KQED's Forum

When Judith Butler wrote the pioneering book “Gender Trouble” in 1990, they introduced us to the nascent field of gender theory. Now, more than three decades later, gender has become a catch-all term and bogeyman for conservative movements around the world. It’s become a lightning rod for social anxieties, Butler argues, about sex, feminism, racial equality and queer existence. In their latest book, Judith Butler asks: “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” And why? We’ll talk with Butler about how gender became such an incendiary buzz word and why we still struggle to find common language around it. Guests: Judith Butler, distinguished professor in the Graduate School Department of Comparative Literature, University of California, Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A drenching rainy season that isn’t over yet has given California another gift, besides a big snowpack and gnarly skiing: a “superbloom.” A superbloom is not a scientific term according to botanists, but this year’s bloom promises to deliver a spectacular display. Anza-Borrego Desert is already reaching its peak, the park currently awash in a carpet of desert sunflowers, dune primrose and dandelions. For many areas across the state, peak blooms are still ahead. We talk to superbloom explorers, experts and wildflower lovers about what to look out for and the best ways to experience this year’s bonanza. Guests: Radhika Thekkath, co-president, Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society Evan Meyer, botanist and executive director, nonprofit Theodore Payne Foundation Dan McCamish, senior environmental scientist, Colorado Desert District, California State Parks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chiura Obata had a promising career when he left Japan for California in 1903. But the pull of this new country was compelling. A long-time arts professor at Berkeley, Obata was a leading figure of the Northern California arts community. His watercolor and ink paintings of the natural world, including vistas of the Sierras and Yosemite, as well as finely wrought and closely observed paintings of flowers, fish and fauna brought him acclaim. But the art schools he opened while incarcerated in concentration camps at Topaz and Tanforan in World War II made him beloved. Reflecting on his career, Obata wrote, “I dedicate my paintings, first, to the grand nature of California, which, over the long years, in sad as well as in delightful times, has always given me great lessons, comfort, and nourishment. Second, to the people who share the same thoughts, as though drawing water from one river under one tree.” We’ll talk about a current exhibit of his work at the SFMOMA with Obata experts, including his granddaughter. Guests: Kimi Kodani Hill, Obata family historian - Kodani Hill is the granddaughter of painter Chiura Obata whose solo exhibition is up at the SF MOMA through July 14. Nancy Lim, associate curator, San Francisco Modern Museum of Art (SF MOMA) - Lim curated the Chiura Obata exhibition currently on display at SFMOMA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, it’s been primarily women and girls who tend to be diagnosed with eating disorders. But recent research shows that adolescent boys are prone to disordered eating as well, though they may exhibit different symptoms from girls. Where disordered eating in girls can focus on thinness, in boys, eating disorders can be complicated by athletic training or a desire for increased muscle mass, making it harder to diagnose under current criteria. We talk about the challenges of diagnosing and treating eating disorders in boys, and we’ll hear from you. Do you have a personal experience with an eating disorder? If you are struggling with an eating disorder and are in need of support, you can find resources and helplines at https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/ Guests: Dr. Jason Nagata, adolescent medicine specialist, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Tim Tollefson, professional ultrarunner and race director, Mammoth Trail Fest John Schu, librarian and writer. He is the author of "Louder Than Hunger." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip, according to a report released this week by United Nations-backed food experts. The analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) also finds that half of Gaza’s population, 1.1 million people, , would most likely experience “catastrophic” shortages of food by mid-July. We’ll discuss the IPC report and get the latest on efforts to speed up humanitarian assistance as Israel continues to wage war on Hamas. Guests: Rushdi Abualouf, Gaza correspondent based in Istanbul, BBC Alex DeWaal, executive director, World Peace Foundation; research professor, Tufts University Abby Maxman, president and CEO, Oxfam America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James and Jennifer Crumbley are set to be sentenced next month after separate juries convicted them of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their son from killing four classmates in a 2021 mass shooting at a Michigan high school. The Crumbleys’ convictions mark the first time in U.S. legal history that the parents of a school shooter have been found criminally liable for their child’s actions. Some legal analysts say the highly specific facts of the case mark it as an outlier. But others say it could set precedent for parental liability — for gun crimes and beyond. We’ll talk about the verdicts and their potential ramifications. Guests: Erik Ortiz, senior reporter focusing on racial injustice