Episodios

  • AI in SF: Gold Rush or Sugar Rush?

    AI in SF: Gold Rush or Sugar Rush?
    Aug 14 2025
    Starting with the Gold Rush, San Francisco has always been a boom and bust town. The latest boom is being driven by artificial intelligence, as AI companies and startups scoop up venture capital, real estate, office space and tech talent in the city. Scott talks with the Los Angeles Times technology reporter Queenie Wong about how the AI boom is affecting San Francisco's culture and economy. Then, he's joined by Jake Lahut, senior writer for WIRED, to discuss Silicon Valley's fluctuating influence in D.C. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 m
  • D.C. Takeover

    D.C. Takeover
    Aug 13 2025
    President Donald Trump took federal control of the police force in Washington D.C. this week, deploying 800 National Guard troops. The president claims the city is plagued by violent crime despite data showing it at a 30-year low. This comes amid the three-day trial in San Francisco over Trump’s deployment of troops to Los Angeles earlier this year in response to ICE protests. Scott is joined first by Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School and host of the podcast "Passing Judgment" to discuss Trump's authority to militarize the nation's capital. Then, he's joined by D.C. Senator Ankit Jain. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 m
  • The Texas Standoff

    The Texas Standoff
    Aug 8 2025
    President Trump’s push for Texas to redraw congressional districts to help Republicans in next year's midterm elections has mobilized Democratic governors, including Gavin Newsom, to do the same. But will California voters agree to let politicians draw their own lines when they put a stop to that practice years ago? Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    24 m
  • Trump Administration Targeting UCLA with Half a Billion Dollars Funding Freeze

    Trump Administration Targeting UCLA with Half a Billion Dollars Funding Freeze
    Aug 7 2025
    The Trump Administration has suspended half a billion dollars in federal research funds from UCLA, alleging the school has ignored anti-semitism on campus. The school’s chancellor says the cuts would kill scientific research at UCLA. Now, the university will negotiate with the administration, just as Ivy Leagues like Columbia and Brown University have done. Scott is joined by the Los Angeles Times education reporter Jaweed Kaleem. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 m
  • 30 Years After His Death, A Reflection On Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia’s Political Legacy

    30 Years After His Death, A Reflection On Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia’s Political Legacy
    Aug 5 2025
    This week marks 30 years since the death of Grateful Dead frontman and San Francisco native Jerry Garcia. Despite Garcia's disdain for government and politics, he navigated his band through the counterculture revolution of the 1960s and had a remarkable influence on American culture. In a new biography of Garcia, writer and former Los Angeles Times journalist Jim Newton describes how Garcia did his best to shun politics even as the band performed in support of political causes. Scott talks with Newton about his book, “Here Beside the Rising Tide: Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead and an American Awakening." Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    26 m
  • Why is California’s Unemployment Rate the Highest in the Nation?

    Why is California’s Unemployment Rate the Highest in the Nation?
    Aug 1 2025
    New unemployment numbers show that California is tied with Nevada for the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Experts point to uncertainty over tariffs and trade policy, immigration raids and the rise of Artificial Intelligence as some of the main contributors. So what does a high unemployment rate mean for one of the world’s largest economies? Scott talks with economist Christopher Thornberg, founding partner of Beacon Economics, an independent research and consulting firm. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    18 m
  • Kamala Harris Won't Run for Governor

    Kamala Harris Won't Run for Governor
    Jul 31 2025
    After months of speculation, Kamala Harris announced that she will not run for governor of California, which keeps her options open for a potential campaign for president in 2028. The decision has created a political earthquake throughout the state, as Democrats already running for governor step on the gas for campaign operations now that the biggest threat to their candidacy is removed. Scott and Guy are joined by Politico's senior political reporter Melanie Mason to discuss what's ahead for the 2026 California governor's race. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    32 m
  • Will California Counter Texas’s Political Power Grab?

    Will California Counter Texas’s Political Power Grab?
    Jul 29 2025
    As Texas Republicans move ahead on plans to redraw their congressional districts to boost GOP candidates for the House of Representatives, Governor Gavin Newsom is fighting back, saying California will follow suit. But can Newsom really overcome the legal obstacles to putting political gerrymandering back into practice? Scott is joined by Paul Mitchell, the vice president at Political Data Inc, which uses polling and other data to help Democratic campaigns. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 m