More than four months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, nearly one-third of the island's residents lack power and thousands more remain displaced. The hardships persist as its poverty rate exceeds 40 percent and the the debt-ridden island struggles to navigate its way out of bankruptcy. We'll discuss what needs to be done to improve conditions in Puerto Rico and address recent reports of FEMA's alleged mishandling of contracts during relief efforts.

In his book "Darwin’s Backyard," James Costa gives readers a new view of Charles Darwin’s experimentation in evolutionary biology. Costa’s book presents a different scientist than the one who famously sailed aboard the Beagle to study wildlife in the Galapagos. Costa instead reveals a Darwin who enlisted his family to help run experiments on everything from potatoes to earthworms. We'll talk to Costa about his book, about what life looked like in the Darwin country home and how to recreate his backyard experiments.

Virtual reality (VR) is supposed to fully immerse a user in an alternate reality -- a football field, a precarious cliff or an exotic locale. The technology could significantly change everything from teleconferencing to treating phobias. Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson predicts that within 5 years, VR will be almost indistinguishable from real life. Bailenson joins us to talk about his new book, "Experience on Demand," and the promises and dangers of of an increasingly realistic virtual reality.

The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 666 points on Friday followed by a startling 1,175 point drop on Monday. As international markets follow suit, analysts are wondering if we're at the beginning of a global economic downturn. Forum dives into what's behind this latest stock market downturn, how it will affect overall economic health and whether President Trump, who took credit for the economy's strength, will suffer from its decline.

California farmers have long had an uneasy relationship with water, but that hasn't stopped crops like almonds, grapes and pistachios from spreading across Kern County. Stewart Reznich, a self-described East Coast Jew, turned himself into America's largest farmer - despite never having driven a tractor in his life. We'll explore Resnick and the land and water use issues surrounding his farming empire with journalist Mark Arak, who profiled Reznick for February's issue of California Sunday Magazine.

As a speechwriter for George W. Bush. David Frum helped coin the term “axis of evil." Leading up to the 2016 election, Frum railed against the Republican party for failing to modernize and for ignoring problems like inequality and climate change. In his new book “Trumpocracy,” Frum focuses on the structural problems that allowed Trump to win, the danger he poses to democracy and how to remedy the situation. Frum joins us to discuss his book and the political news of the day.

Since placing his first story in the New Yorker in the early 90’s, George Saunders' collections of short stories and essays have taken home more than a dozen high-profile awards. His first novel, “Lincoln In The Bardo,” a fictionalized account of Abraham Lincoln mourning the death of his young son, won the 2017 Man Booker prize. Saunders joins us to discuss the novel, now out in paperback. We'll also hear his thoughts on recent calls to remove American authors from Booker Prize eligibility.

Kelly Corrigan’s new book of essays is framed around 12 different phrases, each used to explore a different theme such as uncertainty, parenthood, and loss. Influenced by the deaths of her father and a close friend, "Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say" illuminates the role that language plays in giving meaning to the mundane and quotidian parts of life, even as grief persists.

President Trump cleared the way Thursday for the release of a classified memo on the Russia investigation prepared by Republican members of the House intelligence committee. The “Nunes memo,” so named for committee chairman Devin Nunes, reportedly suggests that the FBI and the Justice Department abused their authority when investigating the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia. House republicans are expected to release the memo Friday. We’ll discuss the memo and its implications.

Former Los Angeles Mayor and State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa joins Forum to discuss his run to succeed Jerry Brown as governor of California. We'll talk to Villaraigosa about his platform, his policy priorities and what he would hope to achieve as the state's chief executive.