Talking Feds is sponsored by our friends at Total Wine and More,

rewarding curious connoisseurs with a wondrous selection of wine, spirits, and beers.

Welcome to Talking Feds. A round table that brings together prominent former federal officials

and special guests. For a dynamic discussion of the most important political and legal topics of

the day, I'm Harry Lintman. Okay, pop quiz. What is the fifth biggest economy in the world

after only the United States, China, Japan, and Germany, and ahead of India, the UK and France?

Answer? The State of California, an economic juggernaut with an annual GDP of $2.7 trillion.

California is at once a bellweather and leader among the states and also a perennial outlier

and oddball. Some say as California goes, so goes the country. And from that vantage point,

in this episode, we will be discussing the most pressing and prominent issues on the national scene,

voting rights, infrastructure, COVID, and more through the prism of the Golden State.

So today, I, a happy California transplant, am joined by three of California's most prominent

and experienced public officials. And they are.

DD Myers, the senior advisor and director of the Office of Business and Economic Development

for the State of California. She was White House Press Secretary to President Clinton and later

co-host of Equal Time on CNBC. She wrote the 2008 New York Times bestselling book Why Women Should

Rule the World. DD, welcome back to Talking Feds. Thanks so much for coming.

Thank you, Harry. Good to be here.

Karen Bass, the sixth term representative for California's 37th Congressional District,

covering area south and west of downtown LA. She served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus

in 2019 and 2020. Before joining Congress, she was Speaker of the California State Assembly.

Congresswoman Bass, thank you so much for joining Talking Feds.

...