KPFA - UpFront
UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors. UpFront PM is the afternoon edition of UpFront. Pitch us at upfront@kpfa.org.
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Latest episodes

Jan 31, 2025 • 60min
DNC Picks a New Chair this Weekend; Plus, After the LA Fires
00:08 — Steve Phillips is Founder of Democracy in Color. His latest book is How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good.
00:33 — Alexei Koseff covers state politics for Calmatters. Ben Christopher is a reporter for CalMatters covering housing policy.
The post DNC Picks a New Chair this Weekend; Plus, After the LA Fires appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 28, 2025 • 60min
Unpacking Tariff Implications and the Future of Public Health Under the Trump Administration
00:08 — Dean Baker is a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
00:33 — Gregg Gonsalves is Associate professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and Co-director of the Global Health Justice Partnership.
The post Unpacking Tariff Implications and the Future of Public Health Under the Trump Administration appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 27, 2025 • 60min
Russia’s War in Ukraine; Plus, Senate Confirmation Hearings Continue for Trump’s Cabinet Picks
00:08 — John Feffer is Director of Foreign Policy in Focus and Global Just Transition at the Institute for Policy Studies.
00:33 — John Nichols is National Affairs Correspondent for the Nation.
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The post Russia’s War in Ukraine; Plus, Senate Confirmation Hearings Continue for Trump’s Cabinet Picks appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 24, 2025 • 60min
When Jews organize against Zionism
00:08 Rabbi Alissa Wise is currently the Lead Organizer and Co-founder of Rabbis for Ceasefire, Rebecca Vilkomerson is former Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace and now Co-Director of the Funding Freedom project. They’ve co-authored the book Solidarity is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing.
The post When Jews organize against Zionism appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 23, 2025 • 14min
Israeli Raids in the West Bank Intensify After Gaza Ceasefire; Plus, Trump Freezes Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act; And, Sheng Thao Indictment
00:08 — Mouin Rabbani is a nonresident fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, previously principal political affairs officer with the Office of the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria.
00:33 — Camille Pannu, is the Founder and Director of the Environmental and Climate Justice Clinic at Columbia Law School.
00:45 — Natalie Orenstein is a senior reporter covering City Hall, housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside.
The post Israeli Raids in the West Bank Intensify After Gaza Ceasefire; Plus, Trump Freezes Funds from the Inflation Reduction Act; And, Sheng Thao Indictment appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 22, 2025 • 60min
How to prepare to respond to immigration raids in Northern California; plus, civil rights groups sue to save birthright citizenship
0:08 – On Day 1, President Trump signed an executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship. The order would affect any children born in the U.S. for whom neither parent has permanent immigration status. Immigrants’ rights advocates say this order is blatantly unconstitutional, violating the 14th Amendment. Two major lawsuits were immediately filed in response, one by a group of state Attorneys General and the other by civil rights groups. Aarti Kohli of Asian Law Caucus joins us to talk about the rights groups’ lawsuit and the history of Asian and Pacific Islander communities standing on the forefront of defending immigrants’ rights in the U.S.
0:33 – Giselle Garcia, a volunteer with NorCal Resist, explains what to do when you see ICE in your community and explains your rights in interacting with immigration agents. Alameda County, San Francisco, and Sacramento all have emergency rapid response phone hotlines that members of the public can call to confirm ICE’s presence and seek emergency legal help.
0:45 – Aja Arnold of independent Atlanta news outlet Mainline talks about the new podcast, “The Process is the Punishment,” covering the ATL 61, the 61 defendants indicted and swept up in a broad police crackdown against activism to save the Weelaunee Forest and prevent a police megalopolis from being built in the city. The activists are facing charges under Georgia RICO laws, which observers say is a tactic meant to quell free speech.
The post How to prepare to respond to immigration raids in Northern California; plus, civil rights groups sue to save birthright citizenship appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 21, 2025 • 60min
Gaza Ceasefire Goes into Effect; Plus, Corona Calls with Dr. Swartzberg
00:08 — George Bisharat, Professor Emeritus at University of California College of Law, San Francisco. His legal scholarship focuses on Palestine, Israel, and U.S. policies toward the Middle East.
00:33 — Dr. John Swartzberg, clinical professor emeritus of infectious diseases at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health.
The post Gaza Ceasefire Goes into Effect; Plus, Corona Calls with Dr. Swartzberg appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 20, 2025 • 60min
Hajar Yazdiha on the Struggle for the People’s King
00:08 Hajar Yazdiha, Assistant Professor of Sociology and faculty affiliate of the Equity Research Institute at the University of Southern California; now author of The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement [re-broadcast]
00:34 Martin Luther King Jr., recorded December 7, 1964 (days before he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo) giving an address in London on segregation, the fight for civil rights and his support for Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa.
Because of the holiday, Corona Calls is delayed until Tuesday. Send questions to: coronacalls@kpfa.org
The post Hajar Yazdiha on the Struggle for the People’s King appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 17, 2025 • 60min
Israel Security Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Deal, What Comes Next for People in Gaza
00:08 — Jehad Abusalim is Executive Director of the Institute for Palestine Studies-USA . He is also an editor for “Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire” (2022). He is from the city of Deir el-Balah in the Gaza Strip.
00:33 — Muhannad Ayyash is Professor of Sociology at Mount Royal University in Calgary and Policy Analyst at Al-Shabaka.
The post Israel Security Cabinet Approves Gaza Ceasefire Deal, What Comes Next for People in Gaza appeared first on KPFA.

Jan 16, 2025 • 60min
Ceasefire in Gaza Reached and Delayed; Plus, Diving Deep into the Los Angeles Fires
00:08 — Iman Abid-Thompson is the Director of Advocacy and Organizing at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR).
00:20 — Joel Beinin, Professor of Middle East History, Emeritus at Stanford University.
00:33 — Nathan Solis is a breaking news reporter with the Fast Break team at the Los Angeles Times.
00:40 — Tony Marks-Block is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Geography and Environmental Studies at CSU East Bay.
00:50 — Joel Laucher is an insurance expert and Program Specialist at United Policyholders. He is also a former Chief Deputy Commissioner for the California Department of Insurance.
The post Ceasefire in Gaza Reached and Delayed; Plus, Diving Deep into the Los Angeles Fires appeared first on KPFA.