For months, economists have predicted that Trump’s tariff policy would crash the economy. While that has not yet happened, leading economic indicators, like inflation and jobs numbers, do indicate that the economy is slowing despite a strong stock market. We’ll talk about how this latest round of tariffs is impacting consumers and businesses, and hear how your spending and savings habits have changed.

Guests:

Neale Mahoney, professor of economics, Stanford University; former special policy advisor for economic policy, White House National Economic Council

Corazon Padilla, director of coffee quality and sourcing, Andytown Coffee Roasters

Tracy Alloway, financial journalist and co-host of Bloomberg's "Odd Lots" podcast

Bastian Schoell, owner, The Spanish Table

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Big Tech’s spending on AI infrastructure, like data centers, is so enormous that it’s reshaping the U.S. economy on a scale likened to the building of the railroads. AI is also now at the center of geopolitical conflicts, as President Trump strikes a deal with Nvidia allowing it to sell its chips to China, upending longstanding national security policy. And yet, the much-hyped launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-5 has left many users underwhelmed. We take stock of the way the AI industry is reshaping our world.

Guests:

Zoë Schiffer, oversees coverage of business and Silicon Valley at WIRED

Mat Honan, editor in chief, MIT Technology Review

Brian Merchant, tech journalist, writes the "Blood in the Machine" newsletter

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The Republican spending bill signed into law by President Trump last month slashes an estimated $150 billion in federal Medicaid funding to California over the next 10 years. Nearly 40% percent of Californians rely on Medi-Cal for health coverage, and now millions are expected to fall off the rolls. That’s leaving medical providers bracing for impacts, especially in places already struggling to serve all who need care. We talk to heads of clinics in the Central Valley, Shasta County and Los Angeles to hear how they’re coping.

Guests:

Mitesh Popat, chief executive officer, Venice Family Clinic

David Quackenbush, president and chief executive officer, Golden Valley Health Centers

Jo Campbell, chief executive officer, Hill Country Community Clinic

Miranda Dietz, interim director, Health Care Program, UC Berkeley Labor Center

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What’s happened since former Vice President Kamala Harris said she’s not running to replace Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor? Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who received early funding and an unofficial endorsement from Nancy Pelosi, said on Friday that she’s not running either. The announcement has again scrambled the political calculations of California’s gubernatorial hopefuls. We’ll talk with KQED’s politics team about early campaign rumblings, funding and top issues likely to define the California governor’s race. And we’ll hear from you: what kind of governor do you think California needs right now?

Guests:

Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

Scott Shafer, senior editor and co-host of Political Breakdown, KQED

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In the past, a U.S. president deployed the National Guard on domestic soil to enforce laws or quash protests once every few decades in extremely rare circumstances. President Donald Trump has now done so twice in a matter of three months.. The first was in June to tamp down protests against his immigration policies in Los Angeles. A federal trial began Monday over whether Trump had the authority to order that  deployment. Also on Monday, Trump announced sending the National Guards to Washington D.C. to fight crime and clear homeless shelters, despite the city reporting its lowest crime rate in 30 years. We’ll talk about how Trump is breaking precedents using federal troops for local law enforcement and what it means for our nation.  

Guests:

Shawn Hubler, California correspondent, The New York Times

Jenny Jarvie, national correspondent, The Los Angeles Times

Laura Dickinson, professor, The George Washington University Law School

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In Los Angeles County — famous for its sunshine — just 20% of urbanized areas are shaded at noon. That’s creating a serious health hazard for people who work outdoors, wait at bus stops or play outside. Environmental journalist Sam Bloch argues that shade should be considered a basic human right, akin to access to clean air and safe drinking water. We speak with Bloch about why modern cities have so little shade and how we can reintroduce it as a fundamental element of urban design. Bloch’s new book is “Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource.” Do you struggle to find shade in your community?

Guests:

Sam Bloch, environmental journalist

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Nearly eight years ago, journalist Shoshana Walter followed a lead on a drug and alcohol rehab program that put patients to work at a chicken plant. What she found was one of many programs that boasted treatment and recovery, but actually profited off the unpaid labor of people struggling with addiction. In her new book, “Rehab: An American Scandal”, Walter continues to interrogate America’s drug treatment system by following four people navigating an industry that not only kept patients stuck in a cycle of addiction and relapse, but that actually stymied their recovery. We’ll talk through the dark side of the rehab industry, what this book reveals about the ways patients are exploited for profit, and who actually has a chance at recovery in America.

Guests:

Shoshana Walter, investigative reporter, the Marshall Project; author of "Rehab: An American Scandal"

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Gen Z is having less sex, and journalist Carter Sherman has spent the last several years interviewing more than 100 teens and 20-somethings about why. Sherman found it’s not because they’re uninterested or don’t have progressive views about sex. Instead, anxieties about the overturning of Roe v. Wade among other attacks on reproductive freedom, coming of age during an isolating pandemic and poor sex education have led many to abstain. Sherman’s new book is “The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future.”

Guests:

Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter, Guardian US; author, “The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future"

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Dating is going old school. More than a decade after apps like Tinder, Hinge and Bumble transformed dating, many singles are signing off and asking their friends, families and colleagues to set them up. It’s the kind of news that will make grandmothers everywhere rejoice. Being set up might seem quaint, but for most of modern dating, people met their spouses through friends and family. And with the popularity of shows like Netflix’s “Indian Matchmaking,” there is a rising interest in relying on personal interventions to find your person. We talk about getting set up and how to play matchmaker, and we hear from you: Did you find true love on a blind date or set up?

Guests:

Allie Volpe, correspondent, Vox. Volpe's most recent piece on dating is titled "Most Couples Used to Meet This Way. What Happened?"

Frankie Bashan, clinical psychologist; founder, Little Gay Book, a matchmaking and relationship service based in Oakland

Lauren Magboo, founder, The Used Date Party

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The latest reporting from Gaza describes a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions. Children are starving; families face impossible choices between food and safety. Hospitals cannot function and medical staff are too weak to help patients. We talk to aid workers and journalists reporting from both sides of Israel’s near-total blockade of supplies going into Gaza about what they’re witnessing and what it will take to save lives.

Guests:

Bel Trew, chief international correspondent, The Independent

Youmna ElSayed, Gaza correspondent reporting from Egypt, Al Jazeera

Tjada D'Oyen McKenna, chief executive officer, Mercy Corps

Maram Husaid, digital correspondent in Gaza, Al Jazeera

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