Roundtable: Joe Biden Looks To California For His Running Mate

Friday, August 14, 2020

Credit: Harris Press Office

Above: Vice President Joe Biden swears in Sen. Kamala Harris, D-California, while her husband Doug Emhoff holds a long-kept family Bible.

The presidential election matchup is set as Joe Biden chooses California Senator Kamala Harris as his democratic running mate, a local Republican leader rails against voting by mail despite a long history of doing so himself, and the push for more enforcement of COVID-19 public health orders.

Aired: August 14, 2020 | Transcript

Roundtable: Joe Biden Looks To California For His Running Mate

PANEL:

Morgan Cook, investigative reporter, The San Diego Union-Tribune

Andrew Keatts, assistant editor/senior investigative reporter, Voice of San Diego

Amita Sharma, investigative reporter, KPBS News

Midday Edition airs Monday - Friday at noon on KPBS Radio.

Subscribe to the podcast.

Biden Picks Harris

The pick is in and former Vice-President Joe Biden has chosen California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. The two democrats will take on republican incumbents President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence in the general election. Senator Harris makes history as the first woman of color on a major presidential ticket as an Asian-American and African-American. KPBS reporter Amita Sharma, who moderated a U.S. Senate debate with Harris in 2016, joins us to discuss the candidate's history in California and how it propelled her to this major, national stage.

Voting By Mail Gets Politicized

Limits on large in-person gatherings due to COVID-19 will likely make voting by mail more widespread in the November general election. However, a change in leadership at the U.S. Postal Service and a refusal by President Trump to allow any extra funding is raising red flags that the system is being intentionally compromised and politicized. The problems aren't just logistical. Republican leaders are repeating long debunked claims that voter fraud is more likely with mail-in ballots. Voice of San Diego's Andrew Keatts tells us how one of those republican leaders has a long history of voting by mail himself.

Consequences For COVID-19 Violators

San Diego tried to make an example this week of a small plot of grass in Ocean Beach that has been a regular weekly gathering spot for drum circles and other activity. Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell called out participants for violating social distancing guidelines during COVID-19 and warned an enforcement crackdown is likely if behavior doesn't improve. As the months drag on, San Diego police have issued only a handful of citations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Morgan Cook, investigative reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune, joins us to talk about some of the other violations around San Diego County and the calls for police and deputies to take on a larger role in the response.

Roundtable is a lively discussion of the week's top stories. Local journalists join host Mark Sauer to provide insight into how these stories affect residents of the San Diego region.

Want more KPBS news?
Find us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our newsletters. + Subscribe to our podcasts

To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.