Background Briefing – June 18, 2026
Background Briefing offers an educational approach to providing information in an era of “fake news.”
Honoring Abdullah Ibrahim
Honoring Abdullah Ibrahim, South African jazz musician, welcoming his friend, ally Deborah Felmeth to guide us into the enormity of his great soul, his influential dedication, practice, that he may resonate in us all, with Music – Africa – tears and laughter – Ishmael, & “Mandenberg,” that he played at Nelson Mandela’s Inauguration, and was … Continued
For Pride Month, an interview with Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize winning author of “The Hours,” recorded in 2005 and not heard in two decades. Then an interview with the great science fiction and horror author Dan Simmons (1948-2026), author of the Hyperion series and “The Terror,” who died this past February, interviewed by Richard Wolinsky and Richard A. Lupoff for Probabilities in 1991. Recently digitized, this interview has not aired in over thirty years. Hosted by Richard Wolinsky.
Cop power, sex and the social
Stuart Schrader, author of Blue Power, on how the political heft of cops allows them to get away with murder • Angela Jones, author of Sex in Public, on how the social and political shape our sexual lives (and vice versa)
In a special Pride Month feature produced by Brian DeShazor, young poets from Los Angeles-based Get Lit – Words Ignite respond to the words of LGBTQ trailblazers across generations. After listening to archival recordings by James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and Quentin Crisp, the poets James Mondares, Candi aka Vonne, and Samantha Rios created original spoken-word pieces inspired by those voices and their enduring messages.
I often find myself laughing that my biggest job as a radio host is not talking, it’s listening. That resonated for novelist and ghost writer Laura Zigman. “When you’re interviewing or trying to get the[ir] story out,” she says, “the best thing you can do is just not say anything. The more you just let … Continued
The Stakes – June 18, 2026
This week, voters went to the polls in Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia and DC. Also, President Trump intensified his claims of widespread election fraud in California as federal prosecutors announced election-related investigations in the state. We’ll hear from political consultant Dan Schnur later in the hour speaking about Newsom’s response. As well as Omar Noureldin, Vice … Continued
UpFront (Replay) – June 18, 2026
UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors.
Democracy Now! (Rebroadcast) – June 18, 2026
On today’s show: Headlines Trump’s War on Iran Ends with a “Triumphant” Tehran and a Diminished U.S.: Vali Nasr G7 Summit Highlights Global Economic System “Captured” by Billionaires: Oxfam DOJ Takes Elon Musk’s Side in NAACP Lawsuit Against xAI for Polluting Black Neighborhoods “Shoot the People”: Meet Misan Harriman, Celebrated Photographer & Outspoken Advocate for … Continued
On today’s show, we are joined by members of the Justice Team Network and Anti-Police Terror Project to talk about the Care Not Cops Conference and what a world without cops and filled with care can look like. Then, the Oakland budget with Millie Cleveland from the coalition for police accountability and Lance Wilson from … Continued
Walter Riley on Walter Riley
00:08 Walter Riley, longtime civil rights attorney, fixture of struggles for justice in the Bay Area, subject of the new book cao-authored byJesse Strauss: Civil Rights and Structural Attacks: Conversations with Walter Riley
Democracy Now! – June 18, 2026
On today’s show: Headlines Trump’s War on Iran Ends with a “Triumphant” Tehran and a Diminished U.S.: Vali Nasr G7 Summit Highlights Global Economic System “Captured” by Billionaires: Oxfam DOJ Takes Elon Musk’s Side in NAACP Lawsuit Against xAI for Polluting Black Neighborhoods “Shoot the People”: Meet Misan Harriman, Celebrated Photographer & Outspoken Advocate for … Continued
Background Briefing (5am) – June 18, 2026
On today’s briefing: Even if Trump Has Given Away the Store, Diplomacy is Better Than Continuing to Fight a Lost War We begin with the White House having to release the text of the so called peace deal with Iran they kept secret after it was leaked and, although it is clear the US lost … Continued
Non-fiction Music – June 18, 2026
A mix of jazz, folk, blues and more with Joel Sachs.
LoveSoul with Al Glenn – June 18, 2026
Enjoy sensuous bedroom soul, sexy Smooth Jazz, and scintillating social commentary with Bay Area native and longtime Classic Soul radio taste-maker and Smooth Jazz connoisseur Al Glenn. Have some before this tasty Midnight snack is all gone!