We have a packed show for today’s Your Call Media Roundtable, where I’ll be guest hosting. First, we’ll cover the breaking news of California senator Diane Feinstein’s death last night. We’ll be joined by Arthur Delany, HuffPost reporter who covers politics and the economy on Capitol Hill. Delany will also discuss the real impact of a government shutdown on millions of families.
Then we’ll discuss two documentaries from The Marshall Project and Frontline about the criminal justice system in the US.
Two Strikes examines how a former West Point cadet got life in prison under the little-known two-strikes law, and Tutwiler documents what happens to pregnant women in prison and their newborns.
Joining us will be:
- Elaine McMillion, documentary filmmaker and the director of Tutwiler
- Ursula Liang, award-winning director and producer of Two Strikes
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
On today’s Your Call, I’ll guest host a discussion of the health hazards of wildfire smoke. Last week, the San Francisco Bay Area experienced its first taste of this year’s fire season with the Air Quality Index numbers soaring into a range deemed unhealthy for the general population.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wildfires are bigger, more severe, and more common today in the western United States than at any time in the last four decades. The recent fires in Maui that destroyed 80 percent of the seaside town of Lahaina are just the most recent tragic example. In California, nearly half of the state’s largest fires on record occurred in the past five years.
But immediate destruction from wildfires is only part of the picture. Wildfire smoke can have lasting impacts on human health. A new study from Lancet Planet Health found that smoke from the world’s worsening wildfires is now killing 33,510 people every year. It not only exacerbates respiratory illnesses like asthma, but is also linked to increased risk of cancer, heart attacks, and preterm birth.
So what can we do to keep ourselves safe as wildfires rage on? Joining me will be:
- Quinn Redwoods, founder and director of Mask Oakland
- Julie Johnson, journalist, staff writer at San Francisco Chronicle’s climate and environment desk
- Dr. Neeta Thakur, associate professor of pulmonary and critical medicine at UCSF, medical director of the outpatient pulmonary clinic at San Francisco General Hospital, co-director of the Partnerships for Research in Implementation Science for Equity (PRISE) Center.
- Dr. Sheri Weiser, internist and professor of medicine in the HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine division at UCSF, co-founding director of the University of California Center on Climate Change, Health and Equity
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
It’s a double shot of me on KALW radio today, where I’ll be hosting Your Call at 10am PT and then State of the Bay at 6pm PT for our second edition of our climate special series.
First, on Your Call’s One Planet Series at 10am PT, we’ll discuss a joint investigation by The Washington Post and The Examination about how the food, beverage and dietary supplement industries are paying dozens of registered influencer dietitians to help sell products and deliver industry-friendly messages on social media platforms. Joining us will be:
- Sasha Chavkin, correspondent for The Examination
- Dr. Caitlin Gilbert, neuroscientist and Well+Being data reporter at The Washington Post
Then at 6pm PT on State of the Bay for our second climate special, you can hear my interview with with California Attorney General Rob Bonta about the state’s lawsuit against big oil for climate damages.
Then, many Bay Area cities have formally declared a climate emergency, but what does this mean, and what should it mean? We’ll discuss what tradeoffs and changes may be needed to address climate change in the Bay Area with:
And finally, we sit down with local educator, organizer, artist and activist, Khafre Jay to learn why he thinks the climate movement needs more Hip Hop.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT for Your Call and then again at 6pm PT for State of the Bay. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’m guest hosting today’s Your Call media roundtable at 10am PT. First, we’ll discuss the one-year anniversary of historic protests in Iran. It was last September when a young Kurdish woman named Jina Mahsa Amini died while in police custody, after being arrested and beaten for failing to comply with Iran’s compulsory veiling. According to Amnesty International, credible reports arose that the so-called “morality” police had subjected her to ill-treatment and even torture inside the police van. She fell into a coma and died three days later.
The news of her tragic death sparked months-long nationwide protests, led by women and girls who tossed off their head scarves in defiance and demanded the end to the Islamic Republic’s rule. The regime’s response was violent and deadly. According to human rights organizations, at least 530 protesters, including 72 children, were killed. Hundreds were blinded by live ammunition and more than 22 thousand people were detained.
Joining us to mark this anniversary and hear the latest about what’s happening in Iran will be:
- Nilo Tabrizy, video reporter for The Washington Post’s Visual Forensics team
- Khosro Kalbasi Isfahani, journalist, researcher, and an Oak Foundation human rights fellow
Then later in the program, we’ll cover a recent investigation by The Center for Public Integrity about the long struggle over taxing the rich.
In the past two years, at least 19 states have lowered their income taxes in ways that primarily benefit their most well-off residents, and conservative groups have spent millions to defeat tax increases on the wealthy. But there’s growing interest in raising taxes on the wealthy. Lawmakers in seven states, including California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington, are introducing wealth-tax measures.
Late last year, Massachusetts imposed a surtax of 4 percent on income over $1 million through a ballot initiative. This “Massachusetts millionaires’ tax” had been introduced and defeated multiple times before finally becoming law.
How would a wealth tax mitigate rising wealth inequality?
- Melissa Hellmann, journalist at the Center for Public Integrity, covering racial, gender, and economic inequality
- Maya Srikrishnan, investigative journalist at the Center for Public integrity, covering marginalized communities
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’ll be double-hosting radio programs today on KALW. First, will California’s iconic Joshua Tree vanish from its namesake national park by the end of this century? I’m guest hosting Your Call’s One Planet Series at 10am PT, and we’ll discuss how climate change and development pressures are endangering Joshua Trees and what the state is doing about it. Joining us will be:
- Brendan Cummings, conservation director of the Center for Biological Diversity and a Joshua tree resident
- Dr. Cameron Barrows, professor Emeritus and Research Ecologist at UC Riverside
Then later in the program we will talk about a campaign by Fossil Free Media targeting oil and gas companies for their role in fueling climate disasters. Jaime Henn will join us, the founder and director of Fossil Free Media, a nonprofit communications lab that supports the movement to break free from fossil fuels.
Then at 6pm PT I’m hosting State of the Bay. You’ll hear my interview with State Senator Scott Wiener, whose bill to decriminalize psychedelics, SB 58, just passed the State legislature last week and is now headed to the Governor’s desk. Will Governor Newsom sign it?
Then I’ll talk to Silicon Valley investor, activist, and tech executive Tom Kemp about his new book, Containing Big Tech: How to Protect Our Civil Rights, Economy and Democracy.
Finally, you’ll hear from one of the San Francisco Dolphin Club members who recently swam across the English Channel, at the age of 75.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT for Your Call and then again at 6pm PT for State of the Bay. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’m guest hosting today’s Your Call Media Roundtable, when we’ll discuss the worsening situation in Haiti. The UN estimates that 4.9 million Haitians, nearly half the population, are now facing “acute food insecurity.”
165,000 Haitians have fled their homes, driven out by gang violence, with nowhere to go in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital city of nearly three million people, according to the Associate Press.
Joining us to discuss will be:
- Amy Wilentz, contributing editor at The Nation
- Widlore Mérancourt, Haitian reporter and editor-in-chief of AyiboPost
Then later in the program we’ll discuss the major new Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and student loans, the latter just handed down this morning. The Court also rejected the so-called independent state legislature theory that would have given power over elections to state lawmakers.
In a 6-3 decision, the court’s conservative majority rejected the race-conscious admissions policies used by Harvard College and the University of North Carolina, finding that the programs violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.
Jackson wrote in her dissenting opinion in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina “with let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”
Joining us will be:
- Chris Geidner, journalist and MSNBC columnist whose Law Dork newsletter covers the Supreme Court, law and politics
- Elie Mystal , Justice Correspondent for The Nation, host of the new podcast, Contempt of Court with Elie Mystal, and the author of the Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
What’s the latest on the deteriorating situation in Sudan? A fight between military factions has now turned into full-fledged urban warfare. We’ll be discussing on today’s Your Call’s Media Roundtable, when I’ll be guest hosting. Joining us will be Mat Nashed, journalist and analyst specializing in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Sudan.
Then we discuss the new two-hour FRONTLINE special Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court (preview above). The film examines Clarence and Ginni Thomases’ lives and their rise to power and influence.
It comes on the heels of a recent ProPublica investigation found that for over 20 years, Justice Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow without disclosing them, breaking long-standing norms for judges’ conduct. Joining us to discuss the film will be its director, Michael Kirk.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’ll be guest hosting today’s Your Call’s Media Roundtable, when we’ll discuss the vicious power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan. This escalation of violence has created a humanitarian crisis of immense proportion, turning the Khartoum into a war zone. Hundreds have died and tens of thousands are fleeing to neighboring countries. What is next for Sudan?
Joining us will be Mat Nashed, journalist and analyst specializing in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Sudan.
Then later in the program we’ll cover America and the Taliban, a new Frontline series that traces America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Drawing on decades of on-the-ground reporting and interviews with Taliban and U.S. officials, this epic three-part investigation traces how America’s 20-year investment in Afghanistan culminated in Taliban victory and examines the missteps and consequences.
Joining us will be:
- Marcela Gaviria, award winning journalist and filmmaker with Rain Media
- Martin Smith, award winning senior producer and foreign correspondent for FRONTLINE
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
I’ll be guest hosting today’s Your Call’s Media Roundtable, where we’ll talk about what the midterm election means for President Biden’s climate and clean energy agenda, including investments in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable and sustainable.
This topic is especially timely given the runoff election victory this week for Georgia senator Raphael Warnock, plus Arizona senator Krysten Sinema’s announcement this morning that she’s leaving the Democratic party.
Joining us will be:
- Marianne Lavelle, award winning reporter covering environment, science, law, and business for InsideClimate News
- Jason Mark, editor of Sierra and the author of Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man
Then at 10:30am PT, we discuss two cases in front of the Supreme Court this week that could have major impacts on LGBTQ rights and federal election rules. The case 303 Creative v. Elenis involves a challenge by a Colorado website designer to a state law that bars public-facing businesses from discriminating against gay people or announcing their intent to do so. The designer, Lorie Smith, argues that subjecting her to the law would violate her right to free speech. The justices also considered Moore v. Harper, a case that would give state lawmakers unfettered power to set rules for voting and elections, without state constitutional limits.
Joining us to analyze the potential impact of these two cases will be Mark Joseph Stern, a senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate Magazine. Mark has covered the U.S. Supreme Court, federal appellate and district courts, and state and local courts since 2013.
Tune in at 91.7 FM in the San Francisco Bay Area or stream live at 10am PT. What comments or questions do you have for our guests? Call 866-798-TALK to join the conversation!
