KQED's Forum

Donald Trump on Thursday called former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney a “radical war hawk” who should have guns “trained on her face.” This has become increasingly typical of the rhetoric coming from the Trump campaign — a campaign Atlantic staff writer David Graham says is “premised around violence, disregard for the rule of law, and retribution for anyone who might disagree with him.” We’ll talk with Graham and experts on extremism and extremist rhetoric about the impacts of Trump’s threatening messaging. Guests: David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects Jennifer Mercieca, professor, Department of Communication & Journalism, Texas A&M University; author, “Demagogue For President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump”

For most of us the presidential race is top of mind. But voters on Tuesday will also decide which party controls Congress. Across the country, 34 Senate seats and all 435 House seats are contested in this election. In a historically tight race, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House by razor thin margins, a small number of races will decide which party controls each chamber of Congress. We’ll talk to experts breaking down the battleground congressional races in California and nationwide. Guests: Jessica Taylor, Senate/Governors Editor, The Cook Political Report Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter, Politico Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

Dia de los Muertos gives us a yearly opportunity to remember loved ones who have passed away. In honor of the holiday, we provide our listeners with a radio altar. It’s a chance to call in and share testimonials – or audio ofrendas – for those who’ve left us. Have you recently lost a family member, a neighbor, a friend or even a celebrity you admired? Tell us what they meant to you. Guests: Martina Ayala, executive director, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts Antonieta Mercado, professor and director of the Program in Latin American Studies, University of San Diego

The modern witch is more than a character from “Harry Potter.” She, he or they could be a co-worker, a neighbor or a friend who uses spells, spirituality and study to connect with ancestors, mystery or the divine. Throughout history and across cultures, witches have been persecuted – labeled as heretics, Satanists or just plain weird. But witches have also been revered (and feared) for their ability to cure ailments with herbs and tinctures, to commune with nature and to summon the spirits. We talk about witches, witchcraft and the powerful spell they hold on us. Guests: Michelle Tea, author and poet, Her latest book is "Modern Magic: Stories, Rituals and Spells for Contemporary Witches"; She also hosts the podcast "Your Magic" where she has read the tarot cards for Roxane Gay, Phoebe Bridgers and other celebrities. Bri Luna, founder of the website "The Hoodwitch", Her most recent book is "Blood Sex Magic: Everyday Magic for the Modern Mystic from the Creator of The Hoodwitch". Helen Berger, visiting scholar, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School; Berger is considered one of the country's foremost experts on Witches. She is the author of four books, including "Solitary Pagans" among other books on Witches, Wiccans and contemporary Pagans.

The New York Times’ Modern Love column debuted on Halloween 20 years ago, “three years before iPhones, eight years before Tinder, and 11 years before same-sex marriage became legal in the US.” We’ll look back at the heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking submissions from Modern Love readers about their loves, losses and complicated relationships. And we’ll discuss what they reveal about how we’ve changed as a country over two decades in the ways we find and celebrate love. What’s your modern love story? Guests: Anna Martin, host of the “Modern Love” podcast, The New York Times Daniel Jones, author, "Love Illuminated: Exploring Life's Most Mystifying Subject (with the Help of 50,000 Strangers)" and editor of The New York Times' Modern Love column

Novelist Richard Powers has a way of making us see the world, and our place in it, in entirely new ways. His 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winning novel Overstory attuned readers to the power and mystery of trees. In his new novel, Playground, he focuses his awe and concern on marine life, the oceans and the perils we’ve inflicted on them. We talk to Powers about his epic story of friendship, colonialism and the looming power of AI. Guests: Richard Powers, author, His new novel is "Playground." His previous books include "The Overstory" which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and "The Echo Maker" which won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction.

Did you make a mistake filling out your ballot? Need a refresher on how ranked choice voting works? Wondering how to find your polling place? Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, and KQED’s Scott Shafer join us to take all of your voting questions ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Guests: Kim Alexander, president and founder, California Voter Foundation Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government; co-host, Political Breakdown

Two major newspapers, the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, will not publish planned endorsements for Kamala Harris for president. Those decisions, made last week after editorial boards at both papers their endorsements, have sparked outrage, hundreds of thousands of canceled subscriptions, and staff resignations. In an op-ed in the Washington Post, owner Jeff Bezos wrote, “What presidential endorsements actually do is create a perception of bias. A perception of non-independence. Ending them is a principled decision, and it’s the right one.” But many observers point out that the very role of editorial boards is to take a stance. We’ll talk about newspaper editorial boards, why they endorse or don’t endorse candidates, and what’s at stake. Guests: David Folkenflik, media correspondent, NPR News Mariel Garza, journalist, former editorials editor of the Los Angeles Times Sewell Chan, executive editor, Columbia Journalism Review

Big Tech-funded super PACs have spent hundreds of millions of dollars this election cycle to protect their interests in crypto and AI. In a piece for the New Yorker this month, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charles Duhigg says that “(n)ow that the tech industry has quietly become one of the most powerful lobbying forces in American politics, it is wielding that power as previous corporate special interests have: to bully, cajole, and remake the nation as it sees fit.” We’ll talk to Duhigg about how tech money is shaping this election. His article is called “Silicon Valley, the New Lobbying Monster.” Guests: Charles Duhigg, journalist, The New Yorker; author of "Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection" and "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business"

Since Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the election in 2020, laws have been passed to protect our election results. But there has also been a concerted “election integrity” movement that has put election officials distrustful of the system in charge of local and county offices. And in California, only a third of congressional Republican incumbents have pledged to certify the results in November. We discuss how resilient our election system is, and whether we are now better protected from, or more vulnerable to, attacks on our democracy. Guests: Jim Rutenberg, reporter, The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine Ian Millhiser, senior correspondent, Vox - His books include "Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted" and "The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court is Reshaping America." Jessica Marsden, director of impact programs and counsel [leading teams focused on protecting free and fair elections], Protect Democracy

You see them on stage every night – the musicians whose names are buried in the liner notes and driven by passion rather than by rockstar-dom. Franz Nicolay calls them “band people,” and for his new book, he interviewed over 60 of these session musicians, backup singers, and instrumentalists. They share stories about the realities of band life and what Nicolay considers a unique collaboration that exists somewhere between a family, a romance, a small business and a gang. His book is called “Band People: Life and Work In Popular Music.” Who are some of your favorite unsung musicians? Guests: Franz Nicolay, musician and writer Jason Narducy, musician; has performed in Bob Mould Band, Superchunk, Sunny Day Real Estate, Split Single, and Verböten

The latest stars of TikTok and social media are not just influencers, they are presidential candidates. The campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have rapid response digital teams that are jumping on every meme, dance, and remix, some which feature the candidates. But are these efforts reaching new voters? Or is the “For You Page” just solidifying people’s world views, but to music? We’ll talk to social media experts and hear from you: what’s your favorite – or most hated – political meme in this election cycle and how has it influenced your vote? Guests: Sapna Maheshwari, business reporter covering TikTok and emerging media, New York Times Morgan Sung, host, "Close All Tabs" podcast available on KQED's "Political Breakdown" feed

What happens if fascism takes root in the United States? Actors Edie Falco and Tony Shalhoub have teamed up to voice a new radio play called “It Happened Here 2024.” The play, adapted by Richard Dresser from his own novel, imagines an authoritarian country in 2039 where elections are a thing of the past and the rule of law has collapsed. We’ll talk to the actors and the playwright about the connections they see between their “audio documentary from the future” and the current political climate. Guests: Edie Falco, actor, known for her roles on "The Sopranos" and "Nurse Jackie" Tony Shalhoub, actor, known for his roles on "Monk" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Richard Dresser, playwright, screenwriter and novelist, His new radio play is "It Happened Here 2024"

Neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin says we can trace beliefs about music’s power to heal mind, body and spirit back 20,000 years, to the Upper Paleolithic era. But only recently have we had good science to explain how music affects us and how we can use it therapeutically. Not only to relax, uplift and bring us together, but as part of treatment of trauma, depression, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and more. Alexis Madrigal talked onstage with Levitin in collaboration with LitQuake, San Francisco’s literary festival, running through October 26th. We listen back on their conversation and to Levitin’s live musical performance. Guest: Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist, musician and author, "I Heard There Was a Secret Chord," "The Organized Mind," "The World in Six Songs" and "This is Your Brain on Music. He is also Dean of Social Sciences at the Minerva Schools in San Francisco.

“Living Dummy.” “The Haunted Mask.” “Welcome to Dead House.” For ’90s kids, R.L. Stine, author of the “Goosebumps” series, is synonymous with spooky. The series has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, making it the second-best-selling book series in history (after a decidedly less scary boy wizard). And after being adapted for TV, film and a new Disney+ series, “Goosebumps” has found its audience among generations of kids looking for frights. We’ll talk about how to tell scary — but not too scary — stories for kids, and why we love horror at any age. Guests: R.L. Stine, author, wrote more than 350 books including the series “Goosebumps” and “Fear Street,” and of the nonfiction works “There's Something Strange About My Brain: Writing Horror For Kids” and “It Came From Ohio!: My Life As a Writer” Caroline Smith, producer, KQED Mark Nieto, producer, KQED Blanca Torres, producer and reporter, KQED

In the final weeks before election day, candidates are scrambling to win over groups of voters who could tip the results. American voters have shifted significantly in recent decades with changes in the racial and ethnic composition of the electorate and their education level. In California, more than 2 million Latinos and more than 750,000 people of Asian descent became eligible to vote between 2012 and 2022. Meanwhile, white voters declined by more than 1 million. In other parts of the country, there are now more voters with college degrees than without. Those shifts could have major implications for elections. We’ll talk about voter trends at the local, state and national level and what it could all mean. Guests: Mindy Romero, founder and director, Center for Inclusive Democracy Jason McDaniel, associate professor of political science, San Francisco State University Jocelyn Kiley, senior associate director of research, Pew Research Center

As the Greenland ice sheet melts, more freshwater is pouring into the oceans and that’s triggering feedback loops that could mean disastrous coastal sea level rise and drought. New Yorker staff writer Elizabeth Kolbert reported from the summit of the Greenland ice sheet for her new piece, “When the Arctic Melts.” “If we cross the tipping point for the Greenland ice sheet,” she writes, “we may not even notice. And yet the world as we know it will be gone.” Kolbert joins us. Guests: Elizabeth Kolbert, staff writer, The New Yorker

It’s been nearly twenty years since 23andMe, the consumer health company was founded. Since then, other companies have emerged, and in exchange for a tube of spit, a puff of breath, or a drop of blood, consumers can now not only find their ancestry and long-lost relatives, but learn what to eat that day or discover food sensitivities and propensity for diseases. But are these tests effective and what are the pitfalls of using a company you found on Instagram to test whether you’re likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s or cancer? And when those companies cease to exist, as troubled 23andMe might, what happens to all that health data? It’s one thing to share your email address or mobile number, and an entirely different proposition to share your genome. We’ll talk to experts about the world of consumer DNA-testing and how to protect yourself and your genome. Guests: Kristen V. Brown, staff writer, Atlantic Magazine Hank Greely, law professor; founding director, Center for Law and the Biosciences, Stanford University

Native to California, coyotes are common in urban green spaces up and down the state. Once eradicated from San Francisco, they’ve made a comeback in the city, with sightings on the rise and reports of pet attacks, including an incident involving a 5-year-old child. We’ll talk about best practices to keep you and your pets safe and learn about the essential role coyotes play in California’s ecosystem. Have you had a recent encounter with a coyote? Guests: Tali Caspi, urban ecologist, PhD Candidate at UC Davis Christopher J Schell, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley Christine Wilkinson, conservation scientist, carnivore ecologist, research associate at California Academy of Sciences - manages www.bayareacoyote. org

Measure J in Sonoma County wants to ban “factory farms” and force major poultry and dairy farms to downsize or shut down by limiting the number of animals a single farm can raise. The issue has been hotly contested in Sonoma, a major producer of milk, eggs, beef and poultry for the region and state. The measure specifically targets “concentrated animal feeding operations,” known as CAFOs, which backers claim are inhumane and detrimental to the environment. But opponents say the measure does nothing to improve animal welfare and would instead drive humane and ecologically-friendly farms out of business. We’ll talk about Measure J and how it could impact farming in Sonoma County and beyond. Guests: Mike Weber, farmer, Weber Family Farms - a poultry farm in Petaluma Cassie King, spokesperson, Direct Action Everywhere Bay Area - a group that advocates for animal rights and is part of the Coalition to End Factory Farming, the group that started Measure J in Sonoma Phil Barber, reporter, Santa Rosa Press Democrat