KQED's Forum

For Bay Area food banks, securing funding and supplies is increasingly difficult during the pandemic.  The challenges come as the need for food assistance is rising.  Long lines have become common at food banks, and Second Harvest Food Bank in Silicon Valley is seeing a 100 percent increase in the number of people calling its food connection hotline, many for the first time. As the economic impact of the virus on families and individuals grows, we’ll hear how Bay Area food banks are coping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With less than 90 days to the November election, concerns are mounting that the Trump Administration is actively undermining the  U.S. Postal Service. Although the USPS is the country’s most popular government agency, President  Trump recently dismissed it as a “joke” and questioned its ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time. Trump’s newly appointed Postmaster General, who was also a major Trump campaign donor, has limited overtime work, and extra mail delivery, moves that postal workers say have created mail backlogs. In response,  Benjamin Jealous, the President of the People For the American Way, is spearheading a campaign to defend the Postal Service. We’ll talk to Jealous about what can be done to ensure that Americans can have confidence in the mail service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe published “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump” back in early March, there have been major developments regarding the 2020 election. Former Vice President Joe Biden became the Democratic nominee, the coronavirus pandemic escalated and the economy fell into a deep recession. Most recent polls have Trump trailing in the general election, and one poll from Berkeley IGS this week has Biden leading by 39 percentage points among California voters. But many questions are still to be answered, including who Biden will pick as his running mate, what an election looks like in a pandemic and which strategies each party should take in order to win votes. Plouffe joins Forum to talk about the book, answer those questions and discuss the latest political news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As school districts around the country issue pandemic education plans, there’s widespread concern among teachers about safety, equity and how to make the most of online learning. We’ll talk about a new NPR/Ipsos teacher survey, and we’ll hear how one local teachers’ union is handling its members’ concerns about education in the time of Covid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 5, thousands of nurses across the country staged protests to highlight the lack of personal protective equipment and other challenges they continue to face as front line workers in this pandemic. According to media reports, in California, 100 health care workers have been killed by Covid-19 and medical workers account for 20% of all infections in some states. Nurses are demanding that more be done to protect them. We'll hear about what how nurses are coping and what they need for a safer work environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Census Bureau is ending its population count a month early, though nearly 40 percent of the country has yet to fill out the forms. Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham announced yesterday that all counting efforts will wrap up by Sept. 30, cutting short a four-month extension during the pandemic. We’ll talk about what ending the count early could mean for California’s historically undercounted communities and the redrawing of political districts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The coronavirus pandemic has many people feeling isolated in their homes, detached from loved ones, and anxious about their livelihoods. All of that is taking a major toll on mental health. The U.S. suicide rate rose after the 2008 recession, and experts warn that vulnerable individuals are more at risk of suicide during periods of crisis.  We’ll talk about how to address anxiety and depression, when to seek help, and what services are available for individuals and families struggling to cope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Renters across California could be in danger of losing their homes in the coming weeks. Eviction moratoriums that have helped millions of renters are close to expiring even as the coronavirus pandemic is keeping many unemployed. State lawmakers are weighing proposals to prevent a mass wave of evictions, but face a budget deficit and other constraints.  Meanwhile, relief from the federal government appears unlikely. We discuss the state’s looming eviction crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the month of July, California experienced its worst surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths leading Gov. Newsom to impose a re-shutdown of businesses in more than 30 counties. As of today, California leads the nation with over 500,000 confirmed cases. But at his daily presser Monday, Newsom indicated that the state’s situation is improving with both new COVID-19 cases and coronavirus-related hospitalizations down in the last week. He also emphasized the virus’s disproportionate impact on the state’s Latino and Central Valley populations and reaffirmed his commitment to allocating state and federal resources to those communities where cases continue to grow. We'll talk about the steps California's taking to contain the pandemic, address testing backlogs and support communities disproportionately harmed by the virus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Abraham Lincoln tends to get most of the credit for winning the Civil War, historian Fergus Bordewich reminds us not to forget about the role Congress played in the Union’s victory. In his new book, “Congress at War,” Bordewich follows four influential members of Congress as they navigate one of the most dynamic and consequential times in American history. Bordewich joins Forum to discuss the challenge of governing a divided nation and how the 36th United States Congress helped hold the union together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices