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Rethinking the Senate: The Modern Filibuster, Political Appointments, and Minority Rule Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

With 60 votes required to override a filibuster, even the Democrats’ narrow Senate majority doesn’t guarantee that President Biden’s legislation will pass. The modern filibuster, where senators delay or block a bill just by signaling their intent to filibuster, is enough to kill a bill. The Senate rules have been tweaked over the past decade, but that’s not enough to escape the filibuster’s role in history -- it became a tool to uphold slavery and block civil rights laws. Amid calls to #EndtheFilibuster and reform the Senate rules, we’ll take a step back and talk about the Senate’s role in upholding minority rule.

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California Begins to Shut Down Its Youth Prison System Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

In a historic change, California’s youth prisons will stop taking in new offenders in July. In 2023, all state juvenile detention facilities will close and responsibility for youth offenders will shift to counties. The state’s youth lockups have long been plagued by scandals and allegations of mistreatment. The move to smaller, local facilities is intended to provide a less punitive approach and increase rehabilitation and access to services. But some advocates for youth offenders worry conditions will get worse when counties take control. As counties formulate their plans ahead of the closures, we’ll talk about what juvenile justice may look like in California’s near future.

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Biden's Overhaul of U.S.-Mexico Border Policy Faces Early Challenges Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Monday that the Biden Administration will seek to reunite hundreds of migrant children with their families -- either in the United States or in their country of origin -- who were separated under Trump-era zero tolerance policies. The pledge comes as officials undertake a massive overhaul of the nation’s border policies, including the elimination of Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols, which required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims were processed. We’ll talk about what the policy shifts mean and how immigration officials plan to handle what Mayorkas calls a “stressful challenge” at the border.

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Writer Rebecca Carroll on Her New Memoir 'Surviving the White Gaze' Mar 01, 2021

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Writer and cultural critic Rebecca Carroll grew up in an idyllic New England town where no one wanted to talk about race or even see it. She's Black. Her parents were white. Adopted as a baby, Carroll never met another Black person in real life until she was 6. Her new memoir, “Surviving the White Gaze”, recounts episodes from her childhood and adolescence in which the people who love her most failed to see her for who she is. We'll talk with Rebecca Carroll about her book and about the experience of interracial adoption.

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Journalist Jane Coaston Wants to Know What You're Arguing About Mar 01, 2021

Show notes

The New York Times Opinion’s weekly podcast “The Argument” -- a place for “Strongly-held opinions. Open-minded debates. Only occasional yelling” -- has a new host in politics journalist Jane Coaston. Coaston, who previously reported for Vox and has covered conservatism and the American right for years, writes “things on the program might get awkward, and that’s the whole point.” For her debut episode, Coaston and guests debate a contentious issue: whether the Senate should get rid of the filibuster. We’ll talk to Coaston about the show and the meaning of a productive argument in an era of political tribalism and widespread disinformation. We’ll also get her take on the latest politics news.

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Pets in the Pandemic Feb 26, 2021

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Many found having a pet to be a lifesaver during the pandemic. As pet adoptions skyrocketed, dogs, cats and other pets became hard to find. One animal adoption agency recorded a 900% increase in requests to foster a dog in the early days of the pandemic. And on the other end of the spectrum, the American Humane Society estimates that up to 10 million pets may be surrendered because of the economic strain on owners during the pandemic. With owners staying home 24/7, it seemed like a perfect world for our pets. But was it? And now that the world is slowly reopening, what will life be like for the pets we leave at home? We’ll examine the pandemic’s impact on our pets.

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Why Joy Matters Even During A Global Crisis Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

During a time of stress and great suffering -- such as a global pandemic -- experiencing joy may seem impossible, and even naive or callous. Experts argue, however, that joy is essential even during hard times, even when it feels like the world is on fire or in the face of longstanding problems such as systemic racism. For many people, the pandemic has redefined joy and how they experience it such as spending more time at home with family. We examine the role of joy during times of crisis.

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SF Mayor London Breed on How Her City is Coping Almost a Year Into the Pandemic Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

It's been almost a year since Mayor London Breed has been on Forum. But what a year it's been. She and San Francisco's public health leadership were credited with implementing a shutdown that slowed the progress of the pandemic here. But eventually the virus caught up with us, and measures to control it have decimated small businesses especially downtown, the tourism and restaurant industries, and the city's budget. We'll talk to Mayor Breed about crime, homelessness, and other challenges facing the city.

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Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel on the Ethics of Vaccine Distribution Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

Reports continue to surface this week of vaccine line-jumpers -- people who, knowingly or not, take advantage of loopholes that enable them to get a coveted COVID shot ahead of those who need one more urgently. In the Bay Area and in Los Angeles, vaccine access codes meant for vulnerable communities of color circulated by text message to some ineligible Californians, who used them at mass vaccination sites. Separately, “vaccine chasers” are gathering at some pharmacies and clinics in hopes of receiving a dose that would otherwise be thrown away. It’s all raising questions about the ethics and effectiveness of current state and national vaccine distribution systems. We’ll talk about what more can be done to promote equitable vaccine allocation.

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Lawrence Ferlinghetti, A San Francisco Icon, Dies at 101 Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, a poet, writer, publisher and founder of City Lights Books, died on Monday at the age of 101. "I really believe that art is capable of the total transformation of the world, and of life itself,” Ferlinghetti once said, and his multifaceted career bore that out. As a poet, Ferlinghetti offered what one critic called, a “plain-spoken, often wry critique of American culture.” As a publisher, Ferlinghetti nurtured the Beat movement, publishing writers like Allen Ginsberg, whose poem “Howl,” defined a generation. And as the founder of City Lights Books, he created a haven for the literary minded. His North Beach bookstore remains a well-loved and revered San Francisco institution. We’ll talk about Ferlinghetti’s life and legacy.

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