Podcast appearances and mentions of keith menconi

There may not be absentee voting in Taiwan, but that won't keep members of the island's overseas community from weighing in on the elections which happen on January 13. In this special report for ICRT, Keith Menconi reveals how San Francisco-based Taiwanese feel about the polls.

The Fifth and Mission team is not producing any new episodes this week. Instead, we are sharing some of our favorite past episodes that exemplify what we've loved about making this show. Today's pick is from producer Keith Menconi. Wildland firefighting has long been recognized as dangerous, dirty work. Now, there is growing evidence that it can also cause serious long-term health problems. Chronicle reporter Julie Johnson spent six months investigating the impacts of wildfire smoke on firefighters, and spoke to a dozen men and women diagnosed with grave diseases who all suspect that smoke was a factor. She tells host Cecilia Lei that for decades fire agencies have struggled to provide meaningful protection for their workers, but that progress could be coming. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Driverless car companies have faced some bumps in the road as they roll out services in San Francisco. But in Phoenix, Arizona, Waymo has been operating robotaxis since 2020 with little pushback. Transportation reporter Ricardo Cano, fresh off a trip to Arizona to see them in action, takes Fifth & Mission producer Keith Menconi on an autonomous vehicle ride to see why the driverless future is looking so different between the two cities. | Unlimited Chronicle access: sfchronicle.com/pod Got a tip, comment, question? Email us: fifth@sfchronicle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Bay Current, KCBS Radio's Keith Menconi takes a tour of Davenriche European Martial Arts School's new San Jose location to explore the world of swordfighting and Historical European martial arts (HEMA). Subscribe to Bay Current on the Audacy app, or wherever you listen.    

The state of California took a gigantic step this past week by leaving its emergency declaration for COVID-19 in the past.  But what does the end of this emergency declaration even mean for California? What's going to happen to testing and access to vaccines? To get some answers, and to hear about the crucial industries still struggling three years later, KCBS Radio's Mallory Somera caught up with KCBS Radio Reporter, Keith Menconi, producer and host of KCBS Radio's In Depth. Subscribe to Bay Current on the Audacy App.  

The 40-acre plot just south of the San Jose airport has held one of the largest encampments of unhoused persons in the Bay Area. But the more than 200 who reside there are having to move.  The process of relocating has not been easy for the residents or the city. KCBS Radio South Bay reporter Keith Menconi spent part of the week at the site in San Jose and joins Matt Pitman for a look inside the move.

Today, May 26, marks the one year anniversary of the worst mass shooting in Bay Area history. The VTA rail yard shooting in San Jose, when nine Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority workers were gunned down by a coworker. Today, KCBS Radio's Keith Menconi and Matt Pitman take look at the past year of healing and recovery, and the tough lessons learned by the VTA since the shooting. Subscribe to Bay Current on the Audacy app, Spotify, Apple podcasts and anywhere you get podcasts. Bay Current is on YouTube, on the KCBS Radio YouTube page.

It’s been more than two years since the pandemic closed down offices and forced many workers to set up shop at home, but now several COVID surges and countless Zoom calls later, the march back into the office is beginning to pick up speed, with the likes of Twitter and Google in recent weeks firming up their reopening plans. KCBS Radio's Keith Menconi caught up with Nick Bloom, a professor of economics at Stanford University, who's been helping to run a recurring survey since the early days of the pandemic aimed at sizing up just how the work from home experiment has been going. Subscribe to Bay Current on the Audacy app, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, and Stitcher. Bay Current is on YouTube, on the KCBS Radio YouTube page.

Just about everyone has heard the allegation against Bill Cosby of drugging and sexual abuse: We've been reporting on them for years now, along with the court cases that have followed. But comedian and filmmaker W. Kamau Bell says the conversation we've been having so far about Cosby is still incomplete.  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we dig into Bell's new documentary series called “We Need to Talk About Cosby” that shines a light not only on the details of the dozens of rape allegations against Cosby but also the widespread culture of complicity that many say made such abuse possible.  Hosts:Melissa Culross, Keith Menconi

The highly contagious nature of the omicron variant has made testing a front and center issue. But questions about the accuracy of at-home tests, supply shortages of at-home tests and PCR tests at overburdened hospitals, combined with confusing guidance from the CDC, leave many wondering about the best way to go about testing. Bay Current host Matt Pitman and KCBS Radio's Keith Menconi discuss testing and what the best practices are if you think you need to be tested. Subscribe to Bay Current on the Audacy app, Apple podcasts, or Google podcasts. Bay Current is on YouTube, on the KCBS Radio YouTube page.

