Who is the Man Behind the Curtain? It’s Russell Vought!

Be Bold America!

August 7, 2026

“We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. … When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because  they are increasingly viewed as the villains.” – Russell Vought, Director, US Office of Management and Budget

Public service was viewed as an honorable profession. In 1986, Ronald Reagan uttered words that were designed to divide The People from their Government. Those words were:

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”

Through the decades, these words have been disastrously effective. Now, neighbors and families have been successfully divided and many do see public servants as villains.

This will be an important show with a very courageous guest. Two New York Times articles were written about Jenna Norton and her efforts to inform the public and the tragic budget cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Did you know that there is an informal organization called the “Civil Servants Coalition” comprised of federal employees who are on the front lines directly watching the harm being done to your government?

Jenna Norton, a federal employee herself, will join “Be Bold America!” in her PERSONAL CAPACITY to explain the most devastating actions the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, is doing to the National Institutes of Health, Science, and other departments throughout the federal government.

So, please join “Be Bold America!” on Friday, August 7 at 5:00pm to hear “The Man Behind the Curtain: Russell Vought” as Jenna Norton courageously speaks out on Vought’s internal destruction of our United States government.

Barry Eichengreen is George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Chair and Distinguished Professor of Economics and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1997-98 he was Senior Policy Advisor at the International Monetary Fund. He graduated from UCSC in 1974. Professor Eichengreen has been awarded numerous honors and awards all over the globe. He is probably the world’s most respected expert in financial crises, monetary systems, and economic history, especially the global role of currencies, central banking, and the political economy of globalization. For over 20 years, he is a regular monthly columnist for Project Syndicate. His most recent book Money Beyond Borders: Global Currencies from Croesus to Crypto was published just this year by Princeton University Press. We talk about Santa Cruz in the 70s, and about the world today.

Rainbow Connections is a $7.8 million Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Innovations Project led by Monterey County Behavioral Health. The initiative aims to strengthen the links between youth-serving systems and community-based organizations, creating “human bridges” that foster environments of support, inclusion, and belonging for LGBTQIA+ youth across home, school, and community settings. Join the show to hear about how this grant is supporting LGBTQ+ youth across Monterey County.  Kacey Rodenbush is the director of the grant and Sam Gomez is the Deputy Director of Epicenter that is a partner in the grant. Epicenter is based in Salinas and empowers young people to flourish in their community.

with

on Sustainability Now! Sunday, August 2nd, 2026

 The Trump Administration has declared war on California and is hell-bent on eliminating any and all of the state’s environmental protections. As part of its “drill baby, drill” strategy, it is moving to open the California Coast to oil drilling and to increase exploration and extraction on BLM lands across the state.  And not wanting to stay out of the action, the Supreme Court recently ruled that the makers of the herbicide Roundup do not have to warn users of cancer risks associated with its use. But wait, there’s more! The bad news just keeps on coming! Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for conversations on these issues with Jason Rylander and Hollin Kretzmann from the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Episode 93: Why do so many devoted mothers feel like they are falling short? In this episode of State of Mind, host Debra Sloss explores the emotional pressure mothers face when real parenting collides with idealized images of what motherhood is supposed to be.

Psychotherapist and author Jessica Tomich Sorci joins the conversation to share an Internal Family Systems perspective on maternal mental health. Through her “Mom Parts Method.” Jessica helps mothers understand the inner voices and reactions that can emerge in parenting — including self-criticism, anxiety, anger, guilt, resentment, and grief — as parts that are trying to protect or communicate something important.

Amber Reis and Karen Mcwilliam bring lived experience to the conversation. Amber reflects on parenting a neurodivergent child while coming to understand her own neurodivergence, and discusses how that awareness helped her reconsider her needs, limits, and self-judgment. Karen shares about parenting through postpartum depression, rage, trauma, and shame, and what it has meant to move toward repair, self-forgiveness, and compassion.

Together, the guests offer a compassionate look at why motherhood can feel so painful for many women — and how learning to understand and befriend our Mom Parts can help create more connection, healing, and joy.

Broadcasts: 8/2/26 & 8/10/26

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* Indicates a Monterey Bay Area Resource 

Online Communities

Publications

Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts by Karen Kleiman and Molly McIntyre – A supportive resource for mothers experiencing intrusive thoughts, anxiety, shame, or distressing emotions in the postpartum period and beyond.

Good Inside by Becky Kennedy – A parenting resource focused on helping parents understand behavior, strengthen connection, and approach children and themselves with more compassion.

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Practical Tools & Strategies

Limit Setting at Bedtime – One practical strategy discussed in the episode is setting loving, clear limits when a child has many stories, questions, or statements at bedtime. For example: “You may tell me two more things, and then bedtime is all done.” This kind of boundary can support both connection and parental regulation.

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Mental Health and Family Support

NAMI National – National Alliance on Mental Illness. Amental health organization with state organizations and local affiliates offering education, support, advocacy, and resources for individuals and families affected by mental illness.

*The Circle Family Center – A Santa Cruz County resource supporting pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood through classes, groups, wellness programs, and community resources. Designated as a Blue Dot Spot, The Circle also helps connect families with perinatal mental health support.

Childbirth & Parenting Classes

Parenting Preparation: Life With Baby – A class to help expecting parents prepare for what happens after baby comes home. Topics include family and couple adjustment, early parenting, postnatal recovery, newborn care, feeding, sleep, bonding, the “fourth trimester,” and the first 40 days of postpartum care.

Counseling Support

 *Shine a Light Counseling Center – Provides affordable therapy services, including individual, couples, family, and group therapy (including men’s groups), across Santa Cruz, Watsonville, and Monterey.

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*Indicates a Monterey Bay Area resource

When you hear the name George Washington, you probably picture the brave general crossing the Delaware or commanding the nation as its first president.  The film, Young

In 1743, at just eleven years old, he loses his father to a sudden illness. His mother, played by Mary-Louise Parker, tells him he is now the man of the house. His older half-brother Lawrence, portrayed by John Foss, encourages him to learn farming but also supports Washington’s desire to continue reading and educating himself. Washington deeply admires Lawrence, who is serving in the British Army.

The story then moves to the year 1755. Washington, played by William Franklyn-Miller, has followed Lawrence into military service. He is troubled to discover that the French occupy the Ohio Territory, believing that those living in the New World should have the right to its land rather than a nation thousands of miles away. Most of his British comrades, however, see the conflict very differently.

Washington manages to attend a gathering at the estate of Lord Fairfax, played with commanding presence by Kelsey Grammer. There he meets Sally Cary Fairfax, portrayed by Mia Rodgers, and the two begin a brief romance. He earns Lord Fairfax’s respect through his confidence and determination, and Fairfax helps Washington secure command of a regiment sent to challenge the French.

On the journey west, Washington joins forces with members of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Indians, who seek justice after the French attacks on their people. Hoping to negotiate, Washington instead loses control of his inexperienced soldiers, and violence  erupts, helping to ignite the French and Indian War. After suffering heavy losses, Washington begins to question his ability to lead. He also realizes many British soldiers lack the commitment, he feels, because they are fighting for an empire across the ocean rather than for the people living in the colonies.

Returning to Mount Vernon, Washington finds Lawrence dying of consumption, or tuberculosis. Before his death, Lawrence encourages him to forge his own path. It is this moment that helps Washington to embrace the idea of fighting for the rights and future of those living in the New World, planting the seeds of the independence movement that would eventually follow.

William Franklyn-Miller delivers a compelling performance, capturing both Washington’s

 The film’s brisk pacing keeps the story engaging, while its score adds intensity to the battle scenes. Although the screenplay takes a few historical liberties, it remains largely faithful to the historical record. And while Young Washington is produced by Angel Studios, a company often associated with conservative-leaning films, it presents a thoughtful and balanced portrayal of the ideals that would eventually shape America’s democracy and its commitment to liberty.

By Molly Sullivan

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Artist, author, educator—Enid Baxter Ryce is on a roll. She's changed her careers on both sides: In her creative work, she is now publishing books rather than working with museums. As an educator, she is using her experience teaching students of all ages to train teachers on how to get students off their screens and back into the natural world.

These changes have been heralded by a sudden-seeming blossoming of publishing activity on her part, beautifully illustrated books that explore the natural and spiritual worlds. But in this conversation, Enid explains how this work—four publications in a span of two years—is the culmination of years of experience and research. From the child who grew up "feral" in the woods to the woman who considers librarians co-conspirators in her research adventures, Enid pours her whole self into her work. She's no luddite—she's a practical user of technology and AI who wants to convince you not to leave nature behind.

Roll up your sleeves, put down your screen, and accept Enid's challenge. She'll lead you to look closely at the lives we are living and how we can make meaning and beauty amidst the chaos of our digital lives.

Visit BABBLERY.com for more information, transcript, and links.

The Babblery features conversations about who we are and how we got this way. Modern humans can seem like the ancients building the Biblical Tower of Babel, cursed by God/nature never to understand each other. As Visiting Translators at the Tower of Babble, our guests delve into their work, their research, and their own experiences to try to explain the bits they’ve learned about Earth’s most perplexing species. Though we all speak different languages, here at The Babblery we aim to promote understanding, one conversation at a time. Visit The Babblery at https://babblery.com/. The Babblery is produced by Suki Wessling with support from KSQD.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, directed by Olivia Newman, breathes life into a story about grief, hope, and the philosophical musings of an octopus. Adapting from the novel of the same name by Shelby Van Pelt, this heartwarming film delivers both laughter and tears, but unfortunately falls short with uneven pacing and the predictability of its plot.

Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus voiced by Alfred Molina, is a resident of the aquarium in Sowell Bay, Washington. Through his narration, we learn of his high intelligence and attitude toward humans, which is generally unfavorable, except to the cleaning lady of the aquarium. This is Tova Sullivan, played by Sally Field, an elderly widow who mostly keeps to herself, but is prone to sharing her thoughts with Marcellus as she works. Tova leads a quiet and lonely life, grieving not only her husband but also her son, Erik, who passed in his teen years in a tragic accident. Marcellus is the framing device for this film, narrating throughout and occasionally aiding to suddenly move the plot forward, but the audience really sees everything through Tova’s eyes, with frequent flashbacks to time spent with her son. Not only do they bond from their one-sided conversations, but Marcellus pledges to heal the hole in Tova’s heart when she saves him after he escapes his tank.

New to town is Cameron Cassmore, played by Lewis Pullman, a thirty-something who lives in his RV and is looking for someone in Sowell Bay. Needing quick cash to pay for repairs on his van, he starts working at the aquarium in the same capacity as Tova, only she must teach him the proper way to clean. This starts the pair off on their unlikely friendship and eventually, they find that despite their differences, they can open up to each other about who they have lost. With a delicate discovery made near the end of the film, it becomes clear that fate brought Marcellus, Tova, and Cameron together to make lifelong connections and find joy where there has been only grief.

This film succeeds at pulling at the heartstrings of the audience, almost in excess at times, but wrestles with a plotline larger than it can handle. I could see it working more as a novel, where character arcs and backstory would be given proper time to get fleshed out. Some transitions between scenes were quite shaky, happening very quickly and with not much information. This is often where Marcellus’ narration would enter, although sometimes it felt redundant and didn’t trust the audience to understand the plot developments on their own. The side characters were charming but only showed up either for comedic relief or to deliver crucial information. This actually highlights my main problem with the film, being that it could not decide if it wanted to stick to a quirky or somber tone. Don’t get me wrong, I love when a film plays around with genre, but the tonal shifts were generally not handled smoothly. Because this is an adaptation of a novel, I am stuck wondering what was changed or cut to make the film and perhaps, what could have made it better. Remarkably Bright Creatures does stick the landing in its final ten minutes or so, making up for its indecisiveness and ending on a hopeful note.

For KSQD’s Film Gang, I’m Isa Cortez.

The 2026 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music takes place in downtown Santa Cruz from July 26 to August 9. The theme this year is “We the Dreamers” and features four world premiere Festival Commissions, eight West Coast premieres, and two U.S. premieres, brought to life by a dynamic global roster of over 20 composers and an extraordinary array of guest artists. 

“We the Dreamers is both an invitation and a responsibility…and we are asking how music can help imagine a more expansive ‘we’” says Music Director Cristian Măcelaru. 

Two queer composers who will be featured are Elena Kats-Cherin who composed Rainbow Promise that celebrates the struggle and success of marriage equality in the UK, and Sean Shepherd presents Wanderlust that is an homage to movement and belonging.

Executive Director D. Riley Nicholson along with composer Sean Shepherd shared their insights about the festival. 

Relationships are the center of most of our lives, and marriage infiltrates and shapes our identity so fundamentally we can either get lost altogether or blossom in a unique, commingled unfolding. In The Invite Olivia Wilde’s third feature film, a weary suburban couple in their mid-40s, played by Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogen, have a comedically explosive encounter with their slightly older, aggressively bohemian neighbors, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, whose boisterous eroticism has penetrated the walls and their psyches, stirring their irritation and fascination.

Angela and Joe, Wilde and Rogan’s characters, have become bitter and resentful, lost in some of the worst ways a marriage can devolve. Angela is insecure and controlling. Joe is defeated and cynical. Angela impulsively invites these noisy neighbors, Pina and Hawk, over for dinner, and Joe, coming home just before the surprise visit, is irked and resistant.

Unbeknownst to them, Pina and Hawk have come with an invitation of their own, and what ensues is hilarious, discomfiting, revealing, and ultimately redemptive. The film would succeed well on the stage, and its production is as close to a stage play as film gets. Shot in sequence on a single set over 21 days, the actors worked collaboratively to shape the story as it unfolded before them.

Because the film relies heavily on a single setting, the standout apartment set, designed by Jade Healy, plays a massive role in building the film’s tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. The color teal, in fact, almost feels like a character itself, and I wonder what it meant to the creators of the film.

Another non-human character that speaks strongly within the story is the cello score composed by Devonté Hynes. If the subconscious could be voiced, this would be its language. The drama you witness on the screen is intimate and in your face, and you can feel yourself as a member of this disastrous, wondrous dinner party.

Penélope Cruz, who plays Pina, is the embodiment of the enlightened, bold guide. She is not only a therapist, she is also an encouraging, sexy provocateur. Her partner Hawk is a gentle, curious adventurer, an intelligent fool who spurs the action towards boundary-breaking revelations.

The Invite hits on multiple levels, and with its traipsing into somewhat taboo social territory, it invites the audience into deep explorations too. The squealing laughter I witnessed from the audience was not only in response to the actual comedy, wonderfully scripted by the creative writing duo of Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, but also, I am guessing, from the transgressive material confronting everyone watching from their uneasy seats.

I am not sure that I would want to take part in such an evening, but sometimes we are lucky enough to stumble into insane and awkward situations that can open windows to parts of ourselves we have forgotten where we can pick up the notes to our song and perhaps sing them once more.

For KSQD’s Film Gang: Christine Barrington