old. Some of those drivers have gone on to sexually assault or harass passengers. By Emily Steel, Christina Shaman, Zach Caldwell, David Jouppi and Thomas TrudeauDecember 22, 2025

Questions over redactions in Epstein files Some victims and lawmakers are taking issue with those redactions, but the Department of Justice says it's being done to protect victims.

Steve Kerr on Being in Two N.B.A. Dynasties and Closing a ThirdReflecting on his time with the Bulls, Spurs and Warriors, Steve Kerr speaks with Zena Keita on “The Athletic Show” about the distinct nature of each dynasty and the reality of facing the end of Golden State’s historic run. By The AthleticDecember 22, 2025

Panthers Beat Buccaneers in Key N.F.C. South MatchupBaker Mayfield threw a late-game interception, securing a 23-20 win for the Carolina Panthers. They now own sole possession of the division with two games left. By The AthleticDecember 22, 2025