KQED's Forum

We'll discuss the medical and political implications of President Trump's coronavirus diagnosis, and the White House's controversial handling of the crisis.

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Back in 2004, California voters approved funds, and a new agency, to focus on stem cell research. Today, that pot of money is almost empty. Proposition 14 on the November ballot would authorize a $5.5 billion bond to continue to fund stem cell research in the state. We’ll get details on the proposition and hear from its proponents and detractors.

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We’ll get the latest on President Trump's health and the White House's handling of his coronavirus diagnosis with  New York Times Washington correspondent Michael Schmidt, author of the new book “Donald Trump v. The United States."

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Proposition 25 on the November ballot seeks to end the cash bail system in California and replace it with one based on risk assessment. If passed, it would make California the first state in the nation to completely eliminate commercial bail. Prop 25 stems from Senate Bill 10, which was signed into law in 2018 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown and would have ended cash bail effective last October. Instead, a coalition against the legislation collected enough signatures to put the issue up for a vote. Proponents of Prop 25 say this would make the process more fair, where a defendant’s freedom isn’t dependent on their economic status. Those opposed say ending cash bail burdens police departments with ensuring defendants appear in court and takes away a person’s choice to secure release from jail through bail. Forum takes up the debate.

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19 after White House adviser Hope Hicks was confirmed to have the virus.  The president’s physician said the couple are both “well at this time.”  President Trump has been criticized for downplaying the severity of the virus in the early stages and belittling mask wearing and social distancing.  We'll discuss how this might affect the election.

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President Donald Trump is experiencing “mild symptoms” after he and first lady Melania Trump both tested positive for the coronavirus. The president's results came just a few hours after the news last night that top aide Hope Hicks tested positive for COVID-19. In this hour of Forum we’re going to talk about the medical, political and and other implications of this bombshell news.

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One of the biggest challenges facing the election this year is simply the process. For the first time ever, all California voters will receive a ballot in the mail. Some voters are concerned their vote may not be counted. On top of that, voters are hungry for trustworthy information about candidates and issues. We take your questions about voting this year with Kim Alexander, president and founder of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation.

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Countless hurdles throughout the pandemic. A legal fight. Now an uncertain end date. If you’re as confused as we are about the status of the 2020 Census, NPR’s census expert Hansi Lo Wang is here to help make sense of what is going on.

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California State University system’s new chancellor, Joseph Castro, will take over an organization beset with challenges from the pandemic, including a nearly 300 million dollar budget cut and mostly no in person instruction for the entire school year.  Despite that, Castro says “I think we’re going to be stronger after COVID than we were before.”  Castro will be the first Californian and the first Mexican-American to head up the CSU system in which 43% of the nearly half a million students are Latino.  When Castro starts on the job  in January,  for the first time in state history, all three of California’s public higher education systems will be led by people of color. 

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We'll get the latest on the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties which burned more than 48,000 acres on Wednesday. Firefighters have slowed the growth rate of the wildfire but they are expecting to face higher  temperatures and windy conditions in the coming days. More than 80 homes have been destroyed and over 20,000 structures are threatened by the fire which is just 2 percent contained. 

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