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Latest Episodes:

Is It Time to Rethink Pediatric ADHD? Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

A record high 7 million U.S. children have received an ADHD diagnosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But journalist Paul Tough wonders if we’re thinking about pediatric ADHD all wrong. For a recent New York Times Magazine feature, Tough spent a year talking to leading researchers who now say that standard treatments like Ritalin only help children behave better, not learn better – and even that effect wears off completely over time. We talk to Tough about why he says we need to reconceptualize diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.

Guests:

Paul Tough, contributing writer, New York Times Magazine

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What’s on Your Summer Reading List? Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

A warm summer day sitting beneath the shade of a tree or a beach umbrella with a tall cold drink at the ready and a juicy book waiting to be read — what could be better? We’ll talk to booksellers from Booksmith and Green Apple Books as well as Oakland-based novelist Jasmine Guillory about what they are reading this summer, and we’ll hear from you: When you’re not doom scrolling, what’s on your must read list for this summer? Any recommendations for a romance novel for the newly divorced? Or a beach read for someone who doesn’t like the beach? We’ll talk about new releases, old favorites and classics that have earned their place on your bookshelf.

Guests:

Jasmine Guillory, novelist and writer, her latest book is "Flirting Lessons" - her work has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, and Time

Camden Avery, co-owner and book buyer, Booksmith, an independent bookstore in the Haight

Kar Johnson, event and marketing manager, Green Apple Books

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Supreme Court Rulings This Term Impact Immigrants, Transgender Youth, EPA Regulations Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

So far this term the Supreme Court has allowed states to ban gender transition care for youth, made it easier for white people and other “majority” group members to prove workplace discrimination and temporarily cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport people to countries they’re not from. We talk about the impact of these rulings and other cases still to be decided.

Guests:

Rory Little, professor of constitutional law, emeritus, UC School of Law, San Francisco

Melissa Murray, professor of law, NYU School of Law - co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast

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In Sara Kehaulani Goo’s ‘Kuleana,’ Culture and Capitalism Collide in Hawaii Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

Author and veteran journalist Sara Kehaulani Goo grew up in Southern California making frequent visits to Hawaii, where her extended family owned a vast and rugged stretch of Maui. The land was granted to an ancestor by King Kamehameha III in 1848 before the U.S.overthrew the island nation’s monarchy. Goo’s family held on to a small section for more than a century, but when their property taxes skyrocketed a decade ago, they had to confront what the land meant to them and whether to sell. Goo joins us to talk about her memoir, “Kuleana,” which explores her family’s relationship to those ancestral lands and their Hawaiian culture amid the pressures of capitalism and displacement.

Guests:

Sara Kehaulani Goo, journalist and author of "Kuleana"

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Israel and Iran Reach Tentative Ceasefire Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

A fragile ceasefire is in effect between Israel and Iran, just days after the United States intervened in the war by striking Iranian nuclear sites. President Trump is claiming credit, but journalist and Middle East politics expert Robin Wright writes, “the outcome of this war may be shaped more by Iran’s culture and politics than by the military prowess of its opponents.” We look at Iran’s and Israel’s end games and the implications here of U.S. involvement.

Guests:

Robin Wright, contributing writer, New Yorker; author, "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," among other books; Her most recent piece for the magazine is "Can Ayatollah Khamenei, and Iran’s Theocracy, Survive This War?"

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Local Media Is Dead. But Not in the Bay Area. Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

Local media is dying according to headlines. But that is not the case in the Bay Area. Last year the New York Times reported that San Francisco alone had 27 media outlets for its 800,000 residents. And now, four new publications can join that list: Coyote, the Bay Area Current, the Oakland Review of Books and the Approach, all helmed by local writers, reporters and authors. We’ll talk to these media entrepreneurs about what they hope their publications will add to the conversation, and hear from you: What stories do you want local media to tell?

Guests:

Lauren Markham, writer, reporter, and founder of "The Approach," a new Bay Area publication; Markham is also the author of "Immemorial, "A Map of Future Ruins: On Borders and Belonging" and "The Far Away Brothers: Two Young Migrants and the Making of an American Life".

Soleil Ho, founder, "Coyote" an independent, online newsroom focusing on investigative reporting, arts and culture, and opinion pieces

Aaron Bady, founder, "Orb," a new Oakland Bay Area publication

Justin Gilmore, member, editorial board, The Bay Area Current, which covers working-class life and culture across the Bay Area. Gilmore is an assistant professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus.

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Gen Z Embraces Trades as the College-to-Career Pipeline Cracks Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

Today’s young workers are rethinking what makes a good job. A new Resume Builder survey finds that more than a third of Gen Z college grads are working in or plan to enter the trades or other skilled blue-collar jobs. Many say they’re seeking relief from rising student debt, and practical roles less affected by AI, including electrical work, plumbing, welding, veterinary care and EMT roles. We talk to workforce experts and members of Gen Z about the forces driving this shift, and what it means to build a future-proof career with your hands.

Guests:

Amanda Hoover, senior correspondent, Business Insider

Iowayna Peña, director of workforce development, San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development

Lisa Countryman-Quiroz, CEO, Jewish Vocational Service

Francisco Serrano, former educator turned tradesperson; graduate of CityBuild Academy

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How Trump's Immigration Crackdown is Playing Out in the Bay Area Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

The Trump Administration has targeted Southern California for its harshest crackdown on immigrants. For the past few weeks, federal agents have raided restaurant kitchens and Home Depot parking lots and roughed up U.S. citizens, sparking anger and protests across the country. In Northern California, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have arrested immigrants who show up for immigration court hearings. We’ll talk about how the administration has so far carried out its plans to deport millions of people and whether our region might experience the kind of widespread raids that have been conducted in Southern California.

Guests:

Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQED

Jean Guerrero, journalist and contributing writer, New York Times Opinion - she is author of "Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda" and "Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir"

Catherine Seitz, legal director, Immigration Institute of the Bay Area

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Molly Jong-Fast on 'How to Lose Your Mother' Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

“As much as I love my mother, I’ve often found myself regarding her with feelings that are somewhat closer to the opposite of love,” writes political analyst Molly Jong-Fast. The mother of which she writes is feminist icon Erica Jong, whose 1973 debut novel “Fear of Flying,” jetted Jong to a level of fame that she spent the rest of her life grasping on to. In 2023, her mother’s declining health and diagnosis for dementia forced Jong-Fast to reconcile her feelings about her mother: Was Jong a good mother? Probably not. Was Jong-Fast a good daughter? She herself is not sure. We talk to Jong-Fast about her book, “How To Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir.”

Guests:

Molly Jong-Fast, author, "How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir"; host of the podcast "Fast Politics"; special correspondent, Vanity Fair

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As Iran and Israel War Continues, What Does It Mean for the Bay Area Iranian Diaspora? Jun 23, 2025

Show notes

As the war between Israel and Iran continues, members of the Iranian diaspora in the Bay Area are closely watching as people in Iran are being asked to evacuate amidst travel bans, fuel shortages and internet blackouts. The United States is home to the largest Iranian diaspora outside of Iran, with over fifty percent of that population living in California. We talk with Iranian community members and leaders in the Bay Area about how these latest events fit in the larger context of the nation’s history, what it all means for the people in Iran, and how members of the diaspora are navigating the situation from afar.

Guests:

Persis Karim, poet, essayist and Director for the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies, San Francisco State University

Hasti Jafari, playwright, educator

Nahid Siamdoust, journalist; professor of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Texas

Arman Mahmoudi, community organizer, BayArea4Iran

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