KQED's Forum

What is outrage, and what triggers it in us? When someone violates our moral sense, we might bristle with rage or thirst for retribution but UNC psychology professor Kurt Gray wants us to understand that the other side is also motivated by moral convictions, even if they don’t make sense to us right away. We talk to Gray about how understanding the psychology of moral conflicts can help us better...

In the midst of President Trump’s rapid fire, sweeping, and arguably illegal actions since inauguration day, resistance and protest against the president and his agenda has seemed quieter than at the beginning of his first term. But as the administration continues to take controversial actions on federal funding immigration, and transgender rights, resistance is ramping up in congress, the courts...

Journalist Nicola Slawson has been single for more than a decade, and says there’s beautiful freedom in being unattached. But, too often, single people are made to feel that there’s something wrong with them. In her new book, “Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms,” Slawson says you don’t need to wait to fall in love for your life to start. As Valentine’s Day nears, we want to hear what...

During his campaign for San Francisco mayor, Daniel Lurie promised to bring progress on tough issues that have dogged the city for years including homelessness and drug addiction. He also pledged to revitalize downtown and other areas that have yet to recover from the pandemic. But he’s come into office facing major challenges with a looming budget deficit and President Trump threatening to withho...

Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought on Saturday halted new funding to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and temporarily shut down its headquarters. It’s the latest effort by Vought, a Project 2025 architect, to tear down the so-called “deep state” of bureaucrats who could object to Trump’s policies. Vought is also fixed on expanding the powers of the executive branch in...

Between 2000 and 2020, the number of young people incarcerated in the United States declined by an astonishing 77 percent. Red states and blue states alike lock up fewer kids than in 2000 — and in most, the drops have been precipitous: more than half of states have experienced declines of 75 percent or more. In his New York Times Magazine piece, Yale Law professor James Forman examines the reasons...

President Trump’s executive orders are testing the limits of presidential power, but they are not going unchallenged. An avalanche of litigation has been filed opposing efforts to end birthright citizenship, stop federal funding, and dismantle critical government agencies. Will the courts be able to meet this moment? We’ll hear from legal experts about how a judicial system and Supreme Court shape...

President Trump on Friday called for the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development, America’s main humanitarian and development agency. The administration has already been dismantling USAID, over the last few weeks, forcing employees out and cutting off billions of dollars in foreign aid. Under the plan, the agency is to be left with less than 600 staff out of about 10,000. Critics,...

Dietary supplements like those for weight loss and muscle building have become a multi-billiondollar industry, even as health experts say that in many cases their efficacy and safety is unproven. We take a close look at the rules governing the industry and what might change under the Trump Administration especially as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to be confirmed as Health and Human services sec...

“Fire Escape,” a new podcast from Snap Judgment and KQED, follows the story of Amika Mota, who while serving a nine-year prison sentence, joins an all-women firefighting crew. They fight wildfires. And serve as the remote prison community’s primary emergency response team. Her experience offers her a path for redemption, but also raises troubling issues about how we use prison labor. We talk to Mo...

As Donald Trump makes provocative foreign policy statements and issues executive orders that are quickly walked back or challenged in court, and as Elon Musk creates upheaval in federal agencies, we look at the tactics the Trump Administration is using to consolidate power. Atlantic staff writer David Graham has been closely following Trump’s actions and argues that “chaos versus strategy is a mis...

Facing a $24 million deficit, Sonoma State University has announced plans to eliminate six academic departments, lay off dozens of faculty and end intercollegiate athletics. Sonoma State officials say the university was forced to act due to a nearly 40 percent dip in enrollment and a decline in state funding, at a time when costs to run the university are on the rise. But many students and faculty...

The 2025 Academy Award-nominated documentary “Porcelain War” tells the story of Ukrainian artists Slava Leontyev and Anya Stasenko as they defy the Russian invasion through their art and by aiding in the war effort. In the intricately painted porcelain figurines they create, the artists represent how their lives used to be — and their hopes for the future. Leontyev, Stasenko and producer Paula DuP...

A 10% tariff on Chinese goods went into effect on Tuesday as China retaliated with its own set of tariffs. Earlier Donald Trump put his threatened 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico on hold for 30 days after discussions with the countries’ leaders. Trump says he brought the two neighboring countries to their knees, but the Wall Street Journal called Trump’s tariffs “the dumbest trade war in his...

Three of President Trump’s most contested nominees — Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. — sat for confirmation hearings last week, facing scathing questions from Senate Democrats about their qualifications, judgment and ability to lead critical federal departments. The Senate Finance Committee is set to vote Tuesday morning on whether to put Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Healt...

With an unprecedented phenomenon like climate change, do we have the words or the ways to express the feelings that it creates? In her new book, “Immemorial,” Writer Lauren Markham attempts to find the language, rituals and memorials to reckon with the grief of climate change, and a future that seems to be vanishing. We’ll talk about psychologically processing the environmental realities that we f...

Donald Trump was once a cryptocurrency skeptic, saying as recently as 2021 that bitcoin “seems like a scam.” Today, some critics are saying the same thing about the president’s now fervent embrace of crypto, both in his business investments and policy decisions. During the campaign, Trump promised to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet,” while taking tens of millions in donati...

Nearly seven million Americans, about one in nine people over the age of 65, live with Alzheimer’s. It’s a heartbreaking disease for those afflicted and the 11 million loved ones who are taking care of them. But despite decades of research and countless promises of a breakthrough, there are no significant treatments to stop the cognitive decline. While mortality rates for other leading causes of d...

Rick Steves is one of the most trusted sources for Americans traveling abroad. But he once dreamed of becoming a piano teacher. That was before he backpacked along the Hippie Trail from Istanbul to Kathmandu in 1978, a trip that made him want to help others experience life-altering travel. We talk to him about his new book called “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Trav...

Hercules native August Lee Stevens dropped her debut album “Better Places” last year earning her a following and praise for her indie soul sound. The 25-year-old singer and songwriter started classical piano when she was in elementary school and continued her study at the Oakland School of the Arts. In her senior year, she picked up singing – a decision that changed her life. She is now part of a...

Imani Perry says that the color blue tells the story of her people, reflecting both oppression and resilience, sorrow and hope. In her new book “Black in Blues,” Perry explores the significance of the color in Black American history and culture – from the indigo trade to the blues music tradition – and stitches together histories that connect the color to spirituality, community, resistance and th...

Counterfeit pharmaceutical pills laced with drugs like fentanyl are a new global crisis according to a recent article in the journal Lancet. The fake prescription pills are often the same color and size as the original, making them virtually indistinguishable. In 2023 the DEA found that 70% of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills contained a potentially deadly dose of fentanyl. And while drug overdose...

The Southern California wildfires have decimated neighborhoods and displaced tens of thousands of people in Los Angeles County. The fallout is exacerbating the state’s existing housing crisis, as displaced persons compete for a scarcity of rental units. And Trump Administration actions on federal disaster aid could complicate rebuilding efforts. We’ll talk about how other California communities ar...

A federal judge temporarily blocked President Trump’s order to freeze federal grants and loans on Tuesday, as Medicaid and other programs experienced interruptions causing chaos and confusion. The Trump administration’s directive could halt trillions of dollars in federal funds while agencies are directed to ensure financial assistance doesn’t conflict with administration ideology. California’s At...

Once bustling San Francisco neighborhoods such as Union Square and the Financial District have been plagued with high retail and office vacancy rates since the pandemic started five years ago. More than a third of all the office space in San Francisco is now vacant and hybrid schedules mean that even buildings that do have tenants don’t fill up with workers each day. Union Square has also lost its...