KCBS Radio In Depth

In the wake of the collapse of the Afghan government, we discuss how local aid groups in the Bay Area are rallying support to help those attempting to flee Taliban rule. And then in the second half of the program, we also hear why the upheaval in Afghanistan is posing a major challenge to Silicon Valley tech companies.

Guests:

• Aisha Wahab, a member of the Hayward City Council and an Afghan American
• Emily Birnbaum, a tech lobbying and influence reporter for Politico 

Host: Keith Menconi 

New revelations about the Delta variant of Covid-19 have been coming in fast and furious in recent weeks, forcing health officials to reexamine our approach to this pandemic. With so much changing so quickly, on this edition of KCBS In Depth, we take a step back and check in on the latest in Covid-19 science.

Guest: Marm Kilpatrick, who studies infectious diseases at UC Santa Cruz’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Host: Keith Menconi  

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we examine the crisis behind California's wildfires. That is: climate change, which has supercharged fire disasters by warming the state up, drying it out, and priming it to burn.

Guest: Patrick Brown, professor of meteorology and climate science, San Jose State University's Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center

Host: Keith Menconi

Already this year fast spreading wildfires have burned up hundreds of thousands of acres in California, sending smoke plumes clear across the country, but with the landscape parched and the state primed to burn, this could just be a taste of what’s in store.

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we discuss how the state is getting ready as peak fire season approaches. Then in the second half we also consider a related danger threatening lives this summer: extreme heat. 

Guests: 

• Chris Dicus, professor of wildland fire and fuels management, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
• Kristie Ebi, professor of global health, University of Washington's Center for Health and the Global Environment

Host: Keith Menconi 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we dig into the latest Covid numbers to get a sense of the new risks posed by the recent spike in cases. Then in the second half of the program we also consider what’s ahead for the largest group of people who can’t yet be vaccinated: children under the age of 12. 

Guests:

• Dr. Monica Gandhi, infectious disease physician and professor of medicine, UC San Francisco 
• Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, professor of pediatrics and epidemiology, Stanford University School of Medicine

Host: Keith Menconi 

We’re all used to hearing about Red America and Blue America, but what if the country’s real political divide is actually split along a four way fracture? On this edition of KCBS In Depth we speak with journalist and author George Packer about his new book, “Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal,” which seeks to map out the lines of political division that run through the nation as a first step toward patching it all back together. 

Host: Keith Menconi

In 1966 California became one of the first states in the country to outlaw LSD. Now, more than 50 years later the Golden State is rethinking its stance on psychedelics amid a new legislative push that could one day soon decriminalize a range of psychoactive compounds. 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we consider the high hopes behind this drug reform effort, and also discuss the backlash from those who worry about its potential dangers. 

Guests: 

• Scott Wiener, California state senator
• John Lovell, legislative counsel, California Narcotics Officers' Association
• Jennifer Mitchell, professor of neurology and psychiatry, UC San Francisco

Host: Keith Menconi 

The Bay Area is a region defined by its diversity, and yet a recent report from UC Berkeley researchers has found that many neighborhoods seem to actually be growing more segregated with time.

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we dig into that report and try to find out how it could be that more than 50 years after the passage of the federal Fair Housing Act the trend toward segregation still continues.

Guests: 

• Stephen Menendian, assistant director, UC Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute
• Louis Hansen, housing reporter, Mercury News

Host: Keith Menconi 

Meat grown in a lab, produce grown on a shelf, plants recombined to taste just like meat: these days the future of food is arriving at breakneck speeds, but will that future be any better than where we’ve already been? 

On this edition of KCBS In Depth, we take a closer look at some of the emerging high tech innovations in food, and consider whether or not they're likely to live up to their promise. 

Guest: Larissa Zimberoff, investigative journalist | author, “Technically Food: Inside Silicon Valley’s Mission to Change What We Eat”

Host: Keith Menconi

On this edition of KCBS In Depth we check in on the California economy to get a sense of how quickly the state might return to business as usual, as officials prepare to lift many Covid restrictions in the coming week. 

Guests: 

• Leila Bengali, economist, UCLA Anderson Forecast
• Sarah Bohn, vice president of research, senior fellow, Public Policy Institute of California

Host: Keith Menconi