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How a Government Shutdown Will Impact California Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Federal spending talks ground to a halt this week, with Democrats wanting healthcare subsidies to be included in any approved funding bills. Republicans are opposed and refusing to negotiate. President Trump does not appear interested in working out a compromise. He canceled a meeting last week with Democratic party leaders, and the White House says that it will order federal agencies to fire employees permanently if Democrats do not vote to approve a stopgap spending measure now. We talk about the stakes and what a government shutdown could mean for California.

Guests:

Adhiti Bandlamudi, housing reporter, KQED

Russell Berman, staff writer, The Atlantic

Sarah Wire, senior national political correspondent, USA Today

Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter, Politico

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Poet Ada Limón’s New Collection 'Startlement' Centers Wonder and Connection Sep 29, 2025

Show notes

Sonoma native and former U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón’s collection of new and selected poetry contemplates her relationship to nature, the role of art in an unruly world, and our connection to one another. Her hope is to create “some strange idiosyncratic song, an imperfect echo, to nature and humanity so they will know how much they are loved.” We talk to Limón about her new collection, “Startlement.”

Guests:

Ada Limón, poet

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So You Want to Work in Hollywood? Here’s How. Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Breaking into Hollywood isn’t what it used to be. Two former LA Times editors who have covered the entertainment industry for years offer a road map on how to make it in a business being reshaped by AI, streaming and social media. Ada Tseng and Jon Healey spoke with hundreds of showbiz professionals – from actors and producers, to agents and gaffers – getting honest advice about how to get started (hint: think twice before becoming a personal assistant). Their book is “Breaking Into New Hollywood: A Career Guide to a Changing Industry.” If you’re in the entertainment industry, what’s the most valuable advice you received?

Guests:

Ada Tseng, writer and editor; co-host, "Saturday School" - an Asian American pop culture history podcast

Jon Healey, former reporter and editor for The Los Angeles Times

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Why Marin Is Banning Kids From Riding Some E-Bikes Sep 26, 2025

Show notes

Marin County is known as the birthplace of modern mountain biking and it has long had a robust cycling culture. But lately, motorized e-bikes – some that go over 50 miles per hour – surged in popularity, especially with young people. A rise in serious bike accidents involving children and teens prompted county officials to ban anyone under 16 from riding the fastest e-bikes – the first ban of its kind in the state. We’ll talk about the prevalence of e-bikes, Marin’s attempt to regulate them – and why some Bay Area riders need to slow down.

Guests:

Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, news editor, KQED

Asha Weinstein Agrawal, professor and researcher, Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University

Talia Smith, legislative director, Marin County

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New State Climate Plan To Reduce Energy Costs, Fortify Grid Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law one of the biggest environmental policy overhauls in decades, a package of six bills aimed at meeting California’s ambitious climate goals — while making housing and electricity more affordable. The new legislation lays out a plan to reduce consumer electricity costs and harden the state’s energy grid; it also insulates utility providers from wildfire liability and incentivizes oil and gas companies to remain in the state. We take a closer look at the changes and trade-offs and what they mean for you.

Guests:

Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host of the podcast, "Climate Break"

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Can We Really Design Our Way Out of Our Problems? Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

In her new book, “The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History,” historian and designer Maggie Gram traces the evolution of the field of design from a focus on decoration and the way things look, to a much grander idea — that we can design ourselves into a better world. From furniture and iPhone design to helping revamp city government, “good design” has been touted as the answer to a better life. We talk with Gram about her skepticism about tech’s confidence in being able to design solutions to enormous problems and the peril, and promise, of design thinking.

Guests:

Maggie Gram, historian and designer; author, "The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History"

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What the U.S. Can Learn from Bolsonaro’s Coup Conviction Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets over the weekend to protest an amnesty bill for former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 election. Trump, who has likened himself to Bolsonaro, called the trial a “witch hunt” and punished the country with 50% tariffs and sanctions on government officials. We look at the parallels between the two men, and what the U.S. can learn from Brazil’s effort to hold its leaders accountable and defend its democracy.

Guests:

Julia Vargas Jones, correspondent, CNN

Juliana Dal Piva, investigative reporter, ICL Noticias and Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística

Jack Nicas, Brazil bureau chief, The New York Times

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Trump Dropped A $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Sent Silicon Valley Spinning Sep 24, 2025

Show notes

President Trump’s announcement Friday of a $100,000 dollar fee for H-1B visas has thrown the tech world – and communities of immigrants – into states of confusion and concern. Many employers, working with the scant information from the president, warned traveling workers to scramble back to the US immediately, before the administration later clarified that the fees wouldn’t apply to existing visa holders. But it’s still far from clear what the new rules mean for foreign workers and companies. We’ll talk about the new changes to H-1B visas, how communities and companies are responding and what it means for the future of tech hiring.

Guests:

Tanay Gokhale, independent journalist based in Oakland; formerly the community reporter at India Currents and continues to write for them on a freelance basis

Pranav Dixit, Meta correspondent covering Trump's H-1B visa fee, Business Insider

Emily Neumann, immigration attorney, Reddy Neumann Brown PC

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Mourning Charlie Kirk, Trump Blames the Left for Political Violence Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

A memorial service for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk became a political rally on Sunday, as President Trump told the crowd that unlike Kirk, he hates his opponents and blamed the “radical left” for political violence. Washington Post columnist Shadi Hamid says that as influential Republicans use Kirk’s killing to demonize the left, the country is failing a crucial test: the ability to absorb political violence without discarding democratic cornerstones like free speech, respect for dissent and due process. We talk to Hamid and to New York Times reporter Jeremy Peters about this fraught political moment, and how, in Hamid’s words, we can step back from the brink.

Guests:

Shadi Hamid, columnist at the Washington Post, his forthcoming book is "The Case for American Power"

Jeremy W. Peters, national reporter focusing on free speech, The New York Times - author, "Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted"

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‘Inherited Inequality’ Challenges the Idea That Two-Parent Homes Are Key to Kids’ Success Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

For decades, policy makers, politicians, and experts have blamed an absence of Black fathers as the reason Black children tend to not fare as well as white children. That reasoning has led to a lot of public policy pushing the two-parent family structure. In her new book, “Inherited Inequality: Why Opportunity Gaps Persist between Black and White Youth Raised in Two-Parent Families,” Harvard Sociologist Christina Cross argues that this claim is a distraction from addressing the systemic inequities that hold kids back such as racial discrimination in the housing market, schools and workplaces. We talk with Cross about how the two-parent paradigm became the standard and when that premise becomes harmful.

Guests:

Christina Cross, associate professor of sociology, Harvard University - author of, "Inherited Inequality: Why Opportunity Gaps Persist between Black and White Youth Raised in Two-Parent Families"

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