KQED's Forum

“Evictions do not affect everyone equally,” says housing affordability reporter Molly Solomon in the second episode of KQED's podcast "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America." Black renters are more likely to be evicted than white renters, with Black women being evicted at higher rates than others. These disparities, among other troubling eviction patterns that emerged during the pandemic, are examined in the second season of “SOLD OUT,” co-hosted by Solomon and fellow KQED housing affordability reporter Erin Baldassari. Solomon and Baldassari join us to talk about their reporting and the history behind the Bay Area’s ongoing eviction disparities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The pursuit of justice creates injustice,” writes CNN Senior Legal Analyst Laura Coates in her new book, “Just Pursuit.” Coates began her career as a federal prosecutor in Washington D.C. with optimism. She had come from the Department of Justice where she had worked for both the Bush and Obama Administrations enforcing voting rights. In that role, she found herself being welcomed in Black communities as a hero ensuring votes would be counted. But as a prosecutor, that same community viewed her as working for the wrong side. And, after witnessing justice in action, Coates herself became distrustful of the very system in which she was a decision maker. We’ll talk to Coates about her book, the state of voting rights, and the difficult balancing act of being a Black woman, wife, and mother seeking to uphold the law and retain her humanity.This episode originally aired on Feb. 8.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the world around us has become more chaotic, puzzles have provided a moment of respite. The 9 x 9 grid of a Sudoku, the verticals and horizontals of a crossword, the comforting circle of the New York Times’ Spelling Bee all offer solvers a beginning and an end; they are places where problems have solutions. We talk to puzzle constructors, puzzle solvers, and puzzle lovers about why puzzles of all kinds – from jigsaws to anagrams to Wordle – have been such a joy lately. And we’ll have a special puzzle for you to solve, too.This episode originally aired on Jan. 14.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week marks the 50th anniversary of President Nixon’s historic visit to China, a multi-day diplomatic tour that kickstarted efforts to normalize relations between the two countries. That event animates Gish Jen’s latest work of fiction, “Thank You, Mr. Nixon,” a collection of chronological, interrelated stories about what Jen calls the “surreal” changes that China has undergone in the last half century. We’ll talk to Jen about her book and how she thinks about the relationship between the United States and China, both the personal and the political. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden said on Thursday that he believes Russia will attack Ukraine "within the next several days," characterizing the risk of an invasion as "very high." His remarks came a day after U.S. officials reported that Russia has not withdrawn any of the more than 7000 troops it has amassed near the Ukraine border. We'll talk about the latest developments with former Ukraine Ambassador Steve Pifer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The forced removal and imprisonment of substantially the entire West Coast Japanese population during World War II tore up the lives of more than a hundred thousand people. It also ripped holes in the urban fabric, at exactly the time when the West Coast began to experience an influx of Black Americans from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and other parts of the south. These shifts had a huge effect on San Francisco, the Bay Area as a whole, and the entire West Coast. We’ll talk with two historians about the lasting marks that internment left on our cities. But first, 102-year-old Yae Wada shares her story of being forced to relocate from her home in Berkeley to a prison camp in Utah.Guests:Yae Wada, 102-year-old Berkeley resident; imprisoned during WWII in the Tanforan Assembly Center and the Topaz concentration campMeredith Oda, associate professor of history and associate chair of the department of gender, race, and identity, University of Nevada, Reno; author, "The Gateway to the Pacific: Japanese Americans and the Remaking of San Francisco"Charlotte Brooks, professor of history, Baruch College, City University of New York; author, "Alien Neighbors, Foreign Friends: Asian Americans, Housing, and the Transformation of Urban California" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

COVID-19 has taken an enormous toll on not just students but on the educators who’ve been struggling to deliver lessons — and moral support — to kids throughout the pandemic. More than 90% of teachers say pandemic-related stress and burnout are serious problems, and 55% of teachers say they’re considering leaving their jobs sooner than planned, according to a recent National Education Association poll. We’ll hear from a panel of California teachers about how they’ve been coping with staffing shortages and other stressors, all while educating and nurturing their students in a third pandemic school year.Guests:Haydee Rodriguez, History and English teacher, Central Union High School in Imperial CountyLauren Brown, early literacy coach, Oakland Unified School DistrictDr. Drew Ishii, math teacher, Sage Hill School in Orange CountyArienne Adamcikova, Spanish teacher, Capuchino High School in San Bruno Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like many major U.S. cities, Oakland has seen an increase in gun violence during the pandemic. Last year, Oakland Police Department investigated 134 homicides, the most since 2012. And shootings increased by 21 percent. We’ll talk with Oakland’s Chief of Violence Prevention Guillermo Cespedes about the spike and his community-based strategies for reducing homicides in the city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The demand for no and low-alcohol wine, beer and spirits skyrocketed during the pandemic, with brands seeing a 315% surge in sales over the last year alone, according to Nielsen data. It's no longer just a market for those abstaining from alcohol, either -- 78% of people buying these offerings also buy alcohol. Experts point to wellness trends, particularly among younger demographics, and those looking to moderate their drinking habits. And suppliers are keeping up, with numerous new brands emerging and big legacy brands like Budweiser and Heineken adding non-alcoholic drinks to their slates. We'll talk to wine and spirits writer Kate Dingwall about this booming market and where it's headed. Have you hopped on the non-alcoholic spirits train? Tell us what you're drinking and enjoying! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“How did conservative values that Republicans claimed to cherish, like small government, fiscal responsibility, and morality in public service, get completely eroded as an unshakable faith in Donald Trump grew to define the party?” That’s the question driving New York Times national politics reporter Jeremy W. Peters’s new book "Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted.” In it, Peters outlines key points and events in recent history that fueled conservatives’ “revolution from within,” like the “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy that bolstered Trump’s image as a politician and an overlooked New Hampshire senate race in 2014 that would inform the playbook for GOP anti-immigration policy. He also interviewed former President Donald Trump for the book. We’ll talk to Peters about “Insurgency” and about his reporting on former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s loss Tuesday in the defamation lawsuit she brought against the New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices