How harmful media representations of Asians, Pacific Islanders impact their mental health

This week onConnect the Dots, we’ll explore how the representation of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the media, and lack thereof, can impact the mental health of the people in these communities.  To learn more, we spoke with Dr. Kevin Nadal, Distinguished Professor at the John Jay College…

From investment to crisis: the student loan story

How did the student loan crisis get so bad? This week onConnect the Dots, we’ll explore the history of the federal student loan program and how it has impacted a generation of borrowers.  We spoke with Josh Mitchell, author of “The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe,” and …

Does Disney have enough power to help repeal 'Don't Say Gay' law?

This week on “Connect the Dots”, we’ll explore the Walt Disney Company’s tense relationship with conservative politicians as the company attempts to advocate for its LGBTQ+ employees in the wake of Florida’s Parent Rights Education Bill, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” proposal, which was signed …

This is your brain on climate change

This week on Connect the Dots, we investigate the psychological mechanisms behind climate change inaction in discussion with psychologist and environmental scholar Susan Clayton – who co-authored the American Psychological Association (APA) reports on “Psychology and Global Climate Change” – and Ka…

How Biden’s proposed billionaire tax impacts the average American

This week onConnect the Dots, we’ll explore how President Biden’s proposal could impact billionaires and their income, how it could help the average American taxpayer and if the bill has the potential to make the tax system more equal. We spoke with Alan Auerbach, a professor of economics at Unive…

Arriving at a historic first: Ketanji Brown Jackson's SCOTUS nomination and the road ahead

Pres. Biden fulfilled a campaign promise to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court this year by choosing Kentanji Brown Jackson to replace outgoing justice Stephen Breyer. The nation then watched as Jackson sat through aggressive questioning during her confirmation hearings.  Why are we still…

How Russia-Ukraine media coverage reveals racial bias in wartime reporting

Are journalists – the people we hope remain neutral in the midst of war – truly unbiased when it comes to reporting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict?  Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine last month, reporters have been called out for saying Ukrainians “look more like us,” comparing them to wh…

Who gets to flee from war-torn countries like Ukraine?

Residents in war-torn Ukraine are on the run – at least some of them are. Overall, 7 million people are expected to cross its Western border. While this is the largest exodus of its kind from Europe in decades people can be found in desperate attempts to leave their countries throughout the world …

How Black history continues to be written in real time

In the latest episode of the “Connect the Dots” podcast, KCBS Radio’s Melissa Culross explores how Black History and its leaders in civil rights movements have informed the past, present and future of activism by hearing from Fredrika Newton, the co-founder and president of the Huey P. Newton Found…

The Super Bowl, sports betting and humanizing gambling addictions

Sports gambling is a popular trend, and during Super Bowl season, the stakes are high.  But what could this common form of gambling do to our mental health and our social lives? What happens when it leads down a path of addiction? On the latest episode of the “Connect the Dots” podcast, we hear f…