KQED's Forum - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Bay Area Counties Impose New COVID Restrictions Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

After reporting increases in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties announced Tuesday that they will roll back some activities, like indoor dining . Meanwhile, health officials across the Bay Area have issued guidelines for travel and gatherings during the upcoming holiday season. We’ll hear about the new restrictions, recommendations for the holiday season, and the latest COVID-19 data from across the region.

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What a Vice President Kamala Harris Means for the Country and California Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

When Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in, in addition to being the first woman and first woman of color, she will become the second Californian in history -- and first California Democrat -- to serve as vice president. Gov. Newsom, who is now responsible for picking who will replace Harris in the senate, said Harris' new role will be "profoundly significant for the state." We’ll talk about what influence Harris' California roots and politics could have in the Biden administration. Plus: we consider who might take over Harris’ senate seat and the Californians being eyed for roles in the new administration.

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Still Refusing to Concede, Trump Obstructs Biden Transition Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

President Trump's refusal to concede President-elect Biden's electoral college victory stretched into a third day Tuesday, as his campaign pursues a long-shot legal strategy to challenge the results. The President's intransigence, which is complicating the Biden team's effort to carry out an orderly transition, has so far drawn the support of Senator Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders. Meanwhile, Trump continues to remove senior officials at the Department of Defense, a day after he fired Secretary Mark Esper. We'll talk about the latest developments.

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Housing Activist Carroll Fife Rides to Victory in Oakland's District Three Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Moms 4 Housing founder and longtime racial and social justice advocate Carroll Fife became Oakland's newest councilmember-elect on Monday. Upsetting two-term District 3 incumbent Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Fife campaigned on platforms of police reform, environmental justice and the animating concept that housing is a human right. We'll talk to Fife about her vision for Oakland and the progressive political movement she's building.

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The Supreme Court Hears Latest Challenge to the Affordable Care Act Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

On Tuesday, for the third time in eight years, the Supreme Court will again hear a constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. The Republican state officials bringing the case argue that Congress’s elimination of a penalty for failure to comply with the Act’s insurance mandate renders the entire law unconstitutional. The hearing takes place before the most conservative bench the Supreme Court has seen in decades and amid a raging pandemic that has left millions jobless and without health insurance. We’ll talk about what’s at stake.

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First Coronavirus Vaccine Could Come to Market Early Next Year Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Early tests show that a coronavirus vaccine from drug makers Pfizer and BioNTech could be 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19, a disease that has now infected more than 10 million Americans and killed more than a million. While those results look promising, experts say the production and distribution of the vaccine -- which needs to be kept at negative 80 degrees Celsius -- will be complicated to say the least. Other challenges include convincing enough Americans to take the vaccine amid a climate of distrust and misinformation. Meanwhile, other drug makers are also pushing to bring vaccines to the market. We’ll talk about the status of a coronavirus vaccine.

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What to Expect from a Defiant, Lame-Duck Trump Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

As President Trump continues to refuse to concede, we'll discuss what to look for as he enters his lame-duck period. We'll also talk about the role of Republicans in Congress who are largely refusing to acknowledge President-elect Joe Biden's victory thus far.

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Biographer Evan Osnos Describes Unifying Personality in ‘Joe Biden’ Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

As a 30-year-old first-time senator from Delaware, Joe Biden had high hopes that he would end up in the White House. Over the course of more than three decades in the senate and two terms as vice president, Biden’s career was marked by his moderate political positions, personal tragedy and some controversy, including his support for a 1994 tough-on-crime bill. We talk with New Yorker journalist Evan Osnos about his new biography of president-elect Joe Biden and hear how Biden’s life and career experiences might help him mend a divided country.

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Rep. Barbara Lee on Kamala Harris’ Historic VP Win Nov 09, 2020

Show notes

We'll talk with East Bay Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee about Oakland native Kamala Harris' historic election as the first female vice president, as well as the first Black person and first Asian American to hold the office. We'll also discuss Lee's own re-election this week, and her priorities for her next term.

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Election 2020: Biden Leads in Georgia and Pennsylvania Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

In the race for the presidency, early this morning Georgia and Pennsylvania moved into Joe Biden’s column, where he holds a very small margin. With Biden’s lead in the presidential election growing, we’ll get the latest on vote counting and preview what a Biden administration might look like in a deeply divided country. We’ll also examine Kamala Harris’ historic run as the first woman of color on a major presidential ticket. Plus: how young voters and people of color helped boost the Biden/Harris campaign.

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