As America’s presidential election approaches, we are facing an unprecedented rise in mis and disinformation fueled by populist political movements, foreign actors and online platforms. Marisa and Scott are joined by NPR disinformation correspondent Shannon Bond and University at Buffalo professor Yotam Ophir to talk about why this has become such a problem, the impact it's having and practical advice for spotting and combatting disinformation.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the San Francisco Chronicle recently compiled a list of the 20 most influential people working mostly behind the scenes in San Francisco, Kanishka Cheng was first on the list. She co-founded and heads the group TogetherSF Action and its sister organization TogetherSF. Like similar groups recently created in the city, TogetherSF wants to push city policy from the left toward the middle. Cheng joins Scott to talk about their priorities, tactics and potential conflicts of interest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California Target Book is a goldmine of information for campaigns, journalists, and political insiders. For three decades, Target Book has provided non-partisan research on voter registration, campaign contributions, candidate profiles and more. Scott and Marisa talk with publisher Marva Diaz, the first woman and first Latino to have that position. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Governor Gavin Newsom will be heading to Rome next month as one of several state and local officials invited from around the world to speak at the Pope’s Vatican Climate Summit. The governor will focus on how the changing climate is affecting California’s ability to cope with droughts, wildfires and floods. Scott is joined by Marisa and Guy to talk about the politics and policy of Newsom’s trip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices