Heads of NPR and PBS testify during federal DOGE hearing
This morning, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee is holding a hearing with two prominent public media CEOs, PBS’s Paula Kerger and NPR’s Katherine Maher, to discuss accusations of political bias. The subcommittee, led by Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, is one step that Republican lawmakers are taking to further question each outlet’s respective Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding. Although the CPB funding doesn’t make up the majority of funding for either outlet, budgets for them and their respective member stations do raise greater questions of how that ecosystem might change. Joining us to help break down the hearing is Frank Stoltze, LAist civics and democracy correspondent; Gary Knell, senior advisor at the Boston Consulting Group; David Lightman, chief congressional correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers and Tim Franklin, Senior Associate Dean, Professor and John M. Mutz Chair in Local News at Northwestern University.
What the Signal leak that disclosed sensitive war plans means for national security
The Atlantic on Wednesday released the entire Signal chat among senior national security officials, showing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women flying those attacks against Yemen’s Houthis this month on behalf of the United States were airborne. The disclosure follows two intense days during which leaders of President Donald Trump’s intelligence and defense agencies have struggled to explain how details that current and former U.S. officials have said would have been classified wound up on an unclassified Signal chat that included Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said no classified information was posted to the Signal chat. Today on AirTalk, we’ll discuss what exactly was disclosed in these group chats and the national security risks involved. We’re joined by Greg Myre, NPR national security correspondent with a focus on the intelligence community, and Hal Kempfer, retired Marine intelligence officer, CEO of Global Risk Intelligence and Planning (GRIP), a management consulting firm based in Long Beach.
Billions go into preserving Lake Tahoe. An investigative CalMaters piece says how that’s going.
Lake Tahoe is a natural wonder, beloved not just by Californians but by the nearly 2 million who visit the Sierra Nevada jewel each year. Efforts to keep Tahoe preserved and protected stretch back generations, but development, tourism, traffic, and pollution continue to threaten the 2-million-year-old lake. Even though billions of state and federal funds have poured into the area, questions remain about how those funds are being prioritized. CalMatters environment reporter Julie Cart has produced a two-part piece on Lake Tahoe. Part one is titled “The High Cost of Fixing Lake Tahoe.” Park two is “‘It will not be survivable’: Lake Tahoe could be a death trap during major wildfires.” She joins us today on AirTalk to discuss her reporting. Do you go to Lake Tahoe? What are your thoughts?
New book explores the triumphant and tumultuous history of National Public Radio
Though millions tune in from their cars and homes daily, the story behind the creation and success of National Public Radio is little known and often misunderstood. Now, a new book by author and journalist Steve Oney takes a peek behind the scenes to dive into the people, journalism, and cultural impact of NPR. Written over fourteen years, Oney traces the history of NPR through its hodgepodge beginnings to its much-celebrated on-air hosts to its bold and early transition into the digital age. Joining us this morning to talk about his book is Steve Oney, journalist and author of On Air: The Triumph and Tumult of NPR (Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2025).