and social inequality, NBC News Ekow Yankah, professor of law and of philosophy and associate dean, University of Michigan Anthony Portantino, state senator, 25th district in Southern California -he authored Senate Bill 53, which would expand existing firearm safe storage laws. Senator Portantino authored California’s safe storage law in 2019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ninja Loop is a 12-mile trail that starts in the Marin Headlands and climbs 2,000 feet to a crest from which runners can witness the rising sun if they time it right. Since its christening in 2008, the trail has become a popular stalwart among many fabled Bay Area trail runs, like the Dipsea, and 3,500 attempts have been made to break its course record of one hour and six minutes. We’ll talk about the Loop and other popular trail runs in the region. What’s your favorite run? Guests: Victor Diaz, owner, Renegade Running Ted Knudsen, owner, San Francisco Running Company; race director, Quad Dipsea race which he has run 25 times Olivia Allen-Price, host, KQED's Bay Curious - a podcast that investigates questions asked by local residents about things both profound and peculiar that make the Bay Area unique Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthropologist Jason De León has spent a career documenting the stories of migrants making their way across the Sonoran Desert at the Southern US border. But in his new book, “Soldiers And Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling,” De León turns his gaze towards the smugglers. For nearly seven years, he embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Central America and Mexico, following them as they led people north. We’ll talk to him about his book, what he learned from this rare look into this side of the billion-dollar industry and what can be done to address the global migration crisis. Guests: Jason De León, author, “Soldiers And Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling"; director, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology; professor of anthropology and Chicana, Chicano, and Central American Studies, UCLA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The City of Berkeley will soon return sacred land to an Indigenous trust, in what Berkeley’s mayor has called the largest urban land give-back in California history. After nearly a decade of litigation the city acquired a 2.2 acre parking lot in West Berkeley which sits on the last undeveloped land of the oldest Ohlone shellmound, which was designated as a city landmark in 2000. The city acquired the land for 27 million dollars, mostly with money from the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust. We’ll talk about the plans for the site and what it means for Ohlone people, the city of Berkeley and the future of the land back movement. Guests: Sophie Hahn, councilmember, Berkeley District 5 Corrina Gould, director, Sogorea Te’ Land Trust; spokeswoman and tribal chair, Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone Melissa Nelson, board president, Sogorea Te' Land Trust; professor of Indigenous Sustainability, Arizona State University Farimah Faiz Brown, City Attorney, Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heart disease is by far the leading cause of death for women in the United States. Yet, women with heart conditions are less likely than men to receive aggressive treatment and preventive medication and more likely to have their symptoms dismissed by doctors. It’s one of the many gender inequities that oncologist Elizabeth Comen explores in her new book “All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women’s Bodies and Why It Matters Today.” We talk to Comen about how gender bias is expressed in medicine and the barriers to treating women equitably in a field she describes as created for men, by men. And we’ll hear from you: have you felt dismissed or unfairly treated in the doctor’s office? Guests: Elizabeth Comen M.D., oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; author, "All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The warden of the troubled federal women’s prison in Dublin was ousted last Monday amid an FBI raid of the facility. Art Dulgov was removed just months into his tenure in the wake of allegations of retaliation against an inmate who spoke out about abuse at the prison. Despite prior leadership changes and promises to fix problems, the prison – which has been known as the “rape club” – has remained plagued by abuse cases, with at least eight employees charged since 2021, when an Associated Press investigation exposed the abuse scandal. We’ll talk with one of the Associated Press reporters and get the latest on the FBI raid, the leadership shakeup and conditions at the prison. Guests: Alex Hall, enterprise and accountability reporter, KQED Michael Balsamo, U.S. law enforcement news editor, Associated Press Amaris Montes, director of west coast litigation and advocacy, Rights Behind Bars - which is representing Dublin prisoners in their class action lawsuit Ashley Rolanda, she was incarcerated at FCI Dublin, and has been speaking out about conditions at the prison, where she says she was sexually assaulted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deepfakes are already affecting the 2024 election, and the technology is only becoming more convincing. UC Berkeley computer scientist Hany Farid shared the stage with Mina Kim on March 2 at the Night of Ideas, held at the San Francisco Public Library before a live audience. We listen back to their conversation about how easy it to make fake digital content with