KQED's Forum

“Ghosting” has become an almost inevitable part of modern life – not just on dating sites, but among friends, family and even professional colleagues. But what’s behind this act of digital disappearance, and what does it say about how we relate to each other today? We’ll look at how technology that makes it easier to disappear on people has also made ghosting more socially acceptable, despite its emotional toll. When have you been ghosted, or ghosted someone? Guests: Dominic Pettman, professor of media and new humanities, The New School; author of "Ghosting: On Disappearance" Lizzie Post, a great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post and co-host of the “Awesome Etiquette” podcast; co-president of The Emily Post Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in Stockton’s Khmer refugee community, Nite Yun knew some about her family’s history and heritage, but it was only after she visited Cambodia for the first time at age 24 that she connected deeply with her roots. Returning to the Bay Area, she opened the acclaimed Nyum Bai restaurant in Fruitvale, after being nurtured by the culinary incubator La Cocina. Now, she is the chef and owner of Lunette in the Ferry Building, and author of a new cookbook with recipes and reflections on her childhood and cooking in the Bay Area. Guests: Nite Yun, chef and owner, Lunette, a Cambodian restaurant in the Ferry Building. Yun is the author of the cookbook, "My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook." Leticia Landa, executive director, La Cocina Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the Civil War, “Soldier’s Heart” was the name given to the symptoms we now associate with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. While the condition has had many names in the decades – and wars – that have followed, its toll on soldiers has not abated. Between 11 and 15 percent of Vietnam War veterans are still suffering from PTSD, 50 years after the end of the war. The new documentary “Healing a Soldier’s Heart” follows four veterans reckoning with PTSD and with moral injury – the psychological harm we experience when we violate our moral code. We talk with the filmmaker, a Vietnam War veteran and a psychologist about what it looks like to heal. Related link(s): Watch the documentary “Healing a Soldier’s Heart” Moral Injury – PTSD: National Center for PTSD For Family and Friends – PTSD: National Center for PTSD Moral Injury and Distress Scale (MIDS) – PTSD Guests: Shira Maguen, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, UCSF Medical School; staff psychologist, San Francisco VA Medical Center PTSD Program Stephen Olsson, director and producer, “Healing A Soldier's Heart” Levie Isaacks, decorated Vietnam Army platoon leader (Bronze Star for heroism) and veteran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Waymo robotaxis first rolled out onto San Francisco streets in 2021, people were skeptical. But less than five years later, Waymos are popular – a new poll finds local support at 67% –  though still polarizing. A San Francisco Supervisor is advocating to allow counties to decide whether they are allowed on their roads. As Waymo extends their service this week to San Jose and Bay Area highways, we’ll talk with those for and against Waymo expansion. And we’ll look at the future of autonomous vehicles as new competition looks to enter the market. Guests: Jackie Fielder, District 9 supervisor, San Francisco William (Billy) Riggs, professor, University of San Francisco School of Management Rya Jetha, tech culture reporter, SF Standard Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael McFaul witnessed Russia’s slide into autocracy under Vladimir Putin. Now, the former ambassador to Russia warns the U.S. is also at risk. In his new book, “Autocrats vs Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder,” McFaul lays out the internal threats facing American democracy, and argues that we may have misjudged the external threats as well – overestimating China’s strength while underestimating Russia’s. Guests: Michael McFaul, professor of political science; Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University - and former U.S. ambassador to Russia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ask someone with aphantasia to visualize an apple, a tree, or the house they grew up in, their mind draws a blank. Literally. The inability to conjure up mental images was discovered in the 1880s but only recently has been given a name and become the subject of more serious study. Aphantasia is found in approximately one percent of the population and can also affect the ability to recall sounds, touch and the sensation of movement. Some aphantasics experience their condition as a loss, while others say the freedom from being bound by visual memory allows them to live fully in the present. We talk about aphantasia and what it tells us about how our brains perceive and remember. Guests: Larissa MacFarquhar, staff writer for The New Yorker, her most recent article is titled "Some People Can’t See Mental Images. The Consequences Are Profound" Tom Ebeyer, founder, Aphantasia Network Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Starting in January, Californians will be able to buy discounted insulin from the state. That’s thanks to CalRx, the state-run drug label created in 2020 that partners with manufacturers to slash generic prescription drug prices. CalRx already offers the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone for about half the market price and other medications, including asthma inhalers, could be next. We’ll talk about whether this effort could ease the prescription drug affordability crisis and bolster the supply of crucial medications. Guests: April Dembosky, health correspondent, KQED News Dr. Mariana Socal, associate professor of health policy, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech after being elected New York City’s new mayor, he thanked those often forgotten by the politics of the city, the “Yemeni bodega owners and Mexican abuelas. Senegalese taxi drivers and Uzbek nurses. Trinidadian line cooks and Ethiopian aunties.” It got us thinking about the people who make up our Bay Area cities and whether they are represented by our politics. And we’ll hear from you: Who are the often overlooked people who you see as the heart of your city? Guests: Jane Kim, California chair, Working Families Party - former San Francisco Supervisor representing District 6 from 2011-2019 Adena Ishii, mayor, City of Berkeley Noelia Corzo, supervisor, San Mateo County Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our digital lives are increasingly dominated by a handful of powerful tech platforms. Once promising prosperity and democracy, the internet has instead allowed companies like Google, Amazon and Meta to extract money, data and attention from users on an unparalleled scale. Tim Wu, a former technology advisor to President Biden, argues that the government is failing us while tech monopolies deepen wealth divides and enable authoritarianism. We talk to him about how we can take back power from Big Tech. Wu’s new book is “The Age of Extraction: How Tech Platforms Conquered the Economy and Threaten Our Future Prosperity.” Guests: Tim Wu, professor of law, Columbia Law School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pothole is the bane of any commuter’s day. In Oakland, the city has paid over $35 million in the last 10 years in pothole litigation. And according to a new study, nearly one quarter of San Francisco’s streets are rated below standard. We’ll talk to experts about road maintenance and why it’s so expensive. And we’ll hear from you: What’s a road in your town that needs some attention? Guests: Carla Short, director, San Francisco Public Works Jose Fermoso, reporter, Oaklandside - Fermoso road safety and transportation for Oaklandside Doanh Nguyen, Acting Chief Deputy Director, Caltrans Bay Area Office John Goodwin, spokesman, Metropolitan Transportation Commission - the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the Bay Area Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California synth-pop duo PRXZM joins us in studio for a live musical performance. Classically trained musicians Nick Ortega and Emma Maidenberg host a weekly livestream where fans can watch them compose in real-time and offer feedback. PRXZM’s latest project? Remixing our Forum theme song! We’ll talk to them about the process of remixing and what it’s like to collaborate so closely with their fans. Guests: Nick Ortega, synth, PRXZM Emma Maidenberg, vocals, PRXZM Daniel Reiter, guitar, PRXZM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salman Rushdie is one of the most consequential living writers – artistically, culturally and politically. “The 11th Hour” is his latest collection of short stories and his first work of fiction after being stabbed, nearly to death, at a speaking event in 2022. We talk to Rushdie about his reflections on mortality, the limits of language and what he believes literature provides us with in times of uncertainty. Guests: Salman Rushdie, novelist and essayist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re now in the longest shutdown in U.S. history after lawmakers on Tuesday again failed to advance a deal to extend health care subsidies and re-open the government. As President Trump calls for an end to the filibuster to force a resolution and as Democrats dig in after decisive election victories, we talk about the latest political maneuverings. And we’ll hear from Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley about what he thinks it will take to bring the warring parties to the table. Guests: Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter, Politico Kevin Kiley, U.S. Congressman representing California's 3rd District Russell Berman, staff writer, The Atlantic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This summer, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said he’d like to see psychedelic therapies for depression, trauma and other hard-to-treat disorders approved for use within the next 12 months. Last year the FDA rejected psychedelic-assisted therapy for use in treating PTSD. We check in with long-time researchers about how state and federal governments can influence the momentum of their field, how they’re reconciling the new right wing support, and what it all means for the future of psychedelic research and therapy. Guests: Michael Silver, director, UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics Marlena Robbins, Indigenous public health and policy consultant; doctor of public health candidate, UC Berkeley Berra Yazar-Klosinski, founder and CEO, Yazar Lab, LLC; former chief scientific officer, Lykos Therapeutics Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We look at how California voted on Proposition 50, which would temporarily redraw the state’s congressional districts to favor Democratic candidates. Governor Gavin Newsom and other top Democrats, including Barack Obama, back the measure, calling it a response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in Texas. We talk to KQED’s politics team about what the results mean for voters across the state and look at the impacts of consequential races in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City. Guests: Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED - co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Benjamin Oreskes, reporter, New York Times Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“AI may not simply be 'a bubble,' or even an enormous bubble. It may be the ultimate bubble,” writes tech journalist Brian Merchant. In the first half of the year, AI contributed to 1.1% of GDP growth and eight tech companies are now valued at $1 trillion or more. While investors are giddy at the pace of growth, many economic analysts are more sober. We get to the bottom of the bubble and what might happen if it pops. Guests: Charlie Warzel, staff writer, The Atlantic. Warzel is also the author of "Galaxy Brain," a newsletter about the internet and big ideas. - he co-authored the piece "Here is How the AI Crash Happens" Brian Merchant, tech journalist, writes the "Blood in the Machine" newsletter, author, "Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion against Big Tech; his most recent piece in Wired is "AI is the Bubble to Burst Them All" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Journalist Mike Rothschild has for the last decade studied and written about the rise and spread of conspiracy theories, hoaxes and scams. But after he lost his home in Altadena to the Eaton fire, Rothschild witnessed firsthand how conspiracies take hold of people in the throes of a traumatic event. We talk to him about why his community was vulnerable to disinformation about the causes of and responses to the fire — and why conspiracy theories spread when major disasters strike. His new piece for MIT Technology Review is “What it’s like to be in the middle of a conspiracy theory (according to a conspiracy theory expert).” Guests: Mike Rothschild, journalist and expert on conspiracy theories and disinformation, author, “The Storm Is Upon Us" and “Jewish Space Lasers"; His new article in MIT Technology Review is “What it’s like to be in the middle of a conspiracy theory (according to a conspiracy theory expert)” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than 350,000 Californians are now behind on their student loan payments – the highest delinquency rate for any type of debt in over two decades, according to the California Policy Lab. Experts say the missed payments are a symptom of a financial safety net that was already broken before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted loan payments and is now further unraveling as borrowers face higher bills, fewer repayment options, inconsistent eligibility for loan forgiveness, and a very confusing system. We talk to a researcher tracking student debt, an advocate fighting on behalf of borrowers in court, and a former government official who has seen the system from the inside. Do you have a student loan? Tell us what you’ve been experiencing. Guests: Evan White, executive director, California Policy Lab, University of California-Berkeley Julie Margetta Morgan, president, The Century Foundation, independent think tank that researches public policy - Morgan served as the associate director of research, monitoring, and regulations at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Mike Pierce, executive director and co-founder, Protect Borrowers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wikipedia, the crowdsourced encyclopedia, is one of the world’s most visited websites, with 11 billion page views each month. Its founder, Jimmy Wales, credits its success to one thing — trust — which he sees at odds with our increasing loss of faith in institutions and in each other. In his new book, he lays out what he calls a “blueprint for building things that last” in volatile times. We’ll talk to Wales about the site’s history and why right wing figures like Elon Musk and Tucker Carlson are attacking it. The book is “The Seven Rules of Trust.” Has Wikipedia earned your trust? Guests: Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia and the Wikimedia Foundation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As mayor of San Jose, Matt Mahan has touted his business credentials and his common sense approach to handling issues like homelessness and crime.  In 2024, Mahan was reelected to the office with  87% of the vote, and his profile has risen recently as he has criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s trolling of President Trump.  According to Mahan, “As mayors, we don’t get rewarded for clever tweets or inspiring speeches.” Instead, Mahan says he is focused on concrete results. We talk to Mahan and take your questions. Guests: Matt Mahan, mayor, San Jose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices