KQED's Forum

Federal prosecutors added new charges against Donald Trump stemming from his willful mishandling of classified documents, alleging in a superseding indictment on Thursday that the former president sought to delete incriminating surveillance video at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Meanwhile, the country remains on “indictment watch,” as USA Today’s Josh Meyer reports, while Special Counsel Jack Smith weighs charges against Trump for attempting to overthrow the 2020 election. We examine the current and potential charges against Trump and their political impact.

Guests:

Josh Meyer, domestic security correspondent, USA Today

Rory Little, professor of constitutional law, UC School of Law, San Francisco; former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney

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The month of July is on track to be the hottest month on record for planet Earth. Three continents are blistering under heat domes. In parts of California, temperatures have gone well above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Los Angeles Times reporter Hayley Smith experienced this firsthand during a reporting trip to Death Valley, where in one day she experienced 128 degrees — which only cooled to 116 degrees at night. California Governor Newsom set up efforts to educate the public about heat events; President Biden announced plans to help communities adapt. But will this be enough? As part of our “Climate Fix” series with the KQED Science team, we’ll talk about how our future is heating up and what can be done to cool our planet.

Guests:

Danielle Venton, science reporter, KQED News

Jeff Goodell, author, "The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on A Scorched Planet," "Big Coal," and "The Water Will Come;" Guggenheim Fellow; regular commentator on energy and climate issues, CNN, MSNBC, and other outlets

Hayley Smith, reporter focusing on extreme weather, Los Angeles Times

Karen A. McKinnon, assistant professor, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Department of Statistics - McKinnon studies large-scale climate variability and change, with a particular focus on connections to high-impact weather events.

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Since Mattel launched Barbie into the world in 1959, the doll has been adored for her ability to show girls they can do anything and loathed for her abnormal body proportions. Now, in the first live action film featuring Barbie, she’s on center stage. In the film Barbie is forced to leave her home of ‘Barbieland’—prompting an adventure in the real world and discovering along the way that perfection is found within. Materialism, gender norms, beauty ideals, race, feminism and the patriarchy are all themes in director Greta Gerwig’s $145 million film. Are we all good with Barbie now? What’s the impact and legacy of Barbie on culture today?

Guests:

Rae Alexandra, staff writer, KQED Arts & Culture; creator and author, "Rebel Girls from Bay Area History" series

Nadra Nittle, education reporter, The 19th

Antonia Cereijido, executive producer, LAist Studios

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Major League Baseball has implemented a handful of controversial new changes this season that have shaken up America’s favorite pastime. But despite the initial debates over pitch clocks and shifting regulations, both experts and fans generally agree that the rules have made the game more enjoyable with a faster pace and more action. We’ll talk with baseball reporters about the changes and we’ll hear from you: have the new rules improved the game?

Guests:

Kyle Glaser, senior writer, Baseball America

Jessica Kleinschmidt, multimedia broadcaster, Oakland A's

Guy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

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This month, the FDA approved the country’s first-ever daily hormonal contraceptive pill for sale without a prescription. The approval is a major milestone for reproductive care, as state lawmakers ban or limit abortion access throughout the country. The over-the-counter contraceptive, called Opill, has been around for decades, and now Perrigo, the pill’s manufacturer, says it will make the pill “accessible and affordable to women and people of all ages.” We’ll look at the science, the politics and the early history of the pill, and we’ll hear from you: has the pill changed your life?

Guests:

Pam Belluck, health and science reporter, New York Times

Pratima Gupta, assistant professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, UCSD Health

Margaret Marsh, historian of medicine and University Professor, Rutgers University. She's the author, with gynecologist Wanda Ronner, of several books on the history of reproductive medicine and technology, including "The Fertility Doctor: John Rock and the Reproductive Revolution."

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Plagued by years of abuse allegations, the California Department of Juvenile Justice and the youth facilities it ran, were shut down earlier this summer. Criminal justice reform advocates considered the closures a victory, but now have other concerns. They contend most relocated youth are being moved into juvenile hall facilities that were not designed for long-term detentions and that lack adequate rehabilitation programs and resources. County probation chiefs have also raised concerns that kids who left for state facilities with no history of drug problems or gang affiliations are returning to their home counties with both, raising questions about the conditions within the waning days of state facilities. We talk to experts about those allegations, the stories shared by children coming out of state care, and the future of juvenile justice in California.

Guests:

Dan Macallair, executive director and co-founder, Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice

Marlon Yarber, chief probation officer, Sacramento County

Israel Salazar Villa, deputy director, California Alliance for Youth and Community Justice

Jason Okonofua, assistant professor, Psychology Department, University of California Berkeley

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From coastal beaches to the High Sierra, from redwood forests to desert sand dunes, California’s state park system has nearly three hundred sites available to explore and enjoy. These protected areas offer low-cost ways to scratch that itch for adventure, learn about California’s history and appreciate the state’s natural heritage. We’ll get recommendations from outdoor enthusiasts about where to go and what to do, and we’ll hear from you: what’s your favorite California state park?

Guests:

Brad Day, publisher, Weekendsherpa.com - A free weekly e-mail about accessible outdoor adventures in the Bay Area

Chelsee Lowe, travel and family writer

Jose Gonzalez, founder, Latino Outdoors - a community organization that encourages Latinos to go outdoors

Joe Connors, supervising ranger, Wilder Ranch State Park

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The Bay Area may not have an official sandwich, but “our local sandwiches have an unparalleled layering of textures that can’t be found anywhere else,” writes Rocky Rivera in a recent essay for KQED. People here love deli meat on Dutch crunch bread or sourdough and don’t skip the avocados! Italian delis such as Little Luca in South San Francisco and Molinari in North Beach have cult followings. Customers line up around the block for Bakesale Betty’s fried chicken sandwich. So, what does it take to elevate a sandwich from just tasty to satisfyingly iconic? For our next installment of All You Can Eat, our regular series about Bay Area food cultures with KQED’s Luke Tsai, we bite into our favorite local sandos and why we love them.

Guests:

Saint Boney, owner and chef, The Saint Sandwich Shop

Cesar Hernandez, associate restaurant critic, San Francisco Chronicle

Albert Ok, owner, Ok's Deli in Oakland

Rocky Rivera, emcee and writer, part of KQED's "Frisco Foodies" series

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

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It’s been a sweltering July for large swaths of California, and that means air conditioners have been running on high in households lucky enough to have them. But the energy air conditioners consume and the refrigerants they rely on pose serious threats to the climate. We learn about air conditioning tech and look at California’s efforts to make them greener. And we’ll hear from you: if you have air conditioning, do you have tips for using it efficiently? Or if you don’t have AC, or if you try to avoid using it, how do you keep cool?

Guests:

Ian McGavisk, senior fellow, RMI; author of the Global Cooling Status and Opportunities Report, UNEP

Ari Plachta, climate reporter, Sacramento Bee

Aanchal Kohli, climate policymaker, California Air Resources Board

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Following a months-long investigation into his published research, Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne announced his plan to resign from his post. While investigators did not find that Tessier-Lavigne falsified data himself, they say he failed to respond appropriately when he was made aware of the problems. We’ll be joined Theo Baker, “The Stanford Daily” student reporter who first broke this story, and other experts about why this cost Tessier-Lavigne his job and what this means for Stanford.

Guests:

Theo Baker, investigations editor, The Stanford Daily

Lisa Krieger, research reporter, San Jose Mercury News

Jonathan Wosen, west coast biotech and life sciences reporter, STAT News

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