376 episodes
Political Breakdown KQED
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- News
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4.5 • 152 Ratings
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Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of politics—including elected officials, candidates, pollsters, campaign managers, fundraisers, and other political players—Political Breakdown pulls back the curtain to offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics works today.
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Behind The Scenes with Political Breakdown
Political Breakdown started as a way to give our listeners a peek behind the curtain of politics. Over the past six years, we’ve brought you conversations with presidential candidates, governors, mayors, political consultants, pollsters and regular people involved in politics. This work is important because the policy debates that will shape our country are happening in California first. That's why this election year, we're bringing you those insights EVERY weekday.
Our journalism is totally independent — we're mostly funded by individual donors, so we can operate free from corporate interests and ask hard questions of powerful people. If you want to support us continuing this work, please consider visiting donate.kqed.org/podcasts and give any amount you can.
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Congressional Recount Drama and Questions About Campus Protests
Scott, Marisa and Guy tackle the political intrigue behind the race for Anna Eshoo’s congressional seat, where a recount knocks out one contender. Plus, they dig into the ongoing turmoil and controversy involving campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza, how campuses are responding and the political implications for November.
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When Presidential Candidates are the Source of Election Year Disinformation
As America’s presidential election approaches, we are facing an unprecedented rise in mis and disinformation fueled by populist political movements, foreign actors and online platforms. Marisa and Scott are joined by NPR disinformation correspondent Shannon Bond and University at Buffalo professor Yotam Ophir to talk about why this has become such a problem, the impact it's having and practical advice for spotting and combatting disinformation.
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Kanishka Cheng: The Most Influential San Franciscan You’ve Never Heard Of?
When the San Francisco Chronicle recently compiled a list of the 20 most influential people working mostly behind the scenes in San Francisco, Kanishka Cheng was first on the list. She co-founded and heads the group TogetherSF Action and its sister organization TogetherSF. Like similar groups recently created in the city, TogetherSF wants to push city policy from the left toward the middle. Cheng joins Scott to talk about their priorities, tactics and potential conflicts of interest.
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She Heads the Most Trusted Source of Political Data in California
California Target Book is a goldmine of information for campaigns, journalists, and political insiders. For three decades, Target Book has provided non-partisan research on voter registration, campaign contributions, candidate profiles and more. Scott and Marisa talk with publisher Marva Diaz, the first woman and first Latino to have that position.
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The Politics and Policy Around Newsom’s Vatican Climate Summit Trip
Governor Gavin Newsom will be heading to Rome next month as one of several state and local officials invited from around the world to speak at the Pope’s Vatican Climate Summit. The governor will focus on how the changing climate is affecting California’s ability to cope with droughts, wildfires and floods. Scott is joined by Marisa and Guy to talk about the politics and policy of Newsom’s trip.
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Customer Reviews
Insightful podcast
Smart, sharp, timely and on point. Marisa, Scott and guests do the work to get you what you need and want. I’m a fan.
Your Mom has been voting longer than you, I assume
My first time listening to your show, I learn that journalist of your generation think that their mother doesn’t know anything about politics. Please note that people my age and my mother’s age are the bulk of voters in America. We live and breathe politics for the sake of the generation inheriting this world. You don’t need to dumb down your explanations of ballot measures for us.
Shasta County
Do not disrespectfully talk about the choices we’ve been making in Shasta County. We choose to go a different route, and it has already began to change our county for the good.