generative A.I. and the impact that’s having on our democracy. Guests: Hany Farid, professor, UC Berkeley - with a joint appointment in electrical engineering & computer sciences and the School of Information. He is also a member of the Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Lab and is a senior faculty advisor for the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month we brought some of our favorite Forum guests – a poet, a novelist, a sociologist and a musician – who all work with themes of cross-cultural identity for a conversation, and live music and readings, before an audience. We discussed the complexities of racial and ethnic identity and how the hyphens we sometimes use to bridge our identities – Mexican-American, Chinese-American etc – can serve to both connect and divide us. It was all part of Night of Ideas, an annual public event bringing together artists and thinkers at the San Francisco Public Library. Guests: Mimi Tempestt, poet and multidisciplinary artist - Tempestt's latest book of poetry is titled "the delicacy of embracing spirals" G. Cristina Mora, associate professor of sociology and Chicano/Latino Studies and the co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley - and author of the book, "Making Hispanics" Jonathan Escoffery, author - his debut short story collection, "If I Survive You," was released in September of 2022 Kishi Bashi, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist - Bashi's latest LP "Music from the Song Film: Omoiyari" is a companion to his documentary film that explores his identity and the WWII experience of Japanese incarceration. The album comes out on November 17. Bashi is based in Santa Cruz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many of us, conflict is something to be avoided, but according to longtime negotiation and mediation expert William Ury, we actually need more conflict in our lives. In a new memoir called Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict, Ury says conflict can “produce better ideas and, ultimately, better relationships.” We talk to Ury, who’s also the author of the bestselling book Getting to Yes, about his nearly 50-year career as a negotiator in conflicts around the globe. And we’ll learn how to apply his conflict resolution strategies to our everyday lives. Guests: William Ury, negotiator and mediator; co-founder, Harvard Program on Negotiation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laurence Ralph is a Princeton professor who studies gangs and youth violence. Five years ago it all became very personal when a family member, 19-year old Luis Alberto Quiñonez, was killed in San Francisco in retaliation for a gang-related murder he didn’t commit. That tragic story is the subject of his new book, Sito: An American Teenager and the City That Failed Him. We’ll talk with him about the book and his work on juvenile justice reform and how to break the cycles of youth violence. Guests: Laurence Ralph, professor of anthropology, Princeton University; author, "SITO: An American Teenager and the City That Failed Him." He will appear on Thursday March 14 at 7PM at Mrs. Dalloway's bookstore in Berkeley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a yearlong wait, the San Francisco Chronicle has a new lead restaurant critic, MacKenzie Chung Fegan. She grew up in San Francisco, has deep roots in its restaurant scene and knows the power of the written word: 50 years ago her grandparents opened Henry’s Hunan, which exploded in popularity after the New Yorker deemed it “the best Chinese restaurant in the world”. We’ll talk with Fegan about her approach to restaurant criticism, what’s on her culinary to-do list and we’ll hear from you: What are you craving from a local restaurant critic? Guests: MacKenzie Chung Fegan, lead restaurant critic, The San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time in over a century, the 250-mile Klamath River will soon flow freely as the nation’s largest dam removal project in history nears completion. Indigenous tribes, fishermen and environmentalists had been fighting to dismantle four hydroelectric dams along the river for more than two decades, owing to the dams’ devastating effects on salmon populations among other environmental impacts. The next phase of the dam removal project is to restore the natural habitat along the river. We learn about the project’s history and future. Guests: Barry McCovey Jr., director, Yurok Tribal Fisheries Department Mark Bransom, chief executive officer, Klamath River Renewal Corporation Kurtis Alexander, enterprise reporter, The San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year a ceremony is held at Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles for the county’s unclaimed deceased; the most recent ceremony, held in December, honored nearly 1500 people. In a new book sociologists Pamela Prickett and Stefan Timmermans tell the stories of four of the deceased and how they came to be laid to rest in a common grave after their ashes were left behind. We’ll talk about what makes people vulnerable to going unclaimed after they die, and hear about the people who are working to ensure they all receive a dignified burial. Their book is “The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of Angels.” Guests: Pamela Prickett, associate professor of sociology, University of Amsterdam Stefan Timmermans, professor of sociology, UCLA Arnoldo Casillas, attorney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Americans famously hang on to false ideas about politics, even after being presented with the facts. Part of the problem, of course, is misinformation. But according to political scientist Emily Thorson, people also tend to assume that they already know how existing policies work…and they are often wrong. In her new book, “The Invented State,” Thorson argues that providing facts and context in the right way can correct common policy misconceptions. She’ll join us as part of our Doing Democracy series, which examines what democracy means and how it is practiced, to talk about the book, and the latest research on misinformation. Guests: Emily Thorson, assistant professor of political science, Syracuse University; author, "The Invented State: Policy Misperceptions in the American Public" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Electrical vehicle purchases in California dropped significantly in the second half of last year, for the first time in a decade. It’s unclear if this is a trend or just a blip, but some potential EV buyers say that they’re holding off because of concerns over public charger access and reliability. Things may be improving: California approved a $1.9 billion dollar investment in EV charging infrastructure last month, which will bring 40,000 new chargers online – including in rural areas. We’ll talk about what California needs to do to meaningfully expand its EV charging infrastructure ahead of its 2035 ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars. Guests: Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host, the Climate Break podcast. Russ Mitchell, automotive editor, Los Angeles Times - He is based in Berkeley and covers the automotive industry. Terry Travis, managing partner, EVNoire - a Mobility Consulting Group that works to integrate and amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion in the electric transportation sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2015, the Vatican published Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, which took a firm stance on climate change and urged people to “hear both the cry of the planet and the cry of the poor.” But even with the Pope’s advocacy for the climate movement, action has been slow, especially here in the U.S., where dioceses are reluctant to divest millions from fossil fuels and discuss climate issues with their congregations. We’ll talk with the Pope’s right-hand man on climate, Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, about the Catholic Church’s efforts to combat climate change and why the climate crisis is “not just a physical problem, but also a deeply moral one.” Guests: Reverend Dr. Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, chair of Philosophy of Science and Director of the Institute of Social and Political Sciences, the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome; former coordinator, Ecology and Creation at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; author, The Ten Green Commandments of Laudato Si’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden is expected to call for lower healthcare costs and higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy in his State of the Union Address on Thursday. He’s also expected to announce a temporary U.S. port in Gaza to deliver large-scale humanitarian aid, emphasize the importance of reproductive rights and promote his so-called “unity agenda,” which includes ending cancer, confronting the crisis of addiction and helping veterans. The speech is being billed by administration officials as an opportunity for a “reset” to overcome voter concerns about the President’s age as his approval ratings hover in the high 30s. We’ll analyze the speech and hear your reactions. Guests: Ro Khanna, U.S. Congressman for California's 17th Congressional District (Silicon Valley). Christopher Cadelago, California’s Bureau Chief, Politico - and former White House Correspondent. Mike Madrid, Republican strategist. Catherine Lucey, White House Reporter, The Wall Street Journal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author Shannon Reed is aptly named because she absolutely loves to read. As a child with hearing difficulties, reading was a reliable way for her to take in information. Now, whether it’s a book, the back of a cereal box, or a sign in the subway, reading is a hobby, calling, and pursuit that captures her fully. In her new book, “Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out,” she delves into how we find connection, comfort and escape in the act of reading. She also gives you permission to put a book down if you’re not loving it. We talk to Reed and a panel of Bay Area authors. And we hear from you: Why do you love to read? Guests: Shannon Reed, author, "Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out" - Reed is a Teaching Associate Professor and Director of the undergraduate writing program at the University of Pittsburgh. Oscar Villalon, editor, Zyzzyva - San Francisco based literary journal. Vanessa Hua, author, "Forbidden City" - Hua's previous books include “A River of Stars.” She is a former columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Even if it was never the intention,” writes Kara Swisher, tech companies have become “key players in killing our comity and stymieing our politics, our government, our social fabric, and most of all, our minds.” Those are harsh words from the longtime Silicon Valley journalist who says she once rooted for young tech innovators like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Her disillusionment with the industry she covered is the foundation of her new memoir “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.” We talk to her about what she’s learned from nearly three decades of reporting. Guests: Kara Swisher, cofounder and editor-at-large, Recode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Leslie Jamison’s Splinters to Lyz Lenz’s This American Ex-Wife, a number of high-profile recent books explore womens’ experiences with divorce. We’ll talk with Jamison and journalist Tracy Clark-Flory about what these “divorce memoirs”, and their popularity, say about the state of marriage in America today. Guests: Leslie Jamison, author, "Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story." Her other books include "The Empathy Exams." Tracy Clark-Flory, journalist; essayist; author of "Want Me: A Sex Writer's Journey into the Heart of Desire." Her newsletter can be found at tracyclarkflory.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California voters finish casting their ballots on Tuesday to choose their top two candidates for U.S. Senate and decide the fate of Proposition 1, the mental health services measure supported by Gov. Gavin Newsom. We’ll take stock of those results, check in on key congressional races around the state and look at the outcome of the presidential nominating contests nationwide. Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown Faith E. Pinho, reporter, Los Angeles Times Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a predicted anemic turnout, what lessons can be gleaned from voters in this March primary? Issues that crowd the headlines like public safety and homelessness appear in various state and regional ballot measures. Will these concerns tilt the otherwise progressive-leaning Bay Area towards a more conservative path? With the help of the KQED Politics team, we’ll analyze the election results and trends in this primary, and we’ll hear from you: What brought you to or kept you from the polls? Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown Annelise Finney, reporter, KQED Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter and producer covering politics, KQED News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 96th Academy Awards are in less than a week, and a lot of ink has been spilled comparing contenders for best actor, best director and best picture. But what about less-discussed “craft categories” that reward creativity behind the scenes — like editing, costume design, cinematography and production design? We’ll talk to artists in each of those fields about what their work entails and how to recognize and appreciate a bold edit or a brilliant visual aesthetic. And we’ll hear from you: what’s an Oscars category you’d love to know more about? Guests: Sam Restivo, editor; credits include "Napoleon," "House of Gucci," and "The Last Duel" Allison Pearce, costume designer; credits include "Paint," "Black Bear," and "Clerks 3" Olivia Peebles, production designer and set decorator; credits include “Miss Juneteenth,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “Oppenheimer” Elisha Christian, cinematographer; credits include "The Night House" and "The Voyeurs" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caroline Paul is 60 years old and she rides a one-wheel, paddle boards wherever she pleases, and as the endurance swimmer Diana Nyad put it, is “the toughest broad I know.” But in her new book, Tough Broad, Paul sets out to show that all kinds of outdoor adventure from BASE jumping to bird watching can enrich the lives of women as they get older in a society that tells them to simply fade to irrelevance. We’ll be talking awe and novelty, accepting loss and challenging norms. As she writes, “This is not a book about adrenaline, it is a book about exhilaration. It is not about bravado, it is about bravery.” Guests: Caroline Paul, author, "Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking-How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age" and "The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than a year after a very bad breakup, LA Times journalist Todd Martens struggled to understand why he was still so stuck on his ex. He doodled her name whenever he held pen and paper; he couldn’t sleep and couldn’t stop stewing. So he turned to science to understand why his mind and body continued to hurt so much and shared what he learned in his recent article “Science can explain a broken heart. Could science help heal mine?” We’ll talk to Martens and turn to experts in neuroscience and psychology for strategies to heal broken hearts. And we’ll hear from you: what’s helped you get through a bad breakup? Guests: Todd Martens, columnist, Los Angeles Times - Martens covers theme parks, games and interactive entertainment for the LA Times. He is a self-professed Disneyland addict who wrote the piece, "This Is Your Brain on Disneyland" Mary-Frances O’Connor, neuroscientist; psychologist; author, 2022 book “The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn From Love and Loss" David Sbarra, professor of psychology, University of Arizona Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tuesday is the final day to cast ballots in this year’s primary election. Voters across the Bay Area will decide on key races for county supervisor seats, state offices, and a slew of measures aimed at addressing mental health, public safety and the region’s homelessness crisis. Some of the races garnering attention include a rare recall election for two San Francisco judges who have been portrayed as soft on crime. In the East Bay, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín is competing with five other candidates for a seat in the state senate. In Napa, voters will decide on three of five supervisor seats. We’ll talk about the races you’re watching and what you need to know going into the primary. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter and producer covering politics, KQED News Kim Alexander, president and founder, California Voter Foundation Annelise Finney, reporter, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By early January 2021, 61 courts and the U.S. Justice Department under Donald Trump had rejected the former president’s claims that he’d lost the 2020 election because of fraud. Nevertheless, fed by Trump and those who believed the election disinformation he spread, the Stop the Steal movement flourished and culminated in the January 6 Capitol insurrection. University of Michigan law professor Barbara McQuade has dissected the manipulative messaging tactics disinformers use to promulgate conspiracies like Stop the Steal. We learn how to identify those tactics and what we can do to combat them legally and politically. McQuade’s new book is “Attack from Within.” Guests: Barbara McQuade, professor, University of Michigan Law School - former U.S attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan; author, "Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Macy’s announced this week it would be closing its flagship Union Square store, among 150 other underperforming stores across the country. The news is just the latest blow to the city’s beleaguered shopping district. We’ll talk about the store’s iconic history and imagine other futures for downtown and Union Square. And we want to hear from you. What are your Macy’s memories? And what would you like to see happen in that building and in Union Square? Guests: Amy Campbell, building transformation and adaptive reuse leader, Gensler Peter Hartlaub, culture critic, San Francisco Chronicle Annie Appleby, her parents met while working at Macy's Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers in Alabama this week are scrambling to limit the effects of a Feb. 16 state Supreme Court decision holding that frozen embryos are human and that anyone who destroys them can be held liable for wrongful death. Since the decision, major IVF providers across the state have suspended their services, leaving an industry in chaos and families going through IVF in limbo. Meanwhile, Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a bill Wednesday that would have created national protections for fertility treatment. We’ll talk about the ongoing fallout in Alabama and where the broader movement for fetal personhood stands nationally. Guests: Mary Ziegler, professor of law, UC Davis Amy Yurkanin, senior reporter, AL.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco is in the midst of a devastating drug crisis with a record number of overdose deaths last year. In an attempt to address the problem, Mayor London Breed has put a measure on the March 5th ballot that would deny cash assistance benefits to people who use drugs and refuse treatment. Breed has said Proposition F would usher more people into getting help as well as stopping taxpayer dollars from contributing to overdose deaths. Opponents say the measure would do more harm than good by penalizing vulnerable residents who need public assistance to survive. We’ll examine Prop F and hear from voters. Guests: London Breed, mayor, City and County of San Francisco Trent Rhorer, executive director, San Francisco Human Services Agency Aaron Peskin, president, San Francisco Board of Supervisors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the summer of 2020, Lebanon was trying to contain both a global pandemic and an internal economic crisis when, on August 4th, a warehouse full of ammonium nitrate at the port of Beirut caught fire and exploded in one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history. The blast killed at least 220 people, injured more than 6000 residents and caused $8 billion in damages. Journalist Dalal Mawad was living in Beirut at the time, and her new book “All She Lost,” examines the event, told through stories of women who lost children, husbands and family members in the explosion and struggled through the financial and political collapse in Lebanon that ensued. We talk to Mawad about what their stories reveal about the treatment of women in Lebanon and how the blast’s survivors are seeking justice for those they lost. Guests: Dalal Mawad, journalist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As some Democrats become increasingly frantic about the chances of 81-year old President Joe Biden winning reelection, there have been high-profile calls for Biden to step down and allow another Democratic candidate to emerge in a brokered convention. Many names, including Governor Gavin Newsom, have been floated as possible alternatives. But the natural successor, Vice President Kamala Harris, is often dismissed due to her own low approval ratings. We’ll talk about Kamala Harris’ record as Vice President and why she struggles to be thought of as a viable option if Biden needs to step down during the campaign or his presidency. Guests: Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - a national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of color Errin Haines, editor at large, The 19th - a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy Shira Stein, Washington correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, observers of workplace culture have predicted the death of the annual performance review, calling it ineffective, unpopular and often biased. But some companies are trying to make it better. Does more frequent, real-time feedback sound