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As Coronavirus Cases Spike, Vaccine News Offers Hope Nov 17, 2020

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Biotechnology company Moderna announced Monday that its coronavirus vaccine candidate appears to be 94.5% effective against the disease. The news comes one week after Pfizer announced that its vaccine was more than 90% effective in a clinical trial. As California rolls back reopening plans amid a spike in cases, we’ll discuss next steps for the new vaccines and what we know about safety and long-term effectiveness.

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San Francisco Sees Troubling Rise in Drug Overdose Deaths Nov 17, 2020

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San Francisco has recorded more than 460 drug overdose deaths from January to August of this year, compared to 441 in all of 2019, according to the city's Medical Examiner's Office. The fatalities are chiefly attributable to fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic opioid that drug experts say only recently became widely available in San Francisco. We'll talk about what can be done to prevent more overdose deaths, and why the pandemic is complicating some efforts to provide people the treatment they need.

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Pushed Off Twitter, Extreme Right Finds Home on 'Free Speech' Social Networks Nov 16, 2020

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In the weeks leading up to the presidential election, Twitter and Facebook drew praise from political misinformation watchdogs for attaching warning labels to misleading posts and banning accounts associated with QAnon and other extremist groups. But those moves may have breathed life into so-called "free speech" platforms like Parler, where some prominent Trump supporters have migrated. We'll talk about the rising popularity of conservative social networks and their implications for our already deeply fractured national political discourse.

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California Wildfire Survivors Will Start Getting Emergency PG&E Payments this Month Nov 16, 2020

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Wildfire survivors eligible for compensation from PG&E for the 2017 wine country fires and the 2018 Camp Fire will begin getting emergency payments of up to $25,000 by November 23rd. That’s according to an announcement earlier this month by the PG&E Fire Victim Trust. The coronavirus pandemic has compounded the financial devastation for families suffering injury or property loss from the fires. We’ll get the latest on the long-running efforts of fire victims to receive compensation.

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Journalist Robert Costa on the Latest Political News Nov 16, 2020

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Forum reviews, analyzes and answers your questions about the latest in national political news.

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Ballot Measure Recap: What 2020's Results Tell Us About Californians' Political Values Nov 13, 2020

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The majority of California voters may label themselves liberal or progressive, but some of the results of statewide propositions in last week’s election may suggest otherwise. The initiative to repeal a ban on affirmative action failed. California voted to restore voting rights to former felons, but against other criminal justice reforms, like doing away with cash bail. And the effort to hike taxes on commercial properties to fund schools failed. Meanwhile, Californians chose mostly Democratic candidates while voting overwhelmingly to send Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris to the White House. They also sent more Democrats to Sacramento, which will solidify their supermajority in the California Legislature. We’ll discuss the results of the California ballot measures and what they say about where the state stands politically in 2020.

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How Distance Learning Is Affecting Kids Nov 13, 2020

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As coronavirus cases spike across California, Bay Area school districts continue to weigh when and how to reopen. San Jose Unified School District recently announced plans to open classrooms in January; Oakland Unified has yet to set a date. But what impact is remote learning having on the education and mental health of students? We’ll discuss the effects of remote learning on K-12 students and the inequities deepening these concerns and we’ll want to hear from you: how are your children doing with distance learning?

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Spike in California Coronavirus Cases Raise Concerns About Reopening, Holiday Travel Nov 12, 2020

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Coronavirus cases reached their highest level with nearly 140,000 cases nationwide reported on Tuesday. Much of the surge is concentrated in the Midwest, but the West Coast is also seeing an uptick. The number of infections has steadily risen nationwide since September and will likely keep climbing as cold weather forces people indoors and Americans travel for the holidays. Meanwhile, uncertainty looms over what will happen with President Donald Trump still in office and President-elect Joe Biden setting up a response that may come too late for many Americans. We talk about why the U.S. has struggled to contain the coronavirus and what measures California is taking to prevent a winter surge.

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As Emergency Funds Run Out, Golden Gate Bridge Considers Toll Hike Nov 12, 2020

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The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District will vote Friday whether or not to raise the Golden Gate Bridge toll by $2. With car traffic, along with bus and ferry ridership, way down because of the pandemic, the agency is facing a $48 million deficit. Officials say federal emergency funds being used to pay employees will run out at the end of this month. We’ll get the details.

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Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on Threats to U.S. Democracy Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

President Trump’s refusal to concede the presidential race, his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, and his replacement of Pentagon officials with loyalists is drawing comparisons to actions by authoritarian leaders. We’ll talk with political scientists and former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, about threats to American democracy and a peaceful transfer of power. And we’ll discuss the challenges president-elect Biden is likely to face in rebuilding world alliances and addressing threats from Russia and China.

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