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Left, Right & Center

KCRW

Left Right & Center is for listeners who feel like people on the other side of the political divide are on Mars. David Greene pieces together the big picture by inviting people from the left and the right to unpack their ideological differences, not to smooth them over, and look at what’s truly at stake. The show offers a rare kind of clarity. It doesn’t ask you to agree. It asks you to look more closely at what’s happening and to challenge your assumptions. 

You might not always agree – you might even get angry – but you’ll know why you feel the way you do. No knee-jerk reactions or name calling. This show doesn’t promise easy answers or warm fuzzies; it promises more clarity for the chaotic political era we’re all living through.

KCRW 2020, 498771

Left Right & Center is for listeners who feel like people on the other side of the political divide are on Mars. David Greene pieces together the big picture by inviting people from the left and the right to unpack their ideological differences, not to smooth them over, and look at what’s truly at stake. The show offers a rare kind of clarity. It doesn’t ask you to agree. It asks you to look more closely at what’s happening and to challenge your assumptions. 

You might not always agree – you might even get angry – but you’ll know why you feel the way you do. No knee-jerk reactions or name calling. This show doesn’t promise easy answers or warm fuzzies; it promises more clarity for the chaotic political era we’re all living through.

KCRW 2020, 498771
20hr 37min
Thumbnail for "Virginia Gives Democrats An Edge In Redistricting".
The arms race to control Congress heats up after Virginians voted to redraw district maps. It gives Democrats the edge to flip several seats, but where does it end? Plus, Vice President J.D. Vance on the international stage, and the Make American Healthy Again movement is scrambling party lines.
April 24, 202650min 15sec73.52 MB
Thumbnail for "Why Did Iowa Republicans Snub The Trump-Backed Candidate?".
Iowa Republicans picked Zach Lahn over his Trump-backed opponent in the gubernatorial primary. Was this a rebuke of Trump? We debate whether the president’s tough immigration policies are needed to keep the country safe. Also, Trump’s Anti-Weaponization Fund seems to be dead, and a listener asks when A.I. political ads cross a line.
June 5, 202650min 15sec68.93 MB
Thumbnail for "Introducing "Intention to Treat: Money and Misdiagnosis"".
June 1, 202624min 58sec59.94 MB
Thumbnail for "Senate Control Rides On Paxton, Texas’ Flawed GOP Pick".
Senate control could ride on Texans’ pick for a GOP candidate impeached by his own party. The Pope warned about the dangers of AI, and we answered a listener frustrated with President Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
May 29, 202650min 16sec48.23 MB
Thumbnail for "Trump’s $1.8B Fund Draws Cries of ‘Brazen Corruption’".
Trump created the Anti-Weaponization Fund to help those wronged by the government, but who’s it really going to benefit? Plus, Trump worked to oust disloyal Republicans, but they might have the last laugh.
May 22, 202650min 16sec74.74 MB
Thumbnail for "The Gerrymandering Rush Is Leaving Voters In the Dust".
States rushing to redraw congressional maps have left some voters in the dark. Is our government ready for the next health crisis? And the MAHA movement struggles to fight the junk food lobby.
May 15, 202654min 59sec107.47 MB
Thumbnail for "The Abortion Debate Returns With Risks For Both Parties".
Abortion is back in the spotlight and both parties are hedging on its place in the campaigns. Trump shook up several primary races in Indiana, and the California governor’s race heats up with a complex primary that could lock Democrats out.
May 8, 202650min 16sec75.14 MB
Thumbnail for "Supreme Court Ruling Threatens Black Representation In Congress".
The Supreme Court gutted a key piece of the Voting Rights Act. Why conspiracy theories spread after the attempted attack on the president. And King Charles tried to smooth over U.S.-U.K. relations.
May 1, 202650min 11sec72.54 MB
Thumbnail for "Trump and Vance Pick a Fight with the Pope".
Trump’s war in Iran has led to a battle for moral authority with Pope Leo. The Strait of Hormuz blockade could backfire in favor of China. Do recent elections signal a troubling trend for the MAGA movement? We also get a special tour inside the Supreme Court from Sarah Isgur.
April 17, 202650min 15sec76.18 MB
Thumbnail for "Trump Threatens An Apocalypse…To Maybe Get A Ceasefire?".
President Trump threatened to end an entire civilization, and that got us a ceasefire with Iran. But it’s a fragile peace for now. Was that bluster successful, like the White House says, or reckless? Plus, Congress returns after a two-week break to that continuing stand-off on funding for Homeland Security. Also, how Artemis II can bring all of us together.
April 10, 202650min 14sec70.9 MB
Thumbnail for "The Iran War Is Redefining America’s Place In The World".
President Trump’s war with Iran is transforming more than just the Middle East. It’s redefining America’s place in the world, the economy and his own party. Trump is also trying to change the meaning of citizenship and the media landscape.
April 3, 202650min 15sec71.13 MB
Thumbnail for "How TSA Lines Are Shifting Political Leverage On Immigration".
TSA checkpoints at some airports are jammed, and the fight over ICE enforcement is showcasing both parties’ leverage on immigration and how it’s shifted. Plus, Trump deployed ICE agents to airports, and there’s concern he might send them to polling sites in November, too.
March 27, 202650min 16sec75.53 MB
Thumbnail for "Iran War Triggers Homeland Security Threats With Leadership In Flux".
We talk about the state of national security with the resignation of a top counterterrorism official, and the head of Homeland Security in flux. Plus, is Trump’s foreign policy strategy to oust leaders but keep their regimes? We also take your questions.
March 20, 202650min 16sec72.4 MB
Thumbnail for "Oil Markets Hang On Trump’s Every Word About Iran".
What does responsible leadership look like when oil and stock prices shift on the President’s word? One of his former advisors suggests he’s manipulating the markets. Plus, the state of America’s national security because of the war and Kristi Noem’s ousting as Homeland Security secretary.
March 13, 202650min 16sec74.87 MB
Thumbnail for "Trump Goes to War While Congress Sits Back".
President Trump launched the U.S. into war with Iran, but the reasons keep shifting. We look at the stakes for Iran, for the region, and for Trump’s presidency. Also, congressional Democrats failed in their effort to check the president’s war powers, and how the midterm elections are shaping up after this week’s first primaries in Texas and more.
March 6, 202650min 15sec71.26 MB
Thumbnail for "Does Trump’s Economic Vision Match What Americans See?".
President Trump’s State of the Union laid out a triumphant vision of America’s economy, but he missed an opportunity to tell Americans he feels their pain. Plus Trump’s path forward on tariffs, and outrage directed at California’s Governor Gavin Newsom and the U.S. men’s hockey team.
February 27, 202650min 14sec73.6 MB
Thumbnail for "Prince Andrew Arrested. Will The Epstein Files Take Down Others?".
There’s swift fallout for some named in the Epstein Files, including the arrest of former Prince Andrew. We discuss whether the U.S. will see lasting political impact. Also, President Trump’s upcoming State Of The Union address and the fights over voting rights.
February 20, 202650min 14sec70.59 MB
Thumbnail for "Texas Dems are stuck on identity politics with Senate race at stake".
Will intraparty fighting blow up the Texas Senate primary for both Democrats and Republicans? Plus, the House just passed a bipartisan housing package. Are real solutions to the affordability crisis on the horizon?
February 13, 202650min 15sec73.26 MB
Thumbnail for "Congress takes up ICE reforms, Trump calls to “nationalize” voting".
Democrats say they won’t fund the Department of Homeland Security without restrictions on federal immigration agents. Plus, does Trump’s call to “nationalize” voting threaten a free and fair midterm election?
February 6, 202650min 15sec73.9 MB
Thumbnail for "Will changes to ICE operations in Minneapolis be enough?".
Tom Homan promised improvements to ICE operations in Minneapolis. Will it shift the country’s attitude on immigration enforcement?
January 30, 202650min 15sec72.27 MB
Thumbnail for "Trump threatens Greenland… then pulls back".
President Trump eases up his pursuit of Greenland. What stood out in the first year of Trump 2.0? Plus, unpacking the White House’s social media presence.
January 23, 202650min 15sec72.57 MB
Thumbnail for "Trump threatens to enact Insurrection Act in Minnesota".
Protestors in Minneapolis clash with ICE agents after the killing of Renee Good. Plus, the president tries to flex his power at home and abroad.
January 16, 202650min 30sec48.48 MB
Thumbnail for "An ICE raid in Minneapolis turns deadly".
A woman was killed by an ICE agent in Minnesota. Federal and state officials are at odds over who’s to blame. Plus, will America’s push for Western dominance succeed?
January 9, 202650min 30sec48.48 MB
Thumbnail for "The 2026 midterms are closer than they appear".
Primary voting starts in a matter of weeks. We’ll identify which midterm races could define 2026. Could the growth of prediction markets change the political landscape? Plus, what we got wrong in 2025.
January 2, 202650min 30sec48.48 MB
Thumbnail for "The shift from America First to Trump’s new interventionism".
President Trump returned to office with expectations of isolationism. Instead, the first year of Trump 2.0 brought new forms of projecting American power and influence abroad.
December 26, 202550min 30sec48.48 MB

Virginia Gives Democrats An Edge In Redistricting

Thumbnail for "Virginia Gives Democrats An Edge In Redistricting".
April 24, 202650min 15sec

Democrats claimed victory in Virginia to redraw district maps and flip as many as four seats from Republicans in Congress. It’s the latest in a gerrymandering arms race to control the House that started with the Texas GOP, but where does it end?

We talk about the President’s negotiating tactics in Iran. It’s also a big test for Vice President J.D. Vance to prove himself on the international stage. But with little to show so far, what does it mean for his aspirations to the White House?

Plus, Congress takes up a huge bill to address food and farming in America. However, the typical left/right divide is scrambled by the Make America Healthy Again movement. Liz Bruenig joins from the left, and Sarah Isgur is with us on the right.

Producer: Leo Duran

Host: McKay Coppins, staff writer, The Atlantic (@mckaycoppins) 

Guests: 

Thumbnail for "Virginia Gives Democrats An Edge In Redistricting".
Virginia Gives Democrats An Edge In Redistricting
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