KPBS Midday Edition

More than 24 hours after a fire started on the USS Bonhomme Richard at Naval Base San Diego, the blaze is still raging. Officials are monitoring the air quality and advising residents to stay indoors where smoke is present. Plus, with the start of peak wildfire season, we check in with Cal Fire about how the COVID-19 pandemic may change the way fires are fought. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to highlight long-existing health disparities in the Black and Hispanic communities. We trace back some of that history. Also, Border Patrol agents gave an asylum-seeking mother a harrowing choice: give her newly U.S.-born child to social services or return together to Mexico while her asylum case winds through U.S. courts. Finally, Comic-Con had to cancel its annual convention but it is still giving fans a taste of the action, all for free at home.

San Diego County public health officials reported 560 new coronavirus cases and nine new deaths Thursday, raising the county’s totals to 18,402 positive cases and 415 deaths. Plus, single-use plastic bags are banned again after making a brief return to grocery stores across the state due to COVID-19. But many bags are still lingering in the trash. Finally, KPBS Arts Editor Julia Dixon-Evans previews some of this weekend’s top arts events, including a performance by local rapper Ric Scales, an art show to benefit a historically poor neighborhood in Tijuana and a “fun-size” virtual performance of “Matilda” the musical.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled President Trump isn't "categorically immune" from having his financial records released to a New York grand jury, but pushed back against congressional subpoenas. Plus, the San Diego City Council clears the way for district-only elections for San Diego Unified School District Board. Voters will have a say in November. Also, the county Board of Supervisors approved funding for a mental health diversion program that provides treatment options for people with untreated mental illnesses who might otherwise face jail and criminal charges. And, with the county looking to change how it handles mental health crises, Palomar Health opened the first purpose-built crisis stabilization unit in San Diego County to take pressure off emergency rooms. Finally, today’s frustration and anger over racial injustice has been brewing for centuries and those feelings were masterfully conveyed in the 1973 film, “The Spook Who Sat By The Door," based on Sam Greenlee's book.

New COVID-19 shut downs reverberate through the business community, but San Diego County stands firm behind the decision to pull back Plus, a USC study shows that racial minorities bear the brunt of COVID-related discrimination. Also, with the rollbacks on reopenings, more people are expected to be out of work. And, recruiting young people to join the military has gotten difficult with coronavirus restrictions. And the Army is looking for new ways to recruit online. Finally, a new novel by Oceanside native Brit Bennet reveals what it’s like to be defined by the color of your skin.

Rising cases of COVID-19 prompted San Diego County to order restaurants to close indoor dining to stop the disease from spreading. Plus, the county contract tracing program is not keeping up with the surge of new cases. We take a look at the program’s limitations. Also, new allegations of fraud by American corporations connected to Tijuana sewage spills that have been affecting South Bay cities for decades. And, Independence Day doesn’t mean the same thing to all Americans, especially for Black Americans. Finally, documenting San Diego’s role in the fight for women’s suffrage.

San Diego has been placed on the state’s watch list, meaning indoor activities at certain businesses must be closed for at least three weeks. Plus, a new strain of the H1N1 swine flu virus that killed 285,000 worldwide in 2009 is quickly spreading and San Diego scientists are worried that it could be the next pandemic. Also, years of understaffing at nursing homes in San Diego County has created a ‘perfect storm’ for the spread of COVID-19 cases. And, the state’s stay-at-home order has nixed a lot of vacation plans, but the California Report Magazine has created a virtual road trip for your ears. Finally, it’s half way through the year and we have six songs to discover for July.

While Governor Gavin Newsom hasn’t ordered San Diego County to close certain indoor businesses, the county plans to enforce new health restrictions. Plus, the spread of COVID-19 in Imperial County has been the focus of statewide concern. Also, a KPBS analysis found Black youth are more likely to be detained by San Diego Unified Police than their white peers. In addition, San Diego officials are optimistic that a long-term fix to stop persistent cross-border sewage flows is close. Finally, Mitch Silverstein of the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation joins Midday Edition to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the group's yearly cleanup and plastic pollution in general.

California spends more on inmates’ health than any other state, but is still seeing raging COVID-19 outbreaks in its prison system. Plus, the eviction moratorium in the city of San Diego has been extended until the end of September. Also, the city has finalized the sale of the Mission Valley stadium site to San Diego State University. And, the conversation about defunding school police departments continues. Finally, the pandemic has left the asylum process at a standstill, and many asylum seekers are stuck in limbo at the border.

With COVID-19 cases spiking in San Diego, county Supervisors took the pre-emptive step of closing bars, breweries and wineries that do not serve food, before the Fourth of July weekend. Plus, with calls to defund the police happening nationwide, there’s a petition on Change.org to defund San Diego Unified School District’s police department. Critics say the presence of police in schools disproportionately exposes students of color to the criminal justice system at a young age. Also, the recent Supreme Court ruling banning discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation gives transgender people hope the military will soon lift its transgender service ban. And, a recent report shows that one-third of essential health, food and agricultural workers in the city of San Diego are immigrants. Finally, San Diego Black Panther Party Chairman Henry Wallace V gives historical context to today’s racial injustice protests.

San Diego is seeing an uptick in new COVID-19 cases with health officials reporting more than 300 cases seven times in the past eight days. Plus, an officer involved shooting in downtown San Diego brings renewed scrutiny over police use of force. Also, military reservists are warning the public to not underestimate the coronavirus threat. They’re seeing rising cases in their home states after being deployed to New York to help with the pandemic. Is it time to give people who are on parole the right to vote? California voters will have a say in the matter this November. And, meet “Panca,” one of the border region’s most well-known artists who often incorporates lyrics from her favorite songs in her paintings and murals.