KQED's Forum

By the end of the summer of 2020 -- after a violent militia group plotted to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer and after Proud Boys members attacked Black Lives Matters protesters in cities around the country -- it was clear to intelligence professionals that these groups "were planning for war." That's according to counterterrorism expert Malcolm Nance, whose new book "They Want to Kill Americans" traces the rise of what he calls TITUS, or the Trump Insurgency in the United States. We'll talk to Nance about who the insurgents are and how we can counteract the threat they pose to our democracy.Guests:Malcolm Nance, former United States naval intelligence officer, specializing in cryptology & counterterrorism. His new book is "They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Laguna Honda Hospital opened up in 1866 to care for the city’s poor and indigent. Now over 150 years later, federal officials have threatened to shut the hospital, which operates as a skilled nursing facility, because of failed inspections prompted by two nonfatal drug overdoses that occurred onsite. In order to be recertified to operate, Laguna Honda must move out over 600 of its residents and has until September 13 to make that happen. So far, they have only moved 48 patients. What happened to the hospital and how will these patients be taken care of? We’ll discuss the ongoing situation at Laguna Honda and talk about what this situation says about how we care for our most vulnerable friends and neighbors.Guests:Sydney Johnson, public health reporter, San Francisco Examiner.Tony Chicotel, Staff Attorney, California Advocates For Nursing Home Reform.Jessica Lehman, executive director, Senior & Disability Action.Roland Pickens, director of the San Francisco Health Network, a network of 13 clinics in SF, interim CEO of Laguna Honda Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Biden’s approval rating is below 40%, and a poll this week from the New York Times and Siena College found 64% of Democratic voters would prefer a new presidential candidate in 2024. We’ll talk about what’s fueling voter dissatisfaction with the president, and we want to hear from you: should Biden run again? If not, do you have ideas of who should pick up the mantle?Guests:Tamara Keith, NPR White House correspondent, Co-host of the @NPRPolitics podcast.Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED - Co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When E.T. walked across the screen and into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere, that lovable space alien who wanted to “phone home” needed a sound for its walk. Foley artists, the sound magicians who add special effects to movies, decided to use a bag of jello in a damp T-shirt. Indeed, a Foley artist is nothing but ingenious. Snappers, clackers, ka-chunkers, sha-shonkers and things that go “ronk” are just a few things you might find in their toolbox, along with celery — good for broken bones — or paperclips on gloves to imitate a cat walking down the hall. We’ll learn about these tricks of the trade from some of the world’s best Foley artists at Skywalker Sound in Marin.Guests:Anna Wiener, contributing writer, The New Yorker - She is the author of the memoir "Uncanny Valley." Her most recent piece for the New Yorker is titled "Noisemakers."Shelley Roden, Foley artist, Skywalker Sound - Roden has worked as a Foley artist for over 25 years, and has worked on "Black Panther," "Top Gun: Maverick," "Soul," "Turning Red," and hundreds of other films.Scott Curtis, Foley Mixer, Curtis has mixed sound for a variety of movies including "Titanic," "Team America" and "Black Panther." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Where else can we go when this country turns on us?” That’s the question author Wajahat Ali wrestles with in his recent column for the Daily Beast, “Is It Time for Me to Leave America?” Ali, who is Muslim and U.S.-born, says it feels reckless not to have at least an exit plan if you’re a person of color in the United States in this political and cultural climate. He also says that in his heart, he knows he will stay. We’ll talk with Ali and others who’ve contemplated emigrating about what’s prompting them to leave and what’s keeping them home.Guests:Wajahat Ali, author, "Go Back to Where You Came From;" columnist, the Daily Beast; co-host, Democracy-ishAreyon Jolivette, Los Angeles-based writerBridget R. McCurtis, DEI and leadership strategist, living in St. Kitts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A nursery of stars. Galaxies 13 billion light years away. The Carina Nebula. These are some of the spectacular images captured by the James Webb Telescope from its vantage point one million miles away from earth. As the telescope’s detail-saturated pictures were beamed across the world on Tuesday, they were met with awed silence as well as whoops of joy from scientists, some whose entire careers have been dedicated to the telescope. One of the most complicated spacecraft ever launched, the the telescope, which boasts a sun shield the size of a tennis court, will beam back images and data for the next 20 years. We’ll talk to scientists who helped design the James Webb Telescope and find out what we can expect to see next.Guests:Marcia Rieke, Regents' professor of Astronomy and astronomer, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona - Dr. Rieke is the principal investigator for the NIRCam on the James Webb Space Telescope.Tom Greene, astrophysicist, Space Science and Astrobiology Division at NASA Ames Research Center - Dr. Greene works on the NIRCam and MIRI science instruments on the James Webb Telescope.Marina Koren, staff writer, The Atlantic - Koren covers space for the magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The day that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gov. Gavin Newsom affirmed that California would be a sanctuary for those seeking abortion care and signed legislation protecting doctors and patients from liability imposed by states banning the procedure. About 10,000 more out-of-state residents will come to California annually to seek abortion care, according to a new UCLA report. But about 40 percent of California counties don’t have a single abortion provider. We’ll look at California’s “access deserts” and the realities of abortion access in the state, for Californians and out-of-state abortion-seekers alike.Guests:Lauren Hepler, housing and retail reporter, San Francisco ChronicleFabiola Carrión, director, Reproductive and Sexual Health, National Health Law ProgramMichelle Rivera, program manager, Act For Women and GirlsJon Dunn, President/CEO, Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol held another hearing Tuesday revealing more details about how former President Trump repeatedly tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election despite many aides and advisors counseling him to stop. Another key focus was on the right-wing extremist groups including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers that helped organize the insurrection in coordination with Trump and his advisors. We discuss the latest news from the Jan. 6 committee hearing and dive into the rise of violent extremist groups.Guests:Claudia Grisales, congressional reporter on NPR's Washington deskKali Holloway, columnist, The NationLindsay Schubiner, director of Western States Center's Momentum ProgramA.C. Thompson, reporter, ProPublica and FRONTLINE correspondent. His investigation into the assault on the U.S. Capitol is featured in an updated version of the Frontline documentary "American Insurrection." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covid 19 cases are on the rise again as various Omicron subvariants spread. Epidemiologists warn that people may not have as much immunity to new variants compared with previous strains of the virus. It can be hard to keep track of changing guidelines such as when to wear a mask or schedule vaccine boosters. Evaluating the risk for summer travel can be confusing. We take your questions about new Covid 19 variants and discuss the latest news, research, and where we are in the pandemic.Guests:Dr. Bob Wachter, professor and chair of the Department of Medicine, University of California, San FranciscoDr. Yvonne (Bonnie) Maldonado, professor of Pediatrics and of Epidemiology and Population Health Chief, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Stanford University School of Medicine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nearly 80 percent of Southern California’s doughnut shops are estimated to be owned by Cambodian immigrants. Many of those owners, who struggled over hot fryers at shops open 24hours a day, seven days a week, hoped that their own children would move away from the doughnut business and join the ranks of white-collar professionals. But a generation of “doughnut kids” are opting to continue family traditions and run the shops they grew up in. They are modernizing the business while learning how to be the boss. We'll talk about doughnuts and the experience of continuing a family business’ legacy.Guests:Cathy Chaplin, senior reporter and editor, Eater LA, - author of "Food Lovers' Guide to Los Angeles." She is the author of the article "The Future of LA’s Cambodian-Owned Doughnut Shops Is in the Hands of the Next Generation."Dorothy Chow, vice-president, B & H Bakery Distributors.Danette Kuoch, co-owner and operator, California Donuts - Kuoch is a second-generation doughnut shop owner and created the Snickers doughnut. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices