KQED’s Forum

As the June 2nd primary approaches, many California voters remain undecided about their pick for California's next governor. This year's race is especially crowded, with Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer and Katie Porter leading the pack of Democrats facing off against Republicans Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco. We look at the issues that matter most to California voters and find out what polls say about the state of the race. Have you decided yet about who you'll vote for? Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Paul Mitchell, vice-president, Political Data Inc. Melanie Mason, California bureau chief, Politico Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The award-winning documentary by Bay Area director Yoav Potash, “Among Neighbors,” sheds light on the history of antisemitism in Poland, where both during and after the Holocaust, Jews were murdered not only by Nazis, but also by their Polish neighbors. Spanning seven decades of history, the film includes eyewitness testimony and asks what true reckoning and repair look like during today's reemergence of nationalism and authoritarianism. Government officials in Poland have called for the film to be banned under a 2018 law in Poland forbidding speech that condemns the nation's role in the Holocaust. We talk with Potash about his film and how he “worked to navigate the ethics of being a filmmaker, a Jew, and a participant in the story.” Guests: Yoav Potash, writer, producer, and director of the documentary “Among Neighbors” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two teenage gunmen killed three people, and later themselves, in an attack Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the city's largest mosque. Authorities are investigating the shooting as a hate crime, and it comes as anti-Muslim sentiment is on the rise across the United States. We get the latest updates from the investigation, hear how San Diego's Muslim community is responding and talk to experts about growing threats posed by rising Islamophobia. Guests: Tazheen Nizam, executive director, Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego Andrew Dyer, reporter covering extremism, the military and veterans affairs, KPBS Maha Elgenaidi, executive director, Intercultural Networks Group Raqib Naik, executive director, Center for the Study of Organized Hate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since it was created back in 2012, DACA has allowed unauthorized immigrants who arrived in the US during childhood to go to school and work without fear of deportation. Now, many recipients are reporting extra long delays for renewing their status, which is required every two years, leading some to lose their jobs, health insurance, and stability and causing many to worry that they will be deported. President Trump tried to shut the program down during his first term and is expected to try again during his second. We talk with DACA recipients, advocates and legal experts about the Trump administration's efforts to weaken DACA. Guests: Leo Rodriguez, union organizer; Oakland resident; DACA recipient Sarah Souza, DACA recipient and immigrant rights and economic justice activist; serves on the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission; legislative aide for San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator Bill Ong Hing, professor of law and migration studies, University of San Francisco; author of several books on immigration policy and race relations including "Humanizing Immigration: How to Transform Our Racist and Unjust System; helps run the USF Immigration & Deportation Defense Clinic Xochilt Cruz Lopez, Richmond resident; DACA recipient who experienced a long delay for her renewal Jupiter Peraza, San Francisco resident and DACA recipient Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent hantavirus outbreak, which killed three people and sickened close to a dozen more, is largely under control, with many passengers now quarantining back in their home countries. But the response, led by a World Health Organization significantly weakened by funding cuts, exposed the obstacles that come with a decentralized approach to global health. It's a challenge that will play out next in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where an outbreak of Ebola has been labeled an international health emergency. Guests: Dr. Peter Chin-Hong M.D., infectious disease specialist, UCSF Medical Center Josh Michaud, associate director for Global Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even as a young child, Zayd Ayers Dohrn knew that the FBI was after his family. His parents Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers had been living as fugitives for years, wanted for their leadership of the Weather Underground Organization, a communist revolutionary group known for their bombings of American institutions like the Pentagon and US Capitol. In his new book, “Dangerous, Dirty, Violent & Young” Dohrn recounts his childhood on the run and grapples with the complicated legacy he inherits from revolutionary parents, who to some are seen as heroic outlaws and to others as terrorists. Guests: Zayd Ayers Dohrn, author, "Dangerous, Dirty, Violent & Young;"professor, Northwestern University; playwright Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 13th, Cuba ran out of oil, crippling public services for nearly 10 million people. It's a result of a months-long oil blockade initiated by the Trump administration. We'll talk with Ada Ferrer, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of US-Cuba relations, about this latest development in the long-tumultuous relationship between these two nations. She's the author of the new book, “Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter” She weaves together Cuba's history with her own family's story, and she shares what – and who – they left behind to come to America. Guests: Ada Ferrer, professor of history, Princeton University; author of "Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Reserve Board begins this week with a new chair, Trump appointee Kevin Warsh. The Fed is a nonpartisan government body tasked with setting interest rates and controlling inflation, but since the start of Trump's second term, former Fed chair Jerome Powell endured enormous pressure from the president, including a federal investigation against him, which has since been dropped. Can we trust our central bank to retain the independence that has made the U.S. the center of the globe's financial system? We talk with the makers of a new Frontline documentary, “The President vs. The Fed.” Guests: James Jacoby, director, "The President vs. The Fed;" Jacoby has won an Emmy award for his previous film "Amazon Empire," and a Peabody award for his film "The Facebook Dilemma" Anya Bourg, producer, "The President vs. The Fed;" previous films include "The Facebook Dilemma" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though our lives are filled with uncertainty, we're less tolerant of it than ever, says journalist Simone Stolzoff, author of the new book “How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers.” Surrounded by prediction markets, statistics and the world's knowledge on our phones, we think we should always be certain – in who we are, what we believe and what the “right” choice is. But Stolzoff says that accepting and even appreciating uncertainty can help us be more tolerant, humble and ready to take on life's curveballs. Guests: Simone Stolzoff, journalist and author, "How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers" and "The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Singer, songwriter and San Francisco native Cecilia Peña-Govea – better known as La Doña – joins us in studio with her band for a special live performance on the heels of the release of her new album, Corrientes. It's her most ambitious and comprehensive project yet. She traveled to five countries and worked with 40 musicians to compose the 16-track  album which spans a variety of genres including cumbia, reggaeton, ranchera, electronic, merengue, and son jarocho, a folk music style that originated in the Mexican state of Veracruz.  La Doña joins us to perform, talk about her new album and her Bay Area roots. Guests: Cecilia Peña-Govea, singer who performs as La Doña Amanda Magaña, vocals and congas Naomi Pasmanick, sax and vocals Miguel Govea, accordion, vocals and guitar Camilo Landau, guitar and vocals Ayla Davila, bass and vocals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An El Niño is starting to form in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and some forecasters say it could be a “monster,” the most powerful in 150 years. The weather system could trigger potentially catastrophic heat waves, flooding and drought, with effects we could start to feel as early as this summer. We talk to science journalists about how this brewing El Niño could test our readiness for the chaos of a warmer climate, and answer your questions about its potential impacts here in California and beyond. Guests: David Wallace-Wells, science writer and essayist, The New York Times Opinion Bill McKibben, co-founder, climate activism group Third Act; author of more than 20 books, including "The End of Nature" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world moves away from fossil fuels, oil and gas companies are betting on plastic to keep profits rolling in. In her new book, “Plastic Inc.,” investigative journalist Beth Gardiner digs into how plastic went from a useful byproduct of oil and gas production into a material that has literally seeped into every aspect of our lives from the air we breathe to the water we drink. Overproduction of single-use plastic has left the world with a massive pollution problem, which plastic producers have successfully blamed on consumers, Gardiner argues. And, while Bay Area residents look for ways to reduce their plastic use, oil companies plan to double or triple plastic production. We talk about why the world is drowning in plastic and how we might reverse the trend. Guests: Beth Gardiner, environmental journalist; author, "Plastic Inc." and "Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forced arbitration clauses are buried in everything from product warranties to bank loans to employment contracts, often requiring consumers and workers to give up their right to sue without realizing it. Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of the Public Integrity Project, says arbitration has become an opaque, parallel legal system that favors corporations and undermines the rule of law. We talk to Ballou about new book, “When Companies Run the Courts,” which looks at why forced arbitration has become so widespread and what states like California are doing to restrict it. Guests: Brendan Ballou, former federal prosecutor; CEO, the Public Integrity Project; author, "When Companies Run the Courts: Forced Arbitration and America's Secret Justice System" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both Democrats and Republicans have turned to redistricting to improve their chances in this fall's midterm elections. But a recent court case striking down a Democrat-leaning redistricting map in Virginia and a Supreme Court decision rolling back the Voting Rights Act, have dimmed hopes for Democrats. All this while Republican state legislatures lock in maps that give their party an edge. We talk about what it all means for the midterm elections and beyond. Guests: Erin Covey, editor of the U.S. House of Representative, The Cook Political Report Kareem Crayton, vice president, Brennan Center for Justice's Washington, D.C. office; Crayton is an expert on redistricting Nick Corasaniti, reporter, the New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 2025 study found political violence is shifting from a primarily right-wing phenomenon to one now more common on the left (fueled partly by a significant decrease in right-wing attacks during President Trump's second term). And it's increasingly accepted across the political spectrum, with about a fifth of Americans saying they'd support violence to achieve political goals. The Atlantic's Adrienne LaFrance calls this dangerous attitude “blood populism,” and we'll talk to her about why she believes people with these opinions should be seen not as partisans but extremists. Plus, a violence prevention researcher explains why political violence is a public health issue. Guests: Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor, the Atlantic Garen Wintemute M.D., M.P.H. , director, Centers for Violence Prevention at UC Davis; he also practices and teaches emergency medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California launched Project Homekey after the pandemic to quickly create new housing and get homeless people off the streets. Over the last few years the state has spent $3.8 billion converting existing properties such as old hotels and apartment buildings into housing that could be built fast and at a lower cost than ground-up construction. But the program has had mixed results according to a CalMatters investigation that found that about half of the development projects in the program either came in late, went over budget or were never built. We'll talk about how well Project Homekey is working, and what we can learn from its successes and failures. Guests: Marisa Kendall, homelessness reporter, CalMatters Ryan Finnigan, associate research director focused on homelessness in California, Terner Center for Housing Innovation, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tensions remain high in the Persian Gulf as the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire late last week, calling into question whether an already fragile ceasefire still holds. Meanwhile, President Trump called Tehran's response to an American proposal to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “totally unacceptable.” We'll talk about the latest diplomatic efforts, the risk of escalation and the impact of the war in the region and at home. Guests: Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; author, "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy;" former president, National Iranian American Council Joshua Keating, senior correspondent, Vox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mac Barnett is a bestselling children's book author and, since last year, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.  He has a new small book out for adults, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, that is a rousing defense not just of children's books but of children themselves, as people and as readers.  “If you've read good books to kids, you've probably been surprised when they noticed a detail in the pictures that you didn't see, or been humbled when they understood something about the story you couldn't. That's because children tend to be better readers — more open-minded, more diligent, and more passionate — than adults. (No offense.)” We'll talk to Barnett about how kids make us better readers and the enduring power of children's books. Guests: Mac Barnett, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; author, "Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children;" his children's books include "Circle," "Square" and "Triangle," "Extra Yarn", "Sam and Dave Dig a Hole" and the "Terrible Two" book series among others Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we find and start our life's work? That's the question Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Jodi Kantor tried to answer for Columbia University's seniors last spring in a graduation speech that went viral. She urged graduates facing a brutal job market to focus on two things: need and craft. Kantor encouraged graduates to use that lens to assess what services, products or information society will most need in their working lives and what expertise they can develop to bring them to fulfillment. We talk to Kantor about her new book “How to Start.” Guests: Jodi Kantor, investigative reporter, The New York Times; author, "How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When she was 16, journalist Tracy Clark-Flory found out that she had a long-lost sister. Her mother shared that as a teenager, she had given up a child for adoption, and the grief of that act had sent her to a mental institution. There was not much more that her mother shared, and Clark-Flory did not ask. But years after her mother's death, Clark-Flory set out to find her sister and learn more about why her mother could not keep her child. She tells that story in her new book, “My Mother's Daughter.” Guests: Tracy Clark-Flory, journalist and essayist; author, "My Mother's Daughter: Finding Myself in My Family's Fractured Past" and "Want Me: A Sex Writer's Journey into the Heart of Desire"; her newsletter can be found at tracyclarkflory.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're spending too much time sitting behind screens. First we're at our desks for eight, maybe ten hours. Then, all too often, we get home and plop onto the couch for a few more hours of screen time. But what is the actual harm, and what can we do to limit—and maybe even reverse—the damage? We get answers from TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi, author of the new book “Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being.” Guests: Manoush Zomorodi, host, NPR's "TED Radio Hour"; author, "Body Electric: The Hidden Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A proposed rule change for obtaining Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits could reduce or eliminate income for some 400,000 adults with Down syndrome, dementia and other disabilities who live with low-income relatives, according to a new analysis from ProPublica. It's a change that advocates worry will further burden disabled people and their families — and could make it harder for disabled people to stay in their homes instead of institutions. We talk with disability rights advocates about the proposed changes and the shifting landscape for people with disabilities under the Trump Administration. Guests: Eli Hager, reporter, ProPublica; his recent article is, “The Trump Administration Aims to Penalize Disabled Adults Who Live With Their Families” Kristen Pedersen, executive director, The Arc San Francisco Eric Harris, associate executive director of external affairs, Disability Rights California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Netflix documentary “The Plastic Detox” follows six couples struggling with unexplained infertility, asking them to cut plastic from their lives to see if that could help them conceive. While not a scientific study, the film explores the intriguing possibility that reducing everyday plastic exposure can actually improve our health. But how likely is this? We talk with the fertility researcher and one of the couples in the documentary to hear what they think we should — and should not — take away from the experiment. Guests: Shanna Swan, professor of environmental medicine, Icahn School of Medicine; founder and director, Action Science Initiative Monique Tavares, owner, San Ramon construction company BL Pavers; participant, “The Plastic Detox” Jasmine McDonald, associate professor of epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pioneering geneticist J. Craig Venter, who revolutionized biology with his role in sequencing the human genome, died last week in San Diego. In this hour, we look back at Venter's scientific contributions and consider whether our expectations for the medical and scientific transformations from DNA mapping have been realized. How has our knowledge of the human genome changed our understanding of how life works on a molecular level, and how much could it continue to change with the new powers of AI? Guests: Dr. Fyodor Urnov, professor of Molecular Therapeutics, University of California, Berkeley; scientific director, Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) Philip Ball, science writer, his most recent book is How Life Works: A User's Guide to the New Biology Michael Marshall, science writer, his most recent book is The Genesis Quest: The Geniuses and Eccentrics on a Journey to Uncover the Origin of Life on Earth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Humans eat more than 550 metric tons of meat and seafood a year — a number that's steadily climbing, and expected to do so until at least 2050. At the same time, scientists are working to develop plant-based and cultivated meats that deliver the same experience with more nutrition and at a lower cost. We talk to Good Food Institute founder and president Bruce Friedrich about his new book, “Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity's Favorite Food— and Our Future.” Is alternative meat in your future, or even a reality for you today? Guests: Bruce Friedrich, founder and president, The Good Food Institute; author, Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity's Favorite Food--and Our Future" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a teenager Mary Cain was a running phenom. At 17, she ran the 800 in under two minutes, and broke numerous national high school records. She went pro that same year, to be coached by Alberto Salzar at Nike. But while Cain was winning accolades on the track, she was suffering deeply. In her new memoir, “This is Not About Running,” Cain, now a second year medical student at Stanford, recounts how Salazar and his team created a culture of abuse that ground down athletes like her. We talk to Cain about what lessons can be learned from her experience and her efforts to protect young athletes. Guests: Mary Cain, author, "This Is Not About Running;" former professional runner; second year medical student at Stanford Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A blue whale mother that fasts for months while her calf puts on close to 250 pounds a day. A male hamster who acts as a midwife while his partner gives birth. Healthy bird parents that lurch along the ground, feigning injury to keep predators away from their nest. These are some of the remarkable examples of animal caregiving that science journalist Elizabeth Preston says can hold up “uncanny mirrors to the human experience and the puzzle of why and how we've evolved to pour our resources into our children.” We talk to Preston about her new book, “The Creatures' Guide to Caring.” What have you noticed about the animal caregivers around you? Guests: Elizabeth Preston, science journalist; author, "The Creatures' Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a federal appeals court on Friday blocked mail-order access to the abortion pill mifepristone, the Supreme Court stepped in to pause the ruling, restoring access to one of the most common ways to end early pregnancies. Despite the administrative stay, it is not clear how the court will handle the case. We'll talk about what the restrictions could mean for access both in states with abortion bans and in California and other states where abortion remains legal. Guests: Mary Ziegler, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law Shefali Luthra, reproductive health reporter, The 19th [an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know the stinging pain of rejection: the exclusion from a high-school in-group or the all-too-common experience of applying for a job and receiving an email starting with “We regret to inform you…” But beyond the personal experience of rejection is a power dynamic worth interrogating, argues author Alison Kinney. Her new book, “United States of Rejection: A Story of Love, Hate, and Hope,” examines it as not only a personal force, but a political one. Guests: Alison Kinney, author; assistant professor of writing, Eugene Lang College at The New School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When punk rock thrashed through the Bay Area in the 70s and 80s, there were some venues that became iconic hubs, like Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco and Berkeley's Gilman street. But in rural Sonoma country, the scene was cobbled together in backyards, barns, and from fields with very long extension cords. Growing up in Santa Rosa, KQED's arts and culture editor Gabe Meline was both a part of the punk scene and an obsessive collector of its flyers, zines, cassettes and ephemera. He's now guest curated a new exhibit at the Museum of Sonoma County, Disturbing the Peace: Sonoma County's Early Punk Underground. We talk to Meline — and check in those in punk scenes of other Bay Area towns — about the music and ethos of punk and why this young DIY movement against authority is so relevant now. Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture Mike Park, owner, Asian Man Records - an independent label based in San Jose; member of the ska-punk band Skankin' Pickle in the 1980s and 90s Matthew Kadi, photographer and drummer. His band Monster Squad started in Vacaville in 1997 and is still playing shows. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last month, about a dozen authors wrote to Forum saying they'd been messaged by a fraudster claiming to be Mina Kim. In exchange for a “small fee,” they'd be invited to talk about their book on the show. This is a new kind of impersonation scam targeting the wider publishing industry, and like online dating schemes, they're using flattery and promises of publicity to con the authors into sending money. We look at why authors are being targeted, just how deep this publishing scam goes, and how AI is superpowering online scams. Guests: Lauren Goode, senior correspondent covering Silicon Valley, Wired Dan Barry, senior writer, The New York Times Julian Sancton, senior features editor, The Hollywood Reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When President Trump sent troops into Iran, he did so without a green light from Congress. Now he faces a deadline on May 1 to either end the war in Iran or secure official approval from Congress. That timeline is laid out under the War Powers Resolution, a law that allows presidents to start wars without congressional approval. Democrats in Congress have tried and failed to pass multiple resolutions to halt the war. Meanwhile, the war is losing support from Republican lawmakers, who have not proposed a vote to approve it. We talk about the war in Iran, lawmakers' efforts to stop it so far, and whether the Trump administration is feeling any pressure from the 60-day deadline. Guests: Harold Hongju Koh, professor of international law, Yale Law School; legal advisor to the U.S. Department of State from 2009-2013 Mark DeSaulnier, U.S. Congressman representing California's 10th district (the East Bay) Robert Jimison, congressional reporter covering foreign policy, defense and national security issues, The New York Times Elisa Ewers, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court this week heard a case about Roundup, a weedkiller widely used in agriculture — and that tens of thousands claim has caused their cancer. Now a new investigation from Mother Jones reveals that Roundup is used across California by the US Forest Service and Cal Fire. While Bayer, Roundup's parent company, claims the chemical's safety is backed up by extensive research, the investigation calls into question data behind these claims. We look at what's known about the health impacts of Roundup, how it's used for fire recovery and why it's causing a rift in Trump world. Guests: Nate Halverson, senior reporter and producer, The Center for Investigative Reporting who reported on Roundup for Reveal and Mother Jones Patrick Thomas, reporter, The Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when your hard drive gets fried and every photo documenting your kid's life, or that novel you didn't back up, or that cache of old emails documenting your first love affair is lost? After the scream of agony, who do you call? That's what New Yorker staff writer Julian Lucas wanted to know. The answer, it turns out, is right in our backyard. We talk to Lucas and the folks from Drive Savers, a company in Novato that works to resurrect your digital life from the dead. What digital history have you lost? Guests: Julian Lucas, staff writer, The New Yorker; his latest article is "Resurrection Hardware" Sarah Farrell, director of business development, DriveSavers Data Recovery Kelly Chessen, hypnotherapist; former data crisis counselor, DriveSavers Data Recovery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An estimated one in eight Americans has now tried a GLP-1 medication like Ozempic or WeGovy: to lose weight, manage diabetes or experiment with anecdotal, off-label benefits. Yet GLP-1s can be hard to talk about — whether you want to ask someone if they take one, respond if you do, or discuss weight without dredging up unhealthy diet discourse. We'll hear how you're navigating these conversations in the age of GLP-1s. Tell us: How are GLP-1s showing up in your world? Guests: Diana Thiara, medical director, UCSF Weight Loss Management Program Whitney Casares, pediatrician; author, “Raising Body-Confident Kids” and “My One-Of A-Kind Body: The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Me” Angela Corral, senior editor, KQED's The California Report; she has been been taking a GLP-1 for almost 2 years Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has an opinion about Elon Musk, who has carved out a uniquely powerful place for himself in the worlds of auto-making, space launch, social media  and even government. But beyond Musk the individual, what do his corporate maneuvers and embrace of authoritarian, anti-humanitarian and white supremacist ideologies tell us about the direction of our society? As Musk's high-stakes lawsuit against Open AI's Sam Altman begins in Oakland this week, we  talk to Ben Tarnoff and Quinn Slobodian about their new book, “Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.” Guests: Quinn Slobodian, professor of international history, Boston University; author, "Globalists," "Crack-Up Capitalism," "Hayek's Bastards." Ben Tarnoff, co-author, "Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed;" author, "Internet for the People: The Fight for Our Digital Future" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tucker Carlson, the right wing pundit and onetime Donald Trump diehard, now says he regrets supporting the President. Carlson apologized on his show for misleading his audiences and said he'll be tormented over that support for a long time. The comments mark a high-profile break between Trump and his former media ally, and they come amid growing divisions within the Republican party over Iran. New Yorker staff writer Jason Zengerle took a close look at Carlson's many iterations and reversals in his recent biography “Hated by All the Right People.” We talk to Zengerle about what Carlson's apparent change of heart signals about the future of Trump-era conservatism and get your reactions. Guests: Jason Zengerle, staff writer, The New Yorker; author, "Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The death of a San Jose toddler in foster care has Santa Clara's child welfare system scrambling to respond and politicians asking what went wrong. Six percent of children nationwide will enter the foster care system, primarily for reasons of neglect – which can mean conditions of poverty, homelessness, parental drug abuse or mental health issues. We'll talk to child welfare experts about what we do right and what we could improve in caring for children deeply in need. Guests: Julia Prodis Sulek, reporter, Bay Area News Group; Sulek was part of the San Jose Mercury News team that won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting Janay Eustace, president & CEO, Child Abuse Prevention Center Jill Duerr Berrick, professor, School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley Sarah Pauter, executive director, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), an organization focused on outcomes for older foster youth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has an accent, even people who don't think they do. That's according to linguist Valerie Fridland, who studies the way American accents have been shaped by centuries of culture and class. In her new book, “Why We Talk Funny”, Fridland shares how different American accents developed, why some are dying off and the way they influence how we see each other and ourselves. Guests: Valerie Fridland, professor of linguistics, University of Nevada, Reno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'll remember legendary conductor, composer, educator and San Francisco icon Michael Tilson Thomas who died on Wednesday. He served 25 years as music director of the San Francisco Symphony and was a towering figure in the classical music world in the Bay Area and globally. He is credited with revamping classical music with his risky musical choices, innovative collaborations, and talent for teaching young people. Thomas retired from the symphony in 2020 and was diagnosed with a rare brain cancer around that same time. We'll talk about Thomas' legacy and lasting imprint on San Francisco. Guests: Joshua Kosman, classical music critic, San Francisco Chronicle Mark Leno, former California state senator; longtime friend of Michael Tilson Thomas Donato Cabrera, music and artistic director, California Symphony John Adams, composer - his new opera "Girls of the Golden West" runs at San Francisco Opera through December 10th Julia Bullock, Grammy-winning opera singer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aziz Abu Sarah, who is Palestinian, and Maoz Inon, who is Israeli, have both lost family to the conflict in the Middle East. They are also both peacebuilders who say they “forged a bond of brotherhood when the world expected us to hate each other.” We talk to them about their relationship and their vision for a culture of dialogue and forgiveness. Their new book is “The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land.” Guests: Aziz Abu Sarah, co-author, "The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land” Maoz Inon, co-author, "The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some fans of the indie-rock band Geese have been feeling betrayed after learning that TikToks that looked like they were made by fans were actually created by a PR firm. But is this just what artists have to do to make it in our hyper-saturated music world? And when major record companies have long been accused of payola, is this even new? We talk about how TikTok and Spotify algorithms work, and whether we can ever discover music without marketing having its thumb on the scale. Guests: Glenn McDonald, former "data alchemist" at Spotify; founder, music microgenre catalog Every Noise at Once Darren Hemmings, author, industry insider newsletter Network Notes; founder and managing director, UK marketing agency Motive Unknown Bobby Davin, senior vice president of A&R and label partnerships, Stem Distribution Hiroki Tanaka, former lead guitarist, Canadian experimental prog group Yamantaka // Sonic Titan; just released the solo album ISAN (遺産) Olivia Jones, associate music analyst, MIDiA Research Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices