Attorney, professor and master negotiator John Lowry, author of the new book "Negotiation Made Simple," joins us with advice for listeners on how to maximize your position whether you're haggling over an employment contract or the price of a new car. He also shares his thoughts on some current negotiations generating media headlines. Plus, Tim and Ro weigh in on Gov. Newsom's trip to China.

Attorney, professor and master negotiator John Lowry, author of the new book "Negotiation Made Simple," joins us with advice for listeners on how to maximize your position whether you're haggling over an employment contract or the price of a new car. He also shares his thoughts on some current negotiations generating media headlines. Plus, Tim and Ro weigh in on Gov. Newsom's trip to China.

This is a special recording of a recent PRI dinner in San Francisco featuring Professor Charles Kesler, the editor of the Claremont Review of Books, offering his perspective on U.S. politics and the global situation in Israel and China. Ro and Tim also weigh in on Gov. Newsom's trip to China and Israel.

sddasdasOur guest this week is Emily Hoeven, opinion columnist at The San Francisco Chronicle. Before coming to the Chronicle, she wrote CalMatters' daily WhatMatters newsletter on California politics and policy and makes frequent appearances on TV, radio, podcasts, panels, and helped launch a weekly political segment on ABC 10. We chat with Emily on a variety of issues affecting San Francisco and California from homelessness, to housing affordability, to the new leadership in the Assembly and Gov. Newsom's political prospects.

It's that time of the year when the Governor decides which bills to sign and which to veto. Rowena Itchon, chief operating officer at PRI and Tim Anaya, vice president of marketing and communications have a round-up discussion of the major bills -- from health care to climate change to unemployment benefits for striking workers. In addition, they give their take on the GOP move to remove Cong. Kevin McCarthy from the Speakership, and the issues facing California's newest Senator – Laphonza Butler.

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Dr. Wayne Winegarden. We discuss with Wayne his new study comparing the results of states that had very restrictive COVID-19 policies versus those that did not. He concludes that while COVID-19 restrictions did lead to some health benefits, they were unfortunately negated by large economic and education losses. We also discuss with Wayne the policy lessons learned should we ever experience another pandemic.

Our guest this week is Kerry Jackson, PRI's senior fellow on California Reform. Kerry has been following Gov. Newsom's and Attorney General Bonta's lawsuit on oil companies and its implications. He also discusses SB 253, a corporate climate change disclosure bill; the federal and state push for electric busses including school buses, hydrogen cars, and "Climate Week."

Our guest this week is Clark Judge, founder and managing director of the White House Writers Group and Chairman of PRI. A former speechwriter to Pres. Ronald Reagan, Clark is a veteran of Washington politics and presidential elections. We chat with Clark to get his insights on California politics from his national perspective and what we can expect from the upcoming election cycle.

Our guest this week is Steve Greenhut, director of PRI's Free Cities Center and a veteran California journalist. Steve recaps the legislative session with the highlights and lowlights (unfortunately for Californians, mostly lowlights). He also weighs in on the new Speaker Robert Rivas, the ever-controversial Public Safety Committee, and Gov. Newsom's political prospects.

Our guest this week is PRI senior fellow Wayne Winegarden who discusses his new study "The Free Cities Index." Many of America's cities have been on the decline for years, while other cities have thrived and attracted more and more Americans. Wayne examined a multitude of variables – taxes, crime, schools – and ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities in terms of livability and growth. Not surprisingly, the states that ranked the highest have seen increasing migration, while states near the bottom have seen population declines. Unfortunately, many of California's largest cities are ranked near the bottom.