KCBS Radio In Depth

These days, dissatisfaction with the internet is widespread, driven by an array of concerns from rampant hate speech to ubiquitous tracking and data harvesting. So far, most of the solutions that have been put forward involve either new regulations or schemes to break up internet monopolies, but writer Ben Tarnoff says that none of those fixes get at what is in his view the actual root of the problem: that is, that the internet that we have today is made for businesses and not people. 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss his new book, "Internet for the People: The Fight for our Digital Future," which lays out his case for taking the internet out of the hands of private enterprise and creating instead an internet that's run by public institutions. 

Guest: Ben Tarnoff, co-founder, Logic Magazine | author, "Internet for the People: The Fight for our Digital Future" 

Host: Keith Menconi 

Facing growing calls to take more aggressive action to contain the monkeypox outbreak, the federal government this week declared a public health emergency, but advocates say this move should have come much sooner.

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in with those on the front line of this growing health crisis to hear why they are disappointed with the government's response so far, and we also discuss what they'd like to see come next. 

Guest: 

• Dr. Monica Gandhi, infectious disease physician, UC San Francisco
• Tyler TerMeer, CEO, San Francisco AIDS Foundation

Hosts: Keith Menconi, Kathy Novak 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth that first broadcast earlier this year we take a grand tour of the global supply chain with Wall Street Journal technology columnist Christopher Mims. In his new book, "Arriving Today," he explains what keeps this finely tuned global system of container trucks, ships and warehouses running, and why so often over the past two years it's fallen short. 

Host: Keith Menconi 

The Jan. 6 House committee completed its eighth and final scheduled hearing this past Thursday evening, adding fresh revelations about the attack on the Capitol that followed the 2020 election. On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we reflect on what those hearings have turned up and also discuss what the fallout might be.  

Guests: 

• Zoe Lofgren, member, US Congress | member, House Jan. 6 committee 
• Jamil Jaffer, law professor, George Mason University | founder and executive director, the university's National Security Institute 

Host: Keith Menconi

Starting this weekend there is a new three digit emergency number to call, and this one is specifically tailored for people experiencing a mental health crisis. It’s 988, and punching in those three digits will now put callers in touch with trained counselors ready to offer support and also referrals to local resources. 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, as part of Audacy’s national I’m Listening campaign to promote awareness around mental health topics, we discuss how 988 calls will work and why mental health advocates are hopeful that this new number could mark a major shift in the nation's approach to emergency response. 

Guest: Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Host: Riggs

When it comes to long Covid we are woefully short on answers to even basic questions like what causes it, how it can be treated and who’s most at risk. 

So on this edition of KCBS In Depth, we check in with some experts on the disease to hear from them what we do know so far and also what it’s going to take to get a handle on this growing public health emergency. 

Guests: 

• Dr. Michael Peluso, assistant professor of medicine, UC San Francisco
• Lisa McCorkell, co-founder, Patient-Led Research Collaborative

Hosts: Keith Menconi, Holly Quan 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we speak with the Google engineer who believes that an artificially intelligent language system developed by his company has become sentient. Meantime, his claims have spotlighted a broader conversation about the ethics of emerging AI technology, and we also discuss why many experts are raising concerns about the misuse of AI in everything from home appliances to automated surveillance. 

Guests: 

• Blake Lemoine, engineer, Google
• Khari Johnson, senior writer covering artificial intelligence, WIRED

Host: Keith Menconi 

The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling this past Friday put an end to nearly fifty years of federal protections for abortion rights in the US, and already many states are getting ready to impose full abortion bans. That alone represents a monumental shift in American life, but the full consequences of the court's decision are likely to be even more far reaching.

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss what changes are likely to come in a post-Roe America. 

Guests: 

• Dr. Jennifer Kerns,  professor of obstetrics and gynecology, director of the Complex Family Planning Fellowship, UC San Francisco 
• Rory Little, law professor, UC Hastings College of the Law
• Shannon Minter, legal director, National Center for Lesbian Rights

Host: Keith Menconi 

World renowned swim coach Teri McKeever has an impressive list of accomplishments to her name: as the longtime head coach of the women's team at UC Berkeley, she’s led the Cal Bears to four NCAA national championships, and even coached several US Olympic swim teams. But new allegations of bullying and abuse are casting her career in a different light, and also sparking a conversation about when tough coaching goes too far. 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we pick up on that conversation and consider where to draw the line in coaching.

Guests: 

• Jessica Chin, professor of sports sociology, San Jose State University 
• Jason Sacks, president, Positive Coaching Alliance

Hosts: Keith Menconi, Holly Quan 

Chesa Boudin came into office at the beginning of 2020 amid a wave of new progressive prosecutors, who had run on promises of major reform. But over the past two years as anger about San Francisco’s crime problem has grown, many residents have soured on his leadership, and the anti-Boudin backlash culminated this past week in a successful recall vote. 

Of course though Boudin is just one leader in the much larger movement for criminal justice reform, so on this edition of KCBS In Depth, we’re going to consider where that movement could be headed next. 

Guests: 

• Hadar Aviram, law professor, UC Hastings College of the Law
• Nima Rahimi, recall supporter | executive board member, California Democratic Party 
• Cristine Soto DeBerry, executive director, Prosecutors Alliance of California

Host: Keith Menconi