Kcbs In Depth

On this weekend's KCBS Radio In Depth, KCBS Radio Political Reporter Doug Sovern talks politics in California and beyond, with Politico Senior Political Writer Carla Marinucci and KCBS Radio and SF Chronicle Insider Phil Matier

Jane McMillan is joined by Dr. Abbas Milani, director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and co-director of the Iran Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution. Dr. Milani explains the oppressive economic and cultural life most Iranians have been enduring for decades, and why he sees this latest round of protests as being deeper and more widespread than in the past, with more possibilities for long term change.

The new year brings the legalization of marijuana, for adult use, in the Golden State.  As of 1/1/18, all growers, shippers, labs and dispensaries must be state licensed and all legal pot products will be taxed.  Jane McMillan is joined by Harborside Health Center CEO Steve De Angelo, a life-long legal cannabis advocate, to go through the new reality of marijuana use in California.

       It was an event that would change the course of world history; the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941. Jane McMillan hears the stories of two local survivors of that day,  Concord resident Chuck Kohler was a 17-year-old sailor on Ford's Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor when the attack began, while San Leandro's Mickey Ganitch was in the crow's nest of U-S-S Pennsylvania, the flagship of the fleet and a priority target for the attackers.   These heros continue to share their personal stories so those who were lost at Pearl Harbor are never forgotten.  

Regardless of political party, most people would agree that the Presidential election year of 2016 rocked most political, social and electoral norms. But the nation has gone through foundation-rattling turbulence before, and many of the seeds of America today were sewn in the upheaval of 1968. It's all documented in the new book, "Playing With Fire:The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics."This is Jane McMillan's conversation with it's author, MSNBC Host of The Last Word, Lawrence O'Donnell.

The headlines have been dominated by accounts of sexual harrasment and sexual assault by polticians, hollywood celebrities, and media moguls. While these accusations and cases grab attention, we know that inappropriate and intimidating behavior goes on in everyday life and in the everyday work place.  How to recognize it and deal with it is discussed as Jane McMillan is joined by Joan Williams, Distinguished Professor of Law and the Founding Director of the Center for WorkLife Law at UC Hastings College of the Law.

We're talking about the impact of the targeted marketing of tobacco on the African American community.  Jane McMillan is joined by Lincoln Mondy, the film-maker behind the new documentary Black Lives, Black Lungs...and by Carol McGruder, Co-Chair of the African-American Tobacco Control Leadership Council.

What makes us who we are, how we think, why we do what we do, is all centered in that three pound organ housed in our noggins. We continue our discussion with Stanford neuroscientist, researcher, and best-selling author, Dr. David Eagleman, an internationally renowned brain expert, offering scientific explanations of human behavior from crime to race relations to political persuasion to creativity and innovation.  And, as he explains to In Depth host Jane McMillan, this knowledge offers solutions for a better future.

What makes us who we are, how we think, why we do what we do, is all centered in that three pound organ housed in our noggins. Stanford neuroscientist, researcher, and best-selling author, Dr. David Eagleman is an internationally renowned brain expert, offering scientific explanations of human behavior from crime to race relations to political persuasion to creativity and innovation.  And, as he explains to In Depth host Jane McMillan, this knowledge offers solutions for a better future.

As more and more well-paying jobs require college degrees and certified skills, California's Community Colleges are playing a bigger and more critical role in preparing the state's workforce. The Chancellor of California's Community Colleges, Eloy Ortiz Oakley tells KCBS Radio's Jane McMillan it's time to look at this new role of his campuses in the overall state system of higher education, and expand access to every Californian, regardless of legal status or financial situation.

Cleaning up and rebuilding. The people of Houston and the surrounding region are looking to the future after Hurricane Harvey.    But, rebuilding should include changes to make the community safer like building standards, geographic disclosures about potential dangers from natural disasters, or man-made ones, such as proximity to tindustry toxins.  Doctor Richard Jackson is a public health and disaster preparedness expert  who says when it comes to public safety, regulations should be seen as protections. He discusses this, and the other elements needed for successful community disaster recovery, with Jane McMillan.

San Francisco's Tom Steyer is a force in progressive politics.   A successful former professional investor, Steyer is now dedicated to addressing climate change, inequality, immigration reform, and voter registration and civic engagement.  He backs his advocay with personal philanthropy as well as the efforts of his grassroots organization, NextGen America.  You may one day see his name on a ballot, as well, and he discusses all this with KCBS Radio's Jane McMillan.

News that North Korea may have successfully miniaturized a nuclear warhead to fit on a intercontinental ballistic missile set off a flurry of threats from both President Trump and Kim Jong Un, as well as worries of war across the globe. Jane McMillan enlists expert David Schmerler for a realistic assesment of North Korea's nuclear advancements and the level of threat this presents. Mr. Schmerler is a Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation at The Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, California. 

Protecting the right to free speech is not the same as aggreeing with the message of the speaker, but it is imperative to health of our Republic. Jane McMillan asks Matthew Coles, Professor of Constitutional Law at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, to explain what is, and is not, protected by the First Amendment.

Advances in medical science and technology have brought the miracle of birth to women and families who may otherwise have gone without children.And, while there is no denying the great benefits of this technology, there is little regulation over invitro and surrogacy, a private and lucrative global industry, and no policy for protecting the rights of the children of technology assisted reproduction.That's the concern KCBS Radio's Jane McMillan heard from Doctor Mary Ann Mason, U-C Graduate School professor specializing in child and family law, and the author of the new book, "BABIES OF TECHNOLOGY: Assisted Reproduction and Rights of the Child."

As the national dialogue continues about the best way to deliver health care to every American, access to mental health care often takes a back seat in the discussion. Prominent U-C psychologist and author, Dr. Steve Hinshaw, says this is because of a continued lack of understanding of mental health issues, and the persistent and damaging stigmatizing of them. To change that, he has put his own family history of mental illness in a new book; 'Another Kind of Madness, A Journey Through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness' and discusses it with KCBS Radio's Jane McMillan.  

Advances in medical science and technology have brought the miracle of birth to women and families who may otherwise have gone without children.And, while there is no denying the great benefits of this technology, there is little regulation over the private and lucrative global industry of invitro and surrogacy which allows for choosing specific traits in donor eggs and sperm. There is also no framework for protecting the rights of the children of technology assisted reproduction. That is the concern of Doctor Mary Ann Mason, U-C Graduate School professor specializing in child and family law, and the author of the new book, "BABIES OF TECHNOLOGY: Assisted Reproduction and Rights of the Child." Dr. Mason is Jane McMillan's guest in this installment on KCBS Radio In Depth.

When one in four Americans will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime, why is it often an afterthought in discussions of health care access? The answer, says U-C Professor of Psychology Dr. Steve Hinshaw, is stigma; the same lack of knowledge and understanding society has been anchored with for centuries.As Dr. Hinshaw tells KCBS Radio's Jane McMillan, what's needed to break the stigma of mental illness is the open sharing of personal stories of everyday people managing their illness and thriving in spite of it. He does just that, sharing his family's personal story in his new book, "Another Kind of Madness, A Journey Through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness."

Despite the fact that women are now the fastest growing segment of incarcerated persons, their physical and medical needs aren’t always met, and there is no accurate count of how many are pregnant. Jane McMillan’s guest on this topic is Dr. Carolyn Sufrin, OB-GYN at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Sufrin treated pregnant women in the San Francisco County Jail for several years. As a Medical Anthropologist with this experience she’s authored the new book JAILCARE, Finding the Safety Net For Women Behind Bars.