KQED's Forum

California Democrats have long criticized gerrymandering, the practice of drawing district maps to influence election outcomes. But as Texas Republicans have unveiled district maps intended to favor conservatives in the 2026 midterms, California lawmakers are sketching new plans of their own. Governor Gavin Newsom has announced plans to seek a special election in November, asking California voters to approve new districts that might lend Democrats an edge in the national election – temporarily sidelining California’s independent districting commission. We’ll talk with political reporters about what’s at stake in this redistricting fight. Guests: Laurel Rosenhall, California Politics Editor, LA Times Alexei Koseff, Capitol reporter, CalMatters Erin Covey, U.S. House of Representatives editor, The Cook Political Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2008, the Obama administration compiled a massive report with the goal of answering one big question: Is climate change a danger to human health in America? Comprised of some of the most comprehensive scientific findings of all time, the Endangerment Finding concluded that it was, which allowed the government to regulate climate change—including putting restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions. Now, the Trump administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have ruled to rescind the Endangerment Finding, in turn stripping climate regulations. It’s just the latest in Trump’s attack on climate science and regulations including the firing of hundreds of scientists, and the erasure of critical climate reports and data. We talk with climate reporters and scientists about what’s at stake. And what’s coming next. Guests: Molly Taft, journalist and climate reporter, WIRED Kristen Sissner, executive director, Berkeley Earth Shaye Wolf, climate science director at the Center for Biological Diversity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats long assumed they could count on voters of color to support their candidates and causes, and for many years they did. But last year’s presidential election was a wake up call for Democrats as Donald Trump gained significant support from Black, Latino and Asian American voters, especially men. In studying the racially and ethnically diverse voter coalition that brought Barack Obama to power, Yale professor Daniel Martinez HoSang, has found discontent and collapsing support for Democrats. This shift comes at a critical time for the left as they scramble to make headway before the 2026 midterms. We’ll talk to HoSang and Republican political strategist Mike Madrid about how the left lost these voters and whether it’s too late to regain their support. Guests: Daniel Martinez HoSang, professor of American Studies, Yale University Mike Madrid, political strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project; author, "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Elias Zerhouni’s journey began in Algeria, where he taught himself mathematics as bombs fell outside his window. With two suitcases and a few hundred dollars, his family eventually immigrated to the United States. Driven by an unshakable belief in science and service, Zerhouni rose through the ranks of medical research to become director of the National Institutes of Health under President George W. Bush. In his new memoir, “Disease Knows No Politics,” he reflects on his personal journey and the fierce political battles he faced while leading the NIH. He joins us to discuss the vital contributions of immigrants to American innovation and the urgent need to safeguard science from partisanship. Guests: Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former director, National Institute of Health; professor emeritus, Johns Hopkins University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re joined in studio for a live performance by the Jahari Stampley Family Trio. Stampley, an award-winning jazz pianist who is known for melding genres like funk, gospel and rock, calls his forthcoming album “What A Time” a sonic reflection of “the quiet stillness of late-night thoughts, the joy of a spontaneous jam, the fire of resistance, and the calm of resolution.” We talk to Stampley about his work, his influences and what it’s like to be in musical conversation with his mom. Guests: Ofri Nahemya, drums Jahari Stampley, piano D-Erania Stampley, bass, saxophone, synthesizer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Grateful Dead is showing a touch of grey as the band turns 60, and San Francisco is pulling out the stops to celebrate: tie-dye buses, banners across the city and the revival of Shakedown Street, the pop-up market that appears at Dead shows. The party culminates with three-nights of Dead & Company concerts from August 1-3 at Golden Gate Park’s Polo Field featuring band originals Bob Weir and Mickey Hart, along with other artists including John Mayer. We’ll talk about the long, strange history of the Dead, and hear about what the band has meant to you. Guests: David Gans, musician and author, "This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead" Hollie Rose, author, "When Push Comes to Shove: Real Life on Dead Tour" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Musician Greta Morgan began performing professionally when she was 16, singing for groups like The Hush Sound and Gold Motel before touring with Vampire Weekend and charting her own path as a singer-songwriter. But in 2020, a severe case of Covid led to a neurological disorder that reduced her voice to a hush. We talk to Morgan about what a drastic change to her singing voice taught her about her inner voice and how her listening became so powerful that when she watched a meteor shower, she thought she could hear the stars. Morgan’s new memoir is “The Lost Voice.” Guests: Greta Morgan, musician, songwriter and author, "The Lost Voice: A