In June 2026, former Newsweek and Time Magazine editor (and one-time plagiarist), now current CNN host Fareed Zakaria made a stunning admission about the Golden State: “How California became a study in failed governance.” To his credit, Zakaria has not been afraid to discuss issues which the Left hides and the Democrat Party runs from, like the strong connection between Muslim majorities and rising terrorism.

On October 2, 2026, CNN’s Elex Michelson interviewed his colleague about this article, whose subject was timely with the current election season in California.

Yes, Zakaria has argued the obvious. If you want to see what failure in the face of opportunity and plenty looks like, look at California. The more compelling aspect of his admission is that a liberal pundit in the national media is willing to state the obvious. We all agree: California is dysfunction writ large. There is more to the story, but at least Fareed states what his colleagues won’t acknowledge.

To his detriment, however, Zakaria outlines a bunch of solutions that miss the mark and cover up the real reasons for California’s precipitous and public decline. At the outset of his interview, he claims that California projects and programs have come to a standstill and can accomplish nothing because of “vetocracy” throughout the state government, i.e., some apparatus or decision-maker or rule frustrates any effort for reform, growth, or change. For this term, he properly credited social scientist (and Trump-hater) Francis Fukuyama.

Explaining his argument, Zakaria points out that the bullet train approved by California voters in 2008 would have been built by now, but for the constant environmental challenges. Homelessness could have been solved if local leaders had cooperated with the state and left-wing homeless advocates wouldn’t block enforcement measures with endless lawsuits. Reforms to improve public safety, road repairs, and education could all take place if there wasn’t the relentless interest-group hustle........

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