KQED’s Forum

Is legacy media self-censoring under the Trump Administration? The canceling of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and the multi-million dollar payouts from the parent companies of CBS and ABC to settle defamation lawsuits are all causes for concern, according to media analyst and Guardian US columnist Margaret Sullivan, who worries hard news reporting could become a thing of the past. We talk with Sullivan about how major media outlets are responding to Trump's intensifying attacks and how it could hasten a march to autocracy. Guests: Margaret Sullivan, columnist writing about media, politics and culture, Guardian US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Yorker staff writer Burkhard Bilger doesn't have great teeth. According to Bilger, his “gaptoothed grin” makes him look like he came from a bar fight or a remake of “Deliverance.” Given his lousy dental insurance, a friend recommended that Bilger head to Mexico's “Molar City,” Los Algodones, a place that has the highest per capita concentration of dentists in the world, to get his teeth fixed. Medical tourism is nothing new, but few think of going abroad for their teeth. Yet most Americans have inadequate dental insurance and the system is geared to abandon you just when you need it the most. We talk to Bilger and dental professionals about why dental care does not get the respect, or coverage, that it deserves. Guests: Burkhard Bilger, journalist and staff writer, New Yorker Magazine; Bilger is the author of "Fatherland" and "Noodling Flatheads" - his most recent piece for the New Yorker was titled "Word of Mouth: A Pilgrimage to Mexico's Molar City" Dr. Lisa Simon, physician, dentist and health researcher; Dr. Simon is also an assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Democrats have long criticized gerrymandering, the practice of drawing district maps to influence election outcomes. But as Texas Republicans have unveiled district maps intended to favor conservatives in the 2026 midterms, California lawmakers are sketching new plans of their own. Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to seek a special election in November, asking California voters to approve new districts that might lend Democrats an edge in the national election – temporarily sidelining California's independent districting commission. We'll talk with political reporters about what's at stake in this redistricting fight. Guests: Laurel Rosenhall, California Politics Editor, LA Times Alexei Koseff, Capitol reporter, CalMatters Erin Covey, U.S. House of Representatives editor, The Cook Political Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2008, the Obama administration compiled a massive report with the goal of answering one big question: Is climate change a danger to human health in America? Comprised of some of the most comprehensive scientific findings of all time, the Endangerment Finding concluded that it was, which allowed the  government to regulate climate change—including putting restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions. Now, the Trump administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have ruled to rescind the Endangerment Finding, in turn stripping climate regulations. It's just the latest in Trump's attack on climate science and regulations including the firing of hundreds of scientists, and the erasure of critical climate reports and data. We talk with climate reporters and scientists about what's at stake. And what's coming next.  Guests: Molly Taft, journalist and climate reporter, WIRED Kristen Sissner, executive director, Berkeley Earth Shaye Wolf, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Elias Zerhouni's journey began in Algeria, where he taught himself mathematics as bombs fell outside his window. With two suitcases and a few hundred dollars, his family eventually immigrated to the United States. Driven by an unshakable belief in science and service, Zerhouni rose through the ranks of medical research to become director of the National Institutes of Health under President George W. Bush. In his new memoir, “Disease Knows No Politics,” he reflects on his personal journey and the fierce political battles he faced while leading the NIH. He joins us to discuss the vital contributions of immigrants to American innovation and the urgent need to safeguard science from partisanship. Guests: Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former director, National Institute of Health; professor emeritus, Johns Hopkins University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats long assumed they could count on voters of color to support their candidates and causes, and for many years they did. But last year's presidential election was a wake up call for Democrats as Donald Trump gained significant support from Black, Latino and Asian American voters, especially men. In studying the racially and ethnically diverse voter coalition that brought Barack Obama to power, Yale professor Daniel Martinez HoSang, has found discontent and collapsing support for Democrats. This shift comes at a critical time for the left as they scramble to make headway before the 2026 midterms. We'll talk to HoSang and Republican political strategist Mike Madrid about how the left lost these voters and whether it's too late to regain their support. Guests: Daniel Martinez HoSang, professor of American Studies, Yale University Mike Madrid, political strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project; author, "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined in studio for a live performance by the Jahari Stampley Family Trio. Stampley, an award-winning jazz pianist who is known for melding genres like funk, gospel and rock, calls his forthcoming album “What A Time” a sonic reflection of “the quiet stillness of late-night thoughts, the joy of a spontaneous jam, the fire of resistance, and the calm of resolution.” We talk to Stampley about his work, his influences and what it's like to be in musical conversation with his mom. Guests: Ofri Nahemya, drums Jahari Stampley, piano D-Erania Stampley, bass, saxophone, synthesizer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Grateful Dead is showing a touch of grey as the band turns 60, and San Francisco is pulling out the stops to celebrate: tie-dye buses, banners across the city and the revival of Shakedown Street, the pop-up market that appears at Dead shows. The party culminates with three-nights of Dead & Company concerts from August 1-3 at Golden Gate Park's Polo Field featuring band originals Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with other artists including John Mayer. We'll talk about the long, strange history of the Dead, and hear about what the band has meant to you. Guests: David Gans, musician and author, "This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead" Hollie Rose, author, "When Push Comes to Shove: Real Life on Dead Tour" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Musician Greta Morgan began performing professionally when she was 16, singing for groups like The Hush Sound and Gold Motel before touring with Vampire Weekend and charting her own path as a singer-songwriter. But in 2020, a severe case of Covid led to a neurological disorder that reduced her voice to a hush. We talk to Morgan about what a drastic change to her singing voice taught her about her inner voice and how her listening became so powerful that when she watched a meteor shower, she thought she could hear the stars. Morgan's new memoir is “The Lost Voice.” Guests: Greta Morgan, musician, songwriter and author, "The Lost Voice: A Memoir" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kaiser Permanente will stop providing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 19, as a result of President Trump's executive order targeting health centers that provide care for transgender youth. Providers across the nation have been scaling back on gender-affirming care, including Stanford Medicine and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, but Kaiser's decision has shocked many providers and patients in the Bay Area. We talk with nurses, advocates, patients and specialists about what it means for them and the future of healthcare for gender-nonconforming minors. Guests: Michelle Jurkiewicz, licensed clinical psychologist and gender specialist Sydney Simpson, nurse, Kaiser Permanente S. Baum, correspondent, "Erin in the Morning" newsletter by Erin Reed Rhaetia Hanscum, teacher and member of the Bay Area Rainbow Families Action Group Will Lohf, San Francisco public high school student and activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In almost every part of the country, the amount people pay for electricity has gone up faster than the rate of inflation and it will likely continue to rise, according to the Energy Information Administration. So what's ballooning your utility bill? We'll talk with energy and policy experts about the increasing demands posed by data centers, the aging electricity infrastructure, and the new barriers to expanding renewable power plants. But the picture isn't all grim; we'll explore the steps we can take to make California's electrical grid more sustainable. Guests: Costa Samaras, director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, trustee professor of civil and environmental engineering and an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University Michael Wara, policy director for the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School of Sustainability, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The South Bay in San Diego County is the site of one of the nation's worst environmental disasters. Fifty million gallons of untreated sewage and industrial chemicals flow daily into the Tijuana River and out of Imperial Beach. New research connects the waste to worsening air quality, which has been linked with headaches, skin infections and gastrointestinal problems in the local population. We'll talk about why solutions could be years away. Guests: Soumya Karlamangla, national correspondent, based in the Bay Area, The New York Times Paula Stigler Granados, associate professor at the School of Public Health and head of the Environmental Health Division, San Diego State University Paloma Aguirre, mayor, Imperial Beach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann says he chooses what to write about based on what he most wants to know. His latest novel “Twist” springs from his fascination with the underwater cables, no thicker than a garden hose, that carry some 95% of the world's telecommunications. McCann's protagonist is a journalist who goes asea to investigate a cable break off the coast of Africa after the Congo River floods. We talk to McCann about themes of sabotage and repair – both in the abyssal zone he writes about and in our lives. Guests: Colum McCann, author, “Twist” - his other novels include “Apeirogon,” “Transatlantic” and “Let the Great World Spin,” which won a National Book Award Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As ICE raids sweep across the country as a part of President Trump's anti-immigrant policies, ethnic media outlets in California are playing an invaluable role keeping the communities they serve informed. We talk with media organizations that serve immigrant and diaspora audiences about how their communities are dealing with the impacts of the administration's enforcement actions, how their approaches to news coverage has had to change, and what they think is coming next. Guests: Madeleine Bair, journalist and founder, El Tímpano Memo Torres, writer and director of engagement, L.A. Taco, a Southern California source of news and information covering food, culture and community Tanay Gokhale, community reporter, India Currents Julian Do, co-director, American Community Media Dzung Do, editor, Nguoi Viet Daily News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Gary Shteyngart's new novel, “Vera, or Faith,” a precocious 10-year old Korean-American girl, with a curious mind and exceptional vocabulary, navigates her way through a dystopian nearfuture. The politics of this America, in which a constitutional amendment to give “exceptional” white Americans more voting rights is being considered, are confusing. But even more so is Vera's complicated family life that includes a dead mother, a scattered and self-involved father, and a stepmother who Vera is not sure loves her. Reviewers have called the book a “brilliant fable.” We talk to Shteyngart about the future and families. Guests: Gary Shteyngart, writer, Shteyngart's latest novel is "Vera, or Faith" - he is also the author of "Our Country Friends," "Little Failure: A Memoir" and "Super Sad True Love Story" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For people of Mexican descent, mariachi music is synonymous with milestones such as weddings, birthday parties, funerals or maybe just Saturday-morning chores. The genre, which originated in the 18th century in the western state of Jalisco, has morphed into one of Mexico's most beloved styles of music that is now popular worldwide. In California, more high schools and colleges such as San Jose State have added mariachi music programs. Mariachi San Jose, an ensemble of college students, joins us in studio for a special live performance ahead of the Fourth Annual Fiesta del Mariachi. We'll talk about mariachi's growing popularity and the local ensembles that keep the genre strumming in the Bay. Guests: José R. Torres-Ramos, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, San Jose State University; director, Mariachi San Jose Debra Barrera, violin, Mariachi San Jose Anthony Cera, trumpet, Mariachi San Jose Abril Dorado, violin, Mariachi San Jose Jorge Dovalina, vihuela, Mariachi San Jose Thomas Hernández, harp, Mariachi San Jose Cameron Samayoa, guitarrón, Mariachi San Jose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The photograph of your grandmother that's at least a century old, yellowing at the edges. An embroidered handkerchief that's crossed the globe. The family Mahjong rules. We might want to pass certain items down to subsequent generations, but may not know how to keep them in usable condition. And with so much of our lives happening digitally, how can we ensure the tender voicemails, photos and emails kept safe on our phones won't be lost in the online void? We'll hear librarians' and archivists' best tips for digitizing, storing and preserving letters, photographs and ephemera. And we'll talk about how to conduct oral histories to pass down the stories — and voices — of those who've come before. Guests: Nisa Khan, audience news desk reporter, KQED Shanna Farrell, oral historian, UC Berkeley's Oral History Center Jackie Forsyte, audio-visual archivist, Teach Archive Preserve Exhibit (T.A.P.E.) Los Angeles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The arrival of tools like ChatGPT has changed how college students write. Some use A.I. to organize ideas or fine-tune phrasing; others rely on it to complete entire assignments. Professors are adapting in turn, trading take-home essays for blue books, experimenting with oral exams or rethinking their pedagogy to include A.I. from the start. We talk with New Yorker staff writer and Bard College literature professor Hua Hsu about how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education and what a new generation of students might be losing, and learning, as a result. Guests: Hua Hsu, staff writer, The New Yorker; professor of literature, Bard College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is pushing to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison, requiring the repeal of National Park protections and ending its six-decade transformation from America's most notorious penitentiary into one of its most popular tourist sites. Throughout its long history, Alcatraz has served not only as a prison, but also as a military base, a site of Native American unity and resistance, a bird sanctuary, and a tourist site for 1.4 million of visitors who journey to it every year. Critics contend that the effort to convert it back into a prison is a wasteful folly. While others decry the loss of the site as a national park and museum, which offers a historical perspective into the American carceral system. We talk about the unique space that Alcatraz occupies in Bay Area cultural history, and its lasting legacy. Guests: Michele Gee, deputy chief executive officer, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Kent Blansett, associate professor of Native American studies and history, University of Kansas; author, "Journey to Freedom: Richard Oakes, Alcatraz, and the Red Power Movement" Jolene Babyak, former resident of Alcatraz; author, “Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Billboards promoting movies “for your consideration” take over Los Angeles freeways every award season, while San Francisco's drivers are inundated with tech jargon. But billboards do more than promote the industries that power our economy. Up and down California, they serve as cultural touchstones, calls to action and reflections of local values and beliefs. We talk about California's unique culture and history with billboards. What's a billboard you remember? Guests: Wendy Liu, author, writes about billboards for Bay Area Current Catherine Gudis, professor in the departments of History and Society, Environment, and Health Equity, University of California, Riverside Matt Stevens, arts and culture reporter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court has given the Trump Administration the greenlight to gut the workforce of the Department of Education. The move isn't just about reducing the government's payroll; it's part of a much larger attack on public education according to some education advocates. Critics of the department, which the Republican Party has attempted to shut down since it was created 45 years ago, say the federal government should leave state and local agencies to manage schools. While the agency can't be shuttered without congressional approval, the significant job losses put into question how effective it can be and how it will oversee student loans, research, and civil rights violations among other responsibilities. We talk about what is next for the department and what it means for students. Guests: Jill Tucker, K-12 education reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Noliwe Rooks, professor and chair of Africana Studies, Brown University Michael J. Petrilli, president, Thomas B. Fordham Institute - a conservative education policy think tank; visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Questions continue to mount about President Trump's connection to the deceased, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The president's MAGA base — and now some congressional Democrats — are demanding to see more files, including a so-called “client list” belonging to Epstein. We look at how we got here, and the political impacts of the growing controversy. What do you think the Epstein fallout will be, if any? Guests: Luke Broadwater, White House reporter, New York Times Ankush Khardori, senior writer for POLITICO Magazine and a former federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice; his recent articles include “Playbook: Trump's Epstein evolution” and “3 Scenarios That Explain the Epstein Debacle: All reflect poorly on the Department of Justice” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What constitutes homelessness? In his new book, “There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America”, author Brian Goldstone documents the stories of five families in Atlanta that despite having full time work are living unhoused. We talk with Goldstone and Margot Kushel, Director of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, about the circumstances that render unhoused people invisible in terms of statistics and resources, the experience of having a job but not housing, and the many implications of undercounting unhoused people, especially families, in America. Guests: Dr. Margot Kushel, director, Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative; professor of medicine at UCSF Brian Goldstone, journalist, author of “There is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump's recently passed megabill allocates $75 billion in extra funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, tripling its budget and making ICE the largest law enforcement agency in the country. Historian and journalist Garrett Graff has covered law enforcement and democracy for the last 20 years and says it's hard not to see the funding increase as “turbo-charging an increasingly lawless regime of immigration enforcement.” We talk to him about the implications of a radically expanded ICE. Guests: Garrett Graff, journalist and historian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You've probably been to a national or state park in California. But have you ever hiked in BLM land?  15% of California –  15 million acres – is  public land operated by the federal Bureau of Land Management. This is land that no one wanted: not beautiful enough to be deemed a national park and too remote to be developed. As such, they are under threat of being exploited for their resources or sold off, which Republicans have threatened to do. In his new book, “The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California's Public Lands,” Josh Jackson shines a light on the beauty of these “common grounds” that belong to all of us and the perils that they face. Guests: Josh Jackson, author, "The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California's Public Lands" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We need to make “Much Ado About Keanu” Reeves. That's according to pop culture writer Sezín Devi Koehler's new book about the wildly popular – if sometimes underestimated – Hollywood star. Besides acting in eighty films over his 40-year career, from “Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure” to “The Matrix,” Reeves' roles have challenged stereotypes of masculinity, provided representation of Asian American and native Hawaiian communities— and he's known for stepping aside to let his costars shine. We'll talk about what makes Reeves' career “most excellent.” What's your favorite Keanu role? Guests: Carly Severn, senior editor of audience news, KQED Sezín Devi Koehler, pop culture writer; author, "Much Ado About Keanu: A Critical Reeves Theory" Angelica Jade Bastién, critic covering film and pop culture, New York Magazine's Vulture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bill to claw back $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds public radio and television, will be voted on by the House on Thursday evening. The legislation has already passed the Senate, on a largely partisan vote. We'll talk to the president of KQED and representatives from other public radio and television outlets about the impacts these cuts will have on their mission to provide free public programming to their communities. Guests: Michael Isip, president and CEO, KQED David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News Brian Duggan, general manager, KUNR and KNCC Kate Riley, president and CEO, America's Public Television Stations Andre de Channes, general manager and director of operations, KZYX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a spate of lawsuits against the Trump administration, including challenges to mass terminations of federal employees, the sharing of Medicaid data with immigration authorities and the federal government's takeover of the California National Guard. His office is also involved in lawsuits related to public health funding cuts and stalled clean energy projects. We'll talk to the state's top prosecutor about what's at stake in the cases and what it's been like to fight a president he says has an “endless desire to seize more power.” Guests: Rob Bonta, California Attorney General Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ukrainian town of Irpin made international headlines at the outset of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion when local reservists repelled Russian forces advancing toward Kyiv. But the toll was severe for the town Ukraine has now designated a “hero city.” Hundreds of civilians were killed during Russia's month-long occupation of Irpin, and thousands of buildings were destroyed. Among those was the main campus building of the State Tax University. Now a Bay Area organization is helping to rebuild the university, bringing design and construction ideas that it hopes will be a model for other sites. We'll talk about the project and the multilayered challenges Ukraine faces as it seeks to rebuild while still at war. The reporting for this episode was supported by the International Women's Media Foundation's Women on the Ground: Reporting from Ukraine's Unseen Frontlines Initiative in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. Guests: Zhanna Bezpiatchuk, reporter, BBC Ukraine Margie O'Driscoll, executive director, Center for Innovation Eugene Chumakov, design and project architect, Stantec - a sustainable engineering and architecture firm Yuriy Gorodnichenko, professor of economics, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You can tell what a culture values by who it labels a genius—and also what it is prepared to tolerate. The Renaissance had its great artists. The Romantics lionized androgynous, tubercular poets. Today we are in thrall to tech innovators and brilliant jerks in Silicon Valley.” So writes Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis in her new book, “The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea.” Lewis analyzes how the “genius” label is disproportionately applied to white men, often acting as an excuse for antisocial behavior. She joins us to share why she thinks we could all be more honest about the role history and collaboration play in any individual's accomplishments—and the good that comes from allowing fewer lone wolves to make decisions on our collective behalf. Guests: Helen Lewis, staff writer, The Atlantic - author, "The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area is getting increasingly older at a faster rate than other parts of the country, making it the third oldest region in the U.S. Some neighborhoods in Berkeley have a median age of 60. What will it take for our infrastructures to be well set up for our aging population? We talk through the latest data, hear from aging experts and learn from local organizations who have been meeting the ‘silver tsunami' head on. Guests: Stacy Torres, assistant professor of social behavioral sciences, UCSF Danielle Echeverria, data reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Shakirah Simley, executive director, Booker T. Washington Community Center Diane Wong, executive director, J-Sei Community Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adolescence has always been turbulent, but what happens when you mix in early puberty, digital information overload and a world that feels increasingly unsteady? Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Matt Richtel says we're living through a radical shift in how we come of age. In his new book “How We Grow Up,” Richtel draws on neuroscience and conversations with youth and their families to explore what's behind a rising adolescent mental health crisis — and why it's not just about the phones. He joins us. Guests: Matt Richtel, health and science reporter, New York Times; author, "How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first six months of his second term, President Trump has done a lot of what he said he would do, from proposing sweeping tariffs to gutting federal agencies and their workers to deporting thousands of immigrants. And Americans now await the effects of Republicans' massive bill cutting taxes and expanding immigration enforcement while slashing popular programs. We check in on Trump's ambitions and the ways Congress and the courts are expanding, or checking, his presidential power. Guests: Philip Bump, national columnist, Washington Post; author of "The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America" Claudia Grisales, congressional correspondent, NPR David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Water conservation is a constant challenge for Californians, but according to the New York Times's Michael Kimmelman, there's one city that's doing it right: Los Angeles. Kimmelman found that L.A. has consumed less water in total since 1990 even as the city gained millions of residents. We talk with Kimmelman and California water officials about the strategies L.A. is using and what other states can learn from its example. Guests: Michael Kimmelman, architecture critic, New York Times Liz Crosson, chief sustainability, resiliency and innovation officer, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Mark Gold, board member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California; adjunct professor at UCLA's Institute for the Environment and Sustainability; former director of Water Scarcity Solutions for the Natural Resources Defense Council Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To be a modern consumer is to experience poor customer service at some point in your life. The kind of service that has you in a fever dream of pressing “1” for “representative,” getting your call dropped, calling back again, and then asking to speak to a manager who can't solve your problem. Experts call this kind of service “sludge,” an administrative morass meant to deter, not help, consumers. And for some businesses, it's a feature not a bug. We'll talk to journalist Chris Colin about the practice and hear from you: what's your sludge story? Guests: Chris Colin, journalist, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No band may better reflect the multicultural, gender-expansive exuberance of the Bay Area dream than Sly and the Family Stone. A new documentary “Sly Lives (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” explores the life and context of Vallejo's brilliant, charismatic and troubled bandleader. We talk with the film's creators and participants about the gifts Sly gave the world and the tolls it took on him. Guests: Joel Selvin, San Francisco-based music journalist and author, his latest book is "Words and Demons" Joseph Patel, producer of the documentary Sly Lives; he also produced Summer of Soul, which won an academy award for best documentary feature Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist E. Jean Carroll has won two multimillion-dollar judgments against President Trump for sexual abuse and defamation. Her new memoir, “Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President,” is a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to sue a U.S. President: the toll it took, and how support and some dark humor helped carry her through. We talk to Carroll about her experiences and hear reflections from MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin about the significance of Carroll's victory against a president who has otherwise avoided legal consequences for his actions. Guests: E. Jean Carroll, journalist; author of the long-running advice column "Ask E. Jean"; author, "Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President" Lisa Rubin, legal correspondent, MSNBC; host of MSNBC's "Can They Do That?" on Youtube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The flooding in Central Texas over the Fourth of July holiday has claimed more than 100 lives and caused widespread destruction across six counties. Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, with teams from across the country — including California — joining the response. We get on-the-ground updates, hear how rescue operations are going and as extreme weather events become more common, we look at whether this could happen in California. Guests: Hayley Smith, reporter focusing on extreme weather, Los Angeles Times Lucio E Vasquez, breaking news reporter, Texas Newsroom Greg Porter, senior newsroom meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Library of Congress's new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Bay Area children's author Mac Barnett wants to reframe how we think about picture books. With his platform, “Behold the Picture Book,” he's championing the vital role picture books play in engaging readers of all ages and why we love them. What's the picture book you love reading over and over and over? Guests: Mac Barnett, author of the children's books "Circle," "Square" and "Triangle" which have been made into a new animated series "Shape Island" on AppleTV+; his books have won Caldecott honors and E.B. White Read Aloud Awards Aida Salazar, children's book author, her picture books include "Jovita Wore Pants" and "In the Spirit of a Dream" Laura G. Lee, children's book author and illustrator, her picture books are "Soy Sauce!" and "Cat Eyes" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump on Friday signed into law a massive tax and spending package: the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which delivers sweeping tax breaks for the wealthy while slashing social safety net programs. It cuts nearly $30 billion in Medicaid funding to California, defunds wildfire prevention and, according to Governor Gavin Newsom's office, puts hundreds of thousands of jobs in the state at risk. The legislation also directs at least $170 billion to immigration detention and border security. Meanwhile, deficit watchers worry about its fiscal impacts. We'll break down what this bill means for healthcare, immigration, education and everyday Californians like you. Guests: Jessica Roy, personal finance columnist, San Francisco Chronicle David Lightman, chief congressional correspondent, McClatchy Andrea Castillo, staff writer covering immigration, LA Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caregiving is the most universal of human acts. But also one of the most invisible. While caring for a child, parent or loved one can be meaningful, and life defining, it can also be exhausting and life breaking. Drawing on her groundbreaking research on baby's brains, UC Berkeley psychologist and philosopher Alison Gopnik is leading a multidisciplinary project to better understand the social science of caregiving with hopes of translating those insights into practical policies. Gopnik and policymaker Anne-Marie Slaughter join us to talk about how rethinking our approach to caregiving and how we support care providers, could lead to a better, more functional society. Guests: Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy, UC Berkeley; author, "The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children" Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America, a non-profit think tank; author of "Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices