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The State Department inspector general says six executives at the U.S. Agency for Global Media were unfairly punished after they raised concerns about steps taken under Trump appointee Michael Pack.

A patchwork of local eviction moratoriums could end in the weeks ahead and possibly lead to a rent crisis brought on by the COVID-19 economic collapse, major economic interests urge action on climate change, and a new podcast series takes a look at the experiences of Generation Z.

More than two million unemployed Californians rely on the extra $600 a week provided under the federal CARES Act. Now that it's ending, nonprofits and the state look to help fill the gap.

The Valley Fire in the Japatul Valley exploded over the weekend, jumping from just a few hundred acres to over 10,000 with only about 1% contained on Monday morning. And while prisoners have been able to join fire-fighting crews for years, many former prisoners still find it difficult to land a professional fire-fighting job. But last week, the California legislature passed a bill that would make it easier for them to get a job on the outside. Also, many Latino workers are finding it difficult to stay afloat financially and maintain housing security during the pandemic, and that could impact their ability to fill out the census. During fire season, smoke becomes a problem for everyone. But, some low-income communities of color could be more vulnerable to damaging smoke-filled air. And, what does fire season mean for California’s old state parks and centuries-old trees? A profile of Big Basin Redwoods State Park serves as a reminder of just how much Californians care about their local nature.

A new policy causing hours-long border wait times was meant to deter unnecessary crossings but it’s affecting essential workers who cross daily. Plus, Supervisor Jim Desmond, who represents a large part of North County, has questioned the county's COVID-19 restrictions. On his podcast, he's also invited controversial guests who have made false statements about the coronavirus without being challenged. Also, the first day of kindergarten is a rite of passage for children. But the inequities in how different families can approach virtual kindergarten could have some real life consequences for kids in the future. And, the San Diego Film Office is up and running again with new COVID-19 guidelines for filming in San Diego.

While gay activists marched and demanded the government invest more in AIDS research back in the 1980s and 90s, there were some forms of government help the gay community did not want. Contact tracing, used by public health officials to contain the spread of the virus, was very controversial during the AIDS era. Similar tensions around it are arising now that it's a key pillar of California's strategy for containing the coronavirus.

A mysterious attendee at Elizabeth Holmes' fraud trial derided the case against her to reporters. Turns out, he was not whom he claimed to be, but was the father of Holmes' partner.

As summer slips by, work continues to dismantle the San Onofre nuclear power plant. The process of decommissioning the plant is more controversial than its 44 years in operation, due to unanswered questions about where to safely dispose of the nuclear waste.

NPR's annual list of the year's best albums is full of work by musicians who hit career peaks, discovered their voices or willed something new into reality.

Officials described a surge of the crowd at the Astroworld Festival Friday night while rapper Travis Scott was performing. An estimated 50,000 people were in attendance.