Kqeds Forum

The state of California will send “life-saving oxygen equipment” to India, which is dealing with a deadly surge in COVID-19 cases. Doctors in India have been making pleas on social media as many hospitals run out of oxygen, and as the country marks a grim milestone of more than one million coronavirus cases in just a few days. We talk with California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis about India’s coronavirus crisis, California’s efforts to help and what it will take to make a dent in the problem.

One in five people who menstruate in the U.S. struggle with their periods every month due to lack of access to hygienic menstrual products, according to a 2019 study on the “State of the Period”. This issue, known as period poverty, has resulted in other discouraging statistics -- one in four teens in the U.S. say they have missed school because of poor access to menstrual products. In California, menstrual products are now tax-free through the end of 2023, and legislators and many young activists are working to make free menstrual products available in schools and public agencies. Meanwhile, countries like Scotland and New Zealand have made tampons and pads free. In this student-produced segment for KQED’s annual Youth Takeover week, we look at the latest efforts to address period poverty and the overall stigma surrounding menstruation.

KQED’s speaker series “¿Dónde Esta Mi Gente?” spotlights writers who explore and extol their Latinx roots in their work. Its next installment will feature the voices of Afro-Latinx writers from across the U.S. The free virtual event will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28. We’ll talk with one of the curators of “¿Dónde Esta Mi Gente?” about the role of literature during a pandemic, the need to highlight Latinx voices and celebrating Black joy.

The new podcast series “La Brega” explores the often misunderstood relationship between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. The term “la brega” has many meanings to residents of the island, from survival to struggle to hustle. It speaks to the issues Puerto Ricans have faced in being part of the United States for more than a century, including feeling neglected by their government. We’ll talk with the producers of “La Brega” about the urgency of documenting Puerto Rico’s contemporary challenges. 

Some East Palo Alto residents--who came to California after fleeing sea level rise in their Pacific Island homes--are finding they may soon be climate refugees for a second time.   More than half of the city is vulnerable to flood, with seas predicted to rise by 2 feet by the year 2050 and possibly 7 feet by 2100.  We’ll talk about KQED’s series “Fighting to Stay: Climate Solutions in East Palo Alto”

As a comedian and the Emmy-winning host of CNN’s “United Shades of America,” W. Kamau Bell addresses the racial inequities of American life with bracing and deft humor. Bell does not shy away from calling it like he sees it, and he’s seen a lot. With its sixth season debuting on May 2, the show will  tackle policing the police, racial wealth gaps and the lack of diversity in STEM, among other topics. We’ll talk with Bell about protest, police killings and creating television during a pandemic.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency for Sonoma and Mendocino counties on Wednesday as California’s record-dry conditions continue. Fuel moisture levels are some of the lowest the state has seen, paving the way for increased fire risk and more intense fires when they occur. Earlier this month, Newsom unveiled a $536 million plan to help prevent future fires. We get an expert’s analysis on what to expect this fire season and what the state could and should do to prepare for it.

The anguishing cell phone video of George Floyd's murder, captured by teenager Darnella Frazier, lay at the heart of the prosecution's case against the former police officer convicted of his killing. Bystander videos can provide important counter-narratives to official accounts, and the very act of filming law enforcement officers can sometimes de-escalate violent confrontations. But once widely circulated, videos documenting police misconduct can be deeply disturbing to communities already traumatized by violence. We'll talk about how to film police encounters safely, effectively and ethically.

Filmmaker Ali Tabrizi is making big waves with his recent Netflix film “Seaspiracy” which looks at the damage caused by the seafood industry from overfishing, to pollution, to human rights abuses, to exacerbating climate change. The documentary implores viewers to stop eating fish altogether to save the seas. But critics say while “Seaspiracy” sheds a light on some serious issues, like harmful plastics and the illegal fishing underworld, it does more harm than good by making links where there aren’t any and regularly exaggerating, including claiming there is no such thing as sustainable fishing. We’ll talk to experts about the controversial documentary, the state of our seas and what tangible actions can make a difference in the fight to save our oceans and protect local fisheries.

May 1 is approaching, the deadline for the hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors who applied to college to commit to their chosen schools. But for many, this year's admissions cycle was punishing. The COVID-19 pandemic closed high schools to in-person learning, cancelled standardized tests and pushed campus tours online. Many students gave up on the idea of college, especially those with newfound home responsibilities or financial pressures. At the same time, application volumes ballooned at some of the most popular schools, like UC Berkeley and Harvard, making admissions increasingly competitive. We talk about the changing landscape of college admissions and the experiences of this year’s high school seniors.

More than half of American adults have now had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, but around 20% say they are still reluctant to to get the vaccine. To persuade the hesitant, health officials are turning to influencers on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, and partnering with social media like never before to message younger, more diverse audiences and hard-to-reach communities. Well talk about vaccine influencers, what explains the high rates of vaccine hesitancy and the science of changing peoples' minds.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, now in her second term as Speaker, made history in 2007 as the first woman to hold the position. She also made headlines Tuesday when her comments following Derek Chauvin’s conviction drew immediate backlash, with some contrasting her remarks with those of the youngest generation of congressional Democrats. In her new biography, “Madam Speaker,” journalist Susan Page looks at Pelosi’s climb to power and what Pelosi represents — and has to say — about the future of the Democratic party. We’ll talk to Page, who is Washington Bureau chief at USA Today, about the book and other national politics news, including where the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act currently stands.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will take part in a virtual climate change summit hosted by President Joe Biden on Thursday, Earth Day. It’s a bright spot in a deteriorating U.S.-China relationship, and comes as tensions rise over human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region and as China doubles down on a more aggressive style of diplomacy. We’ll hear about the roots of China’s so-called “wolf warrior” foreign relations offensive and discuss the future of relations between the two countries on climate change, human rights, and more.

After three weeks of often wrenching testimony, a Minneapolis jury on Tuesday found police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter Tuesday in the death of George Floyd. We want to hear how you are processing the jury’s decision, and what you think it means for broader efforts to achieve racial justice and police accountability.

Supporters of police reform are expressing relief at the guilty verdicts on all counts in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin Tuesday.  They say it’s a big first step toward holding law enforcement accountable for use of excessive force. But how are the verdicts being interpreted by police officers, chiefs and unions, some of whom have resisted or blocked efforts to reform law enforcement? We’ll talk with San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott – whose union supports certain reforms – and police department critics, to hear their take on the verdicts and what they may mean for real change.

Dean Karnazes once ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. That was in 2006, not long after his memoir “Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner” became a national bestseller. His new book, "A Runner’s High: My Life in Motion," charts Karnazes’ return to the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in his mid-50s. Once named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine and a winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon and 4 Deserts Ultramarathon Series, Karnazes has a unique insight into the power and physicality of running. The “Ultramarathon Man” joins us to discuss what it means to achieve a runner’s high.

The non-fungible token (NFT) craze, which took off in 2020, appears to continue unabated. NFTs are digital “certificates of authenticity” that attach to creations like songs, photos and sports clips, and they can command hefty prices. An NFT of digital artist Beeple’s work brought in $69 million at auction last month, and other NFTs are being sold for similarly eyebrow-raising sums.  And demand is showing no sign of declining despite what law professor Jonathan Zittrain in a recent Atlantic piece calls “their abstraction, their seemingly arbitrary valuation, and...the paltriness of the privileges they convey to their owners.” We talk to Zittrain about the future of NFTs.

A fiscal management team issued a dire warning earlier this month about the finances of City College San Francisco, the city’s two-year community college which offers free tuition to all city residents. The devastating report concluded that the college could not meet its obligations to students, faculty and staff and remain solvent without making drastic changes. In March, noting it faced a $33 million budget shortfall for the upcoming academic year, City College announced that it would cut 163 full-time faculty and 34 administrative positions. As students and faculty rally to save classes and programs, the administration says its hands are tied by the financial problems caused by decreased enrollment and revenues. We talk about the future of City College.

Even after the Civil Rights Act in 1964 banned employment discrimination, women in the workplace still found it nearly impossible to get the kind of jobs they really wanted and were qualified for. When National Public Radio launched 50 years ago, four women found their way into a world previously closed to them — broadcast journalism. They became icons — using their voices to fight sexism in the workplace and cover decades of news. We examine the amazing careers of “Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie” with Lisa Napoli, author of “The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR”.

Asian American mental health care providers in California are seeing an increase in demand for services in the wake of surging anti-Asian hate incidents, and the killings last month of six Asian women in the Atlanta area. The requests are notable for a community that’s been least likely of all racial groups to seek out mental health services. We take a deeper look at the heavy emotional and psychological toll of anti-Asian racism and what can be done to remove barriers to care.