KQED's Forum
KQED
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
Mentioned books
Jan 30, 2026 • 55min
Are Social Media Companies Responsible for Screen Addiction in Kids?
Catherine Price, health and science journalist who writes about tech habits, and Cecilia Kang, tech reporter who covers big tech and legal battles. They discuss lawsuits accusing platforms of fostering youth screen addiction. Conversations cover internal company research, addictive design features, generative AI risks for kids, youth-led abstinence movements, and legal strategies to hold companies accountable.
Jan 29, 2026 • 55min
How Prop 50 and Governor’s Race Are Shaping Early Midterm Projections
Erin Covey, Cook Political Report editor covering the U.S. House and redistricting expert. Guy Marzorati, KQED California politics correspondent tracking statewide races and governance. They discuss how Prop 50's new maps reshape California contests. They explore the governor race dynamics, national midterm trends, shifting voter blocs, legal fights over maps, and risks to election integrity.
12 snips
Jan 29, 2026 • 55min
Are We 'Overinvested' in Our Kids?
Nina Bandelj, UC Irvine sociology professor and author of Overinvested, examines how modern parenting became emotionally and financially intense. She explores why devotion to children feels inevitable. She discusses policy effects on parental well being, the ratchet of competitive parenting, privatized caregiving, and ways communities can reclaim shared care and let kids be bored and independent.
Jan 28, 2026 • 55min
What's the Endgame in DHS Brutality?
Claudia Grisales, NPR congressional correspondent covering lawmaker reactions and funding fights. Zack Beauchamp, Vox senior correspondent and author on right-wing populism. They discuss recent federal killings in Minneapolis, political fallout and rare GOP pushback. They analyze how footage shifted public opinion, DHS messaging, funding leverage in the Senate, and whether raids aim to intimidate cities.
Jan 28, 2026 • 55min
China’s Push for Renewable Energy is Good for the Planet, but Maybe Not for the U.S.
Mark Jacobson, Stanford professor and renewable-energy author, and Jeremy Wallace, Johns Hopkins China scholar and newsletter writer, discuss China’s massive wind and solar build-out. They cover China’s supply-chain scale and low prices. They contrast U.S. renewable progress, policy barriers, and grid solutions like geothermal, batteries, and rooftop solar.
Jan 27, 2026 • 55min
California ER Doctors Reflect on ‘The Pitt’ Effect
Dr. Sarah Medeiros, UC Davis emergency physician and EM Pulse podcast host, reflects on emotional toll and compartmentalization. Dr. Patil Armenian, UCSF Fresno toxicologist, discusses realism, substance use, and language/access barriers. Dr. Christopher Colwell, chief at Zuckerberg SF General, talks ER operations, pandemic effects, and rising workplace violence. They explore media’s impact on public understanding and ER practice.
Jan 27, 2026 • 55min
What Should Replace San Francisco Centre?
Michael Covarrubias, CEO of TMG Partners, talks redevelopment economics and policy levers. Lisa Wang, design director at Gensler, offers ideas on building reuse and streetscape activation. Laura Crescimano, co-founder of Sight Lab, explores placemaking and mixed-use concepts. J.K. Dineen, Chronicle housing reporter, gives on-the-ground context about downtown decline and reuse possibilities. They debate phasing, interim uses, and civic reconnection.
Jan 26, 2026 • 55min
With Rare Candor, FBI Employees Sound Alarms about Kash Patel’s Leadership
Jill Fields, former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst from Los Angeles who resigned over internal shifts. Emily Bazelon, New York Times Magazine writer and investigative reporter. They discuss a radical change in bureau priorities, reassignment and silencing of analysts, politicized investigations, halted civil rights probes, and risks to civil liberties and institutional independence.
Jan 26, 2026 • 55min
Heather Cox Richardson on Trump's Impact on Democracy
Heather Cox Richardson, a political history professor and author known for the newsletter Letters from an American, outlines how current events reflect long-term democratic strains. She connects historical parallels to modern unrest. She examines federal deployments, civil resistance tactics, voting rights threats, and how institutions and narratives shape political loyalty and reform.
12 snips
Jan 23, 2026 • 55min
Philosopher C. Thi Nguyen on Freeing Ourselves from Metrics
C. Thi Nguyen, philosopher and author of The Score, explores how rankings and simple metrics can replace our deeper values. He contrasts playful, self-chosen scoring with institutional metrics that hijack meaning. Short, lively takes cover climbing, gamification, screen time, healthcare quotas, and why some measurements make life feel emptier.
