KQED's Forum

In their bestselling 2022 book on the Trump presidency, “The Divider” journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser wrote that the January 6 insurrection “was the inexorable culmination of a sustained four-year war on the institutions and traditions of American democracy.” That was then. In a new afterword to the book, they write that Trump has now “shunned any remaining voices of restraint within his own party”. With the former president leading the pack for the GOP nomination, Glasser and Baker join us to talk about their book and to help us answer the question: What would a second Trump term look like?Guests:Susan Glasser, staff writer, The New Yorker; co-author, "The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021"Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent, The New York Times; co-author, "The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco is one of eight counties that will be piloting California’s new CARE Courts program ahead of a statewide rollout next year. Beginning next month, people with schizophrenia or psychosis can be referred to the new court and, if they meet certain criteria, receive a court-ordered care plan that can include mental health treatment, housing and medication. Critics warn that the system could violate the civil liberties of people with disabilities and lead to harmful coercive care, but proponents say the measure will assist unhoused people living with severe, untreated mental illness by getting them the attention they need. We’ll get into the details and the debate.Guests:Susan Talamantes-Eggman, state Senator representing California's 5th District; co-author of SB 1338, the legislation which established CARE court in CaliforniaRafael Mandelman, represents District 8 on the San Francisco Board of SupervisorsScott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government desk and co-host of Political BreakdownTal Klement, Deputy Public Defender in the Mental Health Unit, San Francisco Public Defender's OfficeEric Harris, director of public policy, Disability Rights California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I don’t have any hope,” said one Oakland resident attending a town hall this past weekend on the city’s rising crime rate. According to the city’s police department, violent crime is up by 17% over last year and as of August, 68 people had been murdered in Oakland. Indeed, since 2019, car break-ins are up over 40%, vehicle thefts have more than doubled, and reported robberies are up by 30%. And while East Oakland has borne the brunt of criminal activity, no part of the city is immune. We’ll talk to Mayor Sheng Thao, interim Oakland police chief Darren Allison, and chief Kentrell Killens, interim head of the city’s violence prevention program. And we’ll hear from you. What are your questions for the mayor and her team?Guests:Sheng Thao, mayor, OaklandDarren Allison, interim police chief, Oakland Police DepartmentKentrell Killens, interim chief of violence prevention, Department of Violence Prevention for the City of Oakland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was more than 60 years ago that a 26-year old Jane Goodall entered the Gombe Stream National Forest in Tanzania with a notebook and pen and observed a chimpanzee she’d named David Graybeard use a twig to coax termites up from their nest. The discovery, along with others she made about how chimps play with toys and care for each other, erased for her the divide thought to separate humans from the animal kingdom. Her scientific work has also led her to a lifetime devoted to animal conservation, redefined to include the needs of local people and the environment. Goodall, along with two international conservation champions she’s inspired, join us to talk about the future of the movement.Guests:Jane Goodall, ethologist and conservationist. She's co-founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, which is devoted to the protection of great apes and their habitats. Her books include of "In the Shadow of Man" and "The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior."Jean-Gael "JG" Collomb, chief executive officer, Wildlife Conservation Network, which connects philanthropists with a global network of field-based conservation leadersJeneria Lekilelei, Samburu warrior; director of community conservation, Ewaso Lions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Name your environmental ill—dams, poaching, megafires—and consider that roads kill more creatures with less fanfare, than any of them.” That’s according to conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb, who says that the problem’s only getting worse as traffic increases. Roads have also forced animals to evolve, adapt and change their migration habits. Goldfarb’s new book “Crossings” examines the impact of our planet’s 40 million miles of roads on the natural world and how, through the study of road ecology, we can find ways to minimize noise and habitat destruction and engineer a system with bridges for bears, tunnels for turtles and other accommodations for our fellow creatures.Guests:Ben Goldfarb, conservation journalist; author, "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet." He also wrote the book "Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Point Reyes may be known for its cows and lighthouse, but locals also want it to become a destination for darkness. Residents have petitioned to certify part of Marin County as a Dark Sky Reserve. But, persuading some people to dim their lights has turned out to be a challenge. Those efforts are just one part of an international movement to reduce light pollution and preserve dark skies. While the invention of the lightbulb – less than 150 years ago – changed the course of human history, excessive use of artificial light has become a nuisance that disrupts the wellbeing of humans, wildlife, and the planet. We’ll talk about light pollution, stargazing and the benefits of darker skies.Guests:Josh Riedel, author of the novel "Please Report Your Bug Here" and the recent article "Saving the Night Sky," which was published in Esquire magazineJohn Barentine, astronomer and founder, Dark Sky Consulting, LLC; former director of public policy, International Dark Sky AssociationPeggy Day, Point Reyes Station resident and dark-sky advocate; cofounder, DarkSky West MarinDon Jolley, astronomy teacher and storyteller, DarkSky West Marin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google spends more than $10 billion per year to maintain its monopoly control over internet search, a U.S. government lawyer alleged in a Washington, D.C. courtroom on Tuesday. In what is being called the most important antitrust trial in nearly 25 years, the U.S. Department of Justice is accusing Google of harming consumers and stifling competition by cutting deals with smartphone makers to be their default search engine. Google, which controls about 90 percent of the U.S. search engine market, said in court on Tuesday that dissatisfied users can simply switch web browsers “with a few easy clicks.” We’ll preview the rest of the trial and examine what is at stake for tech companies and consumers.Guests:Sheelah Kolhatkar, staff writer, The New Yorker - where she writes about Wall Street, Silicon Valley, economics, and politicsBill Baer, visiting fellow governance studies, Brookings Institution; former director, the Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission; former assistant attorney general, the Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Summer may be over, but the Bay Area’s hottest days may still be ahead. To manage the heat (and let’s be honest, the fog), two scoops of your favorite local ice cream could come in handy. For our latest installment of “All You Can Eat,” KQED’s Alan Chazaro and Luke Tsai join Forum to talk about the Bay Area’s best cold desserts. We’ll discuss decades-old mainstays like Its-It and Mitchell’s, talk to business owners making cold confections infused with strong cultural influences, and hear from you: What’s a unique and tasty ice cream or cold dessert that you’ve encountered in the Bay Area?Guests:Stephanie De La Cruz, owner, De La CreameryPriti Narayanan, co-owner, Koolfi Creamery and CafeLuke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & CultureAlan Chazaro, food reporter, KQED; poet; educator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do we collect things like Pokémon cards, old tea sets and comic books? According to Daniel Krawczyk, a behavioral and brain scientist — and pinball machine collector — collecting can help to connect us to our childhood selves, relive prior memories or recall happy moments. And coming together with fellow collectors in conventions or online forums can provide the mental health benefits of community, a chance to revel in shared expertise and share tips. Collecting may even have an evolutionary basis. We’ll hear more from Krawczyk and from you: What do you collect, and why?Guests:Daniel Krawczyk, professor of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, University of Texas at DallasVicky Chung, social media associate in audience development, KQED - who collects postcards Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pharmacies in California make about 5 million errors every year, according to state regulators. That’s just an estimate, since pharmacies aren’t required to report mistakes, and the big chains are fighting to keep them secret. Meanwhile, pharmacists say they are overworked and underpaid, with many leaving the profession. We’ll hear about a new Los Angeles Times report on pharmacy errors, talk with pharmacists about burnout, and find out what patients can do to protect themselves.Guests:Christopher Atkins, pharmacist, an independent pharmacy in LA; former pharmacist, CVS and VonsRichard Dang, assistant professor of Clinical Pharmacy, USC; immediate past president, California Pharmacists AssociationMelody Petersen, investigative reporter covering healthcare and business, Los Angeles Times - Petersen's latest piece is titled "California Pharmacies Are Making Millions of Mistakes. They’re Fighting to Keep that Secret" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices