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.
-
The Aftermath of the Trump-Biden Debate
Last night’s presidential debate was President Biden’s chance to make the case to the American public that he’s up for another four-year term. But did he succeed?
Marisa and Scott dissect both Biden's and Trump’s performances, discuss why some Democrats are panicking and assess Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in the coming weeks.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Sen. Padilla on the Presidential Debate, Immigration, Two Years Since Dobbs
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was sworn in to represent California in January 2021. Since then, he’s made a name as an outspoken advocate for immigration reform and reproductive rights — someone who’s not afraid to take on his own party over their rightward lurch on border policy. Senator Padilla joins Marisa just moments before the first 2024 presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump and shares what he's hoping to see in the debate.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Rep. Robert Garcia on Being the First LGBTQ Immigrant Elected to Congress
Representative Robert Garcia made history two years ago by becoming the first LGBT immigrant elected to Congress, where he represents Long Beach. Garcia has quickly established himself as a rising star, and the self-described comic book nerd seems to relish taking on hard-right representatives like Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia. Scott talks with Garcia at NPR headquarters in Washington D.C.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
Rep. Jared Huffman Preparing for Trump 2.0 With a Task Force to Block Authoritarianism
Since getting elected to Congress in 2012, Jared Huffman has represented a sprawling district that stretches from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border. Huffman recently co-founded a Democratic task force aimed at heading off the most authoritarian parts of Project 2025, the blueprint of extreme policies and plans for Donald Trump if he wins in November. Scott talks with Huffman about the task force's goals.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How a New and Fragile LGBTQ Rights Movement Defeated a Measure to Ban Gay Teachers in 1978
In 1978, a California ballot measure known as the Briggs Initiative sought to ban openly gay teachers from the classroom. It seemed headed for an easy victory based on polls released months before the election, but a coalition of odd bedfellows — including gay Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco, organized labor, Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter — came together to crush the initiative.
The rise and fall of the Briggs Initiative and the huge stakes the measure posed for a very young and fragile gay rights movement are documented in this season of Slate’s podcast "Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs." Scott is joined by Slow Burn host Christina Cauterucci.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices -
How Courtrooms and Sacramento Back Rooms are Shaping the November Ballot
In a big win for Democrats, the California Supreme Court says a ballot measure that would have fundamentally changed the way state and local governments impose taxes cannot appear on the November ballot. It’s the first time in decades that the state Supreme Court has removed a citizen initiative from the ballot before voting.
Plus, it's crunch time in Sacramento as the deadline for ballot measures approaches. Scott, Marisa and Guy talk chew over this blockbuster week of news.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices