What A Day

Thursday night kicked off the start of week two of the NFL season. And after years of ceding the proverbial playing field to Republicans, Democrats are trying to take back football! Drew Magary, columnist for Defector and SF Gate, explains how adopting the language of football became a winning strategy for Dems heading into November.
 

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump insisted he won Tuesday night's debate during his first rally since his chaotic performance, a state judge in North Dakota struck down the state's near-total abortion ban, and the first ballots for the upcoming general election are officially in the mail.
 

Show Notes:

• Check out Drew's work – https://defector.com/author/drew-magary
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It’s been about a week since federal agents seized the phones of New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban and other top NYPD officials. Caban is one of a few top deputies in Mayor Eric Adams’ administration who are currently under investigation by federal authorities, though details are so far scant. But it’s yet another potential stain on the oldest, largest, and arguably most scandal-prone police department in the country. Chenjerai Kumanyika, host of Crooked and Wondery’s new podcast ‘Empire City,’ talks about the ‘untold origin story’ of the NYPD.

And in headlines: Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote on a six-month government spending bill, federal inspectors warned of an “imminent threat” to food safety at a Boar’s Head plant in Virginia, and an Ohio man begged former President Donald Trump and other Republicans to stop politicizing the death of his son.

Show Notes:

• Check Out Empire City – crooked.com/podcast-series/empirecity/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump faced off in their first and currently only scheduled presidential debate. The candidates went back and forth on the biggest issues in the election, including reproductive rights, the economy, immigration, and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. But while VP Harris largely stayed on message, Trump often descended into conspiracy theories and lies. Tommy Vietor, host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World, joins to give his post-debate analysis.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to square off tonight in their first — and so far only — scheduled debate before the election. The stakes are immense, especially for Harris, who entered the race less than two months ago. Many voters still say they need to know more about her before they cast their ballots. Errin Haines, editor-at-large for The 19th, explains what Harris needs to say tonight to win the debate and win over voters still on the fence.

And in headlines: Trump threatened to jail anyone who he believes is involved in cheating in the 2024 election, the commissioner of the New York Police Department is stepping down, and R.I.P. James Earl Jones.

Show Notes:

• Check out Erin's work – https://19thnews.org/author/errin-haines/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Arizona is one of 10 states where voters will get to weigh in directly on abortion access in November in the form of a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to the procedure in the state's constitution. On today's show, we're welcoming our new host of 'What A Day," Jane Coaston. Jane tells us more about her recent trip to Arizona with the 'Pod Save America' guys and speaks with Chris Love, a reproductive rights activist and a spokesperson for Arizonans for Abortion Access.

And in headlines: The New York Times released a new poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in a statistical dead heat ahead of the debate, the mother of the suspected Apalachee High School shooter says she called the school about half an hour before the shooting to warn a counselor about her son, and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police and placed in handcuffs a block away from the stadium ahead of Sunday's game.

Show Notes:

• Check out AAA – https://www.arizonaforabortionaccess.org/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Brazil’s power struggle with Elon Musk over censorship on X (formerly Twitter) escalated this week, with the country’s Supreme Court upholding a ban on the platform. 40 million Brazilians lost access to the site, which had come under fire for allowing election deniers to incite an insurrection—sound familiar? Erin and Max take a look at other countries that have enacted similar social media bans, including Sri Lanka, Turkey and India. Does it stop the violence? Do tech companies actually care about free speech there? And what does it mean for the world if more governments follow Brazil’s lead and temporarily ban social platforms to pressure companies into compliance? Can governments really be trusted to regulate our online interactions? Find out on this week’s “How We Got Here.”

Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign kicked off a weeks-long reproductive freedom bus tour this week, with a 50-stop route that runs through some of the biggest swing states in the upcoming election. It's an issue that plays to Harris' strengths — and former President Donald Trump's biggest weaknesses. While Trump loves to take credit for appointing the Supreme Court justices that ultimately helped overturn Roe v. Wade, he's spent the years since trying to moderate his stance on abortion and reproductive healthcare, angering members of his socially conservative base in the process. Shefali Luthra, who covers reproductive care for The 19th, explains how Trump's muddled stance has angered both sides of the abortion debate.

