KQED's Forum

The Battle for the Future of Burning Man 17.07.2026 54min

Burning Man turns 40 this year, and its changed dramatically since the first event in San Francisco. The first gathering drew a couple dozen people who gathered to burn an 8-foot wooden effigy at Baker Beach to celebrate the summer solstice. Four decades later, it’s a multi-million dollar operation that every August draws more than 70 thousand people to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. A new HBO documentary called “The Man Will Burn” looks at the staying power of the massive pop-up commune and the struggles to maintain its founding values. We’ll talk with the directors and one of the producers for the series. Guests: Jehane Noujaim, co-director, HBO’s “The Man Will Burn” Vikram Gandhi, co-director, HBO’s “The Man Will Burn” Muriel Soenens, series producer, HBO’s “The Man Will Burn” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Historian Grapples with ‘How We Disappear’ After We Die 17.07.2026 54min

As a historian who teaches a class called “The History of Information,” Stanford professor Thomas Mullaney has spent decades thinking about the unreliability of archival materials in understanding the past, subject as they are to decay, disorder and obsolescence. But it wasn’t until his own father died and he scrambled to preserve the evidence of his life that he decided to write a personal history of information about how we disappear from the historical record and from the world. We talk with Mullaney about his new book, “How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information.” Thomas Mullaney, professor, Stanford University; author, “How We Disappear: A Personal History of Information” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should the UCs Reinstate the SAT? 16.07.2026 54min

The University of California system is considering requiring SAT or ACT scores in admissions again, after more than 3,000 faculty members signed open letters in favor of bringing back the test requirement. Professors say their students have fared worse in math since the UC system did away with a standardized testing requirement in 2020. Many of the nation’s most selective universities have already reinstated the exams after a pandemic pause, but a 2019 lawsuit — which argued the SAT and ACT discriminate against disabled students and measure race and wealth more than academic aptitude — had limited the UC system’s ability to restore the tests. We’ll discuss the debate and hear from you: Should the UCs bring back the SAT and ACT? Felicia Mello, higher education reporter, Berkeleyside Lisa Holder, civil rights attorney; member, California’s Reparations Task Force Mina Aganagic, professor of mathematics and physics, University of California Berkeley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peptides: Miracle Molecules or Marketing Hype? 16.07.2026 54min

Peptides are everywhere in the healthcare zeitgeist. On social media, you’re likely to encounter an influencer claiming that injecting or ingesting peptides can improve your skin, build muscle,increase focus or help you lead a longer and healthier life. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that are fundamental building blocks in protein and our bodies make them naturally. While some synthetic peptides like insulin and GLP-1s are widely used and approved, the off market use of other peptides have raised concerns among scientists. We’ll talk about the promise, dangers and hype of peptides. Dhruv Khullar, physician at Weill Cornell Medicine; associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College; contributing writer, The New Yorker Zara Stone, tech culture reporter, The San Francisco Standard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why California Wants to Block the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger 15.07.2026 54min

A coalition of 12 states, including California, has filed a lawsuit to block Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. California Attorney General Rob Bonta argues the merger of the two entertainment “behemoths” would lead to higher prices, lower quality and less content for consumers. Meanwhile the federal Justice Department, which has already approved the merger, says it believes the deal won’t hurt competition. Bonta joins us to explain the multistate effort seeking to stop the merger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Does the Federal Housing Bill Mean for the Bay Area? 15.07.2026 54min

A landmark bipartisan federal housing bill became law this weekend. The package includes 56 initiatives, regulatory tweaks and reforms designed to improve housing affordability nationwide — and local housing policy experts say it could have a material impact on the Bay Area’s affordable housing crisis. We’ll learn more about the local impacts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fallout From The Supreme Court’s TPS Ruling 14.07.2026 54min

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the Trump administration could eliminate temporary protected status for immigrants from Haiti and Syria, a decision that affects some 350,000 people who had been living and working legally in the United States for years — and leaves even more immigrants in legal limbo. We’ll talk to an immigration reporter who’s been following the case, an ACLU lawyer who represents TPS holders, and a Bay Area man who moved to the U.S. from Honduras as a toddler who’s now in a precarious legal situation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Has Extreme Income Inequality. Why Do We Treat It As Normal? 14.07.2026 54min

California is one of the most unequal states in the country with extreme disparities between people living in poverty and those at the top of the income spectrum. Given the visibility of the problem, with homeless encampments and multimillion dollar houses populating our landscape while the middle class shrinks, UC Berkeley professors Cristina Mora and Tianna Paschel set out to find out why Californians are “aware of inequality but not incensed about it.” They interviewed 136 Californians in the state’s “precarious middle class” — people who were getting by, but barely – and surveyed thousands more for their book, “Normalizing Inequality: How Californians Make Sense of the Growing Divide.” We’ll talk with Mora and Paschel about why income inequality is on the rise in California, and the perils of accepting it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Green and Daniel Alarcón Break Down the 2026 World Cup 13.07.2026 54min

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has shattered the tournament’s attendance record, with over 6 million fans showing up for matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada. The tournament has delivered for international visitors, pairing big games with viral moments of tourists trying American foods like Texas barbeque and ranch dressing for the first time. But President Trump’s intervention reversing a U.S. player’s suspension may have soured some enthusiasm for Team USA, with some spectators calling out FIFA corruption. John Green and Daniel Alarcón, hosts of “The Away End” podcast, preview what to expect from the final week of the World Cup. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ukraine War Is in Its Fifth Year. Is Peace Possible? 13.07.2026 55min

While the Iran war occupies domestic headlines, Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered its fifth year. As the Trump administration retreats from peace negotiations and Ukraine’s drone strikes reach deep into Russia, European allies are scrambling to fill the security vacuum. We’ll discuss the state of the war and how it has changed the face of modern conflict, U.S. policy, and NATO’s future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Translating ‘The Odyssey’ for a Modern Audience 10.07.2026 54min

Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, doesn’t debut in theaters until next week, but it’s already drawing online backlash for perceived inaccuracies from Homer’s epic poem. The story dates back to ancient Greece and has been told countless times; Nolan’s interpretation draws from a 2017 translation of classical studies scholar Emily Wilson that’s noted for its conversational language and feminist approach. Wilson argues that any given translation is a product of both the author who writes it and the era in which they interpret the text. Wilson joins us to discuss translating ancient Greek, how modern English influenced her telling and why The Odyssey endures today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mildred Howard on Making Art of and for the Bay Area 10.07.2026 54min

Celebrated Bay Area artist Mildred Howard’s work has long been informed by the place she calls home, reflecting the intersection of her family’s history and the larger history of the Bay Area. You may have seen her massive “Frame” at Hunters Point Shipyard, her wall of saxophones at SFO or her sculpture, “Delivered, Mable’s Promissory Note,” outside the Ashby BART station, which commemorates her mother’s successful fight for the undergrounding of BART tracks in South Berkeley. Now, more of Howard’s pieces can be seen at the Oakland Museum of California, which is hosting her first major retrospective. We’ll speak with Howard, and with people who have studied her work, about what it means to make art that’s of and for the Bay Area. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the Left Having a Tea Party Moment? 09.07.2026 54min

The election and popularity of candidates like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who saw a number of political allies win Congressional primaries last month, has some establishment Democrats shaking. We dig into what’s fueling the breakout success of candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, and look at how they’re reshaping liberal politics ahead of the midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ian Bogost on Finding Gratification in ‘The Small Stuff’ 09.07.2026 54min

With all the books, podcasts and even business school classes instructing us how to be happier, the path to contentment can be a lot of work. But writer Ian Bogost urges us to appreciate a feeling less grand than happiness: gratification. He finds gratification in paying attention to the small sensory actions of the everyday – the feel of using a stick shift, the sound of paint being slathered on a wall, the texture of a couch cushion. We talk to Bogost about his new book, “The Small Stuff: How to Lead a More Gratifying Life." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our Food System Depends on Domesticated Bees. Can They Survive Industrial Agriculture? 08.07.2026 54min

When we think about the workers that keep California’s agriculture afloat, we rarely think about the bees that fertilize our crops. In places like California’s Central Valley, millions of domesticated bee colonies are transported in and out of the state to pollinate crops and to keep our food system running. But between intense workcycles, pesticide exposure and a changing climate, industrial agriculture has proven hard for bees. Can the bees continue to survive in these conditions? In this hour we speak to science writer Jennie Durant about her new book, “Bitter Honey: Big Ag’s Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them.” Guests: Jennie Durant, science writer and author, “Bitter Honey: Big Ag’s Threat to Bees and the Fight to Save Them” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blockbuster Supreme Court Term Delivers for Trump on Immigration, Presidential Power 08.07.2026 54min

The Supreme Court has wrapped a blockbuster term – barely upholding birthright citizenship, allowing states to bar transgender athletes from girls' sports, and weakening the Voting Rights Act, among other cases. While President Trump experienced some noted losses before the Court, including losing his tariffs case, the Court largely upheld his efforts on immigration and expanded presidential power. We talk to legal experts to break down the rulings and what they mean for the country. Guests: Rory Little, emeritus professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law, UC Law Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director, ACLU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump Takes Aim at the California Coastal Commission 07.07.2026 54min

Since 1976, the California Coastal Commission has been regulating activities along the state’s more than 800-mile coastline. To many, the Coastal Commission is the gold standard for protecting the environment, but it has also clashed with property owners who say the commission oversteps its authority. Now the Trump Administration has ordered a review of the Coastal Commission’s compliance with federal law, creating concern among some here in California that it’s the first step toward allowing new offshore oil and gas production. We’ll explore the California Coastal Commission as it marks its 50th anniversary. Guests: Camille von Kaenel, California environment reporter at Politico Jeremy Talcott, attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation Larry Goldzband, executive director at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission Sara Aminzadeh, deputy secretary for federal affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stacey Abrams on How to Restore American Democracy 07.07.2026 54min

As the Trump administration continues steering the U.S. toward far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist policies, Stacey Abrams has been on a mission to restore democracy in the United States. Abrams made her name serving 11 years in the Georgia House of Representatives and she was the first Black woman to run for governor as the nominee for a major party in the U.S. After losing her second bid for governor of Georgia in 2022, she turned her focus to fighting for voting rights and The 10 Steps campaign, a nationwide mobilization and education effort to encourage civic engagement. She’s also written more than a dozen books, including romance novels, thrillers, children’s books, non-fiction and memoir. We’ll talk with Abrams about her most recent books and how the nation can undo our government’s shift toward authoritarianism.  Guests: Stacey Abrams, author, entrepreneur, and politician. Her latest novel is "Coded Justice." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harsh Medicine: Fixing Science’s Gender Gap 06.07.2026 54min

Women now enter medicine and many other scientific fields in numbers equal to men, yet they remain underrepresented in leadership and often face unequal pay, limited mentorship and fewer research opportunities. UCSF physician-scientist Jennifer Grandis says that’s harmful not just to women but to science and patient care. We learn why and what can be done. Guests: Jennifer Grandis, physician-scientist at the University of California, San Francisco and author of "Harsh Medicine: Why Women Can't Get Ahead in Science and Health Care" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s a Voicemail You’ll Never Delete? 06.07.2026 54min

Have you ever received a voicemail — not intended for you — that made you curious about the life of the stranger who sent it? That curiosity propels the new hit Netflix rom-com “Voicemails for Isabelle,” a sort-of remake of “You’ve Got Mail,” set in San Francisco. We’ll speak with the director, Leah McKendrick, about setting the film in her hometown. And we’ll hear from you: What’s a voicemail you’ll never delete? Guests: Leah McKendrick, actor and director, "Voicemails for Isabelle" Rainesford Stauffer, freelance writer and reporter, wrote the TIME Magazine piece, “Why Voice Notes Are a Small Act of Love” Amit Kumar, assistant professor of marketing and psychological and brain sciences, University of Delaware Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices