KQED's Forum

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, has given more than half a million immigrants protection from deportation since 2012. The program has allowed people brought to the United States as children to work, buy property, start businesses and raise families. The program has weathered plenty of challenges in its 12-year history, and now many recipients are worried that president-elect...

The U.S. will send an additional $725 million in military aid to Ukraine, the State Department announced on Monday. That’s on top of more than $7 billion in weaponry the Biden Administration has already pledged to the country as it battles to stave off more territorial gains by Russia. The increase in aid comes amid fears among U.S. and NATO officials that president-elect Donald Trump will withhol...

For decades microfinance was touted as a novel solution to poverty. The idea is simple – give poor women tiny loans to jumpstart small businesses and create profit. But when journalist Mara Kardas-Nelson moved to West Africa she met women who were jailed when they couldn’t pay their mounting debt. In her book, “We Are Not Able to Live in the Sky: The Seductive Promise of Microfinance,” Kardas-Nels...

The quirky, rounded, nominally sans-serif font of Comic Sans became a cultural phenomenon when it first burst onto the scene as a free option in Windows 95. Used in memes, kindergarten classrooms and sometimes even official signage, it’s become “the font everyone loves to hate.” So says Simon Garfield, author of a new biography of Comic Sans. And over its 30 years, the font became recommended by d...

On the campaign trail, president-elect Donald Trump said he “wouldn’t mind so much” if journalists were shot, threatened to revoke broadcast licenses of networks that aired coverage he didn’t like, and called reporters “the enemy of the people.” More recently Trump has demanded that Republican lawmakers kill a bill to protect journalists from revealing their sources. Trump’s first administration h...

In Miranda July’s new novel, “All Fours,” a 45-year-old artist embarks on a solo roadtrip to New York from her Los Angeles home. She makes it as far as Monrovia, a small town a half-hour from L.A., and waits out the rest of her trip in a motel room while pursuing an infatuation with a Hertz rental car employee. The novel, which shares similarities with July’s own life, explores themes of marital e...

A truly landmark Supreme Court decision in 2020 resulted in the largest restoration of Native American tribal land in American history. More than half of the state of Oklahoma is now declared “Indian Country” after the court decision. In her book "By the Fire We Carry" journalist Rebecca Nagel, a member of the Cherokee Nation, traces the generations-long fight for sovereignty and the brutal histor...

Connie Chung was the first Asian person to anchor a national network news program in the US and the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News. For decades she covered major national stories from Watergate to the Oklahoma City bombing and interviewed presidents and foreign leaders. She also came up in newsrooms of the 1970s and 80s that were beset by rampant sexism. We listen back to our Septem...

The son who traveled 2,500 miles to save his parents’ dog. The stranger who picked up the tab for a girl who was trying to buy a prom dress at Goodwill. The airport janitor who stopped to feed and comfort a stranded passenger. These are some of the small and big acts of kindness website Upworthy compiled into a new book, “Good People: Stories from the Best of Humanity.” We listen back to our Augus...

The majority of male Gen Z voters cast their ballots for Donald Trump, according to exit polling. Some cultural analysts say that’s partly because more young men are spending time in the online world called the “manosphere.” Most of the manosphere consists of videos and podcasts about things like exercise, grooming and dating. But the space is also home to people spreading racist, misogynistic and...

After the divisive 2016 presidential election, many families cut short Thanksgiving plans with their relatives of different political persuasions, according to a 2018 study. The result, writes law professor and civil rights advocate john a. powell, was that American families spent millions of fewer hours connecting and reflecting with each other. As director of UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging I...

U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek H. Murthy has said that parental burnout is a public health issue on the same level as cigarettes, obesity and gun violence. It’s the result of a decades-long trend towards intensive parenting, according to New York Times reporter Claire Cain Miller, who points out that working mothers today spend as much time with their kids as stay-at-home moms did in the 1970s. We...

Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Matt Gaetz, withdrew as a nominee on Thursday amid growing controversy over sexual misconduct accusations. While Gaetz was a uniquely unpopular and fraught pick, the incident was a reminder that the president-elect might not always get everything he wants from the GOP- controlled Congress, at least not right away. Given the slim majorities and infighting a...

Have you ever reread something you wrote years earlier and cringed? Or maybe you were surprised by the depth, heart and complexity of what your younger self put to the page. Ann Patchett had both experiences recently when she reread her award-winning 2001 book "Bel Canto." She's now reissued the novel with her own handwritten margin notes -- both complimentary and critical. We'll talk to Patchett...

LaRussell is known for a lot of things. His prolific music drops. His backyard concerts from his hometown, the “itty bitty city near the Bay,” Vallejo. And, for making a name in the world of hip hop on his own – no record deal needed. LaRussell is one of the Bay Area’s hottest musicians not just because of his talent and artistry, but also his business savvy. He is the founder of Good Compenny, a...

Should you throw out your black plastic spatula — and any other cookware made of black plastic? Unfortunately, yes, probably. A new study finds that black plastic contains higher amounts of flame retardants and other toxic materials than other plastics. And health experts say that means we should try to keep it away from heat… and our food. We’ll talk about how concerned we should be about the pla...

Running a small business in the Bay Area is not for the faint of heart. A complex regulatory environment, rising costs, crime, and a sluggish post-COVID economy are just some of the challenges. But for small business owners, the chance to be their own boss, create community, and turn a passion into a profitable enterprise keeps them going. Can small business be the engine that supercharges the loc...

Are you one of the 20 million people on Bluesky? The social media platform has nearly doubled its user base since the election as more people migrate away from Elon Musk’s X. We talk about what’s drawing people to Bluesky and the pros and cons of the platform, and we’ll hear what you’re looking for in an online social network. We're on Bluesky now! Follow us @kqedforum.bsky.social! Guests: Zoe Sch...

A conspiracy-theorist and vaccine denier to run the Department of Health and Human Services. A Russia-friendly intelligence chief. And an attorney general pick who has been accused of sexual misconduct. President-elect Donald Trump is appointing cabinet members at a breakneck pace, with one more norm-busting than the next. We’ll get the latest on Trump’s picks–and other recent political news– with...

President-elect Trump and his team want to end DACA and the Temporary Protected Status program – which could make nearly a million people vulnerable to deportation. They’ve said they’d use the military to carry out mass detentions and deportations. If enacted, these proposals are all but guaranteed to face legal challenges — as they did during the last Trump administration. But some advocates worr...

Bay Area transit agencies have struggled to recover ever since the pandemic decimated ridership and revenue. Several measures on the ballot aimed to shore up public transportation. In San Francisco, Prop. L, which would have provided more funding for Muni, failed. But in Napa, voters approved Measure U to bring $25 million a year to improve transit. With a Republican administration and Congress se...

The push to harness renewable energy sources like wind and solar has sparked a massive demand for critical metals such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium, according to journalist Vince Beiser. To meet this demand, intensive mining operations are underway in regions like China, Chile, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), extracting rare metals needed for solar panels, electric vehicles, smartpho...

Are we alone? Really, though, in a cosmic sense. 40 years ago the pioneering radio astronomer Jill Tarter co-founded a Bay Area non profit to support humanity searching for life beyond ourselves. We celebrate the SETI – as in, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence – Institute’s anniversary and all their contributions to science which, sadly, do not yet include finding aliens. What do you hope S...

We’ll listen back to Mina Kim’s live, on-stage conversation last month at KQED Fest with actor, producer, rapper Daveed Diggs. Diggs won a Tony for his roles in the original “Hamilton” and is known for the TV show “Snowpiercer” and the Oakland-set movie and series “Blindspotting.” We talk about his career, about the “unspoken contract” a live performer makes with an audience and about executive pr...

Art is a mode of expression, a vehicle for processing thoughts and feelings, and a way to connect. Regardless of your political leanings, it’s fair to say we just went through a tumultuous election. These times of uncertainty often prompt us to look for art, create art, or reflect on how it can bring us beauty, reflection and meaning. So, we’ll talk to Bay Area artists about what is on their minds...