KQED's Forum

The first debates between Democrats vying for the White House begin this week. Twenty candidates will take to the stage over two nights, hoping to make their mark in a crowded field. What candidates will you be watching for and why? What issue do you hope to hear the candidates speak to?

Acting Customs and Border Protection chief John Sanders announced his resignation Tuesday, after just two months on the job. He'll be replaced by immigration hardliner Mark Morgan, who's currently the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The personnel shake-ups come as federal officials scramble to move hundreds of migrant children from a Texas detention facility described by lawyers last week as squalid and inhumane. Meanwhile, the House moved closer toward voting on a $4.5 billion aid package for migrants. We'll discuss the latest developments in immigration news.

While some parents might struggle over when and how to introduce their children to racism and other ugly truths, journalist Dani McClain writes that black mothers don't have "the luxury of sticking our heads in the sand and hoping our children learn about race and power as they go." Black mothering, McClain writes, is an inherently political act. Forum talks with McClain and writer Carvell Wallace about black parenthood and how to raise children with joy and serenity in a world that's often hostile to them.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors will take a final vote Tuesday on legislation banning the sale, production and distribution of e-cigarettes citywide. The measure, which would also ban the shipping of e-cigarettes to San Francisco addresses, is widely expected to pass, and Mayor London Breed has said she will sign it. The ban would go into effect in 2020 and remain in place unless the FDA verifies manufacturers' claims that e-cigarettes are safe for consumers. We'll talk about the ban, who it will affect and how it will be implemented.

The U.S. women's soccer team is looking to win its fourth World Cup this year. The team advanced to the quarterfinals on Monday with a 2-1 victory over Spain and is undefeated so far. But the Americans may meet their toughest opponent yet when they face off against tournament-host France on Friday. In this half hour, we're going to check in on Team USA and its quest for another world championship. We'll also discuss the team's lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation over gender discrimination and unequal pay.

Fifty-seven people in San Francisco died of fentanyl overdoses in 2018, up from just six in 2010. That's according to a new San Francisco Chronicle report, which found that the potent synthetic painkiller is now "fully embedded" in the the city's streets. The report, relying on preliminary data from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, also found that fentanyl is now the leading cause of opioid overdose deaths in city, surpassing both prescription pills and heroin. We'll discuss fentanyl's toll on users and what can be done to stem its rise.

San Francisco-based Slack Technologies Inc. had its stock market debut on Thursday, ending its first day of trading worth nearly $20 billion. The company, which makes a workplace-chat tool, took an unorthodox route to Wall Street, used a direct listing method rather than the conventional I.P.O. route. Coming up on Forum, we'll look at how Slack succeeded where recent offerings from startups like Uber and Lyft fizzled. We’ll also look Slack's reputation for employee diversity -- and talk with one former employee who is calling on the company’s investors to use their returns to help companies owned by people of color.

California and Texas have the country’s two largest economies, but take radically different approaches to governance: Texas embraces low taxes and little regulation, whereas California is known for its higher taxes and environmental safeguards.  Both powerhouse states are models for what the future of the U.S. could look like. We’ll talk about those two competing visions with Economist senior correspondent Alexandra Suich Bass, author of the new article “California & Texas: A Tale of Two States.”

President Trump confirmed on Friday that the U.S. military was "cocked and loaded to retaliate" against Iran for the downing of a U.S. drone earlier this week. Trump added that he called off the operation minutes before the planned strikes because of potential casualties. We'll get the latest on the developing story and ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

The proportion of only child families in the United States is increasing, according to a new Washington Post report. We'll talk about the social and economic reasons more parents are choosing to have just one child and we want to hear from you: If you are an only child or are the parent of an only child, what has your experience been?