Shows / KQED's Forum
KQED's Forum
Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints. Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love…
Episodes
- KQED's Forum
Is California Ready for `The Big One?’
The San Andreas Fault is under more pressure now than it has been in the last 1,000 years. That’s according to new research from seismologists who study…
- KQED's Forum
Rep. Jared Huffman Warns about the Power of Christian Nationalism in Congress
Jared Huffman is the only member of Congress to publicly state that he does not believe in any god. In politics, disavowing religion can be a liability, but…
- KQED's Forum
Artificial Stone Containing Silica is Killing Workers. Will California Ban It?
More than 600 California stoneworkers have contracted silicosis, a deadly and incurable lung disease resulting from exposure to the silica in engineered stone…
- KQED's Forum
Dorothy Lazard on the Ambitious Mission of Libraries and the People that Make them Function
“The public library is our country’s last truly democratic institution,” writes celebrated librarian and public historian Dorothy Lazard. In her 40-year…
- KQED's Forum
Why We Can’t Stop Reading Thrillers
What’s your favorite thriller novel? That’s a question the New York Times posed this summer to renowned authors and critics, and now the Times is out with a…
- KQED's Forum
Where Do You Go to Find Your People?
Social isolation has been declared a public health crisis by the U.S. Surgeon General. And you’ve likely heard about the male loneliness epidemic or how people…
- KQED's Forum
Why The Onion Took Over Infowars
In the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, rightwing commentator Alex Jones peddled bogus conspiracy theories about…
- KQED's Forum
Federal Sex Education Cuts and Abstinence-Only Policies Spark Debate Over Teen Health and Fertility
The Trump administration has pulled millions of dollars of funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs nationwide as part of its push for abstinence-only…
- KQED's Forum
What’s Going on at the Department of Homeland Security?
The Trump administration’s push to execute the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history is unfolding in “a fog of fake numbers and statistical subterfuge.”…
- KQED's Forum
How Prepared Are We for Cyberattacks on Cities, Water Systems?
A cyberattack on Suisun City over the weekend forced the city to shut down its network infrastructure and declare a state of emergency. City hall services…
- KQED's Forum
The California Cities Beefing With Fast Food Drive-Thrus
The burgers are so good that they’re causing traffic jams. At least that’s what’s happening in Culver City, where the line of cars at spots like In-N-Out…
- KQED's Forum
The Alarming Rise of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related death for Americans under 50. And, for people in their 20s and 30s, the rate of incidences is…
- KQED's Forum
Annie Jacobsen’s Doomsday Biological War Scenario
What would happen if a top-secret Russian lab released a deadly, weaponized, pathogen? That’s the nightmare possibility that author Annie Jacobsen presents in…
- KQED's Forum
Chang-rae Lee's Novel, 'A Tender Age' Is A Personal Story
“I’ve not gone back to any of the old places,” reflects the protagonist in the new novel “A Tender Age.” But that is just what the author Chang-rae Lee does…
- KQED's Forum
Julian Shapiro-Barnum on ‘How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up’
“We all need to act more childish,” says professional child interviewer Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the YouTuber behind the viral series Recess Therapy. He’s…
- KQED's Forum
Oakland High Students on the Value of ‘Cross-Cultural Medicine’
Bosnian Muslim funeral practices, Togolese views on mental illness, traditional Chinese medicine and postpartum depression among African American women are…
- KQED's Forum
Why Danny McBride Makes Fun of American Men
Actor and screenwriter Danny McBride has built his career portraying immature men. From “Eastbound and Down” to “The Righteous Gemstones,” McBride weaves…
- KQED's Forum
From Cash Checks to Shelter Mandates, The South Bay Is Betting Big on Homelessness Solutions
The Bay Area’s homelessness crisis is one of the most acute in the nation, and it has concentrated in the region’s biggest cities, like San Jose. Many…
- KQED's Forum
How Tariffs, Wildfire and Climate Change Threaten California Wine
With domestic demand down and retaliatory tariffs from Canada hurting international sales, California’s wine industry is struggling. But beyond this year’s…
- KQED's Forum
Flipping the Switch: What Will it Take for California to Meet Its 100% Green Energy Goal?
California is racing toward the ambitious goal of a 100% clean energy grid by 2045. But trading fossil fuels for zero-carbon power isn’t as simple as flipping…
- KQED's Forum
‘Skill Nostalgia’ and the Appeal of Craftsmanship
From woodworking to ceramics to baking, people are increasingly stepping away from their devices and embracing manual arts. This desire to work with our hands…
- KQED's Forum
Trump Administration Backs Off Regulating Environmental Toxins Despite MAHA Demands
For decades, grassroots activists have led the way in pushing the government to regulate toxins that harm our health and wellbeing. The MAHA, or Make America…
- KQED's Forum
Why Don’t Americans Trust the News?
A trusted press is essential to a thriving democracy, but recent studies show that Americans’ confidence in news media has hit record lows — regardless of…
- KQED's Forum
Former Google Employee Recounts Path From Enchantment to Disillusionment in ‘Don’t Be Evil’
When Claire Stapleton started working at Google in 2007 she was a true believer, becoming known as the “Bard of Google,” by spinning positive narratives of the…
- KQED's Forum
More California Kids Are Getting Hurt on E-Bikes, Study Finds
E-bike crashes and injuries in California are increasing, a new study out of UC San Diego finds. And those injuries are not only more severe compared with…
- KQED's Forum
What’s on Your Summer Reading List?
Summer reading season is here. What belongs in your beach bag — or on your nightstand? We talk with Bay Area booksellers and authors about the books that they…
- KQED's Forum
Global Dissidents Give Lessons In Courage
How can ordinary people stand up to authoritarianism? For a new book called “On Courage,” investigative journalist Julia Angwin and political strategist Ami…
- KQED's Forum
‘American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez’ Documentary Gives A Chicano Icon His Due
Luis Valdez has spent his life unapologetically telling Chicano stories. Born in Delano, he found his footing in the Bay Area and went on to produce “Zoot…
- KQED's Forum
The Challenges and Dangers Security Guards Face
More than 1.3 million people work as security guards in the United States, making the job one of the most commonly-held in the country and one that outnumbers…
- KQED's Forum
‘Backrooms’ Director Kane Parsons on Why San Jose is a Rich Setting for Horror
Kane Parsons, the 21-year-old director of this summer’s hit horror film “Backrooms,” began his career not in film school, but by making short videos on YouTube…
- KQED's Forum
Inside America's Largest ICE Camp
Built in a matter of weeks on the Fort Bliss military base in Texas, Camp East Montana has become the nation’s largest immigrant detention center, housing…
- KQED's Forum
Senator Alex Padilla on Confronting Presidential Corruption and ICE
After recent revelations that President Trump took in more that $2.2 billion during his first year back in the White House, we talk to Democratic Senator Alex…
- KQED's Forum
Who Pays for San Francisco?
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie poured almost $9 million of his personal fortune into getting elected. Now, he is finding an extraordinary amount of private…
- KQED's Forum
Have We Reached the End of Reading?
Reading used to be the main way Americans got information, but most of us now turn to our phones, the internet, social media or television for news and…
- KQED's Forum
Investigation Shows SFPD Closes Rape Cases at Half the National Rate
In 2025 only 14 percent of rape cases in San Francisco were closed, according to an ongoing investigation from the SF Standard. That’s half the national rate…
- KQED's Forum
Inside Silicon Valley's Race to Build a Home Robot
When investigative journalist Stephen Witt visited Silicon Valley’s 1X Technologies to meet a new home robot named Neo, he discovered a device full of…
- KQED's Forum
A Woman Finds Healing and Beauty by Walking Every Street in Santa Cruz County
Angelica Glass started taking long walks as a way to exercise and to relieve the stress from her decades as a social worker trying to help families struggling…
- KQED's Forum
Why Everyone Should Take a Sabbatical
Americans are notoriously bad at taking time off from work. Once entering the workforce, we expect to be devoutly productive for decades on end, awarded with…
- KQED's Forum
Historian Stephanie Coontz on the Myth of Traditional Marriage
Polls find growing ambivalence in young adults’ views towards marriage — even as society continues to grant greater privileges and respect to married people…
- KQED's Forum
How CDC Cuts Have Slowed the Cyclospora Response
Federal health officials are eying iceberg lettuce distributed by California-based Taylor Farms as a potential source of the major cyclosporiasis outbreak in…
- KQED's Forum
With FEMA Cuts, Is There a New Disaster Relief Economy?
