KQED's Forum

Many of us have spent a lot of time with our televisions during the pandemic. So when the Golden Globe nominations were announced this week with notable snubs (I May Destroy You) and surprises (Emily in Paris), they're before a public that is probably more informed than ever about the shows and streaming movies theyre judging. . Well talk with critics about their recommendations and we want to hear from you. What have you been watching? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Historian Michael Beschloss argues that the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6 was a terrorist attack that must be treated with the same gravity as Sept. 11. The event, “put our leaders and our democracy in danger. We had a close call and must never forget,” he wrote on Twitter. Beschloss, the author of “Presidents of War'' and nine other books, is a commentator for the PBS NewsHour and the NBC News presidential historian. We speak to him about the upcoming impeachment trial of former President Trump, and President Joe Biden’s first 100 days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shirley Weber made history when she was sworn in as California's first Black Secretary of State last week. One of her priorities is to bolster voter registration by making vote-by-mail permanent. She previously spent eight years in the California Assembly representing a district that includes part of San Diego and surrounding communities. While in Sacramento, she pushed progressive policy including an effort to reverse California’s ban on affirmative action and restrict the use of lethal force by police. Weber joins us to speak about her new role as Secretary of State. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from Bakersfield, on Wednesday condemned the comments of an extremist Georgia congresswoman, but declined to take any action against her. Democrats have called for removing Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from House committees for claiming the Parkland, Fl. school shooting was staged, spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and encouraging violence against Democratic officials. On Thursday, the House of Representatives is set to take a full-floor vote on whether to strip her of her committees. We’ll look at what was behind McCarthy’s refusal to sanction Greene and what it means for the identity and future of the Republican party. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last month, former California governor Jerry Brown co-signed a letter urging President Biden to prioritize holding nuclear disarmament talks with Russia. Brown joins us to discuss his post retirement work on nuclear weapons and climate change and his hopes for renewed action on these issues during the Biden presidency. The state’s longest-serving governor will also weigh in on Governor Newsom’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s wildfire problem and how California has changed during his decades in government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Performer and teacher Rhodessa Jones has said that she’s not interested in art for art’s sake. “It has to be about social change,” she said, “It has to be able to save lives.” Now in her 70’s Jones has been bringing a passion for social justice to her work for decades. She created the Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women more than 30 years ago and has continued to work in prisons and on reentry projects and, recently, she performed in a play that took on climate change. We talk to Jones about her ever evolving artistic career and activism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Coronavirus pandemic continues to shake up the housing market in California. While thousands of renters have been able to stay in their homes thanks to statewide eviction moratoriums, many are accumulating crushing debt. And, despite the moratorium, landlords continue to evict tenants. Meanwhile, apartment rents fell in many cities as home sales boomed in 2020. The part of the market catering to more affluent renters and buyers remains strong, but low-income workers continue to struggle to afford or find housing. We talk about the forces shaping the housing market and how to help those hit hardest by the pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas teach a popular class at Stanford Business School entitled, “Humor: Serious Business”. Their mission, they say, is to make sure that the next generation of leaders don’t launch into the world “without a healthy dose of humanity, humility and intellectual perspective that only humor can bring.” They argue we need more human connection in the workplace, not just “professionalism”, especially in a time when in-person meetings have been replaced by Zoom. Aaker and Bagdonas join us to talk about how to bring more laughs to work and life, and their new book, Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early on in the pandemic, Southern California drew praise for its aggressive social distancing policies that helped contain the spread of the coronavirus. But now the region is the American epicenter for COVID-19 and what Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano calls a cautionary tale for the dangers of lifting restrictions too quickly. He says the reasons for the backslide are in large part structural: the disease is "tailor-made" for Latino and other tight-knit communities who tend to work on the front lines and live in multigenerational households. But Arellano also blames those he calls "pandejos" -- who, like "covidiots," willfully ignore public health advice. We'll talk to Arellano about his recent story for The Atlantic, called "The Pandejo Movement Destroyed California’s Pandemic Progress." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican-led effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gaining traction as some members of Newsom's base are starting to question his leadership. Newsom was the first governor to issue a statewide stay-at-home order at the start of the pandemic, but the progress from that head start was lost following the state's summer reopening, which many say happened too fast. Now as California's vaccine distribution lags -- 5.8% of Californians have received the first dose of a vaccine compared to 6.8% nationally -- the spotlight on Newsom is intensifying. We'll discuss the latest developments in the effort to recall Gov. Newsom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices