Brad Martin

What started as a low-key folk set behind a desk in a newsroom has become one of music's most iconic stages. This year, NPR's Tiny Desk Contest drew a record-breaking nearly 7,500 entries. Among them were 75 hopefuls from San Diego, all dreaming of a breakthrough moment.

In the latest episode of the Finest podcast, meet Aleah Discavage, whose raw, autobiographical ballad is rooted in personal healing.

Hear more at kpbs.org/thefinest

The revolutionary artist Yolanda López was born in San Diego and grew up in Barrio Logan. As an art student at UC San Diego in the 1970s, she dreamed up a new and highly influential version of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Hear more about her story and the power and complexity of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the latest episode of The Finest podcast — available wherever you get your podcasts.

Photos courtesy of Alexa Treviño, Las Maestras Center UCSB, Yolanda López, Susan Mogul and MCASD.

In this first-ever bonus episode of The Finest podcast, we're flipping things around — host Julia Dixon Evans sits down with producer Anthony Wallace and editor Chrissy Nguyen in a casual conversation to unpack big questions (what is art?), share our hottest takes (sorry, Mona Lisa) and talk about how the show comes together each week. Hear more wherever you get your podcasts.

The Justice Department announced charges in what officials describe as the largest health care fraud bust in DOJ history.

As the Senate debates the giant tax and spending bill, lawmakers are weighing a Sept. 30 end date for the EV tax credits. The bill still needs to pass the Senate and then go through reconciliation.