KQED's Forum

An American naval blockade of Iranian ports entered its third day as the U.S. tries to open up ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, President Trump contends that the war is “very close to being over” but also renewed threats to destroy civilian infrastructure. We talk about the latest in Iran and what might happen if no deal is reached before the ceasefire expires next week.

Guests:

Dalia Dassa Kaye, senior fellow, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations; author, “Enduring Hostility: The Making of America’s Iran Policy”

Robin Wright, contributing writer, New Yorker; her recent piece is "'The Peace President' Gets Belligerent with Iran and the Pope;" author, "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East"

David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent, New York Times; his most recent book is "New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion and America’s Struggle to Save the West"

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Facing sexual misconduct allegations from at least five women, including one former staffer, Bay Area Democrat Eric Swalwell resigned from Congress, where he had served since 2013. Swalwell, who denies the accusations, also suspended his campaign for California governor over the weekend. We look at how his departure reshapes the governor’s race and how allegations of sexual misconduct are being treated now, nearly a decade after the #MeToo movement began.

Guests:

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

Alexei Koseff, Washington, D.C. correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle

Allison Gordon, investigative reporter and producer, CNN

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President Trump promised that new tax provisions in his One Big Beautiful Bill would deliver a windfall to millions of Americans. No more taxes on overtime. No taxes on tips. No taxes on  Social Security payments. While many taxpayers are seeing larger tax refunds this year, the fine print behind Trump’s promises means these tax breaks have been smaller than many expected. We look at the impact of changes in the tax code and who stands to benefit the most. And if you haven’t submitted your returns yet, we want to hear from you: What questions do you still have before the midnight filing deadline.

Guests:

Shannon Pettypiece, senior policy reporter, NBC News Digital

Karen Brosi, tax preparer and certified financial planner

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NPR’s “Planet Money” has spent years answering economic questions big and small on its flagship podcast and the daily show “The Indicator,” and now the team is out with a new book: “Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life.” The book tackles questions like whether you should rent or buy a home, why the stock market keeps climbing, and why products like TV and clothes get cheaper while the cost of childcare and concert tickets keep going up. We’ll talk to the authors — and answer your big questions about the economy.

Guests:

Alex Mayyasi, author, "Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life"

Kenny Malone, co-host, Planet Money

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Books have long transported us to other worlds and lives. But in the American publishing market only a small fraction of books are works in translation –literature from around the world that has been  translated for an English-language audience. Now, the non-profit Center for the Art of Translation is opening a bookstore and cultural center in downtown San Francisco dedicated to bringing translated works to the public. In this hour, we talk to publishers and literary translators to ask: What does it take to bring a book to an English reading audience? How do translations challenge our world view?

Guests:

Olivia Sears, board president and founder, Center for the Art of Translation

Bruna Dantas Lobato, Brazilian literary translator; her translation of “The Words That Remain” by Stênio Gardel won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature; writer, “Blue Light Hours;" assistant professor of English and Creative Writing, Grinnell College

Adam Levy, publisher, Transit Books

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Thirty years ago, journalist Amy Goodman premiered the daily radio show Democracy Now. Launched on nine community radio stations in 1996, the program now broadcasts on over 1,400 television and radio stations worldwide. Along the way, Goodman and Democracy Now provided groundbreaking coverage of the Standing Rock protests, Chevron’s alleged corruption in Nigeria and illnesses linked to toxins after 9/11. The new documentary “Steal This Story, Please!” recounts Goodman’s career. We’ll talk with her about the documentary, three decades of Democracy Now and the role of independent journalism in today’s news landscape.

Guests:

Amy Goodman, host and executive producer, Democracy Now!; subject of "Steal This Story, Please!" about her 30 year career in independent media

Tia Lessin, co-director, ‘Steal This Story, Please!’

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For decades, the top political issue for many U.S. Catholics has been abortion. But, a recent article in “The Atlantic” argues that the focus has shifted to opposing the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies and enforcement. Pope Leo, the first American to head the Catholic Church, has criticized and rebuffed Trump’s policies, statements and acts of war as contrary to church teaching and Christian values. We’ll talk about political tensions U.S. Catholics are grappling with and how that relates to our broader political system.

Guests:

Christopher Hale, a progressive Catholic and political operative who writes the Letters from Leo Substack

Francis X. Rocca, contributing writer, The Atlantic, He is also the Vatican editor at EWTN News

Amirah Orozco, theologian, research assistant and doctoral candidate, University of Notre Dame

Dónal Godfrey, university chaplain, University of San Francisco

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The fight over data centers is intensifying in California and nationwide as organizers develop new strategies to take on tech companies and developers. While an Imperial Valley site is moving forward despite community backlash, Monterey Park will vote this June on whether to ban all data center development in the city — one of multiple data center referendums on ballots across the U.S. this year. We’ll talk with a data center developer who says these sites create jobs and infrastructure necessary for the A.I. boom and a state lawmaker who wants more oversight.

Guests:

Molly Taft, senior climate reporter, WIRED

Kori Suzuki, South Bay & Imperial Valley Reporter, KPBS Public Media

Sen. Steve Padilla, state senator representing the counties of San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino

Sebastian Rucci, chief executive officer, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, LLC

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In the year 2000, four pre-teen girls in Santa Rosa — three 11-year-olds, and one 9-year-old little sister — wrote and recorded an album inspired by the Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child and Fiona Apple, and even filmed music videos for the album. Then, their band X-Cetra disbanded as the elder members entered junior high and found the entire project — to use the slang of today’s kids — cringe. Decades later, online experimental music nerds discovered the album, with its haunting child vocals and startling low-fi beats, and turned it into a cult hit, garnering X-Cetra a record contract and a 25th anniversary reissue. A new film “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story,” which won the South by Southwest documentary jury award last month, documents the reunion of X-Cetra, many of whose members hadn’t made art since. We’ll talk with the band about what it means to revisit childhood creativity in adulthood, and we’ll hear from you: Were you more creative as a tween than you are now? Have you returned to the art you made?

Guests:

Ayden Mayeri, member, X-Cetra; director, "Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story"

Jessica Hall, member, X-Cetra

Robin O’Brien, musician; producer of X-Cetra’s 2000 album, “Stardust"; mom of X-Cetra members Janet and Mary

Brittany Spanos, music journalist who wrote the Rolling Stone profile, “Four Best Friends Made an Album as Kids. 25 Years Later, It’s a Cult Classic”

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Last winter, ICE ramped up immigration enforcement in several American cities. It was a strategy that shifted focus from the US Mexico border to the streets of American cities. That led to a spike in the detention of families and children, most notably the arrest of  5-year-old Liam Ramos in Minneapolis. According to the Marshall  Project, more than 6,000 children have been held so far during Trump’s second term, and the daily detention rate in January was ten times higher than the Biden Administration’s final days. What are the conditions within these detention centers? And what are the lasting effects on the young detainees?

Guests:

Shannon Heffernan, staff writer, The Marshall Project

Anna Flagg, senior data reporter, The Marshall Project

Shaina Simenas, co-director of Technical Assistance Program, Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights

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