KQED's Forum

Dollar stores – the bargain chains prevalent in rural areas that sell miscellaneous merchandise at steeply discounted prices – have been blamed for contributing to food deserts and pushing out smaller mom and pop grocers. But the 99 Cents Only chain stood for something different to its fans, according to LA Times reporter Andrea Chang, who says that people relied on the bright and well-organized spaces for good quality merchandise. The California-based company announced that it will be closing all 371 of its stores just as another prominent chain, Family Dollar, plans to shutter 1000 stores. We’ll talk about the history of dollar stores, the impact they have on communities across the country and what happens to the people reliant on them when they leave. Guests: Eliza Ronalds-Hannon, senior reporter, Bloomberg Andrea Chang, wealth reporter, Los Angeles Times Sara Portnoy, professor of Latinx food studies and food justice, USC; creator and executive producer of "Abuelitas on the Borderlands" film series

India’s general election will begin on Friday, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a third straight term in power. The election is set to be the biggest in history, with nearly a billion Indians eligible to cast ballots. Modi remains popular in India but has been criticized for his human rights record and attacks on the media and judiciary. We’ll preview the election, which runs through June, and hear from members of the Bay Area’s Indian communities. Guests: Anita Manwani, president, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Silicon Valley Nikhil Inamdar, Indian business correspondent, BBC Milan Vaishnav, senior fellow and director, South Asia Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; host, Grand Tamasha podcast Raju Rajagopal, co-founder, Hindus for Human Rights

New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill last year found that each day she was picking up her iPhone more than 100 times and looking at it for an average of five hours — roughly “the equivalent of January, February and half of March,” she writes. Even though that discovery filled her with “queasy regret,” she couldn’t nix the habit. So she decided to downgrade to a flip phone for a one-month experiment – one she says rewired her brain. Hill’s dumbphone experiment came as research suggests smartphone users are reaching for their phones every time they feel bored or anxious, which can lead to hours unintentionally spent staring at a 5-inch screen. Are you concerned you’re spending too much time on your smartphone? Guests: Kashmir Hill, tech reporter, New York Times; author "Your Face Belongs to Us"; her recent NYT article is "I Was Addicted to My Smartphone, So I Switched to a Flip Phone for a Month" Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Stanford Universityl; author, “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence”

A chipped skateboard — one where a piece has come off the nose or tail — is the symbol of a boarder who is dedicated to their deck, held together by nothing but grip tape. It’s also a metaphor for lessons learned, observes José Vadi in his new memoir, “Chipped.” “No matter the age, being a skateboarder lends itself to caustic stares from passersby,” he writes. Vadi delves into skate culture, from its music to its videos, and what it means to identify as a skateboarder. We talk to Vadi about how that lens has shaped his views of public space, geography and his life as a writer. Guests: José Vadi, author, "Chipped: Writing from a Skateboarder's Lens"; Vadi's previous book is "Inter State: Essays from California"

To USC professor Todd Boyd, hip hop has so permeated American life that what was once a musical subculture now informs entertainment, fashion, sports and politics. In his recent book, “Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made The World,” Professor Boyd – also known as the Notorious PhD – traces the genre over the last 50 years from its humble beginnings in the Bronx, to its west coast ascent in the 1990s and through to the election of President Obama and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. We talk to Boyd and hear from you. What’s a defining moment of hip hop for you? Guests: Dr. Todd Boyd, professor of cinema and media studies, USC; author, "Rapper's Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made the World"

This November San Francisco voters will get to decide whether to give London Breed another four years as mayor. Polls show voters are dissatisfied with how Breed has handled crime and homelessness, and her political weakness has invited several strong challengers into the race, from the political left, right and middle. Board of Supervisors’ President Aaron Peskin, Supervisor Asha Safaí, philanthropist Daniel Lurie and venture capitalist Mark Farrell are all making a run for the job, among others. We’ll talk about the candidates, San Francisco’s shifting politics and how the city’s ranked choice voting system could affect the dynamics of the race. Guests: Heather Knight, San Francisco bureau chief, New York Times - formerly a San Francisco Chronicle reporter since 1999. Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, reporter and producer covering politics, KQED News Former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, California chair, Working Families Party - a progressive advocacy organization

Microsoft developer Andres Freund inadvertently discovered one of the largest internet hacks in history while conducting routine maintenance on his computer. Noticing his computer was a bit slow, he discovered a ‘backdoor’ that could have potentially given the hackers access to millions of computers and servers used by banks, hospitals and governments around the world. The hack, which likely took years to plan and execute, has been called a ‘nightmare scenario’ by cyber security experts, who say that evidence points to state actors. We’ll break down what happened and who is likely behind it. Guests: Alex Stamos, Chief Trust Officer, SentinelOne; computer science lecturer, Stanford University Kevin Roose, technology columnist, New York Times; co-host of the podcast Hard Fork

There was a time when being a DJ meant hauling heavy crates of vinyl LPs, sound equipment and lights from one gig to the next. Now with a computer and a portable speaker, you can make any gathering a party. But just because you can make a playlist doesn’t mean you are a real DJ. To actually spin records and put together memorable sets requires skill, practice and talent. We’ll talk to the founder of a DJ school and DJs from around the Bay about what it takes to be a DJ, who in the words of Rihanna, can “pon de replay.” Guests: Nastia Voynovskaya, editor and reporter, KQED Arts Juan "Wonway Posibul" Amador, DJ and MC - Grammy-nominated DJ Wonway Posibul hosts a daily music show on KALW 91.7 FM that airs from 8-9 PM. Lamont Bransford-Young, DJ and founder of Fingersnaps Media Arts, a DJ school - Bransford-Young hosts "The Fingersnaps Salon" on KPOO. Victoria "Kiki" Fajardo, DJ - DJ Xulaquiles grew up in the East Bay and began her DJ career at 14.

Polls this month suggest that between 9 and 12 percent of Americans support independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But it’s unclear whether in a general election he and his California-based running mate Nicole Shanahan would draw more votes away from President Biden or Donald Trump. Kennedy, who’s gained political visibility as an anti-vaccine activist and anti-institutionalist, is petitioning to appear on the November ballot in all 50 states; at this point only Utah has confirmed his place. We talk about the impact of RFK’s candidacy and who’s likely to vote for him. Guests: Mike Madrid, Republican strategist; co-founder, The Lincoln Project. His forthcoming book is "The Latino Century: How America's Largest Minority is Transforming Democracy." Michelle Goldberg, op-ed columnist, New York Times. Her books include “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism" and "The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World."

Stanford women’s basketball coach, Tara VanDerveer – the winningest coach in the history of college basketball – has announced she’s retiring after 45 years leading the epic team. The news comes after a breakthrough NCAA women’s basketball season in which the women’s championship game drew a bigger television audience than the men’s title game for the first time. We’ll talk about VanDerveer’s achievements and legacy and her role in the ascension of women’s basketball. Guests: Michelle Smith, WNBA beat writer, The Next Jennifer Azzi, chief business development officer, Las Vegas Aces. She was a four-year starter at Stanford from 1987-90, leading the team to its first national championship in 1990. Charmin Smith, head coach, University of California Berkeley's women's basketball team; former player, Stanford women’s basketball team - She was key part of the team's three NCAA Final Four Appearances and three Pac-10 Championships between 1995 to 1997. She is also a former member of the WNBA and ABL. Val Whiting, player, Stanford women's basketball team from 1989-93 - She was part of teams that won two NCAA championships and went to the Final Four three years. She was also named Pac-10 Women's Basketball Player of the Year two years in a row.

“The quiet cousin, the rowdy daughter, the bookish aunt, the brash sister. Some are short and busy; others tall, quiet and stately,” writes environmental historian Daniel Lewis. He’s not talking about family members, though. He’s describing trees. In his new book “Twelve Trees,” Lewis urges us to look at trees with empathy and to understand them as beings with history and purpose. We’ll talk to Lewis about the trees he profiles -- including California's coastal redwoods and olive trees -- and why our survival is so closely linked to theirs. Guest: Daniel Lewis, Dibner senior curator for the history of science and technology, Huntington Library; faculty, Caltech; author, "Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future"

Constitutional law professor Maxwell Stearns doesn’t think the U.S. is headed for a constitutional crisis…he thinks we’re already deeply in one. And it’s our constitution itself that’s a big part of the problem. In his new book, Parliamentary America, he maps a way out of the crisis, calling for the country to adopt a parliamentary system of government, like most other democracies in the world. As part of Forum’s Doing Democracy series, we’ll talk to him about his plan, and why he says it would help ease political gridlock and prevent an authoritarian taking power in the U.S. Guest: Maxwell Stearns, professor of law, University of Maryland Carey School of Law; author, "Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy"

President Biden called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza “unacceptable” during a call last week with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said an immediate ceasefire was essential to protect innocent civilians, according to a White House statement. But the White House also reaffirmed its support for Israel and has not slowed military aid, approving new bomb shipments on the day that Israeli forces struck Gaza aid workers, killing seven. Meanwhile Biden faces mounting pressure from progressive and some mainstream Democrats who are asking for an immediate halt to weapons transfers, and from some voters who say they’ll withhold support for him in the November election unless he changes course. We’ll talk about the Biden Administration’s Israel policy and how it’s evolving. Guests: Erica L. Green, White House correspondent, The New York Times Yasmeen Abutaleb, White House reporter, The Washington Post Alex Ward, national security reporter, Politico; author, “The Internationalists: The Fight to Restore American Foreign Policy after Trump”

“I wish the moment of love in our lives more closely resembled the grace of a ballerina, but no, love mainly tromps and plops, falls over and tiptoes through our lives,” writes Anne Lamott in her newest book “Somehow: Thoughts on Love.” Lamott, a long time Marin County resident, has always been frank about the messy parts of her life from parenthood to addiction. We’ll talk with her about how and where love has shown up for her and its connection with grief, joy, disappointment and anger. Guests: Anne Lamott, author, "Somehow: Thoughts on Love" - Her other books include "Some Assembly Required," "Operating Instructions," and "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life."

Reversing pandemic-era admission policies, more universities, including MIT, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown, are again requiring that applicants submit SAT or ACT scores. Research has shown that high scores on the tests are a good predictor of college success, and proponents say that the tests are a more equitable metric than a student’s GPA. In California, public colleges – including the UCs and Cal State schools – remain “test blind” and will not consider a student’s scores, even if submitted. We’ll look at arguments on both sides and get tips for prospective students who are navigating testing issues. Would you like to see the SAT and ACT come back in California? Do you think the tests helped or hurt your college application? Guests: Anna Esaki-Smith, author, “Make College Your Superpower: It's Not Where You Go, It's What You Know;" co-founder, Education Rethink; contributor, Forbes Jeff Selingo, author, "Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions," "There is Life After College" and "College (Un)Bound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students" Eddie Comeaux, professor and associate dean of graduate education, University of California Riverside

On Monday, a total eclipse will cut its way across a swath of North America. Millions are expected to flock to states along the eclipse’s path, from Texas to Maine in hopes of capturing a glimpse (through eclipse glasses) of this celestial event. The last total solar eclipse in the U.S. was in 2017. The next one won’t be until 2044. Although the Bay Area will not experience a total eclipse, there will still be opportunities to see part of one. We’ll talk to experts about what to expect, hear from folks in the path of the totality, and answer your questions. Guests: Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer and professor, Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and the OLLI Program at SF State; author of many textbooks and popular books about astronomy Anna Huntsman, reporter, Ideastream Public Media, Cleveland's public radio station Polly Martin, resident of Buffalo, NY Rob Semper, chief learning officer, Exploratorium; member, National STEM Education Advisory Panel

Beyoncé’s new album, “Cowboy Carter,” pays tribute to country music’s greats while reflecting on her own connection to the genre. As she sings on the opening track, “Used to say I spoke ‘too country’ / And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ‘nough.” That rejection reflects the gatekeeping that’s long plagued country music – gatekeeping that determines who gets to be American and whose ‘country’ it is, says Alice Randall, a songwriter, author and Vanderbilt professor. Randall was the first Black woman to write a No. 1 country hit, and her new book “My Black Country” weaves memoir with the history and impact of Black artists in the genre. We’ll learn that history and Randall’s place in it — and listen to country music from DeFord Bailey, Linda Martell and, of course, Beyoncé. Guests: Alice Randall, Country songwriter and professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and writer-in-residence, Vanderbilt University - author, “My Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music’s Black Past, Present, and Future.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the performing arts world, comedian Kristina Wong found herself adrift. But dozens of frantic calls and one Facebook group later, she was overseeing a network of volunteers – the Auntie Sewing Squad – that churned out hundreds of thousands of homemade masks for those in need. The acts of service and communal care she guided and found are the inspiration for her one woman play “Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord.” We’ll talk with Wong about crafting, community, social justice and the comedy show that brings them all together. Guests: Kristina Wong, comedian and performance artist - she's a Doris Duke Artist Award winner, Guggenheim Fellow and a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Drama. Her one woman show "Kristina Wong: Sweatshop Overlord" is playing now through May 5th at The Strand in San Francisco.

Can you think of a seven-letter word for “complex character?” If your mind flows to “Oedipus,” you’re probably comfortable among the wonderful, nerdy world of crossword puzzle fanatics. Anna Shechtman has been making crosswords since she was 15, drawn to the idea that through riddles and puns a puzzle constructor can access “something foundational about language — a quasi mathematical code that could be rearranged and manipulated through brain power alone.” We talk to Shechtman, who now creates puzzles for the New Yorker, about the art, politics and history of crossword making. Her new book is “The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle.” Guests: Anna Shechtman, author, "The Riddles of the Sphinx: Inheriting the Feminist History of the Crossword Puzzle"; assistant professor, Department of Literatures in English at Cornell University

Traveling across one of the bay’s many bridges, it’s normal to see a massive container ship heading to port or back out to sea. The recent crash of a cargo vessel into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge, an accident which killed six people and spilled thousands of gallons of oil, might lead you to ask: could that happen here? For example, in 2007, a container ship hit a Bay Bridge tower, which spurred the adaptation of improved safety systems. We’ll talk to maritime experts about our waterways and the safety protocols we have in place to prevent and react to disasters. Guests: Scott Humphrey, executive director of the Marine Exchange San Francisco Bay Area Region; chairman of the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee Captain Taylor Lam, captain of the Port for Northern California, US Coast Guard Tony Munoz, publisher and editor in chief of The Maritime Executive