Former CIA Officer Examines Election Threat from Russia, China and Iran

The dust has settled on last night’s debate — sponsored by KQED and The San Francisco Chronicle — with the leading candidates for mayor of San Francisco. Scott, Marisa and Guy discuss highlights and takeaways from the debate, where incumbent London Breed was regularly in the hot seat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

KQED and The San Francisco Chronicle host a live debate with the top five candidates for mayor of San Francisco tonight at 7 p.m. Scott, Marisa and the Chronicle's Joe Garofoli preview the debate and discuss the state of the race and how it could be affected by ranked choice voting. The debate will be available live, streaming online and broadcast on 88.5FM and KQED 9 TV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 2000s, ballooning pension costs were blowing up city and state budgets in California, leading cities like San Francisco to raise the retirement age for firefighters and abandon a program that let police collect a salary and a pension at the same time. Now, San Francisco voters will consider two ballot measures to reinstate those benefits. Marisa talks with Joe Eskenazi, the managing editor at Mission Local, about why these measures are on the ballot and what they would mean for the city budget.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A national network of Black sororities and fraternities might just be Vice President Kamala Harris’ secret weapon. Known as the Divine Nine, with more than 2.5 million members nationwide, they're in high gear to help usher Harris into the presidency. Scott talks with one member: Los Angeles Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump and J.D. Vance have doubled down on false claims that immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating pets. Over the weekend, Vance said on CNN that he was willing "to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people." In an era of misinformation, how should the media be covering claims like these? And are political journalists doing enough to hold Trump, Vance and even Kamala Harris accountable? Scott talks with Dan Froomkin, who founded Press Watch, an independent non-profit site devoted to political journalism. They analyze this year’s media coverage of the presidential election and what political journalists can and should do better to ensure that the electorate has an accurate sense of the candidates and the stakes in this election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco mayor’s race is heating up, as a scandal over the misuse of city funds lands on Mayor Breed’s desk and another candidate is hit with questions about ethics. Plus, former President Donald Trump is collecting campaign cash in California while tying the state's problems to Vice President Kamala Harris. Next Thursday, September 19th at 7 pm, KQED is teaming up with the San Francisco Chronicle to host a debate with the top candidates for mayor of San Francisco. It'll be available live, streaming online and broadcast on 88.5FM and KQED 9 TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the presidential election fast approaching, foreign adversaries are working hard behind the scenes to sow chaos and influence U.S. public opinion. Marisa and Scott are joined by Emily Harding, who has worked for the CIA, led the Senate investigation into 2016 Russian election interference and now works at the at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President Kamala Harris is widely considered to have won last night's debate against former President Donald Trump. Harris had Trump playing defense most of the night — a stark contrast to the June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. Scott, Marisa and Guy dissect each candidate's best and worst moments and what difference it'll make in November. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s Debate Night in America: former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are squaring off in their one and only scheduled debate. This event is historic in many ways and the stakes could not be higher for the candidates and for the nation. What do both candidates need to accomplish? And what kinds of questions will they get? And how should we judge their performances? Scott and Marisa talk about the what to expect and what to look for on the debate stage with New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real democracy involves two or more candidates squaring off in elections giving voters a real choice for office. And yet, throughout the United States thousands of elections go uncontested, leaving voters with no choice other than to vote for the one candidate on the ballot or not vote at all. The progressive non-profit Contest Every Race say more often than not, the party not fielding a candidate is the Democrats. The organization is trying to change that by recruiting and financing Democrats to run for office, especially in battleground states. Lauren Gepford, executive director of Contest Every Race, joins Scott to talk about what uncontested races mean for America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices