KQED's Forum

A new China-imposed "anti-protest" law has already led to arrests in Hong Kong and has residents on edge over further erosion of freedom in the semiautonomous territory.  We'll hear about the new law, why it has activists worried, and why China is dismissing those concerns.

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Three months into shelter-in-place restrictions, California had contained the spread of the coronavirus. Now heading into July, infection rates and hospitalizations have ticked up to more than 225,000 cases statewide -- nearly doubling in just one month. Experts say Memorial Day weekend marks a turning point when more people resumed going to work, socializing and patronizing businesses. Health professionals expected some of the recent surge as more tests became available. Still, some of the increase happened because people are engaging in more high-risk activities and not taking sufficient precautions such as wearing masks. We discuss what is driving the current surge of coronavirus cases in California and how to regain control of the pandemic.

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Santa Clara County released guidelines Tuesday for reopening schools for in-person classes, but county school officials say districts should have a remote learning backup plan in case coronavirus conditions worsen.   As schools grapple with whether to fully reopen during the pandemic, pediatricians this week weighed in with a strong recommendation for having students physically present in schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics says continuing remote learning will increase social isolation, cause further learning loss and exacerbate inequalities. Forum will discuss the conditions for schools to reopen and we want to hear from you. Are you a student, parent or teacher? Are you ready for the schools to reopen?

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More than 6 million workers have filed for unemployment in California since the pandemic began. California’s unemployment agency, the EDD, has  awarded $24 billion in benefits since mid-March, but many applicants have experienced long waiting periods and some have received no benefits at all. Last week, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized the EDD, calling for an audit of the agency and for Gov. Gavin Newsom to intervene. We’ll discuss how California is handling the record number of unemployment claims and we’ll take your questions on unemployment benefits. 

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Several social media platforms have removed hate speech and calls to violence from their platforms in recent weeks. Reddit made headlines this week for eliminating a channel dedicated to President Donald Trump among about 2,000 others that the site said violated its rules against hate speech. Meanwhile, Facebook has come under sharp criticism for not removing hateful posts from Trump and has lost several major advertisers. Starbucks Corp. said Sunday it would halt all social media ad spending to stop the spread of hate speech. We discuss the role of hate speech on social media and the responsibility of platforms to police it.

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In his work and life, writer James Baldwin often balanced between feelings of despair and faith that the U.S. could be better and become a truly multiracial democracy. It was Baldwin's ability to balance faith and despair as well as love and rage that fascinated Princeton University professor of African American Studies Eddie Glaude Jr. and prompted his new book, "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own." We'll discuss the book, Baldwin, and the current "moral reckoning" Glaude sees upon us.

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Why do some people embrace masks and practice meticulous social distancing while others rebel against public health mandates? Psychologists are studying what drives behavior in the pandemic, and they're also looking at how information overload can influence how people react to the crisis. In this hour, psychologists Ellen Peters and Jay Van Bavel join us to lay out how social and behavioral science can help explain how people respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and how that information can help guide public policy messaging around containment.

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In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana abortion law Monday, effectively saving the right to choose in the state. The law, which was enacted in 2014, required doctors to have active admitting privileges at a hospital near the facility where they provide abortions. Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the four-member liberal wing, opposing the votes of both Trump-appointed justices. We'll discuss the details of the case and explore what this ruling means for the future of abortion laws across the country.

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Yesterday, President Donald Trump retweeted a video that included one of his supporters yelling “white power” in response to protesters. Trump thanked the "great people" in the video.  The president later deleted the tweet and the White House said he had not heard the racist chant in the video, which depicted arguments among residents of The Villages, a predominantly white and conservative Florida retirement community.  Some critics said the president was trying to distract attention from another growing scandal: an intelligence report that concluded Russia had paid a bounty to the Taliban to kill American troops serving in Afghanistan.  We’ll talk about those two stories and more with GOP political consultant Mike Madrid.

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In early April, Governor Newsom launched Project Roomkey, a temporary program designed to protect vulnerable homeless populations from Covid-19 by housing them in empty hotel rooms. The state has since placed more than 10,000 homeless residents in rooms, and officials are considering ways to make the program permanent. But long-term funding for Project Roomkey is uncertain, and some local communities are resisting. We'll assess the program and its future.

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