>>. tonight on kqed newsroom, house minority leader nancy pelosi talks about winning back the house and fighting in the >>capitol. > and double trouble for the trump presidency. paul manafort's conviction. and the women who helped kick start the economy and her take on the labor markets. hello and welcome to kqed neroom. we begin with politics. this week, he trump administration suffered major league blows. on esday, president trump's former campaign manager was conicted on eight counts of tax and income fraud while working for ukrainian politicians. michael cohen admitted he hade

m a payment to adult film actress stormy daniels at the direction of president trump and with the intention of influencing the 2016 election. and hunt interhisife were indicted for misusing $250,000 in campaign funds. e we asked nancy pelosi for her perspective. scott schaefer talked to her earlier. >> leader pelosi, welcome to kqed newsroom. >> my pleasure. it's a great to be here. >> a legal and political tsunami in washington. the lawyer p,ading guil his former campaign chair guilty of tax fraud and campaign fraud. what do you take aw? >> the take away is that

president trump has crony incompetence in washington, d.c. he said he was going to drain the swamp. he hijacked the title and betrayed the mission. >> there are democrats as you know, tom sr here i california, among others, saying it's time forimpeachment. you have discouraged that. what about now? >>f there is a path to impeachment, will see what at is. >> what does that mean? >> it means the mueller investiga it will come to a conclusion. impeachment is not a partisan exercise less youave bipartisan, you are just acting politically. and wehink that if the factses are so self-evident, the case can come to the congress of the united states. but in the meantime, we have to protect the integrity of the system. enter he is making an assault

d we have to make sure that he does not succeed and tt we protect the investigation and the documents and the quest for truth. >> so michael cohen's guilty plea aong other things, he said that the president essentially participated in a felony. what kind of accountability short ofimpeachment should bit for that? >>gain that is in the judicial system. >> what do you think? >> the facts that have been presented would be very incriminating for the president. it was af day reckoning for him. >> and paul ryan andther republicans with reluctant to criticize the president. not just on this. tuesday, pae ryan said needed more information before he could draw conclusions. what would you like the speaker of the thousand say about this? >> people ask me allti the e, when are the republicans ever going to distance themselves from president trump and some of his attitudes and et cetera.

never. this is -- therehis n that president trump has been asht, denial of climate, womes right to cheese. fairness in the economy, imgags, gun safety. name an issue. there is nothing they haven't been there long interworse. >> isn't this just aolical calculation? if you look back at 1998, bill clint yob was facing imaneachmet republicans ran on that. how is there a risk for imocrats in that? >> it'ortant for people to know that when democrats win,e are about honor pg the founders put forth. theyouldn't possibly imagine how many so when we win, we will

reswlears they have, the most closed congrs in mystery. transparency, ipart sonship uniany. >> there are people who are saying swhe an adollish i.c.e. the order folks. is that a winning message? >> no,t's not an and the fact is if we want to changize, we have to win the w election. do you tnk dshl. >> well, everybody has their

enthusiasms and sneektd and their poll sifs are about the taking babies out of the arm of their parents, uncivilized, inhumane. oforthy of the united states america. >> you mentioned the republicans are using i.c.e. as a batteringd ram againstmocrats. they are always using you. that is not new. th h has beenpening many elections and many feel le me on that is increasing and some democrats are saying if i get elected, i'm not going to vote for nancy pelosi as minorityeader or speaker. what do you expect? i know you said, knock yoself out. just win. but then what? >> well, the point , is that republicans now that i'mfe ive.

i say it modestly. i'm an elective orp andhat remains it off the table. it's just another sign of their policy bankruptcy they have to be -- gofter a 1y0e6789 one of

party,sing stars in the is cortez. she shocked people back in new ork and beat a close ally of yours, joe crawly. what is the take away from that? >> let's s about that district, it's a progressive district. so her messageha worked in district. we're trifing to win the congress of the united states. we're trying to win many seats that were won by donald trump. and as she i appropriate to her district, our candidates are appropriate to their district is. >> is this a year of the women and why? >> yeah,t and ts why republicans are so afraid, and president trump is so afraid of women, people of color, and the numbers that will be aded to

the tranks in the democrat up. >> pam: and a net pickup -- 23 seats.e thre about eight or so seats inillary clinton. the dwrikt they re-elected the how many seats do you think will be flipped in california? >> a number of them.av you to remember, when i first ran for leadership, we hem 26 democrats and 31i repubns. now it's 39 almosts and 14 copies. we hav picked up -- >> y feel it's hafrtd e harder

against the fwremt and they are coing with the voters in their own way. it's very important, i say it as a former counsellor and chair. it's important for us to joan e ground. get out the vote. i tell the vone tiers, every you take, every postcard you send makes a difference. these elections are going to be verm and wt republicans and congress are doing,t's not only different. it's what about we are as a kblounlt. >> ronald regan.

>> you knew? >> yeah, just guessing. >> ronald reagan said the vital orce of america in the world is every generation of new comers coming to america and whe we trail to recognize that, we fail to be and the now for a further anal siz of theti week's polal developments, i'm joined by hoover institution wan chen, and toms mann from the brookings inn constitution. welcome to you both. >> thank you. and what apeek. not only and the now withe have a david and pref and

compared to other bombshell developments we have had had in the past for. >> if and more relationship -- and carter pige frge. now, what we see is the investigation, and this is part 06 pef and that have to be conditionsed. and i think that's why people focused so much this ek. what is the sbrekt involvement. that's why thisnd is people why are so many high provile almostic. >> interesting, they've not talking about it.

