In this episode of On Background with Susan Crabtree, Crabtree and Eric Eggers break down Gavin Newsom’s stunning victory in California’s Prop 50 election and what it means for 2028. Crabtree reveals how Newsom turned a crushing Republican defeat into a national springboard—despite his record of sky-high costs, rampant homelessness, and mass exodus from the state. They discuss how new maps could disenfranchise millions of GOP voters and set up a Supreme Court showdown. From California to New York, Crabtree and Eggers trace the Democrats’ coast-to-coast surge — and how Newsom’s political machine is already reshaping the battlefield.

In this episode of On Background with Susan Crabtree, Crabtree and Eric Eggers expose Gavin Newsom’s latest reinvention after his viral All the Smoke podcast appearance, where he claimed a blue-collar, “hustlin’” childhood. Crabtree dismantles that narrative, revealing Newsom’s lifelong ties to the Getty and Pelosi families and the elite network that built his career. The hosts also debunk Newsom’s mythic baseball backstory and uncover how his carefully crafted image masks privilege, political ambition, and manipulation ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run.

In this episode of On Background with Susan Crabtree, Crabtree and Eric Eggers uncover explosive new details about the White House cocaine scandal and expose ongoing failures inside the Secret Service. Crabtree reveals how evidence tied to “Cocaine 1600” was destroyed under Director Kimberly Cheatle, and she breaks another exclusive about an unfit agent on Vice President Kamala Harris’s detail. Former California corrections official Doug Eckenrod joins to reveal how Governor Gavin Newsom’s mass prisoner releases fueled a surge in crime, overdoses, and lawlessness across the state.

In this episode of On Background with Susan Crabtree, Crabtree and Eric Eggers investigate alarming failures inside the Secret Service and question whether DEI priorities have compromised protection. Senator Marsha Blackburn joins to demand accountability and discuss the urgent need for reform following assassination attempts on President Trump.

Welcome to On Background with Susan Crabtree, a Government Accountability Institute (GAI) podcast exposing corruption and government mismanagement through hard-hitting journalism. In the debut episode, Crabtree, Eric Eggers, and Peter Schweizer discuss her Dow Award–winning reporting, breaking news on the Palisades fire, and Gavin Newsom’s controversial Prop 50.