KQED's Forum

KQED's Forum

Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints. Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love to hear from you! Please dial 866.SF.FORUM or (866) 733-6786 or email forum@kqed.org, tweet, or post on Facebook.

Episodes

RFK's Vaccine and Dietary Directives and the Future of Public Health

January 12, 2026 • 54 mins
Americans are getting their clearest picture yet of how thoroughly Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is remaking federal public health policy. In a move that’s drawn widespread criticism, the health secretary announced a dramatic reduction in the number of vaccinations recommended for children. In a second initiative — one that’s drawn qualified praise from public health experts — Kennedy unveiled new dietary recommendations that emphasize mea...
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Anger, Protests and Questions Follow ICE Shooting

January 12, 2026 • 54 mins
The fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has sparked protests and anger in the Bay Area and across the country. We get the latest on the fallout from the shooting and the Trump Administration’s handling  of it. And we talk about what it all might mean for the president’s immigration agenda and the future of ICE. Guests: Nick Miroff, staff writer, The Atlantic Matt...
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In Final State of the State, Governor Newsom Lays Out Vision for California in 2026

January 9, 2026 • 54 mins
On Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom delivered his final State of the State address laying out his vision for California – in contrast to what he calls a chaotic federal government under President Trump. He highlighted California’s work on homelessness, education and healthcare. And framed the state as taking a leadership role in these issues across the country. We take a closer look at what Governor Newsom is proposing for Californi...
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What to Eat in the Bay Area in 2026

January 9, 2026 • 54 mins
From convenience store pork chops to a distinct take on Peking duck, KQED food editor Luke Tsai discovered a lot of great dishes over the year. He joins us to dish on the best things he ate in 2025 and recommend places you might want to try in the new year. Despite continued restaurant closures, the Bay Area continues to offer amazing culinary options from all over the world, so how do you decide? We’ll hear from Tsai and other loc...
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What Are Your 2026 Predictions?

January 8, 2026 • 54 mins
Get out your crystal ball, trust your spidey-senses and look back at 2025’s major takeaways, because it’s time to help us predict 2026. Whether you think Democrats will win big in the midterms, that an entirely AI-generated song will top the Billboard charts or that we’ll finally stop Venmo charging our friends for dinner, we want to hear your predictions. We speak with three journalists about what they expect — and what we’ve lear...
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Is This Menopausal Brain Fog Or Am I Losing My Mind?

January 8, 2026 • 54 mins
When writer Anna Holmes began to get forgetful, she wondered if it was middle age, menopause or dementia-inflected memory loss. The brain fog made her reflect on not just her health, but her mortality. Having watched her mother slip away from dementia, she wondered if it was now happening to her. We talk to a neurologist and Holmes about her recent piece in the New Yorker, “My Mother’s Memory Loss, and Mine.” Guests: Anna Holme...
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What the Military Extraction of Venezuela's President Means for Global Politics and Oil

January 7, 2026 • 54 mins
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin has been sounding the alarm about creeping authoritarianism, warning of military forces on U.S. streets and extrajudicial killings on the high seas. Now, following a military raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, those warnings feel newly urgent. Slotkin joins us to discuss what the Maduro operation reveals about presidential power, and what Congressional oversight mechanisms are av...
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San Francisco Blackouts Raise Concerns about PG&E and Robotaxis

January 7, 2026 • 54 mins
A blackout that left one-third of San Francisco customers without power – some up to three days – was one of six outages that plagued PG&E throughout the holidays. Disabled Waymos blocked streets. The Nutcracker was cancelled. Restaurants and businesses were closed. Customers and politicians are demanding answers and calling for the end of PG&E’s monopoly. We’ll talk about the blackout and what it can tell us about the reliability ...
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‘Drug Story’ Explores the Disease Business one Med at A Time

January 6, 2026 • 54 mins
In today’s world, it seems there’s a remedy for every modern ailment. Anxiety. Diabetes. Heart disease. There’s a pill for that! But what do the drugs we take to make us better really do? And where do they fit in the big picture of the disease business? In the new podcast, Drug Story, journalist Thomas Goetz digs into modern medicine, examining some of the most prescribed drugs one diagnosis and side effect at a time.   Guests: ...
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Jacob Soboroff on Reporting on the Burning of His Hometown, 1 Year Later

January 6, 2026 • 54 mins
January 7 marks one year since the Palisades and Eaton fires ignited in Los Angeles County. MS NOW senior political reporter Jacob Soboroff reported on the fires, an assignment he pursued because he grew up in Pacific Palisades, despite the emotional challenges of the task. As he writes in his new book, “Firestorm,” “What are you supposed to say when the entire community you were born and raised in is wiped off the map, literally b...
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Former EPA Official Judith Enck on How to Save Our Planet from Plastic

January 5, 2026 • 54 mins
“Plastic is everywhere” writes former EPA official Judith Enck, “wrapped around our food, stitched into our clothes, even coursing through our veins.” Enck says we need to drastically reduce our dependency on plastic to save our oceans, our air and ourselves. We talk to her about why it’s so hard to regulate plastic – and the individual ways we can free ourselves from its “synthetic embrace.” Each American uses about five hundred p...
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What’s Next For the U.S. in Venezuela After Maduro’s Capture?

January 5, 2026 • 54 mins
In a press conference on Saturday after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured, President Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a proper transition was in place. Trump said “he’s not afraid of boots on the ground,” and that the U.S. will sell seized Venezuelan oil, but the U.S. plan and next steps are far from clear. We’ll talk about Maduro’s capture and what it means for the U.S. and Venezuela. Guests: Davi...
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Forum From the Archives: Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales on How to Build Trust

January 2, 2026 • 55 mins
Wikipedia, the crowdsourced encyclopedia, is one of the world’s most visited websites, with 11 billion page views each month. Its founder, Jimmy Wales, credits its success to one thing — trust — which he sees at odds with our increasing loss of faith in institutions and in each other. In his new book, he lays out what he calls a “blueprint for building things that last” in volatile times. We’ll talk to Wales about the site’s histor...
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Forum From the Archives: Poet Ada Limón’s New Collection 'Startlement' Centers Wonder and Connection

January 2, 2026 • 54 mins
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 listen back to our conversation with Limón about her new collection, “Startlement.” ...
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Forum From the Archives: Rabbi Calls for Boundless Compassion Amid Divides

December 31, 2025 • 55 mins
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl leads the largest synagogue in New York City. But she says she’s never been so afraid to talk about Israel. That’s because she thinks that compassion for people suffering on either side of the war in Gaza has come to be seen as disloyal and even threatening – a zero sum empathy calculus that also applies to ideological battles fought in our country every day. Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained...
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The Delightful Experience of Collective Effervescence

December 31, 2025 • 55 mins
Singing along with the crowd at a concert. Cheering together at a sports game. Laughing with the audience at a funny moment in a movie. Even getting work done in a busy cafe or library. These are moments when you might experience what has been called collective effervescence, a feeling of social unity that comes from a shared moment. As the year draws to a close, we want to celebrate the uniquely human moments that people share tog...
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Forum From the Archives: ‘Second Life’ Looks at Parenting in an App-Obsessed World

December 30, 2025 • 55 mins
When New York Times critic Amanda Hess was told her baby had a rare genetic condition, her first instinct was to “Google [her] way out of it.” But instead of comfort, she found anxiety – a feeling that would come to define her journey into parenthood. We talk to Hess about how technology, including fertility apps and high-end gadgets, are reshaping parenthood. Her new book is “Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age.” Learn ...
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The Best Books of 2025

December 30, 2025 • 55 mins
We take a look back at our favorite books of 2025. This year's best seller lists and critic choices were scattered with no clear big hits but there were still many excellent titles, says Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks podcast. We'll hear from critics, local authors and our bookworm listeners about what's worth reading in the new year. What was your best read of 2025?   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...
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‘Wicked’ Director Jon M. Chu on How His Career Defies Gravity

December 29, 2025 • 55 mins
Bay Area native and acclaimed director of “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights,” Jon M. Chu now brings one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals to the big screen with the conclusion of his box office-smashing two-part adaptation of “Wicked.” He joined Mina Kim onstage in San Francisco for a KQED Live event where he reflected on his Bay Area roots, his rise through Hollywood and the beauty of reimagining stories that feel larger t...
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A Look Back at the Biggest News Stories of 2025

December 29, 2025 • 55 mins
ICE raids. Tariffs. National Guard deployment. Ukraine. Venezuela. The longest federal shutdown in history. There was no shortage of major news headlines in 2025. We’ll try to make sense of  the biggest stories of the past year with a panel of journalists, and look at what 2026 might hold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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