Crosscurrents

San Francisco's Mayor has been tight lipped about his infamous call with President Trump. Today, we hear about the people working for transparency. Then, why the WNBA's first contract negotiations in six years have come to a standstill. And, a Bay Area poet reflects on Bad Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime Show.

Four months ago, President Trump vowed to send National Guardsmen into the streets of San Francisco, claiming that they would be sent to reduce crime. This was amid similar deployments to Washington, D.C. and Chicago — both major cities run by Democratic mayors.But the night before the deployment was to begin, San Francisco's Mayor Daniel Lurie spoke to Trump in a phone call. And, the next day, the President reversed his decision on deploying the Federal troops. Joe Rivano Barros is a senior editor with Mission Local, who has been following the fight to uncover the details of the Trump-Lurie call.

KALW's BOUNCE host Erin Lim speaks to Crosscurrents host Hana Baba about WNBA ongoing contract negotiations between the players and the league owners. 

The Superbowl was held right here in the Bay Area this year. Now, San Jose poet Ellie Lopez helps us all consider the cultural significance of Bad Bunny's performance at this year's Superbowl. Here is her latest poem "When the NFL announced Bad Bunny as the halftime performance."

Today, a Bay Area harpist finds her way to playing on hip-hop stages. Then, learning life lessons from a game of chess. And, a festival puts the spotlight on Black choreographers.

GEOWAV brings the harp into hip-hop spaces, flipping a classical instrument and carving out a sound that feels fully Bay Area.

Visits with loved ones are a special time in prison. Families come from all over the state to see their loved ones for a short while, and it's one of the only opportunities incarcerated parents can connect with their kids. Uncuffed producer Fonuamana Fuahala recounts one memorable visit with his son.

One of host Jeneé Darden's favorite things to do is dance. She's no pro but she loves watching the pros on stage. Which brings us to the 21st annual Black Choreographers Festival.

Today, the historical significance behind a special creek in East Oakland. Then, we hear a father in prison sends a love letter to his daughter. Plus, Oakland poet James Cagney draws from Zen Buddhism for his latest collection.

Just last week the Oakland City Council approved the transfer of funds to purchase 16-acres of undeveloped land which includes Sausal Creek. It will be held by the Indigenous women-led Sogorea Te' Land Trust and its ancestral caretakers, the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation. 

Derrell “Sadiq” Davis doesn't get to see his daughter that often. He's incarcerated at San Quentin where visits and phone calls are monitored and brief. But one day last year, the prison held a prom for fathers and their daughters. 

A koan is a Japanese word for a paradox or riddle that can't be solved. Koans are used to train Zen Buddhists to release dependence on reason, and gain spiritual enlightenment. The word inspired Oakland poet James Cagney's latest book “Ghetto Koans: A Personal Archive.” 

The San Francisco Unified School District tells a school it has to close. What will happen to its students and its campus? Then, a lesson in embodying Black identity.

This fall, SFUSD announced it would close a small alternative high school, called The Academy. KALW's Education reporter, Julia Haney, wanted to find out why there was such a big reaction to the closing of this small school. And in the process, she uncovered a different story. One about how the district's decision to close this school is making room for another school's expansion and resurfacing a decades-old tension.

Judith Wilson's family lived in a predominantly white neighborhood in Oakland, and her high school was also largely white. But during her senior year, one conversation helped her give a perspective that she wasn't getting in school. She told her story to StoryCorps's Griot project that documented the stories of African Americans in 2008.

The Federal Government is shutting down San Francisco's main Immigration court. Today, we hear what it means for immigrants when a court is closed. Then, a new Documentary explores how the Birth of Black Studies in the Bay Area. And a reading from the next generation of poets.

Following the firing of 17 of the 21 judges assigned to San Francisco's immigration courts, the federal administration recently ended its lease at the immigration court at 100 Montgomery street in the City. Jesse Alejandro Cottrell has been covering the story for the San Francisco Standard. He spoke to KALW News editor Sunni Khalid.

Black Studies originated right here in the Bay Area in the mid 1960s. Crosscurrents host Hana Baba speaks with East Bay filmmaker Doug Harris - he grew up during this period and tells that story in his documentary, "Epicenter."

Now we bring you a reading from YouthSpeaks Bringing the Noise for MLK poetry slam. We hear an excerpt of the poem ”For the Black Kids in My 8th Grade Class” by Ariana Brown.

Today, in an episode of California Foodways we visit a Halal market in San Bruno that helps Bay Area Muslims with their fasts, and breaking them. Then, a taste of very specific flavors to fight homesickness.

Residents of San Francisco's Chinatown are grappling with competing concerns. Then, a Marriage and family therapist helps us get ahead of Valentine's Day with some relationship advice. And, the magic of a classic love song with an Uncuffed My Mix Tape. Plus, a (love) poem. 

Zhe Wu is a reporter with the San Francisco Public Press, who covers Chinatown. Here, Zhe explains what's pressing most on the minds of SF Chinatown residents as they get ready for one of their biggest holidays.

Marriage and family therapist Sinead Smyth discusses the characteristics that research shows are often present in healthier romantic relationships. And Bay Area residents around Oakland's Lake Merritt share their thoughts on romance. KALW's health reporter Alaa Mostafa has the story. 

A new Valentine's Day Uncuffed My Mixtape, where Eric Allen shares his favorite song: "If this world were mine," by Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross 

What's Valentine's Day without a little poetry… and a little regret? Here's Thomas Dunn reading his poem, ‘Should've Kissed You.”You can hear more from local poets here! 

