Though our lives are filled with uncertainty, we’re less tolerant of it than ever, says journalist Simone Stolzoff, author of the new book “How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers.” Surrounded by prediction markets, statistics and the world’s knowledge on our phones, we think we should always be certain – in who we are, what we believe and what the “right” choice is. But Stolzoff says that accepting and even appreciating uncertainty can help us be more tolerant, humble and ready to take on life’s curveballs.

Guests:

Simone Stolzoff, journalist and author, "How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers" and "The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work"

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Singer, songwriter and San Francisco native Cecilia Peña-Govea – better known as La Doña – joins us in studio with her band for a special live performance on the heels of the release of her new album, Corrientes. It’s her most ambitious and comprehensive project yet. She traveled to five countries and worked with 40 musicians to compose the 16-track  album which spans a variety of genres including cumbia, reggaeton, ranchera, electronic, merengue, and son jarocho, a folk music style that originated in the Mexican state of Veracruz.  La Doña joins us to perform, talk about her new album and her Bay Area roots.

Guests:

Cecilia Peña-Govea, singer who performs as La Doña

Amanda Magaña, vocals and congas

Naomi Pasmanick, sax and vocals

Miguel Govea, accordion, vocals and guitar

Camilo Landau, guitar and vocals

Ayla Davila, bass and vocals

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An El Niño is starting to form in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and some forecasters say it could be a “monster,” the most powerful in 150 years. The weather system could trigger potentially catastrophic heat waves, flooding and drought, with effects we could start to feel as early as this summer. We talk to science journalists about how this brewing El Niño could test our readiness for the chaos of a warmer climate, and answer your questions about its potential impacts here in California and beyond.

Guests:

David Wallace-Wells, science writer and essayist, The New York Times Opinion

Bill McKibben, co-founder, climate activism group Third Act; author of more than 20 books, including "The End of Nature"

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As the world moves away from fossil fuels, oil and gas companies are betting on plastic to keep profits rolling in. In her new book, “Plastic Inc.,” investigative journalist Beth Gardiner digs into how plastic went from a useful byproduct of oil and gas production into a material that has literally seeped into every aspect of our lives from the air we breathe to the water we drink. Overproduction of single-use plastic has left the world with a massive pollution problem, which plastic producers have successfully blamed on consumers, Gardiner argues. And, while Bay Area residents look for ways to reduce their plastic use, oil companies plan to double or triple plastic production. We talk about why the world is drowning in plastic and how we might reverse the trend.

Guests:

Beth Gardiner, environmental journalist; author, "Plastic Inc." and "Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution"

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Forced arbitration clauses are buried in everything from product warranties to bank loans to employment contracts, often requiring consumers and workers to give up their right to sue without realizing it. Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of the Public Integrity Project, says arbitration has become an opaque, parallel legal system that favors corporations and undermines the rule of law. We talk to Ballou about new book, “When Companies Run the Courts,” which looks at why forced arbitration has become so widespread and what states like California are doing to restrict it.

Guests:

Brendan Ballou, former federal prosecutor; CEO, the Public Integrity Project; author, "When Companies Run the Courts: Forced Arbitration and America's Secret Justice System"

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Both Democrats and Republicans have turned to redistricting to improve their chances in this fall’s midterm elections. But a recent court case striking down a Democrat-leaning redistricting map in Virginia and a Supreme Court decision rolling back the Voting Rights Act, have dimmed hopes for Democrats. All this while Republican state legislatures lock in maps that give their party an edge. We talk about what it all means for the midterm elections and beyond.

Guests:

Erin Covey, editor of the U.S. House of Representative, The Cook Political Report

Kareem Crayton, vice president, Brennan Center for Justice's Washington, D.C. office; Crayton is an expert on redistricting

Nick Corasaniti, reporter, the New York Times

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A 2025 study found political violence is shifting from a primarily right-wing phenomenon to one now more common on the left (fueled partly by a significant decrease in right-wing attacks during President Trump’s second term). And it’s increasingly accepted across the political spectrum, with about a fifth of Americans saying they’d support violence to achieve political goals. The Atlantic’s Adrienne LaFrance calls this dangerous attitude “blood populism,” and we’ll talk to her about why she believes people with these opinions should be seen not as partisans but extremists. Plus, a violence prevention researcher explains why political violence is a public health issue.

Guests:

Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor, the Atlantic

Garen Wintemute M.D., M.P.H. , director, Centers for Violence Prevention at UC Davis; he also practices and teaches emergency medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine.

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California launched Project Homekey after the pandemic to quickly create new housing and get homeless people off the streets. Over the last few years the state has spent $3.8 billion converting existing properties such as old hotels and apartment buildings into housing that could be built fast and at a lower cost than ground-up construction. But the program has had mixed results according to a CalMatters investigation that found that about half of the development projects in the program either came in late, went over budget or were never built. We’ll talk about how well Project Homekey is working, and what we can learn from its successes and failures.

Guests:

Marisa Kendall, homelessness reporter, CalMatters

Ryan Finnigan, associate research director focused on homelessness in California, Terner Center for Housing Innovation, UC Berkeley

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Tensions remain high in the Persian Gulf as the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire late last week, calling into question whether an already fragile ceasefire still holds. Meanwhile, President Trump called Tehran’s response to an American proposal to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “totally unacceptable.” We’ll talk about the latest diplomatic efforts, the risk of escalation and the impact of the war in the region and at home.

Guests:

Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; author, "Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy;" former president, National Iranian American Council

Joshua Keating, senior correspondent, Vox

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Mac Barnett is a bestselling children’s book author and, since last year, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.  He has a new small book out for adults, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children, that is a rousing defense not just of children’s books but of children themselves, as people and as readers.  “If you’ve read good books to kids, you’ve probably been surprised when they noticed a detail in the pictures that you didn’t see, or been humbled when they understood something about the story you couldn’t. That’s because children tend to be better readers — more open-minded, more diligent, and more passionate — than adults. (No offense.)” We’ll talk to Barnett about how kids make us better readers and the enduring power of children’s books.

Guests:

Mac Barnett, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature; author, "Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children;" his children's books include "Circle," "Square" and "Triangle," "Extra Yarn", "Sam and Dave Dig a Hole" and the "Terrible Two" book series among others

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How can we find and start our life’s work? That’s the question Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Jodi Kantor tried to answer for Columbia University’s seniors last spring in a graduation speech that went viral. She urged graduates facing a brutal job market to focus on two things: need and craft. Kantor encouraged graduates to use that lens to assess what services, products or information society will most need in their working lives and what expertise they can develop to bring them to fulfillment. We talk to Kantor about her new book “How to Start.”

Guests:

Jodi Kantor, investigative reporter, The New York Times; author, "How to Start: Discovering Your Life's Work"

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