KQED's Forum - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

New Investigation Looks at Causes of EDD’s Pandemic Meltdown Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

California’s Employment Development Department paid out up to $30 billion in fraudulent claims during the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, some six million Californians with legitimate claims saw their unemployment benefits delayed or improperly denied. That’s according to a new investigation by CalMatters, which found that state agencies and lawmakers were aware of red flags and security holes for years, but chose not to address them. As the fraud’s total cost – and its human toll – continue to be tallied, government agencies and private contractors point fingers at each other. We look at what caused the unprecedented failure of California’s unemployment system and how the state is proposing to fix it.

Related link(s):

myEDD – EDD’s new online system

Bank of America’s EDD Debit Card site

Find and contact your state representative

Legal Aid at Work

Center for Workers’ Rights

State Bar of California

Guests:

Lauren Hepler, investigative reporter, CalMatters

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Biden and Xi Jinping to Meet During APEC in San Francisco. What’s on the Agenda? Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

Starting on November 11, leaders from around the Pacific Rim descend on San Francisco for APEC, and one of the most anticipated meetings is a conversation between President Biden and China’s leader, Xi Jinping. On the heels of recent economic and diplomatic tensions, analysts believe this could be a chance to stabilize relations between two of the world’s economic superpowers. With important elections in Taiwan and the U.S. on the horizon and global conflicts in need of addressing, the agenda could cover topics from tariffs to the fentanyl crisis. We’ll talk with experts about what’s on the table for discussion.

Guests:

Victor Shih, director, U.C. San Diego's 21st Century China Center

Colleen Cottle, deputy director, Atlantic Council's Global China Hub

Evan Osnos, staff writer for The New Yorker

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

FORUM IN FOCUS: Heather Cox Richardson & Rob Bonta Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

The week's most compelling interviews in 30 minutes or less! Get a historical perspective on the news with history professor and author of "Democracy Awakening," Heather Cox Richardson, then dive into a range of criminal justice issues with California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Joy Buolamwini on Preserving the Humanity in AI Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

Many of us are familiar with the biases baked into modern technology, but these are heightened with AI, warns Dr. Joy Buolamwini, who has been called the “conscience of the A-I revolution.” A computer scientist and digital activist who holds a PhD from MIT, Dr. Buolamwini exposed how facial recognition technology failed to recognize darker skin color across a range of commonly used apps. We talk to Dr. Buolamwini about her new book “Unmasking AI,” which chronicles her efforts to bring humanity back to technology and her fight for “algorithmic justice.”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Lifts Ban on Lowrider Cruising Nov 11, 2023

Show notes

Lowriders defy convention: they lean, they hop, they bounce. Their paint jobs are works of art, sometimes with museum-worthy images or a melding of colors that gleam with a lustrous sheen. Lowriding, the drivers will tell you, is not just about the car, it’s about convening with the community and celebrating art and culture. But for decades, restrictive bans in California prohibited where lowriders could cruise. Last month, activists succeeded in pushing lawmakers to lift the state’s ban, which they said discriminated against and targeted Latino and Black communities. Despite the bans, lowrider culture flourished in California and devotees can now be found across the globe, from Japan to Argentina. We’ll talk with lowriders about what the change in the law means and what riding low and slow means to them.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cure’s Lol Tolhurst on the Origins of ‘Goth’ Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

You might know The Cure’s song “A Strange Day,” defined by its spooky guitar licks, eerie drone loops and funeral march drum beats. But Lol Tolhurst, the band’s co-founder, former drummer and keyboardist, says the song is not all doom and death. Rather, it’s a shining example of Goth, which Tolhurst calls the “last true alternative outsider subculture.” Goth music inherited the anarchy of punk but substituted nihilism with a desire to fully feel, talk about and confess our emotions. And Tolhurst argues that the Cure — along with Bauhaus, the Doors and Siouxsie and the Banshees — helped pioneer its sound. We talk to Tolhurst about his new book “Goth” and the subculture’s music and aesthetics, and we’ll hear from you: Are — or were — you Goth? What does Goth mean to you?

Guests:

Lol Tolhurst, musician and writer; one of the co-founders of English rock band the Cure; author "Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys" and the new book "Goth: A History"

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your Neighbor Might Have a Painting in the de Young Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

The de Young museum has opened its doors and cleared walls to feature the work of Bay Area artists. On exhibit through January, the 2023 de Young Open features 883 artworks across genre and subject matter — the only submission requirement being that the creator lives in one of the nine Bay Area counties. We’ll talk with the lead curator of the exhibit, along with other independent curators and artists, about the local art scene today and what Bay Area artists are saying with their work.

Guests:

Timothy Anglin Burgard, distinguished senior curator and curator-in-charge of American art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Trisha Lagaso Goldberg, artist; independent curator

Alice Beasley, fiber artist. Her work is now on exhibit at The de Young Open. She was also included in the 2020 Exhibition.

Callan Porter-Romero, artist based in Oakland. One of her paintings is now on exhibit at The de Young Open. She was also included in the 2020 Exhibition.

Todd Hanson, artist; founder, Four Chicken Gallery in Bernal Heights

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Serial Abuse Women Face in California's Prison System Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Since 2014, inmates inside California’s womens’ prisons have filed hundreds of complaints of sexual abuse carried out by guards, yet just four officers have been fired, and only four have been prosecuted. In a new investigation for The Guardian, reporter Sam Levin outlines the culture of silence and intimidation inside of California’s prison system, and why it’s often the victims who get punished. We speak with Levin about what he found and hear from Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, an advocacy group that has been calling for an independent body to investigate the reports of abuse.

Guests:

Amika Mota, executive director and founding member, Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition

Sam Levin, senior criminal justice reporter, the Guardian US

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All You Can Eat: Why We Love Friendsgiving Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Friendsgiving can take many forms. Sometimes it’s a replacement for a more traditional Thanksgiving when gathering with family isn’t possible. For others, it’s a bonus holiday to honor friends who feel like family. The ritual has deep roots in the queer community where it emerged in the 1980s as a way to unite chosen families and challenge restrictive family norms. For our next installment of All You Can Eat, KQED food editor Luke Tsai joins us to talk about how to successfully pull off a Friendsgiving meal and what it means. And, we want to hear from you: What is your Friendsgiving tradition?

Guests:

Luke Tsai, food editor, KQED Arts & Culture

Olivia Cruz Mayeda, arts reporting intern, KQED; freelance journalist

John Birdsall, author; freelance food writer

Kim Knox, co-owner, Kim's Louisiana Fried Turkey

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Attorney General Rob Bonta Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Last month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued tech giant Meta, arguing that its Instagram and Facebook platforms use psychologically manipulative features that are harming kids’ mental health. And in September, his office sued ExxonMobil and other oil giants, alleging they misled the public about the climate effects of fossil fuels. We’ll talk to Bonta about the high profile cases he’s brought on California’s behalf and about a range of criminal justice issues, including his office’s recent decision not to charge four Anaheim police officers who shot and killed the unarmed cousin of a Santa Ana City Council member. What are your questions for Attorney General Bonta?

Guests:

Rob Bonta, California Attorney General

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices