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Latest Episodes:

Behind the Scenes with the San Francisco Opera Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

We pull back the curtain on the San Francisco Opera with Music Director Eun Sun Kim and General Director Matthew Shilvock, who joined us live on stage on Feb. 4 to talk about the artistry and passion that make this Bay Area institution beloved. On this rebroadcast, Kim shares behind-the-scenes footage of her recent production of Lohengrin from documentary filmmaker Elena Park and discusses how she interprets timeless works alongside live performances by the Opera’s young resident artists, the Adler Fellows.

Guests:

Eun Sun Kim, music director, San Francisco Opera

Matthew Shilvock, general director, San Francisco Opera

Elena Park , documentary filmmaker and director, “Eun Sun Kim: A Journey Into Lohengrin”

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Rachel Syme Teaches You How to Write a Memorable Letter Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

New Yorker writer Rachel Syme loves letters — their content, the paper they are written on, the envelopes that enclose them. For Syme, “A letter is a vessel that can gently cradle family drama that would otherwise explode at Thanksgiving dinner; it is the ideal medium for giving voice to what is difficult to say out loud, and for reconciliation, forgiveness, and clarity.” In her new book, “Syme’s Letter Writer,” she offers advice on how to develop a letter writing style, how to write about juicy gossip, and how to write your mother. We talk to Syme, and hear from you, what’s a letter you’ve written or received that changed your life?

Guest:

Rachel Syme, staff writer, The New Yorker; during the pandemic, she founded a pen pal exchange that attracted 10,000 members from over 75 different countries

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Kurt Gray Explores the Psychology of Outrage Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

What is outrage, and what triggers it in us? When someone violates our moral sense, we might bristle with rage or thirst for retribution but UNC psychology professor Kurt Gray wants us to understand that the other side is also motivated by moral convictions, even if they don’t make sense to us right away. We talk to Gray about how understanding the psychology of moral conflicts can help us better manage them. His new book is “Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.”

Guests:

Kurt Gray, social psychologist and professor of psychology and neuroscience, University of North Carolina; director, Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding

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The Opposition Playbook: What Would an Effective Resistance to Trump Look Like? Feb 13, 2025

Show notes

In the midst of President Trump’s rapid fire, sweeping, and arguably illegal actions since inauguration day, resistance and protest against the president and his agenda has seemed quieter than at the beginning of his first term. But as the administration continues to take controversial actions on federal funding immigration, and transgender rights, resistance is ramping up in congress, the courts and on the streets. We’ll talk to Trump opponents about their strategies and what resistance could look like in this Trump term. And we want to hear from you, what is missing from the Democrat’s resistance strategy?

Guests:

Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director, The Indivisible Project; co-author, Indivisible Guide; former Congressional staffer

Rebecca Solnit, writer, newsletter called "Meditations in an Emergency" about politics, language and possibilities; historian; activist; author, more than twenty books that include "Orwell’s Roses"; "Recollections of My Nonexistence"; "Hope in the Dark"; and "Men Explain Things to Me."

Lateefah Simon, U.S. representative, California's 12th congressional district; former board director, Bay Area Rapid Transit; board trustee, California State University system; longtime friend and mentee of Kamala Harris

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What Do You Love About Being Single? Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Journalist Nicola Slawson has been single for more than a decade, and says there’s beautiful freedom in being unattached. But, too often, single people are made to feel that there’s something wrong with them. In her new book, “Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms,” Slawson says you don’t need to wait to fall in love for your life to start. As Valentine’s Day nears, we want to hear what you like – or miss – about being single.

Guests:

Nicola Slawson, freelance journalist; author, "Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms"; writer, "The Single Supplement," a newsletter for single women

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San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie Takes Your Questions Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

During his campaign for San Francisco mayor, Daniel Lurie promised to bring progress on tough issues that have dogged the city for years including homelessness and drug addiction. He also pledged to revitalize downtown and other areas that have yet to recover from the pandemic. But he’s come into office facing major challenges with a looming budget deficit and President Trump threatening to withhold federal funds over the city’s immigration policies. One month into office, we’ll check in on Mayor Lurie’s plans, hear what he’s excited about, and take your questions and suggestions.

Guests:

Daniel Lurie, mayor, San Francisco; founder and former CEO, Tipping Point Community, a foundation focused on fighting poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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OMB Director and Project 2025 Architect Russell Vought Halts CFPB Funding Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought on Saturday halted new funding to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and temporarily shut down its headquarters. It’s the latest effort by Vought, a Project 2025 architect, to tear down the so-called “deep state” of bureaucrats who could object to Trump’s policies. Vought is also fixed on expanding the powers of the executive branch in relation to the legislative branch, supporting a presidential power to claw back funds already allocated by Congress. We’ll talk about what Vought’s tenure as OMB director will mean for the future of federal funding.

Guests:

Megan Messerly, White House reporter, Politico

James C. Capretta, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; former associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush

Bob Bauer, professor of practice and distinguished scholar in residence, New York University School of Law; co-author of “After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency”; White House Counsel to President Barack Obama (2009-2011)

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Juvenile Incarceration Declined by 77%. Did Public Policy Do Something Right? Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

Between 2000 and 2020, the number of young people incarcerated in the United States declined by an astonishing 77 percent. Red states and blue states alike lock up fewer kids than in 2000 — and in most, the drops have been precipitous: more than half of states have experienced declines of 75 percent or more. In his New York Times Magazine piece, Yale Law professor James Forman examines the reasons for the drop in incarceration and how states are responding. We talk to Forman and California experts about what the statistics can tell us about our shifting juvenile justice system and what we’ve learned about addressing youth crime.

Guests:

James Forman Jr., professor of law, Yale Law School; won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his book, "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America;" his most recent piece in the New York Times Magazine is titled, "What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons"

David Muhammad, executive director, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform; former Chief Probation Officer for Alameda County

Laura Abrams, professor of social welfare, UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs; author of "Compassionate Confinement: A Year in the Life of Unit C" and "Everyday Desistance: The Transition to Adulthood Among Formerly Incarcerated Youth"

Katherine Lucero, director, Office of Youth and Community Restoration; former supervising judge in juvenile court, Santa Clara County Superior Court

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Will Courts be a Check and Balance on Donald Trump? Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

President Trump’s executive orders are testing the limits of presidential power, but they are not going unchallenged. An avalanche of litigation has been filed opposing efforts to end birthright citizenship, stop federal funding, and dismantle critical government agencies. Will the courts be able to meet this moment? We’ll hear from legal experts about how a judicial system and Supreme Court shaped by Trump may – or may not — act as a check and balance on the president.

Guests:

Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor and legal correspondent, Slate; host, Amicus podcast; author, "Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America"

Jamal Greene, professor of law, Columbia University Law School

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USAID Closure Puts “Millions of Lives at Risk,” Humanitarian Groups Warn Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

President Trump on Friday called for the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development, America’s main humanitarian and development agency. The administration has already been dismantling USAID, over the last few weeks, forcing employees out and cutting off billions of dollars in foreign aid. Under the plan, the agency is to be left with less than 600 staff out of about 10,000. Critics, like former USAID official Jeremy Konyndyk say the closure will “put millions of lives at risk” and could undermine US foreign policy. We’ll look at what feeding USAID into the “woodchipper,” as Elon Musk has pledged, means for those who rely on its services, which include HIV treatment, disaster relief, and children’s health.

Guests:

Jeremy Konyndyk, president, Refugees International. He also led USAID offices during previous administrations.

Joia Mukherjee, chief medical officer, Partners In Health

Elissa Miolene, reporter covering USAID and the U.S. government, Devex

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