JOIN US for an alternative Fourth of July get together in Chicano Park under the Coronado bridge.
We will be there hanging out with others from noon to three … and others are going to stay even longer till 10 PM.
KNSJ DJs will be spinning. Come to enjoy or just to hang out at an alternative Fourth of July and tell us your thoughts of what these 250 years needs to mean to make us be everything that was promised in the Declaration of Independence!
Chuck Collins is the Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he co-edits Inequality.org. He is an expert on U.S. inequality and the racial wealth divide and author of over ten books and dozens of reports about inequality, climate disruption, philanthropy, the racial wealth divide, affordable housing, and billionaire wealth dynasties. His forthcoming book is Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power is Ruining Our Lives and Planet (The New Press, Fall 2025). His 2023 book is a novel, Altar to an Erupting Sun (Green Writers Press), a near-future story of one community facing climate disruption in the critical decade ahead. See more at www.chuckcollinswrites.com. His 2021 book, The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Spend Millions to Hide Trillions (Polity Books), unmasks the industry of professional enablers that assist the ultra-wealthy to hide wealth and dodge taxes. He is author of the popular book, Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good (Chelsea Green); He is co-author, with the late Bill Gates Sr. of Wealth and Our Commonwealth, (Beacon Press, 2003), a case for taxing inherited fortunes. He is co-author with Mary Wright of The Moral Measure of the Economy, a book about Christian ethics and economic life. He was featured in this interview in Sun Magazine and with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air. He is a founding member of the Patriotic Millionaires. In 1995, he co-founded United for a Fair Economy (UFE) to raise the profile of the inequality issue and support popular education and organizing efforts to address inequality. He was Executive Director of UFE from 1995-2001 and Program Director until 2005. See an archive of Chuck’s writing, videos and commentaries. For media inquiries, contact Olivia Alperstein. For public speaking inquiries, contact Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau.
Weaponizing Civil Death to Crush Dissidents with Hüseyin Doğru
The sanctioning of German journalist Hüseyin Dogru establishes a new precedent in the West’s repression of anti-imperialist speech.
The war on information in the West has tread new grounds since the genocide in Palestine. Journalists and media outlets who report on the imperialist endeavors of the ruling class increasingly find themselves under the boot of legislators who concoct fascist legislation to act as imperial henchmen. Their methods are stretching the limits of the law with the scope and severity of the punishments imposed. Nowhere is this repression more apparent than in Germany where, since October 7 of 2023, governments have banned languages and symbols related to Palestine and many people, not only journalists but also professors, doctors and lawyers, have lost their jobs for speaking out against the genocide or participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations.
In this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Chris Hedges speaks with Hüseyin Dogru, a German citizen and father of three young children, who founded Red Media, an anti-imperialist, socialist media outlet. Since May 20 of 2025, Dogru has been experiencing a “civil death,” as Hedges calls it. Dogru and his family members are sanctioned by the European Union as part of its sanctions package against Russia. Their bank accounts are frozen, and they are forced to live on 506 euros a month, which is wholly inadequate for a family of five. Providing any support for Dogru’s family, such as bringing them food, is considered a violation of the sanctions and is punishable by heavy prison sentences and fines.
The allegations against Dogru are unfounded and inaccurate, but even though he has not committed any crimes, he is left with little recourse in the judicial system. Dogru describes the day-to-day struggles to find answers about what he is or isn’t permitted to do and the painful uncertainty of not knowing whether his children will have enough food or other necessities. His case illustrates the state’s expanding powers to weaponize the legal system and to control every aspect of a citizen’s life.
Dogru calls this attack on press freedom “militarization of the information space” and he notes its effectiveness. His trade union is siding with the government. Journalists are afraid to even report on his plight. Dogru explains, “What is happening to me and to my family scares the people and journalists so much that they self-censor.” When asked about Germany’s support for the Zionist State, Dogru exposes the hypocrisy of Germany’s claim to a historical responsibility to Jewish people. He places Germany’s actions in the context of its declining economy and search for relevance in a rising multipolar world, saying, “German imperialism is trying to be the leading force in Europe as well. And we know how it ended the last time when German imperialism got militarized and expanded in the world.”
Don’s guest is Iranian-born USAF VETERAN PHEDREA BOND. Their coversation includes her military experience as a police officer. Now a member of Veterans For Peace in Maine, she is a police chaplain for the Portland PD and also a professional dog trainer.
Kidnapped at Sea: Thiago Ávila Reveals Brutality Inside Israel’s Detention System
“The destiny of Palestinians is the destiny of all humanity”: Kidnapped and tortured by the Zionists, Thiago Avila says Flotilla activists are undeterred in their support for Palestinian liberation.
Since the Zionist siege of Gaza began 19 years ago, people from around the world have been organizing to break through it and establish a humanitarian corridor to guarantee that Palestinians receive the supplies they need to survive. International flotillas are one way people challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza. As is occurring with all forms of resistance to the Zionist State, retaliation against activists is escalating. Participants on the most recent flotillas have been subjected to abuse, torture and rape perpetrated by the Israelis with near impunity.
On this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, Chris Hedges speaks with longtime flotilla organizer and pro-Palestine activist Thiago Ávila to describe his harrowing experience in an Israeli torture dungeon. Ávila recounts in detail the illegal kidnapping of flotilla activists this spring, the abusive treatment, and the activist’s courage in resisting the efforts of the Zionists to intimidate them and attempt to prevent future flotillas. He places the work of the flotilla organizers in the context of a global struggle, which employs a variety of tactics, in support of Palestinian liberation.
While flotilla participants are almost guaranteed to be detained and subject to abuse by Israelis on their humanitarian missions, this last effort was met with a uniquely brutal response by the Israelis. Activists were locked in cold cells with minimal water, kept from getting their medications, and when they demanded better treatment in protest, Israeli flashbangs were thrown into their cells and disoriented them as Israeli soldiers launched further physical violence against them. Ávila in particular was brutally tortured, beaten unconscious by Israelis, locked in solitary confinement while blindfolded and zip tied, and constantly threatened with hanging by the Zionist officers jailing him.
Despite the horrors inflicted upon the flotilla participants, Ávila emphasizes that their treatment pales in comparison to the severe abuse of Palestinian prisoners, which include children, and the genocide. Hedges states that the actions of the Zionist state are a mirror into “the inversion of the international and moral order” and the West’s complicity, which impacts everyone. Ávila agrees, and adds, “The Palestinian people… show us the lenses to see society as it really is, but also show us the map, that there’s no way out of this except for resisting, except for mobilizing.”
Call in with your questions and comments at 619-790-KNSJ (5675)
KNSJ’S TALK OF THE TOWN PRESENTS A CONVERSATION ON:
PART 1–AN UNDER THE RADAR MOVE TO OPEN UP PUBLIC LANDS TO MORE HUNTING, ROLLING BACK LEAD RESTRICTIONS IN AMMUNITION, ENDANGERED WILDLIFE AND MORE
AND
PART 2–A RISE IN LYME DISEASE, WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SAN DIEGO, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM AND MORE
JOIN MIKE AND ARTHUR AND THEIR GUEST RENÉE OWENS
UNDER THE RADAR—ATTACK ON PUBLIC LANDS, ENDANGERED SPECIES AND WILD LIFE, HOW SAN DIEGO IS AFFECTED – AND PART 2 LYME DISEASE IS ON THE RISE AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU AND SAN DIEGO, DIAGNOSIS, OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM’S RESPONSE
Part 1: A conversation about the dismantling of our National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS). It is not often that an experienced field researcher and biologist writes to warn us about losing protections for animals.
Our NWRS is a very basic protection for all animals, in particular birds. San Diego has over 530 bird species, many using the Pacific Flyway. There are NWRs along the flyway that depend on each other – San Diego being the last stop in the western continental United States.
The new orders from the current administration include an increase in the disgusting practice of trapping. Trapping kills many of our pets – even at Mission Bay.
Part 2: Lyme disease is on the rise. San Diegans are not exempt from the rising cases. A complex disease, a healthcare system not meeting the needs of all of us in diagnoses, treatments and more, you will want to call in with questions and comments.
Renée Owens is a wildlife conservationist and longtime resident of east San Diego County. She is a recipient of the National Geographic’s Research and Exploration Award and received a Special Commendation from the City of San Diego for her volunteer activism. She spends her free time photographing wildlife and hiking with her canine kids.
On America’s 250th, CA wildlife refuges honor natural wondersThe United States will turn a quarter of a millennium old next week, a time to celebrate and recognize what makes America truly great. California environmental groups say wildlife refuges are a key piece of the national fabric and should be remembered during America’s anniversary. Comments from Jeff Aardahl, wildlife biologist and a senior representative in California, Defenders of Wildlife.
As the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary next week, conservation groups said national wildlife refuges remain essential to preserving the country’s natural beauty.
California’s 43 refuges span 1.6 million acres. Congress established the National Wildlife Refuge System 60 years ago, and it has grown to more than 570 sites nationwide.
Jeff Aardahl, a wildlife biologist and California senior representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said cuts from the Trump administration’s Department of Governmental Efficiency are hampering the system’s mission.
“Operational budgets have been reduced,” Aardahl pointed out. “The number of wildlife biologists, interpreters and refuge managers have also been reduced. So the National Wildlife Refuge System now is under great stress.”
California’s refuges span every corner of the state from south to north, with protected lands from San Diego Bay to Humboldt Bay, from the Salton Sea to Clear Lake. Several refuges, particularly in the San Joaquin Valley, are struggling because they depend on water allocations from the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which has prioritized water deliveries to farmers and urban areas in Southern California.
Aardahl noted the wildlife refuges, along with 262 protected areas designated by the state, shelter thousands of fragile species.
“These refuges support many imperiled native species like the southern sea otter, checkerspot and monarch butterflies, red-legged frog, San Joaquin kit fox, gray wolf, and California condor, which is endangered,” Aardahl outlined.
Much of the funding for the refuges comes directly through congressional appropriations to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional funding comes from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the future of which is tied to the America the Beautiful Act, a bipartisan bill currently before the U.S. Senate.
Suzanne Potter, Producer
Suzanne Potter is a journalist with 30 years of experience as a reporter for TV, radio and print news. She spent 15 years as a local TV news reporter in Palm Springs, CA and Providence, RI. She earned a B.A. in Mass Communications from UC Berkeley and spent a year at the Sorbonne in Paris. She lives in Palm Desert, CA, is married with four children and is a longtime leader with the Boy Scouts of America
Thoughtful conversations and a good way to start the day! STOP & TALK dives deep into the themes of purpose and opportunity, guided by the insights of leaders in the arts and culture, health, philanthropy, finance and innovation fields. Together, we celebrated local achievements and envisioned what’s possible in San Diego County. https://www.prebysfdn.org/
