KQED's Forum

Kobe Bryant, retired NBA star and fixture of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday at the age of 41. We’ll talk about Bryant's decorated career and complex legacy.

Sen. Mitt Romney said Monday that more senators are willing to call former National Security Advisor John Bolton to testify at President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. A draft of Bolton’s forthcoming book provides an account that Trump said he would withhold aid from Ukraine until the country’s president announced an investigation of the Bidens. We discuss the latest news and what’s to come this week with Trump’s impeachment trial. We also dive into the controversy surrounding Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s contentious interview with veteran NPR reporter Mary Louise Kelly on Friday.

PBS NewsHour co-founder Jim Lehrer, who championed delivering unbiased news to the nation for more than three decades, died on Thursday.  We look back at the career of the broadcaster, prolific author, and presidential debate moderator.

At least 26 people were dead Friday, as China stepped up its response to the spread of a new strain of coronavirus, which causes respiratory illness. Authorities halted air and rail transportation in and out of thirteen cities around the center of the outbreak, as millions are preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday. We'll get the latest on the virus and take your questions.

The West Oakland home at the center of the Moms 4 Housing protest is set to be purchased from owner Wedgewood Properties by the Oakland Community Land Trust, an affordable housing nonprofit. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced the agreement Monday, adding that the Trust intends to fix it up for use by Moms 4 Housing. The agreement raises questions, though, about how exactly land trusts work. In this segment, we'll discuss land trusts, how they're funded and their role within the Bay Area's housing crisis.

The Senate impeachment trial of President Trump commenced on Wednesday, as Democratic House managers presented their case that Trump abused his power and obstructed Congress in his dealings with Ukraine. In his opening statement, Rep. Adam Schiff accused Trump of using his office to "cheat" in the upcoming presidential election, as Republicans were bound to silence on the Senate floor. We’ll talk the latest on the impeachment trial and what to expect over the next few days.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced on Monday a "good faith" agreement that will allow the homeless mothers of activist group Moms 4 Housing — who had occupied and been evicted from a vacant West Oakland home earlier this month — to return and make it their residence. The home would be purchased from owner Wedgewood Properties by the Oakland Community Land Trust, an affordable housing nonprofit, on behalf of the mothers. Wedgewood also pledged to offer the right of first refusal for all of its for-sale Oakland properties to Oakland Community Land Trust, other affordable housing groups and the city of Oakland. We'll discuss the role of this agreement in the context of the Bay Area's housing crisis.

South Bay Congresswoman Anna Eshoo joins Forum to provide insight into the ongoing Senate impeachment trial. She'll also talk about her work as Chairwoman of the Health Subcommittee, where she held the committee's first hearing on federal cannabis policy last week, and as a member of the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, on which she helped shape the robocall legislation recently signed by President Trump.

Pushing back on voter suppression efforts ahead of the 2020 election. Considering a repeal of Proposition 209 — which banned affirmative action in state institutions —for California's November ballot. Taking time for self-care. These are only a few of the issues occupying the mind of Bay Area civil rights leader Eva Paterson. This hour of Forum, Paterson joins us in studio to talk about her latest work and her top priorities for 2020.

Republican political strategist Rick Wilson has spent his career working to defeat Democrats in elections across the country. Now, the self-described "old school conservative" says he has the formula for a successful Democratic campaign against President Trump. His new book "Running Against the Devil" gives a chilling warning against a second term for Trump and provides a strategy to "save" the Democratic Party by encouraging a focus on winning rather than progressive ideology. Wilson joins Forum to talk about the book and his blueprint for a Democratic presidential victory in 2020.