Is your kid a fussy eater? A lot of us have come to accept that there’s a period where children can only stomach dino nuggets, buttered noodles and PB&J’s. But American kids used to be “fabulous” eaters, writes historian Helen Zoe Veit. They ate “spicy relishes, vinegary pickles… raw oysters and looked forward to their daily coffee.” We talk to Veit about what happened, and what we can learn from the past to expand kids’ palates — and help parents feel less overwhelmed at dinner time. Veit’s new book is “Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History.”

Guests:

Helen Zoe Veit, associate professor of history, Michigan State University; author, "Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History"

Dr. Erik Fernandez y Garcia, pediatrician and professor of pediatrics, UC Davis

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“All my life I have tried to be a good woman,” writes Savala Nolan. Being “good” meant not rocking the boat. It meant following the rules and fitting herself into the mold of duty, excellence, sacrifice, and hard work. But as a Black woman and mother navigating a world built for men, Nolan learned that the lessons of being good no longer fit her life. In her new book of essays “Good Woman: A Reckoning,” Nolan, an attorney who heads UC Berkeley Law’s Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, blends history and memoir as she examines the confining expectations of womanhood. We talk to Nolan.

Guests:

Savala Nolan, executive director, Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, Berkeley Law; author, "Good Woman: A Reckoning," "Don't Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body"

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Weeks after the Department of Justice released millions of pages of documents related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, new questions are emerging about evidence that may implicate President Trump in assaulting a teenage trafficking victim. This comes as Bill and Hillary Clinton testify before the House Oversight Committee about their relationship to the disgraced financier. We’ll talk about the latest disclosures and what Epstein’s ties to political, academic and business elites reveal about the structure of power and influence in our society.

Guests:

Stephen Fowler, political reporter, NPR

Maegan Vazquez, reporter, Washington Post

Virginia Heffernan, journalist and critic; columnist, The New Republic; publisher of "Magic and Loss" newsletter

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The United States and Israel’s strikes against Iran continued throughout the weekend, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, top officials and civilians. Iran has retaliated with strikes on Israel, Gulf countries and U.S. bases. We talk with experts on Iran about what the attacks mean for the future of the Islamic Republic and the region, and what might happen next.

Guests:

Robin Wright, contributing writer, New Yorker; her most recent piece for the magazine is "What Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Meant to Iran, and What Comes Next" Wright is also the author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East"

Sahar Razavi, associate professor, Department of Political Science; director, Iranian and Middle Eastern Studies Center, California State University, Sacramento

Nate Swanson, director, Iran Strategy Project at the Atlantic Council

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Fan fiction, where fans reimagine their favorite characters in new – often steamy – stories, is reshaping mainstream literature, television and film. This year alone, three novels spun from fan-written romances between Harry Potter characters have hit national bestseller lists. And on the popular fanfic site Archive of Our Own, you’ll find everything from Star Wars-inspired romances to a zombie apocalypse featuring the Car Talk guys. We’re tracing how communities of queer, female, and frequently thirsty fans became a force too big for publishers and Hollywood executives to ignore.

Guests:

E. Alex Jung, features writer, Vulture and New York Magazine

Candice Lim, writer, producer and former co-host, Slate's ICYMI podcast

Domee Shi, film director and creative vice president, Pixar; her films include "Turning Red," "Elio" and the animated short film "Bao"

Disclaimer:

Suicide and suicidal ideation comes up in conversation during this podcast episode.

If you are in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK  to 741741.

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Arthur Miller’s classic play “All My Sons” tells the story of a father who attains the American Dream, but at a high cost to himself and everyone around him. Nearly 80 years after the original, Berkeley Rep’s new production reimagines the play with a Puerto Rican family at the center.  The main characters, Joe and Kate Keller, are played by real life couple Jimmy Smits and Wanda De Jesús. We’ll talk with the actors and director David Mendizábal about what the production has to say about the American Dream today.

Guests:

David Mendizábal, associate artistic director and director of "All My Sons," Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Wanda De Jesús, actor starring as Kate Keller, Berkeley Repertory Theatre's production of "All My Sons"

Jimmy Smits, actor starring as Joe Keller, Berkeley Repertory Theatre's production of "All My Sons"

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Commercial surrogacy has long been life-changing for LGBTQ+ and infertile couples wishing to have children. Even though the practice is banned or highly restricted in much of the rest of the world, the U.S. has no federal laws overseeing the practice. In a new investigation, New Yorker staff writer Ava Kofman exposes one Los Angeles couple that enlisted surrogate mothers for at least 25 children, all of whom are currently in foster care. California is considered a surrogacy stronghold within the $42 billion global fertility industry. We unpack why, and the reforms advocates want to see to improve the informed consent of both surrogates and intended parents — and to keep their children safe.

Guests:

Deborah Wald, certified family law specialist based in San Francisco

Ava Kofman, staff writer, The New Yorker - her recent piece is “The Babies Kept in a Mysterious Los Angeles Mansion”

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Newer AI tools have begun to act less like “a souped up search engine and more of a junior staffer” observes one industry watcher.  Software developers are deploying Claude Code. Small business people are using AI to work out logistics. At home, people are deploying AI to organize to-do lists, plan vacations, and create meal plans. But what are the risks?  We talk about how AI is evolving, and how to think about the ethics of using these tools.

Guests:

Nitasha Tiku, tech culture reporter

Maxwell Zeff, senior writer covering artificial intelligence, WIRED

Heather Kelly, technology reporter focusing on the intersection of technology and everyday life

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What is consciousness for, and why did it evolve? Can we change our “default” consciousness? These are some of the questions that Michael Pollan says began to preoccupy him after his first psychedelic experience, which altered his ordinary consciousness so profoundly that he wanted to learn everything he could about the mysteries of sentience, thought and selfhood. We talk to him about what he uncovered and challenges of studying a phenomenon that he says we’ll never understand completely. Pollan’s new book is “A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness.”

Guests:

Michael Pollan, author, "A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness" - professor emeritus, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism; his other books include "In Defense of Food," "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "How to Change Your Mind."

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Violence erupted across Mexico after the killing of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartel leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, on Sunday. Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, an organization that trafficked drugs across multiple Mexican states and countries. The killing signaled an aggressive and unexpected approach from Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to confronting organized crime. As the chaos settles and shelter in place restrictions lift, the relationship between Mexico’s drug kingpins, the government and the rest of society remains unclear. We talk about what the killing means for Mexico and the United States and what could happen next.

Guests:

Javier Cabral, editor, L.A. Taco - independent local news and culture site; Associate producer for the Taco Chronicles on Netflix

Oswaldo Zavala, professor of Latin American Literature and Culture, City University of New York - College of Staten Island; author of “Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture.”

Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, head of the North American Observatory, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime

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