KQED's Forum

For California firefighters battling wildland flames, the work is up close, unrelenting and fueled by a climate growing hotter and drier by the year. Anthropologist and former Los Padres Hotshot Jordan

Thomas pulls readers straight into this world in his new book “When it All Burns,” chronicling six months on the frontlines of California’s megafires. We talk with Thomas about what it is like to battle uncontainable destruction and the deeper roots of the crisis.

Guests:

Jordan Thomas, anthropologist and former wildland firefighter; author, “When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World"

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Scratch at a problem for San Francisco, and you’ll find an issue that underlies almost all of them: the city’s intractable housing crisis. A new documentary “Fault Lines,” on Apple TV follows three storylines connected to the lack of housing. There is a homeless family’s attempts to get into a permanent home, a Sunset neighborhood’s fight over an affordable housing project and the ugly competing campaigns for a ballot measure. We talk with the film’s director and an expert in the city’s housing troubles about how San Francisco got into the crisis, what we might be able do about it, and what the rest of the country can learn from our troubles.

Guests:

Nate Houghteling, executive producer, "Fault Lines" documentary, available on Apple TV. Co-founder of Portal A production company

Annie Fryman, director of special projects, SPUR

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. named multiple vaccine skeptics to the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices last week, after purging the original members of the panel. The move comes after HHS released a report on children’s health questioning the safety of vaccines, while also taking aim at processed food and environmental toxins. We’ll take stock of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and its public health implications.

Guests:

Katherine Wu, staff writer, The Atlantic

Lauren Weber, Health and Science Accountability Reporter, The Washington Post

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After months of sparring over tariffs, the Trump Administration says it has reached a deal with China on  trade negotiations, but many businesses and consumers are still feeling uncertain about the economy. The deal imposes 55% tariffs on most Chinese imports, down from President Trump’s earlier 145% tariffs that would have made it prohibitively expensive for many U.S. businesses to import goods from China, our second-largest trading partner. The back-and-forth trade policies have left businesses ranging from souvenir shop owners in Chinatown to big box stores unsure how to plan for the future. We’ll talk about what the current tariff deals look like and what they could mean for jobs, prices and inflation.

Guests:

Kevin Truong, business editor, The San Francisco Standard

Sid Malladi, CEO and founder, Nuvo

David Goldman, executive editor, CNN Business

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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 ahead of their appearance at the San Francisco Jazz Festival.

Guests:

Jahari Stampley, piano

D-Erania Stampley, bass, saxophone, synthesizer

Ofri Nahemya, drums

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As a food writer and cook himself, John Birdsall often wondered whether there was such a thing as “queer food.” Was it rainbow cupcakes? Quiche? Unicorn frappucinos? In his new book, “What is Queer Food?: How We Served a Revolution” Birdsall examines the complex story of how, through times of fear and persecution, queer people used food to express joy and build community.

Guests:

John Birdsall, author "What is Queer Food?: How We Started a Revolution"

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Ostensibly to quell anti-ICE protests, President Trump this week mobilized 700 Marines and another 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. That’s on top of the 2,000 troops he sent over the weekend. The Atlantic’s David Graham calls the deployment a “gesture of authoritarianism.” We’ll talk to Graham and former Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Juliette Kayyem about Trump’s intensifying efforts to assert executive power, the strategies at play and what the implications could be for our democracy.

Guests:

Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security Project, Harvard Kennedy School; senior national security analyst, CNN

David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic

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In the days since President Trump sent the National Guard and Marines to quell protests in Los Angeles, demonstrations against ICE raids have been held across the Bay Area and nationwide. This weekend’s “No Kings” protests, timed to the day of President Trump’s military parade, are expected to draw large crowds across the country. We take this moment to look back at times when protests have been successful instigators of change, and times when protests may have hurt a movement. What does it mean to have a successful protest? Who is the audience and how are they persuaded? And what should demonstrators know in this modern age of surveillance about the risks of hitting the streets and safeguards that can be taken.

Guests:

Omar Wasow, assistant professor of political science, UC Berkeley

Andrew Couts, senior editor overseeing cybersecurity, privacy, policy, national security and surveillance coverage, WIRED

Valeria Ochoa, community organizer, Faith in Action East Bay - one of the organizers of Oakland's Tuesday night interfaith vigil to protest ICE raids

Liliana Soroceanu, organizer, Indivisible SF - one of the organizers of San Francisco's No Kings protest

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The federal “Take It Down Act,” signed into law last month, has been hailed as a major step in protecting victims of revenge porn and deepfakes. It passed both chambers of Congress nearly unanimously, but First Amendment watchers have concerns. We take a closer look at the new statute, along with new California laws that also criminalize sexually explicit deepfakes. And we’ll hear how you can protect yourself if you’ve been victimized online.

Related Links:

https://www.wired.com/story/take-it-down-act-law-passes/

https://19thnews.org/2025/05/take-it-down-act-signing-explicit-images/

Guests:

Paresh Dave, Senior Writer, Wired

Jasmine Mithani, Data and Technology Reporter, the 19th

Aisha Wahab, California State Senator, representing the 10th district which includes the cities of Hayward, Union City, Newark, Fremont, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, San Jose and Santa Clara

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The San Francisco Parks Alliance has shut down after revelations that it misspent at least $3.8 million. The organization raised money for the city’s parks and open spaces as well as serving as an umbrella organization for about 80 community groups that managed public parks and projects. Now the Parks Alliance has gone broke and many of those organizations are left stranded with their cash reserves wiped out. Public officials are calling for investigations into where millions of dollars went that should have been spent on parks. We’ll talk about what went wrong, what’s at stake for the city’s outdoor areas, and what could happen next.

Guests:

Joe Eskenazi, managing editor and columnist, Mission Local

Michael Barba, reporter covering government accountability and public safety, San Francisco Chronicle

Ildiko Polony, executive director, Sutro Stewards

Nicola Miner, donor, San Francisco Parks Alliance

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