Kqeds Forum

What makes us vulnerable to charlatans? A new book by journalist Quico Toro takes a close look at charismatic manipulators from literal snake oil peddlers to crypto scammer Sam Bankman-Fried. We talk to Toro about how charlatans exploit our need for certainty, belonging and leadership — and why the tricks are old, but thanks to viral amplification on social media, the scale is new. Toro’s book, co-written with Moisés Naim, is “Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses.” Guests: Francisco Toro, author, "Charlatans: How Grifters, Swindlers, and Hucksters "Bamboozle the Media, the Markets, and the Masses" - he's also director of climate repair at the Anthropocene Institute Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California has a massive economy, the power of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, and we grow much of the nation’s food. As the Trump administration targets the state with federal cuts, ICE raids, and the deployment of the National Guard, some are asking: How could California—and other blue states—use their considerable power? Could there be a kind of “soft secession” from the federal government? We’ll talk about the possible paths for blue-state resistance. Guests: Clara Jeffery, editor in chief, Mother Jones and the Center for Investigative Reporting Jon Michaels, law professor, UCLA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California City in Kern county is now home to the state’s largest ICE detention facility after private prison giant CoreCivic formally contracted to run it last month. But immigrant rights advocates say it lacks proper permits, and detainees have staged hunger strikes to protest filthy conditions and lack of access to medical care. Meanwhile, California City officials say they have no authority to challenge prison operations. We talk about how it’s dividing the community. Guests: Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQED Sam Levin, senior criminal justice reporter, the Guardian US Marquette Hawkins, mayor, California City Vikram Amar, professor of law, UC Davis School of Law Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The government has shut down and President Trump is withholding dedicated funds to blue states, demanding  universities sign a pact to get federal funding and cracking down on free speech. We bring together a panel of reporters to sort through what is happening in Washington and discuss the ways the Trump administration is throwing out the playbook and creating new, and sometimes unlawful, norms. Guests: Philip Bump, former national columnist, Washington Post - Bump is the author of "The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America" Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPR Molly Ball, former senior political correspondent, Wall Street Journal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the federal government shutdown extended through a second day, President Trump on Thursday redoubled his threats to carry out mass layoffs, posting on his social media platform that Democrats had given him an “unprecedented opportunity.” We talk to California Senator Adam Schiff about the Democrats’ long game on the shutdown and get his response to Trump’s call this week to use U.S. cities as a “training ground” for the military and his administration’s decision to cancel billions of dollars for energy projects in California and the Pacific Northwest. Guests: Adam Schiff, U.S. Senator representing California; former U.S. Congressman representing Los Angeles; his books include "Midnight in Washington: How We Almost Lost Our Democracy and Still Could" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This fall brings Bay Area residents plenty of options for enjoying the arts from the Castro Theatre reopening with a Sam Smith residency after a two year closure to an exhibit of Witchcraft, Magic, and Occult Knowledge at Stanford. And of course, there are the perennial events like LitQuake, the region’s premier literary festival, and celebrations of Oktoberfest, Día de los Muertos, and Halloween. KQED’s Arts team joins us to provide recommendations. And, we’ll hear from you, what’s the fall event or activity you are most looking forward to? Guests: Gabe Meline, senior editor, KQED Arts & Culture Sarah Hotchkiss, associate editor, KQED Arts & Culture Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts & Culture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The United States has for generations been a magnet for students and scholars from around the world seeking higher education and research positions. In fields such as engineering and the life sciences, at least half of workers here with doctorates are born outside the country. But crackdowns on universities, federal funding cuts and a precarious climate for immigrants is turning a brain gain into a brain drain. We talk about why fewer international students and researchers are choosing to come to the U.S and why American scholars are choosing other countries to pursue their work. Are you considering leaving the country for school or work? Guests: Sarah Willcox, deputy director, Scholars at Risk James Glanz, international and investigative reporter, The New York Times Sonya Pfeiffer, civil rights and criminal defense attorney, BT Legal and Pfeiffer Rudolf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even after the tremendous success of her cookbook, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and the Netflix series it inspired, Samin Nosrat found that, she was lonely and depressed. What grounded her, and helped her claw back the joy in her life, was regularly cooking and eating with friends and committing to community – one “lazy sugo” at a time .  We talk to Nosrat about her journey and her new book, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love.” Guests: Samin Nosrat, chef and author of "Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook"; her previous book is the bestseller "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most beloved primatologists, has died. She was 91. Goodall was a hero of the conservation movement known for her decades long study of chimpanzees — how they use tools, care for their young, and care for each other. Her discoveries led her to devote her life to animal conservation and fighting deforestation, balanced with the needs of local people. We listen back to our conversation with Goodall from September 2023. She joined us along with two international conservation champions inspired by Goodall’s work to talk about the evolution of her activism and the future of the conservation movement. Guests: Jane Goodall, ethologist and conservationist; co-founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, which is devoted to the protection of great apes and their habitats; her books include "The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times" and "The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior" Jean-Gael "JG" Collomb, chief executive officer, Wildlife Conservation Network, which connects

The federal government shut down at midnight on Tuesday after lawmakers failed to reach a deal to continue funding its operations. We hear from Bay Area congressman Mark DeSaulnier as Democrats and Republicans fight a messaging war over who to blame for what could be a long and painful period of no pay and potential job losses for federal employees. Guests: Mark DeSaulnier, United States Congressman, representing 10th district of California (the East Bay) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The politicalization of the Department of Justice took a new turn last week when US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an indictment against Trump nemesis and former FBI head James Comey. Donald Trump has made clear that this term, he intends to go after his personal enemies, but the capitulation of DOJ to his demands has raised troubling questions. With career prosecutors and FBI agents being fired or leaving in droves, we talk about what is happening to the Justice Department. Guests: Ismail Ramsey, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California Quinta Jurecic, staff writer, Atlantic Magazine - Jurecic's most recent piece for the Atlantic is titled "The Comey Indictment Is an Embarrassment" Glenn Thrush, reporter covering the Justice Department, New York Times Ejaz Baluch, attorney, Baluch resigned from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice earlier this year Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Tom Frieden, who led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Obama, is sounding new alarms about the direction the agency is heading. Frieden says that since taking office, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has “followed a consistent playbook: deny, distract, and destroy” by promoting vaccine misinformation, linking Tylenol use to autism and firing some of the CDC’s most competent professionals. We’ll talk to Frieden about how he thinks science can prevail over falsehood. His new book is “The Formula For Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives, Including Your Own.” Guests: Dr. Tom Frieden, former director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - author, "The Formula for Better Health: How to Save Millions of Lives-Including Your Own" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forum is continuing our series, “In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis” with a look into what happens when people lose their housing. Each year in the Bay Area, an estimated 44,000 people will become homeless, according to All Home, a Bay Area nonprofit. Some find a new place to live quickly, while others shuffle through couch-surfing, sleeping outside, staying at shelters, living in cars or a tent. We’ll talk about the early stages of losing housing and the interventions that can help keep homelessness “brief and rare” as policy experts say, and head off chronic homelessness. Guests: Vanessa Rancaño, housing affordability reporter, NPR Sharon Cornu, executive director, St. Mary's Center - a provider of transitional housing and other services for seniors and families in Oakland Markos Gonzalez, associate director of programs community outreach, Bay Area Community Services (BACS) - a provider of behavioral health and homelessness services Keanna Ward, Bay Area resident, is formerly ho

Federal spending talks ground to a halt this week, with Democrats wanting healthcare subsidies to be included in any approved funding bills. Republicans are opposed and refusing to negotiate. President Trump does not appear interested in working out a compromise. He canceled a meeting last week with Democratic party leaders, and the White House says that it will order federal agencies to fire employees permanently if Democrats do not vote to approve a stopgap spending measure now. We talk about the stakes and what a government shutdown could mean for California. Guests: Adhiti Bandlamudi, housing reporter, KQED Russell Berman, staff writer, The Atlantic Sarah Wire, senior national political correspondent, USA Today Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter, Politico Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sonoma native and former U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón’s collection of new and selected poetry contemplates her relationship to nature, the role of art in an unruly world, and our connection to one another. Her hope is to create “some strange idiosyncratic song, an imperfect echo, to nature and humanity so they will know how much they are loved.” We talk to Limón about her new collection, “Startlement.” Guests: Ada Limón, poet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking into Hollywood isn’t what it used to be. Two former LA Times editors who have covered the entertainment industry for years offer a road map on how to make it in a business being reshaped by AI, streaming and social media. Ada Tseng and Jon Healey spoke with hundreds of showbiz professionals – from actors and producers, to agents and gaffers – getting honest advice about how to get started (hint: think twice before becoming a personal assistant). Their book is “Breaking Into New Hollywood: A Career Guide to a Changing Industry.” If you’re in the entertainment industry, what’s the most valuable advice you received? Guests: Ada Tseng, writer and editor; co-host, "Saturday School" - an Asian American pop culture history podcast Jon Healey, former reporter and editor for The Los Angeles Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marin County is known as the birthplace of modern mountain biking and it has long had a robust cycling culture. But lately, motorized e-bikes – some that go over 50 miles per hour – surged in popularity, especially with young people. A rise in serious bike accidents involving children and teens prompted county officials to ban anyone under 16 from riding the fastest e-bikes – the first ban of its kind in the state. We’ll talk about the prevalence of e-bikes, Marin’s attempt to regulate them –  and why some Bay Area riders need to slow down. Guests: Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, news editor, KQED Asha Weinstein Agrawal, professor and researcher, Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University Talia Smith, legislative director, Marin County Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law one of the biggest environmental policy overhauls in decades, a package of six bills aimed at meeting California’s ambitious climate goals — while making housing and electricity more affordable. The new legislation lays out a plan to reduce consumer electricity costs and harden the state’s energy grid; it also insulates utility providers from wildfire liability and incentivizes oil and gas companies to remain in the state. We take a closer look at the changes and trade-offs and what they mean for you. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Ethan Elkind, director of the Climate Program at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment, UC Berkeley School of Law; host of the podcast, "Climate Break" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new book, “The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History,” historian and designer Maggie Gram traces the evolution of the field of design from a focus on decoration and the way things look, to a much grander idea — that we can design ourselves into a better world. From furniture and iPhone design to helping revamp city government, “good design” has been touted as the answer to a better life. We talk with Gram about her skepticism about tech’s confidence in being able to design solutions to enormous problems and the peril, and promise, of design thinking. Guests: Maggie Gram, historian and designer; author, "The Invention of Design: A Twentieth-Century History" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets over the weekend to protest an amnesty bill for former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 election. Trump, who has likened himself to Bolsonaro, called the trial a “witch hunt” and punished the country with 50% tariffs and sanctions on government officials. We look at the parallels between the two men, and what the U.S. can learn from Brazil’s effort to hold its leaders accountable and defend its democracy. Guests: Julia Vargas Jones, correspondent, CNN Juliana Dal Piva, investigative reporter, ICL Noticias and Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística Jack Nicas, Brazil bureau chief, The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices