KQED's Forum

The statistics on poverty in the U.S. are shocking and shameful: one in 9 Americans lives in poverty and one in 18 lives in “deep” poverty, defined in 2020 as annual income below roughly $13,000 for a family of four. More than a million public schoolchildren are homeless; more than 2 million Americans live in homes without running water or toilets. In his new book, "Poverty, by America", Matthew Desmond, who won a Pulitzer for his searing book on eviction, strives to figure out why there is so much poverty in the richest nation in the world — and what can be done to eliminate it. The responsibility, he writes, is all of ours: beyond policies and political movements, “it will also require that each of us, in our own way, become poverty abolitionists, unwinding ourselves from our neighbors’ deprivation and refusing to live as unwitting enemies of the poor.” Desmond joins Forum to tell us how.Related link:The Eviction LabGuests:Matthew Desmond, professor of sociology and director of The Eviction Lab, Princeton University; author, "Poverty, by America," and Pulitzer Prize winner "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Meditation apps, expensive spa retreats and other staples of the self-care industry claim to offer relief from the ongoing stress of work and family obligations so many of us feel. But they fall short, according to psychiatrist and women’s mental health specialist Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, because they do nothing to address underlying causes. In her new book “Real Self Care,” Lakshmin says that authentic self-care lies in agency, which she says means setting boundaries and choosing our paths forward — so we can help others have the agency to choose theirs. We’ll talk about what meaningful self-care actually looks like, how to take actionable steps and how to challenge systemic barriers to wellness.Guests:Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, psychiatrist; author, "Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included)" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people refer to “the one that got away,” they are usually talking about a romantic partner. For Alisha Fernandez Miranda, that phrase applied to a list of jobs and dreams she never pursued. As she reached her late 30s she found herself feeling stuck, burnt out and unhappy even though she seemingly had it all –a thriving family, CEO position, and lots of activities she loved. She gave herself a year to put her existing life on hold and try out new careers through a series of internships. She chronicled her experience in her new book, "My What If Year." She joins us to talk about giving yourself permission to explore and what happens when you risk blowing up your life.Guests:Alisha Fernandez Miranda, author, "My What If Year" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Saturday a 10-year partnership with nonprofit drug company Civica Rx to manufacture the state’s own supply of insulin. Part of the state’s new CalRx program, the move is only the first step in California’s ambitious plan to produce more affordable generic prescription drugs — like overdose reversal medication naloxone — and make them available on the national market. We’ll talk about CalRx and how it could help address the nation’s drug affordability crisis.Guests:Angela Hart, senior correspondent covering health care politics and policy in California and the West, Kaiser Health News and California HealthlineKevin Wren, patient advocate and volunteer, California #insulin4allRobin Feldman, professor of law and Director of the Center for Innovation, UC Law; author of “Drugs, Money, and Secret Handshakes: The Unstoppable Growth of Prescription Drug Prices” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It might be hard to visualize at the moment, but not long ago we were in a severe water emergency. Marin county asked for 40% cuts in usage and planned for an emergency pipeline to bring in water from the East Bay over the Richmond bridge. Now, many reservoirs are overflowing and water managers are releasing water to avoid floods when the massive Sierra snowpack melts. Forum talks with water managers from three Bay Area districts about how their systems are handling the whiplash. How much of this water are they able to store? How does moving from too dry to too wet change the way they manage their systems? And what are they asking of customers? As we look toward a future of more extreme weather, we talk about how the Bay Area’s waterworks will have to adjust.Guests:Aaron Baker, chief operating officer, Water Utility Division, Valley WaterBen Horenstein, general manager, Marin Municipal Water DistrictMike Tognolini, director of water and natural resources, East Bay Municipal Utility District Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 5 million Californians use the state program CalFresh to pay for their groceries. But come April, CalFresh users will see a drop of at least $95 each month with the end of CalFresh’s pandemic fund program. Recipients of these funds report that the extra money gave them the cushion to stop choosing from between going hungry and paying bills. Indeed, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, over 1.1 million Californians were kept out of poverty in 2021 because of these pandemic benefits. Now that they are coming to an end, participants in the program and advocates worry about how people will cope. We’ll talk about what the change in CalFresh funding means for hunger and poverty in the state and where to find additional food support and benefits.Related link:CalFresh resource guideGuests:Becky Silva, director of government relations, California Association of Food BanksCarly Severn, senior engagement editor, KQED NewsCaroline Danielson, senior research fellow, Public Policy Institute of CA - co-author of the yearly California Poverty Measure ReportJeanne Kuang, reporter, CalMattersTom McSpedden, 69-year-old Citrus Heights resident with Type II diabetes who receives CalFresh benefits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Each year in the United States, roughly 100,000 young adults experience a psychotic episode including hearing voices or hallucinations. Treating those episodes early on can prevent some of the worst outcomes of mental illness such as homelessness or not being able to hold down a job. The National Institute of Mental Health has outlined what experts call a “gold standard” for early treatment of psychosis, but access to that care is often unavailable or not covered by insurance. We talk about why it’s so hard for psychosis patients to receive the care they need and what we can do about it.Guests:Adriana Furuzawa, early psychosis division director, Felton InstituteTara Niendam, vice chair for research and executive director, UC Davis Early Psychosis ProgramsMike Krechevsky, family support specialist, Felton Institute Early Psychosis - Mike's son had psychosis and went through an early intervention program.April Dembosky, health correspondent, KQED News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you felt like your house might blow away yesterday, you aren't alone. The storm that battered the Bay Area Tuesday was stronger and more destructive than weather services forecasted. Blisteringly high winds toppled trees and tore down power lines. Rain, which was also heavier than anticipated, soaked waterlogged soil, causing floods that have closed down roads. Thousands remain without power. We'll talk with meteorologist Gerry Diaz about where this latest storm came from and why it was so ferocious.Guests:Gerry Díaz, newsroom meteorologist, San Francisco Chronicle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there a case for ignoring the news sometimes—or even most of the time? That’s the question Shadi Hamid urges us to consider in his recent essay for The Atlantic "You’re Better Off Not Knowing." Hamid explores research suggesting a negative correlation between personal well-being and political awareness and argues that unless you need to follow politics for a living, "it’s unclear what the news—good or bad—actually does for you, beyond making you aware of things you have no real control over." We talk to Hamid about the downsides of information addiction and hear how you engage in current events and avoid overwhelm.Guests:Shadi Hamid, senior fellow, Brookings - His recent essay for the Atlantic is called "You’re Better Off Not Knowing." His latest book is "The Problem of Democracy: America, the Middle East, and the Rise and Fall of an Idea" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new PBS Frontline documentary, “Age of Easy Money” traces how the Federal Reserve’s unprecedented monetary experiment has both helped and hurt the American economy. Beginning in 2008, the Federal Reserve stepped in to prop up a banking system on the verge of collapse. In the decade that followed, with low interest rates and massive infusions of cash into the system, the Fed enabled a bull stock market and bubbles in the housing, financial and technology markets. But now, three years after its efforts to keep the economy afloat during the pandemic, it seems the party may be over. Inflation and rising interest rates have rattled the market, and experts believe a historic course correction may be imminent. We’ll talk about the documentary, the consequences of Federal Reserve policy, and take your questions.Guests:James Jacoby, director, producer, correspondent; Frontline - Jacoby's latest film is "Age of Easy Money." Jacoby has won an Emmy award for his previous film "Amazon Empire," and a Peabody award for his film "The Facebook Dilemma"Anya Bourg, producer, Frontline - Bourg is a producer and writer on the new Frontline documentary "Age of Easy Money." She has previously worked on "The Facebook Dilemma" and prior to joining Frontline, spent a decade at "60 Minutes" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices