Political Breakdown

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