KQED's Forum

Three of President Trump’s most contested nominees — Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — sat for confirmation hearings last week, facing scathing questions from Senate

Democrats about their qualifications, judgment and ability to lead critical federal departments. The Senate Finance Committee is set to vote Tuesday morning on whether to put Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Health and Human Services Department to a floor vote. We look at the status of all the nominations along with other breaking national political news.

Guests:

Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPR.

Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the School of Public Policy, University of Michigan; served in the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security.

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With an unprecedented phenomenon like climate change, do we have the words or the ways to express the feelings that it creates? In her new book, “Immemorial,” Writer Lauren Markham attempts to find the language, rituals and memorials to reckon with the grief of climate change, and a future that seems to be vanishing. We’ll talk about psychologically processing the environmental realities that we face.

Editorial note: The number of people who died in the Tubbs fire was stated incorrectly during this show. 22 people died in the fire.

Guest:

Lauren Markham, writer; reporter; author, "Immemorial"

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Donald Trump was once a cryptocurrency skeptic, saying as recently as 2021 that bitcoin “seems like a scam.” Today, some critics are saying the same thing about the president’s now fervent embrace of crypto, both in his business investments and policy decisions. During the campaign, Trump promised to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet,” while taking tens of millions in donations from the industry. After the election, he and Melania Trump both touted the release of a crypto meme coin featuring their images. And last week, after making appointments and issuing executive orders aimed at boosting the industry, the president’s social media startup Truth Social announced plans to expand into crypto. Now some legal experts, and even industry leaders, are voicing serious ethics concerns. We’ll look at what Trump’s pro-crypto stance might mean for the future of digital assets, the economy, and national security.

Guests:

Andrew R. Chow, correspondent, Time; author, "Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire"

Zeke Faux, investigative reporter, Bloomberg; author "Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall"

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Nearly seven million Americans, about one in nine people over the age of 65, live with Alzheimer’s. It’s a heartbreaking disease for those afflicted and the 11 million loved ones who are taking care of them. But despite decades of research and countless promises of a breakthrough, there are no significant treatments to stop the cognitive decline. While mortality rates for other leading causes of death like cancer and heart disease have gone down, Alzheimer’s death rates continue to rise. In his new book “Doctored”

investigative reporter Charles Piller makes the case that a wide web of fraud, greed and negligence – from individual scientists to the FDA – has derailed the search for a cure or treatment. And, he says the scientific establishment’s belief in one hypothesis of the disease, despite the lack of progress, has shut out other promising avenues. We’ll talk with Piller about his new book and what it reveals about Alzheimer’s research and the broader science landscape.

Guests:

Charles Piller, investigative journalist, Science magazine; author, "Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's"

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Rick Steves is one of the most trusted sources for Americans traveling abroad. But he once dreamed of becoming a piano teacher. That was before he backpacked along the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to Kathmandu in 1978, a trip that made him want to help others experience life-altering travel. We talk to him about his new book called “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer” about a life spent away from home. What would you like to ask or tell Rick Steves?

Guests:

Rich Steves, travel writer, TV host

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Hercules native August Lee Stevens dropped her debut album “Better Places” last year earning her a following and praise for her indie soul sound. The 25-year-old singer and songwriter started classical piano when she was in elementary school and continued her study at the Oakland School of the Arts. In her senior year, she picked up singing – a decision that changed her life. She is now part of a wave of emerging musicians from the East Bay. Stevens joins us for a special live performance, and to talk about her musical roots and journey.

Guests:

August Lee Stevens, Bay Area-based musician and singer-songwriter; her debut album “Better Places” came out in 2024

Frankie Maston, vocalist

Ash Stallard, vocalist

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Imani Perry says that the color blue tells the story of her people, reflecting both oppression and resilience, sorrow and hope. In her new book “Black in Blues,” Perry explores the significance of the color in Black American history and culture – from the indigo trade to the blues music tradition – and stitches together histories that connect the color to spirituality, community, resistance and the complexities of identity. Perry joins us.

Guests:

Imani Perry, professor in studies of women, gender and sexuality and in African and African American studies, Harvard University; fellowship recipient, MacArthur and Guggenheim; Her previous book ‘South to America’ won the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction.

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Counterfeit pharmaceutical pills laced with drugs like fentanyl are a new global crisis according to a recent article in the journal Lancet. The fake prescription pills are often the same color and size as the original, making them virtually indistinguishable. In 2023 the DEA found that 70% of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. And while drug overdoses among young people were down last year compared to 2023, the number of young people dying of opioid overdoses is still double what it was before the pandemic. We’ll talk to a parent whose son died of an accidental fentanyl overdose and with addiction experts about the crisis and what can be done to prevent it.

Guests:

Daniel Ciccarone, professor of Family & Community Medicine, UCSF

Ed Ternan, founder, Charlie's Song, a nonprofit focused on fentanyl education and awareness

Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine, Stanford University

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The Southern California wildfires have decimated neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County. The fallout is exacerbating the state’s existing housing crisis, as displaced persons compete for a scarcity of rental units. And Trump Administration actions on federal disaster aid could complicate rebuilding efforts. We’ll talk about how other California communities are still dealing with homelessness and housing shortages caused by wildfire and what their recovery efforts signal for LA. And we’ll hear from LA homelessness and housing advocates about the resources they’ll need — in the short- and long-term.

Guests:

Marisa Kendall, homelessness reporter, CalMatters

Jennielynn Holmes, chief program officer, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa

Carter Hewgley, senior director, LA County Homeless Initiative

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A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s order to freeze federal grants and loans on Tuesday, as Medicaid and other programs experienced interruptions causing chaos and confusion. The Trump administration’s directive could halt trillions of dollars in federal funds while agencies are directed to ensure financial assistance doesn’t conflict with administration ideology. California’s Attorney General and 22 other states have sued to stop the freeze, saying it is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers. We’ll talk about what could be affected by the funding order, which is halted until at least Monday, the legality of Trump’s action, and the efforts to fight it.

Guests:

Samuel R. Bagenstos, professor of law, University of Michigan Law School; former general counsel, White House Office of Management and Budget

Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer, Slate magazine

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

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