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Remembering George Floyd and the Racial Reckoning He Sparked May 30, 2025

Show notes

We remember George Floyd, five years after his murder by a Minneapolis police officer. In the days and months after Floyd’s death, millions of Americans took to the streets to protest racism and police violence, ushering in a new era of racial reckoning. Robert Samuels, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography “His Name is George Floyd,” wonders however if “the backlash feels more enduring that the reckoning itself.” We’ll talk about who George Floyd was and where the struggle for racial justice is headed.

Guests:

Robert Samuels, national political enterprise reporter, The Washington Post - co-author, "His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and them Struggle for Racial Justice"

Clyde McGrady, national correspondent covering race, The New York Times

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Why the Mission-Style Burrito Defines the Bay Area May 30, 2025

Show notes

New York has the pizza slice, Philly has its cheesesteak, and Chicago its hot dog. In the Bay Area, our iconic and passionately argued-over staple has long been the Mission-style burrito. Its origins are obscure, but one thing agreed on is that those enormous, foil-wrapped burritos are a culinary anchor that were perfected in San Francisco decades ago. But, just because it’s a classic doesn’t mean Bay Area burritos haven’t evolved or are not pushing into new frontiers. We’ll talk about the legacy of Mission-style burritos and the people putting a new spin on them. And we want to hear from you: What is your burrito spot and what do you order?

Guests:

Cesar Hernandez, associate restaurant critic, The San Francisco Chronicle

Dominica Rice-Cisneros, chef and owner, Bombera - Mexican restaurant in Oakland

Ricardo Lopez, owner, La Vaca Birria - Mexican restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District

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Yosemite and Other CA National Parks Underfunded, Understaffed this Summer May 29, 2025

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The Trump administration’s budget and staffing cuts to national parks could mean longer lines, closed visitor centers and fewer search and rescue workers this summer, according to former parks staff and advocates. The cuts are also compromising scientific research and environmental protection, creating what the National Parks Conservation Association calls “a façade of a national park experience.” In California, Yosemite scientists have had to pick up bathroom cleaning shifts; decades-long endangered species studies in the Channel Islands are at risk. Are you planning a visit? We’ll share what you should know before you go.

Guests:

Russell Galipeau, executive council member, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks; former superintendent, Channel Islands National Park

Ashley Harrell, National Parks Bureau Chief, SFGATE

Neal Desai, Pacific Region director, National Parks Conservation Association

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Bay Area Legends: Maxine Hong Kingston Changed What It Means to Tell an American Story May 29, 2025

Show notes

Chinese American literary pioneer Maxine Hong Kingston revolutionized storytelling with her groundbreaking 1976 book ‘The Woman Warrior,’ which blended reality and myth to capture the immigrant experience. As part of our Bay Area Legends series, we talk with Kingston – who grew up working in her parent’s Stockton laundry business and was an integral part of Berkeley’s counterculture movement – about her genre-defying work. And we check in with contemporary authors about Kingston’s lasting influence on their craft and the evolution of immigrant narratives in American literature.

Guests:

Vanessa Hua, author, Forbidden City; Hua's previous books include “A River of Stars”; former columnist, San Francisco Chronicle

Aimee Phan, author, "The Reeducation of Cherry Truong"; associate professor of writing and literature, California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, novelist, short story writer and poet; Her most recent novel "Independence" won the American Book Award in 2024.

Maxine Hong-Kingston, author

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How Do You Rate Newsom's Job Performance? May 28, 2025

Show notes

More than half of Californians think Gov. Gavin Newsom is more focused on winning the presidency than governing the state, according to a poll this month from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The results come as Newsom proposes controversial healthcare cuts to close a projected $12 billion budget shortfall and navigates a hostile Trump administration. We get your thoughts on how Newsom is leading California.

Guests:

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

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown

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What the Target Boycott Says About the Power of Consumers May 28, 2025

Show notes

Retailers are now facing a lot of headwinds, including tariffs and a drop in consumer confidence. But for Target, once affectionately known by customers as Tar-jay, a consumer boycott in response to the company’s decision to drop some DEI initiatives has been an added drag. In its most recent earnings call, the retailer reported a 3.8% drop in sales and lowered its earnings targets for the year. Consumers have long channeled their buying power to express political beliefs, whether it’s selling their Teslas, avoiding a certain retailer, or goods from a particular country. We look at the power of the consumer boycott, and why this one seems to be working.

Guests:

Amanda Mull, columnist, Bloomberg; Wrote the column “Buying Power” on American consumerism.

Alex Ossola, host/producer, Wall Street Journal; Ossola's most recent podcast is called "Boycotting Target".

Americus Reed II, professor of marketing, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

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Alison Bechdel Parodies Her Fame in Comic Novel ‘Spent’ May 27, 2025

Show notes

Perhaps you’ve been following Alison Bechdel’s work since her comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For,” which invented the now ubiquitous Bechdel test (does a movie have two women who speak to each other about something other than a man?). Maybe you came to know her through her graphic memoir “Fun Home,” which was adapted into a Tony-award winning musical. Her latest comic novel, “Spent,” is a work of autofiction that grapples with and parodies Bechdel’s own popularity. We’ll talk with Bechdel about being famous in a world on fire— and the funny side of it, too.

Guests:

Alison Bechdel, graphic novelist and cartoonist, author of "Spent: A Comic Novel." Her previous books include "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" and "Fun Home," which was adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical.

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BART Meltdowns, Fare Hikes, Budget Cuts and Other Bay Area Transit Woes May 27, 2025

Show notes

It has been a tough month for Bay Area transit. BART had two major meltdowns this month, stranding and frustrating commuters, all while the agency plans to raise fares. System wide, Bay Area transit agencies continue to struggle with funding challenges and luring back riders after the pandemic fundamentally altered our region’s commute patterns. And now, major cuts in state and federal funding are on the horizon. We’ll talk about how different transit agencies are bracing for cuts, the federal government’s check on California’s shift toward electric vehicles, and the critical ways our transportation system has changed.

Guests:

Dan Brekke, editor and reporter, KQED News

Ted Lamm, associate director for the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, UC Berkeley Law School

Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director, SPUR

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Forum from the Archives: The New Yorker’s Michael Luo on ‘the Epic Story of the Chinese in America' May 26, 2025

Show notes

In 1889, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the now infamous Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country. Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen J. Field characterized Chinese migrants as “strangers in the land.” New Yorker editor Michael Luo says that label persists today, even as more than 22 million people of Asian descent now reside in the U.S. In a new history book, Luo tells the stories of 19th and 20th century Chinese migrants and analyzes the long tail of contemporary anti-Asian racism and violence while championing those who fought against it. We listen back.

Guests:

Michael Luo, executive editor, The New Yorker; author, “Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America”

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Forum From the Archives: Jonathan Hirsch on Losing His Father to 'A Cult and Dementia' May 26, 2025

Show notes

In his popular podcast “Dear Franklin Jones,” radio producer Jonathan Hirsch tried to make sense of a childhood dominated by his parents’ spiritual guru. In a new memoir he more deeply explores his relationship with his father and the complexity of providing care for a parent who didn’t take care of him. We talk to him about his audio memoir, “The Mind is Burning: Losing My Father to a Cult and Dementia.”

Guests:

Jonathan Hirsch, podcast producer; author of the audiobook memoir, "The Mind Is Burning: Losing my Father to a Cult and Dementia"

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