KQED's Forum

For the first time in modern U.S. history, the wealthiest 400 households are paying a lower percentage of their incomes in taxes than the working class. That's according to "The Triumph of Injustice: How the Rich Dodge Taxes and How to Make Them Pay," a new book by UC Berkeley economics professors Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman. The duo -- who also helped design the tax plans of Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- draw from U.S. history to argue in favor of raising taxes on the nation's wealthy and against trickle-down economics. Zucman joins us to discuss the book, the proposal for a wealth tax and why the current U.S. tax system is a "triumph of injustice."

Fiona Hill, the former Russia advisor on the National Security Council, testified Thursday that E.U. Ambassador Gordon Sondland was "on a domestic political errand" to pressure Ukraine to investigate President Trump's rivals in exchange for U.S. aid. Her testimony, together with that of Ukraine diplomat David Holmes, capped off the last week of scheduled public impeachment hearings. We'll discuss the inquiry's key moments and what's next.

Police are working to uncover the motive for a 16-year-old student who opened fire at his high school in Santa Clarita on Thursday, killing two classmates and injuring three others and himself. Many who knew the shooter are reportedly shocked that he perpetrated the crime, but in many ways he fits the profile of K-12 shooters. Forum talks with a sociologist who has studied the 171 mass shootings in public spaces since 1966 and found that there are five types of mass shooters, depending on where the crime took place. We'll discuss what we know about mass shooters and whether the information can help prevent acts of mass violence.

The public phase of the House impeachment inquiry continues next week. We'll review the proceedings so far and take your questions about the latest news from Washington, D.C.

On November 20, 1969, Native students and activists stormed the island of Alcatraz by boat, launching a 19-month occupation in protest of federal denial of land and tribal rights. The occupation became a cornerstone of Native social justice activism in the 1960s and 70s and fueled a national Red Power movement for American Indian self-determination. Forum looks back on the occupation of Alcatraz ahead of its 50th anniversary and talks about the state of Native American activism today.

In 1769, Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá trekked from what is now modern-day San Diego to San Francisco. In 2016, writer Nick Neely followed in Portolá's footsteps and over 12 weeks completed the 650-mile hike himself. Neely joins us to share what he learned about California's fraught history as chronicled in his new book, "Alta California: From San Diego to San Francisco, a Journey on Foot to Rediscover the Golden State."

The first public impeachment hearings in more than two decades began Wednesday. The five hour, nationally broadcast hearing included new details in allegations that President Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden's family. William Taylor, the top American diplomat in Ukraine, testified that a staffer was told Trump cared more about investigations of the Bidens than Ukraine. Forum discusses the first day of public impeachment hearings.

"If history is a story we're telling one another," writes author Tamim Ansary, "what is its plot?" That's the question Ansary takes on with his ambitious new book, "The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000 Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection." Ansary sees history as narratives we tell to make sense of our world and he finds surprising connections, and similar historical narratives, across disparate cultures as we move toward an even more intertwined future.

Rich Lowry, the editor of the conservative National Review, thinks nationalism is getting a bad rap. His new book "The Case for Nationalism" argues that nationalism is not inherently racist, illiberal or hateful. Instead, Lowry says that it's a natural impulse stemming from a people's shared history and culture. Lowry joins Forum to talk about why he thinks nationalism has been an animating feature of American history, from the Revolutionary War to the present, and why both the right and the left should accept it as part of today's political discourse.

Kaiser Permanente chairman and CEO Bernard Tyson, known as a visionary leader who advocated for equity in the health care industry, died unexpectedly in his sleep Sunday. Forum remembers his impact on the Bay Area community and beyond.