Midday Edition

Last week, President Donald Trump announced a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariffs on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States.

Markets continue to see big swings in response.

On Midday Edition, we discuss what tariffs are, how they work and how San Diegans will feel the impact.

• Daniel Enemark, chief economist at the San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center

The San Diego Writers Festival takes place this Saturday at Coronado High School and will feature a reading from some of our most esteemed poets here in San Diego.

Including poet Katie Manning who joined Midday Edition Thursday to talk about her craft and what makes the art of poetry special for her.

Plus, KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando previews the San Diego Arab Film Festival, which will be bookended by two Palestinian documentaries.

Then finally, KPBS debuts its arts and culture podcast "The Finest," which connects us to the creatives redefining San Diego culture today. We check in with the creators behind the show and play a snippet from the first episode. It's about PARU, a tea shop in La Jolla.

Guests:

• Katie Manning, professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University and founder of the Whale Road Review
• Larry Christian, event organizer, San Diego Arab Film Festival
• Maha Gebara, event organizer, San Diego Arab Film Festival
• Muna Khalidi, filmmaker and co-director of "A State of Passion"
• Julia Dixon Evans, arts reporter and host of "The Finest," KPBS
• Anthony Wallace, producer of "The Finest," KPBS

Neither parenting nor adulthood come with a manual.

So our guests on Wednesday's episode of KPBS Midday Edition, are bringing you some advice.

We'll hear from a journalist, child therapist and an author about work-life balance, parenting strategies and 'adulthood secrets.'

• Mary Louise Kelly, co-host of NPR’s All Things Considered and author of "It. Goes. So. Fast."
• Jennifer Kolari, child and family therapist and founder of Connected Parenting
• Gretchen Rubin, bestselling author and host of the ‘Happier’ podcast

On April 2, the James Beard Awards will announce the finalists across 25 categories, including Best Chef in California.

Two San Diego chefs are among the semi-finalists this year: Tara Monsod, the executive chef at Animae and Le Coq, and Roberto Alcocer, the executive chef at Valle in Oceanside. Valle, which specializes in contemporary Mexican cuisine, first earned a Michelin star back in 2023.

Alcocer joined Midday Edition to talk about his journey through the culinary world and what it is like running two restaurants on both sides of the border.

And this month, our Midday Movie critics take us to the shadowy world of film noir.

• Roberto Alcocer, executive chef, Valle
• Beth Accomando, arts reporter, KPBS
• Yazdi Pithavala, podcaster, Moviewallas

The legendary radio voice for the San Diego Padres, San Diego State Aztecs and more has broadcast his final game. For over 40 years, Ted Leitner has called the great triumphs and crushing heartbreak that comes with San Diego sports fandom.

As the San Diego Padres prepare for the opening of the 2025 season, Leitner shares what moments have stayed with him over the decades, and the relationship he’s built with San Diego fans along the way.

Ted Leitner, former radio voice for the San Diego Padres and the San Diego State Aztecs

Successful solo travel (1080 x 1350 px) - 1 (1250x2000, AR: 0.625)

Traveling alone, regardless of the ultimate destination, can be challenging and at times lonely.

It can also be transformative — teaching travelers adaptability and confidence.

On Midday Edition, we speak with an Encinitas-based author about her new book, "The Smart Woman's Guide to Successful Solo Travel."

• Paula Silverfarb, author of "The Smart Woman's Guide to Successful Solo Travel"

Earlier this month, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria hosted a “Women of Distinction” event to recognize exceptional women in San Diego and their contributions to the community.

Among the honorees was Cori Austin, CEO of Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit dedicated to helping survivors of intimate partner violence, or IPV.

On Midday Edition Wednesday, we sit down with Austin to talk about how awareness around IPV has changed and what is being done to support survivors today.

Cori Austin, CEO of the Center for Community Solutions

In early March, immigration agents in New York arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident and Columbia University graduate.

The Trump administration argued that Khalil's prominent role in Pro-Palestinian and anti-war protests at Columbia last spring amounted to antisemitism and support for a terrorist organization.

In newly filed papers, the Trump administration also argued that Khalil failed to disclose involvement in certain organizations on his green card application. An attorney for Khalil called the allegations "plainly thin."

On Midday Edition, we discuss local jurists' concerns about the precedent Khalil's case sets for free speech protections and immigrant rights.

Guests:

• David Loy, legal director at the First Amendment Coalition of San Diego
• Annie Rios, attorney coordinating defense for UC San Diego student protestors
• Tammy Lin, professor of immigration and supervising attorney at the University of San Diego's Legal Immigration Clinic

Resources:

• San Diego Rapid Response Network Legal Assistance
• Network Line: (619) 536-0823
• San Diego County Immigrant Rights Legal Defense Program
• Main Number: (619) 446-2883
• ACLU San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter Immigrant Rights' Resource Hub
• National Immigration Legal Services Directory
• California Lawyer Referral Service
• ICE Online Detainee Locator System
• USD Legal Immigration Clinic
• First Amendment Coalition

The Trump administration continues to make significant funding cuts to medical research.

On Midday Edition Monday, we sit down with a panel of scientists to dive into the impacts these funding cuts are having on research efforts in San Diego County, from local academic institutions to the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.

Guests:

• Sarah LaMere, assistant professor, UC San Diego’s School of Medicine
• Kiyomi Komori, senior director of translational medicine, Uniquity Bio
• Leigh-Ana Rossitto, biomedical graduate student researcher, UC San Diego