With Don Kimball Wed 7pm, Sat 2pm
A Show for and About Veterans
Tune in tonight to hear author/activist Norman Soloman discuss his book War Made Invisible.
KNSJ’S COMMUNITY FIRST THURSDAY MEETING IS RESCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 AT THE PEACE RESOURCE CENTER IN SAN DIEGO, 7PM. PLENTY OF PARKING. MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW.
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR. LEARN ABOUT KNSJ AND OUR VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES RUNNING A RADIO STATION AND MUTIMEDIA PLATFORM IN SAN DIEGO, AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER.
With Amy Goodman M-F 7-8am, 6-7pm
TODAY’S NEWS HEADLINES___
> U.S. Empire in Decline: Richard Wolff on Iran War, Rising Inequality, $40T National Debt & More
> “Went to Sea and Never Came Back”: Families of Fishermen Seek Answers After Deadly U.S. Boat Strikes
> “Stand Up for Multifaith Democracy”: U.S. Activists, Lawmakers Protest India’s RSS & Hindu Supremacy
THE WOMEN’S HOUR with Patricia Law Wed 5pm
California State Legislature Overriding the Rights and Votes of Local Voters
Guest Andrew Hollingworth
Patricia and Andrew are in conversation about how legislation can be passed at the state level in Sacramento overriding wishes of local residents. Their conversation includes discussion of California bills SB958 and SB344. Information is also provided on contacting your state representatives.
Bill on CA Governor’s desk would end jail for minor infractions Both houses of the California state legislature recently approved a bill to ban the practice of issuing bench warrants for minor infractions that are not jailable offenses. Comments from Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D – Long Beach), a co-author on the bill; and from Jhumpa Bhattacharya, (JOOM-puh BUH-tah-CHAR-ee-uh) co-founder and co-president of the Maven Collaborative, a nonprofit that works for economic justice.
A California bill aiming to stop the practice of jailing people for minor infractions is now on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Assembly Bill 2122 would prevent courts from issuing bench warrants for a failure to appear in court or pay a fine for a low-level traffic or civil offense.
Asm. Josh Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, a co-author of the bill, said courts should rely on bank levies, wage garnishments or tax intercepts instead.
“It doesn’t make financial sense because arrests often cost taxpayers more to arrest somebody than what they actually owe. Taking someone into custody takes limited law enforcement personnel and resources away from the more serious cases,” Lowenthal explained.
The California Sheriff’s Department Association opposes the bill, arguing it would remove an important tool which encourages people to appear in court or pay their fines. The measure would apply to driving offenses such as a broken taillight or an illegal U-turn, or to civil infractions like sleeping on a public bench or fishing without a license.
Jhumpa Bhattacharya, cofounder and copresident of the economic justice nonprofit Maven Collaborative, which cosponsored the bill, said jailing people over minor offenses can unfairly cause them to lose their job and be unable to pay rent, destabilizing communities. Bhattacharya added poverty and over-policing in neighborhoods of color mean it is an issue of racial and economic justice.
“In San Francisco County, even though Black people make up just about 6% of the population, about 50% of those who are arrested for failure to appear were Black. In Los Angeles County, 90% of the thousands of folks that were arrested were Black or Latinx,” Bhattacharya pointed out.
The bill’s supporters said many people who fail to show up for a court date have trouble getting time off of work, have transportation issues or are afraid to encounter ICE agents. A dozen counties in California already forgo the use of bench warrants for minor infractions.
A Florida grand jury finds the DeSantis administration ‘misappropriated’ funds from Medicaid settlement, Texas lawmakers urged to address the rising cost of childcare, and anti-war groups decry a record $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request.
2026 Talks – August 31, 2026 Martin Luther King III commemorates the March on Washington, close polls are helping heat up New Hampshire’s Senate race and U.S. colleges brace for the loss of international students.
With Don Kimball Sat 2pm, Wed 7pm
A Voice for and About Veterans
Tune in to Friendly Fire a Voice For Veterans and listen in as four veterans, each from a different branch of the service, discuss the exciting and informative events that took place at the 2026 Veterans for Peace four day convention. Susan Schnall, president of Veterans for Peace talks about the numerous challenges the current administration is presenting to those trying to stop endless wars, global climate change, mass deportations and a diminished VA healthcare system.
Sat 1pm
DOCUMENTING THE U.S. MEDIA’S COMPLICITY IN THE GENOCIDE OF
GAZA WITH ROBIN ANDERSEN
In Robin Andersen’s new book, she chronicles how the U.S. media utilized their massive reach to help shield Israel from scrutiny as it perpetrated a genocide in Gaza.
Chris Hedges, a former New York Times Middle East Bureau Chief, is certain about at least one thing regarding Israeli propaganda tactics: “If there is one indisputable fact, it is that Israel lies like it breathes.” The task of professional journalists and media outlets is to review evidence and verify the information they are reporting, but when it comes to Israel, Western establishment media function as stenographers, echoing their lies globally.
In this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Hedges explores the mechanisms by which Western media function as propaganda outlets for Israel with media scholar Robin Andersen, who documented these practices in her new book, “The Complicit Lens.” They begin with a discussion of the ways media corporations control the narrative through omissions of historical context, dehumanization of Palestinians and censorship of specific words, such as “massacres.” Journalists who work for these commercial outlets are aware of their complicity — a fact corroborated by leaks detailing the propagandistic guidelines editorial departments force their journalists to follow — but sacrifice their integrity and honesty for access to those in power and to protect themselves from retaliation.
Hedges and Andersen explain the ways that media outlets manipulate language to cover up war crimes being committed by the Israelis and shift the blame for Israeli attacks on civilians and infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools, onto the victims, Palestinians themselves. Outlets engage in ‘atrocity propaganda,’ amplifying horrific lies about sexual assault and “beheaded babies” told by the Israeli State without factchecking them to generate public support for the genocide of Palestinians, who are characterized as ‘terrorists’ and members of the demonized national resistance organization, Hamas. Andersen reports, “The Israelis were presented in their whole humanity… and the Palestinians are dead bodies, and that’s it.”
Another method of information control is by limiting access. Foreign journalists are restricted from entering Gaza, and those who are allowed in are vetted by Israel in advance. In violation of international law, the Palestinian press is censored through murder. Over 270 Palestinians, including those who work for major media outlets, and their families have been targeted and killed by the Israeli military. The price that we all pay for this complicity by the media is the legitimization of genocide, the absence of accountability and the lack of reliable news sources. As Andersen concludes, our loss is that there are “fewer and fewer voices, fewer and fewer documentation [that] can make sense of this and bring it to global publics.”
TALK OF THE TOWN — LIVE — with Mike Aguirre and Co-host Arthur Aguirre Sat 11am
THE MIDWAY RISING PROJECT SINKING? TAXPAYER MONEY. SOLUTIONS.
GUEST LORI SALDAÑA, FORMER CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY MEMBER
Join us in an in-depth discussion about this project, local and state consequences and more.
Send in your questions and comments to KNSJ’s Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KNSJfm
Photos Lori Saldaña
About Lori Saldaña
Lori Saldaña is a lifelong San Diegan who grew up in Clairemont, in a Marine Corps family. After a surprising “come from behind” grassroots victory in 2004, she was elected to the California Assembly and served three terms, from 2004-2010.
Assemblymember Saldaña served as Speaker pro Tempore, and presided over Assembly floor sessions. She was also Chair of the Legislative Womens Caucus (2008-2010) and chaired the Housing and Community Development Committee. She served as a member of Elections and Redistricting, Rules, Veterans Affairs, Judiciary and the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committees and was appointed to the Assembly Ethics Committee, to investigate complaints within the legislature. She authored bills on gun safety (to end “Open Carry” in California), hate crimes, climate change and energy efficiency.
Lori and her three sisters were the first in their family to attend college. Her father, Frank Saldana, was a career Marine (1944-64) and respected journalist who retired from the San Diego Evening Tribune (1965-1992). Her mother, Virginia Saldana, had an early career in banking, before focussing on raising 4 daughters and enjoying 8 grandchildren.
Lori earned her BA and MA from SDSU and is retired as a Professor of Business Information Technology for the San Diego Community College District. She managed US Department of Labor grants to develop technical/vocational programs for low-income students, and help bridge the digital divide.
She taught in the Communications department at the University of California San Diego, and was a Research Fellow in Environmental Policy at the UCSD Center for US-Mexico Studies; her research article- “From Litigation to Legislation: Challenges to Binational Water Infrastructure Development in the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region” – was accepted for publication in the 2003 Journal of Environment and Development.
Lori also taught at San Diego State University, and was a Dean of Service Learning at San Diego Mesa College and managed a State Chancellor’s grant.
Lori served as a Mayoral and Presidential appointee, working on water quality issues and infrastructure development. In 1992 she was appointed by San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor to serve on the city’s Wetlands Advisory Board. She was Chair of the San Diego Chapter of the Sierra Club (1995-97) and successfully lead litigation to force the city to better manage its water and wastewater, culminating in agreements to reclaim wastewater that lead to the Pure Water program now under development. From 1999-2003 she was President Clinton’s appointee and Chair of the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC), which has invested billions in water, air quality and transportation infrastructure along the US-Mexico border.
She was also a named Plaintiff in a federal lawsuit to force the EPA and IBWC to redesign the international wastewater treatment plant in the Tijuana River Valley, and measure toxicity from industrial sources.
Lori considers herself a Progressive leader and advocate for social justice and policing reform. She has consistently used science-based research analyses and government policies to protect and manage environmental resources, address and reduce the risks of Climate Change, provide affordable housing for those who cannot afford market-rate homes, and reduce criminalization and racial profiling by law enforcement.
As former Chair of Housing and Community Development, she adjusted state funding levels to provide additional money for affordable housing for seniors and veterans throughout California.
She authored bills to improve gun safety, and reduce and track hate-motivated behavior throughout California.
Lori was name ProChoice California/NARAL’s “Champion of Choice” for her work to maintain funding for maternal and reproductive healthcare programs under the Title X federal program.
Lori belives in accountability and transparency in government, and has requested significant audits on issues at the state and local level, as a legislator and advocate. These addressed inequities in hiring practices in the California State University system, and high rates of deaths in custody in the San Diego County jails. Both audits were approved and conducted by the California State Auditor. Each lead to broad, specific policy recommendations for changing the practices that created academic inequities and deaths. The audit re:deaths in San Diego jails contributed to the resignation of Sheriff Bill Gore, who left office the same day the findings were released, and was followed by legislation authored by Assemblymember Dr. Akilah Weber called “Saving Lives in Custody” (AB 2343).
Lori continues to advocate on public policy issues. She has successfully sued the city of San Diego and state of California to enforce people’s rights under state open meeting laws, leading to more transparency and accountability, and increasing the public’s rights to participate in legislative and policy making decisions.
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THE WOMEN’S HOUR with Patricia Law Thurs 1pm, Sat noon, Sun 6pm
CAP TO COLA with VICTORIA TURNER
Patricia is in conversation with Victoria Turner today in Ms. Turner’s role as the FOUNDER and DIRECTOR of SHAC- Senior Housing Advisory Council.
SHAC is partnered with the SENIOR RESIDENTS COUNCIL, a subset of San Diego United Communities, a grassroots coalition of San Diego residents, neighborhood groups, and community advocates focused on local city governance, neighborhood preservation and pushing back against density developments and city parking fees
Ms. Turner and Patricia discuss CAP TO COLA. Ms. Turner and her organization’s 2026 focus is to keep elderly residents in their low-income apartment housing by CAPPING annual senior rent increases to the annual Cost of Living increase. What is going on now is seniors can be financially evicted from publicly-supported “so called affordable housing” when developers can increase the rent three times more than seniors’ social security.
The goal of CAP TO COLA is legislation to limit developer profits on publicly supported affordable senior buildings by capping the annual rent increase to COLA, instead of up to 10% as allowed by California law.
In summary, the public has given a great deal of money, land and resources to developers to create so called affordable housing (also known as low income housing) specifically for seniors. Once an elderly person has qualified and moved into that building, one year later, the rent can be increased as much as ten percent, at the same time that the senior’s income increases merely 2.8%. The math doesn’t work. It is easy to see that when your rent increases three times more than your income increases, you will soon be evicted.
Ms. Turner’s history of advocacy in the public sector includes, among other accomplishments, successfully shepherding County Bill 10668 to establish the Urban Agricultural Incentive Zone in San Diego County. San Diego MTS Community Advisory Committee created a position specifically for her, where she advocated for two years for better ridership experiences on our public transit system via busses and trolleys. Most recently, in 2026, Ms. Turner established the very first monthly, ongoing FREE SENIOR FOOD BOX distribution location at Waterfront Park next to the County Administration Building.
Ms. Turner’s success system relies on FIRST focusing on working within the existing public and government systems to network, advocate and establish programs benefitting our neighbors. When the people in the existing system fail, the mission then becomes rallying the public to replace the inadequate employees.
To that end, SHAC has aligned themselves with SDUC- San Diego United Communities. SDUC is an effective San Diego grassroots organization created by the wonderful Margaret Verrissimo. SDUC connects passionate citizens and their local groups with other groups for mutual support on the public stage.
If YOU are a senior living in *ANY* AFFORDABLE APARTMENT BUILDING in Southern California, please contact Ms. Turner by visiting www.SanDiegoUnitedCommunities.com
Sat 2pm, Wed 7pm
A Voice for and About Veterans
Tune in at .2pm PDT to hear the best of Friendly Fire 2017-2022. Hear from veterans who have fought against almost insurmountable odds to regain their place in society after serving, and then suffering, with challenges both physical and psychological. As always, it’s been my privilege to bring you their stories.