onlyfrsmt you can't convict a president of the o article improoefment would a ohird majority. that means vps has to come around. the count has to come around and it zwroublt and public congress ale hearings on all the suck jekts, republicans have avoided. >> i think it's not true to say there are no democrats that have raised the issue of improoefment. you have a number of members

talking agent it because they believe in their district -- this is to pelosi's point, it works. d the kpage nor democrats, all zbroechblg against impreachmentf and the are the is able to make the case, he is able to come out better and ahead. > let 2340e67d had it happened prifr to president trump taking, offi is it impeempible? >> i think 234r50e7 and let's

see how it plays out. as it kands now, it's a yen yol. >> his lawyers are spleeding with him not to. it would be the e live lent jasms and he could appear to be be doing it, to keep man forth from e eventuall testifying. e mye is waiting to do it, as well wait for the dust t

settle sfwroinchts and the president i don't think still has notforgiven sessions for making -- for committing original is sin f you will. so we're at a point now where the relationship between the two is it's so interesting now. this is the point where we actually have demrats defending jeff sessions. i never thought you'll get here. it took a shydown to keech to this pointand the qui with. >>f flemt and j sessions is a

very conservative attorney general and is pursue per suing issues on the immigration front, questions that dave with criminal punishment. he is doing what trump wants done. trump is thinking thiss a mob boss. these guys work for me, and if they're not - worried >> they are are are research zbroshl and about the issues? >> the answer, it ndde entirely where the district is. and speaking out against president trump is not going t get you a lot of benefit. if gets 90% snarmt and

you're in original county, colorado mnchts what will it take for thome zblomt and they are calling for a delay in that. they contend nearmt and i think this is part of the political

cab buicky theaternd that all of the members decided to enjoige it. they feel like they have to sake vp vick a strong accept frasmt. >> let's remember how this this started with rich mcconnell in sfromt nomination of merrick garland who was e steamed on

both sides of t230e78 and is we ho move it there, thomas mann with the brookings institution, and lani chen. thank > ou both. >thank you. turning now to tech before there was uber of lyft there was task rabt. in 2008, leah busky had it to allow people to do jobs. and busky left the company for eighth years before it was acquired by acquikea in 2017. joining me now is lara busky. good to see you. >> thanks so much for having me. >> not a lot of people realize, before ube and airbnb,he is task rabbit. how did you come up with the

idea to have an online platform to convince people wed ne people to run errands for them. >> you know, back in 200his is not an obvious idea. this is long before you would jump in a stranger's car off the street, right? but i was sitting at home one night with her. husban we were getting ready to go out to din interi realized we were out of dog food. it was a cold and snowy outside. we didn't want to go out. we were like there has to be someone out there to help was e job. four months earlier, the iphone had just ce out. and i knew that i could build a plan form tha connected me with someone in real time and that is where the yt was gornl.

>> it was a cuff and the quef started to change. there were trends in the waypl that p wanted to find jobs and earn run and they wanted flexibility in the za to day. the idea for fafk and a normalization 340e6 and i don't think that these two ideas of having benefits and security and sort of the safety net along with the freelance economy with exibility. they are not two ccepts that have be mutually exclusive and wehave to mans the leads and wants of the people enjoying the

flexibility in the work kboerms and where do you se the future the work force? >> the future is changing for women in particular and that's an area i we have looked at flexible job marketplaces andke mlaces that empower women speckly to player loin the work course. we looked at child care to so i think that is what is a yenl and they are are getting 2% of all venture capital in the country.

as a women founder do you fee an obligation or responsibility to help change that? >> absolutely. and not only are the venture capital statistics as far as ti who's g the capital really disconcerting, the women in venture capital, only 7% of partners in the country are women. anthey are the people who control who gets the capital and who gets the money. there's a question here that is increasing the number of women in venture, will bring a new perspective to the table and it will empower the next generation ofeounders that are reprted in technology in particular. butw across all sectors >> you have gone now from a founder of a company to someo working in venture. as a woman, do you look specifically for companies founded by women? >> i look for companies that are

going to bring and he best returns. it has been proven that having versity at top brings better returns. since i've joined fuel, we have increased the number of female founders we have invested in. i think having that perspective as a woman just allows me to see businesses in a different way and in a new light and it opens up the pipeline of the deals we look at. >> and what about -- there is a proposal to require public co anies in california to have at least one woman on their board. what do you think about that? >> i think that if those companies are interested in r betturns, that having more diverse and under represented perspective at the board level can only drive returns. >> should it be legislated or left to the marketplace? >> i think that being legislated is great. there is also an assembly bill

that is sitting on nor brown's desk ready to be signed that would require some of the foundations and institutions in california to have re diversity in the fund monger portfolios as well.d hat again is designed to drive better returns for the endowments and institutions. >> on a personal note, you and your husband kevin, were high school sweet hearts. you founded task rabbit together. he went on to start another company. you have a house hold with two very drive entrepreneurs, and ow is that? >> my daughter, most little girls are playing house. she plays office and she sets up her office in her bedroom and she returns e-mails and takes ho calls. that's what she knows, and i reguess that is the ims that both kevin and i have on her. >> i think that's a good thing. next, she will assemble a computer for you and you will be

in great shape. >> thank you.an >> t you. wi >> and tha do it for us. you can find more of our coveraget kqed.org/newsroom. thank you for joining us.

robert: convictions, immunity ills and ait showdown the attorney general. is the trump presidency at a turning point?e i'm rrt costa, welme to "washington week." >> he took the job and then he said i'm goingo recuse myself. i said what kind of a man is this? robert: the attorney general stands up to president trump's criticism that he neverook control of the justice department. lud vows the agency will not be improperly iced by politics. but the feud between the once-close allies has republicans taking sides. >> i think there'll come a time, sooner rather than later, wher 'll be time to have a new face and fresh voice at the department of justice. robert: and the president's former attorney generalichael cohen pleads guilty to eight criminal counts including