Left, Right & Center

By KCRW

What's Left, Right & Center about?

Left, Right & Center is KCRW’s weekly civilized yet provocative confrontation over politics, policy and pop culture.

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House debt ceiling vote: Wi...

06.02.2023

The months-long battle to raise the limit on how much money the federal government can borrow cleared its biggest hurdle: the Republican-controlled House, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “We didn’t do it by taking the easy way,” McCarthy said. “We ...

Left, Right & Center episodes:

06.02.2023 House debt ceiling vote: Winner, loser, bipartisan outlier? The months-long battle to raise the limit on how much money the federal government can borrow cleared its biggest hurdle: the Republican-controlled House, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “We didn’t do it by taking the easy way,” McCarthy said. “We ...
05.26.2023 An embarrassing start as DeSantis announces 2024 presidential bid Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finally announced his bid for president. He did it on Twitter with Elon Musk, the platform’s controversial owner, and it did not go well. After 25 minutes of silence and delays, DeSantis finally gave his speech. ...
05.19.2023 Are Democrats doomed to lose their gains in Senate? Democrats are worrying about the Senate map as 23 seats are up for reelection, as compared to 10 on the Republican side. Many of these seats are in swing states or red states. What should Democrats do to ensure some ...
05.12.2023 Same old Trump in CNN town hall: Sign of what to expect in 2024 race? Trump took the stage again for a New Hampshire town hall hosted by CNN, and it was like going back in time to 2016. He rehashed the stolen election claim and hurled insults, and more. Is the U.S. bound to ...
05.05.2023 Should Biden have ordered 1500 troops to US-Mexico border? Biden seemed to take a page out of Trump’s playbook this week by ordering 1,500 active duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. He stated it was meant to help the National Guard and Border Patrol deal with the surge of ...
04.28.2023 Biden and Trump likely to face off again in 2024 presidential bid President Biden has made it official: He’s running again. And there is yet to be a serious challenger to Donald Trump. Is the upcoming race full of undesirable candidates? Then, politicians seem to agree that that TikTok should be regulated ...
04.21.2023 Dianne Feinstein is pressured to resign. Is it sexism? Two senators are back at work this week after taking time off for health reasons. One other, Senator Dianne Feinstein, is still recovering. Many democrats are calling for her to step down so the Senate Judiciary Committee can replace her ...
04.14.2023 Why did the GOP kick 2 Tennessee lawmakers out of their jobs for protesting? Two Tennessee lawmakers are expelled after Republicans in the House reacted to a breach of decorum. Their districts reinstated them, but was this the right reaction to protests from the left? Then, President Biden passed proposed changes intended to protect ...
04.07.2023 Should the media give Trump so much airtime? Donald Trump was arraigned this week on 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first U.S. president to be criminally indicted. Is the media caving to temptation once again and giving Trump too much airtime? Also, Wall Street ...
03.31.2023 Biden publicly calls out Netanyahu. What to expect next? President Biden made an unusual move this week: publicly called out Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for attempting to alter Israel’s judiciary. Netanyahu tweeted back: Israel doesn’t respond to pressure from abroad. What consequences might this tension have? Also, the most ...
03.24.2023 Are the charges against Trump enough to indict him? Donald Trump is facing a possible indictment over the alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. What will happen if Trump is arrested? Plus, climate deniers aside, are liberals and conservatives really that far apart in terms ...
03.17.2023 Can private companies no longer avoid political fights? The debate over abortion rights has entered a new phase. Last year’s Supreme Court decision to strike down the federal right to the health procedure and leave it up to states is now playing out with private companies. The country’s ...
03.10.2023 Will the lawsuit against Fox News burden other media outlets? Dozens of incriminating texts and email chains between leadership and top anchors at Fox News were revealed this week as part of the defamation lawsuit Dominion Voting Systems brought against the news station. The filings show that Fox hosts and ...
03.03.2023 Was it harmful to label the COVID lab leak theory as conspiracy? It’s been three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread and completely shut down most of the world. But there are still many unanswered questions surrounding the virus, including where did COVID actually come from? The argument over the ...
02.24.2023 Can Biden get Americans to support Ukraine long-term? Host David Greene discusses with Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, and Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch. And special guest Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and former deputy ...
02.17.2023 Are criminal charges coming for Trump allies over 2020 election probe? The Fulton County, Georgia special grand jury investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump and his supporters to overturn the 2020 election released a portion of its final report this week. The grand jury interviewed 75 witnesses as part of ...
02.10.2023 Will war-torn Syria restrict aid after a devastating earthquake? A 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria this week, leaving at least 20,000 people dead and tens of thousands injured or stuck under rubble. It was particularly devastating because many buildings were not built to withstand this level of disaster, ...
02.03.2023 Are personality politics distracting from the GOP’s agenda? During his first month in Congress, Republican Representative George Santos from New York has been a giant distraction for the new House leadership. He was caught lying about parts of his job experience, education and even his heritage. He’s now ...
01.27.2023 Can we change the gun reform conversation? Monterey Park, Half Moon Bay, and Oakland, California are all reeling from mass shootings in their communities this past week that left at least 19 people dead. In Monterey Park, a city east of downtown Los Angeles, the shooter opened ...
01.20.2023 What will it cost Dems to raise the debt ceiling? The Biden administration and House Republicans are already in a potentially months-long standoff over raising the national debt ceiling. The Treasury Department started to enact “extraordinary measures” this week in order to keep paying the federal government’s bills after hitting ...
01.13.2023 Did Jan. 6 inspire Brazil’s rioters? Brazil experienced what looked eerily similar to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rioters protested outside Brazil’s congress and stormed government buildings, bolstered by the false claim their recent election was stolen. The rally was organized online by ...
01.06.2023 Are House speaker negotiations good for the country? It’s a new year but the incoming Congress has not been able to start work yet. With a slim House majority, California Republican Kevin McCarthy has faced failed vote after failed vote to try and become speaker of the House ...
12.30.2022 Rants and raves of 2022 In a special show to end the year, Left, Right & Center recaps some of the most important political moments of 2022, and what it all means as we head into the new year. The midterm elections revealed the declining ...
12.23.2022 Reforming immigration amid the end of Title 42 The controversial policy to turn away asylum seekers from crossing the country’s southern border, Title 42, is getting another life. At least for now. First invoked during the Trump administration in March 2020, Title 42 is a portion of the ...
12.16.2022 Did extremists and social media weaken our political parties? In yet another alteration to the new balance of power in the Senate, Arizona’s Krysten Sinema announced she is leaving the Democratic Party and is now an Independent. Sinema claims this move will help her represent her constituents. But her ...
12.09.2022 Are the Georgia runoffs a precursor to 2024? After the recent win by Raphael Warnock in Georgia, Democrats will hang onto control of the Senate by a slightly larger margin. Warnock beat Republican Hershel Walker in Georgia’s runoff with a 51% to 49% lead…giving Democrats a 51-49 edge ...
12.02.2022 Can law enforcement be reformed from the inside? Despite protests and promises of change, violent acts from police officers and scandals in law enforcement agencies seem to continuously dot the headlines. That’s according to Christy E. Lopez, columnist at the Washington Post, in her recent LA Times column, ...
11.25.2022 Is Russia’s war endangering democracy? It’s been nine months since Russia invaded Ukraine, starting a war that has killed at least 200,000 military personnel and approximately 40,000 civilians, according to U.S. officials. Winter is fast approaching, and it seems like both sides might be gearing ...
11.18.2022 Dems make final push during lame duck session The balance of power in the nation’s capital has finally been decided — Democrats will keep control of the Senate and Republicans grabbed the majority in the House, though by slim margins. And as both sides decide their party’s leaders, ...
11.11.2022 Republicans didn’t get a red wave. What does it mean for 2024? Millions of people cast their ballots in the 2022 midterm elections this week — though votes are still being counted — and neither Democrats nor Republicans saw the results they expected. A sitting president’s party often takes a beating in ...
11.04.2022 Crime, inflation, democracy: What will sway voters? With only a few days before midterm elections, a number of key races across the country are heating up, putting the capital’s balance of power on the ballot. A recent NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist national poll shows the country has swung by ...
10.28.2022 Scaring voters — just in time for Halloween Midterm elections are a week and a half away, which could alter the balance of power in the nation’s capital. Millions of people have already cast their ballots, and overall voter turnout is projected to be one of the highest ...
10.21.2022 Republican-led Congress could tie up Biden agenda With nearly three weeks until the midterm elections in November, Republicans may have a good shot at gaining the majority in both the House and Senate. Democrats saw boosted support over the summer after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. ...
10.14.2022 Trump gets subpoenaed by Jan. 6 Committee. Too late? This week, the January 6 House Committee voted unanimously to subpoena testimony from former President Donald Trump. In what could be the final televised hearing, the committee members recapped much of the evidence it’s been gathering for the last year. ...
10.07.2022 High gas prices tower over elections. Will voters punish Democrats? This week, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Plus coalition, a crude oil group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, announced the biggest cut in oil production in two years. This means that Russia will make more money ...
09.30.2022 DeSantis might run for president. His response to Hurricane Ian matters This week, Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm and one of the strongest to make landfall in the U.S. Millions of people are without power and many homes are underwater. Natural disasters are often tests ...
09.23.2022 Should Americans be scared of Putin’s nuclear threats? This week, global political leaders met in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. U.S. and European officials slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for further escalating the war against Ukraine, calling up 300,000 reservists, and threatening to use nuclear ...
09.16.2022 Where’s the middle ground on abortion? Abortion policy continues to develop and change nationwide, leaving little room for voters in the middle. This week, Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham introduced national legislation that would ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The bill includes narrow ...
09.09.2022 Could Roe’s fall secure Democrats’ Senate majority? It’s the week after Labor Day, which marks the unofficial final push of midterm election campaigning. Democrats are optimistic thanks to an unexpected bounce in President Biden’s approval rating. It tanked at 37% in July but recently landed at 42%, ...
09.02.2022 Does Biden have nothing to lose? This week, President Biden gave several campaign-style speeches, emphasizing the “soul of the nation.” On Thursday, he argued that “MAGA forces” are putting fair elections, privacy, personal rights and economic security at risk. Biden is a first-term president with low ...
08.26.2022 Biden sends more military aid to Ukraine. How much is enough? This week, Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day, despite trudging through a brutal war with Russia. Though the countries have been fighting for six months, many Ukrainans would say the war started when Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. The Biden ...
08.19.2022 A political dynasty falls This week, Congresswoman Liz Cheney lost her Wyoming primary to Harriet Hageman, a Trump-endorsed attorney, ending a political dynasty. Her defeat by more than 37 points was one of the largest losses by a House incumbent, despite her conservative voting ...
08.12.2022 FBI seizes Trump’s files. Trump wins 2024 GOP nomination? This week, the FBI executed a search warrant at Donald Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago, breaking into his safe, and seizing several boxes of presumed classified documents that he allegedly took from the White House when his presidency ended. Then, a ...
08.05.2022 It was a good week for election deniers It was a good week for election deniers. Several Trump-backed candidates sealed primary wins in Arizona, Michigan and Missouri. This includes businessman Blake Masters, who’s vying for a Senate seat in Arizona and identifies as part of the “New Right.” ...
07.29.2022 Manchin says yes to Dems’ climate bill. What about rest of Congress? Just when things looked bleak for Democrats’ agenda, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin finally decided to back a $369 billion climate and tax package. Lawmakers are racing to pass several bills before the August recess, and Senate Democrats are hopeful ...
07.22.2022 Rioters were invading Capitol, Trump was watching the telly What happened during the 187 minutes between the time Trump left the Ellipse, the park near the White House where he urged his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol — and when he was at the Rose Garden, urging ...
07.15.2022 Trump 2024? Whether Jan. 6 revelations could affect voter support Food, health care, and rent are all going up, but wages are not. There’s tiny relief in gas prices finally dipping this month, and job gains are better than expected. However, Americans are still worried about a looming recession. Guest ...
07.08.2022 How much does an unpopular Biden hurt Democrats? The overturning of Roe V. Wade and recent mass shootings continue to cast a shadow over American politics. President Joe Biden has been reacting to those and other domestic problems with an incremental approach, and many Democrats find that too ...
07.01.2022 Supreme rulings from the Supreme Court This week, the Supreme Court wrapped up its term after issuing opinions that dramatically alter Americans’ abilities to confront climate change, our constitutional rights, and faith in the high court itself. Guest host Kimberly Atkins Stohr talks rolling back the ...
06.24.2022 Is this bipartisanship? This week, bipartisanship emerged in the Senate, where 14 Republicans voted with Democrats to move forward with a gun safety bill. What should we make of this latest effort? Guest host Kimberly Atkins Stohr talks gun politics with David Dayen, ...

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Left, Right & Center

What's Left, Right & Center about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Left, Right & Center episodes:

House debt ceiling vote: Winner, loser, bipartisan outlier?

An embarrassing start as DeSantis announces 2024 presidential bid

Are Democrats doomed to lose their gains in Senate?

Same old Trump in CNN town hall: Sign of what to expect in 2024 race?

Should Biden have ordered 1500 troops to US-Mexico border?

Biden and Trump likely to face off again in 2024 presidential bid

Dianne Feinstein is pressured to resign. Is it sexism?

Why did the GOP kick 2 Tennessee lawmakers out of their jobs for protesting?

Should the media give Trump so much airtime?

Biden publicly calls out Netanyahu. What to expect next?

Are the charges against Trump enough to indict him?

Can private companies no longer avoid political fights?

Will the lawsuit against Fox News burden other media outlets?

Was it harmful to label the COVID lab leak theory as conspiracy?

Can Biden get Americans to support Ukraine long-term?

Are criminal charges coming for Trump allies over 2020 election probe?

Will war-torn Syria restrict aid after a devastating earthquake?

Are personality politics distracting from the GOP’s agenda?

Can we change the gun reform conversation?

What will it cost Dems to raise the debt ceiling?

Did Jan. 6 inspire Brazil’s rioters?

Are House speaker negotiations good for the country?

Rants and raves of 2022

Reforming immigration amid the end of Title 42

Did extremists and social media weaken our political parties?

Are the Georgia runoffs a precursor to 2024?

Can law enforcement be reformed from the inside?

Is Russia’s war endangering democracy?

Dems make final push during lame duck session

Republicans didn’t get a red wave. What does it mean for 2024?

Crime, inflation, democracy: What will sway voters?

Scaring voters — just in time for Halloween

Republican-led Congress could tie up Biden agenda

Trump gets subpoenaed by Jan. 6 Committee. Too late?

High gas prices tower over elections. Will voters punish Democrats?

DeSantis might run for president. His response to Hurricane Ian matters

Should Americans be scared of Putin’s nuclear threats?

Where’s the middle ground on abortion?

Could Roe’s fall secure Democrats’ Senate majority?

Does Biden have nothing to lose?

Biden sends more military aid to Ukraine. How much is enough?

A political dynasty falls

FBI seizes Trump’s files. Trump wins 2024 GOP nomination?

It was a good week for election deniers

Manchin says yes to Dems’ climate bill. What about rest of Congress?

Rioters were invading Capitol, Trump was watching the telly

Trump 2024? Whether Jan. 6 revelations could affect voter support

How much does an unpopular Biden hurt Democrats?

Supreme rulings from the Supreme Court

Is this bipartisanship?

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