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Nursing Home Covid Death Toll Prompts Calls for Changes to Licensing, Inspections, Quality of Care Dec 20, 2021

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Of the many Californians who died of COVID , 1 in 8 lived in a nursing home, totaling almost 9400 people. The high death toll is now prompting legislators to rethink oversight and funding of these institutions. We’ll talk about how the pandemic has exposed systemic problems with the quality of care in nursing homes and what a proposed state budget reform linking nursing home funding to new quality standards, might mean for the approximately 400,000 state nursing home residents.

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Remembering Prolific Writer, Feminist bell hooks Dec 18, 2021

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In her celebrated 1999 essay collection "Remembered Rapture" — about the life and craft of a writer — feminist author and educator bell hooks insisted that "[n]o Black woman writer in this culture can write ‘too much’. Indeed, no woman writer can write ‘too much'.... No woman has ever written enough.” hooks, who passed away Wednesday at age 69, published more than 30 books, including the noted works “Ain’t I A Woman?”, “All About Love,” “Sisters of the Yam” and “Teaching to Transgress.” Her writing was foundational in shaping Black feminist thought and widening the feminist worldview beyond white, middle class identity. From her pointed critiques of the “imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarch” to her poignant thoughts on love and healing, we'll reflect on hooks' life and work.

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FDA Lifts Restriction on Mailing Abortion Pills Dec 18, 2021

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The Food and Drug administration on Thursday permanently lifted a restriction on mailing abortion pills to patients. Previously, the pills had to be physically handed out by physicians, but that rule had been loosened during the pandemic. The decision comes as the US Supreme court is considering limits on abortion rights, and is likely to spark further legal battles. We’ll talk about the FDA’s move with Roll Call reporter Sandyha Raman.

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Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan Raises Fears in Bay Area Afghan Community Dec 18, 2021

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The searing images of Afghans desperate to get on to planes leaving Kabul brought the world’s attention to the crisis created in part by the American withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in August. In the four months that have passed, the Taliban have solidified their rule, the international community has responded with sanctions and asset freezes of funds, and a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions has begun unfolding. According to the United Nations, “nearly 23 million people – that is 55% of the population – are facing extreme levels of hunger and nearly 9 million of them are at risk of famine.” The Bay Area is home to one of the largest enclaves of Afghan Americans, and that community has been working tirelessly to help new arrivals and to offer assistance to a country in tatters. As the intensifying crisis nearly disappears from American media coverage, we talk to an Afghan refugee about her fraught journey to leave the country she loves and her community’s struggle to resettle, and we’ll discuss the humanitarian crisis facing those left behind.

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Judge Halts Use of Pesticide That Harms Honeybees Dec 16, 2021

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Taking the side of environmental groups and commercial beekeepers, a California judge earlier this month said he would issue a statewide order banning a pesticide called sulfoxaflor. Part of the class of neuro-active insecticides called neonicotinoids, sulfoxaflor protects crops from insects, but scientists say it is toxic to bees. A study by environmental group Earthjustice found that the number of honeybee colonies in the U.S. fell by 45% from April 2020 to April 2021. We’ll talk about the ban and the worrying decline of pollinators.

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Report: California Medical Board Forgives Sexually Abusive Doctors Dec 16, 2021

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A new investigation by the Los Angeles Times looks at the cases of California doctors who were barred from practice for sexually abusing patients. And it uncovers an alarming pattern: more than half of those who sought to get their licenses back since 2013 were reinstated by the state Medical Board. That’s a higher rate than for doctors who lost their licenses for all other reasons, the Times found. We’ll talk with Times reporters about their investigation, the lack of repercussions for abusers, and hear the stories of abuse victims.

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What Steph Curry's New Three-Point Record Means for His Legacy Dec 16, 2021

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The Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry set a new NBA record for career three-pointers on Tuesday. His career total is now 2,977, surpassing Ray Allen’s record set in 2014. "I never wanted to call myself the greatest shooter until I got this record,” Curry said in a post-game press conference, “So I'm comfortable saying that now." We'll talk about Curry’s historic achievement, his legacy and how he’s changed the way basketball is played with The Athletic columnist Marcus Thompson, author of "Golden: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry."

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The Funny Little Ways Immigrant Parents Show Their Love Dec 16, 2021

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Cutting up fruit and delivering it to you without asking if you want it. Sending Google alerts about murders in your area. Sitting with you while you do hours of Kumon homework. These are a few of the ways immigrant parents show their love according to comedian Meghana Indurti, who has a recent New Yorker humor piece on the topic. Her TikToks featuring her stoic father, who didn’t say the words “I love you” until she was 22, have gone viral. We’ll talk to Indurti and we want to hear from you. How have your immigrant parents expressed their affection?

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Culture Writer Anne Helen Peterson on ‘the Escalating Costs of Being Single in America’ Dec 15, 2021

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According to a recent Pew study, a rising percentage of adults in the U.S. are living without a spouse or partner. But U.S. social policy still tends to value families over individuals – reflected in the structure of everything from our tax codes to social security and workplace benefits. As a result, according to the same Pew study, unpartnered adults generally have worse economic and social status outcomes than those who are married or cohabiting. In a story for The Goods by Vox, culture writer and author Anne Helen Petersen asks “what would it look like to create small systems of care for one another that go beyond one other individual?” Petersen joins us to consider that question and talk about the escalating costs of being single in the U.S.

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A Mother’s Journey to Save Her Daughter from Addiction, Homelessness Dec 15, 2021

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Laurie Ann Steves drove from Seattle to San Francisco last May to try to reconnect with her daughter, Jessica, who is addicted to fentanyl and lives on and off the streets of San Francisco. Steves joins us to share how she tried to intervene in her daughter’s life, just months after losing her son to addiction, and we’ll hear from the San Francisco Chronicle journalists who documented her efforts. As we enter the holiday season, which can be a particularly painful time for those wanting to connect with a loved one struggling with mental health problems, homelessness or drug addiction, we get advice from UCSF psychiatrist Dr. Fumi Mitsuishi.

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