Political Breakdown

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

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

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