Each week, Take Two looks back at California's most important political stories for the segment State of Affairs. This week:
- House Speaker Paul Ryan is on his way out; now a California lawmaker with close ties to Trump is eyeing his seat.
- Senators Diane Feinstein and Kamala Harris grilled Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg — but their techniques were a little different.
- President Trump requested National Guard troops for California's southern border. On Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown said "ok," but issued some caveats. Now, they're both calling it a win.
Claremont McKenna's Jack Pitney says it's a calculated move by Brown:
Jerry Brown was trained by Jesuits and Yale Law professors, so he's very good at making fine distinctions, and in this case, the distinction helps him keep California out of the crossfire. If he had flat-out refused, Trump would have said: "he's not standing up against crime." If he had gone with what Trump wanted, he would have come under criticism from the left. This way, he can take a stand against crime and, at the same time, not hurt undocumented immigrants.
Incidentally...
- The Public Policy Institute of California is out with a new survey, and it's deja vu all over again: Gavin Newsom is in the lead, followed by Republican Jon Cox.
Guests:
- Carla Marinucci, senior editor for Politico's California Playbook.
- Jack Pitney, Roy P Crocker professor of politics at Claremont McKenna College