The Issue Is

For decades, Margaret Cho has pushed for more Asian Americans to be included in Hollywood. She's celebrating the opening of "Crazy, Rich Asians" as a landmark moment. Cho discusses comedy in the age of President Trump, and incorporating #MeToo into her act called "Fresh Off the Bloat." Plus our panel: KFI's John Kobylt & Dr. Wendy Walsh & comedian Rod Man. They discuss Omarosa's recent lea...

With more than a dozen fires burning around California, we go to the frontlines of the Holy Fire burning in Orange & Riverside Counties. Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer says the alleged arsonist responsible for this fire deserves the death penalty. Thanh Nguyen, the spokesperson for the incident command, describes how firefighting has evolved in an era with a never ending fire season. Ja...

The Issue Is: Sean Spicer Is President Donald J. Trump an honest person? Sean Spicer told me: "He is!...He talks about how he uses hyperbole...he's a salesman!" The former White House press secretary joins us for a revealing half hour sit down interview on "The Issue Is:" Spicer reflects on the press conference where he insisted President Trump had the largest crowd size at an Inauguration. "There...

The Issue Is: Hasan Piker, Melissa Rivers, Jimmie "JJ" Walker This week's entire show is an all-star panel taking on the week's hot topics.  Joining us: Hasan Piker of "The Young Turks"; host/producer/author Melissa Rivers; actor/comedian Jimmie "JJ" Walker of "Good Times" fame.  Among the topics: the Trump/Michael Cohen relationship, the family separation policy at the border, Les Moonves' sexual...

The Issue Is: Mayor Eric Garcetti The Los Angeles Mayor admits he's thinking about running for President of the United States.  He talks about his recent travels to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Garcetti says his greatest challenge in Los Angeles is homelessness. He defends his plan to spend millions building temporary housing.  The mayor also discusses traffic, motorized scooters and h...

The Issue Is: Antonio Sabato Jr., Gloria Allred, "Stuttering" John Melendez Attorney Gloria Allred, Republican congressional candidate Antonio Sabato Jr. & podcast host Deborah Zara Kobylt make up our powerhouse panel.  Among the issues they debate: Russian hacking, abortion rights, Republican control of Congress, and the family separation policy.  "Stuttering" John Melendez takes us behind th...

Two very different views of the world from two of Southern California's most outspoken members of Congress. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) join Elex Michaelson for "The Issue Is:" on FOX 11 Los Angeles.  Rohrabacher claims that the hack of the Democratic National Committee wasn't carried out by Russia but instead was an "inside job." He says Russia's medd...

Dan Pfeiffer reflects on where the Democratic party should go from here?   In the Obama Administration, he served as White House communications director, senior counselor to the President and is currently co-host of "Pod Save America." Pfeiffer is out with a new book entitled "Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump." He discusses how Democrats could fight back after P...

The President has to backtrack from his policy to separate parents and kids. But will this policy soon be forgotten? Is he a favorite for re-election? What's up with Melania's jacket? Joining us: Michael Regan of the Reagan Legacy Foundation, Ana Kasparian of the Young Turks and Perez Hilton of PerezHilton.com The panel also discusses the future of "Roseanne" without Roseanne Barr & whether Ca...

The Issue Is...The Mooch! The former White House Communications Director offers rare, candid insight into why President Donald Trump so often embellishes stories. He talks about his friendships with both Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen...and comments on the potential criminal cases both are facing. Scaramucci criticizes the policy of separating illegal immigrant parents from their children and off...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) sits down for an in depth interview about the future of progressivism. He reflect on the lessons he learned from 2016, what he’d say to President Trump in a debate and talks about whether he’ll run for President again. Sanders also shares advice to his young followers who feel disillusioned in the Trump era. Our panel this week discusses Sanders and also the Califor...

With days to go before California's primary election, gubernatorial candidates Antonio Villaraigosa and John Chiang join us. They tackle issues including education, homelessness, sanctuary cities and more. Our panel delves into the controversial comments by Roseanne and Samantha Bee and what should happen to them next. Panelists include: Leeann Tweeden of KABC Radio, Dick Helton of KNX Radio, and...

Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen responds to President Trump endorsing his Republican rival John Cox. On a day when John Cox called Allen a "useful idiot" who should drop out of the race, Allen called Cox an "angry old man from Chicago." Allen describes his plan for sanctuary cities, the gas tax, and climate change. Democrat Delaine Eastin offers a much different view. She reacts to Harvey Wein...

The Issue Is...the future of the #MeToo movement. The mother/daughter attorney combo of Gloria Allred and Lisa Bloom sit down for a rare, joint interview. For the first time, they discuss publicly Bloom working with Harvey Weinstein when his scandal broke. They also talk about Bill Cosby and other high profile cases. And, Allred talks about how she inspired Meghan Markle at a young age. Plus, our...

Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox explains his recent rise in the polls, fights back against the L.A. Times endorsement, and suggests the California Governor Jerry Brown should be in jail. Congresswoman Karen Bass joins Congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis at Los Angeles' Community Coalition. They discuss racism and activism in the Trump era. Our panelists this week are Seema Meh...

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the frontrunner for California governor, defends California's sanctuary state law and talks about how he'd approach homelessness differently than Gov. Jerry Brown. In our "policy issues" segment--he shares his approach to charter schools. Plus, he answers "personal issues" and reveals that Train is his favorite band. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burnank) tells his fellow Democ...

Who is Delaine Eastin? She wants to be California’s first female governor. Delaine Eastin wants to be California's first female governor. Her main priority? Education. Eastin served as the first female Superintendent of Public Instruction in California history. She also served in the state Assembly. In this interview with Elex Michaelson, she talks about how her parents inspired her, how she broke...

Who is Antonio Villaraigosa? The Democrat is running to become California’s first Latino governor since 1875. He broke ground as Speaker of the California Assembly and Mayor of Los Angeles. In this in depth interview with Elex Michaelson, Villaraigosa reflects on a troubled childhood, 40 years of public service, and newfound happiness in his personal life. He shares his jobs plan for California &a...

Who is Travis Allen? The Republican Assemblyman from Huntington Beach is running for governor of California as a proud supporter of President Donald Trump. Allen says his mother’s run for office while he was a kid first introduced him to politics. In more recent years, much of his family moved away from the Golden State due to its high taxes and unfriendliness to business. Allen says his love of s...

California Treasurer John Chiang is trying to become the first Asian-American to be elected governor of California. In this interview with Elex Michaelson, Chiang talks about what milestone would mean to someone whose family was often mocked for their heritage. Chiang also describes his plan for leading the Golden State--especially when it comes to education and housing. Chiang believes he may not...

Who is John Cox? John Cox grew up poor, with a single mother who idolized JFK. He’d go on to be worth more than $200 million and is now running for California governor as a Republican.   Cox is pushing a ballot proposal to change the way Californians are represented in Sacramento. In this in depth conversation with Elex Michaelson, Cox shares his views on California’s gas tax, immigration, healthc...

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is the leading candidate to be the next governor of California when it comes to polling and fundraising. What defines his worldview? In this in depth interview with Elex Michaelson, he opens up about a childhood that had him going back and forth between two very different worlds. He talks about his mother's lasting impact, his African American foster brother, why he's never s...