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Trump Rewards Loyalty With Controversial, Extreme Cabinet Picks Nov 20, 2024

Show notes

A conspiracy-theorist and vaccine denier to run the Department of Health and Human Services. A Russia-friendly intelligence chief. And an attorney general pick who has been accused of sexual misconduct. President-elect Donald Trump is appointing cabinet members at a breakneck pace, with one more norm-busting than the next. We’ll get the latest on Trump’s picks–and other recent political news– with journalists Molly Ball of the Wall Street Journal and Philip Bump of the Washington Post

Guests:

Molly Ball, senior political correspondent, Wall Street Journal

Philip Bump, national columnist, Washington Post - Bump is the author of "The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America"

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Could Donald Trump’s Mass Deportation Proposals Become a Reality? Nov 19, 2024

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President-elect Trump and his team want to end DACA and the Temporary Protected Status program – which could make nearly a million people vulnerable to deportation. They’ve said they’d use the military to carry out mass detentions and deportations. If enacted, these proposals are all but guaranteed to face legal challenges — as they did during the last Trump administration. But some advocates worry that federal courts could prove friendlier to Trump policies than last time. We’ll talk with UCLA law professor Ahilan Arulanantham about the likelihood Trump’s latest proposals will become reality and the impact they’ll have on immigrant communities.

Guests:

Ahilan Arulanantham, Faculty Co-Director, Center for Immigration Law and Policy, UCLA Law - former Legal Director ACLU of Southern California

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The Outlook for Bay Area Transit Post-Election Nov 19, 2024

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Bay Area transit agencies have struggled to recover ever since the pandemic decimated ridership and revenue. Several measures on the ballot aimed to shore up public transportation. In San Francisco, Prop. L, which would have provided more funding for Muni, failed. But in Napa, voters approved Measure U to bring $25 million a year to improve transit. With a Republican administration and Congress set to take power in January, local transit agencies, concerned there may be a lack of federal support, are thinking about long term solutions to their funding shortfalls and looking to the state to do more. We’ll talk about the future of Bay Area transit funding and what it means for you.

Guests:

Dan Brekke, editor and reporter, KQED News

Rebecca Long, Director of Legislation and Public Affairs, Metropolitan Transportation Commission

Sebastian Petty, Senior Advisor, Transportation Policy| SPUR

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‘Power Metal’ Examines the Cost of Our Battery-Powered Lives Nov 18, 2024

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The push to harness renewable energy sources like wind and solar has sparked a massive demand for critical metals such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium, according to journalist Vince Beiser. To meet this demand, intensive mining operations are underway in regions like China, Chile, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), extracting rare metals needed for solar panels, electric vehicles, smartphones, and the infrastructure that supports them. In his new book, “Power Metal: The Race for Resources That Will Shape the Future,” Beiser explores the “terrifying” scale of metal extraction our electro-digital age requires and the global environmental and public health crises it may trigger. Beiser joins us.

Guests:

Vince Beiser, journalist; author of “Power Metal: The Race for Resources That Will Shape the Future”

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SETI Scientists on 40 years of Asking the Universe 'Are We Alone?' Nov 18, 2024

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Are we alone? Really, though, in a cosmic sense. 40 years ago the pioneering radio astronomer Jill Tarter co-founded a Bay Area non profit to support humanity searching for life beyond ourselves. We celebrate the SETI – as in, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – Institute’s anniversary and all their contributions to science which, sadly, do not yet include finding aliens. What do you hope SETI finds in its next 40 years?

Guests:

Bill Diamond, president and CEO, SETI Institute

Wael Farah, radio astronomer and project scientist on The Allen Telescope Array, SETI Institute

Nathalie Cabrol, astrobiologist and planetary geologist; director of Science, the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute

Simon Steel, astronomer, director of Education and Public Outreach, SETI Institute

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Forum from the Archives: Daveed Diggs Live at KQED Fest Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

We’ll listen back to Mina Kim’s live, on-stage conversation last month at KQED Fest with actor, producer, rapper Daveed Diggs. Diggs won a Tony for his roles in the original “Hamilton” and is known for the TV show “Snowpiercer” and the Oakland-set movie and series “Blindspotting.” We talk about his career, about the “unspoken contract” a live performer makes with an audience and about executive producing a new documentary about Bay Area high schoolers during covid — “The Class.”

Guests:

Daveed Diggs, actor, rapper, writer. executive producer, Blindspotting, co-wrote, co-produced, and costarred in the 2018 film Blindspotting

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Reflecting on the Role of Art in Times of Uncertainty Nov 15, 2024

Show notes

Art is a mode of expression, a vehicle for processing thoughts and feelings, and a way to connect. Regardless of your political leanings, it’s fair to say we just went through a tumultuous election. These times of uncertainty often prompt us to look for art, create art, or reflect on how it can bring us beauty, reflection and meaning. So, we’ll talk to Bay Area artists about what is on their minds and how to access creativity.

Guests:

Tsutomu "Tom" Shimura, Lyrics Born, rapper, producer and song-writer; author of the e-book “Yes, Bay Area”, a collection of his tweets.

Callan Porter-Romero, artist based in Oakland; One of her paintings is now on exhibit at The de Young Open. She was also included in the 2020 Exhibition.

Matthew Zapruder, poet and author of "I Love Hearing Your Dreams: Poems"; He teaches in the MFA and English Department at Saint Mary’s College of California.

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Trump to Nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz to Head the DOJ Nov 14, 2024

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President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will nominate Matt Gaetz as U.S. Attorney General. The polarizing MAGA congressman from Florida engineered the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and is the subject of an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation for sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. We talk about the implications of Gaetz’s nomination and what the Department of Justice could look like under a second Trump term.

Guests:

Benjamin Wittes, editor-in-chief of Lawfare; senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institute

Claudia Grisales, congressional correspondent, NPR

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Where Do Bay Area Progressives Go From Here? Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Across the Bay Area, voters signaled a move away from progressive politics. A progressive mayor and DA were recalled in Oakland. A Levi’s heir was elected as San Francisco’s new mayor. The Bay Area rejected efforts to expand rent control and supported increasing criminal penalties for theft and certain drug crimes. What kind of platform do left wing political leaders need to appeal to this Bay Area electorate? We talk to political leaders about where progressives go from here.

Guests:

Jesse Arreguin, mayor, City of Berkeley; president, Association of Bay Area Governments; candidate, California State Senate District 7

Betty Duong, supervisor-elect, Santa Clara County, Board of Supervisors, District 2

Connie Chan, supervisor, District 1, San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Edward Wright, director-elect, BART Board representing district 9. Wright is a former president of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club

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Will Americans Ever Elect a Woman President? Nov 13, 2024

Show notes

Many factors contributed to Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss in the 2024 election. But for those hoping that Americans would elect the country’s first woman president — especially when picking between a Black and Asian woman and an adjudicated rapist — her defeat stung deeply. At the same time, 45% of female voters – and a majority of white women voters – cast their ballots for president-elect Donald Trump. We’ll talk about the roles racism and sexism could have played in this election, and whether the U.S. could have a female president in our lifetimes.

Guests:

Caroline Heldman, political scientist and professor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, political scientist and professor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies

Anna Sampaio, Professor of Ethnic Studies and Political Science, Santa Clara University

Chaya Crowder, Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Loyola Marymount University - author of the forthcoming book, “Intersectional Solidarity: Black Women and the Politics of Group Consciousness”

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