KQED's Forum

California has become a target of mockery in the presidential campaign, with GOP challenger Mitt Romney holding the troubled state up as an example of where the country is headed under Barack Obama. Historian and conservative columnist Victor Davis Hanson also slams the state in a recent article entitled, "There is No One California." He joins us to talk about the piece, and to give us his take on the presidential campaign.

Great roles for women are hard to come by in Hollywood these days. That's bad news for actresses and film fans. But things are very different in France, according to San Francisco Chronicle film critic Mick LaSalle. His new book, "Beauty of the Real," celebrates what he calls a Golden Age for female talent in contemporary French film.

San Francisco Giants' star Melky Cabrera has been suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. It's the second doping suspension this year for the Giants and accounts for half of the drug suspensions for Major League Baseball nationally. Forum discusses the scandal and what it means for the team and its fans.

Financial Times reporter April Dembosky joins us to discuss her recent piece on religion in the Silicon Valley. And we want to hear from you: If you are a Bay Area techie, what role does religion or spirituality play in your life and work?

The San Francisco Ethics Commission was scheduled to vote Thursday on whether or not suspended Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi should be removed from office over his domestic violence conviction. We'll discuss the latest developments in the case.

In her new book, Marin psychologist and author Madeline Levine exposes the pitfalls of over-parenting, and argues for a new definition of success and achievement. She joins us in the studio to share her advice for raising healthy and happy kids. How do you define success for your child?

Great white sharks are disappearing from California waters and should be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, according to a petition filed by environmental groups this week. We discuss the proposal and find out what is threatening the sharks.

The CSU system is under fire for halting enrollment for in-state students for the 2013 spring session due to state budget woes, but allowing some out-of-state and international graduate students who pay full tuition. Forum discusses the controversy.

It's been called the best book plug ever: Senator Dianne Feinstein told the San Francisco Chronicle that she learned more classified information from David Sanger's book "Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power" than she did as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sanger joins the program to talk about American foreign policy, the use of cyberweapons and what he calls "Obama's secret wars."

There have been several high-profile mass shootings recently. Twelve people were slain in the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, a gunman killed six in a Sikh temple in Wisconsin and in April, an angry former student killed seven people at Oikos University in Oakland. Forum discusses mental illness and mass shootings. Can anything be done to predict and prevent such violent acts, and what do we know about what causes people to commit them?

Many people complain of a failing memory as they age. Is a decrease in recall the natural fate of an aging brain? Or is the new age of information overload also to blame? We talk with brain specialists about aging, what causes our memories to fail and how to keep the brain fit.

For many Americans, filling out census questions on race and ethnicity can spark a sort of identity crisis. The categories don't always reflect how people define themselves. The Census Bureau is hoping to address that issue -- and improve the accuracy of its counts -- by updating its survey categories. We'll discuss the bureau's recent recommendations -- which include a controversial proposal that would change the way Hispanics are classified.

A new book examines the pitfalls of current international aid programs, and advocates for a new way to think about poverty. We'll meet one of the authors, MIT economics professor Esther Duflo, to discuss her ideas for what to do about poverty. Duflo is co-author of "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty."

Will Mitt Romney's selection of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as a running mate fundamentally change the direction of the presidential campaign? If so, to whose advantage?

Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola joins us in the studio. The director of "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" has a new film, "Twixt," a gothic tale starring Val Kilmer. We'll also talk to Coppola about his non-film activities, including his Napa Valley winery and international resorts. Coppola's other films include "The Conversation" and "Bram Stoker's Dracula."