KQED's Forum

A defiant Joe Biden said Monday that he’s “firmly committed” to staying in the presidential race. Still, questions about Biden’s age and fitness have put the spotlight on alternatives like Vice President Kamala Harris and others, including California Governor Gavin Newsom. At least half a dozen Democratic lawmakers have called for Biden to step aside, but the party remains divided. If Biden does drop out, what would an open convention look like? We’ll discuss the growing pressure on the president, and the implications for the race.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political BreakdownMolly Ball, senior political correspondent, Wall Street JournalRichard Hasen, Gary T. Schwartz endowed chair in law, professor of political science, and director of the safeguarding democracy project at UCLA School of Law Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to political writer John Ganz, a sense of “national despair” emerged in the U.S. during the early 1990s due to an economic recession that shrank America’s middle class and a growing cynicism about politics. This despair was exploited by various figures – some well known and some fringe – who would later gain influence within the Republican Party. He connects the current rise of right-wing populism, exemplified by figures like Trump, back to this pivotal period in American history. We talk to Ganz about the rise in right wing populism, both in the US and abroad, and its influence on electoral politics.Guests:John Ganz, author, "When the Clock Broke: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richmond, Calif. is home to more than 115,000 residents and major corporations and refineries, including Chevron. But like many cities, Richmond had been left without a dedicated daily newspaper or consistent, independent news coverage. Now a new local publication, Richmondside, promises to bring residents more news about government, schools, public safety and local businesses. It’s part of Cityside, a journalism nonprofit that also runs Berkeleyside and Oaklandside. The founders spent about a year hearing from residents about the types of news they were missing. We’ll talk with them about their coverage plans and hear from you: What are the Richmond stories you want to read about?Guests:Tasneem Raja, editor-in-chief, The Oaklandside; former interactive editor, Mother JonesKari Hulac, editor-in-chief, Richmondside; editor, The Hayward Daily Review; features editor, The Oakland TribuneJoel Umanzor, city hall reporter, Richmondside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rising housing costs are pushing more middle-class families in California to rent rather than buy. The average cost of ownership payments for a mid-tier house in California are currently double the cost of renting a similar home. And compared to January 2020, the combined monthly cost of mortgage payments, taxes and homeowners insurance has jumped by 80%, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office. Some tenants rent because they can’t afford a down payment, but others prefer the greater flexibility and savings they can get from renting. To meet demand, corporate homebuilders are developing more “build-for-rent” constructions, which is raising concerns for some state lawmakers. This hour on Forum, we’ll ask if the American dream of homeownership is dying in the Golden State. And we’ll hear from you: Are you debating between renting or buying?Guests:Liam Dillon, statewide housing affordability and neighborhood change reporter, Los Angeles TimesErin Baldassari, senior editor of housing affordability, KQEDAdam Briones, CEO, California Community Builder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There has been a sweeping reevaluation of animal intelligence over the last decade as we’ve realized that all kinds of organisms are smarter than we thought. A similar movement is occurring in the study of plants. Botanists have been discovering that plants have remarkable abilities to communicate, adapt, behave socially, act on stored memories and trick animals among other intelligent behaviors. We talk with author Zoë Schlanger about her new book, “The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth”.Guests:Zoë Schlanger, staff writer, The Atlantic; author, "The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may know actor and stand-up comedian Tiffany Haddish best for her riotous performance in the 2017 film "Girls Trip." Or for her Emmy Award-winning turn as host of Saturday Night Live...or for her voicework in “The Lego Movie 2” and other animated films. But her successes came hard-won against a backdrop of childhood trauma and mental health challenges. “I know what it feels like to hurt and what it feels like to see other people hurt,” she writes in her new memoir "I Curse You with Joy." We talk to Haddish about her career, her life and what's bringing her joy right now.Guest:Tiffany Haddish, author, "I Curse You with Joy"; stand-up comedian; actress, "Girls Trip," "Night School," "Nobody's Fool" and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Radio host, journalist, musician, and musicologist Jesse “Chuy” Varela has been a treasured fixture of the Bay Area jazz scene for more than 40 years. When the Jazz Journalists Association honored him with their “Jazz Hero” award last year they wrote that “his deep knowledge of Latin American and Caribbean music has nurtured the boundaryless nature of the Bay Area’s scene, in which musicians prominently collaborate across the jazz/Latin jazz divide.” The KCSM program and music director will join us to talk about the history of Latin Jazz, including the Bay Area’s role…and play some of his favorite tunes.Guest:Jesse "Chuy" Varela, program and music director, KCSM JAZZ 91.1; host, "The Latin Jazz Show” on Sundays at 2 PM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever since our moon formed roughly 4.6 billion years ago, it has “conduct(ed) the symphony of life on Earth.” That’s according to lifelong moon enthusiast and science journalist Rebecca Boyle, who says that the moon has influenced modern science, reproduction, migration, religious rituals and even possibly the blood in our veins. Boyle’s new book is “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are,” and she joins us to talk about how the moon has inspired and guided human history and to share the pleasure of looking up at the night sky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You don’t just smell an aroma; you fall into it,” writes artisan perfumer Mandy Aftel. And entering her exquisite small museum, the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, tucked into a backyard in Berkeley, is to fall into an ancient, mysterious world. Amid centuries-old books, bottles and curios are natural fragrances that come from the secretions of civets and the bowels of sperm whales, as well as from resins, rare flowers, roots and so much more. We talk to Aftel about her collection, the art of building a fragrance, and her new book, “The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance."Guest:Mandy Aftel, artisan perfumer and founder, Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley; author, "The Museum of Scent: Exploring the Curious and Wondrous World of Fragrance" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In her new novel “Exhibit” R.O. Kwon introduces us to Jin Han, a photographer in San Francisco who’s unsure if her transgressive infatuation for a ballet dancer activated a family curse, conjuring a ghost from her family’s past in Korea. Through Jin, Kwon explores the nature of desire — and why shame too often accompanies it.. Kwon says it’s as though she “made a list of boxes a person might tick to explain why a woman ought to be disliked, perhaps despised, and then, writing this novel, I filled in each box.” We’ll talk with Kwon about why women especially feel shame for the desire they feel for others or for personal creative fulfillment — and for not desiring motherhood. And we’ll hear about how she grappled with her anxieties and reflected on her politics while writing this novel.Guest:R.O. Kwon, author, "Exhibit" and "The Incendiaries"; co-editor, "KINK: Stories" the anthology Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices