Crosscurrents

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Move to Concord immigration court proving chaotic for judges, asylum seekers Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

On May first, the Trump administration closed its main immigration court in San Francisco's Financial District. That follows months of clashes outside the building between ICE and local activists opposing the crackdown on immigrants. Those cases have now been moved to another Bay Area court in Concord.

The move has resulted in "mega" immigration dockets, with dozens — and sometimes more than a hundred — cases to be decided per day. But that's only one of the problems that have resulted from the move. Clara-Sophia Daly is an immigration reporter with Mission Local. She’s recently reported on the situation in Concord. She spoke with KALW's news editor Sunni Khalid about what she’s found.

Sights + Sounds: BART Prom Royalty Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

Recently BART held their first ever… prom! More than twelve hundred people attended (and danced at!) the sold-out Under the sea/’80s-themed party under the Rockridge Station tracks. And the party of course included the traditional crowning of a Prom King and Queen.

We're so proud of KALW Immigration reporter Wendy Reyes and “Sights + Sounds” Producer Porfirio Rangel… BART’s first Prom queen and king!

BART prom is just one example of how the transit system is hosting fun events to increase ridership. Alicia Trost is BART Chief Communications Officer. She and 2026 BART King Porfirio sat down with KALW’s Jenee Darden for “The Sights + Sounds Show.”

BOUNCE: A Heyday for Girls Baseball Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

It’s a brand new season of BOUNCE! Today, KALW's Anna Casalme is taking us out to the ball game, where every kid on the field is a girl. Plus, an update on how the Golden State Valkyries are playing in their second season.

SHOW: Staying Safe From Scams in the Age of AI Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

AI scams are getting incredibly sophisticated. But protecting yourself doesn’t have to be. And, we honor the Oakland storytelling icon, Diane Ferlatte.

AI accelerates organized cybercrimes Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Online scams have proliferated and are even trickier to detect now… thanks to the use of new AI tools. These scams have become so widespread that this month,San Francisco became the first city in the country to launch a coordinated response to AI-enhanced scams.

This action includes multilingual scam alerts, and financial counseling for people who’ve been defrauded as a result. KALW's NeEddra James reports on AI and while she’s seen an acceleration of these scams, she’s here to offer some helpful tips for how to protect yourself.

Remembering Oakland storytelling icon, Diane Ferlatte Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

Earlier this month, we lost a Bay Area storytelling icon — Oakland’s Diane Ferlatte. She was an award winning, grammy nominated teller of African American stories. For Crosscurrents host Hana Baba, Ms. Diane was than a storyteller. She became a friend, and a mentor. Ms. Diane advised Hana when she was thinking about telling her own cultural tales. What now the podcast Folktales from Sudan.

In 2023, before Hana launched it, she was struggling with questions about folktale storytelling. So Ms. Diane invited Hana to come talk them out with her. And she did that, in an episode of The Stoop podcast that Hana cohosts with Leila Day. Today, we're brining you an excerpt of that conversation.

SHOW: How Fatherhood Shapes Men's Brains, and Lives Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

The way we raise our children is once again changing. Today, the latest science and understanding behind fatherhood. Then, we tag along on the thousand mile journey one musician took to help butterflies migrate. And we are jumping back into Women’s Sports with a new season of Bounce.

Litquake - Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about why it is so difficult to raise families in this country. And the question of starting families is one of the unique and few spaces where the experience of women has been studied more than men. And while motherhood has attracted well-deserved attention, fatherhood has been relatively overlooked and often misunderstood.

One of the researchers that has been changing this dynamic is Darby Saxbe, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Southern California. She has studied families and fathers for over two decades and just published a book, “Dad Brain: The New Science of Fatherhood and How It Shapes Men's Lives.”

So KALW invited her to our live event space to talk about what we’ve learned in the last decade about the transformative power of fatherhood. She spoke to KALW Executive Producer and proud father Ben Trefny. He begins by talking about what it was like to become a dad.

A musician’s thousand mile journey to help the monarch butterfly Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Right now the butterflies are north of us and inland for the summer, but in a month, they’ll begin heading west to make it back to the California coast before winter. Millions of these butterflies used to make the thousand mile trek. But climate change, industrialized agriculture, and ever-expanding suburbs have made this migration harder. Because the monarch caterpillars only eat one thing: milkweed. And it’s not around like it once was.

Without plentiful milkweed along their migration path, monarchs have nowhere to lay their eggs. Now, only thousands butterflies make it back to the coast every year. When one musician heard about the plight of the monarchs, he decided to take a radical step to help them along their journey by taking the trip with them. Reporter Lusen Mendel has the story, first reported in 2024.

Bounce Season 3 Trailer Jul 28, 2026

Show notes

Last year, our podcast Bounce followed the first season of San Francisco’s newest WNBA team, the Valkyries. They did not disappoint, and gave the fans a historic run to the play-offs. And this season they haven’t backed down, currently holding one of the best team records in the WNBA.
So we decided, we wouldn’t back down either. We are bringing back Bounce for a third season. Here’s Bounce host Erin Lim, with a snippet of what we got in store.

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