In Arizona, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance got an icy reaction when he told a crowd Thursday, "It's very simple, we lost Arizona" in 2020. Election denialism has become a feature of the Republican Party since Trump became its leader, trickling down through the ranks of many state GOP parties, including Arizona's. Jane Coaston, former politics reporter for Vox, a contributor to The New York Times opinion section — and WAD's newest host — examines how Arizona politics went from the party of John McCain to the epicenter of election denialism.

And in headlines: Georgia police arrested and charged the father of the suspect in Wednesday's fatal shooting at Apalachee High School, Trump pleaded not guilty to the revised criminal charges in his election interference case, and President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden pleaded guilty to nine charges related to federal tax evasion and fraud.

Show Notes:

• Check out Shefali's reporting – https://19thnews.org/author/shefali-luthra/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Georgia police on Wednesday said four people were killed, and nine others were taken to the hospital with injuries after a shooting at Apalachee High School outside of Atlanta. Police identified the alleged shooter as a 14-year-old student at the school. Natalie Fall, the executive director of March For Our Lives, talks about how gun safety advocates are responding to the latest school tragedy.

A new poll from CNN/SSRS shows Vice President Kamala Harris with a lead in the vital swing states of Michigan and Wisconsin and in a statistical tie with former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. As the nation prepares to potentially make Harris the first Indian American president in U.S. history, WAD host Priyanka Arabindi sat down with members of her own family to do exactly what you're not supposed to do at a big family gathering: talk about politics!

And in headlines: The Biden administration is planning to make it harder to end a restrictive asylum policy that was supposed to be temporary, the Department of Justice said it had disrupted Russian efforts to meddle in the upcoming election, and Montana's Republican Senate nominee Tim Sheehy was caught on tape making racist comments about Native Americans.

Show Notes:

• Check out March For Our Lives – https://marchforourlives.org/
• Take the AP's Gen Alpha Quiz – https://tinyurl.com/bdedmazz
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

A new poll from ABC News/Ipsos adds more evidence to reports of a growing gender divide among voters heading into the November election. It shows Vice President Kamala Harris has a 13-point advantage among women voters, while former President Donald Trump is leading by 5 points with men. The poll also showed white women have made one of the biggest political shifts in the last few weeks, with Trump dropping from a 13-point advantage before the Democratic National Convention to a 2-point advantage after. Vox Senior Correspondent Zack Beauchamp looks at whether there’s evidence to support a widening political gender divide and what could be driving it.

And in headlines: A federal judge denied Trump’s request to delay his criminal sentencing in his New York hush-money case, more than 50 people died, and 200 more were injured in Ukraine after Russian missiles struck the central city of Poltava and A former staffer for New York Govs. Kathy Hochul and Andrew Cuomo was arrested on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.

Show Notes:

• Check out Zack's stories – www.vox.com/authors/zack-beauchamp
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel spent the last few days engulfed in mass protests and paralyzed by a national strike after the bodies of six hostages, including an American Israeli, were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza this weekend. But despite national outcry for a ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to double down on his terms for a deal with Hamas during a press conference Monday night. While the war in Gaza captured most of the headlines this weekend, Russia's war in Ukraine is showing no signs of letting up either. On Monday, Russia fired a barrage of missiles and drone attacks on the capital city of Kyiv, while President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded that Ukrainian forces holding territory in Russia had not yet managed to divert troops away from the frontlines of the war in the country's east. Kateryna Hodunova, a journalist at the Kyiv Independent, explains where things stand in Ukraine after two and a half years of war.

And in headlines: Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden held their first joint campaign event in Philadelphia to promote their support for unions, Brazil's Supreme Court upheld a decision to ban X in the country, and Italian Paralympic runner Valentina Petrillo became the first openly transgender woman to run in the games.
 

Show Notes:

• Check out Kateryna's stories – https://tinyurl.com/3yztjcej
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, beating out the current #1…2023. In a world where extreme heat is becoming the norm and more and more people are living in cities, are urban areas literally and figuratively cooked? To get a sense of the unique climate threats facing cities and what mayors are doing about it, Max and Erin take a closer look at Boston, Phoenix, and Hoboken. Can soapy roads address the urban heat island effect? Where’s the best place to hide a stormwater cistern? Where does environmental justice fit into all of this? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.

As we've been covering on the show for a while now, Republican-led states across the country are attacking trans communities by banning or attempting to ban everything from life-saving healthcare to sports participation for school-aged youth. In South Carolina Thursday, a trans man, families of trans youth, and the ACLU sued the state to overturn a ban on gender-affirming healthcare signed by Republican Gov. Henry McMaster in May. And in Florida this week, a federal appeals court ruled that a state law banning gender-affirming care can be enforced while a legal challenge plays out. While the trans community may be the target of so many of these efforts, the transphobia and transmisia affect everyone, whether you're a member of the trans community or not. That's the focus of a new series of articles published by The 19th this week titled "The toll of America's anti-trans war." One of the lead reporters, Orion Rummler, explains the ways the anti-trans agenda shapes all of our lives.

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump says his administration will pay for IVF, Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz sat for their first interview with CNN, and the World Health Organization says Israel has agreed to small pauses in fighting in Gaza to help get children vaccinated against polio.

Show Notes:

• Check out The 19th's series 'The toll of America's anti-trans war'–https://tinyurl.com/usuvrbm2
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Special Counsel Jack Smith is on a roll this week. On Monday, he asked an Atlanta-based appeals court to revive his federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. A day later, he filed a revised indictment against Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The revisions were in response to the Supreme Court's decision earlier this year giving Trump and all future presidents broad immunity from prosecution for their official acts as president. But much of the indictment is the same as the original. Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee's Democratic majority during Trump's two impeachment proceedings, helps break down where things now stand with Trump's criminal cases.

And in headlines: The Supreme Court dealt another blow to President Joe Biden's efforts to ease the burden of federal student loan debt, Israel carried out its largest raids in the occupied West Bank in at least two decades, and the 2024 Paralympics are underway in Paris!

Show Notes:

• Check out Norm's piece for Just Security – https://tinyurl.com/yc5xbzk3
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

In a letter to Republican Rep. Jim Jordan released on Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed the Biden Administration "repeatedly pressured" the company to crack down on COVID-19 disinformation on its platforms and that he regrets not being more outspoken about it. Zuckerberg also said Meta was wrong to temporarily suppress a 2020 New York Post story about a laptop belonging to then-candidate Joe Biden's son, Hunter. Zuckerberg said Meta would no longer downgrade potentially false stories while it waits for fact-checkers to weigh in. Washington Post tech reporter Will Oremus explains what this means for the potential spread of misinformation this election cycle.

And in headlines: Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a new indictment against former President Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz will sit for their first joint interview on CNN this week, and a federal judge in Texas halted a new Biden administration program designed to give undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens a more direct path to citizenship.

Show Notes:

• Check out Will's article – https://tinyurl.com/mvzc694d
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are campaigning this week in Georgia, one of the most crucial swing states in this year's presidential election. Before Harris replaced President Biden on the ticket, the state was looking like a lost cause for Democrats. But recent polls show it's now back in play. Democrats aren't dealing with a level playing field, though. Most recently, the state's Republican-controlled election board approved a new rule requiring counties to delay certification of votes if there are any discrepancies in the voting process. Democrats sued to block the change on Monday, saying it could lead to "mass disenfranchisement of eligible, registered Georgians." ProPublica reporter Doug Bock Clark breaks down what's happening in Georgia.

And in headlines: Special Counsel Jack Smith is asking a federal appeals court to revive former President Donald Trump's federal documents case, Trump is once again threatening to back out of the Sept. 10 presidential debate on ABC, and more than a million doses of the polio vaccine have arrived in Gaza.

