KQED's Forum

California early educators are nearly twice as likely to live in poverty than other workers, that's according to a new report by UC Berkeley's Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, in collaboration with the Economic Policy Institute. Low pay for early educators and high turnover rates are contributing to an already stressed early child care and education system, defined by overall shortages. Few Californians have access to quality child care, regardless of salary. In the state, an estimated 4 million children need childcare, but there are fewer than 1 million licensed slots. Forum discusses the state of early child care in California for both providers and parents.

The California Air Resources Board announced Thursday that it has reached a deal with four major automakers to reduce tailpipe emissions, undermining the Trump Administration's plan to roll back Obama-era clean vehicle standards. The voluntary pact struck with Ford, Honda, Volkswagen and BMW keeps in place the state's current emissions reduction program through 2026 and incentivizes manufacturers to produce more electric vehicles. We'll analyze what it all means.

In his recent essay "A Refusal to Defend or Even Stick Up for the Art of the Short Story," author Peter Orner opts to leave unspoken "what makes certain stories reach into your chest cavity and rip out what is left of your heart." Orner joins Forum to talk about his new short story collection "Maggie Brown & Others," and his own process of tugging on readers' heartstrings.

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified before Congress Wednesday in a much anticipated hearing. Democrats used a subpoena to make Mueller appear before Congress so that Americans could watch the former special counsel tell his story. Republicans have undermined Mueller's investigation, the Justice Department and FBI for months. Now the question is, what does this mean for Washington and the nation? We'll talk about how the testimony could affect the Trump Administration moving forward.

People who use cannabis daily are three times more likely to develop psychotic disorders like schizophrenia than those who have never used cannabis. That's according to a study published in March in The Lancet Psychiatry, which also found that daily users of high potency cannabis, defined as having THC concentrations of greater than ten percent, are five times more likely to develop psychosis. As more states join California in legalizing recreational cannabis, we'll talk about the latest research on the association between cannabis use and mental illness.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters shut down a main highway in Puerto Rico Monday, demanding that Governor Ricardo Rosselló step down. Rosselló has been under fire for corruption and leaked chat room messages in which he disparaged victims of Hurricane Maria. In an interview with Fox News Monday, Rosselló said he hasn't resigned because of his "respect" for democracy and the rule of law. We'll discuss the latest developments.

Former London Mayor Boris Johnson has won the United Kingdom's conservative leadership vote and will take over as prime minister Wednesday afternoon. In his victory speech, Johnson vowed to withdraw from the European Union by the October 31 deadline, even if no deal is reached with the remaining EU countries. Forum looks at what this leadership change means for the UK and Brexit.

While progress has been made in defending the U.S. against cyber attacks, significant threats continue to emerge like the takedown of power grids and election hacking seen in recent years. And former U.S. counterterrorism officer Richard Clarke fears worse scenarios await--like the U.S. getting pulled into war against a cyber army capable of hacking the country’s conventional weapons systems. Just how prepared is the United States for cyberwar? Clarke joins us to discuss that, and his new book “The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Country, Our Companies, and Ourselves in the Age of Cyber Threats.”

Forum reviews, analyzes and answers your questions about the latest from Washington, D.C.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the FBI and the FTC Wednesday to investigate FaceApp, the popular photo-aging mobile tool. Schumer, echoing concerns by digital privacy advocates, said that FaceApp could use its customers' photos and names publicly without their consent. He also said that FaceApp, which is based in Saint Petersburg, Russia, could share U.S. citizens' data with hostile foreign governments. If you've used FaceApp or similar tools, how concerned should you be?