good to you… or the use of AI to monitor your productivity? We’ll talk with workplace experts about the future of performance reviews and hear from you. What do you think are the best ways to evaluate employees in today’s changing workplace? Guests: Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, co-founder, Stanford VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab Josh Bersin, corporate talent, human resources and technology analyst; author, "Irresistible: The Seven Secrets of the World's Most Enduring, Employee-Focused Organizations" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his latest novel “Wandering Stars,” Oakland writer Tommy Orange traces the stories of the Native Americans who populated his celebrated debut, “There There.” The book, which is both prequel and sequel, begins with the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre and the opening of the first Native American residential school in the U.S whose mission, according to its founder, was to “Kill the Indian to save the man.” Orange examines how you can create identity and connection when your family inheritance embeds thick seams of generational trauma, cultural erasure, and violence. We’ll talk to Orange about his novel. Guests: Tommy Orange, author, "Wandering Stars," "There There," and "Normal Ain't Normal" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We like to think of adoption as an unmitigated social good – a practice that UCSF sociologist Gretchen Sisson says “makes possible the maintenance of both the heteronormative family ideal beloved by the right and the nontraditional, chosen family ideals embraced by the left.” But Sisson says that framing ignores the experiences of birth mothers, who tend to have far less socioeconomic power than adoptive parents and who bear the complicated and even traumatic consequences of relinquishing an infant. Sisson conducted more than 100 interviews with birth mothers who relinquished their children to learn how they came to decide on adoption and the impact that decision has had on them and their families. Her new book is “Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood.” Guests: Gretchen Sisson, qualitative sociologist studying abortion and adoption at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UCSF; author, "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood” - her research was cited in the Supreme Court’s dissent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Serina Chacon, birth mother based in Northern California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever encountered someone you felt like you could share your life story with, even if you just met? In his latest book, “Supercommunicators,” journalist Charles Duhigg details just how some people have come to master the art of conversation. To learn the secrets of effective communication, Duhigg interviewed a CIA agent tasked with recruiting spies, a NASA psychiatrist who screened astronauts for intense missions, and the creators of the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” who duke out ideas in the writer’s room. Duhigg joins us to talk about how to listen better, how to make yourself understood and how to connect on a much deeper level. Guests: Charles Duhigg, reporter, New York Times; author, "Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection" and "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Global outrage persists after high-profile Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died last week in an Arctic penal colony. His death — and the two-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine — have prompted the Biden Administration to impose new sanctions against Russia that will be announced on Friday. We’ll talk about the deep rift between the Biden Administration and Russia and the ongoing congressional stalemate over aid for Ukraine and the national security issues it implicates. Guests: Kathryn Stoner, senior fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; author, "Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order" Max Boot, senior fellow for national security studies, Council on Foreign Relations; columnist, Washington Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oprah and Gayle. Bert and Ernie. All four of the Golden Girls. For many people (and puppets), their soulmate is often their friend. We don’t have a good word to describe that kind of friendship – one that involves intimacy without sex, constancy without marriage, and a belief that you cannot live without the other person. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate friendships that you build your life around, argues author Rhaina Cohen in her new book “The Other Significant Others.” We’ll talk to Cohen about the breadth and depth of these friendships and how we can center them in our lives. And we’ll hear from you: Tell us about that friend who is your person. Guests: Rhaina Cohen, author, "The Other Significant Others: Reimagining Life with Friendship at the Center" - Cohen is a producer and editor for the NPR documentary podcast "Embedded" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you were watching TV in the 1980s you’re probably familiar with the sounds of electronic music pioneer Suzanne Ciani, whose synthesizer compositions became the sonic logos for Coca-Cola, Atari, GE, PBS and dozens of other brands. Ciani has gone on to cultivate new audiences through her quadraphonic concerts that she produces using an updated version of the same synthesizer that she played as a student at UC Berkeley in the late-1960s, the Buchla 200E. We’ll talk with Ciani about her career, how California inspires her and hear excerpts from her upcoming concert series that celebrates the 40th anniversary of her breakthrough album “Seven Waves.” Guests: Suzanne Ciani, music composer, performer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the soaring cost of college tuition, which at some private universities can hit over $80,000 a year, it’s not surprising that over 85% of American families apply for financial aid. A critical step in that process is completing the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. But this year, the Education Department’s rollout of a new form has been bedeviled by delays and technical problems that are affecting the admissions process for colleges, students and their families. Some universities are rolling back enrollment deadlines while others are waiting in hope that the issues will resolve. We’ll talk with financial aid experts and hear from you: Are you applying for financial aid? How has that process been for you? Guests: Eric Hoover, senior writer, Chronicle of Higher Education Anna Takahashi, director of college counseling, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto Sonia Jethani, associate vice president, financial aid, Cal State East Bay Jake Brymner, deputy director of policy & public affairs, California Student Aid Commission Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered why you keep forgetting where you put your keys? Or the name of a stranger you met at a party? It’s easy to dwell on our everyday forgetfulness, especially as we get older. But for UC Davis neuroscientist and psychologist Dr. Charan Ranganath, the more important question is “why do we remember?” He says that brains have evolved to deprioritize unimportant things in favor of information that can help us survive and navigate a changing world. “Our memory is much, much more than an archive of the past; it is the prism through which we see others and the world.” We talk to Ranganath about how memory works and how better to remember the things that matter. His new book is “Why We Remember.” Guest: Charan Ranganath, professor of psychology and neuroscience, UC Davis, where he leads the Dynamic Memory Lab. His new book is "Why We Remember" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this era of dramatic videos of smash and grab robberies going viral and drug stores locking up many of their shelves, retail theft is getting a lot of attention. Police departments are making fewer arrests and solving fewer property crimes. Are shoplifting and “smash and grabs” really on the rise, or are we just noticing them more? Either way there is a growing movement to crack down on thieves and reform sentencing laws. A proposed ballot initiative would roll back portions Prop. 47, a California law that reduced prison sentences for petty crimes including shoplifting. We’ll examine the complicated relationship between retail theft, law enforcement and threat of punishment, and what it means for you. Guests: Charis Kubrin, professor, University of California, Irvine Department of Criminology, Law and Society Jeff Reisig, district attorney, Yolo County Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show Rick Chavez Zbur, member, California State Assembly. Zbur represents the 51st Assembly District that includes West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enlistment in the U.S. military has been in continuous decline since its peak during the Vietnam War. Evolving societal attitudes towards military service, as well as demographic shifts and competition from the private sector have drawn many young people away from serving. One major hurdle is the diminishing pool of eligible candidates, with factors such as obesity rates, educational requirements and drug use impacting the recruitment pool. We’ll talk about what it means for a country to struggle to staff its all-volunteer military and the lengths recruiters are going to fill its ranks in California and nationwide. Guests: Beth Asch, senior economist and PhD in economics, Rand Corporation Roberto Camacho, race, equity, and social justice reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Three of five seats on the Napa County Board of Supervisors are up for grabs this year. The results could have major implications in a county known worldwide for its wine industry. The winning candidates will have to tackle controversial issues such as how and where agriculture can expand in the county, how to support the workforce, and how to protect the environment amid demand for housing and commercial development. We’ll talk about the election and Napa’s future. Guests: David McCuan, Professor and Chair, department of political science, Sonoma State University Dan Evans, executive editor, Napa Valley Register Carlos Cabrera-Lomeli, community engagement reporter, KQED Nisa Khan, audience engagement reporter, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he envisioned remaking the company into what he thought should be a “free speech platform.” What ensued was chaos, mass firings and a steep decline in advertising revenue for the already financially struggling company. In her new book “Extremely Hardcore,” Zoe Schiffer tracks Musk’s takeover of the platform, now known as X, and its effects on those who worked for him. We talk to her about the history and future of Elon Musk’s Twitter and hear about your recent experiences on the platform. Guests: Zoe Schiffer, managing editor, Platformer - author, "Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk’s Twitter" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices