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

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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

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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"

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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

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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

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“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"

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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.

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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"

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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

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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.

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