Episodios

  • Episode 417: Laundering Lunacy

    Episode 417: Laundering Lunacy
    Nov 11 2025

    Following his big Prop 50 win last week, Governor Gavin Newsom hit the road, denouncing the Democrats’ deal to end the federal shutdown, accepting the thanks of worshipful Democrats in Houston, and appearing as the highest-ranking American representative at the U.N.’s climate talks in Brazil. In other news, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and OpenAI’s Sam Altman say they feel bad about making so much money, Santa Barbara County officials stand bravely athwart common sense and yell stop, and a federal judge orders AG Rob Bonta to explain himself on the state’s policies regarding gender fluidity in California schools. On this day in history, we remember the Rickenbackers of California -- the World War I flying ace and his guitar-making cousin. Music by Metalachi.

    Email Us:
    dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.com
    will@calpolicycenter.org

    Follow Us:
    @DavidBahnsen
    @WillSwaim
    @TheRadioFreeCA

    Show Notes:

    • Newsom, Eyeing 2028, Tries to Mess With Texas: ‘Don’t Poke the Bear’
    • Newsom blasts shutdown deal
    • ‘China gets it. America is toast,’ Newsom warns, blasting US climate drift
    • Newsom in Brazil Blasts Trump, Praises China
    • Sable’s no good, very bad week
    • OpenAI's Sam Altman defends Bay Area billionaire when grilled over wealth gap
    • OpenAI is asking for the federal government to help power a massive expansion of its data center network
    • Judge Orders California Education Officials to Explain Why They Shouldn’t Be Sanctioned
    • Sacramento: Charter school renewal denied by Sacramento school district. What comes next?

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    56 m
  • Episode 416: Prop. Fiddy (Emergency Episode!)

    Episode 416: Prop. Fiddy (Emergency Episode!)
    Nov 7 2025

    Jon Fleischman steps into this emergency episode to break down Governor Gavin Newsom's gangsta moves in pushing Proposition 50 over the finish line. In other news, we consider Representative Nancy Pelosi’s just-announced retirement, and the rise (again) of antisemitism. Music by Metalachi.

    Email Us:
    dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.com
    will@calpolicycenter.org

    Follow Us:
    @DavidBahnsen
    @WillSwaim
    @TheRadioFreeCA

    Show Notes:
    Jon Fleischman’s “So Does it Matter?” podcast


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    42 m
  • Episode 415: Shafting Shafter

    Episode 415: Shafting Shafter
    Nov 3 2025
    More than $100 billion over budget and five years late, Governor Newsom’s high-speed rail project has settled on a new strategy: shortcuts -- including one through the middle of Shafter, Calif. In other news: The secret life of NYC’s David Bahnsen, Newsom tells ABC’s Jonathan Karl he’s a border hawk, we remember the 1947 flight of Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose, and what Ronald Reagan said about tariffs that Ronald Reagan Presidential Library officials can’t remember. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:New York’s Golden Handcuffs: Why the City Has a Special Hold on the RichTrump Is Mad at Canada, but Not for Misquoting ReaganNewsom says US faces '5-alarm fire' and warns 'we won't have a country'The feds want to know more about the people on food stamps. How Newsom respondedNewsom Gives Trump’s Vanity Ballroom Brutal New NicknameWhat is Gov. Gavin Newsom's role in the California Capitol Annex project?Exxon sues California over new laws requiring corporate climate disclosuresCalifornia’s War on Oil Finally Prompts a ResponseCA state retirement fund lost 71% of $468M put in clean energy, won’t say howWhy an entire Calif. town is standing up against the high-speed railIdaho official investigating Millbrae police chief over property tax breakPrincipal resigns after investigator finds Grindr app used to pursue sex with student Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    59 m
  • Episode 414: Did the New York Times Just End Scott Wiener?

    Episode 414: Did the New York Times Just End Scott Wiener?
    Oct 28 2025
    State Senator Scott Wiener is angling for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat but a New York Times magazine investigation links Wiener’s 2022 “Safer Streets for All Act” to a boom in the sex-trafficking of children in California. In other news: Newsom matches Trump in the theatrical use of National Guardsmen, the Los Angeles school teacher who called for armed resistance to immigration enforcement, the “Wealth Tax” makes a California comeback, and how I Love Lucy changed television and the world. Bonus: Lance Christensen discusses some 800 bills now turned into law, as Gavin Newsom force-feeds Californians already choking on regulation. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Can Anyone Rescue the Trafficked Girls of L.A.’s Figueroa Street?Newsom Says Trump Is ‘Rigging the Election’ With Federal Poll MonitorsInside the Tech CEO Campaign to Stop Trump From Sending Troops to San FranciscoNational Guard troops, deployed by Newsom, arrive at LA Regional Food Bank amid government shutdownThe Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012 The Origins of the American Military Coup of 2012Los Angeles teacher says ICE agents are 'not the only ones with guns' following shooting of federal agentShould billionaires pay more? California unions want voters to decideThe Force awakens in San Jose Cash payments to unhoused people likely won't end homelessness, but recipients spent wisely, California study saysPhillips 66, Kinder plan first-ever California-bound fuel pipelineBill-O-Rama with Lance Christensen:SB 414 (Ashby) – Regulating charter schools to death (cf AB 84, Muratsuchi) – VETOEDSB 848 (Perez) – Stop passing the trash teachers bill from the Senate Ed Chair – SIGNEDAB 1454 (Rivas) – Holding school districts accountable for literacy scores now that AB 1454 (Rivas) passedAB 1370 (Patterson) – NDA prohibitions for the legislature (Zavala interview) – SIGNEDSB 237 (Grayson) – Allowing more oil drilling in CA – SIGNEDAB 1207 (Irwin) – Continuing cap and tax program – SIGNED Is cap and tax slowly dying to accommodate need for massive increase in electrical production to provide for more AI, datacenter capacity? (CalMatter's piece)AB 628: A Costly New Mandate For California Landlords – SIGNED AB 1264 that eliminated ultra processed foods for kids, but is still gung-ho on sterilizing and mutilating them (Gov press release) – SIGNED Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 h y 29 m
  • Episode 413: Newsom 2028!

    Episode 413: Newsom 2028!
    Oct 23 2025
    He is among the nation’s very worst governors, but Gavin Newsom is among America’s most skillful politicians — and has the inside track on the race for the White House. In other news, bombs bursting in air (at the Marine Corps' anniversary celebration starring JD Vance), the California Faculty Association is ready to fight fascists (but first wants to know if you're a Jew), Nancy Pelosi is still alive (and maybe not a fan of State Senator Scott Wiener), and the Pioneer League's Ballers bring a baseball championship back to Oakland. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Ballers bring home Oakland’s first baseball title since 1989How military’s ‘safe’ plan to fire munitions over Interstate 5 went off the rails with CHP cruiser hitNational Guard deployed to help food banks amid federal shutdown, Newsom saysHow Did California Spend Billions on Homelessness Only for It to Get Worse? Two New Criminal Cases Offer a ClueGavin Newsom, Pharma BaronPelosi succession intrigue in San FranciscoScott Wiener is done waiting on Nancy Pelosi. He’s running in 2026, sources sayFederal Judge Certifies Class Action for All Parents and Teachers Opposing Gender Secrecy RulesSchool spending surged. Academic achievement? Not so muchNewsom signs bill to prevent sex abuse in schoolsFaculty union targets Jewish political moneyState Supreme Court declines to hear West Covina’s appeal in ex-fire chief’s wrongful termination case Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 h y 6 m
  • Episode 412: Porter Potty

    Episode 412: Porter Potty
    Oct 14 2025
    David and Will consider gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter’s trouble with humans and the prospect of co-parenting your kids with Governor Gavin Newsom. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:How Berkeley Became the First City to Ditch Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples DaySonoma State president on leave for ‘insubordination’ after supporting anti-Israel boycott, divestmentA California Campus Brings Anti-Israel Activism to Its Jewish Studies ProgramViolence erupts at UCLA as protests over Israel's war in Gaza escalate across the U.S.Confrontation erupts at dinner for law students at UC Berkeley dean’s home‘Get out of my f--king shot’: Katie Porter tears into staffer in newly released videoKatie Porter targeted ‘softer spoken’ underlings for abuse, was ‘downright mean’, ex-staffer warns votersNewsom’s Forced-Density Fix Won’t Solve California’s Housing CrisisNewsom signs controversial bill letting relatives care for kids if parents are deportedMarking World Mental Health Day, Governor Newsom signs AB 727 to make mental health resources more accessible to LGBTQ youthCalifornia Assembly Looks to Hand Children to Traffickers and Gender ActivistsGovernor Newsom signs bill expanding fuel options to cut gas pricesOil prices prediction: Brent, U.S. crude crash to lowest since May. Experts predict what to expect‘Slap in the face’: Marc Benioff’s Trump turn stuns San FranciscoBenioff appears to back off calls to send National Guard to SF, but sparks response from MuskArts Uproars: Open, Shut, Fired, Down for the Count, and Nowhere to Be Found Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    58 m
  • Episode 411: The Kamala Kleanup Kontinues

    Episode 411: The Kamala Kleanup Kontinues
    Oct 9 2025
    California Democrats can now safely begin the work of tearing down Kamala Harris’s memory, beginning with her controversial bill to punish the parents of their truant kids. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Uber driver accused of intentionally starting fire that destroyed Pacific PalisadesGavin Newsom ends Kamala Harris' California anti-truancy lawKamala Harris was not a ‘progressive prosecutor’Kamala Harris talks Prop 50, Too Short and 2024 election at S.F. book tour stopD.L. Hughley Once Spread Misinformation About Kamala Harris—Then Publicly Made AmendsKristi Noem Says ICE Will 'Be All Over' Bad Bunny SB LX Halftime Show‘Tonight the rule of law said ‘hell no’’CA Gov. Gavin Newsom: ‘We have the ability to do martial law…if necessary’California voters were mailed inaccurate guides ahead of November special electionMajority of Calif. voters back Prop 50 in new poll‘I don’t want this all on camera,’ gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter says in testy interviewUber and Lyft drivers can unionize under new law signed by Newsom. How does it work?California sues city over surveillance data, warns it can be shared with federal agenciesCalifornia police are illegally sharing license plate data with ICE and Border PatrolCalifornia privacy agency fines Tractor Supply $1.35 millionWhere Is St. Junípero Serra? Mystery Over Missing Freeway LandmarkCalifornia's largest high school district adopts policy to oppose trans athletes in girls' sportsHere’s how little Anaheim’s share of Angels ticket revenue was worth this year Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 h y 3 m
  • Episode 410: Like Phonics Rising from the Ashes

    Episode 410: Like Phonics Rising from the Ashes
    Oct 2 2025
    Facing a 40-year decline in reading scores, California lawmakers have concluded that it’s time to ask -- politely -- that the state’s K–12 teachers to return to phonics. Bonus: Marc Joffe talks about the deep meaning of Gavin Newsom’s repeated failure to produce accurate state financials. Music by Metalachi.Email Us:dbahnsen@thebahnsengroup.comwill@calpolicycenter.orgFollow Us:@DavidBahnsen@WillSwaim@TheRadioFreeCAShow Notes:Will on NPR’s Left, Right & CenterTrump administration being asked to greenlight oil production off Santa Barbara coastGov. Gavin Newsom signs AI regulations, bucking Big TechCalifornia Enacts 17 AI Bills in 2024Capital Record: AI and the challenges for all free marketeersCalifornia Learns From Mississippi on PhonicsCalifornia Is Poised to Pass a ‘Science of Reading’ Law After a Long, Tense DebateBlack students need choice, not illegal gestures like Assembly Bill 7Los Angeles greenlights controversial $2.6B convention centerAnother California county is losing its only hospital after feds refuse to step inVons and Albertsons close self-checkout as Long Beach mandates more staffing, new rulesAmid staffing shortage, Long Beach police will no longer send officers to minor traffic collisionsReel Inn restaurant among businesses that were told they can't rebuild after Palisades FireHayward announces hiring freeze, creates ‘budget war room’ after city drains $31 million in reservesHarris’s Memoir Is Another Example of the Democrats’ ProblemThe Mayan in downtown LA announces it's closing after nearly a centuryMarc Joffe on BART:Marc’s bioCalifornia’s streak of late financial statements continues BART Audit Flags Overtime Costs, Weak Controls as Agency Spends $96 MillionBART senior police officer overtimeSHIFT-Bay Area Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 h y 21 m