The circus is back in San Jose. Where Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is once again center stage, taking the stand as the first defense witness in the federal trial where she faces 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. KCBS Radio's Matt Pitman, Keith Menconi and Marcus White were on hand. Inside at the trial, and outside for the show. Read Keith and Marcus' coverage here. Catch Bay Current on the KCBS Radio YouTube Page. Follow Bay Current on Twitter.

The Super Tuesday primaries are fast approaching, and for the first time in a long time California is going to be a part of the action.  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we assemble a panel made up of some of our favorite political junkies to discuss the day in politics that’s ahead for the golden state. Then we also consider how the decisions made by California voters will reshape presidential politics for the rest of the country.  Guests:  Doug Sovern, KCBS Radio political reporter Larry Gerston, KCBS Radio political analyst and San Jose State Political Science professor emeritus Jack Citrin, UC Berkeley professor of political science Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

Here in the Bay Area the number of people infected with coronavirus can still be counted on one hand, and all of them so far appear to have been isolated before they spread the illness more widely.  Spreading faster though: fear about the illness. And that fear is at times manifesting itself in ugly ways, including numerous reports of harassment targeted against Asian Americans. But if coronavirus concern isn't going anywhere, is there a more productive way to direct those worries?   On this edition of How to Bay Area we'll be discussing how Bay Area residents can better respond to coronavirus risks. In the first segment, we check in with two Bay Area health experts who have been working to prevent the spread of the illness to learn more about the current risks for the region. Then in the second half of the program we speak with two psychology experts and consider how to better react to our own overreactions.  Guests:  Dr. Sara Cody, the director of Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department and a county health officer Dr. Charles Chiu, a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and infectious disease at the University of California, San Francisco Roxane Cohen Silver, a professor of psychological science, public health and medicine at the University of California, Irvine who has studied the psychological toll of past health scares Sherry Wang, professor of counseling psychology at Santa Clara University who wrote an opinion piece for the the San Francisco Chronicle with advice on how to combat discrimination fueled by the coronavirus scare Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

Since the coronavirus first began spreading through Wuhan, China, late last year, we’ve been bombarded with nonstop reporting about the illness, but for all the information that’s out there, we still have an awful lot of questions still left unanswered. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take stock of what is known and what is not known about this disease and try to figure out what it could mean for us here in the Bay Area. Guests:  Dr. Sara Cody, the director of Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department and a county health officer Dr. Charles Chiu, a Professor of Laboratory Medicine and infectious disease at the University of California, San Francisco Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

It was a big week for one of San Francisco’s busiest streets: On Wednesday much of Market Street -- a thoroughfare cutting right through the heart of the city’s downtown -- made the switch from car friendly to car free with with new rules banning all private traffic. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take a look at how the first day of this car free conversion went and then examine where the broader movement for pedestrian-friendly cities might be headed next.  Guests:  Stan Bunger, anchor for KCBS Radio Holly Quan, reporter for KCBS Radio Karen Philbrick, executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University Marta Lindsey, communications director for Walk San Francisco Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

We were promised a future of jet packs and trips to the moon, but here we are at the start of a new decade in the 21st Century, and it’s fair to say it hasn’t quite turned out that way. However, there is one sci-fi dream that looks like it might soon become reality: flying cars, or at least things that work an awful lot like flying cars. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we talk about the emerging industry of short-distance personal flying transport. We'll start with the very new -- but very real -- flying shuttle services that are available right now at a helipad near you. Then we discuss the emerging technologies that are driving down the cost of flight and bringing every day commuter air travel out of the realm of science fiction and into the realm of science … hey, it could happen! Guests:  Jim Taylor, KCBS Radio reporter  Dr. Brien Seeley, president of the Sustainable Aviation Foundation Karen Tung Cate, the Advanced Air Mobility deputy project manager at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

For many in California, the unfolding wild land fire disaster in Australia is all too familiar: Just as we saw during California’s own fires in recent years, in Australia, dry, hot conditions and strong winds are producing fast moving fires and devastation on a scale few were prepared for.  With so much in common, on this edition of KCBS In Depth, we’re going to ask the question, what lessons might Australia’s unfolding tragedy have for California? In the first half we’ll be hearing how firefighters on both sides of the Pacific are working together to fight these blazes and what they’re learning in the process. Then in the second half fire scientists weigh in on what role climate change is playing in creating the conditions for fire in Australia and around the globe.   Guests:  Kim Zagaris, wildfire policy and technology adviser for the Western Fire Chiefs Association Crystal Kolden, professor with the University of Idaho’s Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences department Scott Stephens, professor of fire science and the chair of the Division of Ecosystem Science at UC Berkeley  Host: KCBS reporter Keith Menconi 

It’s been a tense few weeks in US-Iran relations with hostilities for a time seeming to spiral beyond control following the US strike against Iranian general Qassim Suleimani. So, many heaved a sigh of relief when Iran’s retaliation, which came in the form of a missile strike on two military bases in Iraq, resulted in no casualties. They then heaved a second sigh following the strike as leaders in both the US and Iran seemed to signal a desire to deescalate the crisis. But after all that, is this really where the story ends? In this edition of KCBS In Depth, after this series of attacks and counter attacks, we check in with two Iran watchers to find out what happens next in this simmering feud between the US and Iran. Then, so long as we have our attention on international affairs, we check in with KCBS Radio's resident crisis watcher, Jason Brooks, to hear from him what other global hot spots may boil over in the year ahead. Guests:  Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian studies at Stanford University and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution Dalia Dassa Kaye, the director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation Jason Brooks, KCBS Radio business reporter and the host of The Crisis Next Door podcast Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi   

In just a few short days we’re going to reach the close of another decade, and here in the Bay Area an awful lot has happened over the course of that decade -- from athletic triumphs, to the tech boom and backlash, to a series of punishing wildfire disasters -- so after a whole decade of nonstop Bay Area news, the question is what’s still worth remembering?  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we look back at some of the biggest Bay Area news stories from the past ten years to find out what they might have to teach us about the next ten.  Guests:  Roger Noll, a Stanford emeritus professor of economics who specializes in the business of sports Richard Walker, an emeritus professor of economic geography at UC Berkeley and the author of "Pictures of a Gone City: Tech and the Dark Side of Prosperity in the San Francisco Bay Area"  Dr. Scott Stephens, a professor of fire science and the chair of the Division of Ecosystem Science at UC Berkeley specializing in wildfire science, fire ecology and forest policy management Hosts: KCBS Radio reporters Keith Menconi, Doug Sovern, Matt Bigler, Margie Shafer and KCBS Sports Anchor Kevin Radich 

Here in the Bay Area it’s boom times for the tech sector. In fact, much of the region has added tens of thousands of tech jobs just over the past decade or so. And for the most part all these new jobs have been celebrated, but there’s growing concern that this supercharged tech economy has come along with some serious costs -- from traffic gridlock to spiraling housing prices -- and now, some are raising the question, would the Bay Area be better off if some of those tech jobs went somewhere else?  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take on a new report out from the Brookings Institution that suggests that the high concentration of tech work here isn’t just causing problems for the Bay Area, it’s also stunting growth in cities throughout the country. Guests:  Mark Muro, a co-author for the report as well as a senior fellow and the policy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Jim Wunderman, the president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a San Francisco-based business association and advocacy group.  Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

What happens when the criminal justice system and the Bay Area’s homelessness crisis collide? It’s a question that KCBS Radio Anchor Stan Bunger got to examine firsthand when he received a summons to serve on the jury of a homeless man accused of committing lewd acts on the streets of Berkeley. The trial and ultimate conviction raised even more questions and inspired a reporting journey that we’ve been presenting under the banner of our Broken Systems series, broadcast in fivepartsover the pastweek.  So today on this special edition of KCBS In Depth we bring together some of the reporters who contributed to the project for a conversation about what they found when they started turning over the rocks of the Bay Area’s broken systems. Guests: KCBS Radio reporters Holly Quan and Keith Menconi as well as Broken Systems series executive producer Nic Palmer Host: KCBS Radio anchor Stan Bunger Production note: This is an abridged version of the conversation. For the complete program, check out KCBS Radio's Deep Dive Bay Area podcast. 

We’re in the thick of the holiday shopping season, and this year shoppers are spending in record numbers. But more and more that shopping is happening online, meaning that for many the holiday shopping frenzy is less elbowing through crowds at the mall and more refreshing browser pages on the desktop.  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we dig into what this past week of record breaking online sales numbers means for the holiday season: First, when the whole world moves online, who gets left behind? We discuss how retail is struggling with and adapting to the new online reality.  Then, amidst all this holiday shopping, online scammers are out in force too. We’ll take a look at how can you keep your digital purchases safe. Guests:  Bill Pearce, assistant dean and chief marketing officer for UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business Maryo Mogannam, president of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations, which advocates for local small businesses including retailers  Professor Ahmed Banafa, a cybersecurity expert at San Jose State University Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi   

The screech of the BART train, the din of restaurant conversations, the rumble pop of rock concerts: We take all this noise for granted -- it's just the soundtrack to modern life after all -- but whether we notice them or not, all these sounds add up, eventually taking a toll on our hearing and our health.  In this edition of KCBS In Depth we take a look at what the latest emerging science has to tell us about the risks of our ever-loudening world, and also what can be done to help protect the hearing we still have.  Guest: New Yorker staff writer David Owen. His new book is “Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World.” Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi

It’s the season of giving in the Bay Area, so whether it means volunteering to hand out food or opening up that wallet to make a cash donation, residents throughout the region are stepping up to help out those in need. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we learn more about all the ways to give this holiday season, as well as the tremendous need that is out there in this very expensive region we all call home. Guests:  Lou Reda, the executive director of Hands on Bay Area, which helps organize volunteer work events  Pat Gallagher, chief development officer for Catholic Charities, which serves Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties  Annette Pizzo, community relations manager for Sacred Heart Community Service based in San Jose Gina Schlocker, WIC director for Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley, one of the agencies that oversees the local Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC) Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

Two years ago the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus journeyed outside of San Francisco to tour the nation's southern states. Setting out in the wake of the divisive 2016 election, the group made a point of visiting states that had passed laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ people with the aim of confronting religious and political divides and building bridges through music. That journey was chronicled in “Gay Chorus Deep South," a documentary film premiering in San Francisco this coming weekend. In this edition of KCBS In Depth we discuss the film and what it took to build those bridges.  Guests:  Tim Seelig, the artistic director and conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus David Charles Rodrigues, the film's director  Hosts: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi and KCBS Radio entertainment reporter Jan Wahl  Film showings:  The film opens in San Francisco Friday November 22nd at the Roxie Theater where it will have a limited run. It’s also going to broadcast on MTV next year.

As the number of high school students playing football in California declines, coaches, trainers and state officials are working to retool the game to make it safer to play. In this edition of KCBS In Depth we speak with some of those carrying out this work to learn what emerging medical science has to teach us about the risks posed to young players' developing brains and how the sport is adapting in the face of those risks.   Guests:  Ron Nocetti, the executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation Geoffrey Manley, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of California, San Francisco, and a co-director of the university's Brain and Spinal Injury Center Steve Henderson, a football coach at Aragon High School in San Mateo and a senior trainer with The Positive Coaching Alliance Host: KCBS reporter Keith Menconi 

That acceptance letter into college, it's supposed to be a passport to the American dream, but for too many students it’s actually leading nowhere at all. That’s the unfortunate outcome for the four out of ten students who make it into college but never manage to graduate, and UC Berkeley professor of public policy David Kirp says that we should see that number as a scandalous waste of potential. In this week's show we discuss some of the solutions detailed in his new book, "The College Dropout Scandal."  Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi

To mark the 30-year anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake KCBS Radio hosted an hour-long broadcast of retrospective coverage. It began at 5:04 p.m on Thursday October 17th, making its start time 30 years to the minute after the disaster struck in 1989.  In this  special edition of KCBS In Depth we play portions of that hour as we reflect upon how far we've come since the disaster, and try to find out, are we ready for the next big one? Programming note:  This is an abridged version of the program. Click here to find the complete hour-long broadcast.  Guests:  Capt. Erica Arteseros, the program coordinator for the San Francisco Fire Department's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team Richard Allen, the director of the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory Mark Schwettmann, a design director in the San Francisco office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Thomas Hall, spokesperson for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority  Phil Matier, San Francisco Chronicle Columnist  Host: KCBS Radio anchor Stan Bunger  KCBS Radio Contributing Reporters:Mike Colgan, Keith Menconi, Jeffrey Schaub, John Atkinson, Megan Goldsby, Jim Taylor This edition of In Depth was produced by Nic Palmer, Eric Brooks and Don Bastida  Special thanks to Jeff Levine 

