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Latest Episodes:

Kara Swisher’s “Burn Book” Recaps a Career Reporting on the Tech Industry Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

“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

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New Memoirs Take a Fresh Look at Divorce, American Style Mar 07, 2024

Show notes

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.

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Election 2024: California Super Tuesday Results Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

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

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Election 2024: Bay Area Super Tuesday Results Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

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

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Everything You Wanted to Know About The Oscars Craft Categories Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

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"

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‘Tough Broad’ Caroline Paul on the Importance of Outdoor Adventures While We Age Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

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

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Can Science Explain a Broken Heart? Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

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

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Election 2024: Key Races and Ballot Measures in the March Primary Mar 04, 2024

Show notes

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

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Barbara McQuade on the Disinformation That's 'Sabotaging America' Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

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"

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After Closure Announcement, a Look at Macy’s Heyday…and Union Square’s Future Mar 01, 2024

Show notes

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

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