Californians Vote With New Map
6/2/202621 min
California politics is experiencing a rare moment on the national stage as wacky candidates and local scandals have become a microcosm for the country as a whole, as well as a potential preview of what November’s midterms have in store. We talk to KQED’s Marisa Lagos about what the hell is going on with California politics right now.
And in headlines, primary season kicks off nationwide, Trump's Iran War negotiations hit another setback, an appeals court rules Trump's ban on transgender troops illegal, the White House temporarily pauses its slush fund for Trump's political allies, and several states extend bar and restaurant hours for the World Cup.
Show Notes:
- Check out Marisa's work – www.kqed.org/author/mlagos
- Call Congress – 202-224-3121
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- For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsErin Ryan· Host0:00
[upbeat music] It's Tuesday, June 2nd. I'm Erin Ryan, in for Jane Coaston. And this is What a Day, the show that when it must be the bearer of bad news, coats it with some peanut butter and cheese so the news goes down easier. [upbeat music] On today's show, a federal judge shreds President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's ban on trans troops. Happy Pride, boys. We've also got another setback in the Trump administration's so far futile attempts to wrap up the war they started with Iran. "We've almost got a peace treaty," is to the Trump administration what "Full self-driving is just around the corner" is to Elon Musk. But before we get to all that, California politics are often treated as an afterthought to the rest of the national media. While California is often seen as a Democratic paradise with a deep bench, this year a combination of dangerously wacky candidates and own goal scandals have propelled the Golden State to national front pages. Today's primary will winnow down crowded fields across several important races, so we talked to journalist Marisa Lagos. She's a political correspondent at KQED and co-hosts its podcast Political Breakdown, and she can help answer the question: What the hell is going on with the California governor's race right now? Marisa, welcome to What a Day.
Marisa Lagos· Guest1:18
Thanks for having me.
Erin Ryan· Host1:19
All right, let's just get right into it. Uh, I've seen a lot of commentary that this has been a weird election year in California. As a seasoned veteran of