Left, Right & Center is KCRW’s weekly civilized yet provocative confrontation over politics, policy and pop culture.
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Victorious Dems Debate Who Should Lead Them
The election is over. Now it’s time for the White House and both parties in Congress to show us what leadership looks like. Democrats are already fighting over who will make those decisions in Congress. Some in the party don’t think Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are the right leaders to fulfill their mandate from voters. Congressional Republicans quickly picked Jim Jordan and John Thune to lead them in the House and Senate, respectively. Is that a sign of party unity, or a hint that no one else wants those jobs?And in the White House, President Trump promoted Stephen Miller to be his next Chief of Staff. We discuss what that says about Trump’s leadership, priorities and messaging for the next two years.Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons
Democrats Win The Midterms, Republicans Blame The War
Democrats won big this week by taking control over both houses of Congress and winning several important governors races.President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledge their party’s loss was mostly about the war in Iran that Trump started, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. We’ll talk about Trump’s path ahead, and what Democrats should do with their power and mandate. And if Democrats are committed to a more inclusive style of politics, how will they handle polarizing cultural issues and progressive causes? Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mike Dubke, veteran GOP communications strategist and advisor. He was the White House Comms Director under Donald Trump in 2017 - @MikeDubke Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee
If Democrats Win The Midterms, How Bold Can They Be?
The midterms are upon us and we’ll check in on a few races, including a moderate Democrat in Washington state who’s trying to hang onto her seat. If she wins – and her party does, too – what role will she and other moderates play with Democrats emboldened and ready to fight?Also, Democrats have blasted Team Trump for trying to cast doubt on our election system. But in Alaska’s Senate race, the Democratic campaign is accused of recruiting another Dan Sullivan to be on the ballot so it confuses voters trying to vote for incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.Plus, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu seem politically weakened at the moment. If their parties lose seats in their respective elections, we talk about how that might change their approach to foreign policy in Iran and elsewhere. Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Jonah Goldberg, co-founder and editor-in-chief at The Dispatch - @JonahDispatch Nomiki Konst, political commentator, progressive strategist, and former surrogate for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign - @NomikiKonst
Midterm Countdown: Voter Fraud Arrests & Senate Battlegrounds
If 28 people are arrested for voter fraud in a massive state like California, does that mean an election is unfair? The Justice Department is carrying out President Trump’s orders to find and root out non-citizens who may be voting. But what if these isolated cases feed a narrative that an election is being stolen, a narrative that President Trump may want out there if his party loses big in November?Mo and Sarah identify the bellwether Senate races to watch, and they actually say they’re both keeping tabs on the same contest in one state.Also, we talk about a tense exchange between a voter and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about whether he disavows the Muslim Brotherhood.Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons
Trump’s Deal to Buy Russian Diesel Stuns The World
Trump stunned European leaders and members of his own party in congress when he announced the U.S. would buy diesel from Russia. He also told Ukraine to stop targeting Russia's energy infrastructure, and publicly criticized Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky saying he should be replaced. What motivates President Trump right now when it comes to Russia and Ukraine? Federal agents raided the home of Democratic lawmaker Ilhan Omar, a fierce Trump critic. The Justice Department won’t say what they’re investigating, but Omar and her allies say the president is weaponizing federal law enforcement in an intensifying campaign of political intimidation. When stories like this surface in this political climate, do the facts of the investigation even matter, or do too many of us stay firmly planted in our echo chambers and pass judgment immediately?And a listener asks us for help to keep hope alive that his local elected leaders can and will do the right thing for their constituents. Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Sarah Longwell, author of "How To Eat An Elephant: One Voter At A Time," publisher of The Bulwark, and host of the “Focus Group” podcast - @SarahLongwell25
The Supreme Court Starts Its New Term Politicized And Unpopular
The Supreme Court started its new term. On its docket are cases involving the president’s immigration policy and whether communities can sue fossil fuel companies over climate change. But the court may also be drawn into fights over the upcoming midterms at a time when public trust in the court is at historic lows. Plus, we talk about the civil suit brought against Cornell University over its handling of a 2024 alleged sexual assault. The victim says the university and local law enforcement failed to protect her. What role does the public play in pushing for justice, and what needs to change on college campuses?And this election, more Democratic candidates are campaigning on their Christian faith including James Talarico in Texas and Pastor Adam Hamilton in Kansas.We look at how they’re talking about it on the campaign trail, and if they can they gain ground among religious voters who tend to vote Republican.Producer: Leo DuranHost: Susan DavisGuests: Adam Green, cofounder of The Progressive Change Campaign Committee - @AdamGreen Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons
Trump Runs Midterm Ads About Himself Fighting America’s “Enemies”
The White House released what it described as a “public service announcement” warning Americans of so-called enemies like communists and Marxists. But the TV spot is mostly a replay of a campaign ad Trump ran just two years ago with a new caption, “Paid For By The U.S. Government.” Where is the line between PSA and propaganda, especially so close to those big midterm elections where his party could lose control of one or both sides of Congress? Affordability remains high on voters’ minds, and the president says he’s helping by lowering fuel economy standards for U.S. automakers. He says that will make it cheaper for Americans to buy cars. But if there is relief there, is it outweighed by those sky-high prices at the pump that came with Trump’s war in Iran?And bipartisanship breaks out in the Senate with passage of a bill to regulate the big dollar world of college sports. We talk about the real winners and losers.Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Jonah Goldberg, co-founder and editor-in-chief at The Dispatch - @JonahDispatch
Trump’s Media Ban Threatens The First Amendment
President Trump kicked three news organizations out of the White House, but a judge ordered them back in…for now.There are deeper issues here about freedom of the press and, however this plays out, understanding what to do when a brazen president tries to dictate the story of his presidency. President Trump’s foreign policy is also in the spotlight as he speaks at the UN and hosts China’s leader Xi Jinping. What is that foreign policy exactly? Trump launched a war in Iran and targeted Venezuela, but the Russia-Ukraine conflict drags on. If this is a president who promised that he could pick up the phone and influence any world leader, is it time for him to prove it with Vladimir Putin? Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Will Swaim, CEO of the California Policy Center - @WillSwaim
Introducing: Reaching Out
Today we’re excited to share a special episode of Reaching Out, a new podcast from Futuro and KCRW. Hailed by Ira Glass as the “best new show I’ve heard in years,” Reaching Out is a story about fathers, sons, and the distance between. The story begins on the eve of twin brothers’ Sayre and Connor’s 30th birthday, when they set out to find the biological father who abandoned them before they were born.Their search pulls them through desert raves, drunken nightclubs, and across borders of time and language, forcing the brothers to confront the truths they’ve hidden from each other and themselves. And it’s not long before the twins discover that their birth father is closer than they ever could have imagined.Follow Reaching Out on your favorite podcast app. New episodes drop every week.
Pressure Builds To Regulate AI Before It’s Too Late
The last week has been dominated by dire warnings about the threat AI could pose to humanity. A growing number of voices in government are calling for action. Even leaders in the industry say things need to slow down. But some like President Trump say there’s great risk in regulating – we could fall behind and let countries like China lead the way. We’ll talk about if and how to regulate an industry growing at an unimaginable pace.We’ll also discuss the trust in our elections. The president is casting doubts, though his effort to restrict mail in voting was knocked down by the Supreme Court. But if his party loses and he questions the results, what’s next? Plus we take questions from our live audience at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mike Dubke, veteran GOP communications strategist and advisor. He was the White House Comms Director under Donald Trump in 2017 - @MikeDubke Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee
Trump Bets On Himself To Win The Midterms
This week’s Republican Party convention was a bit odd to have in a midterm election year. But President Trump spoke there for nearly two hours and said he wants voters to imagine that he is on the ballot. If that’s his strategy to help his party, will it work or backfire? Democratic Senator John Fetterman made a surprise video cameo at the convention, and it was his first big appearance since the Wall Street Journal reported that he’s not really interested in doing his job anymore. What does Fetterman’s presence at the GOP rally tell us about the relationship with his own party, and the Democrats’ outreach to working class voters? Also, is an AI president really something we should be contemplating? What if AI proves better at, say, preparing for natural disasters or keeping us out of wars? And we mark 25 years since the September 11th attacks. Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons
Politicians Are Struggling To Keep Up With A.I. Backlash
Americans are mad about data centers being built near them. President Trump, however, argues building more of them on home soil helps the country’s economy and is critical to our national security. How can lawmakers on both sides of the aisle balance those benefits alongside the anger of the public?Plus, ICE switched up its enforcement strategy to attract fewer headlines and increase arrests. But it hasn’t changed the public’s sentiment that the agency’s earlier crackdown was far too harsh. We talk about the state of immigration enforcement and how it could be an issue that tips the scales in the midterms.And we take your questions on how to fix the country’s massive deficit. Producer: Leo DuranHost: Susan Davis Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Sarah Isgur, senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons
Trump Launches Economic War On Canada & Iran
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code KCRW at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/kcrw“Economic D-Day” – that’s how President Trump described his latest strategy in the Iran War. He’s promising to starve the country’s economy. A lot may rely on whether other countries play ball, especially China.Trump isn’t just going after Iran. He’s pushed us into a new tariff war with Canada, and our polite neighbor to the north is in no mood to cave. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of economic warfare, how to know if policies like this will help or hurt Americans, and whether this will sway voters’ choices this fall.Also, Flock cameras are a sleeper issue in these upcoming midterms. They’re AI-powered and used by police to tackle crime, but some communities hate their surveillance power. And we remember the late Dolly Parton, a talented musician with unique appeal to audiences all over the political spectrum. Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass - @oren_cass Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee
The Iran War Weighs On Troop Morale & Voters’ Patience
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code KCRW at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/kcrwThe political lives of some Republicans literally depend on their carefully crafted messaging around an unpopular war and unpopular president. Many know they can’t abandon Trump, and getting on his bad side doesn’t generally end well for Republicans, either. We talk about dire conditions reported on the USS Abraham Lincoln where its extended Middle East deployment has pushed some sailors to the brink. It’s put a spotlight on the morale of our troops, as well as what our military strength looks like to other countries.Plus we take listener questions, including from one who thinks a progressive swing left is a losing strategy for Democrats who’ll need the South to win the next presidency. Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mike Dubke, veteran GOP communications strategist and advisor. He was the White House Comms Director under Donald Trump in 2017 - @MikeDubke Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee
Let’s Make Sense Of Democrats’ Conflicting Primary Results
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code KCRW at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: https://incogni.com/kcrwPart of any midterm election year is trying to guess the larger trends to see how our politics are evolving in one direction or another. “Progressives are gaining momentum!” Except not in Wisconsin this past week. “President Trump can steer any primary vote his way!” Or not, given that his ally Mike Lindell didn’t advance in the Minnesota Governor’s race.We talk about the nuance and surprises from the latest primaries, and how the emerging message might be that voters just want new faces and new energy. Plus, President Trump faces the inescapable reality that he’s lost support for the war in Iran among voters and his own party. The Washington Post also breaks the story that Trump secretly flew out of Turkey last month because of a threat, leaving Air Force One – and reporters and key Trump officials on board – to be used as a decoy. And the WNBA has been getting its moment of glory, while also getting dragged into the culture wars. Producer: Leo DuranHost: David Greene Guests: Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Jonah Goldberg, co-founder and editor-in-chief at The Dispatch - @JonahDispatch