Faisal Shahzad, the naturalized U.S. citizen who allegedly drove a rusty sport utility vehicle packed with explosives into the heart of New York's Times Square, was charged with terrorism and attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction in the botched bombing.

The California state water board is considering a policy to protect marine life from the massive water-intake systems used to cool power plants along the coast.

Thanks to a recent string of storms in the Sierra, the state is boosting the amount of water it will deliver to California farms and cities.

California’s Fair Political Practices Commission is investigating San Diego County Supervisor Pam Slater Price for her failure to report free tickets she received from the Opera. Slater Price has earmarked $3 million to the Opera from her discretionary funds of public money.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has sidelined many fishermen in that area. Local fishing businesses haven't seen any negative impacts from the oil spill. But, so far, they haven't seen any benefits either.

Surgeons at UCSD say they've come up with a treatment that can save kidneys with large cancerous tumors. The method involves using a drug to shrink the tumor.

May 4th has become the day that "Star Wars" fans celebrate the films they love. The holiday came about because of the pun you could make about "May the Fourth (not the Force) Be With You."

Before "True Blood" and its multiple Emmy's, there was Charlaine Harris' delightfully campy Sookie Stackhouse series. Harris will be on These Days this Thursday to discuss her tenth book, "Dead in the Family," and Culture Lust contributor Meredith Hattam explains why the series is worth a spot on your reading list. Spoiler alert!

Vaccines prevent disease and save countless lives. But all vaccines pose some risks. We'll talk with scientists about how they balance safest and effectiveness when it comes to vaccines.

We talk to Republican Congressman Brian Bilbray about what California can learn from Arizona's immigration law and discuss the economic impact of illegal immigration with leading San Diego economists. And we talk to the San Diego Police Department about its arrest policies and efforts to ensure that community members feel safe going to the police department to report a crime.

Proponents of same-sex marriage fell short of the required signatures to get a measure on the November ballot that would reverse the current ban. We'll talk with a black Southern California pastor about his decision to not perform any marriages until all people have the equal right to marry in California.

A surprising number of California legal cases have been accepted by the US Supreme Court lately. We'll be talking about two of them, including one that centers on a controversial war-memorial cross with similarities to the cross on Mt. Soledad. Here to discuss all these interesting cases is These Days legal analyst Dan Eaton.

The Republican nomination for the California governor's race continues to get nasty. We're joined on Morning Edition by nonpartisan Sacramento political consultant Leo McElroy.

It's been four months since UC San Diego was rocked by a series of racially-charged incidents targeting black students on campus. Since then, top ranking UCSD officials have agreed to a litany of terms and conditions aimed at making the campus more diverse and tolerant.