Today, the legacy and relevance of the Asian American Jazz Movement, through A musician and composer whose work is entwined with her community's past. Then, a local brass band that's lending a whole new layer to protests. And, a supportive foster dad gives a big lesson in forgiveness.

The Asian American jazz movement has roots in 1970s San Francisco. It was a dynamic time. The term “Asian American” was first being used, as people were building political coalitions among and across racial lines. Art reflected all of that.Many Asian American artists and activists found inspiration in Black musicians who used jazz as a tool for social change. Today, the work continues. The next generation of local Asian American jazz musicians are asking what it means to make music that honors history, and speaks to the moment. KALW's Cara Nguyen has the story. 

Music can be a tool for cultural expression and social change. For this story, we're going out in the streets to meet a band that provides a soundtrack for Bay Area protests. They're called The Brass Liberation Orchestra. For nearly 25 years The Brass Liberation Orchestra – or BLO – has played a range of protests. But they've been especially busy since President Trump's second term began. Reporter Renée Bartlett-Webber went to hear the live soundtrack to resistance.

When Uncuffed producer Rahim Bradshaw was just a kid, he was sent to live with a foster family in rural Alabama. While he secretly enjoyed their comforts, he struggled to trust them. Years later, Rahim reflects on how their unwavering support was the closest thing he had to family. 

Today, "The Tiny Chef" is coming to the California Academy of Sciences! Then, we get some context for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's recently announced new plan for free and subsidized childcare. And, bluegrass from around the world.

A six-and-a-half inch, green, animated creature has captured the hearts of children and adults. He's known as the Tiny Chef.  He's also beloved for the way he talks. It's an unknown language, but it teaches kids to have patience and compassion for those with speech impediments. Nickelodeon recently canceled “The Tiny Chef Show.” But, he's not gone.... Actually he's right here in San Francisco at the California Academy of Sciences! He has an exhibit and film in the planetarium about how we can save our planet in small acts. It's called “Tiny Chef, Big Impact,” Jenee Darden is the host of KALW's Sights and Sounds show. She spoke with Tiny Chef co-creator Rachel Larsen, and Matt Hutchinson who voices the Tiny Chef. Here's an excerpt of that interview.

As Bay Area families enjoy the Tiny Chef exhibit, many are also thinking about some serious daily family life matters - like childcare. As part of his new affordability push, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a new plan for free and subsidized childcare. KALW's State of the Bay host Ethan Elkind recently dug into the plan with Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, a Politics reporter at The San Francisco Standard. 

Now, a segment from On Repeat, a mini-pod for music discovery. It's hosted by Tshego Letsoalo, KALW's Music Editorial Director. In it Tshego talks with KALW music programmers about the songs they can't stop listening to. In this episode from 2024, Tshego talks with Peter Thompson, host of KALW's Blue Grass Signal.Check out Blue Grass Signal, with Peter, Saturday's at 4pm on KALW. 

Today we hear instruments from all over the world from a little shop in Berkeley. Then, why Oakland's police remain under federal oversight after more than two decades. And, a man in prison shares how he found refuge in a church.

If you have ever walked into Lark in the Morning you might have heard the Sound of Danboo... The store is a combination museum for rare, international instruments, a repair shop, and a brick and mortar retail store. It also serves as a hub for lessons in everything from banjo to the sitar to the hurdygurdy.After working in tech, the current owner bought Lark in the Morning, and continues the legacy of a beloved world music instrument store. KALW's Rachel Longan has this profile.

Oakland's Police Department has been under federal oversight since 2003. The city is arguing that most of the reforms have been accomplished and the OPD was ready to complete the rest -- without federal oversight. But many, including civil rights attorneys and some community leaders, are skeptical.Roselyn Romero is a criminal justice reporter with Oaklandside. KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid spoke to Romero, about the recent hearing and the road ahead for Oakland and the OPD.

Uncuffed producer Michael Callahan shares how he found hope and refuge in a prison church, just days after he arrived at the institution.

Many young people in the Bay Area say their city councils just don't hear them- and they have a lot to say. Today, we hear from the youth. Then, when living outside, getting a handle on even the most basic things, like the time and the weather, can be a challenge. And, a coming-of-age film explores how a Bay Area teenager is trying to keep her balance.

16-year-old Charlie Zeitlin is Legislation Subcommittee Vice-Chair of the Palo Alto Youth Council. KALW News Editor Sunni Khalid spoke to him about what matters to the next generation of voters in Silicon Valley.

This week's Sidewalk Stories dives into how unhoused people get information — from news and history to the time and weather. 

The indie film "Still Life" takes viewers back to teen life in 1999: corded phones, reading profiles of Claire Danes in Seventeen magazine and Y2K hysteria. For Dafne, the main 15-year-old character, this is around the time of her life when her mother dies from leukemia. "Still Life" was shot in the Bay Area, and was inspired by screenwriter and director Lauren Shapiro's experiences growing up here. Jenee Darden is the host of KALW's Sights and Sounds show. She spoke to Shapiro about the film, and how she let her heart bleed into her art. 

Today, we meet a performer who's bringing loud, colorful and all-over-the-place shows to San Francisco's drag scene. Tito Soto is all about the spectacle. Then, an incarcerated man finds new meaning in a classic childhood song. And, the San Francisco Symphony's upcoming "SoundBox" show is not your average symphony concert. Plus, a poem.