KQED's Forum

Route 66, known as the “Main Street of America,” celebrates its 100th birthday on Wednesday. The highway, which begins in Chicago and ends at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, is famous as an early route of westward migration, and as a quintessential road-trip highway. In the 1980s, however, the interstate highway system bypassed Route 66, and today road-trippers must string together countless two-lane roads to follow its entire length. Immortalized by Nat King Cole’s “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” and Pixar’s “Cars,” we’ll talk about the enduring power of the “Mother Road.”

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In 2024, young male voters came out in force to re-elect Donald Trump after many so-called manosphere influencers endorsed him. But in a striking reversal, in last week’s midterm election, men under 44 shifted to the left by 32 points, according to the New York Times. We’ll look at whether the midterm results signal durable gains for Democrats and what young men want from politicians.

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Screen time is on the rise for older adults entering their golden years. What does that mean for cognition and aging? Could it be accelerating mental decline? Those were some of the questions that internet culture reporter Jessica Lucas set out to explore in her recent story for New York Magazine, “The 75-Year-Old Screenagers.” We’ll talk about the secret interventions adult children are taking to protect their parents online, and hear more about the benefits and drawbacks of older adults being increasingly online.

Guest:

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The first documented war over water happened 4,000 years ago between Sumerian city-states fighting over Tigris River canals. Access to water has been a consistent source of human conflict from ancient Athens to modern day Ukraine. Scientist, water expert and MacArthur Fellow Peter Gleick traces this history in his new book, “When the Well is Dry” and offers solutions to mitigate conflict and forge a path of cooperation for a sustainable future.

Guests:

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What do we owe those who risk their lives for our country? UC Berkeley law professor Saira Mohamed argues that the government fails to protect service members from preventable injuries, unlawful orders and unnecessary wars — and that the law often shields those responsible. We talk to Mohamed about why soldiers have so few legal protections while serving and how the U.S. could better fulfill its obligations to those in uniform. Her new book is “What a Country Owes Its Soldiers.”

Guest:

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Oakland writer Laleh Khadivi said she wanted readers to have a kaleidoscopic view of women in her new novel, “Female Life on Planet Earth.” The story follows Heti, an Iranian-American woman who is grieving the loss of her mother — a woman who loved game shows, water aerobics and knitting. But a different version emerges in the aftermath of her death, when Heti sees an old photograph of her mother pointing a machine gun at a group of crying women during the Iranian revolution. Can Heti accept this version of her mother that she did not know? We talk with Khadivi about the relationship between women, violence and revolution — and the layers that exist inside of every woman.

Guest:

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Novels, poetry, plays and short stories about love have existed for as long as we’ve had novels, poetry, plays and short stories. In its latest project, The Atlantic’s books team set out to capture the English language’s 50 most unforgettable love stories. They spoke with scholars, librarians, critics, authors and romance bookshop owners to hear their top picks. The list begins with Philip Sidney’s sonnets “Astrophil and Stella” from 1591 and ends with 2024’s Lambda Literary Award winning novel “The Safekeep” by Yael van der Wouden. Some of the installments were seminal for the romance genre; for others, how romantic they truly are is the subject of debate. We’ll talk with two of the Atlantic’s Books editors about how certain love stories stand the test of time, and we’ll speak with an author about what it takes to craft an “unforgettable” love story.

Guests:

Emma Sarappo, senior associate editor, The Atlantic

Boris Kachka, senior editor, The Atlantic

Nicole Dennis-Benn, author, “Here Comes the Sun” and “Patsy”, associate professor in creative writing, Bryn Mawr College, new novel “Black Gold” will be published in January 2027

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Now a lame duck facing a Democratic congress, President Trump has some critical decisions to make on foreign policy. In his second term, Trump has joined forces with Israel to start a war in Iran, invaded Venezuela and captured its leader, dropped sanctions against Russia as Ukraine peace talks loom, and threatened to annex Greenland. What will the next two years hold and will the new Congress change his course abroad?

Guests:

David Sanger, white house and national security correspondent, New York Times, author, “New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion and America’s Struggle to Defend the West”

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After seismic midterm victories, Democrats will face pressure to govern and Republicans face a reckoning; Speaker Mike Johnson says he won’t run for minority leader. We talk with a panel of national political correspondents about what Democrats can realistically do with their new power, the choices that lie ahead for Republicans and what these election results mean for the future of American politics.

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In a town hall-style Forum, we’ll hear from Bay Area members of Congress about their plans, priorities and the possibilities for investigating the Trump administration. The conversation comes in the wake of the midterm elections, where Democrats won majorities in both houses of Congress. We’ll ask these Bay Area officials how they’ll use their power in Washington and what they will prioritize. And they’ll hear from you about what issues you want addressed.

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