KQED's Forum

Pennies are as lucky as ever, but the U.S. Mint reported losing more than $85 million last year producing the coin. Now President Trump has added his voice to bipartisan calls to stop minting the penny, but it would be up to Congress to make change. Would you miss the one-cent piece? We look at the historical, cultural and economic significance of the penny. Tell us your thoughts.

Guests:

Seth Chandler, head numismatist, Witter Coin

Jay Zagorsky, professor of economics, Boston University Questrom School of Business

Jacob Goldstein, podcast host and executive producer, Pushkin Industries; former co-host, Planet Money podcast; and author of "Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing"

Frank Lee Holt, professor emeritus of history, University of Houston; author of “When Money Talks”

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Venture capital is meant to infuse burgeoning companies with cash to grow, but instead it’s become a sector that is too obsessed with raking in short-term results and rapid growth at any cost. So argues Catherine Bracy in her new book, “World Eaters: How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy.” Bracy examines how the venture capital model has led to countless companies failing and has distorted industries from food delivery to housing. Bracy has advocated for making the tech industry more equitable, diverse and sustainable as founder and CEO of Oakland-based TechEquity. She joins us to talk about why she thinks venture capital is hurting the

economy and how to fix it.

Guests:

Catherine Bracy, executive director and founder, TechEquity; author of "World Eaters: How Venture Capital is Cannibalizing the Economy."

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Scientists who study and keep the public informed about wildfires, hurricanes, avalanches and climate change are reeling from the Trump administration’s mass firings at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the National Weather Service. We talk to climate scientist Daniel Swain about the essential work NOAA does in California and nationwide and the impacts of the firings on public safety and mission-critical scientific research. Tell us: Are you affected by the NOAA layoffs?

Guests:

Daniel Swain, climate scientist, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources & UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Heather Welch, terminated research biologist at NOAA Fisheries who worked on the NOAA Climate, Ecosystems and Fisheries Initiative in Monterey, California

Kayla Ann Besong, terminated duty scientist for NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, HI

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The average American student is “less than halfway to a full academic recovery” from the effects of the Covid pandemic. That’s according to a 2024 report by the Center on Reinventing Public Education. Studies show that lockdown also took a toll on kids’ mental health, as well as social and emotional skills. And like other Covid impacts, these challenges often hit students of color the hardest. In the first of our series of shows examining the effects of the pandemic as we reach five years since lockdown, we’ll look at how children, adolescents and young adults are faring.

Guests:

Petra Steinbuchel, medical director, Mental Health and Child Development at Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Robin Lake, executive director, Center on Reinventing Public Education

Aria Rani Sindledecker, junior at Mountain View High School; youth mental health advocate

Emily Zavala, mental health and wellness coordinator, East Side Union High School District in San Jose

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In 2013, Patrick Hutchison bought a derelict shack in the Cascades not far from his home in Seattle. Within a few years, the weekend renovation project would become an all-consuming DIY effort. He documents his turbulent journey from copywriter to carpenter in his recent book “Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman.” We talk to him about what he learned from transforming a “leaky, moss-covered box in the woods” into a special place.

Guest:

Patrick Hutchison, writer and carpenter

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No band may better reflect the multicultural, gender-expansive exuberance of the Bay Area dream than Sly and the Family Stone. A new documentary “Sly Lives (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” explores the life and context of Vallejo’s brilliant, charismatic and troubled bandleader. We talk with the film’s creators and participants about the gifts Sly gave the world and the tolls it took on him.

Guests:

Joel Selvin, San Francisco-based music journalist and author, his latest book is "Words and Demons"

Joseph Patel, Producer of the documentary Sly Lives. He also produced Summer of Soul, which won an academy award for best documentary feature

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The federal agency overseeing Voice of America has placed its chief national correspondent on a paid “excused absence” while it investigates his alleged bias against Donald Trump. The White House continues to bar the Associated Press from presidential events and maintains that it can handpick its press pool. Meanwhile, Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos — who donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund — says the paper’s opinion section will now focus on free markets and personal liberties. The announcement led to the resignation of Post opinions editor David Shipley and triggered over 75,000 digital subscription cancellations. We look at the Trump Administration’s moves to muzzle the press and their potential impact.

Guests:

David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News

Ann Telnaes, Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist, formerly with The Washington Post; writer, the Substack “Open Windows”

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Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman is bullish on the ability of AI to improve our society and our selves. In his new book, “SuperAgency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future?” Hoffman, a longtime booster and investor in AI, and co-author Greg Beato, counter fears that autonomous AI will dehumanize us and make us subject to an Orwellian compliance. Rather, they argue, AI gives humans more agency. “Just as cars gave individual users new superpowers of physical mobility in the 20th century, AI gives individual users new superpowers of cognitive mobility in the 21st century.” We talk with Hoffman and Beato about our AI future and the role of tech titans in the Trump era.

Guests:

Reid Hoffman, co-founder and former executive chairman, LinkedIn; co-author of "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future"

Greg Beato, co-author, "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future"

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Gossip can be “juicy, strange, funny and utterly banal” and we love to hear it, whether we identify as gossips or not. Kelsey McKinney, host and creator of the podcast Normal Gossip, has perfected the art of relaying other people’s business, and she thinks that gossip has been unfairly maligned. In her book “You Didn’t Hear This From Me,” McKinney reflects on the multitude of petty and profound ways we use gossip: to entertain, admonish, bond and teach communal values – even to protect one another from harm. Whether you love, hate, or elevate gossip to an art form, we want to hear from you: How do you share and use gossip in your life?

Guests:

Kelsey McKinney, author, "You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip"; host and creator of the podcast Normal Gossip

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Donald Trump takes the stage on Tuesday night, addressing Congress to make the case for his agenda, after a whirlwind six weeks in office. This week, Trump has levied tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China, which set the stock market plunging. He also halted funding of Ukraine’s war effort following a public berating of Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky. And his DOGE-cuts of various agencies, including the IRS and the Department of Defense continue. We’ll digest the news with a panel of experts.

Guests:

Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown

Annie Lowrey, staff writer, The Atlantic

Aaron David Miller, senior fellow for the American Statecraft Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; former negotiator and advisor, on Middle Eastern issues to Republican and Democratic secretaries of state.

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