KQED's Forum

Journalist Mike Rothschild has for the last decade studied and written about the rise and spread of conspiracy theories, hoaxes and scams. But after he lost his home in Altadena to the Eaton fire, Rothschild witnessed firsthand how conspiracies take hold of people in the throes of a traumatic event. We talk to him about why his community was vulnerable to disinformation about the causes of and responses to the fire — and why conspiracy theories spread when major disasters strike. His new piece for MIT Technology Review is “What it’s like to be in the middle of a conspiracy theory (according to a conspiracy theory expert).” Guests: Mike Rothschild, journalist and expert on conspiracy theories and disinformation, author, “The Storm Is Upon Us" and “Jewish Space Lasers"; His new article in MIT Technology Review is “What it’s like to be in the middle of a conspiracy theory (according to a conspiracy theory expert)” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 350,000 Californians are now behind on their student loan payments – the highest delinquency rate for any type of debt in over two decades, according to the California Policy Lab. Experts say the missed payments are a symptom of a financial safety net that was already broken before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted loan payments and is now further unraveling as borrowers face higher bills, fewer repayment options, inconsistent eligibility for loan forgiveness, and a very confusing system. We talk to a researcher tracking student debt, an advocate fighting on behalf of borrowers in court, and a former government official who has seen the system from the inside. Do you have a student loan? Tell us what you’ve been experiencing. Guests: Evan White, executive director, California Policy Lab, University of California-Berkeley Julie Margetta Morgan, president, The Century Foundation, independent think tank that researches public policy - Morgan served as the associate director of research, monitoring, and regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Mike Pierce, executive director and co-founder, Protect Borrowers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wikipedia, the crowdsourced encyclopedia, is one of the world’s most visited websites, with 11 billion page views each month. Its founder, Jimmy Wales, credits its success to one thing — trust — which he sees at odds with our increasing loss of faith in institutions and in each other. In his new book, he lays out what he calls a “blueprint for building things that last” in volatile times. We’ll talk to Wales about the site’s history and why right wing figures like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson are attacking it. The book is “The Seven Rules of Trust.” Has Wikipedia earned your trust? Guests: Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan has touted his business credentials and his common sense approach to handling issues like homelessness and crime. In 2024, Mahan was reelected to the office with 87% of the vote, and his profile has risen recently as he has criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s trolling of President Trump. According to Mahan, “As mayors, we don’t get rewarded for clever tweets or inspiring speeches.” Instead, Mahan says he is focused on concrete results. We talk to Mahan and take your questions. Guests: Matt Mahan, mayor, San Jose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Minutes before his high-stakes meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday, President Trump took to social media to say the U.S. would resume nuclear weapons tests for the first time in decades. It’s the latest in a foreign policy approach that veteran New York Times national security reporter David Sanger calls a mix of instinct, grievance and ego, marked by swerves and reversals. We talk to Sanger about how Trump’s approach is affecting our standing on the world stage. Guests: David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent, The New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Orange marigolds, sugar skulls, skeleton face paint, and altars lined with photos and candles have become familiar elements for commemorating Day of the Dead, the ritual practice of honoring the deceased that has become a cultural phenomenon. Many of the traditions go back thousands of years to the indigenous peoples of Mexico, but others have roots in the United States, where the some of the first Día de los Muertos celebrations took place in 1972 with an altar in front of the Galería de la Raza in San Francisco’s Mission District. We’ll talk about the essence of this holiday and how the traditions, iconography and meaning continue to evolve. Guests: Liv Styler, artist and writer; her piece, “Memento (Me)mori(as),” is part of the SOMArts exhibit "Día de Los Muertos 2025: We Love You" Luisa Navarro, boutique owner, Mexico in My Pocket; author, "Mexico's Day of the Dead" Rio Yañez, artist and curator, co-curator, "Día de Los Muertos 2025: We Love You" at SOMArts Dr. Belinda Hernandez Arriaga, executive director and founder, ALAS, Ayudando Latinos A Soñar; licensed clinical social worker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Costco, the bulk grocery chain known for consistency, devoted employees and discounts, has 145 million members worldwide. New Yorker staff writer Molly Fischer grew up going to a Costco in San Jose (Warehouse No. 148, on Senter Road), and she says “being a child of California in the eighties and nineties offered a front-row seat to the rise of a retail juggernaut.” But new management and Wall Street pressure means that things are changing at Costco, even as its hot dog-and-soda deal remains $1.50. We’ll talk with Fischer about her new piece, “Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?” Guests: Molly Fischer, staff writer, The New Yorker Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For 20 years, the Emmy- and James Beard-award winning show “Check, Please! Bay Area” has brought together local diners to kibbitz about their favorite restaurants. The concept is simple: three locals each recommend a restaurant, everyone tries the places out, and they meet for a spirited conversation about what they liked, what they loved, and what they could do without. The restaurants reviewed range from mom and pop shops to Michelin-award winning, but one thing they all have in common is at least one passionate fan. “Check, Please! Bay Area” host Leslie Sbrocco and producer Lori Halloran join us to talk about the imprint the show has made on local dining over the last two decades. Guests: Leslie Sbrocco, host, "Check Please! Bay Area" Lori Halloran, series producer, "Check Please! Bay Area" Gypsy Love, artist and former "Check Please! Bay Area" guest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week, California voters will decide whether to approve Proposition 50, which would temporarily redraw Congressional district maps to favor Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections. This comes after Republican lawmakers in Texas have redrawn districts to favor their party – with Republican leaders in Indiana, North Carolina and Missouri looking to follow suit. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court appears poised to further weaken the Voting Rights Act and further fuel a “redistricting arms race.” We look at how that case, and the escalating efforts to redistrict along partisan lines, could affect election outcomes in 2026 and beyond. Guests: Hansi Lo Wang, correspondent, NPR Erin Covey, editor, U.S. House of Representatives, The Cook Political Report Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the federal government shutdown extends to its fifth week, its impacts have become more widespread. Over one million federal workers are either on furlough or working unpaid. Most federal parks remain closed. Head Start programs are at risk of closure. And the USDA has announced it would suspend funding for SNAP, a food program that serves over 40 million Americans, including 5.38 million Californians. We’ll talk about the impacts of this government impasse on the Bay Area, and hear from you: How have you been affected by the government shutdown? Guests: Luke Broadwater, White House reporter, New York Times - his recent article on the shutdown is titled "The Shutdown Is Stretching On. Trump Doesn’t Seem to Mind" Chris Lehnertz, president and CEO, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Carly Severn, senior editor of audience news, KQED Tee Tran, founder and owner, Monster Pho, a restaurant located in Oakland Yasmeem Watson, case advocate, Treasury Department - Watson has been a federal employee for over 25 years, and serves as a steward and board member for the local affiliate of the National Treasury Employees Union Caitlin Sly, president and CEO, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joyce Vance was a federal prosecutor for 25 years, resigning on the eve of Donald Trump’s first inauguration. Now, she’s a law professor, a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC and author of the popular Substack “Civil Discourse,” signing off every post with the four words: “We’re in this together.” In a new book she encourages readers to not despair at the erosion of democratic norms, but to fight back. As she writes, “Progress may not be linear, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look forward beyond these difficult years we are living through and prepare to regain our America.” Vance joins us to talk about the latest legal challenges to the Trump administration and about her book, “Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy.” Guests: Joyce Vance, Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law, University of Alabama School of Law - legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC; writes the popular Substack "Civil Discourse"; author of the new book, "Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy"; was a career federal prosecutor for 25 years Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the main drivers of homelessness in the Bay Area is simply a lack of affordable housing for people with the very lowest incomes. In Part 4 of our series “In Search of Home: Solutions for the Homelessness Crisis” we’ll take a look at some innovative strategies developers and cities are exploring to fund projects and lower the cost of construction. We bring together housing developers, housing experts and Bay Area residents to discuss what works to bring more permanent housing that formerly homeless people can actually afford. Guests: Patrick Kennedy, owner, Panoramic Interests - a development firm that has been building in the Bay Area since 1990 Carolina Reid, professor in affordable housing and urban policy, Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley Matt Franklin, president and CEO, MidPen Housing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you watched a movie review on YouTube or an album takedown on TikTok? Cultural criticism is available for free everywhere which might explain why publications like the New York Times and Vanity Fair are trimming their staffs of professional reviewers. We talk to pop culture critic Angelica Jade Bastién and music critic Kelefa Sanneh about why traditional criticism should endure, even when everyone has a platform. Where do you turn for reliable reviews? Guests: Kelefa Sanneh, staff writer, The New Yorker Angelica Jade Bastién, critic covering film and pop culture, New York Magazine's Vulture Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pentagon announced Friday that the military is sending an aircraft carrier to South America. It’s the latest in the escalating show of force against Venezuela, including strikes on ten boats that the Trump administration says were involved in drug smuggling, which killed 43 people. We talk about the legality of the actions and what the administration hopes to achieve. Then, we turn to the mighty California condor. Once nearly extinct — with only 23 birds remaining in 1982 — the largest bird in North America is making a remarkable comeback. Biologists have recently tracked 30 condors soaring over Alameda and Contra Costa counties, areas where they haven’t been seen in a century. We’ll explore what’s driving their return and the threats they still face in the wild. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s the picture book you wanted your parent or caregiver to read to you over and over. There’s the one with musical rhymes you love performing for your kids. The editors at the Atlantic’s books desk chose 65 “essential” children’s books, spanning the 1936 classic “The Story of Ferdinand” to 2024’s “I’m Sorry You Got Mad.” The list includes bedtime stories, books that teach counting and tales that make big emotions comprehensible for little ones. We’ll talk with the book editors about how the Atlantic made its list. And we’ll hear what your favorite books mean to you and your children. Guests: Boris Kachka, senior editor, The Atlantic Emma Sarappo, senior associate editor, The Atlantic Maya Chung, senior associate editor, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While indulging in online retail therapy, you’ve probably seen an option at checkout to buy now, pay later. Companies like Afterpay, Affirm, and Klarna let consumers pay in four installments for nearly anything, including clothes, concert tickets, or even a burrito. For some consumers, it’s a tech-assisted layaway plan that helps when cash is tight. For others, it’s a chance to splurge on otherwise unattainable goods. On social media, it’s called “Klarnamaxxing” and it’s getting some consumers into a world of debt. Guests: Annie Joy Williams, assistant editor covering politics and culture, The Atlantic Julie Margetta Morgan, president, The Century Foundation, an independent think that that researches public policy; former associate director of research, monitoring and regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Amy X. Wang, story editor, New York Times Magazine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration’s constant flouting of court orders, its conversion of ICE into a massive paramilitary organization, its extortion of universities and corporations. It’s all prompted political commentator David Brooks to pose what he calls the question of the decade: “why hasn’t a resistance movement materialized here?” A self-described moderate, Brooks says we’re naive to think Trumpism will end in three years; rather, if unopposed, “global populism of the sort Trumpism represents could dominate for a generation.” We talk to Brooks about how he assesses the No Kings protests and how he’d build on past social movements to counter the tide of populist authoritarianism. We also talk to him about why learning to see other people more deeply can help build meaningful alliances, a concept he develops in his book “How to Know a Person,” which was just released in paperback. Guests: David Brooks, opinion columnist, The New York Times; contributing writer, The Atlantic; commentator, PBS NewsHour Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump administration has fired dozens of immigration judges in California seemingly without cause and despite growing backlogs of cases. Judges who lost their jobs say these firings will impede due process for millions of immigrants facing deportation. This comes at a time when federal authorities want to deport millions of people as quickly as possible. We talk with two local immigration judges who have been terminated by the Trump administration about the changes they have seen in our immigration system and what it means for the rule of law in our country. Guests: Chloe Dillon, head of criminal immigration defense, San Mateo County Private Defender Program; former federal immigration judge terminated by the Trump administration Elisa Brasil, attorney, Landerholm Immigration; former federal immigration judge terminated by the Trump administration Tyche Hendricks, senior editor covering immigration, KQED Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman, reporter, KQED News Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reports are rising of addiction, overdose and death tied to 7-OH, a potent new synthetic drug. The painkiller is a lab-made offshoot of the herbal drug kratom. 7-OH is more than 10 times stronger than morphine and has been dubbed “gas station heroin” because it’s sold openly in gas stations and vape shops, including here in California. At least six people in Los Angeles have died from overdoses related to the drug since this spring, and health officials warn it could cause an addiction crisis. We’ll talk about how the state is trying to curb its use. Guests: Lester Black, cannabis editor, SFGATE Dr. Brian Hurley, addiction physician; medical director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How exactly does the mind work? How do we learn and make decisions? And how does that compare to the way AI thinks? In their new book, “The Emergent Mind: How Intelligence Arises in People and Machines,” San Francisco State psychologist Gaurav Suri and Stanford’s Jay McClelland examine how neural networks work in our brains, and in AI. Guests: Gaurav Suri, computational neuroscientist and professor, San Francisco State University Jay McClelland, professor and director of the Center for Mind, Brain, Computation and Technology, Stanford University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices