KQED's Forum

President Biden approved on Monday ConocoPhillips’ controversial Willow project in Alaska, one of the largest oil developments ever proposed on federal land. The White House says it lacked legal latitude to cancel the project and simultaneously proposed rules that would limit other oil and gas leases in the region. But indigenous groups and climate activists say the project’s environmental and public health toll will be immense and irreversible and have sued to stop it. We’ll talk about the controversy and where the Biden administration’s environmental and energy goals stand.Guests:Tim Puko, climate correspondent covering politics and policy, The Washington PostJennifer Layke, global director of energy, World Resources InstituteJohn Leshy, professor of law, UC College of the Law, San Francisco; Interior Department’s solicitor under President Bill ClintonYessenia Funes, climate director, Atmos - a climate and culture magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During last week’s atmospheric river storm, a levee broke on the Pajaro River, turning the town of Pajaro - inhabited mostly by Latino farmworkers - into a lake. As the LA Times reported, officials knew for decades that the levee was unstable, but delayed fixing it because of “benefit-cost ratios.” We’ll talk with community representatives and water management experts about what Pajaro residents are facing now, and how decisions are made that determine which communities are protected. As climate change brings more extreme weather events and flooding, we discuss what changes need to be made to protect vulnerable communities through the coming decades.Related link(s):For more on how you can help those affected by flooding in PajaroGuests:Luis Alejo, Monterey County SupervisorBarbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director, Restore the DeltaMark Strudley, executive director, Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hackers who could install brain spyware into the apps and devices we’re using. Advertisers that could interface with our minds to know the products we crave, even before we do. It won’t all happen tomorrow, but Duke law professor Nita Farahany says we’re rapidly heading toward a world in which scientists, governments and corporations can peer into our brains and minds. We learn about the neurotechnology that calls to mind scenes from the “Minority Report” and hear why Farahany thinks we need to establish and protect our cognitive liberty. Her new book is “The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology.”Guests:Nita Farahany, professor of law and philosophy, Duke University; author, "The Battle For Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 2 million Californians identified as more than one race in the 2020 Census. KQED’s California Report Magazine has launched a series to capture the varied experiences of those straddling multiple races. KQED’s Sasha Khokha and Marisa Lagos join Forum to talk about their series, Mixed! Stories of Mixed Race Californians, and both of their experiences growing up in mixed-race families and now raising children in their own multi-racial marriages.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political Breakdown showSasha Khokha, host, The California Report Magazine on KQEDDr. Jennifer Noble, psychologist, educator and coach for families with mixed-race kids Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden promised a more compassionate approach to immigration that would roll back Trump administration policies. But the situation at the border, with swelling numbers of migrants fleeing authoritarian regimes and dire economic conditions, has forced the administration to consider more restrictive measures. Those include possibly reviving the policy of detaining migrant families who cross the border illegally. We’ll talk about Biden’s new policies and look at the situation at the border.Guests:Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQEDDeep Gulasekaram, professor of law, Santa Clara University. He teaches constitutional and immigration law and is co-author of the leading immigration law textbook used in U.S. law schools.Kate Morrissey, immigration reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s once-redhot office market has waned since the pandemic. Less than half of the workers who used to fill downtown office towers are working in person most days. That has led to high office building vacancies, lower revenue from property and sales taxes, and fewer workers riding transit and supporting local businesses. Now that working from home continues to be the norm, city leaders, landlords and merchants are wondering what to do next. We’ll dig into what this massive shift in the office market means for our region’s urban centers, economy and workers.Guests:Ted Egan, chief economist, San Francisco Controller's OfficeKaren Chapple, professor of city and regional planning, University of California, BerkeleyKevin Truong, staff writer, The San Francisco StandardColin Yasukochi, executive director, CBRE Tech Insights Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Black Film Canon, published in 2016 by Slate, accumulated the 50 best films by Black filmmakers, including movies like “Do The Right Thing” and the 1920 silent film “Within Our Gates.” Thanks to films like “Moonlight” and “Get Out,” a 2023 update was due, and in collaboration with NPR The New Black Film Canon was born. The collection now includes 75 films, where they’re streaming and what made them groundbreaking. Pop Culture Happy Hour’s Aisha Harris and Slate’s Dan Kois join us to celebrate, look back and examine how “we’re now living in a different world for Black film.”Related Link(s):The New Black Film CanonGuests:Aisha Harris, host of Pop Culture Happy Hour, NPRDan Kois, writer, SlateW. Kamau Bell, comedian; host, CNN's United Shades of America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area has a storied hip hop legacy. We’ve also got a legendary food scene. Maybe it’s natural that these two core components of the Bay Area would find each other. In our latest edition of All You Can Eat, our series on Bay Area food cultures with KQED food editor Luke Tsai, we’ll talk about Bay Area rappers in the food world. E-40 is selling ice cream and pre-packaged burritos, Larry June has a boba company and Don Toriano is lining up customers at his Vegan Mob barbecue spots. We talk Bay Area Hip Hop Food Hustles.Guests:Alan Chazaro, food reporter, KQED - He is also a rapper and educatorLuke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts and CultureDroop E, rapper and record producer; represents Goon With The Spoon; son of E-40Clyde Carson, Oakland rapper, co-owner of Hyphy JuiceDon Toriano, rapper; owner, Vegan Mob Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Qualified immunity, writes UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz, "has come to represent all that is wrong with police accountability." It’s the Supreme Court-created doctrine that protects police officers from civil liability for excessive force and other misconduct unless there is a prior court case where an officer violated another person’s rights in exactly the same way – a standard that she says is virtually impossible to meet. And, Schwartz explains, it’s just one of multiple barriers that the Court and states like California have erected to make justice through civil rights lawsuits “profoundly elusive.” We’ll talk to Schwartz about how qualified immunity plays out in California and hear about efforts to reform it. Schwartz’s new book is “Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable.”Guests:Joanna Schwartz, professor of law, University of California, Los Angeles - Her new book is "Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After experiencing a classic bank run with depositors withdrawing $42 billion in one day, Silicon Valley Bank was shut down by federal regulators on Friday. For many startups, SVB was the bank of choice, and its closure has roiled the tech industry. While federal regulators announced on Monday that 100% of Silicon Valley Bank’s deposits would be repaid, that has not stopped turmoil in the market. Shares in San Francisco-based First Republic Bank dropped over 60% on Monday with other bank stocks following suit. Added to this are last week’s failures of both Signature Bank, a regional bank in New York closed by regulators this weekend, and Silvergate, a banking concern favored by cryptocurrency investors. We’ll talk about how these banking issues are impacting the Bay Area and what it means for customers and the tech industry.Guests:Natasha Mascarenhas, senior reporter, TechCrunchMark Calvey, senior reporter covering banking and finance, San Francisco Business TimesMargaret O'Mara, historian of the modern United States, University of Washington - She writes and teaches about the growth of the high-tech economy, the history of American politics, and the connections between the two.Lizette Chapman, reporter, Bloomberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices