KQED's Forum

More than 80 percent of California children are in districts that Governor Gavin Newsom says must use remote-only learning when schools return. That's prompted some parents to search for tutors or teachers to come to their homes - sometimes in pandemic pods with several families - to oversee distance learning. But these are options only available to those who can afford them, and it's raising conc...

President Trump announced Wednesday that he's sending hundreds of federal law enforcement officers to Chicago and Albuquerque to drive down violent crime. The move comes amid ongoing tensions in Portland, Oregon, where unidentifiable federal agents have sprayed tear gas in crowds and beaten civilians protesting police violence. Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday that the new federal depl...

The Marin County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance on Tuesday allowing government employees and police officers to penalize businesses and individuals who do not comply with COVID-19 health orders. The penalties run from $25 to $10,000, and include violations like refusal to wear a mask. We'll talk with county officials and local businesses about the order. Learn more about your ad choice...

It was reported on Monday that the University of Oxford developed a coronavirus vaccine that appears safe and triggers an immune response. Another study from King’s College London from the previous week, however, seems to show that immunity to COVID-19 may only last a few months. And the science of developing a vaccine is only one of many hurdles. Once a vaccine is deemed safe and effective, there...

After a spate of bad luck led her to question the nature of chance, journalist Maria Konnikova began learning about poker. Konnikova -- who holds a doctorate in psychology--was curious about how the game hones players’ ability to distinguish between what is within and outside of our control.  Under the tutelage of an expert, she became a professional player and entered the World Series of Poker, a...

The Republican party has increasingly relied on incendiary appeals from the social right to win over voters, while advancing policies that cater less to the average voter and more to wealthy donors. That’s according to political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson. In their fourth book together, "Let Them Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality," they break down the GO...

Caltrain, the light-rail system that runs from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, faces dire financial straits after a 98% drop in ridership during the coronavirus pandemic and now, a dispute over a key future funding source. Caltrain officials are pushing to put a 0.125 percent sales tax measure on San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara county ballots this November. But the fate of that measure...

California’s Attorney General announced an investigation into the Vallejo police department after reports that evidence in the police shooting of Sean Monterrosa was destroyed. 22 year old Monterrosa was kneeling when an officer fired shots through the windshield of the police truck, killing him. Vallejo police last week confirmed that the police windshield was later destroyed. House Speaker Nancy...

This election year, Black voters in key swing states hold significant power heading into November, as they were crucial for Democrats' "Blue Wave" in 2018. In her new book "Say It Louder! Black Voters, White Narratives, and Saving Our Democracy," political analyst Tiffany Cross looks at the significant role Black Americans have played in shaping U.S. democracy. Cross, who previously covered Capito...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that all public and private schools in counties on the state's Covid-19 watchlist must operate remotely this fall. More than 30 counties are on the list, including most counties in the Bay Area. We'll discuss how districts are planning for remote instruction and what it will take for schools to resume in-person learning safely. And we want to hear from...

As COVID-19 testing facilities across the state face ongoing backlogs, California public health officials adopted new guidance this week to help counties decide who should get test results fastest. Those hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms may see test results within a day, but other Californians -- especially those who aren't symptomatic or aren't essential workers -- may continue to experience w...

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo recently released a nine-point proposal to revamp the city’s embattled police department. He says the plan will “reform, not defund the police” while “squarely addressing nationwide outrage over racial injustice and police brutality”. But critics of Liccardo’s plan are calling for more significant and swift changes to the department that was recently marred in a scandal...

The Berkeley City Council approved a motion this week on the issue of police reform, bringing some of the most radical changes to policing in the state. A proposal by Councilmember Rigel Robinson will create “BerkDot,” a new Department of Transportation with unarmed officials who will conduct parking and traffic enforcement. The motion also includes a pledge to cut the police budget by 50 percent...

As California and many other states struggle to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, science journalist Ed Yong says we’re now more vulnerable to additional disasters, including a possible second pandemic. In his new article in The Atlantic, Yong says diminishing resources, strained international relations and demoralized experts have America on it’s heels. We’ll talk to Yong about what he’s learned...

“Any forthcoming federal pandemic relief bill must include funds to support teachers, so that under-served children don't fall behind”, argues Silicon Valley congressman Ro Khanna in a recent opinion piece.  We'll talk with Khanna  about what strategies he thinks K-12 schools should take this fall. We'll also get his thoughts, as a former national co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns...

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Monday that California is officially backtracking into more restrictive shelter-in-place orders as coronavirus infections continue to rise across the state. Many people and businesses are confused about the shifting policies and what activities are permitted. We open the phone lines to hear from listeners about how they are coping. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

As newsrooms across the country confront issues of race and diversity, award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien says it’s a welcome “MeToo” moment for journalists of color to speak out. O'Brien detailed her own experiences in a recent op-ed for the New York Times including being called the "affirmative-action hire" by colleagues at her first job. Today, after years working at major news outlets su...

A new biography about Senator Joseph McCarthy taps into recently-released transcripts of closed-door congressional hearings to shed light on the senator’s life and his 1950’s anti-communist crusade.  Journalist and author Larry Tye joins us to talk about the book, “Demagogue: The Life and Long Shadow of Senator Joe McCarthy”, and to describe the parallels he sees between McCarthy and President Tru...

Across California, Latinos have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. They make up about 39 percent of the state’s population, but account for 55 percent of reported infections. Community leaders are calling for more resources to help reduce the spread and risks for Latinos, many of whom have to work outside the home. The pandemic has been especially burdensome for undocumented people and low...

As the United States grapples with civil unrest, many people are questioning how we arrived in this situation and how the nation can change for the better. In his new book, “American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise,” New York times economics reporter Eduardo Porter presents a comprehensive examination of how discrimination based on race has hurt not just members of marginalized...

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and state public education leaders announced on Thursday that they’re suing the Trump administration over a new rule requiring foreign college students to leave the U.S. if their classes are online-only when they resume in the fall. California, which is home to the largest population of international students in the country, follows Harvard and M.I.T., wh...

President Donald Trump on Friday commuted the sentence of his longtime friend and political advisor Roger Stone, who had been convicted of lying to Congress and witness tampering. The next day, former special counsel Robert Mueller defended his investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign and wrote that Stone was "prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes." We'l...

Governor Newsom announced Friday that the state will release 8,000 people incarcerated in the state's prison system, including 700 in high-risk prisons like San Quentin and Folsom. The move came as Bay Area lawmakers and activists called on Governor Newsom to step in to reduce the prison population at San Quentin, where there have been more than 1300 cases of coronavirus and  at least seven COVID-...

Close to 2 million unemployment claims filed since the shelter in place orders were issued have not yet been paid out, according to a San Jose Mercury News analysis. And while a new report from the U.S. Labor Department finds first-time jobless claims by Californians have dropped for two consecutive weeks, the continued economic shut-down could cause more workers to lose jobs. The state unemployme...

Author Karla Cornejo Villavicencio joins us to discuss her new memoir, “The Undocumented Americans.” Villavicencio arrived in America when she was five and is one of the first undocumented students to graduate from Harvard. After the election of President Trump in 2016, she began writing about her own experience as well as those of other undocumented immigrants in New York, Miami, Cleveland, Michi...