KQED's Forum

President Trump’s recently passed megabill allocates $75 billion in extra funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, tripling its budget and making ICE the largest law enforcement agency in the country. Historian and journalist Garrett Graff has covered law enforcement and democracy for the last 20 years and says it’s hard not to see the funding increase as “turbo-charging an increasingly lawless regime of immigration enforcement.” We talk to him about the implications of a radically expanded ICE.

Guests:

Garrett Graff, journalist and historian

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You’ve probably been to a national or state park in California. But have you ever hiked in BLM land?  15% of California –  15 million acres – is  public land operated by the federal Bureau of Land Management. This is land that no one wanted: not beautiful enough to be deemed a national park and too remote to be developed. As such, they are under threat of being exploited for their resources or sold off, which Republicans have threatened to do. In his new book, “The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California’s Public Lands,” Josh Jackson shines a light on the beauty of these “common grounds” that belong to all of us and the perils that they face.

Guests:

Josh Jackson, author, "The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California's Public Lands"

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We need to make “Much Ado About Keanu” Reeves. That’s according to pop culture writer Sezín Devi Koehler’s new book about the wildly popular – if sometimes underestimated – Hollywood star. Besides acting in eighty films over his 40-year career, from “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” to “The Matrix,” Reeves’ roles have challenged stereotypes of masculinity, provided representation of Asian American and native Hawaiian communities— and he’s known for stepping aside to let his costars shine. We’ll talk about what makes Reeves’ career “most excellent.” What’s your favorite Keanu role?

Guests:

Carly Severn, senior editor of audience news, KQED

Sezín Devi Koehler, pop culture writer; author, "Much Ado About Keanu: A Critical Reeves Theory"

Angelica Jade Bastién, critic covering film and pop culture, New York Magazine's Vulture

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A bill to claw back $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds public radio and television, will be voted on by the House on Thursday evening. The legislation has already passed the Senate, on a largely partisan vote. We’ll talk to the president of KQED and representatives from other public radio and television outlets about the impacts these cuts will have on their mission to provide free public programming to their communities.

Guests:

Michael Isip, president and CEO, KQED

David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News

Brian Duggan, general manager, KUNR and KNCC

Kate Riley, president and CEO, America's Public Television Stations

Andre de Channes, general manager and director of operations, KZYX

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a spate of lawsuits against the Trump administration, including challenges to mass terminations of federal employees, the sharing of Medicaid data with immigration authorities and the federal government’s takeover of the California National Guard. His office is also involved in lawsuits related to public health funding cuts and stalled clean energy projects. We’ll talk to the state’s top prosecutor about what’s at stake in the cases and what it’s been like to fight a president he says has an “endless desire to seize more power.”

Guests:

Rob Bonta, California Attorney General

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The Ukrainian town of Irpin made international headlines at the outset of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion when local reservists repelled Russian forces advancing toward Kyiv. But the toll was severe for the town Ukraine has now designated a “hero city.” Hundreds of civilians were killed during Russia’s month-long occupation of Irpin, and thousands of buildings were destroyed. Among those was the main campus building of the State Tax University. Now a Bay Area organization is helping to rebuild the university, bringing design and construction ideas that it hopes will be a model for other sites. We’ll talk about the project and the multilayered challenges Ukraine faces as it seeks to rebuild while still at war.

The reporting for this episode was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Women on the Ground: Reporting from Ukraine’s Unseen Frontlines Initiative in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Zhanna Bezpiatchuk, reporter, BBC Ukraine

Margie O'Driscoll, executive director, Center for Innovation

Eugene Chumakov, design and project architect, Stantec - a sustainable engineering and architecture firm

Yuriy Gorodnichenko, professor of economics, UC Berkeley

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The Bay Area is getting increasingly older at a faster rate than other parts of the country, making it the third oldest region in the U.S. Some neighborhoods in Berkeley have a median age of 60. What will it take for our infrastructures to be well set up for our aging population? We talk through the latest data, hear from aging experts and learn from local organizations who have been meeting the ‘silver tsunami’ head on.

Guests:

Stacy Torres, assistant professor of social behavioral sciences, UCSF

Danielle Echeverria, data reporter, San Francisco Chronicle

Shakirah Simley, executive director, Booker T. Washington Community Center

Diane Wong, executive director, J-Sei Community Center

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“You can tell what a culture values by who it labels a genius—and also what it is prepared to tolerate. The Renaissance had its great artists. The Romantics lionized androgynous, tubercular poets. Today we are in thrall to tech innovators and brilliant jerks in Silicon Valley.” So writes Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis in her new book, “The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea.” Lewis analyzes how the “genius” label is disproportionately applied to white men, often acting as an excuse for antisocial behavior. She joins us to share why she thinks we could all be more honest about the role history and collaboration play in any individual’s accomplishments—and the good that comes from allowing fewer lone wolves to make decisions on our collective behalf.

Guests:

Helen Lewis, staff writer, The Atlantic - author, "The Genius Myth: A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea"

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Adolescence has always been turbulent, but what happens when you mix in early puberty, digital information overload and a world that feels increasingly unsteady? Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Matt Richtel says we’re living through a radical shift in how we come of age. In his new book “How We Grow Up,” Richtel draws on neuroscience and conversations with youth and their families to explore what’s behind a rising adolescent mental health crisis — and why it’s not just about the phones. He joins us.

Guests:

Matt Richtel, health and science reporter, New York Times; author, "How We Grow Up: Understanding Adolescence"

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In the first six months of his second term, President Trump has done a lot of what he said he would do, from proposing sweeping tariffs to gutting federal agencies and their workers to deporting thousands of immigrants. And Americans now await the effects of Republicans’ massive bill cutting taxes and expanding immigration enforcement while slashing popular programs. We check in on Trump’s ambitions and the ways Congress and the courts are expanding, or checking, his presidential power.

Guests:

Philip Bump, national columnist, Washington Post; author of "The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America"

Claudia Grisales, congressional correspondent, NPR

David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic

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