KQED's Forum

Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought on Saturday halted new funding to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and temporarily shut down its headquarters. It’s the latest effort by Vought, a Project 2025 architect, to tear down the so-called “deep state” of bureaucrats who could object to Trump’s policies. Vought is also fixed on expanding the powers of the executive branch in relation to the legislative branch, supporting a presidential power to claw back funds already allocated by Congress. We’ll talk about what Vought’s tenure as OMB director will mean for the future of federal funding.

Guests:

Megan Messerly, White House reporter, Politico

James C. Capretta, senior fellow, American Enterprise Institute; former associate director at the White House Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush

Bob Bauer, professor of practice and distinguished scholar in residence, New York University School of Law; co-author of “After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency”; White House Counsel to President Barack Obama (2009-2011)

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Between 2000 and 2020, the number of young people incarcerated in the United States declined by an astonishing 77 percent. Red states and blue states alike lock up fewer kids than in 2000 — and in most, the drops have been precipitous: more than half of states have experienced declines of 75 percent or more. In his New York Times Magazine piece, Yale Law professor James Forman examines the reasons for the drop in incarceration and how states are responding. We talk to Forman and California experts about what the statistics can tell us about our shifting juvenile justice system and what we’ve learned about addressing youth crime.

Guests:

James Forman Jr., professor of law, Yale Law School; won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his book, "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America;" his most recent piece in the New York Times Magazine is titled, "What Happened When America Emptied Its Youth Prisons"

David Muhammad, executive director, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform; former Chief Probation Officer for Alameda County

Laura Abrams, professor of social welfare, UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs; author of "Compassionate Confinement: A Year in the Life of Unit C" and "Everyday Desistance: The Transition to Adulthood Among Formerly Incarcerated Youth"

Katherine Lucero, director, Office of Youth and Community Restoration; former supervising judge in juvenile court, Santa Clara County Superior Court

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President Trump’s executive orders are testing the limits of presidential power, but they are not going unchallenged. An avalanche of litigation has been filed opposing efforts to end birthright citizenship, stop federal funding, and dismantle critical government agencies. Will the courts be able to meet this moment? We’ll hear from legal experts about how a judicial system and Supreme Court shaped by Trump may – or may not — act as a check and balance on the president.

Guests:

Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor and legal correspondent, Slate; host, Amicus podcast; author, "Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America"

Jamal Greene, professor of law, Columbia University Law School

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President Trump on Friday called for the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development, America’s main humanitarian and development agency. The administration has already been dismantling USAID, over the last few weeks, forcing employees out and cutting off billions of dollars in foreign aid. Under the plan, the agency is to be left with less than 600 staff out of about 10,000. Critics, like former USAID official Jeremy Konyndyk say the closure will “put millions of lives at risk” and could undermine US foreign policy. We’ll look at what feeding USAID into the “woodchipper,” as Elon Musk has pledged, means for those who rely on its services, which include HIV treatment, disaster relief, and children’s health.

Guests:

Jeremy Konyndyk, president, Refugees International. He also led USAID offices during previous administrations.

Joia Mukherjee, chief medical officer, Partners In Health

Elissa Miolene, reporter covering USAID and the U.S. government, Devex

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Dietary supplements like those for weight loss and muscle building have become a multi-billiondollar industry, even as health experts say that in many cases their efficacy and safety is unproven. We take a close look at the rules governing the industry and what might change under the Trump Administration especially as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to be confirmed as Health and Human services secretary. Do you have a vitamin or dietary supplement question?

Guests:

Dr. S Bryn Austin, social epidemiologist and professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health

Nicholas Florko, staff writer, The Atlantic

Marily Oppezzo, behavioral and learning scientist, registered dietician, Stanford Prevention Research Center

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“Fire Escape,” a new podcast from Snap Judgment and KQED, follows the story of Amika Mota, who while serving a nine-year prison sentence, joins an all-women firefighting crew. They fight wildfires. And serve as the remote prison community’s primary emergency response team. Her experience offers her a path for redemption, but also raises troubling issues about how we use prison labor. We talk to Mota and other formerly incarcerated firefighters about their experience.

Guests:

Anna Sussman, senior producer and managing editor, Snap Judgment

Amika Mota, Executive Director and Founding Member, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition

Laquisha Johnson, former member of wildland fire camp

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As Donald Trump makes provocative foreign policy statements and issues executive orders that are quickly walked back or challenged in court, and as Elon Musk creates upheaval in federal agencies, we look at the tactics the Trump Administration is using to consolidate power. Atlantic staff writer David Graham has been closely following Trump’s actions and argues that “chaos versus strategy is a misleading and unhelpful binary” to understand what’s happening. What have you noticed about Trump’s tactics this term, as compared to last?

Guests:

David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic

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Facing a $24 million deficit, Sonoma State University has announced plans to eliminate six academic departments, lay off dozens of faculty and end intercollegiate athletics. Sonoma State officials say the university was forced to act due to a nearly 40 percent dip in enrollment and a decline in state funding, at a time when costs to run the university are on the rise. But many students and faculty members say they were blindsided by the cuts and are calling on officials to reconsider. We’ll check in with SSU’s interim president and others in the campus community.

Guests:

Emma Williams, sophomore, dance and history major, Sonoma State University

Marisa Endicott, reporter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat

Don Romesburg, chair of Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Sonoma State University; author, "Contested Curriculum: LGBTQ History Goes to School, out in April" from Rutgers University Press.

Emily Cutrer, interim president, Sonoma State University

Taylor Hodges, sophomore, communications major, Sonoma State University; member of SSU's soccer team

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The 2025 Academy Award-nominated documentary “Porcelain War” tells the story of Ukrainian artists Slava Leontyev and Anya Stasenko as they defy the Russian invasion through their art and by aiding in the war effort. In the intricately painted porcelain figurines they create, the artists represent how their lives used to be — and their hopes for the future. Leontyev, Stasenko and producer Paula DuPré Pesmen join us to talk about the film and the power and fragility of art in the face of war. Later in the hour, we’ll speak with former Ukraine ambassador Steven Pifer about the future of U.S. aid to Ukraine under the Trump Administration.

Guests:

Steven Pifer, affiliate, Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University; former ambassador, to Ukraine; former senior director, National Security Council in the Clinton administration

Paula DuPré Pesmen, producer, “Porcelain War”

Slava Leontyev, artist and co-director, “Porcelain War”

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A 10% tariff on Chinese goods went into effect on Tuesday as China retaliated with its own set of tariffs. Earlier Donald Trump put his threatened 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico on hold for 30 days after discussions with the countries’ leaders. Trump says he brought the two neighboring countries to their knees, but the Wall Street Journal called Trump’s tariffs “the dumbest trade war in history.” We’ll talk to experts about tariffs, the international response to Trump’s actions, and the impact they may have on businesses and consumers.

Guests:

Shannon O'Neil, senior vice president, director of studies and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair, Council on Foreign Relations; author, "The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter" and "Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead."

Kyle Handley, associate professor of economics, School of Global Policy and Strategy, UC San Diego; director, Center for Commerce and Diplomacy

Scott Horsley, chief economics correspondent, NPR News

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