KQED's Forum

By KQEDNews News Commentary Politics

Favorites
378
Followers
Typical duration
55 min
per episode
If it hooks
45%
finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

KQED's Forum episodes

August 11The California Cities Beefing With Fast Food Drive-Thrus
The burgers are so good that they’re causing traffic jams. At least that’s what’s happening in Culver City, where the line of cars at spots like In-N-Out Burger spills beyond the parking lot and into the street. Now officials there are trying to ban new drive-thrus outright. These bans are not an entirely new phenomenon — San Luis Obispo banned drive-thrus back in 1982 — but they’re getting newfound attention as recent pushes gain national attention. We’ll look at California’s role in the rise of fast food drive-thrus and examine whether the current moment could be the beginning of the end for a fast food staple.
Guests:
Shawn Hubler, Los Angeles bureau chief, The New York Times

Adam Chandler, food columnist, The Wall Street Journal; author of “Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey Through the Heart of America’s Fast-Food Kingdom”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 11The Alarming Rise of Colorectal Cancer in Young Adults
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer-related death for Americans under 50. And, for people in their 20s and 30s, the rate of incidences is expected to increase 90% by 2030. We explore what’s causing this alarming trend, the warning symptoms everyone should know, and what’s being done to improve treatment, advance research, and advocate for patients nationwide.
Guests:
Dr. Chloe Atreya, medical oncologist, UCSF; co-director, UCSF Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Center

Molly Roberts, vice president of advocacy, Fight Colorectal Cancer!

Amanda Webb, colorectal cancer survivor and advocate

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 10 Annie Jacobsen’s Doomsday Biological War Scenario
What would happen if a top-secret Russian lab released a deadly, weaponized, pathogen? That’s the nightmare possibility that author Annie Jacobsen presents in her new book, “Biological War: A Scenario.” Drawing on hundreds of interviews with former defense secretaries, CIA and FEMA officials, scientists and counterterrorism experts, Jacobsen shows how we might respond hour-by-hour, and the outlook is grim. We’ll talk to Jacobsen about why we can’t ignore the existence of biological weaponry.
Guest:
Annie Jacobsen, author of “Biological War: A Scenario” and other books including “Nuclear War” and “The Pentagon’s Brain”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 10 Chang-rae Lee's Novel, 'A Tender Age' Is A Personal Story
“I’ve not gone back to any of the old places,” reflects the protagonist in the new novel “A Tender Age.” But that is just what the author Chang-rae Lee does, in this, his most personal book yet. Set in the 70s, the story follows an eleven-year-old Korean American boy caught between his doting immigrant parents and a roving pack of neighborhood kids — until one summer changes everything. Lee, a Stanford professor and Pulitzer Prize finalist joins us.
Guest:
Chang-rae Lee, author, “A Tender Age,” He is also the author of the award-winning novel “Native Speaker” and the Pulitzer Prize-nominated “The Surrendered,” among other works. He is a professor of creative writing at Stanford University.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 07 Julian Shapiro-Barnum on ‘How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up’
“We all need to act more childish,” says professional child interviewer Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the YouTuber behind the viral series Recess Therapy. He’s interviewed thousands of young kids to get their takes on love, family, adulthood — and corn. And he says he’s learned from kids about how adults can better listen to their emotions, instincts and imaginations. Shapiro-Barnum’s new book is “How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up.” He joins us and we hear from you: What has a kid taught you?
Guests:
Julian Shapiro-Barnum, comedian; interviewer for online shows “Recess Therapy,” “Celebrity Substitute,” and “Outside Tonight;” author, “How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up: Big Lessons from Little Kids”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 07 Oakland High Students on the Value of ‘Cross-Cultural Medicine’
Bosnian Muslim funeral practices, Togolese views on mental illness, traditional Chinese medicine and postpartum depression among African American women are some of the topics addressed by Oakland High students in their publication, “Cross-Cultural Medicine, Volume 8.” It’s the latest installment of an annual capstone project for juniors in Oakland High’s public health academy, the essays in which – written by students, drawing from interviews they conducted and research they analyzed – both celebrate their own cultures’ approaches to medicine and examine mistrust of Western medical institutions. And it’s taught annually at the health sciences-focused Samuel Merritt University as part of its culturally competent care curriculum. We’ll hear from the students about the work they published and from the project’s creator, Jessica Forbes, who teaches at Oakland High School.
Guests:
Skili Richardson, incoming senior, Oakland High School; author, “How to Care for a Woman Who Has Postpartum Depression;” illustrator, “Cross-Cultural Medicine, Volume 8″ front and back covers
Charlene Kwan, incoming senior, Oakland High School; author, “Warmth from the Root”
Nzubechukwu Ugo Egeonu, incoming senior, Oakland High School; author, “African Distrust of Western Medicine and Practices”
Jessica Forbes, teacher, Oakland High School
Sarah Koster, family nurse practitioner; professor, Samuel Merritt University

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 06 Why Danny McBride Makes Fun of American Men
Actor and screenwriter Danny McBride has built his career portraying immature men. From “Eastbound and Down” to “The Righteous Gemstones,” McBride weaves satire and profanity to comment on American culture. In his new book, “Thrilling Tales of Modern Men,” McBride offers a collection of short stories about complicated men, and asks whether we can empathize with deeply unlikeable characters. He joins us to talk about what his new book has to say about modern American masculinity.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 06 From Cash Checks to Shelter Mandates, The South Bay Is Betting Big on Homelessness Solutions
The Bay Area’s homelessness crisis is one of the most acute in the nation, and it has concentrated in the region’s biggest cities, like San Jose. Many communities have adopted new policies aimed at mitigating the crisis – from checks aimed at stabilizing vulnerable renters to making it illegal to refuse shelter beds. We examine the causes and potential solutions being implemented around the Bay Area, with a special look at a series of controversial new policies being implemented in the South Bay, including an effort to redirect funding from permanent housing projects to build more forms of temporary shelter.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 05 How Tariffs, Wildfire and Climate Change Threaten California Wine
With domestic demand down and retaliatory tariffs from Canada hurting international sales, California’s wine industry is struggling. But beyond this year’s challenges, grape growers and winemakers are confronting the broader threat of climate change, which is already transforming places like Napa and Sonoma and could ultimately threaten the entire industry. We’ll talk to researchers and winemakers about the looming threats and what changes are necessary.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min
August 05 Flipping the Switch: What Will it Take for California to Meet Its 100% Green Energy Goal?
California is racing toward the ambitious goal of a 100% clean energy grid by 2045. But trading fossil fuels for zero-carbon power isn’t as simple as flipping a switch—it means overhauling the appliances, vehicles, and energy systems we’ve relied on for decades. We’ll talk with state and local leaders about where we’re making real progress and where we’re falling short. And we’ll hear from you: how is California’s green energy transition impacting your daily choices and utility bills?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
55 min

About KQED's Forum

From the publisher's feed

Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints.