Kqeds Forum

“The Constitution is too fundamentally antidemocratic a document to serve democratic purposes reliably,” argues legal scholar and cultural critic Jedediah Purdy. In his new book, “Two Cheers for Politics: Why Democracy Is Flawed, Frightening, and Our Best Hope,” Purdy argues that the Constitution is standing in the way of democracy and suggests that we need to amend it. Purdy also urges us to not give up on politics, which he views as “not optional,” if we are to keep working on the experiment of democracy. We’ll talk about the Constitution, reforming politics, and other ways Purdy believes we can create a more perfect union. Guests: Jedediah Purdy, professor, Duke Law School; author, "Two Cheers for Politics: Why Democracy is Flawed, Frightening and Our Best Hope"

As private equity companies have increasingly bought up nursing homes across the country, many are experiencing an alarming trend: higher death rates for patients. Stanford medical student turned journalist Yasmine Rafiei dug deep into what happened at one such facility, St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged in Richmond, Virginia, in a recent article in The New Yorker. Her article details how the experience and quality of life changed for residents as the new owners cut costs. She joins us to talk about her investigation. Guests: Charlene Harrington, professor emerita, School of Nursing at UCSF Medical School Yasmin Rafiei, reporter in residence, the Investigative Reporting Program at the University of California, Berkeley; medical student, Stanford University on leave; author, recent New Yorker article, “When Private Equity Takes Over a Nursing Home” Sponsored

California’s new Secretary for Environmental Protection, Yana Garcia, is no stranger to community-based and indigenous-led environmental justice. As CalEPA’s Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice, Tribal Affairs and Border Relations, Garcia centered collaborations with Mexican community and environmental justice organizations, informed by her own experiences growing up in Oakland, California, and Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico. The first Latina Secretary of CalEPA, Garcia joins us to share how she plans to steer the agency on climate change, air and water quality and environmental justice. Guests: Yana Garcia, Secretary for Environmental Protection, CalEPA

For centuries, America has lured millions of immigrants here with dreams of rising from rags to riches in a short amount of time. But the authors of “Streets of Gold: America’s Untold Story of Immigrant Success,” say that story is mostly a myth. The authors, Stanford professor Ran Abramitzky and Princeton professor Leah Boustan bust other popular opinions about immigration, such as the idea that immigrants “take all the jobs,” “refuse to assimilate,” and pose all kinds of threats to the “American way of life.” Abramitzky and Boustan spent years combing through data that painted different narratives than most Americans are used to hearing. They will join us to bust myths about immigrants and share what the research really says about immigration, past and present. Guests: Leah Boustan, professor of economics and director of the Industrial Relations Section, Princeton University Ran Abramitzky, professor of economics and Senior Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, Stanford University

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved last week the use of reformulated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer-BioNTech for people ages 12 years and older and from Moderna for those 18 and older. The boosters are bivalent, meaning that they’re designed to protect against both the original virus strain as well as the more transmissible and immune-evading Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5. In a statement Saturday, the California Department of Public Health said that the state is preparing to offer doses “as supplies arrive within the next few days.” We’ll talk about the new booster, explore the science of immune response and take your questions. Guests: Dr. Grace Lee, associate chief medical officer for practice innovation and pediatric infectious diseases physician, Stanford Children’s Health; member, U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP); member, COVID-19 Vaccines Workgroup Mehul Suthar, associate professor of pediatrics and member of the Vaccine Center, Emory University

According to research, before the pandemic, half of California’s third graders did not read at grade level, and the state’s fourth graders lagged behind the national average in reading. Additionally, in 800 schools around the state, 75% of the students failed to read at grade level. Despite these dire numbers, the state lacks a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction, and in 2017, California became the first state to be sued for denying children the civil right to literacy. But the solutions to these problems are not simple. Controversy exists over how to teach reading and in recent years, a push to implement evidence-based reading instruction has caused schools around the country to re-evaluate their approach. We talk to experts about the science of reading and California’s approach to teaching kids to read. Guests: Kareem Weaver, co-founder, Fulcrum, a non-profit focused on improving reading outcomes for students. Weaver is also a member of the Oakland NAACP Education Committee, a senior fellow for t

From the roar of wind against mountains and the slam of waves on the shore to early morning birdsong, the sounds that fill our natural world are not only beautiful, they’re at risk, writes biologist David George Haskell in his new book, “Sounds Wild and Broken.” Haskell describes a global sonic landscape that’s threatened by human-induced habitat destruction and noise pollution and warns that by smothering the earth’s many voices, we’re not only imperiling species but losing our connection to the natural world. Haskell joins to share more about our world’s sonic diversity and guide us in listening to it. Guests: David George Haskell, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies, University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee; author of the book, “Sounds Wild and Broken: Sonic Marvels, Evolution’s Creativity and the Crisis of Sensory Extinction”

In some parts of the country, barbecue is a fighting word. It launches hot debates on vinegar versus tomato-based sauce and the right ways to rub, spice and smoke. KQED Food editor Luke Tsai has a different take. His new series, BBQ in the Bay, highlights the region’s unique barbecue cultures from various traditions of cooking food outdoors over an open flame and how it brings communities together. As part of Forum’s regular segment on food cultures of the Bay Area, called All You Can Eat, we’ll dish on Mongolian barbecue, lechon, barbacoa, barbecue oysters, brisket and much more. Guests: Pendarvis "Pen" Harshaw , columnist, KQED Arts; host, KQED's "Rightnowish" podcast Luke Tsai , food editor, KQED Ray Castro, dentist in East Bay; Amateur barbecue competitor Rocky Rivera, emcee and writer; part of KQED's BBQ in the Bay series

California state lawmakers were up until the early morning hours Thursday, casting votes on the remaining bills of the legislative session. Measures to combat climate change, protect abortion rights and expand affordable housing are among the hundreds of bills now headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has until September 30 to sign or veto them. We'll talk with political reporters about what passed, what failed and what’s ahead. Guests: Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Alexei Koseff, reporter, CalMatters Lara Korte, state politics reporter, Politico; co-author, Politico's California Playbook

Bay Area native Emma Chamberlain was a kid who used to complain about the DMV on Youtube a few years ago and now is one of Gen Z’s top fashion influencers who works with global brands. She has advice on what to wear this summer, what coffee to buy – her line, of course – and you can follow her exploits during Paris Fashion week. But is Emma Chamberlain a celebrity or an influencer or a content creator or… all three? Gen Z, born between roughly 1997 to 2012, has a different relationship with social media than older cohorts since it’s been with them most of their lives. We’ll discuss influencers such as Chamberlain and how Gen Z has reshaped what it means to be a social media star. Guests: Madison Semarjian, founder, Mada, an app for styling and buying clothing Moises Mendez II, culture reporter, Time Magazine Steffi Cao, social news reporter, BuzzFeed Greisy Hernandez, mental health and wellness advocate and social media personality

It’s hot outside and getting hotter. Excessive heat warnings are in effect this week for Southern and Central California, with temperatures as high as 112 degrees in the San Fernando and San Joaquin Valleys and 115 degrees in the Inland Empire expected by Labor Day. And temperatures in Northern California are expected to be up to 20 degrees warmer than normal through Tuesday. We’ll talk about who’s most at risk, how to stay cool and how California’s state and local officials are thinking about mitigating the effects of heat and record temperatures induced by climate change. Guests: David Lawrence, meteorologist and Emergency Response Specialist, National Weather Service V. Kelly Turner, co-director, Luskin Center for Innovation; associate professor of Urban Planning and Geography, UCLA Dr. Gina Solomon, director of the Achieving Resilient Communities project, Public Health Institute; clinical professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, representing California's

There have always been plenty of sad songs to help us wallow in the loss of romantic love, but during the pandemic, and through these last several difficult years, more musicians have been processing other kinds of grief through their music. We’ll talk with Bay Area musicians grappling with the death of parents, siblings and children through their music. Others have taken on the deep sadness of the pandemic, gun violence and living with systemic racism. We’ll talk about the music of grief and we’ll hear from listeners: what song helps you mourn? Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, associate editor, KQED Arts Rexx Life Raj , rapper, musician, most recent album is "The Blue Hour" Karega Bailey, musician, Sol Development Felicia Gangloff-Bailey, musician, SOL Development Samora Pinderhughes, musician, most recent album is "Grief" Brijean Murphy, musician, her band, Brijean's new EP, "Angelo," released in August

By 2035, California plans to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars. The new regulations announced last week by the California Air Resource Board formalize Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2020 executive order which proposed banning the sale of cars that run on fossil fuels. Environmentalists have hailed this move as a much-needed step to address climate change. We’ll talk about what it means for the world’s fifth largest economy and the state that invented car culture to go electric, and we’ll hear from you: are you ready to get an electric car or will you be hanging on to your gas-powered car as long as you can? Guests: Russ Mitchell, Automotive Editor, Los Angeles Times. He is based in Berkeley and covers the automotive industry. Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host of the podcast, Climate Break Margo Oge, Former director, US EPA Office of Transportation and Air Quality; Author of "Driving the Future: Combating Climate Chan

QAnon, the far right conspiracy movement, hasn’t dominated the headlines lately, but is still an active force in politics. Even locally, members of a QAnon group harassed Los Gatos town council members and shut down a meeting last year. We talk with the creators and hosts of ViceTV’s documentary series “QAnon: The Search for Q.” Now in its second season, the series looks into how the viral movement continues leading people down a path of misinformation, anti-democratic ideologies and violence. We’ll talk about the evolution of the QAnon movement and the danger posed by its followers. Guests: Bayan Joonam, film producer, creator and host, "QAnon: The Search for Q" for ViceTV Marley Clements, documentary filmmaker, host and creator of "QAnon: The Search For Q" for ViceTV

Tinder — the world’s most downloaded dating app — turns 10 in September. Many see the app as having transformed online dating from a last resort for older people to a young person’s game: according to Tinder, more than half of its members are between the ages of 18 and 25. More than 75 billion matches have taken place on the app — and we want to hear if you were part of any of them. How was your relationship with the app kindled — or extinguished — and what have you learned from the times you swiped right? Guests: Jesús G. Smith, assistant professor of Ethnic Studies, Lawrence University Emily Witt, staff writer, The New Yorker; author, "Future Sex: A New Kind of Free Love" Alina Liu, clinical psychologist in San Francisco

When writer Britt Young, who was born without most of her left forearm, got an expensive, high tech myoelectric prosthetic four years ago she was so excited she threw an “arm party”. But the prosthetic was heavy and hard to use and she hardly ever put it on again. In an article in IEEE Spectrum, Young says the media and the tech world have been seduced by whiz-bang prosthetic technology at the expense of what most disabled people really need: access, reliability and affordability. “We are caught in a bionic-hand arms race” she writes “It’s time to ask who prostheses are really for, and what we hope they will actually accomplish.” Guests: Britt H Young, writer, "The Bionic-Hand Arms Race" in IEEE; PhD candidate in Geography, UC Berkeley

“It’s hard to say exactly when PG&E Corporation began to fall,” writes Wall Street Journal energy reporter Katherine Blunt. But the deep decline of the state’s largest utility was hardly more apparent than in the aftermath of the 2018 Camp Fire, the blaze ignited by PG&E’s deteriorated equipment that killed 85 people and destroyed the Northern California town of Paradise. Blunt’s new book “California Burning” explains how the Camp Fire exposed the utility’s systemic problems — including chronic mismanagement and criminal neglect of its infrastructure — and why PG&E’s failures are not just a California story, but a cautionary tale for the entire nation’s power grid. Guests: Katherine Blunt, energy reporter, Wall Street Journal; author, "California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—And What It Means for America’s Power Grid"

Big changes are planned for San Francisco’s beloved Castro Theater, which celebrated its 100th birthday this year. Live music promoter Another Planet Entertainment, which now manages the storied venue, wants to restore and renovate it. That includes replacing the orchestra style seats with removable ones allowing for standing room concerts. But more than five thousand fans of the theater have signed a petition opposing the renovation. We’ll talk about the future of the Castro Theater and we want to hear from you. Share one of your favorite memories from the Castro Theater. Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture. Peter Pastreich, executive director, Castro Theatre Conservancy - a nonprofit committed to the preservation of the Castro Theatre, and to the preservation of the kind of programming that has served its community and San Francisco for the last 100 years. Gregg Perloff, CEO, Another Planet Entretainment

The artificial intelligence-powered image generator DALL-E 2 can take any words you type in — like "purple kittens snorkeling in the style of Monet" — and create that as a picture. There are some company-imposed limitations to what you can tell the AI to make: you can’t upload faces and you can’t generate images of public figures. But as fake images and videos become easier to generate— by anyone — what does the new landscape of online misinformation look like? Deepfake expert Hany Farid joins us to share his fears and hopes for this brave new world of image generation. Related link(s): Tom Cruise Deepfake TikTok Guests: Hany Farid, professor with a joint appointment in electrical engineering & computer sciences and the School of Information, UC Berkeley. Lama Ahmad, policy researcher, OpenAI.

Sonoma native Ada Limón sees her work as the nation’s new poet laureate as “elevating and promoting the expansiveness of poetry.” Limón's poems cover a huge range of subjects, from groundhogs to grief. “Poetry allows us to breathe,” she said in an interview after being selected as poet laureate. “I really truly believe with my whole body in the power of poetry and in the power of poetry to heal and bring together communities.” Limón joins us to talk about her work, her love of poetry, and how she’s reimagining America’s relationship to poetry.   Related link(s): The Contract Says: We'd Like the Conversation to be Bilingual A New National Anthem National Poetry Month 2022: Ada Limón Reads “A Good Story” Guests: Ada Limón, poet, 24th Poet Laureate of the United States.