There’s more than just water and fish out there in the San Francisco Bay, and a new study shows it’s not all pretty. A three-year review of the Bay Area's waterways has found that an estimated 7 trillion tiny pieces of plastic -- from plastic packaging, utensils, tire tread and even synthetic fabrics -- are washed away by rainwater into the Bay each and every year. It's an astronomical number that suggests that if we haven't already reached an ecological tipping point yet, we are on track to get there eventually.  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we speak with some of the researchers behind the study to learn more about what all this plastic could be doing to the Bay's delicate ecosystem, and what could be changed to stem the flow of plastic particles.  Guests: Rebecca Sutton, a senior scientist with the San Francisco Estuary Institute Carolynn Box, who works as the science programs director at 5 Gyres, a nonprofit research group searching for ways to reduce plastic pollution Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

Silicon Valley is known for producing companies that move fast and break things, but few have moved faster or broken more things than ride hailing service Uber, a company whose every success has also been accompanied by disruption, dislocation and controversy.  In this edition of KCBS In Depth we discuss the man largely responsible for shaping Uber’s distinctive approach to business during its formative years: Uber’s founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick. Along the way we try to answer the question: Can you create a great company without being a jerk?  Guest: New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac. His new book is “Super Pumped: the Battle for Uber."  Host: KCBS reporter Keith Menconi 

During the 2018 midterms women ran in record numbers then won in record numbers, securing more than 100 seats in Congress and many hundreds more in state legislatures across the country.  The gains led some to dub 2018 The Year of the Woman, but will the changes we saw really only be limited to that one year, or was 2018 just the beginning of a shift in American politics that will see more female candidates winning one year after another.  On the edition of KCBS In Depth we try to get a better handle on the shifting politics of gender by taking a closer look at some of the winning female candidacies from 2018.  Guest: Journalist and author Caitlin Moscatello. Her new book is “See Jane Win: The Inspiring Story of the Women Changing American Politics.” Host: KCBS reporter Keith Menconi 

It started with scattered reports of a mysterious lung illness and grew to become a national health scare. Now with the number of vaping-related deaths creeping up each week, California Governor Gavin Newsom is stepping in with an executive order to place stiffer restrictions on e-cigarette products.  But even as Newsom and other government officials search for a way to respond, we’re still left with more questions than answers about the source of this disease, so at this point it’s still fair to ask: Do we even really understand the enemy we’re fighting yet?  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we hear from a pair of Bay Area health experts to try to get a better handle on what threats vaping might pose and what could be done about it.  Guests:  Dr. Sara Cody, the director of Santa Clara County’s Public Health Department and a county health officer Dr. Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine and the Truth Initiative Distinguished Professor of Tobacco Control at University of California, San Francisco Host: KCBS reporter Keith Menconi 

Conflict, clashes, political strife, social discord: It’s the sort of stuff we report on every day on KCBS Radio, and in recent years it seems like all this tension just keeps ratcheting up and up. But what if the reason the world is becoming a meaner place is actually because we’re becoming meaner people? On this edition of KCBS In Depth, our guest argues that over the last forty years our world has experienced an erosion of empathy -- that is an erosion in our very ability to understand one another -- and that as the daily news suggests we are living the consequences of that loss every day. We discuss what's behind this loss and how we might turn it around.  Guest:Jamil Zaki, a professor of psychology at Stanford University and the author of "The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World" Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

The double murder of Audrey Carey and Steve Carter captivated the Bay Area back in 2015 after it was found that the crimes had been carried out by a trio of transient youth.   For many around the Bay, it was a catalyzing moment that pushed the problems of homelessness and youth dislocation out of the realm of “social problem to be addressed,” and instead into the realm of “clear and present danger to be protected against.” But is there something more to be learned from the stories of the three young people responsible for these crimes? And if we did manage to learn those lessons, could we do a better job supporting other young people walking a similar path? That’s the set of questions raised by former San Francisco Chronicle crime and criminal justice reporter Vivian Ho in her new book, “Those Who Wander: America’s Lost Street Kids.” She joins this edition of KCBS In Depth to discuss.  Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

This past week California set a new, higher standard for when police officers are permitted to use deadly force.  Supporters of the change see this as a watershed moment for policing in the Golden State, and say the new law is an important step in reducing the number of police shootings. But many skeptics -- from both the law enforcement community and those critical of law enforcement -- say they don't expect the just-signed law will change much at all.  In this episode of KCBS In Depth, we dig into the new legal standard to find out what exactly the governor just signed, and how police and advocates are responding.  Guest:  KCBS Radio political reporter Doug Sovern  Greg Woods, a professor at San Jose State University’s Department of Justice Studies Host: KCBS Radio eporter Keith Menconi 

In the not-too-distant future the cut of sirloin steak on your dinner plate may not be meat at all. That's the hope anyway of dedicated scientists and engineers working to create the next generation of meat alternatives. The dream is that using clever blends of plant compounds or perhaps cultured tissue, food companies will be able to create meat-like products that are so convincing, diners will choose them over the real thing.  On this edition of KCBS In Depth we speak with some of those leading the way in the emerging alternative meat field to find answers to some of the biggest questions about these high tech meat substitutes, including: how are they made? How real do they taste? And why do some consider them a key tool in the fight against global warming?  Guests: Bruce Friedrich, the executive director of the Good Food Institute David Lipman, the chief science officer for Impossible Foods Dr. Ricardo San Martin, research director for the Alternative Meats Lab at the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology at UC Berkeley Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

We hear a lot about the liberal and conservative media echo chambers, and it’s true: If you spend a day soaking up the news in liberal land, you’re going to have a very different view of the world than after a day spent in conservative-ville.  But if you watch closely you’ll notice it’s not just a difference in substance between left and right. There's a difference in style too, and that difference might be very telling. In fact, today’s guest says that if we want to understand the nation’s stark political divide, a good place to start would be to take a long hard look at the divide between some of the most popular forms of liberal and conservative media out there in 2019. On this edition of In Depth we speak with University of Delaware Communication Professor Danna Young about her new book, “Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States.” Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

The framers put it right there in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution: Congress is the branch of government that has the power to declare war, but the situation has gotten a bit more complicated since the founding. There hasn’t been a formal war declaration from Congress since World War II, and after that most military engagements have been carried out by the president with only limited Congressional oversight.  But now with tensions between the US and Iran escalating some members of Congress are beginning to push back, including a few representing districts here in the Bay Area. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take a look at how the way America declares war has changed over its long history and how it might be changing right now. Guests:  Connor O’Brien, senior defense reporter with Politico Chris Edelson, professor of government at American University’s School of Public Affairs Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi

There was a time when the Bay Area was home to highly visible queer communities full of LGBTQ-friendly businesses. And while you do still have plenty of rainbow flags in the Castro, if you look past the obvious symbols, the character of these neighborhoods has changed dramatically with many of those businesses shutting down and many long-time residents pushed out by the high cost of living. So on this edition of How to Bay Area we speak with the people at ground zero of this change to find out what they feel like they’re losing and what they are fighting to preserve. Through the course of this episode we learn how this preservation work is being carried out, how community organizers are adapting their work to the internet age and also offer practical advice on how to find queer-friendly housing in the Bay Area.  Hosts:  KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi and KCBS Radio production assistant Mary Hughes  Guests:  Terra Haywood, co-owner and business operations manager for The Stud Jolene Linsangan, owner of Jolene’s Bar Terry Beswick, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society Brian Basinger, executive director of the Q Foundation Juanita MORE!, creator of Juanita's List (and much more!) Resources: Here are some of the queer-friendly housing resources mentioned in this episode.  Juanita's List, a Facebook group connecting members of the LGBTQ community to queer-friendly housing in the Bay Area Gay Area Queer Housing S.F. Bay Area, another Facebook group carrying out similar work Q Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit providing support and advocacy for those facing homelessness with a special focus on members of the LGBTQ community and those living with HIV/AIDS; among its services, the group provides assistance to those seeking public housing support in San Francisco.  Dahlia, San Francisco's public housing portal The Bill Wilson Center, a Santa Clara-based service organization for at-risk or homeless youth and families. Their LGBTQ-specific housing programs include BWC Connections, LGBTQ Host Homes and their LGBTQ Transitional Living Program.  LifeMoves, a housing and service organization operating on the Peninsula and within Silicon Valley; the group just opened a new homeless shelter for LGBTQ adults in downtown San Jose. Special thanks to Housing Trust Silicon Valley for helping to connect us with some of the organization's mentioned in this episode. 

When you’re getting ready to buy most anything -- from a car to a new phone -- you’re likely to think long and hard about where you spend your money. But when it comes to the medications we take, most of us just buy whatever’s cheapest without ever really giving it a second thought. But should we? On this edition of In Depth we speak with investigative journalist and author Katherine Eban about her new book, "Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom." Eban's reporting sheds light on the often opaque world of drug manufacture -- a world that has grown even more opaque as more of that manufacturing work has been moved overseas -- and suggests that inadequate regulation is putting patients taking generic drugs at serious risk. Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

How just is the criminal justice system? With U.S. crime rates continuing a decades-long decline but incarceration rates remaining at the highest level of any country in the world, it’s a question more and more people are beginning to confront.  On this edition of In Depth, we speak with Emily Bazelon, who is a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine and teaches at Yale Law School. Her new book -- "Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration" -- places prosecutors at the center of the story of American mass incarceration, arguing that their power to determine charges and decide plea deals has meant that their influence is often greater than even that of the judges they face in court. We discuss this claim as well as her in depth reporting on the high stakes dramas that unfold each day in America's courtrooms.  Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi 

We welcome back onto the program Craig Fair, the deputy special agent in charge for the San Francisco Division of the FBI. He shares his perspective on last week's tragic mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, and discusses the work that goes into preventing such attacks in the Bay Area. Then, in the second half of the program we examine the growing threat of economic espionage targeting businesses in Silicon Valley. Hosts: KCBS Radio reporters Keith Menconi and Holly Quan

Governor Gavin Newsom rocked California's criminal justice world this week with an executive order that puts a halt to executions in the state. In effect, the order means that as long as Newsom remains in office, the lives of the 737 Californians awaiting execution will be spared. In this episode, we bring listeners and exclusive interview with Governor Newsom about his decision, and also hear from supporters of the death penalty who are pushing back. Hosts: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi and KCBS Radio political reporter Doug Sovern.  Guests:  Gavin Newsom, California Governor Kent Scheidegger, the Legal Director for the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, a group that advocates for the victims of crimes

Peninsula Congresswoman Jackie Speier's political career has taken her to leadership roles in San Mateo County, the California state legislature and, of course, Washington, D.C. But before all that her life was marked by tragedy when she suffered five gunshot wounds during her harrowing escape in 1978 from the Peoples Temple compound in Guyana.  Her new memoir, "Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back," recounts that struggle and the many others faced by Speier in both her political and personal life.  In this edition of In Depth, we discuss how a decades-long political career was forged in the face of personal tragedy, and also consider how those experiences have informed Speier's legislative work. Hosts: KCBS reporters Keith Menconi and Holly Quan  Guest: Congresswoman Jackie Speier 

How to Bay Area is the program that tells you how to get stuff done in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this inaugural podcast we're going to look at how some Bay Area groups are fighting hunger in their communities.  Hosts: KCBS Radio reporters Keith Menconi and Jenna Lane Guests:Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Leslie Bacho and Hannah Loyd, a vendor at the Bayview Growers Market, which is located at the Florence Fang Asian Community Garden and is sponsored by Hunters Point Family  And here's a list of some of the charitable organizations serving up free meals in the Bay Area that you can support:  Second Harvest Food Bank in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties  St. Vincent De Paul Society of Marin County in San Rafael Community Action of Napa Valley in Napa SF-Marin Food Bank in San Francisco and Marin St. Anthony's Foundation in San Francisco Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco Curry Without Worry in San Francisco  Food Runners in San Francisco  Redwood Empire Foodbank in Santa Rosa  Dorothy Day House in Berkeley  Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland  Emeryville Citizens Assistnace Program in Emeryville Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano in Concord and Fairfield  Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa in Martinez  Tri-City Volunteers in Fremont Martha's Kitchen in San Jose  West Valley Community Services in Cupertino  Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County in Watsonville

KCBS reporters have been on the scene of the deadly Camp Fire in Butte County to capture the stories of survivors, telling their tales of harrowing escapes, frustrating evacuations and of community members coming together in a time of crisis. On this episode of In Depth, guest host Keith Menconi takes a look at what made the fires in Northern and Southern California so devastating, how we can respond as a state, and the path to healing ahead for survivors. "Probably the level of devastation and the fact that it goes on for miles and miles," KCBS reporter Holly Quan described what stood out to her while covering the Camp Fire in Butte County. "There are towns and cities that we've covered, fires in Redding, in Yosemite, in obviously the Wine Country Fires, but as I talked to one city councilman he says nowhere have you seen an entire city wiped off the map. I mean, it really does look like, people have said it looks like a bomb went off. When you go into Paradise, you look around and it's like a black and white apocalyptic movie." The lasting impact, as best as Holly can surmise? "I think this is going to be a disaster that stays with us for quite a while, it's going to be I think quite some time before they make Paradise safe enough for people to go in. What happens when people actually go in and see what's left of their homes? Then you have to do the debris removal, mitigating any type of toxins before they're able to rebuild. And the town itself, their government infrastructure has to decide how they want to rebuild." How should Paradise--or, other communities damaged by fire--rebuild in this era of fire threat? Widening and updating road networks could be key. "When we rebuild this time around," said In Depth guest J. Keith Gilless, Dean Emeritus of the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley. "The general design consideration, how wide a road should be, how far vegetation should be managed away from them, think about the beautiful roads near me here on the peninsula where we planted eucalyptus at the turn of the century, creating beautiful roads but hemmed in by trees very close by, so there's some things we did historically that we don't want to repeat. We designed road networks in some cases with turns in them that were fine for the sort of vehicles that were traveling on them at the time but which will not accommodate a modern urban fire truck. And you want your public safety people to rapidly access every place they're trying to protect."

It was an historic night for female candidates in this past week's midterm elections, taking a record number of seats in the House of Representatives and also gaining important offices on the state level in California. These gains come after a year of energetic campaigning and organizing among women candidates, arguably encouraged to a large extent by the #MeToo movement--taking on sexual harassment and abuse. It was just over a year ago that an open letter, signed by many women in politics, uncovered a culture of rampant abuse in California's capitol. It launched a movement that came to be the We Said Enough campaign, and over the last year we've seen not only a handful of high profile resignations by lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct but also some serious reform efforts aimed at beefing up investigations into abuse allegations. On this edition of In Depth, guest host Keith Menconi speaks to some of the key leaders of We Said Enough, Adama Iwu and Christine Pelosi, to hear from them what they believe the movement has achieved so far and also now that the midterms have come and gone, what sorts of changes we should expect to see in politics with more women in power. Ms. Iwu is co-founder and president of We Said Enough, and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine after the letter was published. "As soon as the letter came out, Iwu said, "I think those of who had signed it realized immediately what this was and mostly because reporters from all over the world started reaching out to those of us in the core group but also every single woman who signed that letter was getting multiple calls from reporters asking you know, who, what, where, when and why and what did they know and when did they know it and that type of thing. And that was a lot to deal with. And we were clear that we didn't want to name names, that wasn't what we wanted. We weren't after one or two people you know just kind of going away. We really wanted wholesale culture change and when legislators began resigning I think that was when we really realized that this was real. And we also realized that it was real because we were seeing this happening in other places around the country as well." "It was a tremendous victory for women activists all over the country who for two years have been building a message around protecting healthcare, about defending women's rights and about advancing our values," said Pelosi of Tuesday's election results. She is legal counsel for We Said Enough and Democratic Women's Caucus Chair. "Some of those women went on to become candidates, first time candidates, which was very exciting to see."

We're in the home stretch now for the 2018 midterm season. Here in California, voters have been asked to answer some pretty big questions for the state--from how to deal with the soaring cost of living to how to best address the state's education achievement gap. And, to meet those big questions, we've also seen some big spending and heated campaigning. With just a few days left now before it all comes to a close, we examine the election on this weekend's In Depth with guest host Keith Menconi, joined by two experts in politics: Reed Galen, a political consultant who has worked on high profile national and state political campaigns and chief strategist of the Serve America Movement and Michael Semler, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in the Political Science Department of California State University, Sacramento. What are these two experts anxious to see on Tuesday? "I think what will be interesting to see is California is always sort of a blue wave, it's been dominated by Democrats in its politics for years. And so whether or not the supposed enthusiasm that Democrats are showing elsewhere leads to enthusiasm on the left in California, given that you know you have a governor's race where it looks like Gavin Newsom's going to win, two Democrats running in the United States Senate race, and local hotly contested congressional races," opined Galen. "So, that's what I'm looking for, whether or not you know the measures and the candidates that are really on the left are a beneficiary of what seems to be a national movement." "I'd second what Reed is examining," added Semler. "Because what's happening in California is really a reflection of what's happening in the United States. This looks like it could be a national campaign and referendum on Donald Trump and the question is how far does that extend and whether it really exists here in California, whether there is an enthusiasm gap or division between what we see in polls and what actually happens on election day."