Political Breakdown

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Here’s What You Should Know About Barbara Lee Jan 26, 2024

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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.

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L.A. Times Layoffs Decimate Journalists of Color Jan 25, 2024

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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.

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Senate Debate Winners, Zingers and Head Scratchers Jan 24, 2024

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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.

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Good Polls, Bad Polls and How to Tell the Difference Jan 23, 2024

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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.

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A Bot for a Presidential Candidate Raises Questions Jan 20, 2024

Show notes

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 3

Tony Thurmond on Culture Wars in California Schools

Betty Yee on a Lifetime of Running the Numbers

Eleni Kounalakis on the Lieutenant Governor's Role During the Coronavirus Outbreak and Lessons from Diplomacy in Hungary

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How to Win the Messaging War Jan 19, 2024

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It’s a common complaint among Democrats: The GOP is winning the messaging war. So how can they do better? Marisa and Scott are joined by Democratic strategists Anat Shenker-Osorio and Jenifer Fernandez Ancona who released new research examining what economic messaging is most likely to work for Democratic candidates this election year.

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Janet Napolitano on What Political Security Means in 2024 Jan 18, 2024

Show notes

California Democrats are split on immigration and border security, according to a new poll. KQED's immigration editor Tyche Hendricks joins Scott to break down how this could affect the 2024 elections. Then, Scott is joined by former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to talk about what security means in the age of AI and rising doubts about the integrity of our elections.

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3 Tickets Out of Iowa – And 2 Tickets Back Home Jan 17, 2024

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There were no big surprises in Monday’s Republican Iowa Caucuses. Donald Trump grabbed more than half the votes, leaving Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley to fight over the crumbs. Now it’s on to New Hampshire, where those three will once again square off. Scott and Marisa talk to POLITICO's Brakkton Booker about the state of the presidential race.

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One Republican Shows Momentum in California's U.S. Senate Race Jan 13, 2024

Show notes

Scott, Marisa and Guy analyze the week's top political stories, including a fresh poll showing California's U.S. Senate race is still very much up for grabs and the very real possibility that the top two will include one Republican and one Democrat. Plus, they look ahead to next week, when Republicans will brave the snow and cold in Iowa to caucus for their candidate.

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She Broke 2 Glass Ceilings in Sacramento. Will She Try for 3? Jan 12, 2024

Show notes

Toni Atkins is the only person in California to have served as both speaker of the Assembly and president of the Senate in the past 150 years. The San Diego Democrat has broken several glass ceilings as a woman and a lesbian. Will she try to break another by running for governor in 2026? Marisa and Scott chat with Atkins about her path from growing up in Appalachia to the top of the California State Legislature.

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