KQED's Forum

For historian Peniel Joseph, the year 1963 — the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation — is the defining year of the Civil Rights Movement. “America came undone and remade itself in 1963, a year of miracles and tragedies, progress and setbacks,” he writes in his new book, “Freedom Season.” It profiles how events of that year affected Americans like Rev. King, Malcolm X and James Baldwin — and inspired their parts in the Black freedom struggle. Joseph joins us. Tell us: What does 1963 symbolize to you? Guests: Peniel E. Joseph, author, "Freedom Season: How 1963 Transformed America's Civil Rights Revolution" - professor of history and founding director, Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, University of Texas at Austin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial intelligence dominates the Bay Area tech landscape, and we will catch you up on the latest headlines. From chatbots that promise to be your friend to artificial general intelligence, or AGI, which is designed to go beyond task-oriented AI to comprehend and process information in a close-to human form. We’ll talk to a panel of tech reporters about what’s on the horizon and just how much AI may — or may not —change the way we live. Guests: Nitasha Tiku, tech culture reporter, Washington Post Jeff Horwitz, tech reporter, The Wall Street Journal Kylie Robison, reporter, Wired; Robison covers the business of AI Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump White House is exploring ways to get Americans to have more children, including government funded menstrual cycle classes and a $5000 “baby bonus.” Reproductive health journalist Carter Sherman calls pronatalism “a key ideological plank in the bridge between tech bro rightwingers like [Elon] Musk and more traditional, religious conservatives.” We look at the rise of the U.S. pronatalist movement and what it means in practice for women and families. Guests: Faith Hill, staff writer, The Atlantic Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter, The Guardian; author of the upcoming book “The Second Coming: Sex and the Next Generation’s Fight Over Its Future” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland’s restaurant industry is a conundrum. It’s been celebrated as the best restaurant city in the country. But restaurateurs almost universally say they are struggling to make ends meet. As part of our series about how the pandemic changed us, 5 years on, we spotlight Oakland to look at whether the long trudge to pandemic recovery for restaurants will ever end. We talk with restaurant owners and industry experts about the big successes and major struggles of Oakland’s food scene and what it means to support a restaurant. Guests: Elena Kadvany, food reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Paul Iglesias, chef and owner, Parché; co-owner, Jaji Christ Aivaliotis, owner, Lil Hill Lounge; former owner, Palmetto and Kon-Tiki Stella Dennig, co-owner, Daytrip Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve probably noticed that common hobbies from sewing to skiing have gotten more expensive. It’s a dynamic that Atlantic staff writer Tyler Austin Harper calls “hobby inflation.” And it not only affects your pocketbook but also means fewer opportunities for personal fulfillment and community building. We talk to Harper about what we lose when we can no longer afford our hobbies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Succulent tomatoes that burst in your mouth. Enough zucchini to feed an army. Corn, sunflowers, and more. The summer garden has much to offer, but Bay Area summer gardening is a bit different. Some of us stay socked in fog and marine layer for weeks at a time, while others are dealing with hotter temperatures. We talk about the summer garden, take your questions, and hear what’s thriving in your plot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump may have taken a softer tone in his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this week, but whether that will quell the anger and bring Canadians back to the U.S remains to be seen. California tourism experts cite Trump’s trade policies and nationalist rhetoric for a projected 9% drop in international travelers this summer, with the sharpest declines among Canadian and Mexican tourists who spend more here than tourists from any other country. We look at how the Trump administration is affecting California tourism and hear from you: Has anyone told you they won’t be visiting the U.S. this year? Guests: Hailey Branson-Potts, staff writer, Los Angeles Times McKenzie McMillan, travel advisor, The Travel Group, a Vancouver travel agency Kenny Cassady, director of business development, Acme House Co. in Palm Springs; board member, Visit Greater Palm Springs; board president, Vacation Rental Owners and Neighbors of Palm Springs (VRON-PS) Pete Hillan, spokesperson, California Hotel and Lodging Association Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five former directors of the National Weather Service released a joint letter on Friday warning about the impact of major cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that they say will result in less accurate weather reports and storm warnings that could put lives at risk. NOAA is just one scientific organization facing widespread cuts. From NASA to the National Institute of Health to the National Science Foundation, public research institutions have taken massive blows. We talk with reporters and a former NSW director about the future of science in the Trump Administration and beyond. Guests: EW (Joe) Friday, former director, National Weather Service Katherine Wu, staff writer, The Atlantic Geoff Brumfiel, senior editor and correspondent, NPR's science desk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When political advisor Chloe Dalton found an injured newborn hare near her home in the countryside, she decided to nurse it back to health. The two quickly formed a bond of quiet companionship. We talk to Dalton about what the hare taught her about trust, attention, preparing for loss and the ordinary magic of engaging closely with the natural world. Her new memoir is “Raising Hare.” What has a relationship with a wild animal taught you? Guests: Chloe Dalton, writer and political advisor,her debut book is "Raising Hare" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump has never hid his disdain for California. In his first hundred days in office, the President has gone on offense against the state on a number of key issues, from immigration to education. Scott Schafer and Marisa Lagos from KQED’s politics team are spending the week in D.C. talking with California’s elected officials. We check in about how state Democratic leaders are planning to counter Trump’s policies, how California Republicans are adjusting to the new order and who might emerge as the next voices of Democratic leadership. Guests: Scott Shafer, senior editor; co-host of Political Breakdown, KQED Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent; co-host of Political Breakdown, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Public media outlets say they will fight President Trump’s executive order directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to end its