KQED's Forum

With less than 90 days to the November election, concerns are mounting that the Trump Administration is actively undermining the  U.S. Postal Service. Although the USPS is the country’s most popular government agency, President  Trump recently dismissed it as a “joke” and questioned its ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time. Trump’s newly appointed Postmaster General, who was also a major Tru...

Since former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe published “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump” back in early March, there have been major developments regarding the 2020 election. Former Vice President Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee, the coronavirus pandemic escalated and the economy fell into a deep recession. Most recent polls have Trump trailing in the general election, and on...

As school districts around the country issue pandemic education plans, there’s widespread concern among teachers about safety, equity and how to make the most of online learning. We’ll talk about a new NPR/Ipsos teacher survey, and we’ll hear how one local teachers’ union is handling its members’ concerns about education in the time of Covid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...

On August 5, thousands of nurses across the country staged protests to highlight the lack of personal protective equipment and other challenges they continue to face as front line workers in this pandemic. According to media reports, in California, 100 health care workers have been killed by Covid-19 and medical workers account for 20% of all infections in some states. Nurses are demanding that mo...

The Census Bureau is ending its population count a month early, though nearly 40 percent of the country has yet to fill out the forms. Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham announced yesterday that all counting efforts will wrap up by Sept. 30, cutting short a four-month extension during the pandemic. We’ll talk about what ending the count early could mean for California’s historically undercou...

The coronavirus pandemic has many people feeling isolated in their homes, detached from loved ones, and anxious about their livelihoods. All of that is taking a major toll on mental health. The U.S. suicide rate rose after the 2008 recession, and experts warn that vulnerable individuals are more at risk of suicide during periods of crisis.  We’ll talk about how to address anxiety and depression, w...

Renters across California could be in danger of losing their homes in the coming weeks. Eviction moratoriums that have helped millions of renters are close to expiring even as the coronavirus pandemic is keeping many unemployed. State lawmakers are weighing proposals to prevent a mass wave of evictions, but face a budget deficit and other constraints.  Meanwhile, relief from the federal government...

In the month of July, California experienced its worst surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths leading Gov. Newsom to impose a re-shutdown of businesses in more than 30 counties. As of today, California leads the nation with over 500,000 confirmed cases. But at his daily presser Monday, Newsom indicated that the state’s situation is improving with both new COVID-19 cases and coronavirus-related hospita...

While Abraham Lincoln tends to get most of the credit for winning the Civil War, historian Fergus Bordewich reminds us not to forget about the role Congress played in the Union’s victory. In his new book, “Congress at War,” Bordewich follows four influential members of Congress as they navigate one of the most dynamic and consequential times in American history. Bordewich joins Forum to discuss th...

In March 2019, news broke of a massive college admissions bribery scandal. Among the accused were prominent business people, well-known actors, sports coaches, and four of California’s top universities. At the heart of the conspiracy was con man Rick Singer, an author of self-help books and purported college counselor, who masterminded rigging SAT and ACT tests, faking athletic profiles and bribin...

First, South Bay Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, chair of the House health subcommittee, joins us to discuss the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. Then, we check in with KQED's Scott Shafer and Anita Kumar of Politico on the latest national political news.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In mid-March, California became the first state to enact widespread shelter-in-place orders -- seen as a bold action to prevent the kind of spike in coronavirus cases New York was reporting at the time. Today, California has the most cases of COVID-19 in the country, surpassing New York with over 485,000 confirmed cases. Public health experts say California's early shelter-in-place orders effectiv...

After more than four months of limited activity and isolation, Californians have been itching to socialize. Even as cases rise in the state, many have become emboldened to gather in the safest place they can -- outdoors. But how safe is it? Public health officials across the state have been warning against the large gatherings that are increasingly popping up at public parks and beaches. We’ll get...

The end of July spells the end of an additional $600 per week benefit for many unemployed Americans in the midst of a pandemic-induced recession. As Congress debates if and how to extend the supplemental cash, California lawmakers are drafting a plan to make up those funds if the federal money dries up. We discuss what’s in the works to help the close to 7 million unemployed Californians, where th...

An investigative report by Open Vallejo, a recently launched independent news site, has found that a secret clique in the Vallejo Police Department bends back points of their badges to commemorate each time they kill in the line of duty. These revelations came as a shock at a time when the nation is focused on issues of police brutality and less than two weeks after the California Department of Ju...

In her new book of essays, "Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning," poet Cathy Park Hong weaves memoir with cultural criticism to explore topics of racial identity, shame, politics and capitalism. Hong describes “minor feelings” as "emotions built from the sediments of everyday racial experience and the irritant of having one’s perception of reality constantly questioned or dismissed.” It’s...

Tech giant Google said Monday it would delay bringing workers back to the office until summer 2021. The company’s decision reflects a massive change that started in March when millions of white collar employees shifted to working from home. Some employers were pleasantly surprised at how productive their workers could be without the office setting. Freedom from commutes and strict working schedule...

The chief executives of Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon are scheduled to testify on Wednesday before a House subcommittee investigating anti-trust violations. The hearings are part of a year-long probe into whether the nation’s biggest tech companies have used unfair practices to stifle competition and create monopolies. It is the first time that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will testify before congre...

More federal officers are reportedly headed to Portland as protests there continue to gain momentum. So far the Trump administration’s response has led to civil rights lawsuits and proposed legislation in Congress to limit the role of federal law enforcement in U.S. cities, as protestors have been injured by tear gas, rubber bullets and other acts of force. Activists remain resolute and say the pr...

In a recent interview, Fox News host Chris Wallace asked President Donald Trump if he'd accept the Nov. 3 election results. Refusing to say yes or no, Trump responded that he'd "have to see." That hedge is exactly what constitutional law expert Lawrence Douglas is worried about. In his new book, "Will He Go: President Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020," Douglas explains why he's conc...

Falling enrollment, anxiety about health risks, and confusing guidelines from public health officials have all contributed to a crisis in California’s child care facilities.  That’s according to a recent report out of UC Berkeley that surveyed preschools and in-home daycare services on how they’re navigating the pandemic.  We’ll discuss the report, why the child care industry is in financial troub...

It was almost like a typical weekend of baseball in July: the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants both faced off against their L.A.-based rivals, the Angels and Dodgers. But things at the ballparks were anything but normal. The "fans" in the seats were really cardboard cutouts and the crowd noise on TV was piped-in. And with baseball underway, the NBA starts its own modified season on Thursda...

Last week on Forum, during a segment about the disproportionately high coronavirus infection rates among Latinos in California, we heard from 10-year- old Maggie. She called on behalf of her Spanish-speaking parents to ask whether her parents could get COVID-19 more than once. It was a moment that resonated with Adriana Morga, a digital producer for KQED en Español, who tweeted after the show "tha...

Twitter announced this week that it’s removing or restricting more than 150,000 accounts associated with QAnon -- an extremist, far right internet community that perpetuates conspiracy theories about pedophilic, Satan-worshipping elites seeking to take over the country. The FBI designated QAnon as a domestic terrorist threat last year, but President Trump has retweeted accounts associated with QAn...

During the past few months, many common rituals for dealing with grief and loss have been completely disrupted. Family members can no longer hold the hand of a dying loved one in the hospital. Funerals and memorials have migrated online depriving mourners the chance to give a hug or offer sympathy in person. On top of that, many people are also feeling a deep sense of loss over other aspects of ou...