KQED's Forum

80 years ago, 320 men, mostly African American, died at Port Chicago, an ammunition depot in what is now Concord. It was the deadliest incident on U.S. soil during World War II. After the explosion the Navy charged more than 250 Black sailors with mutiny for refusing to return to work in dangerous conditions. On Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the explosion, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro exonerated the sailors, calling the charges, “an enormous wrong.” We’ll talk about the Port Chicago explosion and how the subsequent legal proceedings laid the foundation for the civil rights movement and the desegregation of the navy.Guests:Yulie Padmore, executive director, Port Chicago AllianceRev. Diana McDaniel, president, Friends of Port Chicago National MemorialDaryl Meeks, His father, Freddie Meeks, was imprisoned for 18 months for refusing to work under dangerous conditions after the Port Chicago explosion. He was pardoned by President Clinton. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The GOP is expressing confidence that the presidential election will break in its favor as the Republican National Convention draws to a close on Thursday. The event has been organized around MAGA themes, including “Make America Safe Again” and “Make America Strong Again,” with speakers taking aim at familiar targets like President Biden, crime and border security. Meanwhile, Democrats remain deeply divided over whether President Biden should end his candidacy, after Los Angeles Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday publicly called on Biden to leave the race. We’ll get the latest with KQED’s politics team, which is on the scene in Milwaukee.Guests:Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host, KQED's Political BreakdownGuy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government DeskScott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government; co-host, Political Breakdown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Rosen’s memoir “The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions” was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist and named a Top 10 Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic and Slate. It tells the story of Rosen’s childhood friendship with Michael Laudor, their teenage competition and years spent together at Yale, where Laudor stands out as a genius and academic superstar. After Laudor is diagnosed with schizophrenia, he seems poised to be “exceptional” in this way as well — successfully navigating his illness while transitioning from a locked psychiatric ward to Yale Law School. But his path with schizophrenia isn’t linear, and a violent crime he commits thrusts dominant narratives about mental health and the gaps in our healthcare system into the limelight. We’ll talk with Rosen about those gaps, how “good intentions” failed to provide a meaningful replacement for deinstitutionalization and the evolution of how we talk about schizophrenia.Guests:Jonathan Rosen, author, "The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions" - which was a 2024 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Memoir or Autobiography and named a Top 10 Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic and Slate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In calling for unity in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, President Joe Biden said political violence is “un-American and abhorrent.” But that’s more aspiration than historical reality. Political violence has been part of American history since our founding and has been on the rise since Trump was elected in 2016, according to experts. Elected officials and average citizens have been victims of politically motivated shooting sprees. We’ll talk about what constitutes political violence, why it keeps occurring, and what to make of the recent news.Guests:Gary LaFree, professor of criminology and criminal justice, University of MarylandMatthew Dallek, professor of political management, The George Washington University; author, "Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right"Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; studies democracy, the rule of law, and political violence Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florida federal judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump on Monday, finding that the appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith violated the constitution. The case — in which Trump stands accused of illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate — had been considered the most straightforward of the criminal matters Trump faces. We look at the legal and political implications of the rulingFormer president Donald Trump has chosen 39-year old Ohio Senator JD Vance to be his running mate. Vance, once a fierce Trump critic who gained visibility during the 2016 election for explaining Trump’s appeal to white working class voters, has in recent years come to embrace core MAGA principles. We learn more about Vance and hear your reactions.Guests:David Graham, staff writer, The Atlantic; his new piece is "An Astonishing Ruling in Trump's Classified Documents Case"Grace Panetta, political reporter, The 19th Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area has a long tradition of producing Olympians and this year continues that legacy as athletes from the region prepare for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We check in with a few members of Team USA who will be heading to Paris and we’ll discuss how world events are going to impact the games, what lessons the committee has learned since Tokyo, and the most compelling storylines to follow at this summer’s games.Guests:Ann Killion, sports columnist, San Francisco ChronicleHans Henken, USA Olympic Team, SailingAlexander Massialas, USA Olympic Team, FencingChristella Garcia, USA Paralympic Team, Judo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, far-right Republicans pointed fingers at President Joe Biden, blaming his warnings about Trump’s threats to democracy for instigating the violence. For Vox reporter Zack Beauchamp, this “should cause us to reflect more broadly on how our political leaders should respond to political violence in our country.” For the last decade Beauchamp has been covering global challenges to democracy — and why democratic countries with deep political divisions can become vulnerable to violence and autocracy. We reflect on the assassination attempt and where it leaves us as a nation. Beauchamp’s new book is “The Reactionary Spirit: How America’s Most Insidious Political Tradition Swept the World.”Guests:Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent, Vox Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Republicans open their convention in Milwaukee today, just two days after former president Trump was shot in the ear by a sniper at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. President Biden gave a speech last night condemning the shooting and calling for a lowering of the temperature in politics. We’ll get the latest on the investigation into the shooting and we’ll talk about how the assassination attempt could change the Republican and the Democratic campaigns for the presidency.Guests:Scott Shafer, KQED's senior editor for politics and government and co-host of Political BreakdownDomenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPRHans Noel, associate professor of government, Georgetown; author, "Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the last decade California hospitals have shut down nearly 50 maternity wards, leaving pregnant people in large swaths of the state without a place to deliver their babies. That’s according to an ongoing CalMatters investigation which has found that the closures have accelerated in the last four years as hospitals cite high costs, labor shortages and declining birth rates. We look at the scope of the problem and who’s most affected – and how midwives and birthing centers are advocating for solutions. And we’ll hear from you: Have you had trouble accessing maternity care, or have you had to travel a long distance to give birth?Guests:Kristen Hwang, health reporter, CalMattersHolly Smith, certified nurse-midwife and co-lead, Midwifery Access CaliforniaTiffany Leonhardt, director of business development, Plumas District Hospital Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist William Gee Wong shares his family's Chinese-American journey in 'Sons of Chinatown.' He delves into the challenges of immigration, 'Paper Sons,' Chinatown culture, and family restaurant nostalgia. Wong reflects on balancing Chinese-American identity and family values amidst discrimination and triumphs.