370 episodes

Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of politics—including elected officials, candidates, pollsters, campaign managers, fundraisers, and other political players—Political Breakdown pulls back the curtain to offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics works today.

Political Breakdown KQED

    • News

Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of politics—including elected officials, candidates, pollsters, campaign managers, fundraisers, and other political players—Political Breakdown pulls back the curtain to offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics works today.

    California Moves To Create a “Sanctuary” for Arizona Women Seeking Abortions

    California Moves To Create a “Sanctuary” for Arizona Women Seeking Abortions

    A bill to ban non-disclosure agreements while outside groups negotiate legislation failed in committee, creating some interesting alliances in the process. Meanwhile, a bill to allow licensed doctors from Arizona to perform abortions in California moves forward. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss it all in this week's roundtable. 
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    • 24 min
    UC Regent John Pérez on the Gaza Protests Roiling College Campuses

    UC Regent John Pérez on the Gaza Protests Roiling College Campuses

    As protests over the war in Gaza roil college campuses from New York to California, Marisa and Scott sit down with UC Regent John Pérez, who has served on the board overseeing the University of California system since 2014 and was recently appointed to another 12 year term. Pérez was also Speaker of the State Assembly from 2010 to 2014.
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    • 31 min
    Voters Under 35 Have A Lot At Stake in November. Here’s What They’re Thinking About

    Voters Under 35 Have A Lot At Stake in November. Here’s What They’re Thinking About

    As part of KQED's Youth Takeover Week, we’ll hear from young voters and what they care about most. From the war in Gaza to climate change, student debt and how they might vote in November. In addition to hearing from young Bay Area voters, Scott talks with Erin Heys, policy director and senior researcher for the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans and Saa’un Bell with Power California, which focuses on young people of color and LGBTQ voters throughout the state.
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    • 29 min
    Writer Mark Leibovich on Newsom, Biden, Trump and the “D.C. Carnival”

    Writer Mark Leibovich on Newsom, Biden, Trump and the “D.C. Carnival”

    Writer Mark Leibovich of The Atlantic is known as a shrewd observer of presidents, Congressional leaders, insurgents and insiders, capturing it all in books like “This Town," which describes what he calls “the carnival that D.C. has become.” He just wrote a profile of Gov. Gavin Newsom, and he joins Scott to talk about this strange and unsettled moment in U.S. politics. 
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    • 29 min
    NYU’s Melissa Murray Dissects Trump’s Trial and Presidential Immunity

    NYU’s Melissa Murray Dissects Trump’s Trial and Presidential Immunity

    The first criminal trial against Donald Trump got underway in New York Monday– a case where prosecutors say Trump engaged in a conspiracy to cover up a sex scandal with adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to get elected president in 2016.

    The former president is facing dozens of felony charges and the possibility of prison time. The trial comes days before the U.S. Supreme Court considers the limits of presidential immunity as Trump also faces federal charges over his involvement in the Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol and charges in another case over his handling of national security documents at his home in Florida.

    Melissa Murray, a law professor at New York University and co-author of The Trump Indictments joins Scott to explain what’s at stake and what’s ahead for the Republican presidential nominee.
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    • 24 min
    Newsom Promises to Get Tough With Local Homeless Programs

    Newsom Promises to Get Tough With Local Homeless Programs

    After a state audit slammed California for not carefully tracking outcomes of public money spent on homelessness programs, Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week, “I’m not interested in funding failure any longer,” and promised to hold local governments accountable.
    And on Monday the U.S. Supreme Court will hear a major case that could change how West Coast cities police homelessness.
    Political journalist Nikki Laurenzo joins Political Breakdown to discuss these and more developments in California's approach to homelessness.
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    • 25 min

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