KQED's Forum

On Tuesday, for the third time in eight years, the Supreme Court will again hear a constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The Republican state officials bringing the case argue that Congress’s elimination of a penalty for failure to comply with the Act’s insurance mandate renders the entire law unconstitutional. The hearing takes place before the most conservative bench the Supreme Court has seen in decades and amid a raging pandemic that has left millions jobless and without health insurance. We’ll talk about what’s at stake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early tests show that a coronavirus vaccine from drug makers Pfizer and BioNTech could be 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, a disease that has now infected more than 10 million Americans and killed more than a million. While those results look promising, experts say the production and distribution of the vaccine -- which needs to be kept at negative 80 degrees Celsius -- will be complicated to say the least. Other challenges include convincing enough Americans to take the vaccine amid a climate of distrust and misinformation. Meanwhile, other drug makers are also pushing to bring vaccines to the market. We’ll talk about the status of a coronavirus vaccine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Moms 4 Housing founder and longtime racial and social justice advocate Carroll Fife became Oakland's newest councilmember-elect on Monday. Upsetting two-term District 3 incumbent Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Fife campaigned on platforms of police reform, environmental justice and the animating concept that housing is a human right. We'll talk to Fife about her vision for Oakland and the progressive political movement she's building. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President Trump continues to refuse to concede, we'll discuss what to look for as he enters his lame-duck period. We'll also talk about the role of Republicans in Congress who are largely refusing to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's victory thus far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a 30-year-old first-time senator from Delaware, Joe Biden had high hopes that he would end up in the White House.  Over the course of more than three decades in the senate and two terms as vice president, Biden’s career was marked by his moderate political positions, personal tragedy and some controversy, including his support for a 1994 tough-on-crime bill.  We talk with New Yorker journalist Evan Osnos about his new biography of president-elect Joe Biden and hear how Biden’s life and career experiences might help him mend a divided country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'll talk with East Bay Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee about Oakland native Kamala Harris' historic election as the first female vice president, as well as the first Black person and first Asian American to hold the office. We'll also discuss Lee's own re-election this week, and her priorities for her next term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the race for the presidency, early this morning Georgia and Pennsylvania moved into Joe Biden’s column, where he holds a very small margin. With Biden’s lead in the presidential election growing, we’ll get the latest on vote counting and preview what a Biden administration might look like in a deeply divided country. We’ll also examine Kamala Harris’ historic run as the first woman of color on a major presidential ticket. Plus: how young voters and people of color helped boost the Biden/Harris campaign. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the ballot count continues, we’ll bring you the latest on the presidential race as well as other state and national election results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California voters have approved Proposition 22, the most expensive ballot measure in state history, that will set new labor regulations for a group of delivery and ride-hailing app companies. The measure garnered national attention as a harbinger of how the tech industry could influence labor laws. After the state legislature passed a law last year requiring more workers to be classified as employees instead of contractors, tech executives said they wanted a “third way” of categorizing drivers. But, critics of the proposition say that the deep-pocketed companies effectively did an end-run around state law. We dive into the significance of Prop. 22 in California and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forum brings you continued analysis of state and national election results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices