Despite war and pandemic, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof finds good news in a “stunning” decline of worldwide poverty and “extraordinary” improvements in child mortality. Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez examines retirement options for an aging population as he finds himself getting older.

Writer and author of The Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran, Robin Wright says that after weeks of protest on the streets of Iran, “for the first time in human history, you're beginning to see a counter revolution ignited by women. ”  Later, despite the failure of the UN’s leadership conference on climate change, New York Times science reporter David Wallace-Wells says, “we're moving much faster than most analysts projected a few years ago,” and says the climate crisis is not as bad as he thought when he wrote,”The Uninhabitable Earth” five years ago. 

Former New York Times and Washington Post Media Critic Margaret Sullivan says America faces a threat to democracy. In her new book, “Newsroom Confidential: Lessons (and Worries) from an Ink-Stained Life,” she says it’s time to move on from “objectivity” and make reporting a form of activism. And, Scott Galloway says America is not yet lost, but it has gone adrift, and that’s the title of his latest book. In “Adrift,” he talks about income inequality, polarization, and failing young men. But he says, “I think they can be undone … the ills that plague us are fixable.”  

Will Trump run for the presidency again? And in the aftermath of California’s deadly wildfires, can the state’s largest utility, PG&E, mend its ways?

What are the risks of keeping the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant open? And an atheist and Muslim agree on what happens when people find religion through politics.

Does the news really have to be all that bad, or does our addiction to catastrophe drive outlets to deliver what sells? How might today’s media be fixed?

What to expect of the Supreme Court’s decision to ease conceal-carry restrictions, Biden’s new gun safety law, and the Sandy Hook lawsuit? Then, does it matter if Russia leaves the International Space Station?

Why does America’s baby formula shortage continue? Also, Norm Eisen’s new book traces corruption from the Trump White House to the rest of the country. 

The United Nations can’t stop Russia’s war on Ukraine. And author Yascha Mounk says more diversity is a threat to democracy, but he’s still hopeful. 

Russia’s assault on Ukraine is the most destructive event in Europe since World War II, and though it’s hard to determine how or when it might end, a team from Foreign Policy magazine came up with an assessment of what might be in store for Ukraine. 

What does the first week of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine say about the likelihood of a cyber and nuclear war? While the West imposes heavy sanctions, Russian forces encounter fierce Ukrainian resistance on the ground.  

An environmental activist is calling on like-minded advocates to build an “adamant nonviolent movement” to rapidly reach zero emissions. 

California is losing its leadership position in the effort to mitigate climate change, and politics and other disasters may be to blame, according to a state lawmaker. Also, while two probes into the failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election results are underway, some have intensified their efforts to normalize the insurrection. 

A nuclear meltdown near the San Fernando and Simi Valleys was kept secret for 20 years. Despite a cluster of rare childhood cancers in nearby communities, California officials have not kept the promise to clean up radioactive contamination at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site.

Celebrity athletes are shaping American politics and culture, says Jane Coaston of the New York Times. And even before this month’s UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow, wildfires, droughts, and floods have been increasing Americans’ belief in climate change, according to Anthony Leiserowitz, who directs the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

When the U.S. Supreme Court refused to stop a draconian new Texas abortion law, especially since Roe v. Wade is already on the high court’s caseload, Slate’s legal affairs correspondent Dahlia Lithwick says she was “stunned, numbed, and frozen.” Also, Vox reporter Umair Irfan describes the five potential scenarios outlined by the world’s top scientists for next month’s World Climate Summit in Glasgow.

California’s recall makes sense, but the electoral system as a whole needs reform, according to columnist Joe Matthews. Also in this episode, author Rajiv Chandrasekaran says Afghanistan once had an American-style suburb in the 1950s until the Soviet Union took over. Meanwhile, Colonel Andrew Bacevich calls America’s latest intervention in Afghanistan “preposterous” and insists the U.S. needs a new role on the global stage. 

Andy Slavitt, who was President Joe Biden’s former COVID advisor, talks about the recent Delta variant surge and best safety practices. The second part of this episode looks at how historic water wars could worsen California’s drought.

CNN’s Ron Brownstein says LA was so creative with music, movies, and TV in the 1970s that it’s still shaping American politics today. He writes about that in his new book “Rock Me on the Water.” KCRW  also hears how California firefighters are updating an ancient Native American practice despite the risk of being sued.  

For most of American history, abortion has been legal, outlawed only from 1867 to 1973. Now the U.S. Supreme Court might outlaw it again by overturning Roe v. Wade. Also, young activists blame governments for climate change. 

With rising heat, deadly drought, and erratic storms, the desert tortoise needs your help. And there are many things you can do, especially if you are camping over the weekend or driving to Las Vegas. Susanna Mann and Gabby Barnas from the Ivanpah Desert Tortoise Research Facility will tell you all the little things that make a big difference for our wildlife friends in the desert. This is a special sixth bonus episode to In Our Backyard EP6: Life in the desert demands resilience, especially when lightning strikes

California deserts are unique in the world, but heat and drought threaten plants and animals with extinction. At the same time, desert windmills and solar farms provide clean energy to millions of people.

Rising seas got you confused? Severine Fournier from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab  explains the basics of our warming ocean as a result of climate change. What she’s got to say might melt your brain. This is a special fifth bonus episode to In Our Backyard EP5: Sea level rise means life on California’s beaches is ending up on the rocks.

Scientists say that all 800 miles of California beaches may disappear in the next 80 years because of sea level rise caused by climate change. Scientists say large-scale interventions will be required to save them. Warren Olney finds that current practices are making things worse rather than better. 

California wildfires are dangerous, but they don’t have to be deadly. Don Butz, Lakeside Fire chief and  San Diego Fire Safe Council president, says we can protect ourselves by following simple steps from American Red Cross’ Ready, Set, Go plan. We cover everything from managing gardens to assembling supply kits. This is a special fourth bonus episode to In Our Backyard E4: Fire is part of California’s natural landscape. We’ll always be waiting for the next, inevitable smoke out.