KQED's Forum

Democrats long assumed they could count on voters of color to support their candidates and causes, and for many years they did. But last year’s presidential election was a wake up call for Democrats as Donald Trump gained significant support from Black, Latino and Asian American voters, especially men. In studying the racially and ethnically diverse voter coalition that brought Barack Obama to power, Yale professor Daniel Martinez HoSang, has found discontent and collapsing support for Democrats. This shift comes at a critical time for the left as they scramble to make headway before the 2026 midterms. We’ll talk to HoSang and Republican political strategist Mike Madrid about how the left lost these voters and whether it’s too late to regain their support.

Guests:

Daniel Martinez HoSang, professor of American Studies, Yale University

Mike Madrid, political strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project; author, "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy"

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Dr. Elias Zerhouni’s journey began in Algeria, where he taught himself mathematics as bombs fell outside his window. With two suitcases and a few hundred dollars, his family eventually immigrated to the United States. Driven by an unshakable belief in science and service, Zerhouni rose through the ranks of medical research to become director of the National Institutes of Health under President George W. Bush. In his new memoir, “Disease Knows No Politics,” he reflects on his personal journey and the fierce political battles he faced while leading the NIH. He joins us to discuss the vital contributions of immigrants to American innovation and the urgent need to safeguard science from partisanship.

Guests:

Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former director, National Institute of Health; professor emeritus, Johns Hopkins University

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We’re joined in studio for a live performance by the Jahari Stampley Family Trio. Stampley, an award-winning jazz pianist who is known for melding genres like funk, gospel and rock, calls his forthcoming album “What A Time” a sonic reflection of “the quiet stillness of late-night thoughts, the joy of a spontaneous jam, the fire of resistance, and the calm of resolution.” We talk to Stampley about his work, his influences and what it’s like to be in musical conversation with his mom.

Guests:

Ofri Nahemya, drums

Jahari Stampley, piano

D-Erania Stampley, bass, saxophone, synthesizer

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The Grateful Dead is showing a touch of grey as the band turns 60, and San Francisco is pulling out the stops to celebrate: tie-dye buses, banners across the city and the revival of Shakedown Street, the pop-up market that appears at Dead shows. The party culminates with three-nights of Dead & Company concerts from August 1-3 at Golden Gate Park’s Polo Field featuring band originals Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with other artists including John Mayer. We’ll talk about the long, strange history of the Dead, and hear about what the band has meant to you.

Guests:

David Gans, musician and author, "This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead"

Hollie Rose, author, "When Push Comes to Shove: Real Life on Dead Tour"

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Musician Greta Morgan began performing professionally when she was 16, singing for groups like The Hush Sound and Gold Motel before touring with Vampire Weekend and charting her own path as a singer-songwriter. But in 2020, a severe case of Covid led to a neurological disorder that reduced her voice to a hush. We talk to Morgan about what a drastic change to her singing voice taught her about her inner voice and how her listening became so powerful that when she watched a meteor shower, she thought she could hear the stars. Morgan’s new memoir is “The Lost Voice.”

Guests:

Greta Morgan, musician, songwriter and author, "The Lost Voice: A Memoir"

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Kaiser Permanente will stop providing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 19, as a result of President Trump’s executive order targeting health centers that provide care for transgender youth. Providers across the nation have been scaling back on gender-affirming care, including Stanford Medicine and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, but Kaiser’s decision has shocked many providers and patients in the Bay Area. We talk with nurses, advocates, patients and specialists about what it means for them and the future of healthcare for gender-nonconforming minors.

Guests:

Michelle Jurkiewicz, licensed clinical psychologist and gender specialist

Sydney Simpson, nurse, Kaiser Permanente

S. Baum, correspondent, "Erin in the Morning" newsletter by Erin Reed

Rhaetia Hanscum, teacher and member of the Bay Area Rainbow Families Action Group

Will Lohf, San Francisco public high school student and activist

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The South Bay in San Diego County is the site of one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters. Fifty million gallons of untreated sewage and industrial chemicals flow daily into the Tijuana River and out of Imperial Beach. New research connects the waste to worsening air quality, which has been linked with headaches, skin infections and gastrointestinal problems in the local population. We’ll talk about why solutions could be years away.

Guests:

Soumya Karlamangla, national correspondent, based in the Bay Area, The New York Times

Paula Stigler Granados, associate professor at the School of Public Health and head of the Environmental Health Division, San Diego State University

Paloma Aguirre, mayor, Imperial Beach

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In almost every part of the country, the amount people pay for electricity has gone up faster than the rate of inflation and it will likely continue to rise, according to the Energy Information Administration. So what’s ballooning your utility bill? We’ll talk with energy and policy experts about the increasing demands posed by data centers, the aging electricity infrastructure, and the new barriers to expanding renewable power plants. But the picture isn’t all grim; we’ll explore the steps we can take to make California’s electrical grid more sustainable.

Guests:

Costa Samaras, director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, trustee professor of civil and environmental engineering and an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University

Michael Wara, policy director for the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School of Sustainability, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University

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National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann says he chooses what to write about based on what he most wants to know. His latest novel “Twist” springs from his fascination with the underwater cables, no thicker than a garden hose, that carry some 95% of the world’s telecommunications. McCann’s protagonist is a journalist who goes asea to investigate a cable break off the coast of Africa after the Congo River floods. We talk to McCann about themes of sabotage and repair – both in the abyssal zone he writes about and in our lives.

Guests:

Colum McCann, author, “Twist” - his other novels include “Apeirogon,” “Transatlantic” and “Let the Great World Spin,” which won a National Book Award

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As ICE raids sweep across the country as a part of President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, ethnic media outlets in California are playing an invaluable role keeping the communities they serve informed. We talk with media organizations that serve immigrant and diaspora audiences about how their communities are dealing with the impacts of the administration’s enforcement actions, how their approaches to news coverage has had to change, and what they think is coming next.

Guests:

Madeleine Bair, journalist and founder, El Tímpano

Memo Torres, writer and director of engagement, L.A. Taco, a Southern California source of news and information covering food, culture and community

Tanay Gokhale, community reporter, India Currents

Julian Do, co-director, American Community Media

Dzung Do, editor, Nguoi Viet Daily News

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