Memoir" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kaiser Permanente will stop providing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under the age of 19, as a result of President Trump’s executive order targeting health centers that provide care for transgender youth. Providers across the nation have been scaling back on gender-affirming care, including Stanford Medicine and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, but Kaiser’s decision has shocked many providers and patients in the Bay Area. We talk with nurses, advocates, patients and specialists about what it means for them and the future of healthcare for gender-nonconforming minors. Guests: Michelle Jurkiewicz, licensed clinical psychologist and gender specialist Sydney Simpson, nurse, Kaiser Permanente S. Baum, correspondent, "Erin in the Morning" newsletter by Erin Reed Rhaetia Hanscum, teacher and member of the Bay Area Rainbow Families Action Group Will Lohf, San Francisco public high school student and activist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In almost every part of the country, the amount people pay for electricity has gone up faster than the rate of inflation and it will likely continue to rise, according to the Energy Information Administration. So what’s ballooning your utility bill? We’ll talk with energy and policy experts about the increasing demands posed by data centers, the aging electricity infrastructure, and the new barriers to expanding renewable power plants. But the picture isn’t all grim; we’ll explore the steps we can take to make California’s electrical grid more sustainable. Guests: Costa Samaras, director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, trustee professor of civil and environmental engineering and an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University Michael Wara, policy director for the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School of Sustainability, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program and senior research scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The South Bay in San Diego County is the site of one of the nation’s worst environmental disasters. Fifty million gallons of untreated sewage and industrial chemicals flow daily into the Tijuana River and out of Imperial Beach. New research connects the waste to worsening air quality, which has been linked with headaches, skin infections and gastrointestinal problems in the local population. We’ll talk about why solutions could be years away. Guests: Soumya Karlamangla, national correspondent, based in the Bay Area, The New York Times Paula Stigler Granados, associate professor at the School of Public Health and head of the Environmental Health Division, San Diego State University Paloma Aguirre, mayor, Imperial Beach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann says he chooses what to write about based on what he most wants to know. His latest novel “Twist” springs from his fascination with the underwater cables, no thicker than a garden hose, that carry some 95% of the world’s telecommunications. McCann’s protagonist is a journalist who goes asea to investigate a cable break off the coast of Africa after the Congo River floods. We talk to McCann about themes of sabotage and repair – both in the abyssal zone he writes about and in our lives. Guests: Colum McCann, author, “Twist” - his other novels include “Apeirogon,” “Transatlantic” and “Let the Great World Spin,” which won a National Book Award Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As ICE raids sweep across the country as a part of President Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, ethnic media outlets in California are playing an invaluable role keeping the communities they serve informed. We talk with media organizations that serve immigrant and diaspora audiences about how their communities are dealing with the impacts of the administration’s enforcement actions, how their approaches to news coverage has had to change, and what they think is coming next. Guests: Madeleine Bair, journalist and founder, El Tímpano Memo Torres, writer and director of engagement, L.A. Taco, a Southern California source of news and information covering food, culture and community Tanay Gokhale, community reporter, India Currents Julian Do, co-director, American Community Media Dzung Do, editor, Nguoi Viet Daily News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A record high 7 million U.S. children have received an ADHD diagnosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But journalist Paul Tough wonders if we’re thinking about pediatric ADHD all wrong. For a recent New York Times Magazine feature, Tough spent a year talking to leading researchers who now say that standard treatments like Ritalin only help children behave better, not learn better – and even that effect wears off completely over time. We talk to Tough about why he says we need to reconceptualize diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Guests: Paul Tough, contributing writer, New York Times Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Gary Shteyngart’s new novel, “Vera, or Faith,” a precocious 10-year old Korean-American girl, with a curious mind and exceptional vocabulary, navigates her way through a dystopian nearfuture. The politics of this America, in which a constitutional amendment to give “exceptional” white Americans more voting rights is being considered, are confusing. But even more so is Vera’s complicated family life that includes a dead mother, a scattered and self-involved father, and a stepmother who Vera is not sure loves her. Reviewers have called the book a “brilliant fable.” We talk to Shteyngart about the future and families. Guests: Gary Shteyngart, writer, Shteyngart's latest novel is "Vera, or Faith" - he is also the author of "Our Country Friends," "Little Failure: A Memoir" and "Super Sad True Love