Political Breakdown

“Kamala IS brat.” The tweet from British pop singer Charli XCX set the internet on fire. Marisa and Scott talk to Guardian features writer Alaina Demopoulos about the memeification of Vice President Kamala Harris and whether any of it translates into donations or votes in the November election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, President Biden said in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, "I mean, if the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race." And then, Nancy Pelosi stepped in. The former House speaker played a big role in convincing the president to drop out of the presidential race – but why does Pelosi still have so much clout? Marisa talks with the SF Chronicle's Washington correspondent Shira Stein about Pelosi's hand in the 2024 presidential race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lateefah Simon worked for Vice President Kamala Harris two decades ago in the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, and she's remained friends with Harris ever since. Simon, who serves on the BART board of directors and is running for U.S. Congress in Oakland, joins Marisa to talk about how the vice president's Bay Area roots have shaped her career and life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that President Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as nominee, all eyes are on the Bay Area native and former state and local prosecutor. Marisa is joined by NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram to talk about Harris' reputation in D.C., where her policy views diverge from Biden's and her pitch to voters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden announced he's dropping out of the 2024 election and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. It's a move that wholly upends this presidential race, which until now has been a contest between the two oldest nominees ever. This is all happening with just weeks left before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and just 107 days before election day. On this special edition episode of Political Breakdown, Marisa, Scott and Guy discuss reactions to this news, whether Democrats will coalesce behind Harris, who she might pick as a running mate and what to expect next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KQED's Political Breakdown team has been in Milwaukee all week for the Republican National Convention. Now that former President Donald Trump has accepted his party's nomination and the balloons have dropped, Scott, Marisa and Guy analyze his 93-minute speech and share their takeaways on the week, including the Democrats' turmoil. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the final day of the Republican National Convention, where former President Donald Trump will accept his party’s nomination. The Political Breakdown team has been in Milwaukee for the RNC all week, talking with delegates, candidates, party leaders and elected officials. Today, Marisa, Scott and Guy share some of the interesting conversations they've had and their takeaways from an extraordinary week for both Republicans and Democrats. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scott and Marisa talk about the news of the day, including Rep. Adam Schiff joining a chorus of Democrats calling on President Joe Biden to drop his bid for reelection. Later, they're joined by Republican Congressman Vince Fong, who won the election to finish the rest of Kevin McCarthy's term in Washington, about his new job, gun control, California's toss-up House races and Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Political Breakdown team is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on day two of the Republican National Convention. Today, Scott and Marisa talk with the Chairperson of the California Republican Party Jessica Patterson after the delegation’s breakfast gathering, where Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin and Donald Trump’s son Eric both gave speeches. Then, Scott is joined by Milwaukee's Democratic Mayor Cavalier Johnson to talk about the RNC's impact on the city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Political Breakdown team is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week where the Republican National Convention is already underway and delegates from across the country have nominated Donald Trump for president. Wisconsin is a critical swing state that Trump narrowly won in 2016 and President Joe Biden narrowly carried in 2020. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss Trump's pick for VP, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance. Then, they're joined by Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson to talk about guns, contesting election results and how to tone down political rhetoric to find common ground. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final episode of Political Breakdown's weeklong series examining what a second Donald Trump presidency would look like, Marisa and Scott dig into the economy with Peter Coy, opinion writer for the New York Times. They discuss what the former president accomplished in his first White House stint and what his proposed tariffs, tax cuts and even immigration crackdowns could mean for your pocketbook. In August, Political Breakdown will do the same analysis of the Democrats’ agenda for 2025 the week before they hold their nominating convention in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political Breakdown continues our weeklong series looking at the possibility of a second Donald Trump presidency. Today, Marisa and Scott look into the impact on climate with Dharna Noor, fossil fuels and climate reporter at Guardian US. In his first term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement and he’s promised to go farther in a second term. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political Breakdown continues our weeklong series looking at the possibility of a second Donald Trump presidency. Today, Marisa and Scott are joined by Franco Ordoñez, White House Correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk, to talk about what Trump 2.0 could mean for immigration enforcement, the NATO alliance and more. We will continue looking into policy areas in the coming days, including the economy and climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political Breakdown continues our weeklong series looking at the possibility of a second Donald Trump presidency. Marisa talks with Vann R Newkirk II, senior editor at The Atlantic and the host of the podcasts "Floodlines" and "Holy Week," about how Trump and his allies want to change the federal government and what his reelection would mean for civil rights and democracy. We will continue looking into several policy areas in the coming days, including climate, economy, foreign policy and immigration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Republican National Convention starts one week from today, and we will spend this entire week examining what a second Donald Trump presidency would look like based on what he and his allies have been saying and have laid out in public. Today, Marisa and Scott are joined by Philip Bump, national columnist for the Washington Post, to dig into Project 2025, the conservative playbook by Trump allies that aims to consolidate presidential power and sideline critics. We will continue looking into several policy areas in the coming days, including democracy, climate, economy, foreign policy and immigration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Spillane is a Republican political consultant who’s spent a lot of time in the swing state of Nevada. What he’s seen there makes him think this presidential election is Donald Trump’s to lose. Marisa talks with Spillane about purple states, shifting voter demographics and ticket splitting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Bay Area town of Sunol is the latest to hold a school board recall election. The recall is aimed at two members who voted to ban the use of flags other than the state or federal ones — a policy widely seen as blocking the use of the LGBTQ Pride flag. Guy Marzorati joins Ericka Cruz Guevarra, the host of The Bay, to talk about how the issue bubbled up and how the town is feeling about it. In Sunol, a School Board Recall Divides the Town Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Supreme Court wrapped up its term today with a controversial decision on presidential immunity — a ruling widely seen as a big victory for former President Donald Trump as he faces charges of trying to subvert the results of the 2020 election. In addition to that case, Scott analyzes the high court’s recent decisions on homeless encampments, abortion and the environment with Vikram Amar, professor at UC Davis Law School, and Jessica Levinson, professor at Loyola Law School and host of the podcast "Passing Judgment." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

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