KQED's Forum

The red wave Republicans hoped for never materialized, but they are close to winning a majority in the House as the nation awaits results in key House races. Meanwhile in the Senate, the balance ofpower rests on a Nevada race that as of Friday is too close to call and the December Senate runoff between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and his challenger, Herschel Walker. We’ll talkabout what we’ve learned from the midterms and their impact in California and the next two years of the Biden presidency.Guests:Melanie Mason, national political correspondent, Los Angeles Times.Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPR. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American news coverage about Mexico invariably focuses on migration and drug cartels. Less talked about is whether the country is edging towards authoritarianism under President AndrésManuel López Obrador. Elected in 2018 to a six-year term, the president’s tight control over the Morena political party and his attacks on civil institutions have drawn comparisons to Donald Trump. Earlier this year, López Obrador, also known as AMLO, brought in the military to not only police city streets but run government infrastructure like airports, giving the military unprecedented powers in a move that alarmed democracy watchers. Described as the “Teflon president,” López Obrador enjoys a 60% approval rating despite a stagnant economy and rising criminal violence. We’ll talk with experts about the state of Mexico’s democracy.Guests:Denise Dresser, professor, political science, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Dresser's most recent article for Foreign Affairs is titled "Mexico's Dying Democracy."María Marván Laborde , professor, political science, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Marván Laborde is currently a fellow with the U.S.-Mexico Institute at UC San Diego.Natalie Kitroeff, Bureau Chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roughly 70 million Americans have a chronic sleep disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and lack of sleep is associated with chronic disease, mental illness andpoor quality of life. So, what can we do to help ourselves? We talk with UCSF sleep researcher Aric A. Prather about how to calm our ruminating minds and other strategies to help us get a goodnight's rest. His new book is "The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest."Guests:Aric Prather, professor of psychiatry and behavioral Sciences, UCSF - His new book is "The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Alexandra Horowitz brought home a pandemic puppy it was clear little Quiddity would be very closely watched. Horowitz is founder of Barnard’s Dog Cognition Lab and her previous books explored questions of how dogs experience the world. In her new book, “The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves” she follows her puppy from his very beginnings as “a mewling splodge of fur,” through his first year. We talk to Horowitz about what she learned and why puppies are cognitively interesting as well as being the cutest little balls of fluff, and how those two things might be related.Guests:Alexandra Horowitz, author, "The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves;" founder, the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly one in three Black Californians has received inadequate treatment for pain or otherwise been unfairly treated by a health care provider because of their race or ethnicity. That’s according to a new study from the California Health Care Foundation, which also found that 26 percent of Black Californians have at least once decided not to seek medical care because they expected disrespect or unjust treatment. When it comes to addressing the problem, 80 percent of those surveyed said it is important to increase the number of Black healthcare workers and Black-led, community-based clinics. We’ll talk about how the health care system could better serve its Black patients and hear your experiences.Related link(s):- Listening to Black Californians: How the Health Care System Undermines Their Pursuit of Good Health- Listening to Black Californians- California lacks Black doctors. Here’s how the state can add moreGuests:Katherine Haynes, senior program officer, California Health Care Foundation (CHCF).Wynton Sims, third year medical student, UCSF.Dr. Kim Rhoads, founder, Umoja Health; associate professor of epidemiology & biostatistics and associate director, Community Engagement, UCSF School of Medicine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Kesling’s new book, “Bravo Company,” tells the story of one Army regiment’s deployment to Afghanistan and their struggles on their return home. Bravo Company was a group of paratroopers who experienced a large number of deaths, lost limbs and other injuries while serving in 2009 and 2010. Kesling, who served in combat zones as a Marine in Iraq Afghanistan, explores veterans’ complicated experiences with deployments, combat, and healing. As we approach Veteran’s Day, we discuss the harsh realities and aftermath of the War On Terror and what it means to serve your country.Guests:Ben Kesling, Midwest correspondent, Wall Street Journal; author, "Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and its Aftermath" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s about to be a new sheriff in Santa Clara county, for the first time in about a quarter century. Oakland and San Jose are getting new mayors, San Francisco is deciding whether the interim District Attorney should stay in the job. Voters are deciding on housing, crime, abortion, kidneys and a whole lot more. We’ll pore over those Bay Area and State election results with the help of KQED’s politics team.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown showGuy Marzorati, reporter and producer, KQED's California Politics and Government DeskDarwin BondGraham, newseditor, Oaklandside Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This midterm election is a nail-biter. Very tight congressional races across California could determine which party takes control of the House and Senate. California voters are also choosing a governor and an attorney general as well as other statewide officers, and deciding whether to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution. As the results come in, we review the outcomes of key races across the state and hear your reactions.Guests:Joshua Yeager, reporter, KVPRNicole Nixon, politics reporter, Cap RadioScott Shafer, senior editor for KQED’s California Politics and Government desk and co-host of Political Breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists have yet to discover evidence of life beyond earth, but according to NASA researchers that doesn't mean the universe is lifeless. Where does the scientific search for life beyond our planet stand? From the possibility of extraterrestrial microbial life to the radiowave search for “intelligent” life, we’ll talk about what modern science tells us about whether we’re alone in the universe.Guests:Marina Koren, staff writer, The Atlantic - she covers space for the magazineG. Scott Hubbard, former director, NASA Ames Research Center; author, “Exploring Mars: Chronicles from a Decade of Discovery”Dan Werthimer, SETI Chief Scientist, UC Berkeley Department of Astronomy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the past week, reports of major layoffs at tech employers including Twitter, Meta and online payments company Stripe are fueling fears of a tech bust 2.0. Earlier this year, electric vehicle makers Tesla and Rivian, software maker Autodesk and fintech company Robinhood also cut hundreds of workers. The news is sending jolts through the Bay Area, which has enjoyed historically low unemployment for several years with high demand for tech workers. We talk about what these layoffs mean for the Bay Area’s economy and how to gauge the threat of an impending recession.Guests:Jeff Bellisario, executive director, Bay Area Council Economic InstituteSheera Frenkel, technology reporter based in San Francisco, The New York Times; co-author, "An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices