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Ukrainian Tech Workers in Bay Area and Abroad Mobilize High-Tech Skills to Aid War Effort Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

Silicon Valley employs a lot of highly skilled Ukrainian tech workers. As Ukrainians globally pitch in to resist Russia’s advance, tech workers are banding together to use their skills for Ukrainian resistance and aid. We’ll check in with tech workers in the Bay Area and Ukraine who are fighting Russian propaganda and cyber efforts, handling logistics to marshal supplies and move refugees and carrying other acts of IT resistance.

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Russia Threatens Western Companies with Seizures and Arrests Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

According to a new Wall Street Journal report, the Russian government has threatened that it will seize assets of companies that withdraw from Russia and also arrest corporate leaders who criticize the government. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Proctor & Gamble, IBM and Kentucky Fried Chicken are among the corporations that have been warned. This move by the government comes after a spate of Western companies announced that they will be rolling back their Russian business or cutting off ties with Russia altogether. We’ll talk about what this means for the future of Western businesses in Russia.

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Peace Talks Stall and Russian Attacks on Ukraine Cities Continue Unabated Marisa Lagos Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine faltered on Monday while Russia’s devastating attacks on cities in Ukraine continued to intensify. Meanwhile, amid a widening humanitarian crisis that’s forced more than two million Ukrainians to flee, President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to press for more military equipment from NATO member states and will appeal to U.S. lawmakers in a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. As the invasion enters its third week, we take stock of the war’s devastating impact and the further actions the U.S. and its allies may take.

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Is 3 Days a Week the 'New Normal' for In-Office Work? Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

Seventy percent of Bay Area employers are expecting to bring their workers back to the office this month, according to a recent Bay Area Council survey. But many are asking for only three days in person, a major shift from pre-pandemic times. As businesses begin to return to in-person work, employers are looking to find the right balance of time spent remote and face-to-face. Silicon Valley is a case-in-point: Google is telling most workers they need to come into the office at least three days a week starting April 4, but Twitter said its employees can work from home permanently if they want. We’ll talk with experts about the “new normal” of work and what it means for Bay Area companies, employees, and communities.

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Watchful Congressional Democrats Look Ahead to Midterms Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

President Biden joined a retreat with House Democrats in Philadelphia on Friday to strategize about the party's priorities ahead of what many political watchers say could be a bruising midterm election cycle for them. We'll preview some key races and look at Georgia's transition to a battleground state during the 2020 election campaign.

Guests:

Melanie Mason, national political correspondent, Los Angeles Times

Annie Karni, congressional correspondent, New York Times

Greg Bluestein, politics reporter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His forthcoming book is "FLIPPED: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power."

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Biden Executive Order on Cryptocurrency Opens Door to Future Regulation Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

President Joe Biden issued a long-awaited cryptocurrency executive order Wednesday, directing federal agencies to study a wide range of issues including protecting consumers and businesses, safeguarding national security, and preventing criminal activity. The order also includes a directive to study the possibility of creating a U.S. digital dollar, an idea that other countries like China, which already has government-backed tokens, have embraced. Biden’s order comes as countries around the world have been rushing to catch up on regulating the cryptocurrency market. We’ll talk about the prevalence of crypto, its growing acceptance as a currency and how it should be regulated.

Guests:

Laura Shin, host, "Unchained" podcast. Shin is the author of "The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies and the Making of the First Cryptocurrency Craze"

Nathaniel Popper, author of "Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money"

Charlie Warzel, contributing writer, The Atlantic. Warzel is the author of "Galaxy Brain," a newsletter about the internet and big ideas

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One Year After Atlanta Spa Shootings, More Disturbing Reports of Anti-Asian Hate Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

Seventy-four percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander women reported having personally experienced racism or discrimination in the last 12 months, according to a new study by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. The news comes as we approach the March 16 anniversary of the murder of eight people, most of them Asian women, at three Atlanta-area spas. We’ll discuss the latest data on harassment and hate crimes against Asian Americans and what civil rights groups and others are doing to fight it

Guests:

Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies, San Francisco State University; co-founder, Stop AAPI Hate

R.O. Kwon , author, the novel "The Incendiaries,"; co-editor, the anthology "KINK: Stories," and the Vanity Fair article, "A Letter to My Fellow Asian Women Whose Hearts Are Still Breaking."

Nellie Tran, Associate Professor of Counseling and School Psychology, San Diego State University.

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Former Soviet Immigrant Reflects on War in Ukraine Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

Nastia Voynovskaya, an associate editor for KQED Arts, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and raised in the Bay Area and Florida after her family immigrated to the U.S. in the late nineties. In a recent story for KQED, she shares that for many former Soviet immigrants, Russia’s war on Ukraine is horrific. She writes: "Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine feels particularly vile because it’s so contrary to the kinship many people from both nations feel." A kinship Voynovskaya feels in her own family, which includes a Ukrainian stepfather, and that she felt at early protests held in San Francisco against the war. We’ll talk to Voynovskaya about her reflections and how some former Soviet immigrants are reacting to Russia's war on Ukraine.

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Kremlin-Targeted Journalist Roman Badanin on Russian Media Censorship Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

“In Russia—where there is increasing distrust of official state narratives, and an ongoing crackdown on independent media that has forced me and many others to leave the country—it is difficult to know what is true and what is fiction,” wrote Roman Badanin, former editor-in-chief of the independent Russian investigative outlet Proekt, in October 2021. Badanin has been targeted by the Russian government for his investigative reporting, and he’s the founder and editor in chief of a news collaboration between similarly targeted reporters, Agentstvo. He joins us to talk about censorship in Russia today and the independent Russian journalists working illegally to convey the truth.

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California K-12 School Mask Mandate To End After March 11 Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

California’s mask mandate for its K-12 schools ends after Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last month. The state now strongly recommends, but does not require, masks in K-12 school settings: that decision is now up to school districts. We want to hear your thoughts and questions about California’s lifting of its mask mandate for K-12 schools, especially if you’re a parent, educator or student. Leave us a voicemail: 415-553-3300.

Guests:

Grace Lee, associate chief medical officer for Practice Innovation and pediatric infectious diseases physician, Stanford Children’s Health

Dr. Erica Pan, California State Epidemiologist and deputy director for the Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health

Hilaria Bauer, superintendent, Alum Rock Unified School District

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