KQED's Forum

Political strategist Roger Stone was arrested Friday morning, charged with seven counts in the Mueller probe, including witness-tampering, false statements, and obstruction of an official proceeding. We'll discuss what the arrest of the longtime ally and associate of President Trump means for the special counsel's investigation.

Marie Kondo has once again inspired people to go through their closets and kitchens, assessing what brings joy and what should go into the donation box. Kondo, who became known to American audiences in 2014, when her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” was published in the U.S., now has a Netflix show. The series, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” has spurred more purging and self-reflection in people who hope following her method can bring order and joy to their lives. Have you tried Marie Kondo’s method? Tell us about it – what was the appeal and how did it go?

The fallout from a viral video involving Catholic school students continued on Wednesday when Nick Sandmann, one of the teens from the video, was interviewed on NBC's "Today Show". In this hour, we'll talk with journalists and thinkers about what the incident says about this political moment in the United States. We'll also talk with a political psychologist about the latest research on bias, partisanship and tribalism.

Paul Miller, otherwise known as DJ Spooky, has written music based on Antarctic weather patterns, remixed D. W. Griffith's film "Birth of a Nation," and currently scores Jeremy Scahill's "Intercepted" political podcast. Spooky's newest piece "Quantopia" is a sonic celebration of the history of the Internet. DJ Spooky joins Forum to discuss a career spent defying labels and "Quantopia," which premieres at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts this week.

Clinical psychologist Mary Pipher is best known for her 1994 bestseller "Reviving Ophelia," which looked at the societal pressures on adolescent girls. In her latest book, "Women Rowing North," Pipher explores how women contend with aging in a society that often values them less as they get older. Pipher takes on misconceptions about older women and celebrates their accumulated resilience and ability to find joy in a world filled with tragedy.

In his new book, "The Birth of the Loud," former SF Weekly music critic Ian S. Port traces the history of the the foremost iconic solid-body electric guitars, the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul. Port also explores the rivalry between guitarmakers Les Paul and Leo Fender, who competed to get their instruments into the hands of rockstars and at the forefront of a music revolution. We will discuss the sounds of the 50s and 60s that changed American popular music and the surprising story of the guitars that produced them. And tell us -- do you prefer a Fender or a Gibson? Why?

BART released its 2019 customer satisfaction study on Tuesday and the news is not good for the beleaguered rail agency. Just 56 percent of riders are satisfied with BART's services, down from 69 percent in 2016. Passenger complaints centered around security, cleanliness, fare evasion and the presence of homeless people throughout the system. We'll talk about the survey and what BART is doing to improve its services.

Writer and Activist Helen Zia weaves together a timely tale of exile, immigration and dislocation in her latest book, "Last Boat Out of Shanghai". Today we talk to her about this tumultuous period in China's modern history and how these stories, inspired by hundreds of interviews from people who were there, tell us about the choices people are faced with when leaving their homes.

Forum discusses today's decision by the U.S. Supreme court to allow the Trump administration to restrict military service by transgender men and women while court challenges continue.

The day after the 2016 election, officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture awaited the arrival of the President-elect's transition team, ready to present thousands of pages of briefing materials on the workings of the 100,000-employee agency. In best-selling author Michael Lewis's recounting, no one showed up until weeks later when a single volunteer paid an hour-long visit, followed by a crop of new appointees unqualified for their jobs. Lewis's latest book, "The Fifth Risk," looks at the dysfunction of the transition and dangers associated with what he calls the administration's "willful ignorance" of the everyday risks -- from natural disasters to nuclear spills -- that its agencies manage. We'll talk to him about the book and get his thoughts on the ongoing partial government shutdown.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we focus on the issue the civil rights leader championed before his death: the plight of poor people in America. Stanford Professor Clayborne Carson, editor of the King Papers and author of “Martin’s Dream: My Journey and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.,” joins us to speak about King's legacy and the Poor People's Campaign, then and now.

Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat and prosecutor who is the second black woman to serve in the United States Senate, declared her candidacy for president today. Harris picked quite a day to enter the race, on this holiday celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Harris has been a dynamic presence among Senate Democrats during her short tenure there. The question now is whether she’ll be able to win over Democrats outside of Washington DC and … should she win the primary … American voters.

Since the summer of 2017, the Committee to House the Bay Area, known as CASA, has been tasked with creating a broad legislative package to address the Bay Area's housing crisis. The committee's ten-point plan has now been endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). While not law, the group hopes its recommendations will drive major action by the California State Legislature. The plan calls for a cap on rent increases, more housing near public transit and a new regional agency with the power to tax, among other things. We'll hear from supporters and critics of the plan.

Last year, a California Supreme Court ruling made it harder for companies like Uber and Lyft to label workers independent contractors. Now, several bills that would define independent contractors have been proposed in Sacramento. But some labor groups fear that lawmakers will water down the court's intent.

President Trump personally directed his lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about a proposed Moscow development project, according to a BuzzFeed report Thursday.  Meanwhile, a new report from the Health and Human Services Department's Office of the Inspector General found the Trump Administration may have separated thousands more migrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border than previously thought.  We'll discuss both reports.