Buckle up. "Inside the Issues: The Podcast" hosts Alex Cohen and Sara Sadhwani try to make sense of the "topsy-turvy" events in local politics.

This week, brawls broke out at the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance when a film screened about the Hamas attack on Israel. And earlier in the week, an altercation at a Westlake Village rally tied to the Israel-Hamas war led to a man's death. Sara, who works on a college campus, explains how students are fired up as the Middle East situation intensifies.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom's popularity has declined amid negative headlines and his recent trip to China, despite the fact that his policies remain popular. California voters also seem generally unhappy with President Joe Biden as of late.

On more local levels, Alex and Sara address LA Councilmember John Lee suing the Ethics Commission after it accused him of violations. Meanwhile, Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo remains in hot water after she recently crashed into two vehicles and was booked on suspicion of DUI.

And down in Orange County, a judge has refused to halt an ongoing recall election against Santa Ana Councilmember Jessie Lopez.