KQED’s Forum

What's your favorite audiobook? Chances are, it's one with a great narrator. Audiobook performers can make, or break, the experience for listeners. But what goes into their work? Julia Whelan has been dubbed “the Adele of audiobooks” and has narrated over 700 audiobooks – including Gillian Flynn's “Gone Girl,” Tara Westover's “Educated” and Ottessa Moshfegh's “My Year of Rest and Relaxation.” She joins us to share her insights into the craft, how AI is reshaping the industry, and what we love about listening to stories. 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 listen back to our conversation with 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

The current Trump administration has deported roughly 8,000 people to places most have never even visited, in a process known as third-country removal. Critics say this violates U.S. law, depriving people seeking asylum of their due process rights. We hear from a Russian whistleblower and asylum seeker who was en route to California when he was deported… to Costa Rica. Plus, we'll hear from lawyers who are seeing the Trump administration expand third-country removals for asylum seekers within California. Guests: José "Caya" Cayasso, co-founder of the tech startup Slidebean; YouTuber and journalist who first reported German's story German, Russian whistleblower who was deported to Costa Rica after attempting to seek asylum in the United States Dr. Yael Schacher, immigration law historian and director for the Americas and Europe, Refugees International Nicole Gorney, immigration attorney, Vidas Legal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a year of political, economic and societal turmoil, we sit down with KQED's Arts team to talk about their annual series, One Beautiful Thing. The series gathers reflections on singular experiences and practices from the past year that served as a balm, nourishment or enlightenment. This year's picks include handwriting letters, supporting a struggling artist and taking a solo trip to follow a band on tour. And, we want to hear from you, what was the One Beautiful Thing in your life that punctuated 2025? Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts and Culture Pendarvis "Pen" Harshaw, columnist, KQED Arts Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts and Culture Elissa Epel, professor and vice chair, UCSF's Department of Psychiatry; she is the author of "The Stress Prescription" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Data centers are the server farms that power the internet. California has the third-most data centers of any state: over 320 sites, with more construction slated for next year. But energy experts are sounding alarms about their impacts on electric grids, water and climate; impacts that are worsening with the explosion of AI. We'll talk about what data center growth means for the environment — and for ratepayers — and how lawmakers and communities are responding. Guests: Molly Taft, senior climate reporter, WIRED; their recent piece is "You're Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong" Aaron Cantú, staff writer, Capital and Main; his latest piece on this is "The Insatiable Energy Demands of Data Centers Could Increase Fossil Fuel Emissions in California" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The president calling female reporters “piggy”, “stupid” and “ugly.” Claims that liberal feminism has ruined the workplace. The manosphere. Despite the #MeToo movement, protests featuring pussy hats, and political and cultural efforts to call the patriarchy to account, misogyny feels like it's going strong in 2025. But why? We gather a panel of thinkers and leaders to talk about how misogyny has become mainstream and what can be done about it. Guests: Roxane Gay, scholar and author; her books include "Difficult Women," "Hunger" and "Bad Feminist" Irin Carmon, senior correspondent, New York magazine, She is the author of "Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancy in America" She is also the co-author of "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" Savala Nolan, executive director, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, Berkeley Law; author, "Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body." Her forthcoming book is titled, "Good Woman: A Reckoning" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From hotels to fast food restaurants, more companies are luring consumers to sign up for loyalty programs in exchange for points, discounts and other deals. But according to two former FTC officials, loyalty programs have devolved into “data-harvesting machines” that track what we buy and even how much we're willing to pay. And the financial benefits tend to fall far short of the initial promise. We talk to Sam A.A. Levine and Stephanie Nguyen about how loyalty programs exploit consumers, how California is fighting back and how we can stay alert to the pitfalls. Their recent paper is called “The Loyalty Trap: How Loyalty Programs Hook Us with Deals, Hack Our Brains, and Hike Our Prices.” What consumer loyalty programs do you use, and have you ever felt used… by them? Guests: Samuel A.A. Levine, former director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission - senior fellow, Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, UC Berkeley Law School Stephanie Nguyen, former chief technologist, Federal Trade Commission - senior fellow, Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent contract negotiations, Kaiser Permanente therapists asked for language to specify that artificial intelligence would not “replace” humans in mental health care, but the employer has so far refused. Kaiser already uses AI technology in mental health care to take notes and create summaries, but Kaiser therapists worry further use of the technology could usurp their jobs. We talk about the ways AI may be entering our mental health care system and how it could affect therapists and their patients. Guests: April Dembosky, health correspondent, KQED News Jodi Halpern, professor of bioethics and chancellor's chair, University of California, Berkeley Vanessa Coe, secretary–treasurer, National Union of Healthcare Workers Anna Benassi, therapist, associate professor and executive director of clinics, California Institute of Integral Studies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Hollywood to Rockefeller Plaza, news of a potential sale of Warner Bros Discovery has sent shockwaves through the film industry. And the current bidding war between streaming giant Netflix and film studio Paramount has all the hallmarks of an HBO prestige drama – from antitrust lawsuits to a hostile takeover bid – with implications for all of American media. We unpack it all with NPR's critic-at-large and a legal expert. What are your questions, or concerns, about a potential Warner Bros merger? Guests: Eric Deggans, critic-at-large, National Public Radio (NPR) Rebecca Haw Allensworth, associate dean for research and professor of law, Vanderbilt Law School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025 was supposed to be crypto's year. President Trump began his term by announcing a strategic Bitcoin reserve and promised to back the market for the currencies. But Bitcoin is down nearly 30% from its all time high and crypto companies and investors have been hammered in the market. All this while Trump's crypto czar, David Sacks, operates under accusations of conflicts of interest, and the Trump family continues to enrich itself with crypto-related enterprises. We talk about the year in crypto. Guests: David Yaffe-Bellany, reporter, New York Times - who covers cryptocurrencies and fintech Vicky Huang, reporter, Wall Street Journal - who covers the cryptocurrency industry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suicide is a leading cause of death in the U.S. for kids aged 10 to 18. And autistic youth are more likely to think about and die from suicide, and at earlier ages, than their neurotypical peers. Conventional mental health interventions are not designed to address the needs of autistic people — and can even worsen their distress, especially among those with elevated cognitive language and daily living abilities. But promising new mental health research could change the tide. We'll learn more about advances in suicide prevention in autistic and neurodivergent people. Guests: Neal and Samara Tricarico, parents of Anthony "Ant" Tricarico; founders, the Endurant Movement: a nonprofit dedicated to autism, youth suicide and mental health Corinne Purtill, science and health reporter, Los Angeles Times Jessica Schwartzman, director, Training and Research to Empower NeuroDiversity Lab, Children's Hospital Los Angeles; assistant professor of pediatrics, USC's Keck School of Medicine Lisa Morgan, founder of the Autism and Suicide Prevention Workgroup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There have been more than 150 small earthquakes in San Ramon in the past month. In one rattling day alone there were at least 19 of magnitude 2.0 or higher. Do all these little earthquakes mean the big one is coming soon? Or maybe that the big one is not coming soon? Seismologists say it means neither. But we're bringing together earthquake scientists to answer all your questions and tell us the latest in the science of quakes. Guests: Richard Allen, director, Berkeley Seismology Lab Annemarie Baltay, research geophysicist with the Earthquake Hazards Program, USGS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diane Keaton. Jane Goodall. Belva Davis. Ozzy Osbourne. Brian Wilson. Sly Stone. David Lynch. We lost cultural luminaries, larger-than-life personalities and loved ones in 2025. We'll celebrate their legacies and hear how they changed lives and communities for the better. And we want to hear from you: Who did you mourn this year — and what did they give you? Guests: Chloe Veltman, correspondent, NPR's Culture Desk Meaghan Mitchell, arts and culture journalist; her piece of KQED Arts is," Belva Davis Showed Me I Belong in Journalism" Dave Schilling, contributing writer, LA Times Image - author, "Horror's New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'll look back at KQED's Best Bay Area Albums of 2025 with our music writers. This year's list of favorites includes local musicians putting out original hip-hop, punk, salsa, spiritual jazz and rock. We'll hear live in studio performances from musicians that made the list – Oakland hip-hop artist Jamel Griot and instrumental band Arts and Crafts – and we'll  talk about the local musicians topping your playlists. Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts Pendarvis "Pen" Harshaw, columnist, KQED Arts Jamel Griot, hip hop and soul artist Jeff Klein, drummer, Arts and Crafts Noam Teyssier, guitarist, Arts and Crafts Nadia Aquil, bassist, Arts and Crafts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House says it's submitting plans this month for its 90,000 square-foot gold-studded ballroom which will be bigger than the White House while Democrats call for inquiries into the funding of the project. Meanwhile, the Oval Office gleams with gold adornments, and an executive order decrees classical architecture for all federal buildings. Design historians say Trump is reshaping America's visual identity in his own image, breaking with centuries of presidential restraint. We take a look at what's driving the makeover, and we want to hear from you: How do you interpret Trump's visual choices? Guests: Naftali Bendavid, senior national political correspondent, The Washington Post Jessica Winegar, professor, Northwestern University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The