Background Briefing – January 20, 2026
Background Briefing offers an educational approach to providing information in an era of “fake news.”
Featured Episode
Formerly Incarcerated People’s Performance Project – Lifers
In this episode we hear from lifers, who were eventually released. These are people who were sentenced to life terms in prison – usually 15 years or more to life. More than 30% of people in California prisons are serving life terms–that’s more than 30,000 people. And they’re disproportionately black and brown men. 1 in … Continued
Cover to Cover – January 20, 2026
A celebration of the art of poetry and prose with Jovelyn Richards.
Join Emiliano Lemus and mycologist Patricia Ononiwu Kaishan for an exploration of how attunement with ecologies is central to belonging and healing. Patricia is the author of Forest Euphoria: The Abounding Queerness of Nature, as well as the curator of mycology at the New York State Museum and faculty with the Bard Prison Initiative. Hosted … Continued
ICYMI: Bay Area Vocalist, Composer & Musician Meklit on Casa Babylon
In Case You Missed It, this past weekend (January 17th) Casa Babylon’s Pedro Arroyo, spoke with Bay Area, vocalist, composer & musician, Meklit, about her music and her latest album, A Piece of Infinity. They also discussed her upcoming show at the Freight & Salvage and more.
In cities across Iran, millions of people have marched in support of their government and to protest violence that foreign intelligence agencies have been instigating in the latest Western push for regime change. Dr. Mohammad Marandi joins hosts Nora Barrows-Friedman and Ali Abunimah to discuss these developments. He’s a professor of comparative literature at the … Continued
UpFront (Replay) – January 20, 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) – January 20, 2026
Democracy Now! is a daily national independent award-winning news program, hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
Palestine Post w/ Samer from AROC
On this episode, we speak with Samer from Arab Resource Organizing Council (AROC) on news and headlines from Palestine. Our Resistance in Residence artist this week is Tarik “Excentrik” Kazaleh. Widely regarded as one of the originators of Arab hip hop, he is a founding member and producer of the seminal hip hop group Arab … Continued
UpFront – January 20, 2026
UpFront delivers a mix of local, state, and international coverage through challenging interviews, civil debates, breaking updates, and in-depth discussions with authors.