KQED's Forum

Lawyers began presenting opening arguments in the Ghost Ship fire criminal trial in downtown Oakland on Tuesday. Defendants Derick Almena and Max Harris are on trial for 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter stemming from a 2016 fire at the Ghost Ship warehouse, an illegally converted artist collective and residence in Oakland. We discuss the case.

"It is worse, much worse, than you think," begins David Wallace-Wells's new book on the impact of climate change. From there, Wallace-Wells presents the scope of global warming's challenge to human civilization, from feeding 50% more people with half the amount of productive land to whole cities that will be unlivable in the summer. Wallace-Wells joins Forum to talk about the book and about why he thinks the science shows it's time for "climate panic."

A recent Pew survey found that 70% of teens view anxiety and depression as a major problem among their peers, ranking higher than other concerns like bullying, drugs and drinking. Forum talks with Bay Area high school students about mental health and whether they agree with research that links the increase in anxiety and depression to academic pressure and social media use. This segment is part of KQED’s "Youth Takeover,” a week featuring stories developed and produced with high school students from across the Bay Area.

Four years ago, New York Times columnist David Brooks published “The Road to Character,” an examination of the virtues – like courage and grit -- he considered necessary to lead a moral life. Now, Brooks says that when he wrote that book he was “enclosed in the prison of individualism,” falsely assuming that “character is something you build on your own.” His latest book, “The Second Mountain,” posits instead that good character comes from surrendering to and serving the greater causes of family, community and belief. Brooks joins us to talk about his own moral journey and what it takes to create joy and meaning in life.

Over 700 measles cases have been reported in the United States this year, the largest outbreak since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. Of the 38 cases reported in California so far this year, 36 are connected to international travel. In Los Angeles, approximately 700 members of the UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles communities have been quarantined after possibly being exposed to an infected student. We'll hear how you can reduce your risk of measles exposure and check in on a California Senate bill aiming to curb fraudulent vaccine exemptions.

Home prices in the Bay Area fell .6 percent and the number of home sales 14 percent in March of this year compared with last year. That’s according to a report by real estate data company CoreLogic. It's the first fall in Bay Area home prices and sales in seven years. Joining us to discuss the report is Kathleen Pender, Business Columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and Steve Levy, Director of the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy.

It's been 30 years since activist Bill McKibben published his well-known environmental call to action "The End of Nature." Now, McKibben sees even more threats than he did in 1989. His new book "Falter" takes a hard look at the severe consequences of failing to act on climate change -- from devastating sea level rise to mass extinctions. The book also raises fresh concerns about the development of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. McKibben joins us to discuss his latest work, humanity’s prospects for survival and the climate change organization he founded, 350.org.

"Blackfishing,” describes when a non-black person culturally appropriates black features to appear black or mixed race. The trend first made news when before-and-after photos of white social media influencers went viral in 2018. The issue continues to be on the minds of some Bay Area students who are concerned the trend negatively impacts communities of color. We'll discuss the "blackfishing" phenomenon and the lines between cultural appreciation and appropriation. This segment is part of KQED’s "Youth Takeover,” a week featuring stories developed and produced with high school students from across the Bay Area.

For the past 30 years, the Goldman Environmental Prize has honored community-based, grassroots activists from 87 countries who've fought for environmental justice, sustainability and imperiled lands and species. We'll talk to two of this year's prize winners about their work and the communities they serve.

A 19-year-old suspect is in custody after a shooting at a synagogue in Poway, California on Saturday that left one person dead and several others injured. Officials are looking into reports that the suspect posted an anti-Semitic letter online prior to the shooting. We'll get the latest on the investigation and discuss last week's car crash in Sunnyvale, which is also being investigated as a possible hate crime. Officials say the driver intentionally ran over a group of pedestrians he believed to be Muslim.