KQED's Forum

The pandemic has hit the East Bay’s Latino immigrant community disproportionately hard. And to make matters worse, many were unable to access services that were available - things like rent relief, food aid, and help with utility bills. A recent El Tímpano report, produced in collaboration with Latino USA, looks at the consequences of these obstacles as well as community solutions. We’ll discuss the report, the role of language barriers and touch on some of the unique challenges faced by Maya Guatemalans in the East Bay who speak an indigenous language called Mam.

Guests:

Tania Quintana, program coordinator, Education Super Highway; community organizer, researcher and writer.

Madeleine Bair, journalist and founder of El Tímpano.

Linda Roman, program specialist, Tech Exchange.

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Correction: This episode mentions a video of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sean Hannity that does not exist; the video was manipulated. We apologize for not catching the error on air.

The now-unsealed warrant authorizing the search of Donald Trump’s residence last week indicates the FBI is investigating the former president for possible violations of three laws, including the Espionage Act. Eleven sets of classified documents, some of which were marked top-secret, were recovered by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago. We’ll talk about what we can expect next from the Justice Department, recap the defenses and claims made so far by the former president and his team, and analyze how this could play out politically.

Guests:

Andrew Weissmann, professor of Practice with the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law, New York University School of Law - former federal prosecutor and general counsel to the FBI

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

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In 1969, a group of students, activists and community members in Berkeley transformed a muddy abandoned parking lot into a park. They called it People's Park and ever since, the space has served as a hub for political organizing, culture and community. But throughout its 53 year history, there have been ongoing disputes over the land between the park community and the park’s owner, UC Berkeley. Now, the university has big plans to build housing on the site, which has led to recent clashes between protesters and police. We’ll hear from the UC and opponents of the plan, and we ask our listeners: what should the future of the park look like? 

Guests:

Dan Mogulof, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Public Affairs, University of California, Berkeley

Harvey Smith, member of People's Park Historic District Advocacy Group; author of "Berkeley and the New Deal"

Supriya Yelimeli, housing and homelessness reporter, Berkeleyside

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"From a modern perspective," writes biographer Alec Nevala-Lee, Buckminster Fuller resembles "a Silicon Valley visionary who was born a half century too soon." But the relentlessly optimistic futurist, entrepreneur and geodesic dome pioneer was also a self-promoter who exaggerated his inventions and failed to credit his collaborators. We’ll talk to Nevala-Lee about Fuller’s scientific and cultural contributions and his complicated legacy.

Guests:

Alec Nevala-Lee, author, Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller

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During the pandemic, many people turned to shopping to adapt, cope or relieve stress. Now, some consumers are dealing with buyer’s remorse over items like air fryers, hot tubs, fancy exercise bikes, massive amounts of baking supplies or even new pets. While others have regrets over things they didn’t spend money on such as a home improvement project now that material and labor costs have soared. We talk with experts about why consumers make decisions they later wish they hadn’t and how to manage regret. And, we want to hear your stories of pandemic purchase regrets, write us an email or send a voice memo to [email protected].

Guests:

Jorge Barraza, professor of psychology, University of Southern California

Aparna Labroo, professor of marketing and consumer psychologist, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

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“This is it, the end of a story that started in Compton, California, with a little Black girl who just wanted to play tennis,” said Serena Williams in her retirement announcement in Vogue magazine. For nearly three decades, Williams has dominated and transformed the sport of tennis. Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 major championships in doubles with her sister, Venus, and four Olympic gold medals. Considered by many to be the GOAT, or greatest of all time, Williams has been an inspiration to a generation of tennis players, and her career has had special resonance for Black women, on and off the court. We’ll talk about her legacy and we want to hear from you: What has Serena Williams meant to you?

Guests:

Gerry Marzaroti, journalist, New Yorker Magazine; author, "Seeing Serena"

Cecil Harris, veteran sports reporter; host, podcast docuseries "All-American: Venus & Serena"; author, "Different Strokes: Serena, Venus, and the Unfinished Black Tennis Revolution," and "Charging the Net: A History of Blacks in Tennis from Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe to the Williams Sisters"

Suzette Hackney, deputy editor and national columnist, USA TODAY

LZ Granderson, columnist, The Los Angeles Times; host, "Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson" podcast

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It’s been a year since the United States’ chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, leaving the Taliban in full control of the country. Thousands of refugees fled the country in fear of the new regime, many ending up in the Bay Area, one of the largest Afghan communities in the US. In this hour, we’ll hear from local Afghans about how evacuees are dealing with challenges like the housing crisis and uncertainty over immigration status. We’ll also get an update on the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which is facing widespread hunger and poverty and a Taliban crackdown on women’s rights.

Guests:

Joseph Azam, board chair, Afghan-American Foundation - non-partisan non-profit focused on advocating on behalf of Afghan American community

Matthieu Aikins, author, "The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees;" contributing writer, the New York Times Magazine

Zuhal Bahaduri, executive director and co-founder, The 5ive Pillars Organization

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"My ideas about the Inland Empire have always been seeded with a prickly skepticism" writes Tyrone Beason in the latest installment of his L.A. Times series, "My Country." But as Beason immersed himself in the vast region, he discovered a bygone California of orange trees and wild burros that's drawing more and more people of color who are escaping expensive and predominantly white coastal cities. We'll talk to Beason about his journeys in the Inland Empire and how migration is reshaping the region racially, politically and culturally.

Guests:

Tyrone Beason, staff writer, Los Angeles Times - His recent piece for the Times is "In the vastness of the Inland Empire, people of color find ‘peace in these troubled times.’"

Fatima Nelson, recent Inland Empire transplant; community engagement specialist, UC Riverside’s Center for Social Innovation.

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Mexican singer Silvana Estrada and the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest have at least one thing in common: they both defy genre. The 25-year-old singer from the coastal Mexican state of Veracruz is now on tour promoting her latest album, “Marchita.” Estrada’s music is rooted in jazz, but spans a fusion of musical styles. The summer jazz fest takes a similar approach by making jazz the base, but layering in dozens of other styles such as blues and R&B, salsa, cumbia and folk music from around the world. Estrada is one of headliners who will perform at the 12-stage jazz festival this weekend. She joins us to preview the festival and to talk about how she both embraces and rejects musical traditions.

Guests:

Silvana Estrada, Mexican singer, will perform at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022 on Aug. 13.

Betto Arcos, music journalist, curated the Latin Tropical Stage for the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest 2022.

Brendan Rawson, executive director, San Jose Jazz.

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Forty-eight million Americans use Medicare Part D to access their prescription medications, and according to a Department of Health and Human Services study from January of this year, more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries are struggling to afford those prescriptions. But if enacted, the Inflation Reduction Act could soon bring those prices down. The legislation would give the federal government more bargaining power in Medicare negotiations with pharmaceutical companies and cap out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs for covered Medicare recipients beginning in 2025. We’ll talk about the bill and how it could impact your prescription drug costs.

Guests:

Juliette Cubanski, deputy director of the Program on Medicare Policy, KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation).

Astrid Galván, editor, Axios Latino.

David Mitchell, founder, Patients For Affordable Drugs, Patients For Affordable Drugs NOW - diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010.

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