{"podcast":{"title":"KQED's Forum","slug":"kqed-s-forum-910728","podcast_index_feed_id":910728,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633","website_url":"https://www.kqed.org/forum","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f7fab6b6-22d6-11eb-9a54-13d0154cc15e/image/KQED_Podcast_tiles_-_NPR_network_Forum.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"KQED","episode_count":3439,"summary":"Forum tells remarkable and true stories about who we are and where we live. In the first hour, Alexis Madrigal convenes the diverse voices of the Bay Area, before turning to Mina Kim for the second hour to chronicle and center Californians’ experience. In an increasingly divided world, Mina and Alexis host conversations that inform, challenge and unify listeners with big ideas and different viewpoints. Want to call/submit your comments during our live Forum program Mon-Fri, 9am-11am? We'd love to hear from you! Please dial 866.SF.FORUM or (866) 733-6786 or email forum@kqed.org, tweet, or post on Facebook.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T18:21:19.316184+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728"},"episode":{"title":"Why Pete Hegseth is Blocking Black Officer Promotions","slug":"why-pete-hegseth-is-blocking-black-officer-promotions","published_at":"2026-06-26T18:45:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728/why-pete-hegseth-is-blocking-black-officer-promotions","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC9604111124.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC9604111124.mp3","summary":"During his second term, President Trump has taken aim at DEI initiatives across the federal government, a focus that has been embraced by his cabinet. Deriding “affirmative action promotions,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directly intervened to block the promotions of more than a dozen Black and women officers. The Atlantic’s Clint Smith recently reported on those snubs and how the Pentagon’s history of prominent Black service members has been scrubbed from public view; he joins us to share their stories. Guests: Clint Smith, poet and staff writer, The Atlantic; his recent article is \"Being Black in Pete Hegseth's Military\"; his books include \"Above Ground\" and \"How the Word is Passed\" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"During his second term, President Trump has taken aim at DEI initiatives across the federal government, a focus that has been embraced by his cabinet. Der…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3282,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kqed-s-forum-910728/episodes/why-pete-hegseth-is-blocking-black-officer-promotions/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kqed-s-forum-910728/why-pete-hegseth-is-blocking-black-officer-promotions.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}