One of the most annoying aspects of talking to self-proclaimed conservatives is their relentless propensity to retreat to jingoism.

Public health advocates have filed an initiative that would expand health coverage to uninsured children in California by raising the tobacco tax. Supporters say they're aiming for the November ballot. KPBS reporter Kenny Goldberg has more.

Listen to the best musical interludes heard throughout the week on These Days. This week's picks include tracks from Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Maceo Parker, Grand Ole Party, and Tom Brosseau.

The agency that wants to build a toll road through San Onofre State Park isn't giving up on the project even though the state Coastal Commission rejected the plan last week. KPBS reporter Ed Joyce has details.

So Romero scales back the epic sweep of his recent Land of the Dead, and steers clear of self-reflexive jokiness to return to the smaller scale and pointed social criticism of his earlier zombie films.

Weber takes the title for his film from the Chet Baker album that changed his life when he picked it up as a teenager in Pittsburgh. So began a decades-long obsession with Baker’s life and career. Weber came to make this documentary because he was a fan (investing his own money in the making of the film). But such adoration doesn’t always make for the best perspective in a documentary. The portrait can be too flattering or too gushing. But Weber finds the perfect balance of awe and honesty, showing us what seduced him as well as what existed behind the mesmerizing and iconic image.

The races for San Diego City Attorney and City Council are starting to heat up as potential candidates make their final decisions about whether to run for office in the November election. Also, the presidential race is dominating the conversation around water-coolers all over the country. And, a proposal to build a pedestrian bridge connecting Petco Park to the Convention Center is being reconsidered.

A report by the state's campaign finance watchdog shows spending by special interests on ballot measures and candidates has skyrocketed.

Here's the lowdown on the plot. Apparently people have been teleporting for centuries. These people are known as jumpers, and for centuries there have been other people --called Paladins -- hunting them down.