The mandate of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has long been to help states and local governments meet the needs of communities after disaster strikes…
- KQED's Forum
Iran Conflict Raises Prospect of Forever War
More than four months after President Trump predicted a short war with Iran, the conflict is intensifying and broadening. The ceasefire agreement between the…
- KQED's Forum
How the U.S. Auto Industry Is Losing the EV Race
There was a time when U.S. automakers dominated the global car industry with their products and innovations. But when it comes to electric vehicles, which…
- KQED's Forum
Novelist Karen Tei Yamashita on the Relevance of Japanese Internment Today
During World War II, the US government asked the Japanese American citizens it interned two questions: Would you serve in the US armed forces wherever ordered?…
- KQED's Forum
Drones, Plate Readers, and AI Facial Recognition: The Surveillance Technology Watching the Bay Area
When San Francisco police drone video surveillance was accidentally livestreamed on the internet last month, it revealed how extensively, and at what great…
- KQED's Forum
The Battle for the Future of Burning Man
Burning Man turns 40 this year, and its changed dramatically since the first event in San Francisco. The first gathering drew a couple dozen people who…
- KQED's Forum
A Historian Grapples with ‘How We Disappear’ After We Die
As a historian who teaches a class called “The History of Information,” Stanford professor Thomas Mullaney has spent decades thinking about the unreliability…
- KQED's Forum
Should the UCs Reinstate the SAT?
The University of California system is considering requiring SAT or ACT scores in admissions again, after more than 3,000 faculty members signed open letters…
- KQED's Forum
Peptides: Miracle Molecules or Marketing Hype?
Peptides are everywhere in the healthcare zeitgeist. On social media, you’re likely to encounter an influencer claiming that injecting or ingesting peptides…
- KQED's Forum
Why California Wants to Block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger
A coalition of 12 states, including California, has filed a lawsuit to block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. California…
- KQED's Forum
What Does the Federal Housing Bill Mean for the Bay Area?
A landmark bipartisan federal housing bill became law this weekend. The package includes 56 initiatives, regulatory tweaks and reforms designed to improve…
- KQED's Forum
The Fallout From The Supreme Court’s TPS Ruling
The Supreme Court ruled last month that the Trump administration could eliminate temporary protected status for immigrants from Haiti and Syria, a decision…
- KQED's Forum
California Has Extreme Income Inequality. Why Do We Treat It As Normal?
California is one of the most unequal states in the country with extreme disparities between people living in poverty and those at the top of the income…
- KQED's Forum
John Green and Daniel Alarcón Break Down the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has shattered the tournament’s attendance record, with over 6 million fans showing up for matches across the United States, Mexico and…
- KQED's Forum
The Ukraine War Is in Its Fifth Year. Is Peace Possible?
While the Iran war occupies domestic headlines, Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered its fifth year. As the Trump administration retreats from peace…
- KQED's Forum
Translating ‘The Odyssey’ for a Modern Audience
Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, doesn’t debut in theaters until next week, but it’s already drawing online backlash for perceived inaccuracies…
- KQED's Forum
Mildred Howard on Making Art of and for the Bay Area
Celebrated Bay Area artist Mildred Howard’s work has long been informed by the place she calls home, reflecting the intersection of her family’s history and…
- KQED's Forum
Is the Left Having a Tea Party Moment?
The election and popularity of candidates like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who saw a number of political allies win Congressional primaries last month…
- KQED's Forum
Ian Bogost on Finding Gratification in ‘The Small Stuff’
With all the books, podcasts and even business school classes instructing us how to be happier, the path to contentment can be a lot of work. But writer Ian…
- KQED's Forum
Our Food System Depends on Domesticated Bees. Can They Survive Industrial Agriculture?
When we think about the workers that keep California’s agriculture afloat, we rarely think about the bees that fertilize our crops. In places like California’s…