KQED's Forum

Fall is one of the most exciting times of year for arts and culture. To celebrate the start of the season, we’ve invited KQED’s Arts & Culture team to share their picks for the Bay Area’s best concerts, theater, exhibitions and local festivals. From major headliners and Broadway hits to neighborhood gatherings, local artists and up-and-coming gems, we’ll talk about what stands out on this fall’s c...

At this week’s G20 summit in Asheville, N.C., global finance leaders met amid a bond sell-off that threatened to raise the cost of long-term borrowing and upend global economic stability. That comes as the US national debt officially topped $40 trillion — a record high that’s double what it was a decade ago, raising serious concerns for some economists. With the nation’s spiraling debt showing no...

Acclaimed novelist Daniel Mason’s latest book, “Country People,” centers on Miles, a stalled PhD student of Russian folklore, who is married to a brilliant academic. A visiting stint at a prestigious liberal arts college in rural Vermont sends their family of four, plus the perfect dog, careening through a different America of Slim Jims, forests, and local legends. It’s both a sendup of academia—M...

After the Sept. 11 attacks, assaults against Muslims in the U.S. surged. At the same time the U.S. government launched a sweeping War on Terror that brought arrests, deportations and surveillance into Muslim communities. Journalist Rozina Ali was a teenager at the time and remembers her father warning her, “Don’t tell anyone you’re Muslim.” In her new book, “Seasons of Fury,” Ali traces the rise a...

The Trump Administration is reportedly considering letting a private Nevada developer take control of a parcel of land in Yosemite National Park. Conservationists and elected officials have pushed back hard, though the Interior Department disputes parts of the reporting. We’ll talk about the consequences of privatizing a cherished landmark and the efforts to stop it. Guests: Anna Kramer, repo...

Wildfire season is underway in California, but the state’s wildfire fund is running low after billions went to victims of last year’s massive Altadena fire, sparked by faulty equipment owned by Southern California Edison. Governor Newsom and the legislature’s debate over fixing the wildfire fund has hinged on the extent utilities, insurance companies and homeowners would pay into it. We’ll dig int...

Democratic socialists are on a winning streak. Candidates back by the Democratic Socialists of America have toppled establishment Democrats in primaries from New York to Florida, and national membership has surged past 120,000. In California, DSA candidates are running for mayor in Los Angeles and Richmond, and current incumbents like Assemblyman Alex Lee are members. We talk about what the party...

Are you still wearing sunscreen? There’s been a recent wave of viral TikToks declaring that sunscreen is “toxic,” and they’ve helped ignite an anti-sunscreen movement. With recent surveys showing that millions of Americans are cutting back on sun protection, dermatologists worry that misinformation will lead to higher rates of skin cancer and melanoma. We look at what’s driving “sunscreen hesitanc...

Growing up in San Rafael in the 80’s and 90’s, writer David Perlis sensed that he had just missed something incredible. “I wanted to know what happened here before I was born,” he writes. That kicked off a quest to uncover Marin County’s “seismic cultural awakening” throughout the midcentury that he chronicles in his new book “Morning in Marin: Zen, Drugs, and Ewoks on the California Coast.” Perli...

Six months into the war with Iran, the quick victory President Trump predicted remains elusive. As Iran’s hardline regime remains defiant, Atlantic writer and military affairs expert Tom Nichols says the United States has already lost strategically: Iran has gained control of the Strait of Hormuz, strained U.S. alliances and depleted American military resources. Nichols also argues that the ongoin...

A few years ago, a black Patagonia vest or a Timbuktu messenger bag were a telltale sign that a person might be from the Bay Area. Now, you might look for an Oaklandish hoodie, a water bottle covered in outdoorsy stickers, a t-shirt advertising a non-alcoholic beer or a Tesla with an Elon disclaimer on the bumper. We’ll dive into the objects and accessories that are hella Bay Area and just how the...

Meta will pay up to $17 billion to settle a lawsuit alleging Facebook and Instagram violated child privacy and consumer protection laws. The case, brought by 47 states and the District of Columbia, could mark a turning point for social media in the United States. “Meta has agreed to make massive transformations that will reduce the risk of harm from its platforms — and will do it within months,” s...

