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'What Roe Could Take Down With It' if Abortion Rights End Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in what looks to be the beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade, according to legal scholars. If that is the case, and Roe is reversed, there stands to be a number of ripple effects beyond abortion rights, too. In a new article for The Atlantic, "What Roe Could Take Down With It," constitutional law expert Kimberly Wehle writes that "the logic being used against Roe could weaken the legal foundations of many rights Americans value deeply" including laws regulating marriage equality and contraception use, for example. We'll consider the different layers of what's at stake with abortion rights and beyond.

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Electric Vehicle Future Brightens As Charging Infrastructure Set to Expand Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

With gas-burning vehicles the largest source of California's greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to clean energy sources in transportation is considered key to slowing climate change. In recent weeks California has been allocated a major boost in federal and state funds to expand the electric vehicle charging network. We'll discuss the plans and how much they might move the needle on e-vehicle adoption. We’ll also look at promising new technology to make EV's more attractive and affordable, and innovative proposals for improving charging, including electrified roads that charge the car while you drive.

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Complex Emotions Find Names in 'The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows' Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever felt "slipfast" (a longing to melt into a crowd and become invisible)? Or "scabulous" (proud of a certain scar on your body)? Those are some of the many words John Keonig has created for emotions we've felt all our lives but lacked words to describe. We talk to Keonig about why he says there are vast holes in our emotional lexicon and why it's important for humans to develop a richer language to describe our interior lives. Koenig's new book, more than ten years in the making, is "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows."

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CalAcademy’s Lauren Esposito on Scorpions and the LGBTQ+ Scientists Changing Science Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Scorpions might be terrifying to most people. But to scientist Lauren Esposito, they are the foundation of her career, which has taken her from a childhood in El Paso, turning over rocks in search of insects, to eventually land her at the California Academy of Sciences. In addition to discovering new species of these arachnids, she’s also become an outspoken advocate for queer scientists. An ongoing exhibit she curated at the California Academy of Sciences celebrates the contributions of LGBTQ+ people. Esposito joins as part of our first person series, which profiles leaders and change-makers in the Bay Area. We’ll talk with her about the organization she founded, 500 Queer Scientists, why she’s drawn to studying scorpions, and how she has so far managed to avoid being stung.

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High School Basketball Players Have Their Own Professional League Now Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

For decades, young athletes only had one major route to the playing professional leagues — playing for an NCAA Division I team. Today, however, talented basketball players have a chance to skip college and go professional in leagues like Overtime Elite, which pays its players six-figure salaries while prepping them for a professional career either in the NBA or abroad. Is this a positive trend that allows athletes to monetize their abilities or is it a youth sports culture taken to the apex of extremes? We’ll talk about professional high school basketball and what it means for the future of the sport.

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Coronavirus Omicron Variant Arrives in California Amid Concerns Over Global Vaccine Inequities Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

On Wednesday, officials in San Francisco confirmed California’s first case of the coronavirus omicron variant. The patient in the case had recently traveled to South Africa, whose scientists first identified the omicron variant and tracked thousands of cases among its population. The emergence of the variant has reinforced concerns about low rates of vaccination in Africa and other developing regions, which have struggled to obtain and administer vaccines for their citizens. We’ll talk about global vaccine inequities and how to expand vaccine access worldwide.

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High Prices, Low Stock, Dim Consumer Holiday Spirit Dec 02, 2021

Show notes

Retailers hope for a record holiday spending season this year, but for many Americans, prices rising at the fastest rate in 30 years may hamper holiday glee at the checkout counter. Even Christmas trees are up to 30% more expensive than last year. We’ll break down how prices and supply chain issues are affecting consumers, and get some tips on how to save money while beating shortages. And we want to hear from you: How are you changing your shopping habits this holiday season?

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Roe v. Wade on the Line as Supreme Court Hears Mississippi Abortion Case Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday morning in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case, brought by Mississippi’s only licensed abortion clinic, challenges a 2018 state law that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Mississippi officials are asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that affirms the constitutional right to abortion. Meanwhile, abortion restrictions in states such as Mississippi and Texas are pushing people to travel out-of-state to seek abortion care. We examine the Mississippi case and its potential impact on California.

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What Dorsey’s Exit Means for Twitter’s Future Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

On Monday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced -- in a tweet -- that he was leaving the company he co-founded in 2006. His successor, Parag Agrawal, started as a product engineer and climbed Twitter’s ranks to become Chief Technology Officer in 2017. We'll look at Dorsey’s legacy and discuss what the change could mean for the future of the San Francisco-based social media giant as it grapples with challenges like misinformation and finding new users.

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Stanford Professor Jo Boaler Explains California's Proposed Math Instruction Guidelines Nov 30, 2021

Show notes

Earlier this year, California proposed an overhaul of its K-12 math teaching guidelines to address racial and economic disparities in math achievement. The draft proposal recommends de-emphasizing calculus, detracking some students and incorporating data science and equity and inclusion into math instruction. Critics say that the framework, which is an optional set of guidelines and not a new curriculum, politicizes math. We talk to Stanford professor Jo Boaler, a member of the committee which drafted the guidelines, about the proposed framework.

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