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Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints.
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3114 Episodes
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When writer Patricia Lockwood fell ill with Covid in March 2020, she says she felt insane for months, experiencing “Brian fog” (not brain fog) and what she called “The Refrains,” where a single song lyric would play over and over in her mind. So she decided to make sense of it all by writing “a masterpiece about being confused.” We talk to Lockwood about what it was like to write while “insane” and edit while in full health, and how she found humor in the absurdity of illness. Her new novel is “Will There Ever Be Another You.”
Guests:
Patricia Lockwood, novelist and poet
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Giftflation is here. Prices for go-to gifts such as boxes of chocolates or the latest iPhone will be higher this year than last thanks to rising tariffs and inflation. And while consumers are anxious about the economy, they are still expected to break spending records by shelling out more than $1 trillion on holiday shopping. We’ll talk about your gift plans and hear tips from scouring craft fairs, to searching out meaningful finds from small businesses to going the no-buy route such as gifting free babysitting or experiences.
Guests:
Amanda Mull, columnist, Bloomberg
Taylar Hagan-Colyar, founder, Sip Shop Eat!
Sarahjane Bernhisel, illustrator; co-founder, Bay Made
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With just weeks before enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire for 22 million Americans, Congress faces mounting pressure to act on healthcare funding. We’ll talk about the negotiations unfolding on Capitol Hill, what we’re hearing from the White House and how the issue could shape the 2026 midterm elections.
Guests:
Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy, KFF - a nonpartisan health policy research, polling and news organization
Sam Liccardo, United States Representative, California's 16th Congressional District - includes Santa Clara and San Mateo counties
Jonathan Cohn, senior national correspondent, The Bulwark; author, "The Ten Year War: Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage"
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The Trump administration has paused all asylum immigration decisions, affecting more than a million people, following a shooting of two National Guard members allegedly by an Afghan asylum recipient. It’s just the latest in a series of escalating immigration restrictions that, according to experts, now target both undocumented immigrants and people who have entered the U.S. legally. For Afghan allies who worked with U.S. forces, the policy shift has been especially jarring: visa programs are on hold and previously approved cases are now under review. We’ll talk about what these sweeping changes mean for legal immigrants, asylum seekers, and the federal agencies carrying out deportations.
Guests:
Joseph Azam, board chair, Afghan-American Foundation
Nick Miroff, staff writer covering immigration, The Atlantic
Karen Musalo, professor of law and director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, UC Law San Francisco
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Journalist and author Simon Winchester says that wind is “a universal….It lifts seeds and supports birds and insects. It warms and it chills. It builds and creates; it ruins and destroys.” From a vibrating oboe reed to the fury of a hurricane, we talk to Winchester about how wind has shaped our lives and our planet — and how it’s shifting with climate change. His new book is “The Breath of the Gods.”
Guests:
Simon Winchester, journalist and author, "The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind" - his other books include "The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary" and "A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906"
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In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first such baby: in 2018, a Chinese scientist announced he had altered embryos to create a baby immune from HIV. He was sentenced to prison for the illegal practice of medicine. In the US and across the globe, ethical concerns about gene editing embryos to eliminate disease and replicate certain traits like a higher IQ are raising alarms. We’ll talk to experts about what is at stake and how innovations in genetic engineering are being directed.
Guests:
Dr. Fyodor Urnov, Professor of Molecular Therapeutics, University of California, Berkeley - Urnov is also the scientific director at its Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI)
Katherine Long, reporter, investigations team, Wall Street Journal - Long's latest piece is titled "Genetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying to Make One Anyway"
Katie Hasson, executive director, Center for Genetics and Society
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Fred Armisen, the comedian, actor and musician known for “Portlandia,” “Documentary Now!” and “SNL,” has a new album out called “100 Sound Effects.” There’s a jacket zipping, glass shattering, the “ooh” of receiving room service and even the sound we make when “Walking into a Video Room at an Art Museum and then Walking Out Quickly,” as the effect is titled. We’ll talk with Armisen about recording the sounds of the everyday, and we want to hear from you: What’s a sound you’d record in your life or would want preserved in a sound effect library decades from now?
Guests:
Fred Armisen, comedian, actor and musician, known for “Portlandia,” “Documentary Now!” and “Saturday Night Live" - his new project is “100 Sound Effects”
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In 2011, Nicole Daedone took to the stage at a San Francisco TedTalk to discuss her biggest business venture: the female orgasm. The founder of OneTaste, a company dedicated to “orgasmic meditation”, told a tale of women’s empowerment and exploration of female sexual pleasure through the business’s many retreats, centers and workshops. But in the years that followed, stories of sexual, financial and labor abuse and manipulation in OneTaste emerged. In the new book, Empire of Orgasm, Ellen Huet investigates the cult-like nature of the operation through accounts of former clients and community members that led to the company’s recent criminal conviction on federal forced labor conspiracy charges.
Guests:
Ellen Huet, investigative journalist and features writer, Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek - author, "Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult"
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Journalist Gil Duran’s newsletter “The Nerd Reich” documents the latest developments in anti-democracy extremism within Silicon Valley. These extreme views include calls for accelerationism: the idea that unregulated capitalism and unfettered technological advancement should accelerate as quickly as possible, in order to bring about a new world order. While this sounds conspiratorial, Duran says these views are promoted by some of the most influential voices in the tech sector. We’ll talk about the political implications of billionaire tech moguls’ actions in the Bay Area, the U.S. and the world — and how we can fight back.
Guests:
Gil Duran, journalist and author of the newsletter "The Nerd Reich"; author of the forthcoming book, “The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy”
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If you’ve watched any legal drama on TV, you know that criminal defendants are entitled to a jury of peers. But does our court system fulfill that promise? Filmmaker Abby Ginzberg’s short documentary “Judging Juries” exposes how discriminatory dismissals, and a lack of financial support, keep people of color off of juries, and how that exclusion impacts our entire justice system. We’ll talk with Ginzberg, two public defenders, and a San Francisco official working to address this problem – in San Francisco, at least. The city launched a pilot program that offers $100 per day to low-income jurors for their service. We’ll explore the impact of that program, and other efforts to remove barriers to jury service. Have you ever served on a jury? Tell us about your experience.
Guests:
Manohar Raju, public defender, City of San Francisco
Anne Stuhldreher, senior advisor, San Francisco Treasurer's Office
Abby Ginzberg, documentary filmmaker, "Judging Juries"
Brendon Woods, public defender for Alameda County, Alameda County Defenders
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There’s the picture book you wanted your parent or caregiver to read to you over and over. There’s the one with musical rhymes you love performing for your kids. The editors at the Atlantic’s books desk chose 65 “essential” children’s books, spanning the 1936 classic “The Story of Ferdinand” to 2024’s “I’m Sorry You Got Mad.” The list includes bedtime stories, books that teach counting and tales that make big emotions comprehensible for little ones. We’ll talk with the book editors about how the Atlantic made its list. And we’ll hear what your favorite books mean to you and your children.
Guests:
Boris Kachka, senior editor, The Atlantic
Emma Sarappo, senior associate editor, The Atlantic
Maya Chung, senior associate editor, The Atlantic
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Even after the tremendous success of her cookbook, “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and the Netflix series it inspired, Samin Nosrat found that she was lonely and depressed. What grounded her, and helped her claw back the joy in her life, was regularly cooking and eating with friends and committing to community – one “lazy sugo” at a time . We talk to Nosrat about her journey and her new book, “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love.”
Guest:
Samin Nosrat, chef and author of "Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook"; her previous book is the bestseller "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat"
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1Crises unfold around us daily: gun violence, devastating foreign wars and U.S. democratic norms shattering. And still, we cook dinner and go to work. For those directly affected, the harms are inescapable. But for others, the contrast between catastrophic headlines and ordinary routines creates a dizzying dissonance: life moving as normal, against a backdrop of unsettling change. We’ll talk about this strange tension and what it does to us, and we’ll hear how you are navigating it.
Guests:
Kate Woodsome, journalist and founder of Invisible Threads, a media and leadership lab exploring the link between mental health and democracy
Adrienne Matei, writer, The Guardian US - her recent piece is “Systems are crumbling – but daily life continues. The dissonance is real”
Gisela Salim-Peyer, associate editor, The Atlantic - her most recent article is "The U.S. Is Preparing for War in Venezuela"
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Julian Brave NoiseCat’s paternal family traces their origins to the Coyote, a trickster from native mythology who helped create the world. The story of Coyote weaves through NoiseCat’s memoir, “We Survived the Night,” which recounts his childhood in Oakland, growing up with a non-native mother and an absent Indian father who was born, and nearly killed, in an infamous Canadian reservation school. NoiseCat’s book weaves together the personal, historical and mythological stories that “were nearly tossed in the dustbin of history.”
Guests:
Julian Brave NoiseCat, author, "We Survived the Night" - NoiseCat is the co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary "Sugarcane"
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Mars is inhospitable to human life with its cosmic radiation, atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nights as cold as 200 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. But as Space X founder Elon Musk pledges to colonize Mars, and as NASA renews its push for interplanetary travel, a husband and wife duo has explored whether people really can live in space. What would it require to have babies on another planet? To grow food? To prevent conflicts in space from sparking geopolitical chaos on Earth? We’ll talk about it all with Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, co-authors of “A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?”
Guests:
Kelly Weinersmith, scientist, author, and adjunct faculty member in the BioSciences Department, Rice University - she co-wrote the New York Times bestselling book "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?" and co-hosts the podcast Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe
Zach Weinersmith, cartoonist of the webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, he also writes popular science books with his wife, Kelly, including "A City on Mars: Can We Settle Space, Should We Settle Space, and Have We Really Thought This Through?"
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The ACLU is not new to the work of challenging presidents. During the first Trump administration, the ACLU successfully challenged Trump’s Muslim ban, border wall, and family separation policies. Since Trump took office for his second term this January, the ACLU has filed 111 lawsuits against the administration — defending birthright citizenship, opposing deportations, and challenging executive orders. As Cecillia Wang, its national legal director notes, “litigation has been a tool of first resort in protecting people’s rights and freedom.” We talk with Wang about how the ACLU is meeting this moment, and what individuals can do to ensure the preservation of civil rights and liberties.
Guests:
Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director, ACLU
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Costco, the bulk grocery chain known for consistency, devoted employees and discounts, has 145 million members worldwide. New Yorker staff writer Molly Fischer grew up going to a Costco in San Jose (Warehouse No. 148, on Senter Road), and she says “being a child of California in the eighties and nineties offered a front-row seat to the rise of a retail juggernaut.” But new management and Wall Street pressure means that things are changing at Costco, even as its hot dog-and-soda deal remains $1.50. We’ll talk with Fischer about her new piece, “Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?”
Guests:
Molly Fischer, staff writer, The New Yorker - her recent article is "Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?"
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Transgender and nonbinary kids have been in the news a lot lately, but usually they’re not telling their own stories. The California Report Magazine has been airing a series of conversations between trans youth and the people that love and mentor them. We’ll hear from kids, parents and grandparents who have lent their voices to the Love You for You series and we’ll hear from you. Tell us about the trans and gender nonconforming youth in your life.
Guests:
Sasha Khokha, host of The California Report Magazine on KQED
Hunter Stoval, transgender 16 year old
Eloui Santiago, gender nonconforming 14 year old
Ryu Santiago, non-binary, transgender 16 year old
Roberto Santiago , father of two gender expansive children, Eloui and Ryu Santiago
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New York Times Cooking columnist Eric Kim says he’s perfected the Thanksgiving sweet potato casserole (hint: big marshmallows, but halved). Recipe developer Sue Li has a collection of Thanksgiving flavor-inspired pie recipes for bakers of all skill levels. And editor Tanya Sichynsky, who writes “The Veggie” newsletter for the Times, argues you can easily replace the bird with tofu – and even use tofu in your potatoes and desserts. We’ll talk with all three about what they’re bringing to the table this year, and we’ll hear your spiciest Thanksgiving takes and recommendations.
Guests:
Eric Kim, food and cooking columnist, The New York Times; author, "Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home"
Sue Li, recipe developer, The New York Times
Tanya Sichynsky, editor for the Food and Cooking sections, The New York Times; author of the weekly vegetarian newsletter "The Veggie"
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Beyond just a wardrobe staple, jeans are often key parts of signature looks and core memories. Levi Strauss, the San Francisco company that brought jeans to the masses, has reopened its history museum, The Vault, with an exhibit called “Amped” that celebrates iconic denim looks worn by musicians including Kurt Cobain, Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Freddie Mercury. We’ll talk about the exhibit and hear stories of your favorite pair of jeans. Tell us about the jeans that made you feel brave, the ones covered in patches that you refused to retire or maybe the pair that you were wearing when you met your first love.
Guests:
Gregory Climer, chair, fashion design program at California College of the Arts
Audrey Kalman, created a denim archive for her master's degree from the University of Oregon
Tracey Panek, Levi Strauss and Co. historian
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sanity at last
很好，希望播报新闻语速稍微慢一点😄