KPFA - UpFront

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – January 6, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Discussed in this episode: Influenza levels are rising quickly This year's flu vaccine appears to be reducing the risk of hospitalization in adults by 30-40%. That's a significant help, but a worse topline than in prior flu seasons. This is likely because the Influenza A subclade K, which has come to predominate, emerged too late to be specifically targeted by this year's vaccine. The implications of RFK Jr's CDC drastically changing the childhood vaccination schedule (which it had not done by airtime, but did announce before we published the podcast). To send us a question in advance of next week's show, write to: coronacalls@kpfa.org Tune in live Monday mornings at 7:30am Pacific at kpfa.org. Podcast music credit:  Now Son by Podington Bear, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. The post Corona Calls for 01.05.2026 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – January 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Malcolm Harris, author of several books; the newest is What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis. This is a rebroadcast from 2025. The post Malcolm Harris on the paths through planetary crisis appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Emily M. Bender is Professor of Linguistics at the University of Washington, Alex Hanna is Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR); they've co-authored the book The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want.  This is a rebroadcast from summer of 2025. The post Emily Bender and Alex Hanna on The AI Con appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, champion powwow dancer and student of Salish art and history. His debut book is “We Survived the Night.” This interview was originally recorded earlier in December 2025. The post Extended interview with Julian Brave NoiseCat: We Survived the Night appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 – Mariah Blake, investigative journalist just out with the book They Poisoned the World: Life and death in the age of forever chemicals. The post Mariah Blake on Life in the Age of Forever Chemicals appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Robert Reich, political economist who worked in the administrations of three presidents (most prominently as Secretary of Labor for Bill Clinton) now emeritus Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. His latest book is Coming Up Short: a memoir of my America. This is a rebroadcast of our original interview in summer of 2025. The post Robert Reich on Robert Reich: Former labor secretary talks new memoir appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 From Bruce Lee's San Francisco origins during the segregationist era of the Chinese Exclusion Act and family's immigration story, to his role in the lives and minds of young Asian Americans, a new book traces Lee's story. We talk with Jeff Chang, cultural historian, about Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America. “He was a marker of culture, a sign, a signifier that put us in the pop culture conversation,” Chang says. “Folks want to whitewash his story… as if to separate him from other immigrants. No. Bruce was part of a class of people that was completely shunned and looked down upon… He's dealing with racism every day. Part of the story here is to recover that, so people really understand what that means.” Jeff Chang won the American Book Award for Can't Stop Won't Stop, his history of the early years of hip hop. The post Cultural Historian Jeff Chang on the Life of Bruce Lee appeared first on KPFA.

0:08 – A rebroadcast of our powerful October 2025 interview with Rebecca Solnit, author of two dozen books, and a profound storyteller of grassroots movements and the climate and environmental crisis on this planet. Most recently, she published No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain. The post No Straight Road Takes You There: Extended Interview with Rebecca Solnit appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 – Betty Reid Soskin has been a homefront warriors worker, a singer-songwriter and a performer, co-founder of the legendary Reid's Records in South Berkeley, a writer and legislative aid and, until she turned 100, the oldest working National Park Service ranger. She died last weekend at the age of 104. This interview is from 2018, when she came to KPFA's studios to discuss her book, Sign My Name to Freedom: A Memoir of a Pioneering Life The post Betty Reid Soskin, in her own voice appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 22, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

On today's show: Doctors in Jail? Hospitals Stripped of Fed Funding? The Criminalization of Trans Youth Healthcare Kilmar Ábrego García Reunites with Family, But Trump Admin Threatens to Jail & Deport Him Again “Terror & Fear”: Trump Moves to Denaturalize Citizens, End Birthright Citizenship, Halt Visa Lottery   UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 19, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

0:10 – We start today's coverage in Venezuela. President Trump has announced a blockade on “sanctioned” Venezuelan oil vessels. Miguel R. Tinker Salas is professor emeritus of History at Pomona College and joins us to talk about Venezuela's oil industry and this development, and parse the “absurdity” of Trump's comments. He is the author of The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela. “This was not about drugs,” Tinker Salas says. “This was about oil, this was about Western Hemisphere control, this was about geopolitics, this was about an effort to control the Caribbean and Central America, and U.S. hegemony.” 0:35 – Reviewing President Trump's Oval Office address and recent revelations in interviews by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, we are joined by John Nichols, executive editor of The Nation. To make a gift to KPFA and help us meet our fundraising goal, give at support.kpfa.org. The post U.S. to blockade “sanctioned” Venezuela oil tankers with military; John Nichols responds to Trump's Oval Office address appeared first on KPFA.

0:09 – Why do we fight for our Bay Area neighborhoods and advocate for change with our neighbors? And what local history informs our struggles? This fund drive special takes us on a journey from Oakland across the Bay Area with A People's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area by Rachel Brahinsky, professor at the University of San Francisco in Urban Studies, and Alexander Tarr, assistant professor of Geography at Worcester State University. Click here to support KPFA during our winter fund drive. The post Fund drive special: A People's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 16, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — John Feffer is Director of Foreign Policy in Focus. 00:33 — Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. The post Russia's War in Ukraine; Plus, Corona Call appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, champion powwow dancer and student of Salish art and history. His debut book is “We Survived the Night.”  The post Fund Drive Special with Julian Brave NoiseCat appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Sang Hea Kil is professor in the justice studies department at San Jose State University. Se was suspended from her tenured position at the university and is currently contesting her case. 00:33 — Peyrin Kao, is Lecturer in the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, we previously spoke to him over a month into his hunger strike. He has now been suspended without pay for the Spring 2026 semester. Katie Rodger is a Lecturer at UC Davis and President of UC-AFT. 00:45 — Maya, is a Stanford alumni and defendant in the Stanford 11 case and one of 5 who have begun trial in Santa Clara County. The post Campus Attack on Pro-Palestinian Staff and Students at Bay Area Universities appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Michael Willrich is a Professor of History at Brandeis University. His latest book is “American Anarchy: The Epic Struggle between Immigrant Radicals and the US Government at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century.” The post Fund Drive Special: History of Anarchism in the US appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Victor Pickard is Professor of Media Policy and Political Economy at the University of Pennsylvania. 00:33 — David Dayen is the executive editor of The American Prospect.  The post The State of US Media; Plus, Paramount and Netflix Go After Warner Brothers appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 8, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Tareq Baconi is a writer and scholar, president of Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network; author of the 2018 book Hamas Contained, and just out with the memoir Fire in Every Direction The post Tareq Baconi on Fire in Every Direction appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 4, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 3, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 2, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – December 1, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Greg Grandin, Peter V and C. Vann Woodward Professor at Yale, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, author of America America: a new history of the new world [originally recorded in May 2025] The post Greg Grandin on America, América [rebroadcast] appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 27, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 25, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — John Feffer is Director of Foreign Policy in Focus. 00:33 — Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. The post Russia's War in Ukraine; Plus, Corona Calls appeared first on KPFA.

00:08  Michael Willrich is a Professor of History at Brandeis University. His latest book, a Pulitzer finalist, is American Anarchy: The Epic Struggle between Immigrant Radicals and the US Government at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century. The post Michael Willrich on Emma Goldman and the how the Federal Government used Immigration Law against the left appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 20, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 19, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Laura Carlsen, director of the Mexico-City based international relations think tank Mira: Feminisms y Democracies. 00:33 — Ryan Cooper is senior editor of The American Prospect and author of “How Are You Going to Pay for That?: Smart Answers to the Dumbest Question in Politics.” The post Gen-Z Leading Protests in Mexico; Plus, State of the AI Industry and Big Tech's Relation with the Government appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 17, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Andrew Hartman, professor of history at Illinois State, just out with the book of Karl Marx in America The post Karl Marx in America appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Claudia Boyd-Barrett is the Southern California Correspondent for KFF Health News. She writes about health care access and local impacts of national health policy changes. 00:33 — Michael Willrich is professor of history at Brandeis University. He discusses his book “Pox: An American History.” The post Government Shutdown is Done, How is Healthcare Impacted? Plus, the Politics of the First Vaccine appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 12, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Michael Mann, Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology Emeritus at UCLA; Honorary Professor at the University of Cambridge; author most recently of On Wars [this is a re-broadcast of an interview originally recorded in September 2023] The post Michael Mann On Wars [Rebroadcast] appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 10, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 7, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. The post UpFront – November 6, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — John Nichols is the executive editor of The Nation. The post Unpacking Election Results with John Nichols appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Jake Werner is director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute. 00:33 — Alex Burness is a staff writer at Bolts. The post The Power Competition between Xi Jinping and Trump; Plus, a Look at Elections Across the Country appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — John Feffer is Director of Foreign Policy in Focus. 00:33 — Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health.   The post Russia's War in Ukraine; Plus, Corona Calls appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 Jeff Chang, cultural historian who won the American Book Award for Can't Stop Won't Stop, his history of the early years of hip hop. His new book is Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America The post Jeff Chang on Bruce Lee appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Joel Beinin Professor of Middle East History, Emeritus at Stanford University. 00:20 — Zahra Billoo is the Executive Director of the Bay Area Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). 00:33 — Blanca Martinez is Communications Coordinator at The Unity Council. 00:45 — Alex Lalama is an organizer, curanderismo practitioner and herbalism apprentice at Tierra Rituals. Erick Salazar is an Indigiqueer artist and screen printer. The post Israel Resumes Strikes on Gaza; Plus, Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by ICE at SFO; And, Protecting Community & Honoring Ancestors at Dia De Los Muertos appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — John Nichols is the executive editor of The Nation. 00:33 — Grace Yarrow is a food and agriculture policy reporter for POLITICO. Michael Altfest is Director of Community Engagement and Marketing at Alameda County Community Food Bank. The post Government Shutdown, USDA Cuts to SNAP; Plus, Bay Area Food Assistance Resources appeared first on KPFA.

00:08 — Fadi Saba teaches English Language Arts and US History, and is president of his school's California Teachers Association chapter, and vice-chair of the CTA's Jewish and Allied Educators for Palestine Caucus. 00:33 — Nora Zaragoza-Yáñez, program manager for the Valley Watch Network. 00:45 — Akela Lacy is a Senior Politics Reporter at The Intercept. The post AB715's Impact on Educators and Students; Plus, Organizing Against ICE in Stockton; And, Graham Platner's Maine Senate Campaign appeared first on KPFA.