Kqeds Forum

In a long awaited decision, democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has selected California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. Harris will be the first woman of color to appear on a major party's presidential ticket. A Bay Area native, Harris drew on her childhood experience of being bused across Berkeley for school as part of a pointed attack against then-rival Joe Biden during her presidential bid last year. Forum will talk about what her record as a senator, prosecutor and as California’s attorney general will bring to the Democratic ticket, the politics of the pick and what it could mean for California.

In the next 50 years, more than a million climate migrants could come to the United States from Central America if nothing is done to curb carbon emissions. That’s according to a new model that predicts where refugees from regions decimated by decreased crop productivity, water shortages and rising sea levels may move.  The model, developed by ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, finds that climate change will likely cause “the greatest wave of global migration the world has seen.”  Forum talks with ProPublica environmental reporter Abrahm Lustgarten about future climate migration and the experiences of those who have already left their homes because of the changes caused by a warming planet.

By the 2070s, climate change will reduce snowpack and increase extreme rainfall in the Sierra Nevada and California’s reservoirs will likely be overwhelmed. That’s according to a new study by UCLA climate scientists, who predict that run-off during so-called atmospheric rivers  will increase by nearly 50 percent, leading to widespread flooding across the state. We’ll talk about the impact of climate change on Sierra weather patterns and what it all means for the state’s water supply.

In her new book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson presents an examination of what she sees as America’s often disguised, but very real, caste system. The book compares America’s system with those in India and Nazi Germany, and delves into how America betrays its ideals of meritocracy by instead cultivating an insidious hierarchy based on race. “Caste” is a much anticipated follow up to Wilkerson’s 2011 book “The Warmth of Other Suns,” which detailed the decades-long migration of black people from the South to other regions of the country. Wilkerson joins Forum to discuss her new book and how America’s past relates to its future. 

A close friendship can be one of the most fulfilling, and most challenging, relationships of our lives. In their book “Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close,” writers and longtime friends Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman share their honest and humorous account of what it really takes to maintain a meaningful bond -- from moments of being totally in sync to painful disagreements and everything in between. We'll talk to Sow and Friedman about the lessons they've learned together and hear your stories of big friendships that transcend life phases.

In his new book "The Madman Theory," CNN anchor and Chief National Security correspondent Jim Sciutto highlights how President Trump’s unpredictable behavior--including threats to meet North Korea with “fire and fury” and to pull the U.S. out of NATO and NAFTA--have unnerved enemies and allies alike. Sciutto discusses how Trump’s volatility has led advisers to hesitate in giving the President military options because they feared he could start a war.  We'll talk to Sciutto about the lasting imprint Trump has left on the world after four years in office, and get his take on how that will shape America’s place in the world.

Musician Nina Simone once said "an artist's duty, as far as I'm concerned, is to reflect the times." We're now seeing a reflection of our times -- the fight against racism and inequality -- in works of art on city streets and storefronts across California, as artists paint murals or graffiti remembering George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and declaring "Black Lives Matter." Artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh knows the power street art can have in bolstering a social movement. Her international street art campaign "Stop Telling Women to Smile," now a book of the same name, reflected her own experiences with street harassment and became a way to empower other women. We'll talk to Fazlalizadeh about her work, which includes recent murals supporting the Black Lives Matter movement, and the role of street art in protests.

QAnon, the online conspiracy group that traffics in baseless theories about a Satan-worshipping deep state, counts among its defenders Republican congressional candidates, far right media personalities and former and current Trump administration officials. It’s also stolen the minds of countless ordinary Americans who have come to believe in its apocalyptic, convoluted narratives. We’ll talk about what attracts people to QAnon and similar cult-like communities, and what friends and family members can do to help loved ones emerge from the rabbit hole.

For Bay Area food banks, securing funding and supplies is increasingly difficult during the pandemic.  The challenges come as the need for food assistance is rising.  Long lines have become common at food banks, and Second Harvest Food Bank in Silicon Valley is seeing a 100 percent increase in the number of people calling its food connection hotline, many for the first time. As the economic impact of the virus on families and individuals grows, we’ll hear how Bay Area food banks are coping.

With less than 90 days to the November election, concerns are mounting that the Trump Administration is actively undermining the  U.S. Postal Service. Although the USPS is the country’s most popular government agency, President  Trump recently dismissed it as a “joke” and questioned its ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time. Trump’s newly appointed Postmaster General, who was also a major Trump campaign donor, has limited overtime work, and extra mail delivery, moves that postal workers say have created mail backlogs. In response,  Benjamin Jealous, the President of the People For the American Way, is spearheading a campaign to defend the Postal Service. We’ll talk to Jealous about what can be done to ensure that Americans can have confidence in the mail service.

Since former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe published “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump” back in early March, there have been major developments regarding the 2020 election. Former Vice President Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee, the coronavirus pandemic escalated and the economy fell into a deep recession. Most recent polls have Trump trailing in the general election, and one poll from Berkeley IGS this week has Biden leading by 39 percentage points among California voters. But many questions are still to be answered, including who Biden will pick as his running mate, what an election looks like in a pandemic and which strategies each party should take in order to win votes. Plouffe joins Forum to talk about the book, answer those questions and discuss the latest political news.

As school districts around the country issue pandemic education plans, there’s widespread concern among teachers about safety, equity and how to make the most of online learning. We’ll talk about a new NPR/Ipsos teacher survey, and we’ll hear how one local teachers’ union is handling its members’ concerns about education in the time of Covid.

On August 5, thousands of nurses across the country staged protests to highlight the lack of personal protective equipment and other challenges they continue to face as front line workers in this pandemic. According to media reports, in California, 100 health care workers have been killed by Covid-19 and medical workers account for 20% of all infections in some states. Nurses are demanding that more be done to protect them. We'll hear about what how nurses are coping and what they need for a safer work environment.

The Census Bureau is ending its population count a month early, though nearly 40 percent of the country has yet to fill out the forms. Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham announced yesterday that all counting efforts will wrap up by Sept. 30, cutting short a four-month extension during the pandemic. We’ll talk about what ending the count early could mean for California’s historically undercounted communities and the redrawing of political districts.

The coronavirus pandemic has many people feeling isolated in their homes, detached from loved ones, and anxious about their livelihoods. All of that is taking a major toll on mental health. The U.S. suicide rate rose after the 2008 recession, and experts warn that vulnerable individuals are more at risk of suicide during periods of crisis.  We’ll talk about how to address anxiety and depression, when to seek help, and what services are available for individuals and families struggling to cope.

Renters across California could be in danger of losing their homes in the coming weeks. Eviction moratoriums that have helped millions of renters are close to expiring even as the coronavirus pandemic is keeping many unemployed. State lawmakers are weighing proposals to prevent a mass wave of evictions, but face a budget deficit and other constraints.  Meanwhile, relief from the federal government appears unlikely. We discuss the state’s looming eviction crisis.

In the month of July, California experienced its worst surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths leading Gov. Newsom to impose a re-shutdown of businesses in more than 30 counties. As of today, California leads the nation with over 500,000 confirmed cases. But at his daily presser Monday, Newsom indicated that the state’s situation is improving with both new COVID-19 cases and coronavirus-related hospitalizations down in the last week. He also emphasized the virus’s disproportionate impact on the state’s Latino and Central Valley populations and reaffirmed his commitment to allocating state and federal resources to those communities where cases continue to grow. We'll talk about the steps California's taking to contain the pandemic, address testing backlogs and support communities disproportionately harmed by the virus.

While Abraham Lincoln tends to get most of the credit for winning the Civil War, historian Fergus Bordewich reminds us not to forget about the role Congress played in the Union’s victory. In his new book, “Congress at War,” Bordewich follows four influential members of Congress as they navigate one of the most dynamic and consequential times in American history. Bordewich joins Forum to discuss the challenge of governing a divided nation and how the 36th United States Congress helped hold the union together.

In March 2019, news broke of a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Among the accused were prominent business people, well-known actors, sports coaches, and four of California’s top universities. At the heart of the conspiracy was con man Rick Singer, an author of self-help books and purported college counselor, who masterminded rigging SAT and ACT tests, faking athletic profiles and bribing coaches. Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz -- Wall Street Journal reporters who broke major developments in the story -- detail the rise and fall of Rick Singer’s elaborate operation in their new book, “UNACCEPTABLE: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal.” In this hour, we talk with Korn and Levitz about the book and take your questions about the college admissions scandal.

First, South Bay Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, chair of the House health subcommittee, joins us to discuss the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Then, we check in with KQED's Scott Shafer and Anita Kumar of Politico on the latest national political news.