KQED's Forum

Deborah Wald, a San Francisco family law specialist in assisted reproduction. Ava Kofman, a New Yorker reporter who investigated a large Los Angeles surrogacy case. They discuss a sprawling commercial surrogacy operation, surveillance and welfare checks that uncovered alleged neglect, California’s legal protections for surrogates, calls for better transparency and agency regulation, and debates about limits and equity in the industry.

Maxwell Zeff, WIRED AI writer explaining coding tools. Heather Kelly, tech reporter on everyday AI uses and risks. Nitasha Tiku, tech culture journalist on ethics and human-AI interaction. They discuss AI moving from search to doing tasks. They cover coding agents, household automation, risks like deskilling and privacy, and practical safety tips for new users.

Michael Pollan, author and professor emeritus known for exploring food, plants, psychedelics, and consciousness, discusses the nature and limits of consciousness. He covers studying experience from within, plant sentience versus animal consciousness, feelings as the basis of mind, AI’s limits and risks, and philosophical ideas like panpsychism and the constructed self.

Violence erupted across Mexico after the killing of Mexico’s most notorious drug cartel leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, on Sunday. Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” was the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, an organization that trafficked drugs across multiple Mexican states and countries. The killing signaled an aggressive and unexpected approach from Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, to confronting organized crime. As the chaos settles and shelter in place restrictions lift, the relationship between Mexico’s drug kingpins, the government and the rest of society remains unclear. We talk about what the killing means for Mexico and the United States and what could happen next. Guests: Javier Cabral, editor, L.A. Taco - independent local news and culture site; Associate producer for the Taco Chronicles on Netflix Oswaldo Zavala, professor of Latin American Literature and Culture, City University of New York - College of Staten Island; author of “Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture.”<br /> Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, head of the North American Observatory, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Idrees Kahloon, Atlantic staff writer on politics and trade; Nick Vyas, USC supply chain economist; Ari Hawkins, POLITICO trade reporter. They discuss the Supreme Court halt to sweeping tariffs and how California ports, farms, small businesses and consumers were affected. Conversation covers legal alternatives the administration might use, refund hurdles, supply chain and global political consequences.

Caroline Paul, author and pilot who learned Cessnas, paragliders, motorized hang gliders and gyrocopters, talks about why she took to the sky. She describes open‑cockpit gyrocopter obsession and the low‑and‑slow views that spark awe. She links learning to fly with healing during her marriage breakup and explores risks, pilot brevity, favorite Bay Area routes, and the wonder of flight.

Daisy Hernández, journalist and creative writing professor who writes on immigration and Latino life, challenges the idea that citizenship is stable or fair. She explores how citizenship shapes access, global mobility, investor visas, denaturalization, and unequal protections across states and territories. She also reflects on personal moments and suggests rethinking belonging toward neighborly solidarity.

Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, builds political power for women of color. Mark Leibovich, Atlantic staff writer, reports on national party dynamics. They debate Democratic strategy and organizing in the run-up to midterms. They discuss California tactics, leadership gaps, fundraising disadvantages, party unity amid Gaza, and how to win working-class voters.

Bonnie Tsui, journalist and athlete who writes about movement and muscle memory, and Dr. Daya Grant, neuroscientist and Olympic mental performance consultant, unpack sudden performance blocks like the yips. They explore how pressure disrupts motor patterns, distinctions between yips and choking, mental training tools like imagery and breathwork, and paths to recovery and renewed joy in sport.

Sahaj Kaur Kohli, therapist and founder of Brown Girl Therapy, and Laurie Kramer, Northeastern psychology professor, explore parental favoritism and its ripple effects. They discuss research showing many parents favor a child, how perceptions and culture shape who is favored, lifelong patterns of a golden child, and therapeutic and family strategies to address unequal treatment.