Left, Right & Center

The ‘Socialist’ Brand Helps Some Democrats…For Now

Progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Senate primary, but he’ll have to beat Republican Mike Rogers who wants to flip this seat for the GOP.  Can El-Sayed and other progressive candidates win over independent voters this fall? Polls suggest they have a lot of work to do, with a lot at stake for Democrats.  Also, how our legal system pushes back against a president who often acts like he’s above the law.  And in Ohio, a Republican congressman clings to his re-election hopes even after his ex-wife accused him of domestic violence. That ex-wife also happens to be the daughter of a U.S. senator. Producer: Leo Duran Host: David Greene [https://www.kcrw.com/people/david-greene]  Guests:  * Mo Elleithee [https://www.kcrw.com/people/mo-elleithee], executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee [https://twitter.com/MoElleithee] * Will Swaim [https://californiapolicycenter.org/], CEO of the California Policy Center - @WillSwaim [https://x.com/WillSwaim]

Affordability Rules the Midterms. Trump Calls It 'Made Up'

What does “affordability” mean, and who should we trust to deliver it? Democrats are pounding the affordability message hard, saying President Trump began a global tariff war and a war in Iran that have both pushed prices up for Americans.  We’ll talk about what actual ideas Democrats are offering to bring relief. The boldest ideas so far have come from their more progressive members, which could be a potential challenge for the more moderate wing of the party. Republicans have their own challenge: GOP lawmakers seem willing to work on bipartisan solutions on affordability, but President Trump keeps undermining them. Mo and Sarah have their own policy debate to stump for proposals that can bring prices down, and also pick each other’s ideas apart. Plus, Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions about Covid in a congressional hearing, and we talk about whether he was justified. Producer: Leo Duran Host: David Greene [https://www.kcrw.com/people/david-greene]  Guests:  * Mo Elleithee [https://www.kcrw.com/people/mo-elleithee], executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee [https://twitter.com/MoElleithee] * Sarah Isgur [https://www.kcrw.com/people/sarah-isgur], senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons [https://twitter.com/whignewtons]

The Midterm Impact Of Progressives, Election Deniers & Iran

Progressive Democrats are surging in primary elections across the country, but the party establishment is worried they’ll lose this November. Republicans think those progressives will be easier to beat, too. So how will this intra-party fight among Democrats play out and determine control of Congress? And why is the GOP so sure they can beat progressive Dems when some polls show their party is underwater with voters on the economy? Plus, the president campaigned to secure elections using false claims. House Republicans advanced his elections bill – the SAVE America Act – just as two election deniers advanced in Arizona’s Republican primaries. And we talk about the Iran war. Republicans passed extra military spending to keep it going, so do those Republicans now own an unpopular war? Producer: Leo Duran Host: Susan Davis  Guests:  * Mo Elleithee [https://www.kcrw.com/people/mo-elleithee], executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee [https://twitter.com/MoElleithee] * Sarah Isgur [https://www.kcrw.com/people/sarah-isgur], senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons [https://twitter.com/whignewtons]

How Should Lawmakers Balance Privacy and Transparency About Their Health?

Senator Mitch McConnell was absent from Capitol Hill for weeks. Rumors and conspiracies swirled until he recently reappeared and said he was in medical care recovering from a fall. He’s not the only politician who’s hid their health from the public eye – Joe Biden, for instance, tried to keep concerns about his health quiet before the 2024 election – until it was too hard to ignore. We talk about what aging and ailing lawmakers owe to the public especially if it impairs their ability to serve. Plus, immigration enforcement is surging. ICE doubled the number of arrests compared to earlier this year, and has been doing it without the massive protests that rocked the country. But now, with two headline-grabbing shootings of motorists by ICE agents, what is the future of that strategy? We also talk about how congress came together on a massive affordable housing bill. Producer: Leo Duran Host: Mike Madrid [https://www.grassrootslab.com/madrid]  Guests:  * Liz Bruenig [https://elizabethbruenig.com/], staff writer at The Atlantic - @EBruenig [https://x.com/ebruenig?lang=en] * Sarah Isgur [https://www.kcrw.com/people/sarah-isgur], senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons [https://twitter.com/whignewtons]

Graham Platner Drops Out In Maine Senate Race

Democrats badly want to win control of the Senate this fall, but they just suffered a bad blow: Graham Platner, their candidate in Maine, dropped out of the race after facing rape allegations. Whose job was it to vet Platner? And what do Democrats do with this race now?  Then, from cryptocurrency profits to calling the head of FIFA, what is President Trump’s relationship with corruption? He seems to embrace the image of being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Is there a disciplined message Democrats can craft to combat the power of his persona?  And David gives a tribute to Don Gonyea, who is stepping away from NPR after a legendary political reporting career. Producer: Leo Duran Host: David Greene [https://www.kcrw.com/people/david-greene]  Guests:  * Mo Elleithee [https://www.kcrw.com/people/mo-elleithee], executive director at Georgetown University's Institute of Politics and Public Service - @MoElleithee [https://twitter.com/MoElleithee] * Sarah Isgur [https://www.kcrw.com/people/sarah-isgur], senior editor at The Dispatch - @whignewtons [https://twitter.com/whignewtons]