KQED's Forum

Virtual learning has led to a boom in school surveillance technologies that can monitor students’ online behavior and allow teachers to view students’ screens and search histories. Though many schools are back in person, surveillance tech appears here to stay, with 81% of teachers reporting using some form of it. Proponents say the technology curbs cheating, keeps students on task and helps identi...

Artist Judy Chicago made her name in the 1970s with her groundbreaking feminist piece, “The Dinner Party”. Chicago has said she didn’t know if she’d live long enough to escape the shadow of that iconic piece. Now, in the first retrospective of her work, the full range of the 82 year old artist’s career is on exhibit at San Francisco’s de Young Museum. The retrospective highlights “how forward thin...

As 2021 winds down, we want to hear from you about your favorite discoveries of the year. Did you find new places to go, things to do, cooking techniques or hobbies that inspired and sustained you over the past year? Whether it’s finding an exciting new TikTok influencer or a hidden neighborhood stairway–share your 2021 passions with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday that laboratory tests suggest that their coronavirus vaccine is effective against the Omicron variant after three doses, adding that just two doses “may not be sufficient to protect against infection”. We’ll get the latest on Covid research and treatment and take your coronavirus questions with Bob Wachter, chair of UCSF’s Department of Medicine. Learn more about...

“To all the wild, mad girls.” That’s to whom Venita Blackburn dedicates “How to Wrestle a Girl,” her new short story collection set amid the urban landscapes of Southern California. The stories explore in part what Blackburn describes as the “physicality of girlhood” -- girls' changing bodies and desires, their athleticism and their fierce protection of each other in the face of external threats....

In his new article for The Atlantic, “Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun,” staff writer Barton Gellman looks at efforts to subvert democracy and upcoming elections, warning that government officials will be making "a grievous mistake" if they don’t take these threats more seriously. Gellman calls the January 6 insurrection a “practice” for future, more effective, efforts by Trump and the GOP to o...

Eighty-eight percent of California’s nail salon owners do not have enough customers to meet business expenses and rehire workers, and most salon workers are now taking home less than $400 per week. That’s according to a new study from the UCLA Labor Center and the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, outlining the “tremendous emotional and financial strain” of the COVID-19 pandemic on the...

Farmworkers in California work outside even during wildfires that fill the air with toxic smoke. California law requires employers to provide mask and safety guidance during those periods of dangerous air. But, an investigation by KQED and The California Newsroom found that state officials rarely enforce those rules putting roughly 4 million outdoor workers at risk. Despite those failures, Douglas...

First uncovered almost a century ago, sickle cell disease is a painful and debilitating red blood cell disorder that can lead to other medical problems like infections and strokes. It hits Black people the hardest, has historically lacked research, and patients have struggled to access basic care. We’ll hear about a promising new UCSF clinical trial using CRISPR gene editing technology on patients...

Sierra Nevada snowpack, a vital water source for California, could vanish within the next 25 years, according to a new study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. While scientists have tracked and warned about diminishing levels of snow covering the Sierra Nevada for years, the new research provided a more specific timeline about when California could reach a no-snow reality and what tha...

Ajwang Rading’s name will appear on the ballot for the first time next fall when he runs to represent California’s 18th Congressional district, which includes parts of San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Having grown up in and out of homelessness, Rading has a different perspective when it comes to tackling housing and social service issues in Silicon Valley. We talk with Rading about...

Fish have a sacred role for the Klamath Tribes in the Klamath Basin, which spans part of Southern Oregon and Northern California. An 1864 treaty gives tribes the "exclusive right of taking fish in the streams and lakes,” but drought and poor water quality are killing the fish and causing a fight over resources between indigenous tribes and white farmers who were promised certain water allocations...

The parents of a teenager accused of fatally shooting four classmates and wounding seven other people at a Michigan high school last week were charged with involuntary manslaughter Saturday. Charges against parents in school shootings are rare. But Michigan prosecutor Karen D. McDonald called the actions of the parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, "egregious" based on evidence that they bought th...

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in what looks to be the beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade, according to legal scholars. If that is the case, and Roe is reversed, there stands to be a number of ripple effects beyond abortion rights, too. In a new article for The Atlantic, "What Roe Could Take Down With It," constitutional law ex...

With gas-burning vehicles the largest source of California's greenhouse gas emissions, transitioning to clean energy sources in transportation is considered key to slowing climate change. In recent weeks California has been allocated a major boost in federal and state funds to expand the electric vehicle charging network. We'll discuss the plans and how much they might move the needle on e-vehicle...

Have you ever felt "slipfast" (a longing to melt into a crowd and become invisible)? Or "scabulous" (proud of a certain scar on your body)? Those are some of the many words John Keonig has created for emotions  we've felt all our lives but lacked words to describe. We talk to Keonig about why he says there are vast holes in our emotional lexicon and why it's important for humans to develop a riche...

Scorpions might be terrifying to most people. But to scientist Lauren Esposito, they are the foundation of her career, which has taken her from a childhood in El Paso, turning over rocks in search of insects, to eventually land her at the California Academy of Sciences. In addition to discovering new species of these arachnids, she’s also become an outspoken advocate for queer scientists. An ongoi...

For decades, young athletes only had one major route to the playing professional leagues — playing for an NCAA Division I team. Today, however, talented basketball players have a chance to skip college and go professional in leagues like Overtime Elite, which pays its players six-figure salaries while prepping them for a professional career either in the NBA or abroad. Is this a positive trend tha...

On Wednesday, officials in San Francisco confirmed California’s first case of the coronavirus omicron variant. The patient in the case had recently traveled to South Africa, whose scientists first identified the omicron variant and tracked thousands of cases among its population. The emergence of the variant has reinforced concerns about low rates of vaccination in Africa and other developing regi...

Retailers hope for a record holiday spending season this year, but for many Americans, prices rising at the fastest rate in 30 years may hamper holiday glee at the checkout counter. Even Christmas trees are up to 30% more expensive than last year. We’ll break down how prices and supply chain issues are affecting consumers, and get some tips on how to save money while beating shortages. And we want...

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday morning in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The case, brought by Mississippi’s only licensed abortion clinic, challenges a 2018 state law that bans nearly all abortions after 15 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Mississippi officials are asking the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decisio...

On Monday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced -- in a tweet -- that he was leaving the company he co-founded in 2006. His successor, Parag Agrawal, started as a product engineer and climbed Twitter’s ranks to become Chief Technology Officer in 2017. We'll look at Dorsey’s legacy and discuss what the change could mean for the future of the San Francisco-based social media giant as it grapples with c...

Earlier this year, California proposed an overhaul of its K-12 math teaching guidelines to address racial and economic disparities in math achievement. The draft proposal recommends de-emphasizing calculus, detracking some students and incorporating data science and equity and inclusion into math instruction. Critics say that the framework, which is an optional set of guidelines and not a new curr...

Thirty years ago, white Los Angeles police officers savagely beat Rodney Glen King, a young Black man who had led them on a high-speed chase through the city. After a jury failed to convict four police officers, despite a graphic videotape of the beating, the city erupted into violence. This season of Slate’s Slow Burn podcast dives into the events of early 1990s Los Angeles and the decades of pol...

We'll break down the latest news from Sacramento and other political headlines from around the state with guest host Marisa Lagos. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices