KQED's Forum

Who do you think Vice President Kamala Harris should pick as her running mate? The VP has a strong bench to choose from, including Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear and Arizona senator Mark Kelly — all of whom are reportedly being vetted. Each potentially could bring strengths — or swing state voters — to Harris’ campaign. We’ll talk about the considerations at play for the Democratic presidential candidate who knows well what the role requires. Guests: Shira Stein Zoom, Washington correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle Amanda Becker, Washington correspondent, The 19th Ken Thomas, White House reporter, The Wall Street Journal

In an executive order Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered California officials to dismantle homeless encampments across the state today. It will be the biggest action nationwide, expected to affect tens of thousands of people, since the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Grants Pass v. Johnson case has made it easier for cities to clear out homeless encampments without first offering shelter options. Homeless advocates say the court’s decision will usher in more policing and criminalization of unhoused people and shift away resources from moving people into permanent housing. We’ll talk about Newsom’s action and Bay Area cities’ plans for responding to homeless encampments in the wake of the Grants Pass ruling. Guests: Kevin Fagan, reporter, San Francisco Chronicle Harold Duffey, interim city administrator, city of Oakland. Duffey is also Oakland's acting homeless administrator. Andrew Sullivan, president, San Francisco Board Sailing Association Nisha Kashyap, program director, racial justice division, Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights

John Vaillant’s book “Fire Weather” chronicles a devastating wildfire that struck Fort McMurray, Alberta in May 2016. It forced more than 85,000 people to flee their homes, inflicted billions of dollars in damage to the Canadian oil industry and continues to serve as a warning in our increasingly flammable world. Vaillant lays out the linked histories of North America’s fossil fuel industry and its rapidly changing climate – with sidebars that explain the science behind petroleum products, recap two centuries of industrial development and explore the economic and environmental tensions in modern oil boom towns. We’ll speak with Vaillant about the lessons that fire-prone regions, including California, can learn from the devastation of Fort McMurray. And we’ll hear from you: Has your sense of fire awareness changed over time? How so? Guests: John Vaillant, journalist; author, "Fire Weather: A True Story From a Hotter World," which was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His other books include "The Tiger" and "The Golden Spruce."

The Kamala Harris campaign announced that in the 36 hours since President Biden dropped out of the presidential race, it had raised a record-breaking $100 million dollars. Republicans have numbers to match: after his conviction in May on fraud charges, Donald Trump’s campaign hauled in $141 million. But how will this money be used by the campaigns? As part of our Doing Democracy series examining how our political system works, we talk to experts and operatives about what the 2024 presidential election ground game might look like this cycle – is targeting voters the same game it used to be? And we’ll hear from you: How will you participate in November? Vote? Volunteer? Donate? All of the above? Guests: Yasmin Radjy, Executive Director, Swing Left and Vote Forward Mindy Romero, founder and director, Center for Inclusive Democracy, formerly the California Civic Engagement Project Teddy Goff, co-founder and managing partner, Precision Strategies. Goff was the digital director for the 2012 Obama campaign; in 2008, Goff managed the Obama campaign state digital efforts. Tim Miller, host, The Bulwark. Miller was previously senior advisor to the Our Principles PAC. He served as the 2016 communications director for Jeb Bush, and is a former spokesman for the Republican National Committee. He is the author of “Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell.”

New York Times diplomatic correspondent Edward Wong says that he is the “son of two empires.” He grew up outside of Washington, D.C. during the Cold War when the containment of communism undergirded all of U.S. foreign policy. But his parents grew up in rural China, where his father became a follower of Mao Zedong and joined soldiers, workers and students who believed Mao’s China could stand up to what they saw as U.S. imperialism. Wong traces and reflects on his father’s journey and the evolution of modern China in his new book “At the Edge of Empire.” He joins us. Guests: Edward Wong , diplomatic correspondent, The New York Times; author, "At the Edge of Empire: A Family's Reckoning with China"

The selection of former venture capitalist J.D. Vance as the Republican vice-presidential nominee is a sign that Silicon Valley is no longer the liberal stronghold it once was. A cadre of powerful venture capitalists and tech elites are pouring tens of millions of dollars to elect Donald Trump this November – a stance that would have been shocking back in 2016. Experts say tech executives want less regulation, lower taxes, and more government contracts. But with President Joe Biden out of the race, other Silicon Valley donors may turn up to support Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to win the presidency. We’ll talk about the key players shifting Silicon Valley to the right, who they are supporting, and why. Guests: Max Chafkin, tech reporter, Bloomberg Businessweek; author, "The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power" Makena Kelly, politics reporter, Wired Teddy Schleifer, reporter covering campaign finance and billionaires, New York Times

In a historic move on Sunday, President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. In a tweet, he offered his “full support and endorsement” to Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. We’ll spend both hours of Forum talking with KQED’s politics team and checking in with others about what’s next for the democratic party and the presidential race. Guests: Rusty Hicks, chairman, California Democratic Party Eleni Kounalakis, lieutenant governor for the state of California Jared Huffman, U.S. Representative for California's 2nd congressional district John Garamendi, U.S. Representative for California's 8th congressional district; former California Lt Governor Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

In a historic move on Sunday, President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. In a tweet, he offered his “full support and endorsement” to Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. We’ll spend both hours of Forum talking with KQED’s politics team and checking in with others about what’s next for the democratic party and the presidential race. Guests: Willie Brown, former mayor of San Francisco Aimee Allison, founder and president, She the People Mark Buell, major Democratic party donor and philanthropist Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government; co-host, Political Breakdown Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk

Avocados, a favorite in many dishes, have grown into a $3 billion industry for Mexico. Michoacán, one of the few places in the world where avocados can grow year round, produces over 70% of the country’s exports. But as the global appetite for this green fruit expands, the industry has attracted cartels vying for control. This surge in demand has led to violence against local farmers, who also face environmental challenges like deforestation and shrinking water supplies. We learn more. Guests: Stephania Corpi Arnaud, journalist; podcast host, Caliber 60 David Shortell, reporter

Potato juice instead of antibiotics. Using beer in lieu of sunscreen. Shoving a garlic clove up your nose for sinus trouble. These are some of the remedies you might find on TikTok. The internet and quackery are not new concepts, but health advice – both good and bad – is a hot ticket item on social media platforms, especially for Gen Z. In fact, according to a recent study, a third of Gen Z-aged TikTok users trust that app more than their doctors. We look at what happens when TikTok is your doctor, and hear from you: have you used social media to diagnose an ailment or get medical advice? How did it go? Guests: Keren Landman, senior reporter covering public health, emerging infectious diseases, the health workforce, and health justice, Vox Jessica Malaty Rivera, science communicator and infectious disease epidemiologist; science communication lead, The COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic; her social media feed came to prominence during the pandemic Dr. Jen Gunter, OB/GYN and pain medicine physician; author, "The Vagina Bible"

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 Alliance Rev. Diana McDaniel, president, Friends of Port Chicago National Memorial Daryl 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.

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 Breakdown Guy Marzorati, correspondent, KQED's California Politics and Government Desk Scott Shafer, senior editor, KQED’s California Politics and Government; co-host, Political Breakdown

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

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 Maryland Matthew 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

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 ruling Former 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

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 Chronicle Hans Henken, USA Olympic Team, Sailing Alexander Massialas, USA Olympic Team, Fencing Christella Garcia, USA Paralympic Team, Judo

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

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 Breakdown Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent, NPR Hans Noel, associate professor of government, Georgetown; author, "Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America"

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, CalMatters Holly Smith, certified nurse-midwife and co-lead, Midwifery Access California Tiffany Leonhardt, director of business development, Plumas District Hospital

As a journalist, William Gee Wong focused many of his stories on the Asian American experience. And in his new memoir, “Sons of Chinatown,” Wong trains his reporter’s eye on his own family’s sometimes uneasy immigration and assimilation story. It begins in 1912 with the immigration of his father, known as Pop, who came to the U.S. as a “Paper Son,” an individual who purchased partially fraudulent documents to establish residency. Over decades, Wong’s family established a foothold in the United States, but never managed to fully escape discrimination and racism. We talk to Wong, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and columnist for the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle, about his family’s story. Guest: William Gee Wong, journalist; author of “Sons of Chinatown: A memoir rooted in China and America”