KQED's Forum

Jeff Tumlin became director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in December 2019, just months before the pandemic sent ridership plummeting, creating huge financial challenges and forcing unprecedented change. Tumlin, who has just stepped down as director, was at times a lightning rod for controversies about pedestrian safety, bike lanes, closing streets to car traffic and transit service. But Muni ridership has recovered much better than BART and though the agency faces severe financial troubles, Tumlin managed Muni through a brutal period for public transportation in every city. He’ll join us to talk about his tenure and the future of transit in San Francisco.

Guests:

Jeff Tumlin, director of transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)

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Pro-anorexia content is spreading on all social media platforms, but on X it is thriving. So-called “pro-ana” communities, which attract tens of thousands of users, circulate photos glorifying thinness and promote unhealthy dieting advice, which is then amplified through algorithmic recommendations. Although some tech companies have attempted to curb this issue, the rollback of content moderation efforts following Elon Musk’s acquisition of X has allowed this harmful content to grow “out of control” according to The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany. We’ll talk about the impacts on adolescents and get advice for parents and caregivers.

Guests:

Dr. Jennie Wang-Hall, psychologist, specializes in eating disorders, anxiety, and relationship issues

Kaitlyn Tiffany, staff writer covering internet culture and technology, The Atlantic

Kristina Lerman, senior principal scientist at the Information Sciences Institute, University of Southern California

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Monday will mark 4 years since the January 6 attack on the U.S. capitol, which the FBI classified as an act of domestic terrorism. President-elect Donald Trump is doubling down on revisionist history of the event, even calling it a “day of love” and vowing to pardon the rioters. We’ll look back at what really took place that day and the ongoing implications for the rule of law and the future of democracy. And we’ll talk with Atlantic journalist Hanna Rosin about her podcast “We Live Here Now,” which examines the “Justice for January 6” movement.

Guests:

Hanna Rosin, host of Radio Atlantic and co-host of The Atlantic's narrative podcast "We Live Here Now"

Sarah Wire, senior national political correspondent, USA Today. She was reporting from the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

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California officials could face jail time if they attempt to block the administration’s immigration agenda, according to a recent letter to state and local leaders from Trump ally Stephen Miller’s non-profit, America First Legal (AFL). At issue is California’s “Sanctuary State” law, which seeks to prevent state resources from being used to assist with federal immigration enforcement. And several local jurisdictions, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, have also passed their own sanctuary laws. In the letter, sent to 249 state and local officials across the U.S., AFL warned that sanctuary jurisdictions were violating federal law and that officials “could face criminal prosecution and civil liability.” We’ll look at how California and sanctuary cities are preparing to respond to the new federal policies, including a possible mass deportation program.

Guests:

Hamed Aleaziz, reporter covering the Department of Homeland Security and immigration policy, The New York Times

Ahilan Arulanantham, faculty co-director, Center for Immigration Law & Policy, UCLA School of Law; former Legal Director ACLU of Southern California

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The murals inside of San Francisco’s Coit Tower are a popular tourist destination, but have been a source of contention from their inception. In his new book, “The Coit Tower Murals: New Deal Art and Political Controversy in San Francisco,” San Francisco State professor Robert Cherny chronicles the history of the murals, which were painted in the style of Diego Rivera and depict life in the Bay Area during the 1930s. They were created as part of the New Deal programs that supporting artists following the Great Depression. But controversies sprang up over the murals’ perceived pro-Communist imagery and the value of public art. We’ll talk with Cherny about the murals and their legacy.

Guests:

Robert Cherny, professor emeritus of history, San Francisco State University; author of "The Coit Tower Murals: New Deal Art and Political Controversy in San Francisco"

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“Aristotle taught that all human beings want to know,” writes Columbia professor of humanities Mark Lilla, adding that “our own experience teaches us that all human beings also want not to know, sometimes fiercely so.” We’ll talk to Lilla about our innate disposition toward ignorance – whether about a political reality or an uncomfortable family secret. Lilla’s new book is “Ignorance and Bliss: On Wanting Not to Know.”

Guests:

Mark Lilla, professor of the humanities, department of history, Columbia University; http://marklilla.com/

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Last year, visitors flocked to the path of the solar eclipse, packed up to visit national parks and headed abroad. While climate change and overtouristing are impacting travel, post-COVID wanderlust shows no sign of abating in 2025. Maybe it will be a trip to Belgrade, Benin or the Bold Coast of Maine. We talk to travel experts about places we’ve been and where we should go in the new year. What’s on your travel bucket list?

Guests:

Faith Adiele, Oakland-based travel writer; author of “Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun”; founder of the “Traveling While BIPOC” writing workshop, for writers who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. Her recent work is featured in "Go Girl 2: The Black Woman's Book of Travel and Adventure".

Amy Virshup, travel editor, The New York Times

Billie Cohen, editorial director, Afar magazine

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After the death of a beloved colleague known for his optimism, Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki began reflecting on his own cynicism. He discovered that cultural stereotypes casting cynics as smarter and more worldly are wrong. Instead, cynicism undermines relationships and confines our vision of the future. We’ll talk to Zaki about how to quiet our inner cynic to appreciate a humanity he says is “far more beautiful and complex than a cynic imagines.” His new book is “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness.”

Guests:

Jamil Zaki, professor of psychology, Stanford University; director, Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory; author of “Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness”

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Neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin says we can trace beliefs about music’s power to heal mind, body and spirit back 20,000 years, to the Upper Paleolithic era. But only recently have we had good science to explain how music affects us and how we can use it therapeutically. Not only to relax, uplift and bring us together, but as part of treatment of trauma, depression, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and more. Alexis Madrigal talked onstage with Levitin in collaboration with LitQuake, San Francisco’s literary festival, running through October 26th. We listen back on their conversation and to Levitin’s live musical performance.

Guests:

Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist, musician and author, "I Heard There Was a Secret Chord," "The Organized Mind," "The World in Six Songs" and "This is Your Brain on Music. He is also Dean of Social Sciences at the Minerva Schools in San Francisco.

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One problem with 2016 polling data indicating that Hillary Clinton would win the presidency was the oversampling of people with college and graduate degrees. Today’s Democrats tend to value credentials and degrees, while Republicans tend to champion skeptics who distrust institutions like universities. That’s according to political scientist David Hopkins, who says that the “diploma divide” is a main reason our country is so polarized. We’ll talk to Hopkins about our education divide and its political impacts. His new book, with co-author Matt Grossman, is “Polarized by Degrees.”

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