killing of Alberto Rangel, a 51-year-old social worker at San Francisco General Hospital, has left colleagues grieving and questioning whether his death could have been prevented. Rangel was stabbed by a patient who authorities say had made multiple threats for weeks. Incidents of workplace violence in healthcare facilities have been on the rise for more than a decade nationwide, prompting hospitals and medical offices to adopt stricter safety protocols. But are they working? We'll talk about workplace violence against health care workers and what employers are doing – and failing to do – to protect them. Guests: Annie Vainshtein, reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Dani Golomb, psychiatrist; Golomb was attacked by a patient in 2020 during her medical residency at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco Dan Russell, president, University Professional and Technical Employees Al'ai Alvarez, clinical professor of emergency medicine, Stanford University Cammie Chaumont Menendez, research epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lawmakers are demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth release video of the September strike that killed two survivors of a U.S. attack on their boat in the Caribbean. That strike, which the Pentagon says targeted drug traffickers, has prompted war crime accusations. But since then, the U.S. has launched more than 20 strikes in the region, killing more than 80 people. We talk about the impact and legality of the attacks along with other controversies at the Pentagon — and the political implications for Hegseth. Guests: Julian Barnes, intelligence and national security reporter, New York Times Tess Bridgeman, co-editor-in-chief, Just Security - former special assistant to the President and deputy legal adviser to the National Security Council under President Obama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The National Institutes of Health have historically funded scientists to find cures for diseases and protect public health. NIH funding has led to the discovery of immune therapies for cancer, antiviral treatments and prevention of HIV, and ground-breaking research into memory loss and Alzheimer's disease. After a year of funding cuts and freezes that have rocked the medical research field to its core, we catch up with leading researchers at the University of California to talk about the impact this has had on their work and our ability to fight humanity's most puzzling illnesses. Guests: Monica Gandhi, infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco - she is the director of the UCSF Gladstone Center for AIDS Research and the medical director of the San Francisco General Hospital HIV Clinic, Ward 86 Pamela Munster, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco; co-director, Center for BRCA Research, Medical Oncology; distinguished professor in Hereditary Cancer Research Megan Molteni, science writer, STAT News Joel Spencer, associate professor of Bioengineering, University of California Merced - his lab uses funding from NIH to study the thymus, with implications for cancer treatment and healthy aging Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Children as young as 12 can legally work on California's farms, picking strawberries and pruning blueberry bushes along with a host of other physically demanding jobs. Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Robert J. Lopez spoke with 61 children who work in the fields of the Salinas, Santa Maria, San Joaquin and Pajaro valleys. They described unsafe and unsanitary conditions, extreme heat — and a fear of speaking up, because they can't afford to lose their jobs. Lopez reports that in California, “enforcement of child labor laws has been inconsistent, the number of workplace safety inspections and citations issued to employers have dropped and repeat offenders were not fined for hundreds of violations of pesticide safety laws.” He joins us to share his reporting, and how the state is responding to it. Guests: Erica Diaz-Cervantes, senior policy advocate, Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE) - an organization committed to social, economic, and environmental justice for working-class and immigrant communities in California's Central Coast; former underage farmworker Robert J. Lopez, Pulitzer prize-winning independent journalist, and fellow at the McGraw Center for Business Journalism; his reporting is titled “California's child farmworkers: Exhausted, underpaid and toiling in toxic fields” and “Lax oversight, few inspections leave child farmworkers exposed to toxic pesticides” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In California, mobile homes make up to 6% of the state's housing stock. With as many as 300,000 homes in 5,000 mobile home parks in the state, they play a critical role in providing affordable housing. But state laws and efforts by for-profit developers to buy up mobile home communities are putting this kind of housing at risk. We talk to experts about the challenges mobile home owners face. Guests: Bruce Stanton, general counsel, Golden State Manufactured Home Owners League Mary Currie, resident, Marin Valley Mobile Country Club Randy Keller, advocacy manager, manufactured home parks acquisition, California Center for Cooperative Development Mariah Thompson, senior litigator, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In groundbreaking experiments with mice, Boston University neuroscientist Steve Ramirez has succeeded in turning memories on and off, even implanting new ones. He says that someday we'll be able to do the same in humans. But should we? We talk to Ramirez about the ethical dilemma and the personal experience that caused him to consider erasing his own memory. His new book is “How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist's Quest to Alter the Past.” Guests: Steve Ramirez, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the bus and in the grocery store line, more and more people are keeping their AirPods in. While we work, while we walk, while we shower, even while we fall asleep — we listen. But what does constant listening do to our attention, our relationships, and the social fabric we all share? We talk about constant audio consumption and its cognitive and cultural costs. Guests: Jenny Odell, artist and critic, author of "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy" and "Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock" Gloria Mark, Professor Emerita of Informatics, University of California, Irvine - her recent book is "Attention Span"; her Substack is called "The Future of Attention" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When writer Patricia Lockwood fell ill with Covid in March 2020, she says she felt insane for months, experiencing  “Brian fog” (not brain fog) and what she called “The Refrains,” where a single song lyric would play over and over in her mind. So she decided to make sense of it all by writing “a masterpiece about being confused.” We talk to Lockwood about what it was like to write while “insane” and edit while in full health, and how she found humor in the absurdity of illness. Her new novel is “Will There Ever Be Another You.” Guests: Patricia Lockwood, novelist and poet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giftflation is here. Prices for go-to gifts such as boxes of chocolates or the latest iPhone will be higher this year than last thanks to rising tariffs and inflation. And while consumers are anxious about the economy, they are still expected to break spending records by shelling out more than $1 trillion on holiday shopping. We'll talk about your gift plans and hear tips from scouring craft fairs, to searching out meaningful finds from small businesses to going the  no-buy route such as gifting free babysitting or experiences. Guests: Amanda Mull, columnist, Bloomberg Taylar Hagan-Colyar, founder, Sip Shop Eat! Sarahjane Bernhisel, illustrator; co-founder, Bay Made Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just weeks before enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire for 22 million Americans, Congress faces mounting pressure to act on healthcare funding. We'll talk about the negotiations unfolding on Capitol Hill, what we're hearing from the White House and how the issue could shape the 2026 midterm elections. Guests: Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy, KFF - a nonpartisan health policy research, polling and news organization Sam Liccardo, United States Representative, California's 16th Congressional District - includes Santa Clara and San Mateo counties Jonathan Cohn, senior national correspondent, The Bulwark; author, "The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has paused all asylum immigration decisions, affecting more than a million people, following a shooting of two National Guard members allegedly by an Afghan asylum recipient. It's just the latest in a series of escalating immigration restrictions that, according to experts, now target both undocumented immigrants and people who have entered the U.S. legally. For Afghan allies who worked with U.S. forces, the policy shift has been especially jarring: visa programs are on hold and previously approved cases are now under review. We'll talk about what these sweeping changes mean for legal immigrants, asylum seekers, and the federal agencies carrying out deportations. Guests: Joseph Azam, board chair, Afghan-American Foundation Nick Miroff, staff writer covering immigration, The Atlantic Karen Musalo, professor of law and director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, UC Law San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist and author Simon Winchester says that wind is “a universal….It lifts seeds and supports birds and insects. It warms and it chills. It builds and creates; it ruins and destroys.” From a vibrating oboe reed to the fury of a hurricane, we talk to Winchester about how wind has shaped our lives and our planet — and how it's shifting with climate change. His new book is “The Breath of the Gods.” Guests: Simon Winchester, journalist and author, "The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind" - his other books include "The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary" and "A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the U.S., it's illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn't be the first such baby: in 2018, a Chinese scientist announced he had altered embryos to create a baby immune from HIV. He was sentenced to prison for the illegal practice of medicine. In the US and across the globe, ethical concerns about gene editing embryos to eliminate disease and replicate certain traits like a higher IQ are raising alarms. We'll talk to experts about what is at stake and how innovations in genetic engineering are being directed. Guests: Dr. Fyodor Urnov, Professor of Molecular Therapeutics, University of California, Berkeley - Urnov is also the scientific director at its Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) Katherine Long, reporter, investigations team, Wall Street Journal - Long's latest piece is titled "Genetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying to Make One Anyway" Katie Hasson, executive director, Center for Genetics and Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fred Armisen, the comedian, actor and musician known for “Portlandia,” “Documentary Now!” and “SNL,” has a new album out called “100 Sound Effects.” There's a jacket zipping, glass shattering, the “ooh” of receiving room service and even the sound we make when “Walking into a Video Room at an Art Museum and then Walking Out Quickly,” as the effect is titled. We'll talk with Armisen about recording the sounds of the everyday, and we want to hear from you: What's a sound you'd record in your life or would want preserved in a sound effect library decades from now? Guests: Fred Armisen, comedian, actor and musician, known for “Portlandia,” “Documentary Now!” and “Saturday Night Live" - his new project is “100 Sound Effects” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2011, Nicole Daedone took to the stage at a San Francisco TedTalk to discuss her biggest business venture: the female orgasm. The founder of OneTaste, a company dedicated to “orgasmic meditation”, told a tale of women's empowerment and exploration of female sexual pleasure through the business's many retreats, centers and workshops. But in the years that followed, stories of sexual, financial and labor abuse and manipulation in OneTaste emerged. In the new book, Empire of Orgasm, Ellen Huet investigates the cult-like nature of the operation through accounts of former clients and community members that led to the company's recent criminal conviction on federal forced labor conspiracy charges. Guests: Ellen Huet, investigative journalist and features writer, Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek - author, "Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Gil Duran's newsletter “The Nerd Reich” documents the latest developments in anti-democracy extremism within Silicon Valley. These extreme views include calls for accelerationism: the idea that unregulated capitalism and unfettered technological advancement should accelerate as quickly as possible, in order to bring about a new world order. While this sounds conspiratorial, Duran says these views are promoted by some of the most influential voices in the tech sector. We'll talk about the political implications of billionaire tech moguls' actions in the Bay Area, the U.S. and the world — and how we can fight back. Guests: Gil Duran, journalist and author of the newsletter "The Nerd Reich"; author of the forthcoming book, “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you've watched any legal drama on TV, you know that criminal defendants are entitled to a jury of peers. But does our court system fulfill that promise? Filmmaker Abby Ginzberg's short documentary “Judging Juries” exposes how discriminatory dismissals, and a lack of financial support, keep people of color off of juries, and how that exclusion impacts our entire justice system. We'll talk with Ginzberg, two public defenders, and a San Francisco official working to address this problem – in San Francisco, at least. The city launched a pilot program that offers $100 per day to low-income jurors for their service. We'll explore the impact of that program, and other efforts to remove barriers to jury service. Have you ever served on a jury? Tell us about your experience. Guests: Manohar Raju, public defender, City of San Francisco Anne Stuhldreher, senior advisor, San Francisco Treasurer's Office Abby Ginzberg, documentary filmmaker, "Judging Juries" Brendon Woods, public defender for Alameda County, Alameda County Defenders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's the picture book you wanted your parent or caregiver to read to you over and over. There's the one with musical rhymes you love performing for your kids. The editors at the Atlantic's books desk chose 65 “essential” children's books, spanning the 1936 classic “The Story of Ferdinand” to 2024's “I'm Sorry You Got Mad.” The list includes bedtime stories, books that teach counting and tales that make big emotions comprehensible for little ones. We'll talk with the book editors about how the Atlantic made its list. And we'll hear what your favorite books mean to you and your children. Guests: Boris Kachka, senior editor, The Atlantic Emma Sarappo, senior associate editor, The Atlantic Maya Chung, senior associate editor, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even after the tremendous success of her cookbook, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and the Netflix series it inspired, Samin Nosrat found that she was lonely and depressed. What grounded her, and helped her claw back the joy in her life, was regularly cooking and eating with friends and committing to community – one “lazy sugo” at a time .  We talk to Nosrat about her journey and her new book, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love.” Guest: Samin Nosrat, chef and author of "Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook"; her previous book is the bestseller "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crises unfold around us daily: gun violence, devastating foreign wars and U.S. democratic norms shattering. And still, we cook dinner and go to work. For those directly affected, the harms are inescapable. But for others, the contrast between catastrophic headlines and ordinary routines creates a dizzying dissonance: life moving as normal, against a backdrop of unsettling change. We'll talk about this strange tension and what it does to us, and we'll hear how you are navigating it. Guests: Kate Woodsome, journalist and founder of Invisible Threads, a media and leadership lab exploring the link between mental health and democracy Adrienne Matei, writer, The Guardian US - her recent piece is “Systems are crumbling – but daily life continues. The dissonance is real” Gisela Salim-Peyer, associate editor, The Atlantic - her most recent article is "The U.S. Is Preparing for War in Venezuela" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julian Brave NoiseCat's paternal family traces their origins to the Coyote, a trickster from native mythology who helped create the world. The story of Coyote weaves through NoiseCat's memoir, “We Survived the Night,” which recounts his childhood in Oakland, growing up with a non-native mother and an absent Indian father who was born, and nearly killed, in an infamous Canadian reservation school. NoiseCat's book weaves together the personal, historical and mythological stories that “were nearly tossed in the dustbin of history.” Guests: Julian Brave NoiseCat, author, "We Survived the Night" - NoiseCat is the co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Sugarcane" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mars is inhospitable to human life with its cosmic radiation, atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nights as cold as 200 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. But as Space X founder Elon Musk pledges to colonize Mars, and as NASA renews its push for interplanetary travel, a husband and wife duo has explored whether people really can live in space. What would it require to have babies on another planet? To grow food? To prevent conflicts in space from sparking geopolitical chaos on Earth? We'll talk about it all with Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, co-authors of “A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?” Guests: Kelly Weinersmith, scientist, author, and adjunct faculty member in the BioSciences Department, Rice University - she co-wrote the New York Times bestselling book "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?" and co-hosts the podcast Daniel and Kelly's Extraordinary Universe Zach Weinersmith, cartoonist of the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, he also writes popular science books with his wife, Kelly, including "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The ACLU is not new to the work of challenging presidents. During the first Trump administration, the ACLU successfully challenged Trump's Muslim ban, border wall, and family separation policies. Since Trump took office for his second term this January, the ACLU has filed 111 lawsuits against the administration — defending birthright citizenship, opposing deportations, and challenging executive orders. As Cecillia Wang, its national legal director notes, “litigation has been a tool of first resort in protecting people's rights and freedom.” We talk with Wang about how the ACLU is meeting this moment, and what individuals can do to ensure the preservation of civil rights and liberties. Guests: Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director, ACLU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Costco, the bulk grocery chain known for consistency, devoted employees and discounts, has 145 million members worldwide. New Yorker staff writer Molly Fischer grew up going to a Costco in San Jose (Warehouse No. 148, on Senter Road), and she says “being a child of California in the eighties and nineties offered a front-row seat to the rise of a retail juggernaut.” But new management and Wall Street pressure means that things are changing at Costco, even as its hot dog-and-soda deal remains $1.50. We'll talk with Fischer about her new piece, “Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?” Guests: Molly Fischer, staff writer, The New Yorker - her recent article is "Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transgender and nonbinary kids have been in the news a lot lately, but usually they're not telling their own stories. The California Report Magazine has been airing a series of conversations between trans youth and the people that love and mentor them. We'll hear from kids, parents and grandparents who have lent their voices to the Love You for You series and we'll hear from you. Tell us about the trans and gender nonconforming youth in your life. Guests: Sasha Khokha, host of The California Report Magazine on KQED Hunter Stoval, transgender 16 year old Eloui Santiago, gender nonconforming 14 year old Ryu Santiago, non-binary, transgender 16 year old Roberto Santiago , father of two gender expansive children, Eloui and Ryu Santiago Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Times Cooking columnist Eric Kim says he's perfected the Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole (hint: big marshmallows, but halved). Recipe developer Sue Li has a collection of Thanksgiving flavor-inspired pie recipes for bakers of all skill levels. And editor Tanya Sichynsky, who writes “The Veggie” newsletter for the Times, argues you can easily replace the bird with tofu – and even use tofu in your potatoes and desserts. We'll talk with all three about what they're bringing to the table this year, and we'll hear your spiciest Thanksgiving takes and recommendations. Guests: Eric Kim, food and cooking columnist, The New York Times; author, "Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home" Sue Li, recipe developer, The New York Times Tanya Sichynsky, editor for the Food and Cooking sections, The New York Times; author of the weekly vegetarian newsletter "The Veggie" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beyond just a wardrobe staple, jeans are often key parts of signature looks and core memories. Levi Strauss, the San Francisco company that brought jeans to the masses, has reopened its history museum, The Vault, with an exhibit called “Amped” that celebrates iconic denim looks worn by musicians including Kurt Cobain, Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Freddie Mercury. We'll talk about the exhibit and hear stories of your favorite pair of jeans. Tell us about the jeans that made you feel brave, the ones covered in patches that you refused to retire or maybe the pair that you were wearing when you met your first love. Guests: Gregory Climer, chair, fashion design program at California College of the Arts Audrey Kalman, created a denim archive for her master's degree from the University of Oregon Tracey Panek, Levi Strauss and Co. historian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices