KQED's Forum

The San Francisco AI firm Anthropic has developed a new model that it says is too powerful to be released to the public. Called Mythos, Anthropic says it’s in a “different league” when it comes to identifying and exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and in the wrong hands could enable bad actors to unleash powerful cyberattacks. Anthropic is alerting governments and releasing a limited version called Claude Mythos Preview to about 40 tech companies (including some of its AI competitors) to find and fix their own security vulnerabilities. We look at how this next generation of AI could reshape digital security and policy. Guests: Alex Stamos, chief product officer, Corridor; computer science lecturer, Stanford University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Going to graduate school has never been cheap. But sweeping new changes to the federal loan system – which will now have caps on how much you can borrow – may make it even harder. What do these changes mean for aspiring nurses, teachers, doctors and lawyers — and could they reshape who gets to pursue advanced degrees in America? We’ll talk about student loans, and look at the broader landscape, from income-driven repayment overhauls to the future of public service forgiveness. Guests: Aissa Canchola Bañez, policy director, Protect Borrowers, an advocacy group focused on policy solutions for debt issues facing consumers Jordan Matsudaira, professor at the School of Public Affairs, American University; Matsudaira served as Deputy Undersecretary and Chief Economist at the Department of Education during the Biden Administration Eileen Fry-Bowers, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, University of San Francisco Jessica Blake, policy reporter, Inside Higher Ed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Psychiatrist Suzan Song has for decades worked with people who have experienced extreme traumas, like being trafficked or recruited as child soldiers. She says she became drawn to those who were able not just to survive, but thrive and flourish – even without access to traditional Western talk therapy. We talk to Song about where she thinks true healing comes from, and how we can apply that to more ordinary suffering, like a breakup or an unexpected loss. Song’s new book is “Why We Suffer and How We Heal.” Guests: Suzan Song, psychiatrist and global mental health expert; author, "Why We Suffer and How We Heal" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s record-setting heatwave in March caused snow to melt and vegetation to dry out earlier than normal this year. Those conditions could provide lots of fuel for wildfires and hasten the start of fire season. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has gutted the U.S. Forest Service, which manages close to 60 percent of our state’s forest areas, and plans to close six research centers in California. We’ll dig into how those factors could influence wildfires this year and how you can prepare. Guests: Craig Clements, professor of meteorology, director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University Marianne Lavelle, Washington, D.C. bureau chief, Inside Climate News Adrienne Freeman, assistant director for communications for fire and aviation management, US. Forest Service Brent Pascua, battalion chief, Cal Fire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2026 WNBA season tips off next month. It’s expected to see historic viewership and attendance, after last season’s record-breaking run as the most-watched regular season in the history of the league. But even though this is the WNBA’s historic 30th season, women have been playing basketball since long before 1996. Sports journalists Jordan Robinson and Emma Baccellieri set out to profile the female trailblazers who changed basketball history, like Denise Long Rife, the first woman drafted by an NBA team when she was recruited to the San Francisco Warriors in 1969, and Ora Washington, who in the 1930s became a star on her YMCA’s all-Black basketball team after already winning “almost every tennis trophy available to a Black woman in pre-war America.” We’ll celebrate the players and coaches who made women’s basketball into the phenomenon it is today, and get a preview for the upcoming season, with Robinson and Baccellieri. Their new book is “Court Queens: Celebrate the Players, Teams, and History of Women’s Basketball.” Guests: Jordan Robinson, sports journalist; co-author, "Court Queens: Celebrate the Players, Teams, and History of Women’s Basketball" Emma Baccellieri, staff writer, Sports Illustrated; co-author, "Court Queens: Celebrate the Players, Teams, and History of Women’s Basketball" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grammy-nominated bassist and composer Melvin Gibbs contends that all music genres popular in the U.S. — pop, country, rock, dance, hip-hop and Latin — “either are, or are based on, or created using, forms of Black music.” In his new book “How Black Music Took Over the World,” Gibbs set out to trace the “rhythmic genealogy” of music from Africa through the Americas. And he unpacks why traditional Western notations and interpretations of music — even when well-intended — misunderstand the sense of time and kinesthetics fundamental to truly understanding how Black music works. Gibbs joins us with his bass to demonstrate the long reach of the African diaspora, and to ask who gets the credit for the music the whole world loves. Guests: Melvin Gibbs, Grammy-nominated composer and musician; author, “How Black Music Took Over The World” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After almost two decades as Prime Minister, Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orbán was defeated by Péter Magyar, leader of the center-right Tisza party. In the final days of the campaign, President Trump sent Vice President JD Vance to Budapest to campaign for Orbán, but voters weren’t swayed. Could Orbán’s defeat be a sign that President Trump’s brand of right-wing populism is losing its appeal? Guests: Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent, Vox; author, "The Reactionary Spirit" Lucan Way, distinguished professor of democracy, University of Toronto Frank Langfitt, national correspondent, NPR Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An American naval blockade of Iranian ports entered its third day as the U.S. tries to open up ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, President Trump contends that the war is “very close to being over” but also renewed threats to destroy civilian infrastructure. We talk about the latest in Iran and what might happen if no deal is reached before the ceasefire expires next week. Guests: Dalia Dassa Kaye, senior fellow, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations; author, “Enduring Hostility: The Making of America’s Iran Policy” Robin Wright, contributing writer, New Yorker; her recent piece is "'The Peace President' Gets Belligerent with Iran and the Pope;" author, "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East" David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent, New York Times; his most recent book is "New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion and America’s Struggle to Save the West" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facing sexual misconduct allegations from at least five women, including one former staffer, Bay Area Democrat Eric Swalwell resigned from Congress, where he had served since 2013. Swalwell, who denies the accusations, also suspended his campaign for California governor over the weekend. We look at how his departure reshapes the governor’s race and how allegations of sexual misconduct are being treated now, nearly a decade after the #MeToo movement began. Guests: Marisa Lagos, politics correspondent, KQED; co-host of KQED's Political Breakdown Alexei Koseff, Washington, D.C. correspondent, San Francisco Chronicle Allison Gordon, investigative reporter and producer, CNN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump promised that new tax provisions in his One Big Beautiful Bill would deliver a windfall to millions of Americans. No more taxes on overtime. No taxes on tips. No taxes on Social Security payments. While many taxpayers are seeing larger tax refunds this year, the fine print behind Trump’s promises means these tax breaks have been smaller than many expected. We look at the impact of changes in the tax code and who stands to benefit the most. And if you haven’t submitted your returns yet, we want to hear from you: What questions do you still have before the midnight filing deadline. Guests: Shannon Pettypiece, senior policy reporter, NBC News Digital Karen Brosi, tax preparer and certified financial planner Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NPR’s “Planet Money” has spent years answering economic questions big and small on its flagship podcast and the daily show “The Indicator,” and now the team is out with a new book: “Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life.” The book tackles questions like whether you should rent or buy a home, why the stock market keeps climbing, and why products like TV and clothes get cheaper while the cost of childcare and concert tickets keep going up. We’ll talk to the authors — and answer your big questions about the economy. Guests: Alex Mayyasi, author, "Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life" Kenny Malone, co-host, Planet Money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Books have long transported us to other worlds and lives. But in the American publishing market only a small fraction of books are works in translation –literature from around the world that has been translated for an English-language audience. Now, the non-profit Center for the Art of Translation is opening a bookstore and cultural center in downtown San Francisco dedicated to bringing translated works to the public. In this hour, we talk to publishers and literary translators to ask: What does it take to bring a book to an English reading audience? How do translations challenge our world view? Guests: Olivia Sears, board president and founder, Center for the Art of Translation Bruna Dantas Lobato, Brazilian literary translator; her translation of “The Words That Remain” by Stênio Gardel won the 2023 National Book Award for Translated Literature; writer, “Blue Light Hours;" assistant professor of English and Creative Writing, Grinnell College Adam Levy, publisher, Transit Books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thirty years ago, journalist Amy Goodman premiered the daily radio show Democracy Now. Launched on nine community radio stations in 1996, the program now broadcasts on over 1,400 television and radio stations worldwide. Along the way, Goodman and Democracy Now provided groundbreaking coverage of the Standing Rock protests, Chevron’s alleged corruption in Nigeria and illnesses linked to toxins after 9/11. The new documentary “Steal This Story, Please!” recounts Goodman’s career. We’ll talk with her about the documentary, three decades of Democracy Now and the role of independent journalism in today’s news landscape. Guests: Amy Goodman, host and executive producer, Democracy Now!; subject of "Steal This Story, Please!" about her 30 year career in independent media Tia Lessin, co-director, ‘Steal This Story, Please!’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades, the top political issue for many U.S. Catholics has been abortion. But, a recent article in “The Atlantic” argues that the focus has shifted to opposing the Trump administration’s harsh immigration policies and enforcement. Pope Leo, the first American to head the Catholic Church, has criticized and rebuffed Trump’s policies, statements and acts of war as contrary to church teaching and Christian values. We’ll talk about political tensions U.S. Catholics are grappling with and how that relates to our broader political system. Guests: Christopher Hale, a progressive Catholic and political operative who writes the Letters from Leo Substack Francis X. Rocca, contributing writer, The Atlantic, He is also the Vatican editor at EWTN News Amirah Orozco, theologian, research assistant and doctoral candidate, University of Notre Dame Dónal Godfrey, university chaplain, University of San Francisco Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fight over data centers is intensifying in California and nationwide as organizers develop new strategies to take on tech companies and developers. While an Imperial Valley site is moving forward despite community backlash, Monterey Park will vote this June on whether to ban all data center development in the city — one of multiple data center referendums on ballots across the U.S. this year. We’ll talk with a data center developer who says these sites create jobs and infrastructure necessary for the A.I. boom and a state lawmaker who wants more oversight. Guests: Molly Taft, senior climate reporter, WIRED Kori Suzuki, South Bay & Imperial Valley Reporter, KPBS Public Media Sen. Steve Padilla, state senator representing the counties of San Diego, Imperial, Riverside and San Bernardino Sebastian Rucci, chief executive officer, Imperial Valley Computer Manufacturing, LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the year 2000, four pre-teen girls in Santa Rosa — three 11-year-olds, and one 9-year-old little sister — wrote and recorded an album inspired by the Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child and Fiona Apple, and even filmed music videos for the album. Then, their band X-Cetra disbanded as the elder members entered junior high and found the entire project — to use the slang of today’s kids — cringe. Decades later, online experimental music nerds discovered the album, with its haunting child vocals and startling low-fi beats, and turned it into a cult hit, garnering X-Cetra a record contract and a 25th anniversary reissue. A new film “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story,” which won the South by Southwest documentary jury award last month, documents the reunion of X-Cetra, many of whose members hadn’t made art since. We’ll talk with the band about what it means to revisit childhood creativity in adulthood, and we’ll hear from you: Were you more creative as a tween than you are now? Have you returned to the art you made? Guests: Ayden Mayeri, member, X-Cetra; director, "Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story" Jessica Hall, member, X-Cetra Robin O’Brien, musician; producer of X-Cetra’s 2000 album, “Stardust"; mom of X-Cetra members Janet and Mary Brittany Spanos, music journalist who wrote the Rolling Stone profile, “Four Best Friends Made an Album as Kids. 25 Years Later, It’s a Cult Classic” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last winter, ICE ramped up immigration enforcement in several American cities. It was a strategy that shifted focus from the US Mexico border to the streets of American cities. That led to a spike in the detention of families and children, most notably the arrest of 5-year-old Liam Ramos in Minneapolis. According to the Marshall Project, more than 6,000 children have been held so far during Trump’s second term, and the daily detention rate in January was ten times higher than the Biden Administration’s final days. What are the conditions within these detention centers? And what are the lasting effects on the young detainees? Guests: Shannon Heffernan, staff writer, The Marshall Project Anna Flagg, senior data reporter, The Marshall Project Shaina Simenas, co-director of Technical Assistance Program, Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Apple is a $3.5 trillion company with over 150,000 employees worldwide. Fifty years ago, it was two Steves – Jobs and Wozniak – working out of a Los Gatos garage. (All great Silicon Valley origin stories seem to include a garage.) Since its inception, Apple has not only introduced culture shifting technology like the Macintosh computer and iPhone, it has also influenced how we live here in the Bay Area, on the edge of the continent and a future being cast by technologists, innovators, and entrepreneurs. We talk about the influence of Apple. Guests: Margaret O'Mara, professor of American History, University of Washington; author, "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America" Hansen Hsu, curator, Software History Center at the Computer History Museum; former Apple employee; historian and sociologist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump backed down from his social media threat that “a whole civilization will die” after Pakistan helped broker a ceasefire deal with Iran. But the United States is likely to remain isolated from its allies as many look for economic and diplomatic solutions to the conflict that do not involve America. We talk about the latest developments in the war and the consequences of America’s growing isolation from its allies. Guests: Idrees Kahloon, staff writer, The Atlantic Edward Wong, diplomatic correspondent, The New York Times Tom Dannenbaum, professor of law, Stanford Law School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High level talks between Cuba and the U.S. are ongoing as the Trump administration’s four-month oil blockade of the island nation continues. Trump has said he wants a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, but it’s unclear what the U.S. stands to gain or what kind of government could come to power if the current administration leaves. While the U.S. has had an embargo against Cuba since 1960, the recent blockade has raised the stakes and forced many of the country’s nearly 10 million people to go without power, water, food, health care and other necessities. We talk about how Cuba is dealing with the worst humanitarian crisis it has faced in decades and what the Trump Administration ultimately wants. Guests: Michael J. Bustamante, associate professor of history, University of Miami; director, Cuban Studies Program Jen Triplett, assistant professor of sociology, University of Colorado, Boulder; researcher with a focus on Latin America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices