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Generative AI is Coming to California’s Public Sector. What Now? Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

In a recent executive order, Governor Gavin Newsom, directed state agencies to explore the possibilities for generative AI tools with the goal of implementing them as soon as this summer. Using generative AI in government agencies could help reduce traffic jams, make roads safer and provide tax guidance. But concerns have been raised about job loss, misinformation, privacy and automation bias. We’ll talk with government officials and AI experts about the promise and concerns of using AI for public services.

Guests:

Jason Elliott, deputy chief of staff to Governor Gavin Newsom

Jennifer Pahlka, author, “Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better”; senior fellow, the Nisaken Center and the Federation of American Scientists

Khaled Tawfik, chief information officer, Information Technology Department of the City of San Jose

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Supreme Court Set to Decide Landmark Cases Amid Ethics Controversies Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

With its term drawing to a close, the U.S. Supreme Court is getting ready to rule on major issues like abortion access, gun regulations, and whether former president Trump has immunity from civil litigation. Meanwhile, Justice Samuel Alito is still facing questions – and calls for recusal– over political flags flown at his houses. We’ll discuss the ethics controversies swirling around the court and look at what the upcoming rulings could mean for the presidential election… the country… and you.

Guests:

Vikram Amar, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law; He clerked for Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the United States Supreme Court.

Mary Ziegler, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law; Her most recent book is "Roe: The History of a National Obsession."

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Robin Sloan’s Novel ‘Moonbound’ Expands Time, Space, and Technology Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

“The year is 13777. There are dragons on the moon.” That’s how Robin Sloan, author of the best-seller “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store” describes his new novel, “Moonbound.” It’s the first in an ambitious and adventurous trilogy that’s set far in the future, after AI and biotech have transformed life on Earth as we’ve known it. We’ll talk to Sloan about the power of science fiction and his far flung imaginings on sentience, collective history, humanity’s future and the remarkable potentials of yeast.

Guests:

Robin Sloan, author, "Moonbound"; Sloan's other books include "Sourdough" and "Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore"

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The Tea Party is Dead (Again). What Will its Legacy Be? Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

Before there was a MAGA republicanism, there was the Tea Party. Founded in 2009, the movement organized around fiscal conservatism and opposition to the Affordable Care Act and government bailouts of the banking industry. But the Tea Party’s influence has waned. Only half of congressional Republicans voted for a limited government position on tax and fiscal issues in 2023, according to a study by the Institute for Legislative Analysis. And the movement has lost financial support following the recent closure of the conservative political group Freedom Works. We look at the history of the Tea Party movement and how it shaped today’s GOP.

Guests:

Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow, Brookings Institute - co-author of "The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism"

Fred McGrath, president, Institute for Legislative Analysis - an organization that collects data for advocates of Limited Government

Duncan Braid, coalition director, American Compass - a conservative economic policy advocacy organization

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SF Opera’s ‘Innocence’ Reckons with the Long Reach and Lingering Effects of Gun Violence Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

The highly-anticipated opera “Innocence” has made its American premiere in San Francisco. At the heart of the story is a mass shooting at an international school, and the grief and trauma of the event that lingers a decade later. We’ll talk about the San Francisco Opera production and discuss a new mapping project showing a dramatic increase in the number of Americans living in close proximity to fatal gun violence and what it means for our communities.

Guests:

Tinisch Hollins, executive director, Californians for Safety and Justice; co-founder, SF Black Wall Street; vice chair, SF African-Americans Reparations Advisory Committee

Matthew Shilvock, general director, San Francisco Opera

Shaila Dewan, National Criminal Justice Correspondent, New York Times

Ryan Marchand, director, San Francisco Opera's Department of Diversity, Equity and Community

Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts and Culture

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How to Raise Sons in ‘the Age of Impossible Masculinity’ Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

Ruth Whippman is a feminist writer. She’s also the mother of three sons. Her new book, “Boymom,” reflects on the difficulties facing parents tasked with raising good men in an age where people on the right weaponize male concerns and people on the left dismiss them. She asks: What does it mean to raise men who feel validated in their gender identity but not entitled to more because of it? Whippman advocates for an empathetic version of feminism, one where men are held to a high standard but where the loneliness and suicide epidemics plaguing young American men are meaningfully addressed. We’ll hear about her reporting, cultural analysis and own experiences as a “boymom.”

Guests:

Ruth Whippman, essayist, cultural critic and author of "BoyMom: Reimagining Boyhood in the Age of Impossible Masculinity"

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The Good, Bad and Annoying as Autonomous Vehicle Services Expand Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

It’s been almost a year since robotaxi companies Waymo and Cruise expanded their operations to offer fully driverless ride services in San Francisco. Testing human-free vehicles in urban environments has proven challenging, with incidents ranging from gaffs like a driverless car stumped by parade traffic to deep safety concerns that led GM to suspend Cruise’s autonomous operations last fall. After a wave of driverless hype, and criticism – where does the industry stand today? We’ll speak with a research engineer who has been studying the promise of autonomous vehicles for half a century, and an investigative reporter tracking the data and the blindspots of these robots on our roads.

Guests:

Bigad Shaban, senior investigative reporter, NBC Bay Area

Steven Shladover, research engineer, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California-Berkeley

Philip Reinckens, senior vice president of commercialization and operations, Gatik

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How Jazz Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

In a speech written for the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music.” King considered jazz music “triumphant” — and this belief is rooted in the widespread popularity of three men: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, according to author Larry Tye. Respectively known as Satchmo, Duke and the Count, the three men were, Tye writes, “symbols of American culture on par with Coca-Cola and Mickey Mouse.” He profiles the trio in his new book, “The Jazzmen.” In it, he pieces together over 250 interviews, including family members and former bandmates, to illustrate how their appeal among both Black and white audiences paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement. Tye joins us to share more.

Guests:

Larry Tye, journalist; author, "The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America"

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What Billionaire Miriam Adelson’s Campaign Spending Could Mean for U.S. Policy in Israel Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

To date, Miriam Adelson has donated over $200 million to various political campaigns. “She is effectively a queen,” reporter Elizabeth Weil writes in her New York Magazine article about the widow of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the richest Israeli and eighth richest woman in the world. As Trump’s top patron in 2020, Adelson has recently announced her intention to channel more than $100 million to this year’s Trump reelection efforts. But what will she want in return? Some speculate Adelson will begin with insistence on complete support for Israel and a continuation of Trump’s Israel agenda from last term, including backing Israel annexing the West Bank. We’ll talk with Weil about Adelson’s 30 billion dollar worth, and what it could mean for this campaign season and our foreign policy.

Guests:

Elizabeth Weil, feature writer, New York Magazine; author of the New York Magazine article "Miriam Adelson’s Unfinished Business: What does the eighth richest woman in the world want?"

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School Board Politics Heat up in California Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

Republicans may lack political power in Sacramento, but in recent years, they’ve made inroads on local school boards. Now, some of those conservative officials are facing recall elections. Temecula voters are heading to the polls on Tuesday to decide whether or not to recall school board president Joseph Komrosky, who worked to ban critical race theory (which is not taught in the district) and require parental notification if students identify as transgender. A recall of conservative school trustees is also in the works in the Bay Area community of Sunol. We’ll look at what’s behind the recalls and what they say about the volatile politics of public education in the state.

Guests:

Madison Aument, reporter, KVCR

Erin Allday, reporter, San Francisco Chronicle

Jonathan Collins, assistant professor of political science and education, Teachers College, Columbia University

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