Story" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The photograph of your grandmother that’s at least a century old, yellowing at the edges. An embroidered handkerchief that’s crossed the globe. The family Mahjong rules. We might want to pass certain items down to subsequent generations, but may not know how to keep them in usable condition. And with so much of our lives happening digitally, how can we ensure the tender voicemails, photos and emails kept safe on our phones won’t be lost in the online void? We’ll hear librarians’ and archivists’ best tips for digitizing, storing and preserving letters, photographs and ephemera. And we’ll talk about how to conduct oral histories to pass down the stories — and voices — of those who’ve come before. Guests: Nisa Khan, audience news desk reporter, KQED Shanna Farrell, oral historian, UC Berkeley's Oral History Center Jackie Forsyte, audio-visual archivist, Teach Archive Preserve Exhibit (T.A.P.E.) Los Angeles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For people of Mexican descent, mariachi music is synonymous with milestones such as weddings, birthday parties, funerals or maybe just Saturday-morning chores. The genre, which originated in the 18th century in the western state of Jalisco, has morphed into one of Mexico’s most beloved styles of music that is now popular worldwide. In California, more high schools and colleges such as San Jose State have added mariachi music programs. Mariachi San Jose, an ensemble of college students, joins us in studio for a special live performance ahead of the Fourth Annual Fiesta del Mariachi. We’ll talk about mariachi’s growing popularity and the local ensembles that keep the genre strumming in the Bay. Guests: José R. Torres-Ramos, assistant professor of ethnomusicology, San Jose State University; director, Mariachi San Jose Debra Barrera, violin, Mariachi San Jose Anthony Cera, trumpet, Mariachi San Jose Abril Dorado, violin, Mariachi San Jose Jorge Dovalina, vihuela, Mariachi San Jose Thomas Hernández, harp, Mariachi San Jose Cameron Samayoa, guitarrón, Mariachi San Jose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration is pushing to reopen Alcatraz as a federal prison, requiring the repeal of National Park protections and ending its six-decade transformation from America’s most notorious penitentiary into one of its most popular tourist sites. Throughout its long history, Alcatraz has served not only as a prison, but also as a military base, a site of Native American unity and resistance, a bird sanctuary, and a tourist site for 1.4 million of visitors who journey to it every year. Critics contend that the effort to convert it back into a prison is a wasteful folly. While others decry the loss of the site as a national park and museum, which offers a historical perspective into the American carceral system. We talk about the unique space that Alcatraz occupies in Bay Area cultural history, and its lasting legacy. Guests: Michele Gee, deputy chief executive officer, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Kent Blansett, associate professor of Native American studies and history, University of Kansas; author, "Journey to Freedom: Richard Oakes, Alcatraz, and the Red Power Movement" Jolene Babyak, former resident of Alcatraz; author, “Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

he arrival of tools like ChatGPT has changed how college students write. Some use A.I. to organize ideas or fine-tune phrasing; others rely on it to complete entire assignments. Professors are adapting in turn, trading take-home essays for blue books, experimenting with oral exams or rethinking their pedagogy to include A.I. from the start. We talk with New Yorker staff writer and Bard College literature professor Hua Hsu about how artificial intelligence is reshaping higher education and what a new generation of students might be losing, and learning, as a result. Guests: Hua Hsu, staff writer, The New Yorker; professor of literature, Bard College Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Billboards promoting movies “for your consideration” take over Los Angeles freeways every award season, while San Francisco’s drivers are inundated with tech jargon. But billboards do more than promote the industries that power our economy. Up and down California, they serve as cultural touchstones, calls to action and reflections of local values and beliefs. We talk about California’s unique culture and history with billboards. What’s a billboard you remember? Guests: Wendy Liu, author, writes about billboards for Bay Area Current Catherine Gudis, professor in the departments of History and Society, Environment, and Health Equity, University of California, Riverside Matt Stevens, arts and culture reporter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Supreme Court has given the Trump Administration the greenlight to gut the workforce of the Department of Education. The move isn’t just about reducing the government’s payroll; it’s part of a much larger attack on public education according to some education advocates. Critics of the department, which the Republican Party has attempted to shut down since it was created 45 years ago, say the federal government should leave state and local agencies to manage schools. While the agency can’t be shuttered without congressional approval, the significant job losses put into question how effective it can be and how it will oversee student loans, research, and civil rights violations among other responsibilities. We talk about what is next for the department and what it means for students. Guests: Jill Tucker, K-12 education reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Noliwe Rooks, professor and chair of Africana Studies, Brown University Michael J. Petrilli, president, Thomas B. Fordham Institute - a conservative education policy think tank; visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices