Kqeds Forum

Citizenship allows you to vote, get a passport and run for office – and it’s supposed to be a promise of protection, equality and belonging. But as immigration agents arrest and detain more American citizens, what if that promise is a myth? In a new book journalist Daisy Hernández dismantles the idea that citizenship is neutral, stable or fair. And she proposes that today it often replaces race a powerful instrument of exclusion. We talk to Hernández about her new book “Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth” and what she thinks real belonging might look like. Are you a noncitizen, or a U.S. citizen who’s felt “lesser than?”  Guests: Daisy Hernández, author, "Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With midterm elections a mere eight months away, are Democrats ready? Maybe not, according to journalist Mark Leibovich who traveled the country talking to party leaders about how Democrats intend to meet the moment. Despite Trump’s low approval ratings and a slim Republican majority in Congress, a Democratic rebound is far from a slam dunk with the Republican National Committee currently holding a $100 million fundraising advantage. What happened to the once-confident multiracial coalition of working class men and women? We talk about the future of the Democratic party. Guests: Mark Leibovich, staff writer, The Atlantic - His latest piece is titled "The Democrats Aren't Built for This" Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People - A national organization dedicated to building the political power of women of color Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Figure skater Ilia Malinin’s shocking 8th place finish at the Winter Olympics is reigniting conversation about “the yips” or “the twisties.” Whatever you call them, elite athletes can suddenly lose the ability to perform skills they’ve practiced countless times – finding themselves unable to throw a baseball, or putt, in a straight line. Or to land the quadruple axel they’ve practiced for years. We explore what causes “the yips,” how athletes can bounce back and what the rest of us can learn from performance psychology. Have you ever lost access to a skill under pressure? What did you do? Guests: Bonnie Tsui, journalist; author of "Why We Swim" and "On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters" Dr. Daya Grant, neuroscientist; certified Mental Performance Consultant listed in the United States, Olympic and Paralympic Committee directory Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ask a parent, they are likely to deny they have a favorite child. But ask a kid, and they will tell you that is not true. And researchers agree. They found that roughly two-thirds of parents have a favorite child, and that golden child retained their status for decades. While being the favorite has some obvious upsides, being the apple of your parent’s eye has its pitfalls, and the negative effects of being a non -favored child can last a lifetime. Were you a favorite child? Do you have a favorite child? Guests: Sahaj Kaur Kohli, therapist and founder, Brown Girl Therapy; writer, author of the book "But What Will People Say? Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures" Laurie Kramer, professor of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda. Pokémon. Animal Crossing. Video games from the Japanese company Nintendo have been surprising, delighting and challenging players since the 1980s. The Guardian’s video games editor Keza MacDonald has been playing Nintendo games for three decades and has recently introduced her own children to their colorful worlds. And in her new book “Super Nintendo,” MacDonald says that Nintendo’s game design — which rewards curiosity and emphasizes fun — not only changed the video game industry but how we play with each other. MacDonald joins us and we hear from you: What was the first Nintendo game you ever played? Guests: Keza MacDonald, senior video games editor, The Guardian; author, "Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play" Joshua Bote, associate editor, Gazzetteer SF; Pokémon fan and collector Nathan Kruse, former Super Smash Brothers Super Smash Bros. Melee competitor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Geeta Gandbhir’s documentary, “The Perfect Neighbor” was a massive hit on Netflix last year. Told mostly through police body camera and security footage, the film gripped viewers with an immersive look at the events leading up to the murder of a mother of four children in Florida. Gandbhir is nominated for two Academy Awards this year for “The Perfect Neighbor” and a short documentary, “The Devil is Busy.” She joins us to talk about American violence, surveillance and the flood of filming happening all around us. Guests: Geeta Gandbhir, documentary filmmaker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California senator Adam Schiff says that President Donald Trump will try to “subvert” the midterm elections this year by attempting to overturn any result that disadvantages Congressional Republicans. The President has recently called for nationalizing elections, made multiple unproven claims about voter fraud and pushed the FBI to seize ballots from a Georgia district he lost in 2020. Meanwhile, election integrity experts say U.S. voting systems are secure and that the courts will continue to reject election challenges brought by Trump. We unpack what we might see come November and how election officials are preparing. Guests: David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law Natalie Adona, registrar of voters, Marin County Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facing a $376 million deficit, BART announced that without more funding, it will consider drastic cuts including closing one-third of its 50 stations and raising fares by 30%. The agency is pinning its financial future on a proposed sales tax on the November ballot as it struggles to recover from a changed post-pandemic commuting pattern. What would the Bay Area be without BART? We talk to the agency’s manager and hear from you. Guests: Robert Powers, general manager, Bay Area Rapid Transit Jesse Arreguin, California state senator, District 7 Dionne Adams, mayor, Pittsburgh, CA Melissa Hernandez, president, BART board of directors; former mayor, Dublin, CA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breakthrough treatments for high blood pressure, HIV infection and obesity: they’re all available in part because of studies done on animals. And though the Animal Welfare Act has for many years regulated the treatment of lab animals, more than 95% of those used in research today are excluded from its protections. Larry Carbone is a veterinarian who’s spent decades caring for animals in research facilities. We talk to him about the value and ethics of animal research and what he thinks needs to change. His new book is “The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals.” Guests: Larry Carbone, laboratory veterinarian; author, "The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals: A Vet's Vision for a More Humane Future" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new book, “Tiny Gardens Everywhere,” MIT environmental historian Kate Brown uses the global history of gardening to help us imagine cities that are resilient and self-sufficient. She unearths a rich history of the role small urban gardens have played in supplementing wages, keeping families fed and nurturing community and resilience in times of economic upheaval, war and environmental damage. We’ll talk to Brown about the past, present and future of gardens as critical infrastructure of cities that can help sustain communities even when our systems fail. Guests: Kate Brown, author, "Tiny Gardens Everywhere" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From The Washington Post to CBS, mass layoffs, shifts in editorial direction and even direct interference in coverage are raising questions about whether the press can still hold power accountable, from their own bosses to the current administration. As reporters leave and subscribers drop, we look at the challenges the fourth estate is facing and the ways the right wing is expanding its influence over U.S. media. Guests: Matt Gertz, senior fellow, Media Matters Jeremy Barr, media and power reporter, The Guardian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elon Musk’s merger of SpaceX with his AI start-up xAI has created what the New York Times calls “the most valuable private company on earth,” allowing Musk to forge ahead with new plans to develop data centers in outer space and an IPO expected later this year. Musk’s companies hold billions in government contracts as his own net worth tops $800 billion, and his decisions affect not just his shareholders but global communications, national security and international politics. We talk about how so much power has aggregated in one person and the perils for the rest of us. Guests: Ryan Mac, tech reporter, The New York Times; co-author, "Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter" Nitasha TIku, tech culture reporter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Despite an explosion of dating apps and social media that seemingly make it easier to meet people, rates of marriage and couples living together have steadily decreased since 1990, according to the Pew Research Center. For singles looking for a relationship, dating is even harder than meeting potential partners. So, how do you go from the meet-cute to a lasting relationship? We’ll talk with coaches and experts about whether dating is becoming a lost art and how to improve your dating game. Guests: Myisha Battle, sex and dating coach, host of KCRW's "How's Your Sex Life" podcast; author of "This Is Supposed to Be Fun: Finding Joy In Hooking Up, Settling Down, and Everything In Between" and the upcoming "Sexual Pleasure For Dummies." Daniel Yi, co-host, "I Hate Dating Apps" podcast Lauren Josephine, dating coach; author, "Looking for Something Serious" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers are on strike across California over stalled contract talks, staffing levels and pay. But Kaiser, the state’s largest private employer, says it’s offered its strongest wage proposal yet, with increases to come. As negotiations falter, we’ll talk about the issues at stake and the impacts on patients. Are you a Kaiser worker or a patient affected by the strikes? Guests: Farida Jhabvala Romero, labor correspondent, KQED John Logan, director of labor studies, San Francisco State University Dr. Robert Pearl, former CEO, The Permanente Medical Group; lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business Truc Le, certified registered nurse anesthetist, Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento Carrie Esqueda, Kaiser patient Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the marquee lights of the Castro Theater dimmed two years ago, many worried that this grande dame of cinema would never be the same. Now after a $41 million renovation, the 104-year old SF icon is ready for its coming out party. The organ has been refurbished, the ceiling cleaned, and hidden gems, like a gold proscenium have been discovered. No longer just a movie house, the theater will host both films and musical acts, including a sold out 20-night stand by Sam Smith. As music venues and movie theaters continue to close post-pandemic, we talk about what the theater’s renewal and reopening means for nightlife and the arts in San Francisco. Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts and Culture Tom DeCaigny, program officer of performing arts, Hewlett Foundation; former director of cultural affairs for the City and County of San Francisco, where he led the San Francisco Arts Commission Mary Conde, senior vice president, Another Planet Entertainment Gabrielle Armand, CEO, SF Jazz Learn more about

“After the US Constitution, the tax code is the single most important document affecting Americans’ lives. But because it is a deeply opaque, seven-thousand-page document, few Americans have any idea what the code says.” So writes legal scholar Ray D. Madoff, who argues the tax code is one of the main drivers of our nation’s historic wealth inequality — allowing the ultra-wealthy to avoid taxation altogether while relying much more on workers’ payroll taxes than many realize. We unpack how the tax code works and what real reform would look like. Madoff’s book is “The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy.” Guests: Ray D. Madoff, professor, Boston College Law School; author, "The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1977, a fledgling magazine startup in San Francisco published a searing story about the Ford Pinto, a car model that executives put on the market knowing its design could cause deaths and serious injuries. That was one of many investigative scoops Mother Jones has published in its 50-year history that established its reputation for holding corporations and politicians accountable. Staying alive in the journalism industry has required some maneuvering, but Mother Jones has managed to set up a sustainable model to continue its mission. We talk with the magazine’s leaders about its audience, nonprofit structure, journalism in these times, and what other publications can learn from them. Guests: Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief, Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting Adam Hochschild, journalist and co-founder, Mother Jones; author, "American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy's Forgotten Crisis" and other books; lecturer, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Learn

Since Donald Trump broke into the political scene in 2015, the United States has seen a surge in white supremacist hate groups. Investigative journalist Eric Lichtblau uses the 2018 murder of a gay, Jewish college student by a neo-Nazi in Orange County to explore the rise of white, Christian nationalism there – digging into how Trump’s attacks on immigrants, pardons of the January 6th rioters and use of racism memes have fueled and emboldened right wing extremism in California and across the country. We talk to him about his new book “American Reich.” Guests: Eric Lichtblau, investigative reporter; author, "American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid a ballooning rental housing market across the Bay Area, Oakland rents are mostly staying flat. Today, the median San Francisco rent for a one-bedroom home is about 70% higher than in Oakland. While Oakland often trails the city’s rental market, the gap is now far larger than in recent history. We’ll discuss whether Oakland has cracked the code on making housing more affordable, or whether other factors may be driving people away. Guests: J.K. Dineen, Bay Area housing reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Chris Salviati, senior housing economist, Apartment List Tim Thomas, director, Eviction Research Network at UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prenuptial agreements are no longer just for the wealthy. They’re being pitched as smart financial planning for ordinary couples, and now more than 40% of married and engaged Millennials and Gen Z-ers say they’ve signed one. Younger generations are using prenups to negotiate everything from intellectual property rights, social media handles and who gets the sneaker collection. We’ll talk about what’s behind the shift and what it reveals about our modern anxieties about marriage and relationships.  Guests: Jennifer Wilson, staff writer, New Yorker. Her most recent piece is "Her recent article is "Why Millennials Love Prenups"" Juliana Yanez, law partner, Hanson Crawford Crum Family Law Group Kaiponanea Matsumura , law professor, Loyola Law School. Matsumura is an expert on the regulation of families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices