KQED's Forum

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced this week that her office has opened a criminal investigation of the Trump Organization, in a joint effort with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The investigation centers on whether the Trump Organization illegally overstated the values of its properties to secure favorable loans and tax benefits. We'll talk about what's at stake for the former president and his business associates.

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Cuing off the difficult times we are living in, authors Rachel Levin and Tara Duggan have a new, and hilarious, cookbook that encourages readers to put their feelings into making food. Whether you want to pound out your anger on a pork loin to make their “Hammered Schnitzel” or cry over sliced onions for some “Sad French Onion Soup,” “Steamed: A Catharsis Cookbook” has a recipe for you. What’s the dish that you make when you’re “anxiety cooking” -- which, according to the authors, is “stress-eating's more productive cousin”?

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Some members of the Bay Area’s indigenous community say their history is being erased, and are calling for ancestral land of the Coast Miwok, including parts of the Point Reyes National Seashore, to revert to the communities that first roamed there. It’s a conversation that is beginning to take hold nationally. The cover story in this month’s "The Atlantic" argues that more than 60 national parks should be returned to the stewardship of Native tribes. We’ll explore the untold history and legacy of local public lands.

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The Los Angeles Times published an article titled “The man who didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” on Sunday that ignited backlash from fans of both the snack and self-proclaimed inventor, Richard Montañez. Some consider the article an unjustified attack on Montañez, who created a brand of his own with his story of rising from factory floor worker to executive at snack maker Frito-Lay. The exposé asserts that the spicy chips were developed by a separate division at Frito-Lay and that a central part of Montañez’s claim to fame simply isn’t true. The story comes on the heels of Montañez releasing his second memoir in June and the production of a biopic on him directed by Eva Longoria. We talk about the fallout from the article and the broader question of how Latinos are portrayed and represented in the media and corporate world.

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The U.S. Supreme Court announced this week that it would review a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Legal observers say the move could signal the Court’s willingness to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion before a fetus is viable -- which generally occurs at 24 weeks. We’ll talk about the history of the case and how the Court’s 6-3 conservative majority might rule.  

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Nearly all of Apple’s products are assembled in China and 20% of its sales are generated there. That relationship has led Apple to compromise on its privacy protections for Chinese customers, allowing for government censorship and surveillance, according to a new New York Times investigation. Forum talks with New York Times technology reporter Jack Nicas about the investigation and the ways that Apple shifted its ideals and customer commitments to meet China’s escalating demands.

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Federal safety authorities announced another investigation into Tesla after a fatal crash, a tweet from CEO Elon Musk sent the crypto-currency market into a tailspin and the company’s stock took a dive. Just another month of news for the CEO and company that some love to love, and many love to hate. We’ll talk about the volatility and ingenuity of Elon Musk and Telsa and where it all might be headed.

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The social media app TikTok has grown exponentially since its release in 2016, with over 689 million active users worldwide. Famous for its short, looping videos that feature a range of content including lip syncs, dance routines, personal storytelling and documentary-style footage, it’s become a popular place to spend hours online, especially among Gen Z. Particularly in the past year, when in-person interaction was limited due to the pandemic, many people found community on TikTok and used it as a way to de-stress or express their creativity. We’ll talk about TikTok’s appeal and hear from popular creators Nick Cho and Taylor Cassidy about the communities they’ve found and built on the app.

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Nearly half a million Americans died from opioid abuse between 1999 and 2019 and one family’s name has become synonymous with that crisis.  The Sacklers, who own Purdue Pharma, built their wealth promoting the blockbuster addictive painkiller OxyContin. The company continues to face civil litigation for their role in helping ignite the epidemic of opioid addiction.  Journalist Patrick Radden Keefe joins us to talk about his new book “Empire of Pain”, which chronicles the history of the Sackler family and critically examines corporate ethics in the pharmaceutical industry.

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Israeli air strikes continued to devastate the Gaza Strip on Monday, as violence between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas entered its second week. The air attacks have killed roughly 200 Palestinians in Gaza — including more than 50 children — and left over 1,000 injured. Over the last week, at least ten Israelis have been killed by Hamas, which began launching rockets at Israel in retaliation for its decision to barricade a Muslim sacred site during Ramadan, and against mounting tensions over the threatened eviction of six Palestinian families from East Jerusalem. We'll talk about why the violence has erupted now and the prospects for a ceasefire.

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