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.
126episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
A Family Divided By Cuba’s Revolution
3d ago00:54:39Tap to summarizeOn May 13th, Cuba ran out of oil, crippling public services for nearly 10 million people. It’s a result of a months-long oil blockade initiated by the Trump administration. We’ll talk with Ada Ferrer, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of US-Cuba relations, about this latest development in the long-tumultuous relationship between these two nations. She’s the author of the new book, “Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter” She weaves together Cuba’s history with her own family’s story, and she shares what – and who – they left behind to come to America. Guests: Ada Ferrer, professor of history, Princeton University; author of "Keeper of My Kin: Memoir of an Immigrant Daughter" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Can the Federal Reserve Retain Its Independence in the Trump Era?
3d ago00:54:44Tap to summarizeThe Federal Reserve Board begins this week with a new chair, Trump appointee Kevin Warsh. The Fed is a nonpartisan government body tasked with setting interest rates and controlling inflation, but since the start of Trump’s second term, former Fed chair Jerome Powell endured enormous pressure from the president, including a federal investigation against him, which has since been dropped. Can we trust our central bank to retain the independence that has made the U.S. the center of the globe’s financial system? We talk with the makers of a new Frontline documentary, “The President vs. The Fed.” Guests: James Jacoby, director, "The President vs. The Fed;" Jacoby has won an Emmy award for his previous film "Amazon Empire," and a Peabody award for his film "The Facebook Dilemma" Anya Bourg, producer, "The President vs. The Fed;" previous films include "The Facebook Dilemma" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How to Get Better at Accepting – Even Appreciating – Uncertainty
6d ago00:54:45Tap to summarizeThough our lives are filled with uncertainty, we’re less tolerant of it than ever, says journalist Simone Stolzoff, author of the new book “How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers.” Surrounded by prediction markets, statistics and the world’s knowledge on our phones, we think we should always be certain – in who we are, what we believe and what the “right” choice is. But Stolzoff says that accepting and even appreciating uncertainty can help us be more tolerant, humble and ready to take on life’s curveballs. Guests: Simone Stolzoff, journalist and author, "How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers" and "The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →La Doña Presents Her New Album, 'Corrientes' Live in Studio
6d ago00:54:43Tap to summarizeSinger, songwriter and San Francisco native Cecilia Peña-Govea – better known as La Doña – joins us in studio with her band for a special live performance on the heels of the release of her new album, Corrientes. It’s her most ambitious and comprehensive project yet. She traveled to five countries and worked with 40 musicians to compose the 16-track album which spans a variety of genres including cumbia, reggaeton, ranchera, electronic, merengue, and son jarocho, a folk music style that originated in the Mexican state of Veracruz. La Doña joins us to perform, talk about her new album and her Bay Area roots. Guests: Cecilia Peña-Govea, singer who performs as La Doña Amanda Magaña, vocals and congas Naomi Pasmanick, sax and vocals Miguel Govea, accordion, vocals and guitar Camilo Landau, guitar and vocals Ayla Davila, bass and vocals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →A 'Monster' El Niño Is Brewing in the Pacific
1w ago00:54:41Tap to summarizeAn El Niño is starting to form in the tropical Pacific Ocean, and some forecasters say it could be a “monster,” the most powerful in 150 years. The weather system could trigger potentially catastrophic heat waves, flooding and drought, with effects we could start to feel as early as this summer. We talk to science journalists about how this brewing El Niño could test our readiness for the chaos of a warmer climate, and answer your questions about its potential impacts here in California and beyond. Guests: David Wallace-Wells, science writer and essayist, The New York Times Opinion Bill McKibben, co-founder, climate activism group Third Act; author of more than 20 books, including "The End of Nature" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →How Plastic Took Over the World – And How Big Oil is Betting on It
1w ago00:54:48Tap to summarizeAs the world moves away from fossil fuels, oil and gas companies are betting on plastic to keep profits rolling in. In her new book, “Plastic Inc.,” investigative journalist Beth Gardiner digs into how plastic went from a useful byproduct of oil and gas production into a material that has literally seeped into every aspect of our lives from the air we breathe to the water we drink. Overproduction of single-use plastic has left the world with a massive pollution problem, which plastic producers have successfully blamed on consumers, Gardiner argues. And, while Bay Area residents look for ways to reduce their plastic use, oil companies plan to double or triple plastic production. We talk about why the world is drowning in plastic and how we might reverse the trend. Guests: Beth Gardiner, environmental journalist; author, "Plastic Inc." and "Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The Hidden World of Forced Arbitration
1w ago00:54:43Tap to summarizeForced arbitration clauses are buried in everything from product warranties to bank loans to employment contracts, often requiring consumers and workers to give up their right to sue without realizing it. Brendan Ballou, a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of the Public Integrity Project, says arbitration has become an opaque, parallel legal system that favors corporations and undermines the rule of law. We talk to Ballou about new book, “When Companies Run the Courts,” which looks at why forced arbitration has become so widespread and what states like California are doing to restrict it. Guests: Brendan Ballou, former federal prosecutor; CEO, the Public Integrity Project; author, "When Companies Run the Courts: Forced Arbitration and America's Secret Justice System" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Republicans Are Winning the Redistricting War
1w ago00:54:46Tap to summarizeBoth Democrats and Republicans have turned to redistricting to improve their chances in this fall’s midterm elections. But a recent court case striking down a Democrat-leaning redistricting map in Virginia and a Supreme Court decision rolling back the Voting Rights Act, have dimmed hopes for Democrats. All this while Republican state legislatures lock in maps that give their party an edge. We talk about what it all means for the midterm elections and beyond. Guests: Erin Covey, editor of the U.S. House of Representative, The Cook Political Report Kareem Crayton, vice president, Brennan Center for Justice's Washington, D.C. office; Crayton is an expert on redistricting Nick Corasaniti, reporter, the New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →The `Blood Populism’ Driving Political Violence in America
1w ago00:54:37Tap to summarizeA 2025 study found political violence is shifting from a primarily right-wing phenomenon to one now more common on the left (fueled partly by a significant decrease in right-wing attacks during President Trump’s second term). And it’s increasingly accepted across the political spectrum, with about a fifth of Americans saying they’d support violence to achieve political goals. The Atlantic’s Adrienne LaFrance calls this dangerous attitude “blood populism,” and we’ll talk to her about why she believes people with these opinions should be seen not as partisans but extremists. Plus, a violence prevention researcher explains why political violence is a public health issue. Guests: Adrienne LaFrance, executive editor, the Atlantic Garen Wintemute M.D., M.P.H. , director, Centers for Violence Prevention at UC Davis; he also practices and teaches emergency medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Project Homekey Is CA’s Ambitious Plan to House Homeless People. Is it Working?
1w ago00:54:42Tap to summarizeCalifornia launched Project Homekey after the pandemic to quickly create new housing and get homeless people off the streets. Over the last few years the state has spent $3.8 billion converting existing properties such as old hotels and apartment buildings into housing that could be built fast and at a lower cost than ground-up construction. But the program has had mixed results according to a CalMatters investigation that found that about half of the development projects in the program either came in late, went over budget or were never built. We’ll talk about how well Project Homekey is working, and what we can learn from its successes and failures. Guests: Marisa Kendall, homelessness reporter, CalMatters Ryan Finnigan, associate research director focused on homelessness in California, Terner Center for Housing Innovation, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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