financial support for NPR and PBS. Public media leaders and executives question the order’s legality and say a loss of federal funding endangers the broader network of public media programming. We look at the potential impact on stations in rural communities in California, where those outlets are often the only source of news and emergency warnings. Join us. Guests: David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News Dina Polkinghorne, interim general manager, KZYX / Mendocino County Public Broadcasting Connie Leyva, executive director, KVCR in the Inland Empire Michael Isip, president and chief executive officer, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his new book “Sex is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary,” Princeton biological anthropologist Agustin Fuentes makes the case that among animals, including humans, sex variation and reproductive biology is far more complex and fluid than we think. We discuss why many of the assumptions about male and female differences are more cultural than biological, and what intersex earthworms and fish that switch sexes can teach us about gender and sex. Guests: Agustín Fuentes, anthropologist, Princeton University; his latest book is called "Sex is a Spectrum" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tariffs on many of China’s imports into the United States now stand at 145%; most U.S. imports into China face tariffs of 125%. While President Trump and senior U.S. officials insist a trade deal is within reach, China’s Commerce Ministry has stated that it will not engage in talks until U.S. tariffs are lifted. With Trump’s trade war threatening to derail the critical relationship, and China casting itself as a stable counterpart to Washington’s unpredictability, we talk with Harvard Professor Rana Mitter about what’s at stake, and how we got here. Guests: Rana Mitter, S.T. Lee Chair in U.S.-Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, Oil Giant Valero announced it would “restructure, or cease operations” at its Benicia refinery by the end of April 2026, as California transitions away from fossil fuels. The news left city officials, workers and residents scrambling to figure out what to do next. Valero is the city’s largest employer and a significant taxpayer, but also a source of pollution. We talk about the possible closure and what it means for our region. Guests: Julie Small, criminal justice reporter, KQED Severin Borenstein, professor at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a faculty director of The Energy Institute at Haas Josh Sonnenfeld, senior California strategist, BlueGreen Alliance Steve Young, mayor, Benicia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laila Lalami’s new novel, “The Dream Hotel,” imagines a dystopian future where even our dreams are under surveillance. AI tools can scan our dreams to determine whether we’re likely to commit a crime, then we’re sent away to so-called “retention centers” to be monitored in the name of “safety.” Mina sat down with Lalami in April at Night of Ideas in San Francisco to talk about the timeliness and inspiration behind her story about a Los Angeles mother, caught in a web of government surveillance, detainment without charges and AI tools. We’ll hear that conversation. Guest: Laila Lalami, author of the new novel, "The Dream Hotel;" she’s the author of five other books including "The Moor’s Account" and "The Other Americans" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For seasoned and beginner bakers alike, there are always new techniques to learn when it comes to baking that perfect chocolate chip cookie or pie crust. Cookbook author and recipe developer Jessica Battilana shares what common mistakes bakers make, her key tips and tricks for successful baking, and why baking is bringing much-needed joy for so many people right now. Guest: Jessica Battilana, co-author, "Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California." Battilana is also a staff editor at King Arthur Baking. Her new podcast is "Things Bakers Know." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do California drivers often get to keep a valid license, even after they kill someone on the road? A new CalMatters investigation studied tens of thousands of DMV driver reports and found that nearly 40 percent of the drivers charged with vehicular manslaughter since 2019 are able to drive on the road today. Nearly 400 of those drivers have caused other collisions since their first fatal crash. We’ll talk to the reporter behind the investigation and a road safety expert about the DMV protocols and state policies at play. And want to hear from you: When should someone lose their driver’s license? Guests: Robert Lewis, reporter, CalMatters; author, CalMatters investigation "License to Kill" Leah Shahum, founder and executive director, Vision Zero Network; former executive director, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the past several weeks a 45-foot tall wire sculpture of a nude woman has loomed over San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza. “R-Evolution,” which first appeared at Burning Man in 2015, has gotten a very mixed reception, sparking controversy in the city over who public art is for and who gets a say. We’ll talk about how public art gets selected, how it illuminates the different relationships people have with shared urban spaces, and why private funding is complicating it all. Guests: Sarah Hotchkiss, senior associate editor, KQED Arts and Culture Cheryl Derricotte, artist Lynne Baer, public art advisor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces captured South Vietnam’s capital of Saigon, ending the Vietnam War. With 50 years now passed, those who left Vietnam — and subsequent generations — are reflecting on how the war and the ensuing exodus have influenced their identities and heritage. Three writers from across the Vietnamese diaspora write about the war and its lasting impacts on refugees and future generations in a new issue of the literary magazine McSweeney’s, titled “The Make Believers.” They join us to share what the anniversary means for them, and we’ll hear what it means to you. Guests: Thi Bui, author, illustrated memoir "The Best We Could Do" Doan Bui, writer and journalist Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, executive director, Diasporic Vietnamese Artists Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump has given Elon Musk and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency far-reaching authority to fire federal workers without cause and gain access to the confidential information of millions of Americans. The effect has been a wide-scale bulldozing of the federal government. In looking back on the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, we talk with reporters from Wired magazine, who have broken some of the biggest stories on what DOGE is doing, about what is going on and why. Guests: Makena Kelly, politics reporter, WIRED Zoë Schiffer, director of business and industry, WIRED; She oversees coverage of business and Silicon Valley. author, "Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk’s Twitter." Vittoria Elliott, platforms and power reporter, Wired Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices