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Latest Episodes:

Kamala Harris Said She’d Appoint a Republican Cabinet Member if Elected. What’s the History of the Practice? Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

During her first major interview since becoming the Democratic party nominee, Kamala Harris was asked by CNN if she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet. She replied, “I would,” and added, “I think it’s important to have people at the table and when some of the most important decisions are being made that have different views, different experiences.” In response, vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance told Fox News that former President Trump would appoint a Democrat to his cabinet if elected. While the U.S. hasn’t had an opposite-party cabinet member since the Obama Administration, there’s significant precedent for the practice. We’ll look at the history of presidents, from Lincoln to Obama, appointing cabinet members not from their party, what impact those appointments had and what’s possible in today’s politically polarized environment.

Guests:

Lindsay Chervinsky, presidential historian; executive director, George Washington Presidential Library - author, “Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic”

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Harris, Trump to Meet in High Stakes Debate as Race Tightens Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

What a difference a few months makes. June’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump made history, as Biden’s poor performance led to his withdrawal from the race. On Tuesday, his replacement, Kamala Harris, will debate Trump for the first, and perhaps only time. With polls showing a tightening race (the closest in 60 years, according to CNN), both campaigns are hoping this debate moves the needle. Harris is trying to define herself for the many voters who say they don’t know enough about who she is and where she stands. For his part, Trump has been claiming without evidence that the debate is “rigged” on Harris’ behalf. We’ll preview the debate and get the latest on the race, with less than two months before Election Day.

Guests:

James Fallows, contributing writer, The Atlantic - and author of the newsletter Breaking the News. He was chief White House speechwriter for Jimmy Carter

Sabrina Siddiqui , White House Reporter, Wall Street Journal

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How Abortion Access is Galvanizing Men Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

We’ve been hearing about women mobilizing to protect reproductive rights but so are an increasing number of men. In 2019 fewer than one in ten men said that abortion rights are a top voting issue; now the figure is 1 in 5, according to new polling. The group Men4Choice says it’s mobilizing men who were once “passively pro-choice” as many have come to witness their partners’ struggles to access reproductive care. Are you a man who’s concerned about abortion rights this election?

Guests:

Amanda Becker, Washington Correspondent, The 19th

Oren Jacobson, co-founder and executive director, Men4Choice

Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter, The Guardian

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Rebecca Nagle on the Long and Ongoing Battle for Tribal Sovereignty and Land Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

A truly landmark Supreme Court decision in 2020 resulted in the largest restoration of Native American tribal land in American history. More than half of the state of Oklahoma is now declared “Indian Country” after the court decision. In her book “By the Fire We Carry” journalist Rebecca Nagel, a member of the Cherokee Nation, traces the generations-long fight for sovereignty and the brutal history of tribal land removal that underpinned the decision. We’ll talk to Nagle about her own family’s complicated legacy in the struggle for justice and the implications of the Supreme Court decision.

Guests:

Rebecca Nagle, author, By the Fire We Carry, The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land, host of the podcast "This Land" - She's also an activist, writer and citizen of the Cherokee Nation

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‘My Divo’ Podcast Explores Legacy of Beloved Mexican Singer and Queer Icon Juan Gabriel Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Juan Gabriel, one of Mexico’s most beloved composers and musicians, managed to achieve superstar status beginning in the 1970s and emerge as a queer icon at a time when homosexuality was taboo in Mexican society. In her new podcast, “My Divo” journalist Maria Garcia, creator of the popular “Anything for Selena” podcast, explores the legacy of Juan Gabriel and its connection to her own queer Mexican identity and family history. We’ll talk with Garcia about her podcast, uncovering a previously unknown chapter of JuanGa’s life and how his story helped her to come to terms with her own sexuality.

Guests:

Maria Garcia, executive editor, Futuro Studios; creator and host of the podcast series, “My Divo” about Mexican singer Juan Gabriel. She previously created and hosted the podcast "Anything for Selena."

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Landmark Stanford Study Asks ‘When Do Women Have the Right to Kill in Self-Defense?’ Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

A landmark Stanford Law School study of women incarcerated in California prisons finds the vast majority of those convicted of killing their partner experienced domestic abuse. We’ll talk with journalist and author Rachel Louise Snyder — who partnered with Stanford for the study — about the stories she heard, and why laws governing self-defense fail victims of intimate partner violence. Snyder’s new opinion piece in the New York Times is “When Do Women Have the Right to Kill in Self-Defense?”

Guests:

Rachel Louise Snyder, professor of literature and journalism, American University - contributing Opinion writer, The New York Times; author, “No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us" and “Women We Buried, Women We Burned: A Memoir"

Debbie Mukamal, executive director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center, Stanford Law School

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How Artificial Intelligence is Used in Healthcare Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

When you go to a medical appointment or get admitted into the hospital, your doctor may be using ChatGPT to save time. Artificial intelligence is already helping medical professionals organize treatment plans, diagnose diseases, and discover new drugs. In the future, it could do even more. We’ll talk to doctors and experts about how AI is being used and its potential and pitfalls in healthcare.

Guests:

Dr. Bryant Lin, physician and professor, Stanford School of Medicine - He is also a primary care doctor with Stanford Internal Medicine<br />

Ilana Yurkiewicz, physician and professor at Stanford, author of "Fragmented: A Doctor's Quest to Piece Together American Health Care"

Dr. Jonathan Chen, physician and professor, Stanford School of Medicine

Adam Yala, professor of Computational Precision Health, UC Berkeley and UCSF

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How Are Swing States Preparing for Claims of Voter Fraud? Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

Donald Trump continues to cast doubt, without basis, on the fairness of the 2024 presidential election and has so far refused to say whether he will accept the certified results. Meanwhile, in Georgia, the Republican-controlled Elections Commission recently approved new rules allowing counties to delay certification of election results. All that’s had election integrity watchers warning that Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to challenge the presidential election results if he loses. We look at efforts underway in key swing states to protect the electoral process from attempts to undermine it.

Guests:

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, Arizona-based Democracy reporter, The Washington Post

Jessica Marsden, director of impact programs and counsel [leading teams focused on protecting free and fair elections], Protect Democracy

Adrian Fontes, Secretary of State, Arizona

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How the Bay Area Shaped Kamala Harris Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

In her acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination, Kamala Harris used “the Bay” when talking about where she grew up, rather than name-check Berkeley and its counterculture reputation. And she doesn’t always jump at the chance to call-out progressive San Francisco, where she first made her name in politics. But those omissions don’t seem to be dimming the local pride and excitement over the Oakland-born candidate’s historic nomination. We’ll look back at Harris’ Bay Area background and how it shaped her career, ideas and political identity.

Guests:

Lateefah Simon, BART Board member, Longtime friend and mentee of Kamala Harris

Debbie Mesloh, former advisor and communications director, for Kamala Harris

Carole Porter, childhood friend of Kamala Harris

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED - co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown

Stacey Johnson-Batiste, childhood friend of Kamala Harris, and author of "Friends from the Beginning: The Berkeley Village That Raised Kamala and Me"

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Are You Struggling to Find a Tech Job in California? Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

There are nearly 100,000 fewer private sector tech jobs in California than two years ago, according to a July report from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. We talk about what’s behind the trend and who’s been most affected by layoffs. And we’ll hear from you: whether you’re a veteran software engineer or new to the field, are you struggling to find a job in tech?

Guests:

Aki Ito, chief correspondent, Business Insider

Sarah Bohn, Vice President and Director of the Economic Policy Center, Public Policy Institute of California

Vivek Agarwal, Executive Coach, Coachieve - lecturer at San Jose State University

Kyle Elliott, Tech Career and Interview coach, CaffeinatedKyle.com

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