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
David Brooks on 'Why America Needs a Mass Movement – Now'
The Trump administration’s constant flouting of court orders, its conversion of ICE into a massive paramilitary organization, its extortion of universities and…
- KQED's Forum
Fired Federal Immigration Judges Speak Out
The Trump administration has fired dozens of immigration judges in California seemingly without cause and despite growing backlogs of cases. Judges who lost…
- KQED's Forum
California Takes On Potent Synthetic Drug 7-OH
Reports are rising of addiction, overdose and death tied to 7-OH, a potent new synthetic drug. The painkiller is a lab-made offshoot of the herbal drug kratom…
- KQED's Forum
How Intelligence – Both Human and Artificial – Happens
How exactly does the mind work? How do we learn and make decisions? And how does that compare to the way AI thinks? In their new book, “The Emergent Mind: How…
- KQED's Forum
Rabbi Calls for Boundless Compassion Amid Divides
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl leads the largest synagogue in New York City. But she says she’s never been so afraid to talk about Israel. That’s because she thinks…
- KQED's Forum
What Steep Health Insurance Price Hikes Could Mean for Nearly 2 Million Californians on Covered CA
The cost of healthcare insurance is at the core of the government shutdown. Democrats and Republicans are at a stalemate over the extension of subsidies that…
- KQED's Forum
Federal Workers Face New Round of Layoffs as Labor Rights Under Attack
Unions for federal employees say the White House is planning thousands more layoffs, even though a federal judge in San Francisco has blocked it. This is…
- KQED's Forum
Cory Doctorow on Why the Internet Got So Terrible, So Fast, and What to Do About It
Cory Doctorow coined a word to describe how what we once loved about the internet, and relied on, has become exploitative, corrosive, and anti-user. And now…
- KQED's Forum
Get Ready to be ‘Spooked’ this Halloween
Glynn Washington, host of KQED and Snap Judgment’s “Spooked,” joins us to talk about the podcast’s new season called The Crossroads. It takes stories about…
- KQED's Forum
SF Poet Laureate Genny Lim and the Del Sol Quartet’s New Performance Celebrates Asian American Diaspora
Why do we leave our homelands? That is the central question which animates the newest work of San Francisco poet laureate Genny Lim and the Bay Area-based Del…
- KQED's Forum
Are You Going to a 'No Kings' Protest? And The Benefits of a 'Best' Friend
Millions of people are expected to take part in "No Kings" protests this Saturday in over 2000 cities across the country. The demonstrations are being…
- KQED's Forum
Mychal Threets on Reviving 'Reading Rainbow' And Tech Titans and Trump Want National Guard in SF
In a news conference Wednesday, President Trump said he will be “strongly recommending” his administration look into sending troops to the city, which he…
- KQED's Forum
Historian Jill Lepore on Amending the Constitution And Rep. Peter Aguilar on the Shutdown
Why is it so hard to change the U.S. Constitution? Harvard historian Jill Lepore says the Constitution was intended to be amended but that we’ve all but…
- KQED's Forum
In “We Survived the Night,” Julian Brave NoiseCat Weaves Memoir with Indigenous Myth and History
Julian Brave NoiseCat’s paternal family traces their origins to the Coyote, a trickster from native mythology who helped create the world. The story of Coyote…
- KQED's Forum
Trump and World Leaders Sign Gaza Ceasefire Deal
At a summit in Egypt on Monday, President Trump and world leaders signed the first phase of a ceasefire agreement aimed at bringing to an end the brutal…
- KQED's Forum
In Search of Home Part 3: The Path to Permanent Housing
We continue our series, “In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis” with an examination of what it takes to help a person experiencing…
- KQED's Forum
MacArthur Genius Grantee Creates Sustainable Wastewater Treatment Solutions
We meet Stanford chemical engineer William Tarpeh, who was recently awarded a 2025 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. Tarpeh’s work involves developing systems to…
- KQED's Forum
Emily Baker-White on ‘The War Over TikTok’
A group of American investors, including Silicon Valley allies of President Trump, is expected to take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations from Chinese parent…
- KQED's Forum
Hustle Culture is Back in Silicon Valley. But Can Workers Sustain a 996 Grind?
According to San Francisco workers, the hustle culture of the pre-pandemic days has returned in the form of long working days and weekends at the office. So…
KQED's ForumGov. Newsom Signs Slew of New Bills
The deadline is approaching for Governor Newsom to sign — or veto — any remaining bills passed last month by California’s legislature. He’s recently approved…
KQED's ForumAlice Waters on Why We Need a ‘School Lunch Revolution’
Alice Waters has changed the way the country thinks about the importance of fresh, organic produce in the more than fifty years since she founded her…
- KQED's Forum
Supreme Court Term Will Test the Scope of Presidential Power
The scope of presidential power is front and center as the Supreme Court begins a new term. Cases on the docket will test Trump’s agenda, including his ability…
- KQED's Forum
The Ever Shifting Landscape of Mainstream Media
Amidst funding cuts, massive layoffs, editorial differences and Donald Trump’s ongoing attacks on media, more and more journalists and creators are leaving…
- KQED's Forum
Science Journalist Jon Cohen on Preventing the Next Pandemic
Preventing the next deadly pandemic, because it’s only a matter of time. Senior Science magazine correspondent Jon Cohen has travelled Vietnam and the Amazon…
- KQED's Forum
Deepfake Videos Just Got More Realistic…and More Dangerous
AI video creation software is advancing rapidly and some of its output is very alarming. OpenAI’s Sora, currently the most downloaded app in the App Store…
- KQED's Forum
Why Do We Fall for Charlatans?
What makes us vulnerable to charlatans? A new book by journalist Quico Toro takes a close look at charismatic manipulators from literal snake oil peddlers to…
- KQED's Forum
Is It Time for California to Consider a "Soft Secession"?
California has a massive economy, the power of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, and we grow much of the nation’s food. As the Trump administration targets the…
- KQED's Forum
Is California’s Largest ICE Detention Center Operating Legally?
California City in Kern county is now home to the state’s largest ICE detention facility after private prison giant CoreCivic formally contracted to run it…
- KQED's Forum
How a Federal Shutdown and New Trump Edicts are Changing Government
The government has shut down and President Trump is withholding dedicated funds to blue states, demanding universities sign a pact to get federal funding and…
KQED's ForumCA Senator Adam Schiff Explains Democrats’ Shutdown Strategy and Easy Ways to Level Up Your Health
As the federal government shutdown extended through a second day, President Trump on Thursday redoubled his threats to carry out mass layoffs, posting on his…
KQED's ForumKQED’s Guide to Fall Arts in the Bay Area
This fall brings Bay Area residents plenty of options for enjoying the arts from the Castro Theatre reopening with a Sam Smith residency after a two year…
- KQED's Forum
As the U.S. Experiences a Brain Drain, Who Benefits?
The United States has for generations been a magnet for students and scholars from around the world seeking higher education and research positions. In fields…
- KQED's Forum
Samin Nosrat on Nourishing Food, Community and All the ‘Good Things’
Even after the tremendous success of her cookbook, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and the Netflix series it inspired, Samin Nosrat found that, she was lonely and…
- KQED's Forum
Forum from the Archives: Jane Goodall Looks to Future of Conservation Movement With Those She's Inspired
Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most beloved primatologists, has died. She was 91. Goodall was a hero of the conservation movement known for her decades long…
- KQED's Forum
Democratic Lawmaker Says to Prepare for Long Shutdown
The federal government shut down at midnight on Tuesday after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to continue funding its operations. We hear from Bay Area…
- KQED's Forum
Pursuit of Political Enemies, Mass Firings and Resignations: A Look Inside Trump’s Justice Department
The politicalization of the Department of Justice took a new turn last week when US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an indictment against Trump nemesis…
- KQED's Forum
Former CDC Director Tom Frieden on Countering a Public Health Assault
Dr. Tom Frieden, who led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Obama, is sounding new alarms about the direction the agency is…
- KQED's Forum
In Search of Home Part 2: What Happens When Someone Loses Their Housing
Forum is continuing our series, “In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis” with a look into what happens when people lose their housing. Each…
- KQED's Forum
How a Government Shutdown Will Impact California
Federal spending talks ground to a halt this week, with Democrats wanting healthcare subsidies to be included in any approved funding bills. Republicans are…
- KQED's Forum
Poet Ada Limón’s New Collection 'Startlement' Centers Wonder and Connection
Sonoma native and former U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón’s collection of new and selected poetry contemplates her relationship to nature, the role of art in an…
- KQED's Forum
So You Want to Work in Hollywood? Here’s How.
Breaking into Hollywood isn’t what it used to be. Two former LA Times editors who have covered the entertainment industry for years offer a road map on how to…
- KQED's Forum
Why Marin Is Banning Kids From Riding Some E-Bikes
Marin County is known as the birthplace of modern mountain biking and it has long had a robust cycling culture. But lately, motorized e-bikes – some that go…
- KQED's Forum
New State Climate Plan To Reduce Energy Costs, Fortify Grid
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law one of the biggest environmental policy overhauls in decades, a package of six bills aimed at meeting California’s…
- KQED's Forum
Can We Really Design Our Way Out of Our Problems?
In her new book, “The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History,” historian and designer Maggie Gram traces the evolution of the field of design from a…
- KQED's Forum
What the U.S. Can Learn from Bolsonaro’s Coup Conviction
Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets over the weekend to protest an amnesty bill for former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces 27 years in…
- KQED's Forum
Trump Dropped A $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Sent Silicon Valley Spinning
President Trump’s announcement Friday of a $100,000 dollar fee for H-1B visas has thrown the tech world – and communities of immigrants – into states of…
- KQED's Forum
Mourning Charlie Kirk, Trump Blames the Left for Political Violence
A memorial service for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk became a political rally on Sunday, as President Trump told the crowd that unlike Kirk, he…
- KQED's Forum
‘Inherited Inequality’ Challenges the Idea That Two-Parent Homes Are Key to Kids’ Success
For decades, policy makers, politicians, and experts have blamed an absence of Black fathers as the reason Black children tend to not fare as well as white…
- KQED's Forum
Bay Area Manufacturing: A Thing of the Past or the Future?
The mega-wealthy Silicon Valley group, California Forever, has announced a plan to build a manufacturing town in Solano County. Their intention to build the…
- KQED's Forum
USAID Died Slowly, Alongside America’s Role in Global Health
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has long been one of the world’s largest providers of contraceptives and disaster relief. But recent…
- KQED's Forum
Live on Forum: PRXZM
California synth-pop duo PRXZM joins us in studio for a live musical performance. Classically trained musicians Nick Ortega and Emma Maidenberg host a weekly…
- KQED's Forum
Trump’s Immigration Crackdowns: A Conversation with Florida
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been as full-throated in his support for President Trump’s aggressive immigration policies as California Governor Gavin…
- KQED's Forum
What’s Driving California’s Shrinking Prison Population?
California’s prisons were so packed fifteen years ago that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled they violated the Constitution. Today, the state’s prison population…
- KQED's Forum
How to Be a Tourist in Your Own Town
Locals don’t always like to go where the tourists flock in their own town, and as a result there is a lot that they might be missing. A new program, Doors Open…
- KQED's Forum
LA Immigrant Communities on Edge After Supreme Court Ruling on ICE Arrests
Immigrant rights advocates are warning of increased racial profiling and more aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics in the wake of the Supreme…
- KQED's Forum
How Bruce Lee Helped Shape Asian American Culture
Journalist Jeff Chang contends that Bruce Lee, the famed actor and martial arts specialist, is the “most famous person in the world about whom so little is…
- KQED's Forum
Elie Honig on the Challenges and Perils of Prosecuting a President
What happens when prosecutors take on sitting U.S. presidents? That’s the subject of CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig’s new book, which traces the successes…
- KQED's Forum
In Search of Home Part 1: How to Prevent Homelessness
We’re launching a new series, “In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis” to explore how homelessness happens and what it takes to move people…
- KQED's Forum
Mary Roach: You’re More Replaceable Than You Know
What do frog skin, polyester hair and gene-edited pig kidneys have in common? They’re all part of humanity’s long quest to swap out ailing parts of our bodies…
- KQED's Forum
Has the Risk of Nuclear War Been Normalized?
Nuclear capabilities have increased dramatically over the past decade and continue to grow, with the U.S. Department of Defense spending $1.5 trillion on…