KQED's Forum

Former president Trump has been saying very inflammatory things in public speeches and posts lately. He’s advocated violence, praised autocratic leaders and called his political opponents “vermin” that need to be “rooted out”. We’ll analyze Trump’s recent campaign rhetoric and discuss how the press and social media platforms are handling it all. We talk with experts about what we have learned from past mistakes in covering Trump and rooting out fake news, and how we can do better.Guests:Lyna Bentahar, reporter, New York Times; co-author, article "Donald Trump’s 2024 Campaign, in His Own Menacing Words"Ian Prasad Philbrick, reporter, New York Times; co-author, article "Donald Trump’s 2024 Campaign, in His Own Menacing Words"Emily Dreyfuss, director, Shorenstein Center News Lab; co-author, "Meme Wars: the Untold Stories of the Online Battles Upending Democracy in America." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When was the last time you spent a weekend listening to a piece of music for hours on end? For gamers, that’s not an uncommon practice. Along with story, graphics, and gameplay, the music plays a vital role in the gaming experience, helping to immerse the player and provide clues on where the action is headed. But despite the sophistication of video game scores, their composers have not been appreciated within our traditional classical music institutions. Jennifer Miller Hammel, a classically trained vocalist and pianist, grew up playing video games and she’s set out to correct that by curating “Arcade,” a new streaming channel on Classical California devoted to video game music. We’ll play some of her favorite pieces and hear why there’s a new generation of classical music fans to be found among gamers.Guests:Jennifer Miller Hammel, program host, Classical California, KUSC Morning Show, The Opera Show, and ArcadeInon Zur, composer. Zur's scores include Starfield, Fallout, Dragon Age, and Syberia video game series. Website URL: www.inonzur.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Concord has joined a growing list of Bay Area cities testing guaranteed income programs. The East Bay city’s model will provide 120 families with $500 a month for a year. More than 20 similar pilot programs have sprung up in the Bay Area in the last few years after more state and local officials allocated money to fund them. That has made California a hotbed for guaranteed income experiments. Advocates say that “no-strings attached” funding puts participants on a path to financial security because they often use the money to cover basic necessities, pay off debt, and build up savings. We’ll talk about the latest guaranteed income programs, what we’ve learned from the pilots, and how state support is changing local experiments.Guests:Natalie Foster, president and co-founder, Economic Security Project; senior fellow, The Aspen Institute Future of Work InitiativeJessica Travenia, director, Richmond Rapid Response Fund. They are preparing to launch the Contra Costa chapter of the Abundant Birth Project, a guaranteed income pilot for pregnant moms.Julia Quintero, ELEVATE Concord project manager, Monument Impact. They are a nonprofit organization that is administering a guaranteed income program in ConcordAmy Castro, associate professor of the School of Social Policy and Practice & co-founder and faculty director of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, died on Friday. She was 93. A Ronald Reagan appointee who retired from the high court in 2006, O’Connor was known as a swing vote in contentious cases on abortion, religious liberty and affirmative action. She once wrote, “Rare indeed is the legal victory — in court or legislature — that is not a careful byproduct of an emerging social consensus.” We’ll talk about her influence and legacy.Guests:Melissa Murray, professor of law, NYU School of Law; co-host, the Strict Scrutiny podcastDahlia Lithwick, senior editor and legal correspondent, Slate; host, Amicus podcast; author, "Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America". Website URL: http://www.slate.com/authors.dahlia_lithwick.htmlCristina Rodriguez, professor of law, Yale Law School; former clerk for Justice O'Connor during the Supreme Court's 2002 term Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Fei-Fei Li, a pioneering figure in artificial intelligence and creator of ImageNet, discusses her remarkable journey as an immigrant and insights from her memoir, "The Worlds I See." She advocates for human-centered AI that enhances human capabilities while navigating ethical dilemmas and corporate goals. Li highlights the societal implications of AI advancements and champions gender representation in the tech industry. The conversation also delves into the deep connection between visual perception and intelligence, emphasizing responsible AI development for diverse communities.

It might be the most unusual event of this campaign season: California Governor Gavin Newsom is set to face off Thursday night against Governor – and GOP presidential candidate – Ron DeSantis of Florida in a Fox News-sponsored debate. What will this clash of two rising political stars from two of the nation’s most populous states reveal about issues like abortion, immigration, homelessness and our political moment? We’ll bring you a recap and analysis of the debate, which is being held in Georgia and moderated by Fox host Sean Hannity.Guests:Melanie Mason, senior political correspondent covering California politics, PoliticoJoe Garofoli, senior political writer, San Francisco ChronicleTaryn Luna, staff writer covering California politics, LA Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, the FBI indicted a major local real estate developer for bribing three San Francisco officials to obtain permits and expedite inspections. This episode is just the latest in a series of corruption scandals that began in 2020 and brought down officials in the Department of Power and Water, the Department of Building Inspection, and the city’s public utilities commission, among others. Is there something systemic or cultural that leaves San Francisco more vulnerable to corruption by public officials? We talk to experts and hear from you.Guests:Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter/producer covering politics, KQED NewsJason McDaniel, associate professor of political science, San Francisco State University. He teaches urban politics and campaigns and elections.JoAnne Speers, principal, S2 Ethics Strategies. Speers is the former chief executive of the Institute for Local Government and former general counsel of League of California Cities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beneath the surface of a coffee bean or a red pepper flake or a nutmeg seed — or any of the plants we rely on for medicine, food and drink — lie a “bevy of poisons,” writes UC Berkeley evolutionary biologist Noah Whiteman. But the chemical compounds that treat our infections, spice up our meals and calm our nerves didn’t evolve for our benefit. Instead, plants, fungi and even some small animals produce toxins to defend themselves against predators, attract pollinators and engage in battles of chemical warfare. We’ll talk about the biology and influence of “nature’s pharmacopeia” with Whiteman, whose new book is “Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins — From Spices to Vices.”Guests:Noah Whiteman, professor of Integrative Biology and Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley; director, Essig Museum of Entomology; author, “Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins — from Spices to Vices” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last several years, a cult industrial complex has emerged to capitalize on Americans’ fascination with groups such as Jonestown, the Manson Family, the Branch Davidians, and the Rajneeshpuram community in Wasco County, Ore., argues UC Berkeley professor Poulomi Saha. But in her highly sought-after class called Cults in Popular Culture, they emphasize that it’s important to look beyond the sensational examples and recognize how cult-like behavior shows up in many facets of our lives and society. We’ll talk with Saha about why some groups are labeled as cults, why people are drawn to them, and what cults reveal about spirituality and culture in America.Guests:Poulomi Saha, associate professor of English and co-director of the Program in Critical Theory, UC Berkeley. Saha teaches a course called Cults in Popular Culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s stray animals face a slew of challenges that might sound familiar to human residents of the state: a lack of affordable housing, prohibitive health care costs, and a shortage of service providers. Animal shelters that emptied during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic have since refilled, and placing those animals in homes can be a struggle. We speak with a veterinarian and two shelter administrators about how they’re adapting to the volume of animals – and people – in need of their services, and how community supporters can help. We’ll also hear from a journalist covering animal welfare at the national level, and from you: Have you tried to adopt, or rehome, a pet? What was your experience?Guests:Ann Dunn, director, Oakland Animal ServicesCynthia Karsten, director of outreach and shelter medicine, University of California-DavisKenny Torrella, staff writer, VoxSarah Aguilar, director, Santa Barbara County Animal Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices