KQED's Forum

By KQEDNews News Commentary Politics

Favorites
378
Followers
Typical duration
55 min
per episode
If it hooks
45%
finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

KQED's Forum episodes

August 05 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 challenges, grape growers and winemakers are confronting the broader threat of climate change, which is already transforming places like Napa and Sonoma and could ultimately threaten the entire industry. We’ll talk to researchers and winemakers about the looming threats and what changes are necessary.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 05 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 a switch—it means overhauling the appliances, vehicles, and energy systems we’ve relied on for decades. We’ll talk with state and local leaders about where we’re making real progress and where we’re falling short. And we’ll hear from you: how is California’s green energy transition impacting your daily choices and utility bills?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 04 ‘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 may speak to an anxiety with modern technology, but professor Joshua Habgood-Coote argues that the preoccupation with ancient crafts dates back thousands of years. Habgood-Coote calls this trend “skill nostalgia,” and he joins us to discuss what happens when we long for the past.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 04 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 Healthy Again, movement has taken up some of that activism to fight the growing prevalence of environmental toxins such as pesticides, PFAS and microplastics. Though MAHA has lobbied U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and President Trump to reduce the pollutants, many have been disappointed by the administration’s inaction. We’ll talk about efforts to regulate environmental toxins and the Trump administration’s approach.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 03 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 factors like geography and political affiliation. To blame are growing perceptions of bias and a sense that news reporting that doesn’t feel applicable to everyday life. We look at why so few people trust the media — and what could be done to change that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 03 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 company. But by 2018, she was so disillusioned by the company culture that she helped organize the company’s largest walkout to protest how Google handled sexual harassment cases. We talk to Stapleton about her takes on the myths and the reality of Google and her new book “Don’t Be Evil: Bad Bosses, Fake Promises, and my Escape from Big Tech.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
July 31 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 conventional bikes, they’re
disproportionately involving kids age 14 and younger. We’ll hear how doctors, lawmakers and
biking advocates are responding to the risks posed by e-bikes – and by what some call emotorcycles – and we’ll hear your takes about how we can make our roads safer for all.
Guests:
Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, reporter, KQED
Asha Weinstein Agrawal, professor and researcher, Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University
John Maa, governor and former president, American College of Surgeons; former trauma surgeon, MarinHealth Medical Center; co-author of the new study from UCSD, “An exponential increase in e-bike injuries in California”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
July 31 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 recommend, from light, breezy reads to delicious mysteries to the doorstopper you’ve been putting off. And we hear from you: what are you reading?
Guests:
Vanessa Hua, author, “Coyoteland,” “Forbidden City” and “A River of Stars”
Brad Johnson, owner, East Bay Booksellers in Oakland
Kit Fitzgerald, co-founder, bookseller, Noe Valley Books
Hannah deBree, founder, Tender Buttons Books, an online indie book site

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
July 30 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 Fields-Meyer interviewed more than 100 dissidents from around the world about how they overcome fear, protect themselves against intimidation and persuade others to join their cause. We’ll talk to the authors about the practical lessons they uncovered—and why they think courage is not innate, but learned.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
July 30 ‘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 Suit,” the first Chicano play to make it to Broadway, direct “La Bamba,” one of the most successful Latine films ever. In a new documentary, “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez,” director David Alvarado put the camera in front of Valdez to tell his story. Valdez and Alvarado join us to talk about the documentary, the importance of capturing the Chicano experience and the stories they still want to tell.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min

About KQED's Forum

From the publisher's feed

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.