Acclaimed poet and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni “Chases Utopia” in her new collection of poems. We’ll spend the hour with her discussing poetry, relationships, food, and of course, hear her poems in her own voice. …

Two academics and authors, two communities of color. We’ll spend the hour with Arizona State University’s Wendy Cheng, and Pomona College’s Gilda Ochoa on Asian Americans and Latinos in Southern California. …

Transforming our economy, and our nation. We’ll spend the hour with journalist, writer, activist, and chef Arun Gupta. …

We’ll analyze the writings of two of the highest profile Guantanamo inmates, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad’s newly released “manifesto,” and Abu Zubaydah’s Diaries, with investigative reporter Jason Leopold. And, economist Richard Wolff joins us to help understand today’s economy in real terms that matter to the 99%. Plus, a look at Haiti, 4 years after the devastating earthquake. …

We’ll attempt to understand the newest revelations on the NSA’s method of tapping into computers, as President Obama gets ready to announce his recommendations for reform to the spy program. And, why Net Neutrality is in more danger than ever before. Plus, we’ll speak with the film makers of the acclaimed award winning documentary, The Square, about Egypt’s experiment in revolution. …

We’ll turn to Egypt where political upheaval is on-going and where Egyptians are voting on a new constitution. Plus, we’ll have an in-depth conversation with one of the central figures in the war on tobacco, on the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General’s seminal report linking smoking to lung cancer. Dr. Stanley Glantz, head of the Center for Tobacco Control, Research, and Education at UC San Francisco, will be my guest. …

Chris Hedges on what a Chris Christie Presidency might bring, part 2 of our 2 part conversation with Dr. Eric Walsh on food justice and how it links with race, class, and climate. Plus, a look at the state of the first nation to revolt during the Arab Spring: Tunisia. …

We’ll commemorate the legacy of the late great Amiri Baraka. We’ll hear him in his own voice, preserved in the Pacifica Radio Archives, and turn to poet Nikki Giovanni on his influence in poetry and politics. Plus, part 1 of a 2 part conversation with Dr. Eric Walsh, Public Health Director at the City of Pasadena on the urban food justice movement and how it’s linked to racial and economic justice, as well as climate …

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We’ll examine 50 years of the so-called “war on poverty” – how it succeeded, and what caused it to fail. And, California’s new law allowing transgender students equal access to services in public schools is now under attack from conservative groups – we’ll find out what’s at stake. Plus, a new California regulation finally phases out the use of harmful flame retardant chemicals in furniture. …

We’ll speak with journalist Matthew Fleischer about LA County Sherriff Lee Baca’s surprise resignation announcement and the on-going investigations into LA County jails. And, media reform activists, scholars, and authors Robert McChesney and John Nichols join me in studio once more to discuss money in elections, and what they call “Dollarocracy.” …