KQED's Forum

Busy and frazzled people often say, “I wish I could clone myself!” Journalist Evan Ratliff did just that. Using easily available technology and artificial intelligence, he created a voice clone that could answer calls, carry on conversations, and literally do his job. The brave new world he created spawned all sorts of weird and unsettling moments, like when his voice clones began talking to each other and making up a whole new life for him. Ratliff explores the experience in his new podcast, “Shell Game.” We talk to Ratliff…and his voice clone.Guests:Evan Ratliff, investigative journalist and host, "Shell Game" podcast; author, "The Mastermind: A True Story of Murder, Empire, and a New Kind of Crime Lord"; cofounder and editor in chief, Atavist magazine; former podcast host, "Longform" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If global temperatures continue to increase, new research suggests that by 2050 past Winter Olympics host cities — like Oslo, Vancouver and Lake Tahoe — likely won’t be cold enough for the Games. And some summer events may be in jeopardy too. In her new book “Warming Up,” sport ecology expert Madeleine Orr explains why “climate change is threatening sport in every corner of the world,” including wildfire- and drought-prone California. We talk to Orr about the future of the Olympics amid climate change – and how all sports are changing in our climate reality, from Paris to the little leagues. Are you a coach or athlete who’s had to adapt to climate change?Guests:Madeleine Orr, assistant professor of sport ecology, University of Toronto - author, “Warming Up: How Climate Change Is Changing Sport" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After more than a century in the Bay Area, Chevron announced it is moving its headquarters from San Ramon to Houston, but the company’s refineries in Richmond and El Segundo remain for now. California was once a leading producer of oil, and today remains the nation’s seventh largest oil producer. But Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to phase out the oil and gas industry by 2045. As California transitions towards an energy future that is less dependent on fossil fuel, what kinds of obstacles will the state, industries and workers face in the short and long term?Guests:Sammy Roth, energy reporter, Los Angeles TimesGeorge Avalos, business reporter, Bay Area News GroupDevashree Saha, director, US Clean Energy Economy ProgramDan Walters, columnist, CalMatters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate for the 2024 presidential election. Walz is a former school teacher and veteran of the Army National Guard. Under his leadership as Governor, Minnesota enshrined access to abortion in the state constitution, expanded universal meals in school, legalized marijuana, and enacted gun control measures. Walz has been criticized by Republicans for his hesitation to deploy the National Guard to Minneapolis in 2020, in response to protests following the killing of George Floyd. His labeling of Republicans as “weird” has also gone viral in recent weeks. We’ll talk about the newly-minted Harris-Walz ticket and analyze what it signals for the presumptive Democratic nominees. We’ll also discuss the challenges Harris and Walz could face ahead of November, as they embark on a whirlwind campaign across battleground states today.Guests:Christopher Cadelago, California’s Bureau Chief, Politico - and former White House CorrespondentErica L. Green, White House correspondent, The New York TimesYasmeen Abutaleb, White House Reporter, The Washington Post Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across social media, people are posting about their experiences ending contact with family members, which experts say is a growing trend. Studies have found that about a quarter of adults in America are estranged from a relative with parent-child estrangements as the most common. Becoming estranged from family can provide an escape from abuse or problematic relationships and allow space for healing. But some therapists are concerned the no-contact-family trend is doing more harm than good. We’ll talk about what drives families apart and when and how to heal broken relationships.Guests:Kui Mwai, freelance writer. She recently published an article in Vogue titled, “Why So Many People (Myself Included) Are Experiencing Family Estrangement."Josh Coleman, psychologist; author, “Rules for Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict”Violetta Fernandez, licensed mental health therapist and parental estrangement coach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When an elderly loved one starts to show signs they’re having trouble living independently, initiating conversations about elder care can be challenging. We talk to gerontologist Dr. Louise Aronson about how to broach sensitive topics like giving up driving, accepting in-home assistance or transitioning to a care facility. And we’ll hear from you: how have you navigated conversations about elder care with a parent or loved one? Or if you’re an older individual, how have you advocated for yourself?Guests:Louise Aronson, geriatrician and professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco; author of "Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is the ocean full of moon jellies? How do snails use fishing nets made of slime? What’s actually happening when a mosquito sucks your blood? These are just some of the questions that the producers and scientists behind “Deep Look,” KQED’s Emmy-award winning video series, take on. Now in its 11th season, “Deep Look,” uses ultra-high definition video to give viewers an up close – and sometimes microscopic look – at the insects, animals and plants that we can find around us. We’ll talk to the team behind the show, and hear from you: what’s something in the natural world that you’ve given a deeper look, and how did that make you feel?Guests:Damon Tighe, biotech educator and naturalistSarah Cohen, professor of biology, San Francisco State's Estuary & Ocean Science CenterGabriela Quirós, supervising producer for Deep Look, KQEDJosh Cassidy, lead producer and cinematographer for Deep Look, KQED Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Firefighters are battling the massive Park Fire near Chico which has already burned an area larger than the city of Los Angeles – making it the fifth largest wildfire in state history. Meanwhile, the Borel fire, which last weekend destroyed the town of Havilah, continues to burn in Kern County, and parts of Riverside county remain under evacuation orders because of wildfires there. We look at the impacts of these wildfires across the state and hear from people who’ve been affected.Guests:Zeke Lunder, pyrogeographer; founder, Deer Creek Resources and Lookout MediaMadison Aument, reporter, KVCRIsaac Sanchez, deputy chief of communications, Cal FireGrace Toohey, reporter, LA Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The summer of 1982 was a blockbuster for sci-fi movies. Over the course of six consecutive weekends, eight movies in that genre premiered: E.T. Poltergeist. Tron. Blade Runner. Mad Max: Road Warrior. Conan the Barbarian. The Thing. Some were hits. Others were bombs. But all changed the course of filmmaking according to film critic Chris Nashawaty. In his new book, “The Future Was Now,” he shares behind the scenes details and explains why these films remain important today. We talk to Nashawaty and hear from you: How did these films impact you?Guest:Chris Nashawaty, author, "The Future Was Now: Madmen, Mavericks, and the Epic Sci-Fi Summer of 1982","Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story"; former film critic, Entertainment Weekly Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“My own life has been defined by a search for lesbian spaces.” So says journalist June Thomas, whose new book “A Place of Our Own” explores third spaces for queer women, places that are not work or home. Tracing the history of lesbian bars, coffee shops, bookstores, communes, sex stores, vacations and softball teams, Thomas argues for their importance in community building, political organizing, friendship and love — then and now. We’ll talk with Thomas about her new book, and we’ll hear from the founders of two California LGBTQ groups — Queer Run San Francisco and HOT POT in Los Angeles’ Koreatown — about how they center and create community for queer women of color. Tell us: What have queer women’s spaces meant to you?Guests:June Thomas, co-host, Slate's "Working" podcast; author, "A Place of Our Own: Six Spaces That Shaped Queer Women's Culture"Chloe Morizono, producer, KQED; founder, Queer Run San FranciscoJordyn Sun, creator of HOT POT, which puts on QTBIPOC parties in LA's K-Town Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices