Podcast
KQED's Forum
Hosted by KQED · EN
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 to hear from you! Please dial 866.SF.FORUM or (866) 733-6786 or email forum@kqed.org, tweet, or post on Facebook.
235episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why We Can’t Stop Reading Thrillers
3d ago00:54:46Tap to summarizeWhat’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 list of the top 50 thrillers released so far this century. We’ll talk to the list’s editors about how it came together, what makes a great thriller, and why these books — including the number one pick, Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” — are so irresistible to readers. Guests: Gilbert Cruz, Canon editor, The New York Times Tina Jordan, Book Review deputy editor, The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Where Do You Go to Find Your People?
3d ago00:54:50Tap to summarizeSocial 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 are turning to AI bots forcompanionship. But across the Bay Area, shared hobbies are transforming strangers into close knit communities. We’ll talk about KQED’s Finding Your People series and hear from local subcultures – from mermaids to rock climbers – about the activities that have brought them together. How have you found your people? Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts Beth LaBerge, photographer and visual journalist, KQED The Mermaid Atlantis, part of the Northern California mermaid scene Phillip Lang, rock climber and rapper, organizes meetups for the Black Rock Collective, a group of Black climbers in Oakland Simrill Smith, skates under the name Creech with the roller derby team San Francisco Rolling Dead, Bay Area Derby league Hannah Phamvu, a regular at meetups for romance novel fans at A Novel Affair bookstore in Los Altos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why The Onion Took Over Infowars
4d ago00:54:45Tap to summarizeIn the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, rightwing commentator Alex Jones peddled bogus conspiracy theories about the tragedy. The Sandy Hook families sued Jones for defamation and emotional distress, and in 2025 a court ordered Jones to pay them nearly $1.5 billion. Jones filed for bankruptcy, and as a court began to sort through his assets, the new owners of parody newspaper The Onion stepped in to take over his far-right platform, Infowars. We’ll talk to Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, about the acquisition and what he plans to do with a “new” Infowars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Federal Sex Education Cuts and Abstinence-Only Policies Spark Debate Over Teen Health and Fertility
4d ago00:54:53Tap to summarizeThe Trump administration has pulled millions of dollars of funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs nationwide as part of its push for abstinence-only sex ed. Many states, including California, have embraced comprehensive sex ed requiring students to learn about reproduction as well as topics such as consent and contraception. Experts have credited such programs for helping cause the teen pregnancy rate to plummet and say federal policies and loss of funding could prove harmful in the long term and may be part of a larger agenda to encourage childbirth. We’ll talk about the Trump administration’s policies, defunding of programs, and best practices for educating teens about a loaded topic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →What’s Going on at the Department of Homeland Security?
5d ago00:54:47Tap to summarizeThe 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.” That’s according to The Atlantic’s Nick Miroff, who covers immigration and the Department of Homeland Security. We talk to Miroff about the political pressures shaping the deportation push, the unintended consequences of blue state backlash to ICE detention facilities and how Homeland Security secretary Markwayne Mullin is responding to attacks from far-right critics who say he’s not aggressive enough on immigration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How Prepared Are We for Cyberattacks on Cities, Water Systems?
5d ago00:54:52Tap to summarizeA 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 remain closed. In March, Foster City also declared a state of emergency after a similar attack. And two weeks ago, seven states across the country reported tampering with local water systems, a cyberattack attributed to Iran. How vulnerable are American cities and critical infrastructure like electrical grids, sewage treatment plants, and communications to cyber warfare? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The California Cities Beefing With Fast Food Drive-Thrus
6d ago00:54:48Tap to summarizeThe 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 Burger spills beyond the parking lot and into the street. Now officials there are trying to ban new drive-thrus outright. These bans are not an entirely new phenomenon — San Luis Obispo banned drive-thrus back in 1982 — but they’re getting newfound attention as recent pushes gain national attention. We’ll look at California’s role in the rise of fast food drive-thrus and examine whether the current moment could be the beginning of the end for a fast food staple. Guests: Shawn Hubler, Los Angeles bureau chief, The New York Times Adam Chandler, food columnist, The Wall Street Journal; author of “Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey Through the Heart of America’s Fast-Food Kingdom” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The Alarming Rise of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults
6d ago00:54:49Tap to summarizeColorectal 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 expected to increase 90% by 2030. We explore what’s causing this alarming trend, the warning symptoms everyone should know, and what’s being done to improve treatment, advance research, and advocate for patients nationwide. Guests: Dr. Chloe Atreya, medical oncologist, UCSF; co-director, UCSF Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center Molly Roberts, vice president of advocacy, Fight Colorectal Cancer! Amanda Webb, colorectal cancer survivor and advocate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Annie Jacobsen’s Doomsday Biological War Scenario
1w ago00:54:50Tap to summarizeWhat would happen if a top-secret Russian lab released a deadly, weaponized, pathogen? That’s the nightmare possibility that author Annie Jacobsen presents in her new book, “Biological War: A Scenario.” Drawing on hundreds of interviews with former defense secretaries, CIA and FEMA officials, scientists and counterterrorism experts, Jacobsen shows how we might respond hour-by-hour, and the outlook is grim. We’ll talk to Jacobsen about why we can’t ignore the existence of biological weaponry. Guest: Annie Jacobsen, author of “Biological War: A Scenario” and other books including “Nuclear War” and “The Pentagon’s Brain” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Chang-rae Lee's Novel, 'A Tender Age' Is A Personal Story
1w ago00:54:48Tap to summarize“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, in this, his most personal book yet. Set in the 70s, the story follows an eleven-year-old Korean American boy caught between his doting immigrant parents and a roving pack of neighborhood kids — until one summer changes everything. Lee, a Stanford professor and Pulitzer Prize finalist joins us. Guest:Chang-rae Lee, author, “A Tender Age,” He is also the author of the award-winning novel “Native Speaker” and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated “The Surrendered,” among other works. He is a professor of creative writing at Stanford University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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