Canada was once one of America’s staunchest allies, but a trade war between the two nations has put the friendship under strain. Following a collapse in trade talks, the Trump administration is hitting Canada with a 50% tariff that targets hockey equipment, cement, dairy, and plywood. Canada vowed to strike back dollar for dollar, issuing nearly $28 billion in tariffs on American steel, seafood, a...

A uniquely and universally beloved musician and philanthropist, Dolly Parton died Tuesday at 80. One of country music’s most celebrated performers, her signature songs including “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” resonated across generations. We talk to Parton biographers about the singer’s life and legacy, and what made her such a distinct American icon. What did Dolly Parton mean to you? Lear...

In her new book, “The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State,” Harvard historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore issues a warning that in our desire for more efficient, data-driven governance we’re falling into “the rule of humans by machines manufactured by corporations.” Her book is an alarming call to action and, she writes, an “inquiry into what humans mean and intend in abandoning constituti...

We’ve all done it: put off that email, project… or even something we genuinely want to do. But why do we procrastinate? Researcher Itamar Schatz says it’s not that we’re just lazy, distracted or bad at managing our time, but that often procrastinators care more rather than less about what they’re doing and fear the possibility of failure. We’ll look at new research that explores the hidden psychol...

Last December, Bay Area transit officials launched Clipper 2.0 – a revamp of the payment system used across the region’s 22 public transportation systems. The new version was supposed to allow seamless rides between systems and coordinate discounts and other programs. But its rollout turned out to be a bumpy ride that was riddled with errors including payments not being credited, account software...

In their groundbreaking 1976 book, “How to Control Your Drinking,” William R. Miller and Ricardo F. Muñoz offered a guide for moderate alcohol use. Back then about two-thirds of American adults drank, and now about half do. As Americans drink less and question whether any amount of alcohol is healthy, Miller and Muñoz are out with a new book called “Rethinking Drinking,” to help us figure out what...

California’s only remaining active nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon on California’s Central Coast, was supposed to shutter in 2025, but a series of heat waves and stress on the grid prompted state leaders to keep it running through 2030. And now, as demand for electricity skyrockets, a new push is growing to reverse the state’s decision to abandon nuclear power, and to extend the plant’s life th...

Fitness trackers have exploded in popularity, and wearable users swear by the data. But psychologists say these devices can lead to anxiety and obsession. Endlessly checking sleep scores and step counts is part of the problem, but the bigger concern is that even favorable numbers don’t mean we’re actually healthy. Adam Clark Estes, senior technology correspondent for Vox, did his own fitness track...

San Francisco’s Nina LaCour is a bestselling YA author who has turned to adult novels in the past few years. Her new book, “Meet Me In the Garden” is a shimmering novel about a Creole family’s migration from New Orleans to California and the ways that they reinterpret their racial and queer identities in their new home. We talk about the Great Migration, the promise of California, and writing char...

The San Diego-based naval carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been deployed to the Middle East to support Iran war operations for nearly nine months. The ship has not stopped at port since December 2025, setting a record for the most consecutive days at sea without a port call. Sailors aboard the Lincoln and their families are now sounding the alarm, reporting food shortages, sanitation issues and det...

Federal immigration agents arrested more than 50 thousand people in July, a record number for the Trump administration which has demanded 2,000 ICE arrests daily. The surge has brought new tactics including arresting travelers at U.S. airports with pending green card applications or valid work permits. And the public nature of the airport arrests have flooded social media. We talk about the ways i...

San Francisco voters will decide in November whether to set up a public bank, a city-owned financial institution that could manage city funds and make loans. The move would make San Francisco the first city in the country to operate a public bank, though it’s a concept cities and states across the country are exploring as a way to give local governments more control over their money and fund proje...

After years of chasing news stories and crashing on deadlines, NPR health and science correspondent Allison Aubrey began to reconsider what she wanted out of her life. Aubrey argues that this is a feeling that many women over 50 face, as they search for meaning beyond career achievement and parenting. In her new book, “Your Turn: How to Create a Midlife You Love,” Aubrey reveals steps for building...