KQED's Forum

For decades, multi-level marketing (or MLM) companies like Amway and Mary Kay have made the promise that people could become their own bosses, earn extra income and work flexible hours under the umbrella of a globally recognized brand. But in reality, the success rates for people working in multi-level marketing “are closer to those of gamblers in a casino.” That’s according to Bridget Read, author of the new book “Little Bosses Everywhere.” We talk to Read about the rise of the MLM model and why she says it helped fuel the modern conservative movement. Guests: Bridget Read, features writer, New York Magazine - author of the book “Little Bosses Everywhere: How the Pyramid Scheme Shaped America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When new apartment and office buildings are built, Bay Area cities often require developers to include retail space on the ground floor. The goal s to create vibrant neighborhoods by encouraging foot traffic and what urban planners call street “activation.” And yet, many of these spaces are vacant all over the region from downtown San Francisco to Concord. We’ll talk about the challenges of filling up ground-floor retail, and if we should be changing the way we design buildings and neighborhoods. Guests: Sujata Srivastava, chief policy officer, SPUR - a nonprofit public policy organization in the San Francisco Bay Area Alex Sagues, commercial real estate broker specializing in retail; senior vice president, CRBE Dr. Daniel G. Chatman, professor and chair of the department of city and regional planning in the college of environmental design, UC Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s new book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” has generated massive coverage – and pushback – since its release in May. Some Democrats say it’s not time to focus on the past, amid the turmoil of the current administration. But Tapper and Thompson say that, “journalism about Biden does not excuse or normalize any actions and statements by anyone else, including the forty-fifth and now forty-seventh president.” We’ll talk with the authors about the controversy, the alleged “cover-up” of Biden’s decline and why they say a reckoning is needed for the future of the Democratic party. Guests: Jake Tapper, anchor and chief Washington correspondent, CNN; co-author, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" Alex Thompson, national political correspondent, Axios; co-author, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump’s budget bill rolls back clean energy initiatives, reduces Medicaid benefits, alters student loan rules, and extends tax cuts to the wealthiest, among other initiatives. It passed in the House by a bare margin, but Republican senator Ron Johnson has called the bill “divorced from reality,” indicating that it may face headwinds in the Senate. We talk with reporters about what’s in the 1000-plus page bill and its political implications. Guests: Russell Berman, staff writer, The Atlantic Claudia Grisales, congressional correspondent, NPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We remember George Floyd, five years after his murder by a Minneapolis police officer. In the days and months after Floyd’s death, millions of Americans took to the streets to protest racism and police violence, ushering in a new era of racial reckoning. Robert Samuels, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography “His Name is George Floyd,” wonders however if “the backlash feels more enduring that the reckoning itself.” We’ll talk about who George Floyd was and where the struggle for racial justice is headed. Guests: Robert Samuels, national political enterprise reporter, The Washington Post - co-author, "His Name is George Floyd: One Man's Life and them Struggle for Racial Justice" Clyde McGrady, national correspondent covering race, The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York has the pizza slice, Philly has its cheesesteak, and Chicago its hot dog. In the Bay Area, our iconic and passionately argued-over staple has long been the Mission-style burrito. Its origins are obscure, but one thing agreed on is that those enormous, foil-wrapped burritos are a culinary anchor that were perfected in San Francisco decades ago. But, just because it’s a classic doesn’t mean Bay Area burritos haven’t evolved or are not pushing into new frontiers. We’ll talk about the legacy of Mission-style burritos and the people putting a new spin on them. And we want to hear from you: What is your burrito spot and what do you order? Guests: Cesar Hernandez, associate restaurant critic, The San Francisco Chronicle Dominica Rice-Cisneros, chef and owner, Bombera - Mexican restaurant in Oakland Ricardo Lopez, owner, La Vaca Birria - Mexican restaurant in San Francisco's Mission District Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration’s budget and staffing cuts to national parks could mean longer lines, closed visitor centers and fewer search and rescue workers this summer, according to former parks staff and advocates. The cuts are also compromising scientific research and environmental protection, creating what the National Parks Conservation Association calls “a façade of a national park experience.” In California, Yosemite scientists have had to pick up bathroom cleaning shifts; decades-long endangered species studies in the Channel Islands are at risk. Are you planning a visit? We’ll share what you should know before you go. Guests: Russell Galipeau, executive council member, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks; former