Political Breakdown

By KQEDNews Politics

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Political Breakdown episodes

April 30 How Prediction Markets are Colliding With California and National Politics
Prediction markets have exploded in recent years, with platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi allowing people to put real money on everything from sports outcomes to election results to armed conflicts overseas. Marisa, Scott and Guy discuss how these markets are influencing state and national politics. Then, they’re joined by Kate Knibbs, senior writer at WIRED, to understand who’s governing these platforms and how they’ve managed to flourish even in states where gambling is illegal.
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32 min
April 28 How California Became an Epicenter of Hospice Fraud
California has become a hotbed of hospice fraud, with sham companies defrauding Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars. It has triggered a political blame game, with the Trump administration and Democrats pointing fingers over who is responsible. Scott and Marisa break down how hospice scams became so rampant and what’s being done about it with New York Times reporter Soumya Karlamangla.
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22 min
April 24 Did Anyone Break Through in The California Governor's Debate?
The leading candidates for California governor squared off this week in the first televised debate since East Bay Congressman Eric Swalwell exited the race. Broadcast statewide on Nexstar stations, the showdown featured sharp attacks on the leading Democratic candidates, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and billionaire investor Tom Steyer.
Scott, Marisa and Guy analyze the candidates’ performances with one of the debate moderators, news anchor Nikki Laurenzo of FOX40.
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30 min
April 23 Bianco’s Governor Bid: Badge, Bible and Ballot Boxes
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is one of the top polling candidates in the race for California governor. The Republican contender has spent his career in law enforcement, and despite being a longtime supporter of President Donald Trump, Bianco did not win the president’s endorsement.
Bianco sits down with Marisa to talk about his pledge to cut taxes and spending. They discuss his being “raised by a town of men” in Utah, how his evangelical faith shapes his approach to public service and how his experience as a sheriff equips him to govern the state. He also addresses his past membership in the Oath Keepers militia group and why his office seized hundreds of thousands of ballots from the 2025 election.
This interview is part of a series of conversations with the 2026 gubernatorial candidates for California. The primary election is June 2.
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33 min
April 21 The Future of California’s Last Nuclear Power Plant
California has just one nuclear power plant in operation: PG&E’s Diablo
Canyon Power Plant on the Central Coast. Under current state law, it can only run until 2030, but lawmakers are debating whether to extend it. Scott and Marisa are joined by KQED climate reporter Laura Klivans to dig into the fight over Diablo Canyon's future, the pros and cons of nuclear power and whether it makes economic sense to keep the plant open.
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31 min
April 17 Which Governor Candidates Benefit From Swalwell's Downfall?
Now that Rep. Eric Swalwell has ended his campaign for governor, the remaining contenders are scrambling to scoop up his endorsements, donors and voters. Scott, Marisa and Guy assess which candidates stand to benefit the most from Swalwell's departure and review how the candidates are re-introducing themselves to Californians.
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31 min
April 17 How Much of California’s High Gas Prices Are Related to War in Iran?
The war in Iran is disrupting global energy markets and Californians are feeling the effects at the pump. Marisa and Scott get into the latest on the conflict and how much it’s driving spikes in gas prices with The Atlantic staff writer Missy Ryan. Then, they’re joined by Severin Borenstein, faculty director of UC Berkeley’s Energy Institute at Haas, to discuss why California consistently has among the highest gas prices in the country.
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32 min
April 14 Inside the Investigation That Ended Swalwell's Career
When the San Francisco Chronicle published the story of a woman accusing Rep. Eric Swalwell of rape, his surging gubernatorial campaign collapsed within days. Swalwell still denies the most serious allegations but he has since resigned his House seat.
Scott and Marisa talk to the San Francisco Chronicle's Sophia Bollag, who broke the story alongside her colleague Alexei Koseff. She describes how the story came together and what it took to bring to light a secret that political insiders have since admitted has circulated around Swalwell for years.
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33 min
April 14 How Swalwell's Campaign Collapsed
Rep. Eric Swalwell announced his intent to resign from Congress today, a swift collapse for the East Bay Democrat who a week ago was a leading candidate for California governor. Swalwell's campaign imploded in a matter of days following sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staffer and three other women. He ended his campaign on Sunday.
Now, Democrats are left picking up the pieces of a tumultuous race with no clear frontrunner. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss the fallout on this special extra edition of Political Breakdown.
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25 min
April 10 California Governor Candidate Eric Swalwell Accused of Sexual Assault
A former staff member is accusing East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell of sexually assaulting her twice while she was too inebriated to consent, according to a San Francisco Chronicle investigation. Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said in a statement that the allegations are false. His attorney sent a cease and desist letter to the accuser.
Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss what the allegations could mean for the governor's race and how Democrats are responding.
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22 min

About Political Breakdown

From the publisher's feed

Join hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos as they unpack the day in politics with a California perspective. Featuring interviews with reporters and other insiders involved in the craft of…