KQED's Forum

In her new book, “The Instability of Truth: Brainwashing, Mind Control, and Hyperpersuasion,” Harvard historian of science Rebecca Lemov examines the many ways our minds can be controlled against our wills. Lemov chronicles the use of brainwashing techniques on a range of people from U.S. soldiers who were imprisoned in Korea in the 1950s – some of whom refused to come home after the conflict ended – to members of back-to-land cults that proliferated in the Bay Area in the 1960s. She joins us to talk about how brainwashing is used, the troubling implications, and how anyone can fall victim to mind control, even you. Guests: Rebecca Lemov, professor of the history of science, Harvard University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump’s unprovoked tariffs on Canadian goods, his threats to make the sovereign nation a 51st state, his belittling of Canada’s leaders: it’s all making Canadians just a bit miffed. Or as Vox’s Canada-based correspondent Zack Beauchamp puts it, “out-of-this-world angry about what the United States is doing to them.” We’ll talk about the unraveling of relations with our once closest ally, and how everyday Canadians and their government are responding. Guests: Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent, Vox; author, "The Reactionary Spirit" Vjosa Isai, reporter based in Toronto, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the pandemic, former Atlantic writer Ed Yong became a trusted source for news about COVID and its impact. In 2021 he won a Pulitzer Prize for that work, which often was about “the massive gulf between what you want the world to be and what you see happening around you.” As part of our series looking at the legacy of the pandemic five years on, we talk to Yong about how COVID changed our relationship with health news, reporting and research. Guests: Ed Yong, science journalist and author, "An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us." Yong won the 2021 Pulitzer prize for his writing in the Atlantic about the Covid-19 pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sequoia trees. Ojai tangerines. Jasmine. Ocean spray. Weed. “Our sense of smell is often overlooked, but it’s the one thing that can bring back memories of a place faster than anything else,” writes Los Angeles Times assistant editor and olfactory artist Maxwell Williams. LA Times readers shared with Williams their most memorable L.A. smells, including the La Brea tar pits, In-N-Out fries and —of course— the beach. And we want to hear from you, wherever you are in the state: What smell reminds you of California? We’ll talk about the unique scents that surround us in the Golden State. Guests: Maxwell Williams, assistant editor of West Coast Experiences, Los Angeles Times Aashish Manglik, associate professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, UCSF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Library of Congress’s new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, Bay Area children’s author Mac Barnett wants to reframe how we think about picture books. With his platform, “Behold the Picture Book,” he’s championing the vital role picture books play in engaging readers of all ages and why we love them. What’s the picture book you love reading over and over and over? Guests: Mac Barnett, author of the children's books "Circle," "Square" and "Triangle" which have been made into a new animated series "Shape Island" on AppleTV+. Barnett is also the author of the "Mac B. Kid Spy" and the "Jack" series. His books have won Caldecott honors and E.B. White Read Aloud Awards. Aida Salazar, children's book author. Her picture books include "Jovita Wore Pants" and "In the Spirit of a Dream." Laura G. Lee, children's book author and illustrator. Her picture books are "Soy Sauce!" and "Cat Eyes." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edward Fishman, a former top sanctions official in the U.S. Department of State, says that “the world economy has become a battlefield,” with sanctions, tariffs, and embargoes as the U.S.’s primary tools for engagement. But after years of U.S. sanctions against Russia and a Ukraine truce still out of reach, are they effective? In his new book “Chokepoints,” Fishman examines the history of economic warfare and when it has helped the U.S. achieve its strategic goals and when it has fallen short. He joins us. Guests: Edward Fishman, senior research scholar, the Center on Global Energy Policy; adjunct professor of international and public affairs, Columbia University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How should we raise children in a world that is burning? This is the question that Berkeley poet Rachel Richardson contemplates in her new collection, “Smother.” As wildfires beset California, Richardson worried about the impact it would have on the land, communities and her own family. “The smoke is not cruel, only truthful,” she writes. And throughout the collection, fire, smoke and air flecked with ash become metaphors and characters as Richardson searches for resilience, defiance, and ultimately, hope. Guests: Rachel Richardson, poet, "Copperhead, Hundred-Year Wave," and, most recently, "Smother"; co-founder, Left Margin LIT in Berkeley; recipient of the Stegner and NEA Fellowships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is the Government? Dave Eggers and Sarah Vowell attempt to answer that question in essays about the scientists who discover new planets at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and the archivists who safeguard the nation’s historical record. They’re both featured in the new anthology, “Who is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service.” We talk to Vowell and Eggers about the civil servants who make up what their editor Michael Lewis calls “the vast, complex system Americans pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss and celebrate.” And we’ll get an update on the legal challenges to the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce. What public servant in your life would you like to celebrate? Guests: Dave Eggers, founder, McSweeney's; co-founder, 826 Valencia; author, many books including “The Eyes and the Impossible” and “The Circle” Sarah Vowell, author, seven nonfiction books including “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States”, “Unfamiliar Fishes" and “Assassination Vacation" Stephen Fowler, political reporter covering the restructuring of the federal government, NPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump has called for the impeachment of the federal judge who ordered a halt on the administration’s deportation of hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members under a rarely used 18th-century wartime law. The administration went ahead with the deportations over the weekend despite the judge’s order. The clash comes a few weeks after the controversial arrest of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder who is facing possible deportation for his role in Gaza protests. We’ll get the latest on Trump’s recent immigration actions and the legal battles surrounding them. Guests: Ted Hasson, immigration reporter, Reuters Deep Gulasekaram, professor of law and director of Byron White Center for the Study of Constitutional Law, University of Colorado Boulder Law School; co author, the leading immigration law textbook used in U.S. law schools Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California in 2023 experienced a net loss of nearly 270,000 residents. The main reason given by those surveyed? The state’s cost of living is too high for working families. According to journalists Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, much of the blame for that lies with Democrats, who they say have “failed at the work of governing” by pushing policies that make it too hard to build homes, mass transit and clean energy infrastructure. We talk to Klein and Thompson about how they think the left can govern better and smarter. Their new book is “Abundance.” Guests: Ezra Klein, columnist, The New York Times; co-author of "Abundance" and "Why We're Polarized;" his podcast is "The Ezra Klein Show" Derek Thompson, staff writer and author of the Work in Progress newsletter; The Atlantic; co-author of "Abundance" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book “Carbon: The Book of Life,” Paul Hawken guides readers through the integral role of carbon in our world and daily lives. Carbon is a miracle element that is the basis of life on earth, and yet, it has become maligned as the culprit of our climate change crisis. Hawken, a Bay Area native and longtime environmentalist and entrepreneur, offers a hopeful re-consideration of carbon, as a way to embrace our connection to the planet and guide us to climate solutions. We talk to Hawken about his new book, his work on environmental sustainability and how to reimagine our complex relationship with carbon and the planet as a whole. Guests: Paul Hawken, environmentalist, entrepreneur and author; his latest book is "Carbon: The Book of Life." His other books include "Regeneration," "Drawdown," "Blessed Unrest" and "The Ecology of Commerce." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emmy award winning Comedian Carol Leifer has sat through countless bad speeches. Fed up, she set out to create the ultimate guide to speech writing with co-author Rick Mitchell. It’s called “How to Write a Funny Speech for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Graduation, and Every Other Event You Didn’t Want to Go to in the First Place.” Leifer offers thoughtful writing tips honed during her time working on television shows like “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Hacks.” She joins us. Guests: Carol Leifer, comedian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pacific Circuit comprises the vast system of trade routes, cargo ships and relationships connecting Asian manufacturing and American consumers. And it all starts at the Port of Oakland. In his new book “The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City,” Forum co-host Alexis Madrigal charts how the port shaped Oakland’s history and how, in turn, the global commerce it enabled helped create the problems plaguing Oakland and every other U.S. city today. As he writes, “Oakland has a way of concentrating the power and problems of our country.” In this special hour of Forum, co-host Mina Kim talks to Alexis Madrigal about how the port and global trade have affected the city and its longtime residents. Guests: Alexis Madrigal, co-host of Forum, KQED; author, “The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City” ; Also a contributing writer at The Atlantic, where he co-founded the COVID Tracking Project Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dani Offline joins us in the studio for a live musical performance. Fresh off of two sold-out shows at SFJAZZ as part of the Noise Pop festival, the Oakland-based R&B singer is celebrating the release of her new single, “Desire.” We talk with her about the freedom of being a self-produced musician and how studying literary criticism at UC Berkeley inspired her upcoming album. Guest: Dani Offline, songwriter and music producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Through years of hosting dinner parties with fellow grievers, Carla Fernandez, writes that she learned to approach grief without sweeping it under the rug. “I learned about approaching grief less as a noun, a thing to distance ourselves from, and more as a verb,” as she writes in her new book, “Renegade Grief: A Guide to the Wild Ride of Life After Loss.” Fernandez lost her father to brain cancer when she was 21. Well after the funeral and support tapered off, she realized she wasn’t done grieving and didn’t have an outlet for her experiences, so she co-founded The Dinner Party in 2014 to bring other young adults together to share food and process grief. Fernandez joins us to talk about how to navigate grief as an ongoing journey. Guest: Carla Fernandez, co-founder, The Dinner Party; author of the book “Renegade Grief: A Guide to the Wild Ride of Life After Loss.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California is increasingly relying on for-profit psychiatric hospitals to care for the tens of thousands of people experiencing serious mental health crises every year. But a new San Francisco Chronicle investigation finds that the companies that own these hospitals have “capitalized on lax state regulations to strip their workforces bare, generating massive earnings for investors and owners while exposing patients to erratic care, violence and deadly neglect.” We’ll learn more from the reporters behind the investigative series “Failed to Death.” Guests: Joaquin Palomino, investigative reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Cynthia Dizikes, investigative reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Alexandra Del Cima, mental health technician from 2017 to 2019, Heritage Oaks Hospital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I possessed a unique ability to find suffering in even the best circumstances,” admits Atlantic writer Olga Khazan. That trait is one reason why she wished for a different personality; she wasn’t seeking radical change, just one to make her life a little bit better. And over the course of a year she did just that, embarking on a journey through the science of personality. Khazan interviewed researchers, took improv classes, learned to sail and surf, reluctantly meditated, and journaled with the intensity of a preteen in unrequited love. She chronicles her quest towards an improved self in her new book, “Me, But Better.” We talk to Khazan, and hear from you: Have you tried to change your personality? How did it go? Guests: Olga Khazan, author, "Me, But Better: The Science and Promise of Personality Change" and "Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World."; staff writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is the leader of the Democratic party? It was a question that appeared to stump Minnesota governor and vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz in a CNN interview last week, and he’s not the only one who’s feeling a leadership void. Only 1 in 10 Democrats say their party has a solid strategy to deal with the Trump administration, according to a recent poll by the opinion research firm Blueprint. Do the Democrats need an economic populist like Bernie Sanders? A tested progressive like AOC? A centrist coalition? We hear who you think should take the party’s reins and why. Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED - co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Reid Epstein, politics reporter, The New York Times lower waypoint Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Administration cut $400 million in grants to Columbia for its alleged failure to address anti-semitism on campus. And 60 more universities are on Trump’s target list for similar cuts, including UC Berkeley, all while the federal Department of Education is on the chopping block. We’ll talk about the potential impacts on students from kindergarten to college, and why the Department of Education has long been in Republican crosshairs. Guests: Eric Kelderman, senior writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education Erica Meltzer, national editor,Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization that covers education; Meltzer covers education policy and politics for Chalkbeat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pennies are as lucky as ever, but the U.S. Mint reported losing more than $85 million last year producing the coin. Now President Trump has added his voice to bipartisan calls to stop minting the penny, but it would be up to Congress to make change. Would you miss the one-cent piece? We look at the historical, cultural and economic significance of the penny. Tell us your thoughts. Guests: Seth Chandler, head numismatist, Witter Coin Jay Zagorsky, professor of economics, Boston University Questrom School of Business Jacob Goldstein, podcast host and executive producer, Pushkin Industries; former co-host, Planet Money podcast; and author of "Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing" Frank Lee Holt, professor emeritus of history, University of Houston; author of “When Money Talks” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Venture capital is meant to infuse burgeoning companies with cash to grow, but instead it’s become a sector that is too obsessed with raking in short-term results and rapid growth at any cost. So argues Catherine Bracy in her new book, “World Eaters: How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy.” Bracy examines how the venture capital model has led to countless companies failing and has distorted industries from food delivery to housing. Bracy has advocated for making the tech industry more equitable, diverse and sustainable as founder and CEO of Oakland-based TechEquity. She joins us to talk about why she thinks venture capital is hurting the economy and how to fix it. Guests: Catherine Bracy, executive director and founder, TechEquity; author of "World Eaters: How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists who study and keep the public informed about wildfires, hurricanes, avalanches and climate change are reeling from the Trump administration’s mass firings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Weather Service. We talk to climate scientist Daniel Swain about the essential work NOAA does in California and nationwide and the impacts of the firings on public safety and mission-critical scientific research. Tell us: Are you affected by the NOAA layoffs? Guests: Daniel Swain, climate scientist, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources & UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Heather Welch, terminated research biologist at NOAA Fisheries who worked on the NOAA Climate, Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative in Monterey, California Kayla Ann Besong, terminated duty scientist for NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, HI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The average American student is “less than halfway to a full academic recovery” from the effects of the Covid pandemic. That’s according to a 2024 report by the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Studies show that lockdown also took a toll on kids’ mental health, as well as social and emotional skills. And like other Covid impacts, these challenges often hit students of color the hardest. In the first of our series of shows examining the effects of the pandemic as we reach five years since lockdown, we’ll look at how children, adolescents and young adults are faring. Guests: Petra Steinbuchel, medical director, Mental Health and Child Development at Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Robin Lake, executive director, Center on Reinventing Public Education Aria Rani Sindledecker, junior at Mountain View High School; youth mental health advocate Emily Zavala, mental health and wellness coordinator, East Side Union High School District in San Jose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2013, Patrick Hutchison bought a derelict shack in the Cascades not far from his home in Seattle. Within a few years, the weekend renovation project would become an all-consuming DIY effort. He documents his turbulent journey from copywriter to carpenter in his recent book “Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman.” We talk to him about what he learned from transforming a “leaky, moss-covered box in the woods” into a special place. Guest: Patrick Hutchison, writer and carpenter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No band may better reflect the multicultural, gender-expansive exuberance of the Bay Area dream than Sly and the Family Stone. A new documentary “Sly Lives (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” explores the life and context of Vallejo’s brilliant, charismatic and troubled bandleader. We talk with the film’s creators and participants about the gifts Sly gave the world and the tolls it took on him. Guests: Joel Selvin, San Francisco-based music journalist and author, his latest book is "Words and Demons" Joseph Patel, Producer of the documentary Sly Lives. He also produced Summer of Soul, which won an academy award for best documentary feature Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The federal agency overseeing Voice of America has placed its chief national correspondent on a paid “excused absence” while it investigates his alleged bias against Donald Trump. The White House continues to bar the Associated Press from presidential events and maintains that it can handpick its press pool. Meanwhile, Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos — who donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund — says the paper’s opinion section will now focus on free markets and personal liberties. The announcement led to the resignation of Post opinions editor David Shipley and triggered over 75,000 digital subscription cancellations. We look at the Trump Administration’s moves to muzzle the press and their potential impact. Guests: David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News Ann Telnaes, Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist, formerly with The Washington Post; writer, the Substack “Open Windows” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman is bullish on the ability of AI to improve our society and our selves. In his new book, “SuperAgency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future?” Hoffman, a longtime booster and investor in AI, and co-author Greg Beato, counter fears that autonomous AI will dehumanize us and make us subject to an Orwellian compliance. Rather, they argue, AI gives humans more agency. “Just as cars gave individual users new superpowers of physical mobility in the 20th century, AI gives individual users new superpowers of cognitive mobility in the 21st century.” We talk with Hoffman and Beato about our AI future and the role of tech titans in the Trump era. Guests: Reid Hoffman, co-founder and former executive chairman, LinkedIn; co-author of "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future" Greg Beato, co-author, "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gossip can be “juicy, strange, funny and utterly banal” and we love to hear it, whether we identify as gossips or not. Kelsey McKinney, host and creator of the podcast Normal Gossip, has perfected the art of relaying other people’s business, and she thinks that gossip has been unfairly maligned. In her book “You Didn’t Hear This From Me,” McKinney reflects on the multitude of petty and profound ways we use gossip: to entertain, admonish, bond and teach communal values – even to protect one another from harm. Whether you love, hate, or elevate gossip to an art form, we want to hear from you: How do you share and use gossip in your life? Guests: Kelsey McKinney, author, "You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip"; host and creator of the podcast Normal Gossip Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump takes the stage on Tuesday night, addressing Congress to make the case for his agenda, after a whirlwind six weeks in office. This week, Trump has levied tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China, which set the stock market plunging. He also halted funding of Ukraine’s war effort following a public berating of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. And his DOGE-cuts of various agencies, including the IRS and the Department of Defense continue. We’ll digest the news with a panel of experts. Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown Annie Lowrey, staff writer, The Atlantic Aaron David Miller, senior fellow for the American Statecraft Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; former negotiator and advisor, on Middle Eastern issues to Republican and Democratic secretaries of state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anger and frustration over Elon Musk’s DOGE and its drastic, legally questionable cuts to the federal workforce have sparked protests outside Tesla dealerships around the country, leaving some Tesla owners feeling less than great about their cars. If you have a Tesla, are you thinking of getting rid of it? We’ll talk about whether Elon Musk and the Trump Administration in general are affecting what you’re buying – or swearing off. Guests: Clara Jeffery, editor in chief, Mother Jones Frances Dinkelspiel, journalist, co-founder of Cityside Journalism Initiative Matthew Hiller, owner and designer, Mad Puffer Stickers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, President Trump fired 6,700 IRS employees, while the chronically underfunded agency, is in the midst of tax season. In a New York Times guest essay, seven former IRS commissioners, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, decried the cuts, which constitute 7% of the agency’s work force, as bad policy that would make the agency less efficient and effective. We talk to tax experts and former IRS commissioner Daniel Werfel, who oversaw efforts to overhaul the agency during the Biden administration, about the impact of these cuts to the agency and to the federal budget and Trump’s policy towards the IRS. Guests: Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center; she is the author of "Read My Lips: Why Americans Are Proud to Pay Taxes'; she is also a senior fellow in the Governance Studies department at Brookings Daniel Werfel, former IRS commissioner, Werfel served as the 50th Commissioner of the IRS from March 2023 to January 2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever felt so creatively connected to someone that it’s like you share the same brain? That’s how acclaimed writers Tommy Orange and Kaveh Akbar describe their relationship. They’re best friends who wrote their recent novels “Wandering Stars” and “Martyr” by sending each other “cheernotes” in which they “waved [their] pom poms with genuine excitement at what the other’d just wrought from the ether,” as Akbar puts it. The two are embarking on a Bay Area driving tour to celebrate their friendship and art, and they join us on Forum. Guests: Tommy Orange, novelist, his books include "Wandering Stars" and "There There," which was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize. Kaveh Akbar, poet and novelist, his books include "Martyr!," a National Book Award finalist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan spent more than three decades reporting on everything from wildfires to serial killers but he has been especially dogged in his coverage of the city’s seemingly intractable homelessness problem. His new book, “The Lost and the Found,” draws on his extensive, immersive reporting to tell the stories of two homeless people – how they ended up on the streets of San Francisco and how they left. We talk with Fagan about his detailed portrait of what it is like to survive without shelter and why it’s so difficult to resolve an issue that has long plagued our region. Guests: Kevin Fagan, author of “The Lost and The Found;" longtime, award-winning journalist and former reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle specializing in homelessness and serial killers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might know filmmaker, actor and comedian Robert Townsend for his roles in “The Meteor Man” and the Emmy award-winning TV show “The Bear.” Or for writing and directing classics like “Hollywood Shuffle” and “The Five Heartbeats.” Townsend has paved the way for generations of Black actors and filmmakers, and in his one-man stage show, “Living the Shuffle,” he opens up about personal challenges, the role Shakespeare played in his life and being mentored by Sidney Poitier. What has Robert Townsend’s work meant to you? Guest: Robert Townsend, actor, director, writer, and filmmaker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco author Brittany Newell’s novel “Soft Core” explores the city’s underbelly — while making its tech bros minor characters. With pinpoint descriptions of the sweat on a west-bound Muni in October, the ceiling of the sometimes-cool, sometimes-not Makeout Room and the vinyl seats of the now-shuttered Silver Crest Diner, Newell writes of the city as lived by her protagonist, a stripper and dominatrix. And she pushes back on the negative narratives of the city she loves, drawing from San Francisco’s rich history of sex and love to argue the city’s not dead — and not just for the very rich. She joins us to share her San Francisco and to hear yours. Guest: Brittany Newell, writer and performer living in San Francisco, author of the new novel, “Soft Core” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the moment New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles are the cities where music making happens. But San Francisco hopes to add itself to that list. To that end, last month, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced San Francisco Music Week — which coincides with the Noise Pop Festival and includes live performances, workshops, and talks from industry insiders about how to reinvigorate the local music scene. We’ll talk to music makers and shakers about how the city can support live music and how the music scene could help revive the city’s economy. Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts Jordan Kurland, co-owner and producer, Noise Pop Industries, which organizes the Noise Pop Festival; co-founder and partner, Brilliant Corner Artists Management Laline St. Juste, musician, producer and solo artist, sings with the band The Seshen; founder, 7000 Coils, the independent record label P-Lo Paolo Rodriguez, musician and producer, His latest album is "For the Soil" Tina Davis, president, Empire, an independent record label based in San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States has reached a preliminary deal with Ukraine to share in revenue from the country’s mineral assets, but so far it is not offering security guarantees against Russia in return. It’s a reflection of the Trump Administration’s Russia-first policy, according to retired army lieutenant colonel and Trump impeachment whistleblower Alexander Vindman. We talk to Vindman about his new book “The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine.” Guests: Alexander Vindman, author, His new book is "The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine"; lieutenant colonel, United States Army (Retired); former director for European Affairs; U.S. National Security Council Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a host of lawsuits against the Trump administration, as Governor Gavin Newsom tries to stay in Trump’s good graces to safeguard federal disaster aid. It could be a good cop-bad cop strategy from the state, says KQED’s politics team, who join us to talk about how the Trump administration is shaping state politics. We’ll also look at who might be eyeing the governorship to replace termed-out Newsom — and whether former vice president Kamala Harris could enter the race. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk; co-host, Political Breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thousands of government employees have lost their jobs as part of the Trump’s Administration’s purge of the federal workforce, led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Many workers have also been sent emails demanding they justify their jobs, or face termination. We’ll look at how federal workers in the Bay Area and beyond are coping with the chaos and uncertainty, how some are fighting back, and what the purge could mean for government services. Guests: Max Stier, CEO and president, Partnership for Public Service - a nonprofit group that promotes best practices in government. Courtney Rozen, federal workforce reporter, Bloomberg Law Mark Smith, president, National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Aviation Administration recently began firing hundreds of workers, raising concerns over airline safety. The latest cuts come in the wake of several recent plane crashes, including a January 27 midair collision between an Army helicopter and American Airlines plane in Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. The Trump administration says that nobody with a “critical safety” position has been terminated, but union officials and former workers say some were in safety-related roles. We’ll look at what it all means for the state of aviation safety and the future of flying. Guests: Mark DeSaulnier, United States Congressman, Representing 10th district of California (the East Bay); author of the “Safe Landings Act (2024)” Todd Yeary, former air traffic controller Bill McGee, Senior Fellow for Aviation and Travel, American Economic Liberties Project Lori Aratani, Reporter focusing on transportation issues, including airports, airlines, and the nation's railroad and subway systems, The Washington Post Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to root out anti-Christian bias and embrace his “beautiful Christians.” A particular form of Christianity – Christian Nationalism – is informing the Trump coalition. Trump has appointed avowed Christian nationalists like head of OMB Russell Vought and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has said the country is in a “spiritual battle.” In a podcast, Hegseth said, “Our American Crusade is not about literal swords, and our fight is not with guns. Yet.” We talk with experts about the agenda and influence of the Christian nationalist movement. Guests: Sarah McCammon, National Political Correspondent for NPR and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast, McCammon is the author of "The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church" Katherine Stewart, journalist and author, Stewart is the author of "Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy" and "Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump shocked San Francisco Wednesday night with an executive order to “dramatically reduce” the Presidio Trust, which Congress formed in 1996 to manage and protect the historic 1,500-acre park that looks out on the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. The trust is one of four agencies named in the executive order, which calls for shrinking those the president deems “unnecessary.” We talk about what’s behind the order and what it might mean for the future of the beloved, and much visited, Presidio. Guests: Barbara Boxer, former U.S. Senator Gabe Greschler, politics reporter, The San Francisco Standard Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Linguist Michael Erard says that a child’s first words and a dying person’s last words exist on a Möbius-strip of beginnings and endings where “parallels emerge and then fade while asymmetries persist.” In his new book, “Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words,” Erard compiles stories from medical archives and ancient texts as well as first-hand accounts by doctors and doulas. He joins us to talk about the power these words have on us. And we hear from you: Do you have a story about a loved one’s first or last words? Guests: Michael Erard, author, linguist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Far more than just a link between our heads and torsos, the neck is what biologist Kent Dunlap describes as “the ultimate multitasker.” The neck “flexes, senses, vibrates, transports, and secretes every second of our lives,” all while serving as a locus of beauty, grace and vulnerability. We talk to Dunlap about his new book “The Neck: A Natural and Cultural History.” Guest: Kent Dunlap, professor of biology, Trinity College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Area Latin jazz legend John Santos joins us with a full band for a live in-studio performance. The San Francisco native is a Grammy nominated percussionist and composer influenced by classic rhythms and traditions of the Caribbean. He founded his own label, Machete Records, 40 years ago to avoid mainstream platforms and maintain his creative freedom. Santos joins us to talk about his San Francisco roots, the rhythms of his Puerto Rican and Cape Verdean heritage, and his latest album, Horizontes. Guests: Saul Sierra, musician, bass, vocals John Santos, Latin Jazz percussionist, leader of the John Santos Sextet Marco Diaz, musician, keyboard, trumpet, vocals John Calloway, musician, flute, keyboard Charlie Gurke, musician, saxes Anthony Blea, musician, violin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans are looking to cut as much as $880 billion from Medicaid, a federal program that provides healthcare for 72 million Americans. Distinct from Medicare, which covers seniors, Medicaid includes coverage for low income people, the disabled, substance abuse programs, nursing home care, and the Affordable Care Act, among other kinds of care. Nearly half of all births in the U.S. are covered by Medicaid, and polls show enormous support for the program across political parties. Donald Trump has said that cuts to Medicaid are off the table, but congressional Republicans’ proposed budget to pay for the president’s signature $4.5 trillion dollar tax cut relies on massive cuts to the program. We’ll talk to experts about the future of Medicaid. Guests: Larry Levitt, executive vice president, Kaiser Family Foundation Joanne Kenen, journalist In-residence, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Kristof Stremikis, director of market analysis and insight, California Health Care Foundation, independent nonprofit focused on improving healthcare for Californians Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, former administrator, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; served as administrator during the Biden administration from 2021-2025 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Germany holds parliamentary elections this weekend, and political watchers there are expecting its nativist Alternative for Deutschland party to make gains, despite long being a political pariah. The pro-Putin, anti-immigrant AfD has neo-Nazi ties and has earned the praise of Elon Musk and a meeting with Vice President JD Vance. We look at Germany’s far right resurgence and what it means for the U.S. and Europe. Guests: Jen Kirby, Foreign and National Security Reporter Sophia Besch, senior fellow, Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week the U.S. Senate confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, as Health and Human Services Secretary. This comes as a measles outbreak in Texas widens to 58 people and as Louisiana’s top health official says the state will no longer promote mass vaccination. We talk to pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Adam Ratner about his concerns about the nation’s vaccination program under Kennedy and Trump, the impact of misinformation on public health, and why measles is a harbinger for other public health crises. Ratner’s new book is “Booster Shots: The History and Future of Measles Vaccines.” Guests: Adam Ratner MD, infectious disease specialist and pediatrician https://www.adamratnermd.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black History Month has been officially celebrated in the U.S. since President Gerald Ford signed a proclamation nearly 50 years ago declaring the month of February as time to recognize the contributions Black people have made to the country. This year, though, the Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion have put a chill on the celebrations. We talk about how we arrived at a place where honoring Black history is being questioned just five years after the so-called racial reckoning of 2020. Guests: Adam Harris, senior fellow, education policy program of New America; former education reporter, The Atlantic; author, "The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal--and How to Set Them Right" Michael Harriot, journalist; poet; public historian; author, "Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America."; co-founder, ContrabandCamp.com, a subscription-based journalism project covering the intersection of race, politics, and culture. Tiffany Caesar, assistant professor of Africana studies, San Francisco State University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since taking office, President Trump has issued executive orders rolling back trans Americans’ rights in schools, prisons and the military. The administration is also attempting to pull critical federal funding for transgender health programs and research. Many of these actions are being challenged in court, but they’re still impacting trans Americans’ day-to-day lives — even in California. We’ll talk about the national and statewide landscape for trans rights in Trump’s America. Guests: Jo Yurcaba, reporter, NBC Out, the LGBTQ section of NBC News Jim Mangia, president and CEO, St. John's Community Health in Los Angeles Dannie Ceseña, director, California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices