This month on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Vice President JD Vance discussed Israel, Jeffrey Epstein, and aliens, topics that have lit up public conversation. Vance recalled attending an office Christmas party near Skid Row, the notorious 50-block area in downtown Los Angeles overcome by homelessness, illicit drug use, and crime. “You drive through Skid Row,” he said, “and you’re like, how could any state or city let this happen?” Widespread poverty, violence, unsanitary conditions, infectious diseases, and chronic unemployment are all hallmarks of Skid Row. One woman now faces federal charges for allegedly paying homeless individuals in Skid Row between $2 and $3 for their signatures.