superintendent, Channel Islands National Park Ashley Harrell, National Parks Bureau Chief, SFGATE Neal Desai, Pacific Region director, National Parks Conservation Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chinese American literary pioneer Maxine Hong Kingston revolutionized storytelling with her groundbreaking 1976 book ‘The Woman Warrior,’ which blended reality and myth to capture the immigrant experience. As part of our Bay Area Legends series, we talk with Kingston – who grew up working in her parent’s Stockton laundry business and was an integral part of Berkeley’s counterculture movement – about her genre-defying work. And we check in with contemporary authors about Kingston’s lasting influence on their craft and the evolution of immigrant narratives in American literature. Guests: Vanessa Hua, author, Forbidden City; Hua's previous books include “A River of Stars”; former columnist, San Francisco Chronicle Aimee Phan, author, "The Reeducation of Cherry Truong"; associate professor of writing and literature, California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, novelist, short story writer and poet; Her most recent novel "Independence" won the American Book Award in 2024. Maxine Hong-Kingston, author Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than half of Californians think Gov. Gavin Newsom is more focused on winning the presidency than governing the state, according to a poll this month from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. The results come as Newsom proposes controversial healthcare cuts to close a projected $12 billion budget shortfall and navigates a hostile Trump administration. We get your thoughts on how Newsom is leading California. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retailers are now facing a lot of headwinds, including tariffs and a drop in consumer confidence. But for Target, once affectionately known by customers as Tar-jay, a consumer boycott in response to the company’s decision to drop some DEI initiatives has been an added drag. In its most recent earnings call, the retailer reported a 3.8% drop in sales and lowered its earnings targets for the year. Consumers have long channeled their buying power to express political beliefs, whether it’s selling their Teslas, avoiding a certain retailer, or goods from a particular country. We look at the power of the consumer boycott, and why this one seems to be working. Guests: Amanda Mull, columnist, Bloomberg; Wrote the column “Buying Power” on American consumerism. Alex Ossola, host/producer, Wall Street Journal; Ossola's most recent podcast is called "Boycotting Target". Americus Reed II, professor of marketing, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perhaps you’ve been following Alison Bechdel’s work since her comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For,” which invented the now ubiquitous Bechdel test (does a movie have two women who speak to each other about something other than a man?). Maybe you came to know her through her graphic memoir “Fun Home,” which was adapted into a Tony-award winning musical. Her latest comic novel, “Spent,” is a work of autofiction that grapples with and parodies Bechdel’s own popularity. We’ll talk with Bechdel about being famous in a world on fire— and the funny side of it, too. Guests: Alison Bechdel, graphic novelist and cartoonist, author of "Spent: A Comic Novel." Her previous books include "The Secret to Superhuman Strength" and "Fun Home," which was adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been a tough month for Bay Area transit. BART had two major meltdowns this month, stranding and frustrating commuters, all while the agency plans to raise fares. System wide, Bay Area transit agencies continue to struggle with funding challenges and luring back riders after the pandemic fundamentally altered our region’s commute patterns. And now, major cuts in state and federal funding are on the horizon. We’ll talk about how different transit agencies are bracing for cuts, the federal government’s check on California’s shift toward electric vehicles, and the critical ways our transportation system has changed. Guests: Dan Brekke, editor and reporter, KQED News Ted Lamm, associate director for the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, UC Berkeley Law School Laura Tolkoff, transportation policy director, SPUR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1889, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the now infamous Chinese Exclusion Act, which prohibited Chinese laborers from entering the country. Writing for the majority, Justice Stephen J. Field characterized Chinese migrants as “strangers in the land.” New Yorker editor Michael Luo says that label persists today, even as more than 22 million people of Asian descent now reside in the U.S. In a new history book, Luo tells the stories of 19th and 20th century Chinese migrants and analyzes the long tail of contemporary anti-Asian racism and violence while championing those who fought against it. We listen back. Guests: Michael Luo, executive editor, The New Yorker; author, “Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his popular podcast “Dear Franklin Jones,” radio producer Jonathan Hirsch tried to make sense of a childhood dominated by his parents’ spiritual guru. In a new memoir he more deeply explores his relationship with his father and the complexity of providing care for a parent who didn’t take care of him. We talk to him about his audio memoir, “The Mind is Burning: Losing My Father to a Cult and Dementia.” Guests: Jonathan Hirsch, podcast producer; author of the audiobook memoir, "The Mind Is Burning: Losing my Father to a Cult and Dementia" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When New York Times critic Amanda Hess was told her baby had a rare genetic condition, her first instinct was to “Google [her] way out of it.” But instead of comfort, she found anxiety – a feeling that would come to define her journey into parenthood. We talk to Hess about how technology, including fertility apps and high-end gadgets, are reshaping parenthood. Her new book is “Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age.” Guests: Amanda Hess, culture critic covering the internet and pop culture, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A jazz festival in June. A California quilt show in July. A languorous lighthouse lunch in August. The best music, museums and memorable meals are just a few of the recommendations our KQED culture team has compiled in their annual Summer Events guide. They have advice for myriad tastes and budgets because nothing beats the Bay in the summer. Listen in and share your plans— what’s on your summer bucket list? Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts and Culture Sarah Hotchkiss, senior associate editor, KQED Arts and Culture Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts and Culture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest owners of the Trump memecoin $Trump will dine with the president Thursday night at the Trump National Golf Club. The cryptocurrency directly enriches the Trump family and has alarmed public corruption experts on both sides of the aisle – as has the administration’s acceptance Wednesday of a luxury jet from Qatar. We take a closer look at Trump’s efforts to use his office for personal gain, the dangers it poses and how far voters are willing to let him go. Guests: David Yaffe-Bellany, reporter covering cryptocurrencies and fintech, New York Times Abdallah Fayyad, policy correspondent, Vox; His recent piece is "How corrupt is Trump’s plan to accept a Qatari plane?". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For several decades, Black residents of East Oakland have watched their once-thriving middle-class community wither in numbers as the rising cost of living pushed out their neighbors leaving the area blighted with empty storefronts, crime and poverty. Now, a plan called Rise East will inject $100 million of privately raised funds into a 40-square-block section of East Oakland over a 10-year period. The plan, led by local nonprofits aims to invest in education, community safety, health care, affordable housing and boost the local economy. For this special edition of Forum, we’ll broadcast live from East Oakland to talk to community leaders about the groundbreaking initiative and how it can serve as a model for community revitalization and reparations. Guests: Gregory Hodge, CEO, Brotherhood of Elders Network Carolyn "CJ" Johnson, CEO, Black Cultural Zone Selena Wilson, CEO, East Oakland Youth Development Center Dr. Noha Aboelata, CEO, Roots Community Clinic lower waypoint next waypoint Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vladimir Putin has removed tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of his full scale invasion in February 2022. The deportations, often carried out under the pretense of “humanitarian evacuation,” have targeted vulnerable Ukrainian children including orphans, children with disabilities and children with parents in the military. Children who have escaped describe having been sent to re-education camps, prohibited from speaking Ukrainian and denied contact with their relatives at home. The International Criminal Court, which issued arrest warrants in 2023 for Putin and Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, defines the unlawful transfer of children to Russia as a war crime. We’ll talk to Kyiv-based child advocates about the status of efforts to bring the children back, and we’ll meet a U.S. congressman from California who wants to hold Russia accountable. The reporting for this episode was supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Women on the Ground: Reporting from Ukraine’s Unseen Frontlines Initiative in partnership with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. Guests: Jimmy Panetta, member, U.S. House of Representatives (CA-19) Mykola Kulebra, founder, Save Ukraine; former Commissioner for Children’s Rights for the President of Ukraine (2014-2021) Lena Rozvadoska, co-founder, Voices of Children Azad Safarov, journalist, documentarian and producer; co-founder of Voices of Children Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a scrappy San Francisco literary journal launched in 1985 to champion West Coast writers, the dream was to make a lasting imprint. Now, 40 years later, we celebrate Zyzzyza’s anniversary with editor Oscar Villalón and writers Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) and Ingrid Rojas Contreras. We’ll talk about the literary journal’s vision, its stellar roster of writers and poets, and what makes the West Coast literary scene special. Guests: Oscar Villalon, editor, Zyzzyva Magazine - San Francisco based literary journal Daniel Handler, author of the children's book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" under the pen name "Lemony Snicket" - contributor, "The End of the Golden Gate" Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Bay Area-based writer, author of the novel “Fruit of the Drunken Tree” and the memoir “The Man Who Could Move Clouds” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices