Michael Levi heads the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change at the Council on Foreign Relations. He joins us to talk about his new book, "The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity, and the Battle for America's Future," which investigates the growing energy revolution in the U.S.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday said the Fed will start winding down monetary stimulus later this year if employment numbers continue to improve. Bernanke said the economy is expanding at a moderate rate, and risks to the recovery have "diminished since last fall." But experts disagree about how optimistic we should be about the economy. UCLA's June forecast says that despite improvement, the U.S. economy is not in recovery. We take stock of the national and state economies.

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman joins us in the studio. He's just back from visiting Yemen, Syria and Turkey. We'll talk to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist about his thoughts on the turmoil in Syria, U.S. jobs and NSA surveillance, among other topics. Friedman is in San Francisco to host "The Next New World," a New York Times forum on technology and the global economy.

Each year, charities such as Florida-based Kids Wish Network raise millions of dollars. But according to a joint investigation by The Center for Investigative Reporting, the Tampa Bay Times and CNN, Kids Wish Network gave less than three cents on the dollar to the cause. The investigation identifies the nation's 50 worst charities, all of which devoted less than 4 percent of donations to direct cash aid. We discuss the investigation, what should be done to crack down on bad charities, and how to make good decisions about where to send your charitable dollars.

It's Forum's annual summer book show. We'd like to hear your recommendations for a good book to throw in a beach bag, prop next to your fishing pole, or relax with in the shade of a tree. Whether your idea of a great summer read is "Gone Girl" or "War and Peace," call or write with your picks.

In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the wartime incarceration of Japanese-Americans in what he called "concentration camps." A few Japanese Americans defied that order. One of them, Gordon Hirabayashi, broke curfew and refused to go to camp. He became the face of one of the defining Supreme Court cases of that period, Hirabayashi v. United States. Approaching the 70th anniversary of the case, we talk with Gordon's nephew Lane Hirabayashi about his uncle's life and legacy.

After the first day of the G-8 summit meeting in Northern Ireland, topics like tax evasion, transparency and a U.S.-European Union bilateral trade agreement seemed largely overshadowed by talks of the Syrian conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin's dismissal of President Obama's call to support Syrian rebels has created a rift between Russia and the seven other members of the summit.

In Humboldt County, marijuana supports everything from fire departments to schools. Some residents welcome the prospect of legalization. Others want to stick with the inflated profits of the black market. In 2010, journalist Emily Brady decided she would move to Humboldt and live among pot growers. She joins us to talk about her new book, "Humboldt: Life on America's Marijuana Frontier."

Within the next few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to release several major decisions on a range of hot-button issues including same-sex marriage and the use of race in undergraduate admissions. New Yorker staff writer Jeffrey Toobin joins us to discuss the big cases facing the court, and his new book "The Oath: The Obama White House and The Supreme Court."

"The redwoods, once seen, leave a mark or create a vision that stays with you always," wrote John Steinbeck. Today, 96 percent of the original old-growth coast redwoods have been logged. But the magic of the big trees lives on in Northern California's parks and preserves. We discuss the history of the redwoods, current preservation efforts and the best places to experience them. We'll also examine the latest research on redwoods, including new studies on the potential impacts of climate change.