Left, Right & Center

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 The way President Trump saw it in his State of the Union address, our nation is getting stronger, safer and more affordable for American families. Polls paint a different picture where far more people think the economy has gotten worse, not better in Trump’s second term. The president insists he has more levers to pull, including tariffs, despite the fact that the Supreme Court just shot his tariff policy down. We’ll talk about that defeat for Trump in court – what it says about the court’s makeup, and whether we should take this decision as a major check on presidential power. Speaking of checks – we talk about the outrage over the way the gold medal-winning U.S. men’s hockey team responded in a congratulatory presidential phone call. There’s also outrage over a comment by California’s governor that struck some as racist. We examine when outrage is truly meaningful in this political climate – and who decides – with Mo Elleithee on the left and Sarah Isgur on the right.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

The fallout from the millions of pages released from the Epstein Files has now reached the British royal family with the arrest of former Prince Andrew. In business and academia, many major figures have stepped down. However American politicians named in the files have faced few consequences. Why is that, and what are some of the larger political implications of the Epstein Files?Also, President Trump is preparing his State of the Union address. Our panelists give their recommendations for what he should focus on and how Democrats can most effectively respond.Plus, the fight over voting rights in Congress and at the state level. Republicans in Washington are trying to pass national voting rules, while Democratic states are actively pushing back.Producer: Leo DuranHost: Susan Davis Guests:  Mo Elleithee, executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee Mike Dubke, veteran GOP communications strategist and advisor. He was the White House Comms Director under Donald Trump in 2017 - @MikeDubke

The first votes of the 2026 midterm elections will soon be cast in Texas, and the Senate primary race is shaping up to be messy for both Democrats and Republicans. The two blue candidates, U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett and state Representative James Talarico are each facing blowback for comments they made about race and identity. There’s also an intraparty fracture between the GOP’s establishment and insurgent wings exposing itself in the race between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and his challenger, Texas Attorney General and Trump ally Ken Paxton. We’ll unpack how unsettled party fault lines on both sides could impact the general election.This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan package called the Housing for the 21st Century Act. Back in October, the Senate passed its own legislation called the ROAD to Housing Act. Both aim to boost housing supply and make buying more affordable for Americans. We’ll break down the policies and the politics.The Winter Olympics are underway in Italy and some American athletes are feeling complicated about representing the United States. After 27-year-old skier Hunter Hess expressed his “mixed emotions,” President Trump responded by calling him “a real loser.”  That insult is common in Trump's playbook when talking to political foes. We’ll talk about whether that playbook is still effective, especially when Olympians are the target.Producer: Robin EstrinHost: David Greene Guests:  Elizabeth Bruenig, staff writer, The Atlantic - @ebruenig Will Swaim, host of National Review’s “Radio Free California;” president at the California Policy Center - @willswaim

This week, Congress ended a partial government shutdown, approving funding for several federal agencies through September. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees I.C.E and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, was not among those agencies. Democrats say they won’t fund the D.H.S without restrictions on federal immigration agents. In this shifting political landscape, how will congressional Republicans respond?We’ll discuss the Democrats’ demands. How might congress realistically check President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies, given the violent and seemingly indiscriminate tactics we’re seeing in Minneapolis and nationally? With the midterms looming, will it be possible for the two parties to come together and compromise?Speaking of elections, President Trump this week repeated a call to “nationalize” elections, saying Republicans should “take over” voting in 15 states. Are free and fair elections under threat? Here's the Carter-Baker Commission report. Producer: Robin EstrinHost: 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

Protests and skirmishes between Minnesota residents and federal agents are still ongoing after the second shooting of a US citizen in Minneapolis this month. Thirty-seven year old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was killed by Border Patrol agents while filming immigration operations in the city. Following a weekend of inflammatory comments by DHS secretary Kristy Noem and other members of the Trump administration, the president has looked to turn the temperature down. He deployed ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to take command of operations in Minneapolis. The experienced immigration official acknowledged that “certain improvements could and should be made” to immigration enforcement in the area. But Homan insisted that more cooperation from state and local officials would be necessary before a reduction in federal presence.  It remains to be seen whether the tonal shift or any changes in operations will be effective in the Twin Cities region. The situation has raised concerns among Congress that legislative action may be necessary. Senate Democrats worked toward a deal with the White House to avoid a government shutdown over DHS funding. While some initial framework has been drawn up, the two sides will continue negotiating new guardrails for ICE and Border Patrol. Will Congress step up for a rare check of the Oval Office?Plus, we’ll answer listener questions about where executive power and America’s position as a world leader stand after a tumultuous start to 2026.

President Trump’s contentious relationship with NATO seemed set to reach its peak at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. European leaders formed a united front against his belligerence over American control of Greenland in recent weeks. The floating of a military attack or new tariffs on NATO members who opposed the move appeared to doom the longstanding alliance. However, upon his arrival, the president walked back any threats of military force and announced that there would be no new tariffs after working out a new agreement with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte. But does that mean the partnership between NATO and the US is back on steady ground?This week marked the first year of the president’s second term in the oval office. It was an eventful year full of legal challenges, deployments, deals  and concepts of deals. The focus in the White House was on the execution of President Trump’s policies on border security and the economy. We’ll look back at how those policies have played out, and discussed what stood out about his first 12 months back in power.Recent social media posts from the White House have come into the spotlight for their controversial language. Critics say the posts are a show of support for far right nationalist ideology. What’s driving the official government accounts to sounding so much more Trump-like than in his first term?

President Trump is threatening to enact the Insurrection Act and deploy National Guard troops in Minneapolis. The threat comes on the heels of continued protests over the January 7th killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. The Trump administration claims Good was a “domestic terrorist,” while protestors call for accountability over the shooting. Our panel discusses the motivation for protestors and whether the  accountability they’re looking for is possible.The president’s desire to show force isn’t limited to the nation’s borders. Vice President JD Vance met with Danish officials to discuss control of Greenland this week. After the meeting, President Trump insisted that all options remain on the table for the US to take control of the arctic nation - including military action. He is also considering US involvement in Iran to support civilians who are calling for the removal of the country’s government. Both moves threaten to upend the existing world order. Is that what Trump wants?

Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis. As video of the shooting went viral, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem derided Good as a “domestic terrorist” in a statement to reporters. The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, called the Trump administration’s take B.S., and for ICE to leave the city, while asking potential protestors to remain calm as they take to the streets. We’ll discuss whether the president’s policies played a role in heightening tensions between the public and federal agents.Questions remain about the future of Venezuela after the United States captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio say the US will run the country, despite leaving Maduro’s government largely intact. In an interview with the New York Times, the president said American control of the country could last “years.”. Will the dramatic action taken by Trump’s administration help or hinder its push for control of the Western Hemisphere?Can real solutions take a priority over messaging in American politics? Our panelists share their thoughts on a listener’s question.

2026’s first primary is just two months away. Both parties are trying to get voters to believe in their ability to address the affordability crisis. Republicans are combatting President Trump’s conflicting perspective on the economy. Democrats are hoping to solidify their voice for voters after struggling to find a message that connected with them in 2024. Our panel breaks down which races could help define their identities - and reshape Congress - in the year ahead.Online prediction markets have reintroduced election betting to the American public. Companies like Kalshi and Polymarket have grown in popularity for allowing users to wager on everything from wars to the weather - as well as elections. Now, major media outlets are looking to embed their odds into their news coverage. Is there any upside to gamifying politics?As one listener writes, admitting when you’re wrong is a key part of engaging with politics. So where did our panel miss the mark in 2025?

Foreign policy took center stage in the first year of President Trump’s second term, which may be a surprise after his America First focus in 2024. The president sought to ease tensions with adversaries while bringing an end to existing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Trump promised an isolationist shift after finding resolutions for those wars. Instead, the back half of 2025 saw the United States enter a new military campaign in the Caribbean and use geopolitics to project Trump’s political values abroad. Also, panelists Mo Elleithee and Sarah Isgur have had long careers in and around politics. But it wasn’t always their greatest obsession. Join host David Greene for insight into their perspectives on the changes they’ve seen over the last several decades -- and what they really love beyond politics.

2025 is set to end without the passage of a new health care bill. Congress had been working to hammer out new legislation before the holiday break. Democrats were pushing for an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that lowered the cost of health care premiums for millions of Americans. Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of 2025. House Democrats were joined in the fight by moderate Republicans who worried that skyrocketing healthcare costs would leave them vulnerable in next year’s midterms. GOP leadership pushed for alternatives that would increase the possibility of coverage without the extensions. Lawmakers will resume the fight in January, with votes set for the extensions desired by Democrats after a Republican proposal passed earlier this week. Will the pressure of the midterms lead to larger cracks between GOP members and leadership?Midterms also have the potential to bring a new look to the Republican base. New polling from NBC News shows that the share of Republicans who identify as MAGA compared to traditional Republicans dipped from 57/43 in the spring to 50/50 as the year ends. Is this identity shift among voters a red flag for a party looking to increase turnout next November? And has the president lost some of his charm with Republican voters?Plus, does either party really care about the national debt anymore? Our KCRW panel answers one listener’s question about a political argument that seems to have gone by the wayside. 

As peace talks between Russia and Ukraine continue, last week the White House released its National Security Strategy. The strategy, viewed favorably by Moscow, was critical of the European Union and views the suppression of far-right politicians as a threat to peace and democracy in the region, especially in resolving the war in Ukraine. A US-brokered peace plan would see Ukraine cede the Donbass region to Russia, a non-starter for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Trump sees it as the best way to end the bloodshed, but the plans have also concerned European leaders. What’s the president’s motivation for peace?The National Security Strategy also outlined immigration as a threat to European democracy. There were warnings that Europe risked “civilizational erasure" if it failed to curb mass migration. What is the tie between peace and President Trump’s skepticism on migration?Also, our panel answers your questions. Can you still be a fiscal conservative and a social progressive without contradicting yourself? What happened to virtue in politics?

At the end of a cabinet meeting this week, President Trump unleashed controversial comments about Minnesota’s Somali community. The president said he “[didn’t] want them in our country” and referred to Minnesota’s Somali-American congresswoman Ilhan Omar as “garbage”. His diatribe came as reports surfaced of ICE raids in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region targeting Somalis in the area. The Department of Homeland Security said that there would be increased focus on immigrant communities in the wake of the November 26th shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., which had no connection to Somali-Americans. Is the administration clouding legitimate questions about immigrant vetting with its actions?Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued to deny reports he ordered an illegal strike on a boat suspected of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean. Congressional Armed Services Committees have opened investigations into the attack. What could accountability look like legally and politically?A new feature on X reveals where accounts on the app originated from . A number of popular accounts posting about American politics were exposed as foreign users. Is there any way to push back on the influence of foreign actors on social media?

President Trump has been a vocal supporter of capital punishment, even before his foray into politics. Now in his second term, he’s instructed the Department of Justice to help states facilitate more executions, and death row executions have reached the highest number in over a decade. Does Trump see  political value in capital punishment? What can we glean about our own values from the push for more executions?America’s youngest voters are going through hard times, facing an uncertain job market and high costs of living. Throw in a lack of faith in democracy and you’ve got a generation of voters who are less engaged than any other age group. We’ll discuss the political trends defining Gen Z, and ask how political leaders can ignite their political spark.Presidential pardon power has often been scrutinized - on the Left, Right & Center. One listener has an idea about how to fix it. 

This week we bring you an episode from Question Everything, another KCRW podcast. Host Brian Reed brings together the reporters who know the Jeffrey Epstein case best – along with one of their Trump-supporting producers – for drinks and a candid, no-holds-barred conversation. They compare notes, challenge each other’s assumptions, and reveal what it really takes to separate fact from rumor in a story that has tested the limits of journalism.It’s one of the most provocative and confronting discussions Brian’s ever hosted about power, accountability and what’s at stake when the media goes up against billionaires and their networks.Check out the Question Everything Substack, by the way, where we get into juicy behind the scenes details and other good stuff from our episodes. “Question Everything” is a production of KCRW and Placement Theory.Drinking and fact-checking don’t always go hand in hand, so clarifying and correcting a few statements from the conversation here – which honestly in themselves give a sense of just how many crannies of global power the tendrils of the Epstein story reach into. We reached out to Anouska De Georgiou to see if she wanted to comment, but we didn’t hear back. Leslie Wexner is not the founder of Victoria’s Secret – he bought the company in 1982, and he said Jeffrey Epstein had stolen $46 million from him, not $60 million. Meanwhile investor Leon Black paid Epstein $170 million for supposed tax advice – not $160 million. Virginia Giuffre sued Prince Andrew as an individual, not the Crown itself. Tara Palmeri’s reporting that Elon Musk dm’d Virgina Giuffre saying Trump would release the files is based on Virginia telling her this – Tara didn’t see the DM. At one point, Eric says that in 2015, Roger Stone called Epstein’s island a “democrat orgy island.” Really, Stone wrote a book excoriating the Clintons called The Clinton’s War on Women, and there’s a chapter in there called Orgy Island, which highlights Bill Clinton’s friendship with Epstein. So Roger Stone didn’t call Epstein’s island a democrat orgy island. Just “orgy island.” And last, but not least: the pope who was in a picture with Jeffrey Epstein, which was displayed on Epstein’s credenza, was John Paul II.

President Trump signed a bill ordering the Department of Justice to release all unclassified material related to Jeffrey Epstein. The bill - signed on November 19th - calls on the DoJ to deliver the files within 30 days. The president initially resisted Congressional efforts to sign the bill before reversing course ahead of a House vote. Democrats rallied around the push to get the files out, but are they picking the wrong fight? The affordability issue was a boon for Democrats in their sweeping victories in the 2025 elections. It could be the defining issue of the midterms. In the face of a cost of living crisis, the president rescinded a number of tariffs on vital goods last week. Will it be enough to win back the political ground he’s lost? Plus, the redistricting effort in Texas faces a loss in federal court. Could that impact the effort to create more seats in California and other blue states that looked to counter Texas Republicans?As we look ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday, the panel shares what they're thankful for (with help from a few friends). Plus, KCRW remembers broadcasting pioneer Susan Stamberg.

President Trump put his signature on a bill that will fund the government through the end of January. The bill brought an end to a 43-day shutdown of the federal government. A group of eight Democratic senators negotiated with Senate Majority leader John Thune to get concessions for furloughed and laid off government workers, and the funding of several federal agencies. The deal did not include the extensions for healthcare subsidies that had become a key messaging point for Democrats throughout the shutdown. Will working out a deal without a big win hurt the political leverage the party seemed to be building? What will it mean for the position of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer?Next, Congress turns back to the Epstein files, with new emails emerging that appeared damning for President Trump. The president signed off on several pardons this week. Among those receiving the pardons were Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and other members of the president’s inner circle who faced scrutiny for their roles in undermining the 2020 election. None of the 70 individuals pardoned were facing federal charges. So what was the point? Does the pardon process need a facelift? The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of a Kentucky county clerk who wanted them to reconsider the landmark same-sex marriage case Obergefell v. Hodges. Concerns on the left about the case’s standing were high after the court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. KCRW discusses why Obergefell may not be overturned anytime soon, and answers a question from a listener looking for insight from last week’s election margins.

Democrats are celebrating a collection of election wins across the country this week. Messaging around affordability and the cost of living scored big wins for the party in the Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, as well as mayoral races in several major cities. Will a successful off year help the party smooth over its internal disagreements heading into next year’s midterms?California passed Proposition 50, a proverbial counter punch to redistricting efforts in Texas and other red states. The state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, says the legislation is a temporary fix to the campaign by President Donald Trump to create more congressional seats for conservatives. Democrats promise to be the “adults in the room,” but can they deliver?Can voters really exert their power if the two major parties control the candidates they have to choose from? KCRW discusses one potential solution to the political Coke vs. Pepsi problem.

The federal shutdown is set to extend past the one month mark. The longer the shutdown goes, the more Americans could feel its impact. The Department of Agriculture announced that it would not use emergency funding to keep supplying the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - also known as food stamps - after November 1st. Halting SNAP payments would affect more than 40 million Americans. Many federal workers, including air traffic controllers, are working without pay while the shutdown battle continues. With the holiday season approaching, airline travel could take a major hit. Will these economic pressure points jolt Congress into action? Construction on a new grand ballroom at the White House has begun. Renovations at the ‘People’s House’ are nothing new. So why has the demolition and remodel of the East Wing drawn so much attention? One factor could be the stream of private donations funding the project. KCRW discusses how those payments and the access that comes with them puts one of Washington's biggest problems on display.New York City’s mayoral race hits the ballot next week, along with a number of elections across the country. We’ll discuss what to watch for as a precursor to next year’s midterms, and answer one listener’s question about the future of the Voting Rights Act.

Tensions are high after President Trump ordered a military strike on a boat in the Pacific Ocean this week. It’s the latest in a series of attacks on vessels the administration has accused of carrying illicit drugs out of Venezuela. The president says these attacks are intended to stop narcoterrorists, despite Venezuela’s minor role in the drug trade. Could the real driver behind this campaign be the type of regime change Trump often railed against?An estimated seven million Americans marched across the country in the second round of the “No Kings” protest. Participants voiced their frustrations with the Trump administration and its policies. Some Republican leaders dismissed the protests and its anti-Trump messaging. Do they run the risk of making the same mistakes Democrats made as the Tea Party gained notoriety?The nationwide redistricting push is the motivating force behind California’s Proposition 50. The ballot measure could completely reshape the state’s electoral maps. Our panel answers one listener’s question about how to approach the measure, and the “moral confusion” the redistricting fight has introduced.