KQED's Forum

Microsoft developer Andres Freund inadvertently discovered one of the largest internet hacks in history while conducting routine maintenance on his computer. Noticing his computer was a bit slow, he discovered a ‘backdoor’ that could have potentially given the hackers access to millions of computers and servers used by banks, hospitals and governments around the world. The hack, which likely took years to plan and execute, has been called a ‘nightmare scenario’ by cyber security experts, who say that evidence points to state actors. We’ll break down what happened and who is likely behind it.

Guests:

Alex Stamos, Chief Trust Officer, SentinelOne; computer science lecturer, Stanford University

Kevin Roose, technology columnist, New York Times; co-host of the podcast Hard Fork

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There was a time when being a DJ meant hauling heavy crates of vinyl LPs, sound equipment and lights from one gig to the next. Now with a computer and a portable speaker, you can make any gathering a party. But just because you can make a playlist doesn’t mean you are a real DJ. To actually spin records and put together memorable sets requires skill, practice and talent. We’ll talk to the founder of a DJ school and DJs from around the Bay about what it takes to be a DJ, who in the words of Rihanna, can “pon de replay.”

Guests:

Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts

Juan "Wonway Posibul" Amador, DJ and MC - Grammy-nominated DJ Wonway Posibul hosts a daily music show on KALW 91.7 FM that airs from 8-9 PM.

Lamont Bransford-Young, DJ and founder of Fingersnaps Media Arts, a DJ school - Bransford-Young hosts "The Fingersnaps Salon" on KPOO.

Victoria "Kiki" Fajardo, DJ - DJ Xulaquiles grew up in the East Bay and began her DJ career at 14.

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Polls this month suggest that between 9 and 12 percent of Americans support independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But it’s unclear whether in a general election he and his California-based running mate Nicole Shanahan would draw more votes away from President Biden or Donald Trump. Kennedy, who’s gained political visibility as an anti-vaccine activist and anti-institutionalist, is petitioning to appear on the November ballot in all 50 states; at this point only Utah has confirmed his place. We talk about the impact of RFK’s candidacy and who’s likely to vote for him.

Guests:

Mike Madrid, Republican strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project. His forthcoming book is "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy."

Michelle Goldberg, op-ed columnist, New York Times. Her books include “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism" and "The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World."

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Stanford women’s basketball coach, Tara VanDerveer – the winningest coach in the history of college basketball – has announced she’s retiring after 45 years leading the epic team. The news comes after a breakthrough NCAA women’s basketball season in which the women’s championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time. We’ll talk about VanDerveer’s achievements and legacy and her role in the ascension of women’s basketball.

Guests:

Michelle Smith, WNBA beat writer, The Next

Jennifer Azzi, chief business development officer, Las Vegas Aces. She was a four-year starter at Stanford from 1987-90, leading the team to its first national championship in 1990.

Charmin Smith, head coach, University of California Berkeley's women's basketball team; former player, Stanford women’s basketball team - She was key part of the team's three NCAA Final Four Appearances and three Pac-10 Championships between 1995 to 1997. She is also a former member of the WNBA and ABL.

Val Whiting, player, Stanford women's basketball team from 1989-93 - She was part of teams that won two NCAA championships and went to the Final Four three years. She was also named Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row.

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“The quiet cousin, the rowdy daughter, the bookish aunt, the brash sister. Some are short and busy; others tall, quiet and stately,” writes environmental historian Daniel Lewis. He’s not talking about family members, though. He’s describing trees. In his new book “Twelve Trees,” Lewis urges us to look at trees with empathy and to understand them as beings with history and purpose. We’ll talk to Lewis about the trees he profiles -- including California's coastal redwoods and olive trees -- and why our survival is so closely linked to theirs.

Guest:

Daniel Lewis, Dibner senior curator for the history of science and technology, Huntington Library; faculty, Caltech; author, "Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future"

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Constitutional law professor Maxwell Stearns doesn’t think the U.S. is headed for a constitutional crisis…he thinks we’re already deeply in one. And it’s our constitution itself that’s a big part of the problem. In his new book, Parliamentary America, he maps a way out of the crisis, calling for the country to adopt a parliamentary system of government, like most other democracies in the world. As part of Forum’s Doing Democracy series, we’ll talk to him about his plan, and why he says it would help ease political gridlock and prevent an authoritarian taking power in the U.S.

Guest:

Maxwell Stearns, professor of law, University of Maryland Carey School of Law; author, "Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy"

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President Biden called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “unacceptable” during a call last week with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said an immediate ceasefire was essential to protect innocent civilians, according to a White House statement. But the White House also reaffirmed its support for Israel and has not slowed military aid, approving new bomb shipments on the day that Israeli forces struck Gaza aid workers, killing seven. Meanwhile Biden faces mounting pressure from progressive and some mainstream Democrats who are asking for an immediate halt to weapons transfers, and from some voters who say they’ll withhold support for him in the November election unless he changes course. We’ll talk about the Biden Administration’s Israel policy and how it’s evolving. 

Guests:

Erica L. Green, White House correspondent, The New York Times

Yasmeen Abutaleb, White House reporter, The Washington Post

Alex Ward, national security reporter, Politico; author, “The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump”

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“I wish the moment of love in our lives more closely resembled the grace of a ballerina, but no, love mainly tromps and plops, falls over and tiptoes through our lives,” writes Anne Lamott in her newest book “Somehow: Thoughts on Love.” Lamott, a long time Marin County resident, has always been frank about the messy parts of her life from parenthood to addiction. We’ll talk with her about how and where love has shown up for her and its connection with grief, joy, disappointment and anger.

Guests:

Anne Lamott, author, "Somehow: Thoughts on Love" - Her other books include "Some Assembly Required," "Operating Instructions," and "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life."

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Reversing pandemic-era admission policies, more universities, including MIT, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown, are again requiring that applicants submit SAT or ACT scores. Research has shown that high scores on the tests are a good predictor of college success, and proponents say that the tests are a more equitable metric than a student’s GPA. In California, public colleges – including the UCs and Cal State schools – remain “test blind” and will not consider a student’s scores, even if submitted. We’ll look at arguments on both sides and get tips for prospective students who are navigating testing issues. Would you like to see the SAT and ACT come back in California? Do you think the tests helped or hurt your college application?

Guests:

Anna Esaki-Smith, author, “Make College Your Superpower: It's Not Where You Go, It's What You Know;" co-founder, Education Rethink; contributor, Forbes

Jeff Selingo, author, "Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions," "There is Life After College" and "College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students"

Eddie Comeaux, professor and associate dean of graduate education, University of California Riverside

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On Monday, a total eclipse will cut its way across a swath of North America. Millions are expected to flock to states along the eclipse’s path, from Texas to Maine in hopes of capturing a glimpse (through eclipse glasses) of this celestial event. The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. was in 2017. The next one won’t be until 2044. Although the Bay Area will not experience a total eclipse, there will still be opportunities to see part of one. We’ll talk to experts about what to expect, hear from folks in the path of the totality, and answer your questions.

Guests:

Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer and professor, Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the OLLI Program at SF State; author of many textbooks and popular books about astronomy

Anna Huntsman, reporter, Ideastream Public Media, Cleveland's public radio station

Polly Martin, resident of Buffalo, NY

Rob Semper, chief learning officer, Exploratorium; member, National STEM Education Advisory Panel

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