Political Breakdown

Latest Episodes:

Check out KQED's New Show Hyphenación Apr 30, 2025

Show notes

Join host Xorje Andrés Olivares and guests to explore what it means to live within a hyphenation. Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to have easy conversations about hard things: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. Hyphenación—where conversation and cultura meet!

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

Rep. Eric Swalwell on Trump’s First 100 Days Apr 29, 2025

Show notes

One hundred days into President Donald Trump's second term, East Bay Representative Eric Swalwell joins Marisa to discuss how his party should be responding. In 2012, Swalwell was elected to represent Hayward, Livermore and Pleasanton in Congress and helped lead both impeachments of Trump. He's become a frequent critic and target of the president and his allies.

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

Do Democrats Have an Age Problem? Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

In San Francisco, the county Democratic Party this week adopted resolutions aimed at repositioning themselves on issues like public safety, education and, most controversially, possible age limits for elected officials.

Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Bass is trying to overcome the damage from being out of the country when the devastating fires struck her city while also dealing with a huge budget deficit.

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

Controversial New Oceanfront Park Could Cost This SF Supervisor His Job Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

Joel Engardio built his political profile by backing the successful recalls of members of San Francisco's Board of Education and its progressive district attorney. Now he may be facing a recall of his own. Engardio, who represents the city's Sunset District on the Board of Supervisors, is being targeted for backing a voter-approved ballot measure that permanently closed most of the Great Highway to car traffic. In its place: Sunset Dunes, a newly opened park that's drawn both praise and protest. Scott talks with Engardio about the new park, the recall effort against him and his career in San Francisco politics.

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

Is This What a Constitutional Crisis Looks Like? Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

President Donald Trump faces lawsuits over his actions on immigration, mass firings, funding threats and tariffs. But are his administration’s showdowns with the courts are heading to a constitutional crisis? Scott and Marisa are joined by Ilya Somin, who teaches law at George Mason University and is the chair of constitutional studies at the Libertarian Cato think tank in Washington.

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

California Takes Trump to Court Over Tariffs Apr 18, 2025

Show notes

After weeks of trying to make nice with the president, Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta head to court, saying Trump’s unilateral tariffs are messing up California’s trade-dependent economy. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss California’s latest federal lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Plus, KQED's Alex Hall joins to discuss the results so far in the Oakland mayoral election, which is still too close to call. The first batch of votes favor former City Councilmember Loren Taylor over former Congresswoman Barbara Lee, but there are still tens of thousands more ballots to be counted.

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

California Responds to Trump’s Attacks on Higher Education Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

President Donald Trump is targeting higher education. Colleges and universities in California are feeling the heat as the administration threatens funding, cancels student visas, pressures schools to end diversity programs and cracks down on pro-Palestinian campus protests. Scott and Marisa are joined by the Los Angeles Times reporter Jaweed Kaleem to discuss how California schools are responding to the latest federal policies.

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

With Trans Athletes Under Attack, What Does Fairness Look Like? Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Cal Calamia is a nonbinary transmasculine runner and an activist who has successfully pushed to create nonbinary running categories in some of the world’s largest marathons. Calamia joins Marisa in studio to dig into the debate over transgender participation in sports.

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

The Port, the Panthers and Oakland Politics Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

With Tuesday's Oakland mayoral special election just days away, Marisa and Guy are joined by Oakland resident and KQED Forum co-host Alexis Madrigal. Madrigal is the author of a new book, “The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City," about how the port of Oakland and global commerce shaped the city and its residents. They discuss the city's history and upcoming election.

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

Barbara Lee Says She’ll Set Oakland On a Path to Success Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

Barbara Lee is running for mayor of Oakland in next week’s special election. If she wins, it would be the capstone of a long and storied political career that took her from the East Bay to Sacramento and Washington D.C., where she spent nearly three decades in Congress. Lee joins Marisa and Guy in studio to discuss why she wants to lead Oakland now, as the city faces a significant budget deficit and ongoing challenges related to public safety, homelessness and more.

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