Political Breakdown

With migrants attempting to cross the U.S. southern border in record numbers, immigration is becoming one of the top issues in this year’s presidential campaign. President Biden is adopting some hard-line positions, even vowing to "shut down" the border if Congress passes a bipartisan deal. Marisa and Scott dig into the crisis at the border with Hamed Aleaziz, an immigration reporter for the New York Times who's covered the issue since former President Trump’s tumultuous term.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The dean of UC Berkeley’s Law School has signed onto a legal brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that Donald Trump is ineligible to be president due to his participation in the January 6th insurrection. Scott talks with Dean Erwin Chemerinsky about that issue and all the other legal perils Trump is facing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California’s high-speed rail project has been way over budget and way behind schedule since voters approved it in 2008. But progress is actually being made. Scott talks with KQED transportation editor Dan Brekke and CalMatters reporter Yousef Baig about the impact of the high-speed rail project in the Central Valley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris’ push to rally voters in San José around support for reproductive rights ran headlong into protests on Monday, demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza. Scott talks about that with Guy Marzorati, who was there before and during Harris' appearance. Plus, President Joe Biden is facing major problems with younger voters. They’re upset his climate change policies haven’t gone further, and they're disaffected by his unwavering support for Israel in its war with Hamas. Some think a push for decriminalizing marijuana use could help Biden win back voters under 30. Scott talks to David Downs, senior editor and reporter with Leafly.com, an online publication that covers marijuana policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the New Hampshire primary in the rearview mirror, the presidential race is heating up. Next up? South Carolina.Plus, Vice President Kamala Harris stumps in California, keeping abortion rights at the top of Democrats' agenda. And, how California politicians are stepping up to help President Joe Biden. Scott, Marisa and Guy chat about the week's news in politics.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Lee is the only woman of color and the most progressive candidate running for U.S. Senate in California. If elected, it would be the cap to a long career that started with Shirley Chisholm's groundbreaking 1972 presidential campaign. Marisa and Guy chat with Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee in the first of Political Breakdown's interviews with the candidates hoping to claim the seat held for more than 30 years by the late Dianne Feinstein.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A wave of layoffs decimates the Los Angeles Times newsroom, with cuts hitting younger journalists of color especially hard and upending the billionaire owner's promise to expand the paper's coverage of L.A.'s diverse communities.Scott talks with Geeta Anand, the dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and L.A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano about the threat to local journalism and how sweeping media layoffs will affect coverage of a high-stakes election year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last night the four leading candidates for the U.S. Senate once held by Dianne Feinstein squared off in their first debate. The candidates spelled out their positions on the Israel-Hamas war, Trump, the economy and abortion. Scott and Marisa dissect the debate with POLITICO's California Bureau Chief Christopher Cadelago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the latest Republican presidential candidate to drop out, a victim of bad poll numbers that show him far behind Donald Trump. Why do polls carry so much weight? And how do they shape voters' impressions of candidates? Scott talks with veteran pollster David Binder about the science of polling and the art of telling good ones from bad ones.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s a new entry into the 2026 race for Governor of California. State Senate President Toni Atkins is seeking to become the first woman and first openly LGBTQ person to be governor. Plus, Scott, Marisa and Guy test out an AI bot made by Silicon Valley billionaires trying to get Dean Phillips elected as president.Relisten to past Political Breakdown interviews with some of the candidates running for California Governor in 2026:She Broke 2 Glass Ceilings in Sacramento. Will She Try for 3Tony Thurmond on Culture Wars in California SchoolsBetty Yee on a Lifetime of Running the NumbersEleni Kounalakis on the Lieutenant Governor's Role During the Coronavirus Outbreak and Lessons from Diplomacy in Hungary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices