KQED's Forum

If you felt like your house might blow away yesterday, you aren't alone. The storm that battered the Bay Area Tuesday was stronger and more destructive than weather services forecasted. Blisteringly high winds toppled trees and tore down power lines. Rain, which was also heavier than anticipated, soaked waterlogged soil, causing floods that have closed down roads. Thousands remain without power. We'll talk with meteorologist Gerry Diaz about where this latest storm came from and why it was so ferocious.

Guests:

Gerry Díaz, newsroom meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle

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Is there a case for ignoring the news sometimes—or even most of the time? That’s the question Shadi Hamid urges us to consider in his recent essay for The Atlantic "You’re Better Off Not Knowing." Hamid explores research suggesting a negative correlation between personal well-being and political awareness and argues that unless you need to follow politics for a living, "it’s unclear what the news—good or bad—actually does for you, beyond making you aware of things you have no real control over." We talk to Hamid about the downsides of information addiction and hear how you engage in current events and avoid overwhelm.

Guests:

Shadi Hamid, senior fellow, Brookings - His recent essay for the Atlantic is called "You’re Better Off Not Knowing." His latest book is "The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea"

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The new PBS Frontline documentary, “Age of Easy Money” traces how the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented monetary experiment has both helped and hurt the American economy. Beginning in 2008, the Federal Reserve stepped in to prop up a banking system on the verge of collapse. In the decade that followed, with low interest rates and massive infusions of cash into the system, the Fed enabled a bull stock market and bubbles in the housing, financial and technology markets. But now, three years after its efforts to keep the economy afloat during the pandemic, it seems the party may be over. Inflation and rising interest rates have rattled the market, and experts believe a historic course correction may be imminent. We’ll talk about the documentary, the consequences of Federal Reserve policy, and take your questions.

Guests:

James Jacoby, director, producer, correspondent; Frontline - Jacoby's latest film is "Age of Easy Money." 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, Frontline - Bourg is a producer and writer on the new Frontline documentary "Age of Easy Money." She has previously worked on "The Facebook Dilemma" and prior to joining Frontline, spent a decade at "60 Minutes"

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President Biden approved on Monday ConocoPhillips’ controversial Willow project in Alaska, one of the largest oil developments ever proposed on federal land. The White House says it lacked legal latitude to cancel the project and simultaneously proposed rules that would limit other oil and gas leases in the region. But indigenous groups and climate activists say the project’s environmental and public health toll will be immense and irreversible and have sued to stop it. We’ll talk about the controversy and where the Biden administration’s environmental and energy goals stand.

Guests:

Tim Puko, climate correspondent covering politics and policy, The Washington Post

Jennifer Layke, global director of energy, World Resources Institute

John Leshy, professor of law, UC College of the Law, San Francisco; Interior Department’s solicitor under President Bill Clinton

Yessenia Funes, climate director, Atmos - a climate and culture magazine

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During last week’s atmospheric river storm, a levee broke on the Pajaro River, turning the town of Pajaro - inhabited mostly by Latino farmworkers - into a lake. As the LA Times reported, officials knew for decades that the levee was unstable, but delayed fixing it because of “benefit-cost ratios.” We’ll talk with community representatives and water management experts about what Pajaro residents are facing now, and how decisions are made that determine which communities are protected. As climate change brings more extreme weather events and flooding, we discuss what changes need to be made to protect vulnerable communities through the coming decades.

Related link(s):

• For more on how you can help those affected by flooding in Pajaro

Guests:

Luis Alejo, Monterey County Supervisor

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director, Restore the Delta

Mark Strudley, executive director, Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency

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Hackers who could install brain spyware into the apps and devices we’re using. Advertisers that could interface with our minds to know the products we crave, even before we do. It won’t all happen tomorrow, but Duke law professor Nita Farahany says we’re rapidly heading toward a world in which scientists, governments and corporations can peer into our brains and minds. We learn about the neurotechnology that calls to mind scenes from the “Minority Report” and hear why Farahany thinks we need to establish and protect our cognitive liberty. Her new book is “The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology.”

Guests:

Nita Farahany, professor of law and philosophy, Duke University; author, "The Battle For Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology"

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More than 2 million Californians identified as more than one race in the 2020 Census. KQED’s California Report Magazine has launched a series to capture the varied experiences of those straddling multiple races. KQED’s Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos join Forum to talk about their series, Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians, and both of their experiences growing up in mixed-race families and now raising children in their own multi-racial marriages.

Guests:

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown show

Sasha Khokha, host, The California Report Magazine on KQED

Dr. Jennifer Noble, psychologist, educator and coach for families with mixed-race kids

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On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden promised a more compassionate approach to immigration that would roll back Trump administration policies. But the situation at the border, with swelling numbers of migrants fleeing authoritarian regimes and dire economic conditions, has forced the administration to consider more restrictive measures. Those include possibly reviving the policy of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally. We’ll talk about Biden’s new policies and look at the situation at the border.

Guests:

Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQED

Deep Gulasekaram, professor of law, Santa Clara University. He teaches constitutional and immigration law and is co-author of the leading immigration law textbook used in U.S. law schools.

Kate Morrissey, immigration reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

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San Francisco’s once-redhot office market has waned since the pandemic. Less than half of the workers who used to fill downtown office towers are working in person most days. That has led to high office building vacancies, lower revenue from property and sales taxes, and fewer workers riding transit and supporting local businesses. Now that working from home continues to be the norm, city leaders, landlords and merchants are wondering what to do next. We’ll dig into what this massive shift in the office market means for our region’s urban centers, economy and workers.

Guests:

Ted Egan, chief economist, San Francisco Controller's Office

Karen Chapple, professor of city and regional planning, University of California, Berkeley

Kevin Truong, staff writer, The San Francisco Standard

Colin Yasukochi, executive director, CBRE Tech Insights Center

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The Black Film Canon, published in 2016 by Slate, accumulated the 50 best films by Black filmmakers, including movies like “Do The Right Thing” and the 1920 silent film “Within Our Gates.” Thanks to films like “Moonlight” and “Get Out,” a 2023 update was due, and in collaboration with NPR The New Black Film Canon was born. The collection now includes 75 films, where they’re streaming and what made them groundbreaking. Pop Culture Happy Hour’s Aisha Harris and Slate’s Dan Kois join us to celebrate, look back and examine how “we’re now living in a different world for Black film.”

Related Link(s):

• The New Black Film Canon

Guests:

Aisha Harris, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPR

Dan Kois, writer, Slate

W. Kamau Bell, comedian; host, CNN's United Shades of America

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