KQED's Forum

Cars have become dramatically more expensive in the United States in recent years, with the average price hitting a record of $50,000 in 2025. But now the market faces both higher sticker prices and a surge in gas prices stemming from the war in Iran. In the past, U.S. consumers have relied on relatively affordable fuel to justify buying large cars such as SUVs and trucks. In fact, most U.S.-based automakers don’t even make sedans and compact cars anymore. California, however, has been pushing drivers to buy more electric cars. We talk about how the current rise in car prices and fuel costs along with government policies are affecting the U.S. auto market.

Guests:

Edward Loh, head of editorial, MotorTrend - an automotive media company

Scott Moura, professor in civil and environmental engineering and acting director of the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley

Jessica Caldwell, head of insights, Edmunds - an automotive information and car buying website

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With the war in Iran creating major economic uncertainty, some economists are forecasting that a recession could arrive this year. The economy had already been showing signs of weakness, including layoffs in Big Tech and enduring inflation concerns, and now surging oil prices are rocking U.S. markets. How bad might an economic downturn be in 2026? And are we prepared for a recession?

Guests:

Talmon Joseph Smith, economics reporter, The New York Times

Claudia Sahm, chief economist, New Century Advisors; her Substack is "Stay-at-Home Macro"

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In 2022, the conflict in Ukraine unleashed the first TikTok war. Now, four years later with the war in Iran, AI and a souped up social media are documenting and often distorting how we view that conflict. The Trump administration is keen to ‘gameify’ war with social media clips ripped from video games and action movies, and nations on all sides of the war are pushing out disinformation that is making it hard to understand what is happening. We talk about AI, disinformation and social media as tools of war.

Guests:

Kyle Chayka, staff writer, The New Yorker; his recent piece on the Iran War is titled "War in the Age of the Online 'Information Bomb;'" author, "Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture"

Tiffany Hsu, technology reporter, The New York Times

Drew Harwell, technology reporter, The Washington Post

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The United States continues to ramp up its military presence near Iran, newly deploying three San Diego-based warships to the Middle East along with some 2500 Camp Pendleton Marines. Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, who served multiple tours in Iraq and commanded US Army Europe, is a critic of the U.S-Israel war on Iran, saying that it unnecessarily puts lives at risk, lacks any coherent political objective and leaves the U.S. vulnerable to cyberattacks and other forms of reprisal. We’ll talk to Hertling about the latest Iran developments and his own combat experience, which he details in a new memoir called “If I Don’t Return: A Father’s Wartime Journal.”

Guests:

Lieutenant General Mark Hertling (Ret.), former commanding general, US Army Europe; commander during the 2007-2009 Iraq surge; author, "If I Don't Return: A Father's Wartime Journal"

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San Francisco’s government has long been shaped by a tension between efficiency and public oversight. After voters approved Prop E in 2024, a new Commission Streamlining Task Force was created and it recently recommended cutting and merging many of the city’s roughly 150 boards and commissions—potentially reducing them by more than 40 percent. But the proposals, which critics say would limit the power of oversight bodies like the police and ethics commissions, sparked major pushback, and now the Board of Supervisors says it will likely act only on “non-controversial” changes. Will efforts to streamline city government ever make headway—and should they?

Guests:

Jonah Owen Lamb, staff writer, SF Examiner

Io Yeh Gilman, reporter, Mission Local

Lauren Post, former member, Public Works Commission

Amerika Sanchez, member, Human Rights Commission; went through Urban Habitat incubator program to help people of color join commissions; served on 2 commissions

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An intense mid-March heat wave was the death knell for operations at some California ski parks. Several Tahoe resorts waved the white flag and are closing operations a month early, while smaller, lower-elevation ski parks shuttered operations even earlier. If this becomes a longer trend, can resorts withstand an on-again, off-again winter in future seasons? 

Guests:

Bryan Allegretto, California Forecaster, OpenSnow

Andy Buckley, general manager, Homewood Mountain Resort

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President Trump has said he supports “legal” immigration, but his administration has dismantled or limited pathways for immigrants to attain legal status. Visa programs including the diversity lottery are on hiatus. Citizenship ceremonies have been canceled. Wait times for green card approvals are stretching longer. We’ll talk about the Trump Administration’s moves to limit immigration and what pathways remain.

Guests:

Jennifer Chacón, professor, Stanford Law School

Julia Gelatt, associate director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute

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California will rename Cesar Chavez Day after the New York Times reported Wednesday that the labor icon had sexually abused, assaulted and raped girls and women, including his longtime collaborator Dolores Huerta. The Times’ yearslong investigation, which was corroborated by more than 60 interviews and hundreds of farmworker union records, broke decades of silence by Chavez’s victims, who said they refrained from speaking for fear of tarnishing the union leader’s storied reputation. As Californians reel from revelations that upend popular assumptions about Chavez, we talk about how his legacy’s being reshaped and hear your reactions.

Guests:

Miriam Pawel, journalist and author, "The Crusades of Cesar Chavez: A Biography"

Manny Fernandez, California editor-at-large, The New York Times

Matthew J. Garcia, professor of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean studies, Dartmouth College; author, "From the Jaws of Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers Movement"

Alexandra Macedo, assemblywoman representing California's 33rd assembly district, which includes Fresno County, Kings County and Tulare County

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When mealtimes come, more and more people instinctively reach for their phones and open up an app. Many customers now want restaurant food, often delivered contactless to their door step, without the actual restaurant experience. In a report last year, the National Restaurant Association found that nearly three out of four restaurant orders were for delivery or takeout. This shift has fundamentally altered the way many restaurants do business and how many diners eat, socialize and spend money. We’ll talk about the rise of food delivery apps and why people keep ordering in despite the added cost and risk of cold, soggy food.

Guests:

Corey Mintz, food journalist; author, "The Next Supper: The End of Restaurants as We Knew Them, and What Comes After"

Michele McQueen, owner, Town Fare at the Oakland Museum of California and cocktail bar Lucy Blue

Tony Gemignani, chef, owner, author and pizza instructor, Slice House Pizza

Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association; owner of two San Francisco restaurants

Arzsebet Saucedo, shift lead, Aburaya

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Gas prices are spiking worldwide as the war in Iran and the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz cause major disruptions to the transport of about a fifth of the world’s oil. In an attempt to improve access and reduce prices, many countries are tapping into oil reserves, and the U.S. has even lifted some sanctions on Russian exports. But costs remain high, especially in California, where drivers pay the highest prices in the nation. Now, the Trump administration is restarting an oil pipeline that’s been offline since a major Santa Barbara spill in 2015. We look at the impact of the war on California’s oil industry and on you: How have you been affected by rising gas prices?

Guests:

Severin Borenstein, professor and faculty director of The Energy Institute, UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

Alejandro Lazo, climate reporter, CalMatters

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