Kqeds Forum

President Joe Biden issued a long-awaited cryptocurrency executive order Wednesday, directing federal agencies to study a wide range of issues including protecting consumers and businesses, safeguarding national security, and preventing criminal activity. The order also includes a directive to study the possibility of creating a U.S. digital dollar, an idea that other countries like China, which already has government-backed tokens, have embraced. Biden’s order comes as countries around the world have been rushing to catch up on regulating the cryptocurrency market. We’ll talk about the prevalence of crypto, its growing acceptance as a currency and how it should be regulated. Guests: Laura Shin, host, "Unchained" podcast. Shin is the author of "The Cryptopians: Idealism, Greed, Lies and the Making of the First Cryptocurrency Craze" Nathaniel Popper, author of "Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money" Charlie Warzel, contributing writer, The Atlantic.

Seventy-four percent of Asian American and Pacific Islander women reported having personally experienced racism or discrimination in the last 12 months, according to a new study by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. The news comes as we approach the March 16 anniversary of the murder of eight people, most of them Asian women, at three Atlanta-area spas. We’ll discuss the latest data on harassment and hate crimes against Asian Americans and what civil rights groups and others are doing to fight it Guests: Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies, San Francisco State University; co-founder, Stop AAPI Hate R.O. Kwon , author, the novel "The Incendiaries,"; co-editor, the anthology "KINK: Stories," and the Vanity Fair article, "A Letter to My Fellow Asian Women Whose Hearts Are Still Breaking." Nellie Tran, Associate Professor of Counseling and School Psychology, San Diego State University.

Nastia Voynovskaya, an associate editor for KQED Arts, was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and raised in the Bay Area and Florida after her family immigrated to the U.S. in the late nineties. In a recent story for KQED, she shares that for many former Soviet immigrants, Russia’s war on Ukraine is horrific. She writes: "Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine feels particularly vile because it’s so contrary to the kinship many people from both nations feel." A kinship Voynovskaya feels in her own family, which includes a Ukrainian stepfather, and that she felt at early protests held in San Francisco against the war. We’ll talk to Voynovskaya about her reflections and how some former Soviet immigrants are reacting to Russia's war on Ukraine.

“In Russia—where there is increasing distrust of official state narratives, and an ongoing crackdown on independent media that has forced me and many others to leave the country—it is difficult to know what is true and what is fiction,” wrote Roman Badanin, former editor-in-chief of the independent Russian investigative outlet Proekt, in October 2021. Badanin has been targeted by the Russian government for his investigative reporting, and he’s the founder and editor in chief of a news collaboration between similarly targeted reporters, Agentstvo. He joins us to talk about censorship in Russia today and the independent Russian journalists working illegally to convey the truth.

California’s mask mandate for its K-12 schools ends after Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced last month. The state now strongly recommends, but does not require, masks in K-12 school settings: that decision is now up to school districts. We want to hear your thoughts and questions about California’s lifting of its mask mandate for K-12 schools, especially if you’re a parent, educator or student. Leave us a voicemail: 415-553-3300. Guests: Grace Lee, associate chief medical officer for Practice Innovation and pediatric infectious diseases physician, Stanford Children’s Health Dr. Erica Pan, California State Epidemiologist and deputy director for the Center for Infectious Diseases, California Department of Public Health Hilaria Bauer, superintendent, Alum Rock Unified School District

At the outset of the war in Ukraine, many expected the Russian army would quickly capture the country. But images of trucks mired in mud and reports that Russian troops are running out of food suggest that Russia’s invasion has suffered from poor planning. It is the small, but important details of waging war – spare tires for blow outs, adequate fuel, sufficient food supplies for troops, the right kind of screws to repair a tank – that seem to have stalled the Russian invasion in Ukraine, to the surprise of analysts. We’ll look at how the everyday details of waging war, which has killed hundreds of Ukrainian men, women and children, have slowed the Russians down. Guests: Marc Champion, senior reporter covering Europe and Middle East, Bloomberg News Dr. Cynthia Cook, director, Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group; senior fellow, International Security Program, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) J.D. Williams, senior international and defense policy researcher, Rand Corporation; has served on t

“I like to think of cooking as a map,” writes J. Kenji López-Alt, the award-winning chef, cooking show host and author. But, he says, to learn the science and techniques that underlie a recipe is “like being given an atlas.” López-Alt’s newest book, “The Wok,” explains how to stir-fry, deep-fry, steam, simmer and braise in what he calls “the most versatile pan in your kitchen.” It also features more than 200 recipes. We’ll talk to López-Alt about what draws him to wok cooking, get his recipe tips and hear his reflections on his career so far.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a tax rebate to lessen the impact of rising gas prices in his State of the State address Tuesday, reiterating that California stands in solidarity with Ukraine, even as domestic energy prices increase because of the Russian invasion. We’ll look at the rebate proposal and analyze the address.

Picture an oyster and your imagination might autofill in a flute of champagne and an ocean view. But an oyster feast in the Bay Area may more often be a big, multiethnic family oyster barbecue or a binge on Taiwanese oyster omelets. As part of our series on the food cultures of the Bay Area with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk about the way we eat and celebrate oysters.

New state data reveal that California workers face years-long waits to resolve cases of wage theft through California’s Labor Commissioner’s Office. Last year the average wait time for a worker to get a hearing on a claim that their employer didn’t pay owed wages was more than three years in Oakland – the worst in the state. San Francisco’s wait time was a little over two and a half years. According to advocates, the delays discourage workers from reporting wage thefts, in turn reinforcing systems of worker exploitation. The Labor Commissioner’s Office cites staffing shortages as a key problem in hearing cases efficiently, compounded by the pandemic. We’ll learn more about the causes and effects of California’s wage theft claims backlog.

Veterinarians are nearly three times more likely than the general public to die by suicide, and one in six has contemplated taking their life, according to recent studies. The industry has never been under more stress: during the pandemic, one in five households adopted a new pet, and the demand for veterinary assistance has risen exponentially. But many veterinarians are leaving the profession because of intense workloads, crushing student debt, hostile pet owners, and the trauma of euthanizing animals they’ve cared for from cradle to grave. We’ll talk about the mental health challenges veterinarians and vet techs are facing, and what can be done. In the United States, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 and in Spanish at 1-888-628-9454. They offer Tele-Interpreter services in over 150 additional languages. Guests: Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, president, San Francisco SPCA; veterinarian Dr. Susan Cohen, social worker; VIN Foundation Vets4Vets program Dr. Cherese Sullivan, p

San Francisco has long embraced a philosophy of harm reduction in its drug treatment programs. The goal is to prevent deaths and disease by providing clean syringes, medications that help curb addiction, and other judgment-free treatment support. Studies show that this approach does save lives. But now the city is in the midst of a fentanyl-fueled overdose crisis, with more than 1300 deaths over two years. In response, some officials are questioning the effectiveness of the harm reduction model, calling for other options like abstinence-only treatment programs. We’ll discuss the history, science and politics of drug treatment in San Francisco. Guests: Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford School of Medicine Vitka Eisen, president and CEO, HealthRIGHT 360 Ahsha Safai, member, San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 11 Jen Jeffries , former IV drug user currently on methadone. Medication assisted treatment coordinator, San Francisco AIDS Foundation

At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council Friday U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the "world narrowly averted a nuclear catastrophe" after Russia shelled a nuclear power plant in southeast Ukraine overnight. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack "nuclear terror" and continued to press for a no-fly zone over the country, a request NATO has so far denied. As the Russian invasion extends into its second week, we'll hear the latest developments from the ground and talk about how the global community is responding, and realigning, in support of Ukraine. Guests: Steven Pifer, William Perry fellow, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University; former ambassador to Ukraine Richard Ensor, Ukraine correspondent, The Economist

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to increase inflation, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Thursday. Inflation was already on the rise in the U.S.: prices rose 7.5 percent in January compared to last year, the highest inflation rate since the early 1980s. The word inflation often invokes the specter of the 1970s, a time of economic crisis, energy shocks, and the fracturing of the post-war social contract. The historical analogy also suggests some courses of action — like cutting government spending and raising interest rates. But are the 2020s, with our pandemic related supply shortages and Great Resignation, so similar to the 1970s? And if not, how should we be thinking about our inflation? We'll be joined by a historian and an economist who will help us think through what rising prices have meant and what they mean today. Guests: Meg Jacobs , senior research scholar in History and Public Affairs, Princeton University J.W. Mason, economist, Roosevelt Institute; professor of economics, John Jay

1992 Olympic gold medalist and world champion figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi joined Forum Live on February 25th, KQED’s in person and live-streamed event series, to talk about the scandals plaguing this year’s Olympics, anti-Asian racism and not being seen as fully American as she rose through the figure skating ranks, and her work supporting children’s literacy. We air the conversation as the Winter Paralympics get underway.

In 2020, UC Berkeley scientist Jennifer Doudna, along with French scientist Emanuelle Charpentier, won a Nobel prize for her work on the revolutionary method for editing DNA known as CRISPR. But this week Doudna's lab at UC Berkeley lost its case with the U.S. patent office, stripping it of key patent rights to the tool and anywhere from 100 million to 10 billion dollars in potential licensing revenue, according to experts. We’ll talk about what the ruling means for UC Berkeley and the possible ripple effects within the biotech industry. Guests: Megan Molteni , Science writer, STAT News Samantha Zyontz, Research fellow, Intellectual Property and Fellow, Center for Law and Biosciences, Stanford University

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. But by paying attention to sounds both natural and human-created, we can understand what’s at stake — and mobilize to protect it. Haskell joins to share more about our world’s sonic diversity and guide us in listening to it.

In the leadup to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, many cybersecurity experts warned that the Kremlin would also wage an all-out information war. After all, Russia is known as a master of information operations, weaponizing social networks, YouTube, and state television to spread propaganda. But as Russian troops continue to advance on the battlefield, Ukraine may be winning the information war. Coming up on Forum, we’ll discuss war in the age of social media.

The war in Ukraine, the economy and the pandemic are the expected centerpieces of President Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, which comes as Russia’s invasion escalates, triggering a refugee and humanitarian crisis in Europe and unleashing economic shocks around the globe. President Biden's address in the halls of the U.S. Capitol that a little over a year ago was overrun by insurrectionists also comes at a critical time as Democrats work to shore up their slim majority and Republicans work to recapture congressional seats lost in 2020. We’ll talk about Biden’s speech and the milestones that lie ahead.

The price of oil and natural gas has spiked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the retaliatory sanctions against Russia imposed by the United States, European Union and their allies. Much of Europe is dependent on Russia’s reserves of oil and natural gas, and much of the world relies on Russian metals and agricultural exports from Russia and Ukraine. From rising costs for energy and food, to the risk of cyberattacks on banking systems, to a further squeezing of supply chains, we’ll discuss the possible global economic effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and of the newly imposed sanctions.