Kqeds Forum

More than 6 million workers have filed for unemployment in California since the pandemic began. California’s unemployment agency, the EDD, has  awarded $24 billion in benefits since mid-March, but many applicants have experienced long waiting periods and some have received no benefits at all. Last week, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized the EDD, calling for an audit of the agency and for Gov. Gavin Newsom to intervene. We’ll discuss how California is handling the record number of unemployment claims and we’ll take your questions on unemployment benefits. 

Several social media platforms have removed hate speech and calls to violence from their platforms in recent weeks. Reddit made headlines this week for eliminating a channel dedicated to President Donald Trump among about 2,000 others that the site said violated its rules against hate speech. Meanwhile, Facebook has come under sharp criticism for not removing hateful posts from Trump and has lost several major advertisers. Starbucks Corp. said Sunday it would halt all social media ad spending to stop the spread of hate speech. We discuss the role of hate speech on social media and the responsibility of platforms to police it.

In his work and life, writer James Baldwin often balanced between feelings of despair and faith that the U.S. could be better and become a truly multiracial democracy. It was Baldwin's ability to balance faith and despair as well as love and rage that fascinated Princeton University professor of African American Studies Eddie Glaude Jr. and prompted his new book, "Begin Again: James Baldwin's America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own." We'll discuss the book, Baldwin, and the current "moral reckoning" Glaude sees upon us.

Why do some people embrace masks and practice meticulous social distancing while others rebel against public health mandates? Psychologists are studying what drives behavior in the pandemic, and they're also looking at how information overload can influence how people react to the crisis. In this hour, psychologists Ellen Peters and Jay Van Bavel join us to lay out how social and behavioral science can help explain how people respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and how that information can help guide public policy messaging around containment.

In a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana abortion law Monday, effectively saving the right to choose in the state. The law, which was enacted in 2014, required doctors to have active admitting privileges at a hospital near the facility where they provide abortions. Chief Justice John Roberts voted with the four-member liberal wing, opposing the votes of both Trump-appointed justices. We'll discuss the details of the case and explore what this ruling means for the future of abortion laws across the country.

Yesterday, President Donald Trump retweeted a video that included one of his supporters yelling “white power” in response to protesters. Trump thanked the "great people" in the video.  The president later deleted the tweet and the White House said he had not heard the racist chant in the video, which depicted arguments among residents of The Villages, a predominantly white and conservative Florida retirement community.  Some critics said the president was trying to distract attention from another growing scandal: an intelligence report that concluded Russia had paid a bounty to the Taliban to kill American troops serving in Afghanistan.  We’ll talk about those two stories and more with GOP political consultant Mike Madrid.

In early April, Governor Newsom launched Project Roomkey, a temporary program designed to protect vulnerable homeless populations from Covid-19 by housing them in empty hotel rooms. The state has since placed more than 10,000 homeless residents in rooms, and officials are considering ways to make the program permanent. But long-term funding for Project Roomkey is uncertain, and some local communities are resisting. We'll assess the program and its future.

The United States has reported more positive coronavirus cases in the past week than at any other time since the pandemic began.  In their new article " A Devastating New Stage of the Pandemic”, Atlantic staff writers Alexis Madrigal and Robinson Meyer report on what’s happening with the “second surge” that is now buffeting places like Arizona and Texas.  Madrigal joins us to talk about his  analysis, why the White House explanation that more testing is the reason for the uptick in cases is insufficient, and what needs to be done to quell the surge.

The state Department of Public Health reported this week that 75 patients and staff at a nursing home in Concord were infected with coronavirus resulting in at least 14 deaths. Nursing homes throughout the state have experienced outbreaks and yet, many facilities are still not conducting widespread or consistent testing for the virus. As outbreaks continue popping up, advocates warn that precautions are inadequate. We discuss the spread of coronavirus in nursing homes and what challenges facilities face amid the pandemic.

Pride marks its 50th anniversary this weekend, and although the events are virtual, the celebrations continue. We'll reflect on Pride's history and talk about the programs, discussions and performances on offer this week in the Bay Area and beyond. And as protests sparked by George Floyd's killing continue, we'll explore how the fights for racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights inform and support each other.

California reported 7,149 new confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday, shattering its single-day record. Santa Clara County reported the highest number of cases in the past two months. Experts say that some of the rise in cases can be attributed to an increase in testing, but they warn that testing alone is not responsible for the surge. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last week mandated Californians  wear masks in public places, is also urging residents to use precautions like hand-washing and social distancing, and he warned that the state could reinstate more stringent restrictions. We’ll hear from experts about what is causing the spike and what we should do to prevent further spread.

Former national security advisor Michael Flynn -- who twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI -- had his case dismissed on Wednesday by a federal appeals court. The same day, Senate Democrats blocked debate on a Republican-proposed police reform bill, arguing it didn’t go far enough in addressing racial inequality. This comes as the federal government struggles to contain the coronavirus and the 2020 election season intensifies. In this hour, we talk with Robert Costa, national political reporter at The Washington Post and host of PBS’ Washington Week about the latest national political news.

Many Black medical workers are now finding themselves on the front lines of two epidemics -- Covid 19 and systemic racism.  We’ll talk with a panel of African American medical professionals at different levels of their careers who are writing and  reflecting on their roles during this time. “My brown skin is protected by blue scrubs, by a hospital ID that says “Stanford,” and “MEDICAL STUDENT” in big blue letters,” writes Dasha Savage, “ The black gunshot wound patients I meet in the trauma bay don’t have that luxury.” We’ll talk with Savage and participants in Stanford's Writing Medicine program about race, the medical system and how they are processing the events of today.

San Quentin is home to a growing number of coronavirus cases following a botched transfer of inmates from a men's prison in Chino, which was previously reported as having the deadliest outbreak in California's prisons. San Quentin now has 337 cases of coronavirus as of Monday evening -- a jump from zero reported cases prior to the transfer in late May. To lawmakers and prisoner advocates, the outbreak at San Quentin was entirely preventable and the result of poor planning by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The department says while some inmates tested positive upon arrival to San Quentin, they had been tested and medically evaluated prior to the transfer.

President Trump Monday suspended a number of immigration visa programs affecting tech workers and students, among others. The White House says the move will help get Americans back to work, as the economy continues to reel from 40 million virus-related job losses.  But critics say freezing the visas is an election-year political move that will hurt US businesses, particularly in Silicon Valley.  We’ll get the details.

After seven years as president of the University of California, Janet Napolitano is stepping down in August. The first woman to serve as UC's president, Napolitano oversaw increased enrollment systemwide, implemented initiatives addressing the climate crisis and Title IX and, last month, led a decision to drop the ACT/SAT requirement in admissions. Napolitano also notably weathered a 2017 audit scandal and sued the Trump administration when it first rescinded DACA -- the program she created while serving as Obama's secretary of Homeland Security. We'll talk to Napolitano about her tenure and get her thoughts on the future of the UC system as it continues to navigate the pandemic.

On Wednesday, the Oakland Unified School District board will consider a resolution that calls for dismantling the district’s dedicated police department. One group, the Black Organizing Project, has advocated for nearly a decade to shift resources from police officers to social workers, therapists or counselors. Studies show that Black and Latino students are disproportionately disciplined more harshly than other students, which advocates say is an extension of racism and criminalization of people of color. Meanwhile, police officials say that even if the district eliminates its department, Oakland schools will still need police to respond when students are victims of crime and abuse. We dive into the debate over school policing.

"Defund the police" may be a new rallying cry, but according to Harvard historian Khalil Gibran Muhammad, black reformers, scholars and activists have been calling out systemic racism in law enforcement for at least 100 years. We'll talk to Muhammad about historical attempts to root out the use of excessive force, racial profiling and other unconstitutional policing practices as well as the laws, policies and attitudes that have stood in the way of reform. We'll also discuss whether we, as a nation, are ready to accept an alternate vision of policing that does not, as he writes in his book "The Condemnation of Blackness," protect white lives at the expense of black ones.

In his new book, “Which Country Has the World’s Best Health Care?”, bioethicist Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel profiles and compares eleven countries’ health care systems to figure out which one works best. When considering health care reforms in the U.S., Emanuel believes they should emphasize primary care and is in favor of calls for universal coverage. Emanuel, who is a member of Joe Biden’s coronavirus task force, has also been critical of President Trump’s handling of the pandemic. In this hour, we’ll talk to Emanuel about the book and get his take on the latest coronavirus news.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted this week to ask the state to provide the city with more latitude in moving up dates for reopening things like bars, indoor dining, and hair salons.  San Francisco is one of only six counties in the state that had not yet sought this flexibility around reopening.  The move comes at a time when officials are working to strike a balance between keeping residents safe and COVID-19 hospitalizations manageable while gradually reopening the economy.  More than 243,000 Californians filed for unemployment last week, and while many San Franciscans are struggling to stay afloat, the pandemic has also exposed long-term economic inequities.  In this hour, we talk with San Francisco health and economy officials about how they balance those concerns.