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Love It or Hate It, the Presidential Fitness Test Is Making a Comeback Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

Remember the flexed arm hang? The mile run? The Presidential Fitness Test – a battery of physical challenges that has prompted both dread and pride in students since the Eisenhower administration – is getting a reboot under the current administration. We’ll look at what California is currently doing to encourage youth fitness and what we’ve learned from more than 50 years of health data collected by school fitness tests, including the updated version that took hold under the Obama administration in 2012. And we want to hear from you: what are your memories of the Presidential Fitness Test? What do you think about its return?

Guests:

Hannah Thompson, assistant research professor of Community Health Sciences, UC Berkeley; incoming director for the UC Nutrition Policy Institute

Taylor Tobin, freelance journalist who writes about food, health and lifestyle

Renata Simril, CEO and President of the LA84 Foundation, and President of the Play Equity Fund

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Is Your Perfectionism a Problem? Aug 15, 2025

Show notes

On the surface, being a perfectionist may not seem so bad. What’s wrong with wanting straight A’s or an impeccable home or conflict-free relationships? But, therapists have long warned that not managing perfectionism properly can lead to anxiety, depression and a wide range of other problems. Perfectionism manifests in various ways. Sometimes people expect themselves to be perfect or feel like they will never be good enough for others. Sometimes they expect the people around them to be perfect and end up disappointed. We’ll talk about the different kinds of perfectionism with experts who can help you keep it in check.

Guests:

Leslie Jamison, author; her recent article in The New Yorker is titled, "The Pain of Perfectionism" - her books include "Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story" and "The Empathy Exams"

Sahaj Kaur Kohli, therapist, writer, speaker, and founder, Brown Girl Therapy; author of the book, "But What Will People Say? Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures"

Angela Li, licensed clinical psychologist, Based in San Francisco

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UCLA Faces $1 Billion Fine in Trump Administration’s Latest Battle with Higher Education Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to restore more than $80 million in grants it withheld from UCLA. The ruling comes as the government accuses the university of antisemitism on campus and discrimination in admissions. To resolve the funding freeze, Trump is demanding a $1 billion settlement, which Governor Gavin Newsom characterizes as extortion and UC officials say would “completely devastate” the public university system. We look at how UCLA and other universities are responding to Trump’s pressure campaign.

Guests:

Jaweed Kaleem, education reporter, The Los Angeles Times

Eric Kelderman, senior writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education

Siobhan Braybrook, associate professor, UCLA

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Trump’s Tariff Policy Raising Prices of Coffee, Clothing and More Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

For months, economists have predicted that Trump’s tariff policy would crash the economy. While that has not yet happened, leading economic indicators, like inflation and jobs numbers, do indicate that the economy is slowing despite a strong stock market. We’ll talk about how this latest round of tariffs is impacting consumers and businesses, and hear how your spending and savings habits have changed.

Guests:

Neale Mahoney, professor of economics, Stanford University; former special policy advisor for economic policy, White House National Economic Council

Corazon Padilla, director of coffee quality and sourcing, Andytown Coffee Roasters

Tracy Alloway, financial journalist and co-host of Bloomberg's "Odd Lots" podcast

Bastian Schoell, owner, The Spanish Table

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AI Reshapes the Economy and Roils Geopolitics, Even as GPT-5 Fizzles Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

Big Tech’s spending on AI infrastructure, like data centers, is so enormous that it’s reshaping the U.S. economy on a scale likened to the building of the railroads. AI is also now at the center of geopolitical conflicts, as President Trump strikes a deal with Nvidia allowing it to sell its chips to China, upending longstanding national security policy. And yet, the much-hyped launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5 has left many users underwhelmed. We take stock of the way the AI industry is reshaping our world.

Guests:

Zoë Schiffer, oversees coverage of business and Silicon Valley at WIRED

Mat Honan, editor in chief, MIT Technology Review

Brian Merchant, tech journalist, writes the "Blood in the Machine" newsletter

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As Medicaid Cuts Loom, California Health Clinics Face Uncertain Future Aug 13, 2025

Show notes

The Republican spending bill signed into law by President Trump last month slashes an estimated $150 billion in federal Medicaid funding to California over the next 10 years. Nearly 40% percent of Californians rely on Medi-Cal for health coverage, and now millions are expected to fall off the rolls. That’s leaving medical providers bracing for impacts, especially in places already struggling to serve all who need care. We talk to heads of clinics in the Central Valley, Shasta County and Los Angeles to hear how they’re coping.

Guests:

Mitesh Popat, chief executive officer, Venice Family Clinic

David Quackenbush, president and chief executive officer, Golden Valley Health Centers

Jo Campbell, chief executive officer, Hill Country Community Clinic

Miranda Dietz, interim director, Health Care Program, UC Berkeley Labor Center

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California Governor’s Race Shifts as Harris, Kounalakis Say They’re Not Running Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

What’s happened since former Vice President Kamala Harris said she’s not running to replace Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor? Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who received early funding and an unofficial endorsement from Nancy Pelosi, said on Friday that she’s not running either. The announcement has again scrambled the political calculations of California’s gubernatorial hopefuls. We’ll talk with KQED’s politics team about early campaign rumblings, funding and top issues likely to define the California governor’s race. And we’ll hear from you: what kind of governor do you think California needs right now?

Guests:

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

Scott Shafer, senior editor and co-host of Political Breakdown, KQED

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What Does Donald Trump’s Use of the National Guard Mean for our Democracy? Aug 12, 2025

Show notes

In the past, a U.S. president deployed the National Guard on domestic soil to enforce laws or quash protests once every few decades in extremely rare circumstances. President Donald Trump has now done so twice in a matter of three months.. The first was in June to tamp down protests against his immigration policies in Los Angeles. A federal trial began Monday over whether Trump had the authority to order that deployment. Also on Monday, Trump announced sending the National Guards to Washington D.C. to fight crime and clear homeless shelters, despite the city reporting its lowest crime rate in 30 years. We’ll talk about how Trump is breaking precedents using federal troops for local law enforcement and what it means for our nation.

Guests:

Shawn Hubler, California correspondent, The New York Times

Jenny Jarvie, national correspondent, The Los Angeles Times

Laura Dickinson, professor, The George Washington University Law School

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Why We Need Shade in a Warming World Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

In Los Angeles County — famous for its sunshine — just 20% of urbanized areas are shaded at noon. That’s creating a serious health hazard for people who work outdoors, wait at bus stops or play outside. Environmental journalist Sam Bloch argues that shade should be considered a basic human right, akin to access to clean air and safe drinking water. We speak with Bloch about why modern cities have so little shade and how we can reintroduce it as a fundamental element of urban design. Bloch’s new book is “Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource.” Do you struggle to find shade in your community?

Guests:

Sam Bloch, environmental journalist

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Shoshana Walter’s ‘Rehab’ Finds Corruption, Profiteering and Dismal Rates of Recovery In America’s Drug Treatment System Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

Nearly eight years ago, journalist Shoshana Walter followed a lead on a drug and alcohol rehab program that put patients to work at a chicken plant. What she found was one of many programs that boasted treatment and recovery, but actually profited off the unpaid labor of people struggling with addiction. In her new book, “Rehab: An American Scandal”, Walter continues to interrogate America’s drug treatment system by following four people navigating an industry that not only kept patients stuck in a cycle of addiction and relapse, but that actually stymied their recovery. We’ll talk through the dark side of the rehab industry, what this book reveals about the ways patients are exploited for profit, and who actually has a chance at recovery in America.

Guests:

Shoshana Walter, investigative reporter, the Marshall Project; author of "Rehab: An American Scandal"

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