Show Notes:

• Check out Doug's article – https://tinyurl.com/36sdffar
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

At last week’s Democratic National Convention, organizers tried to put unity on display by featuring speakers with a range of ideological viewpoints who support Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for president. But one major voice was missing. DNC leaders denied the request of the Uncommitted Movement, the Pro-Palestinian anti-war in Gaza coalition, to have a Palestinian American speak on stage at the convention. One of the people who the group suggested was Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman, the state’s first Palestinian American elected to public office. She joins us on the show to talk about the message the DNC’s decision sends to voters opposed to U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

And in headlines: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded fire with Israel on Sunday in the biggest flare-up of violence between the two in recent months, Republican Vice Presidential Nominee J.D. Vance says Donald Trump would veto a federal abortion ban if elected as president, and RFK Jr. threw his support behind Trump after suspending his independent bid for president.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The balloons are deflated. The halls have gone quiet. And the entire city of Chicago is, once more, nursing a hangover. But did the DNC really change anything for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz? Max and Erin take a look at the conventions of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, John McCain and others to understand why some candidates get a leg up while others fizzle. How will VP Harris’ boost compare to Trump’s? Is having a clear policy agenda a pro or con for a convention? Has Bill Clinton always been so long winded?  Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.

Vice President Kamala Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination for President Thursday night on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On a star-studded night that included appearances from Kerry Washington, Reverend Al Sharpton, and NOT Beyoncé, the energy on the convention floor was electric as Democrats anticipate the general election, less than 75 days away.

Harris’s speech included touching moments from her life story, remarks on the economy and the war in Gaza, and even a few jabs at former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump. “What a Day” host Juanita Tolliver joins us from the convention floor to tell us whether Harris’ speech met expectations and to give us an inside look at the excitement as the DNC comes to a close.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Democratic National Convention continued Wednesday night as Tim Walz formally accepted the nomination for Vice President. He went full "coach mode," whipping supporters into a frenzy as Vice President Kamala Harris prepares to receive the nomination as the Democratic Presidential candidate on Thursday. Meanwhile, protestors outside the convention center continue to challenge Democrats from the left on issues like the war in Gaza, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ freedom. Chicago journalist Shawn Allee brings us the perspectives of young voters from the convention as they share which issues matter most to them at the ballot box.

In anticipation of Vice President Kamala Harris' nomination, we talked to Jay Caspian Kang, a staff writer for the New Yorker, about the Harris campaign's lack of details on policy proposals. With just over two months remaining until election day, we asked him what people want to hear from Harris as she gives her much-anticipated acceptance speech this evening.

Show Notes:

• Check Out Jay's work – https://tinyurl.com/53rbte4n
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Tuesday night’s DNC turned into a raucous celebration as delegates from each state showed off their local pride while casting their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama headlined the night’s speeches, capping an exciting night for the party. But to win in November, Democrats will need to mobilize voters while also combating a slate of new voter suppression policies enacted by Republicans since the 2020 election. Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia lawmaker and voting rights activist — and host of the new Crooked podcast ‘Assembly Required' — joins us from the DNC to talk about the voting rights fight ahead. Meanwhile, DNC organizers granted more than 200 content creators and influencers special access to the convention this year. Their presence speaks to the power of social media in the world of political messaging, especially with young voters.

And it’s a power that the Democratic Party is eager to tap into in these final few months before the election. Victoria Hammett, deputy director for Gen-Z for Change, talks about the content that resonates with young voters.
 

Show Notes:

• Check Out Assembly Required – https://tinyurl.com/2s38jxs3
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Monday night, President Joe Biden kicked off the Democratic National Convention. In his speech, a political swan song, Biden looked back on his major accomplishments during his term as president. And, somewhat awkwardly, many people clapping and cheering on Monday were the same people who pressured Biden to drop his re-election bid. The party is moving on with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket while Biden winds down his political career. Franklin Foer, a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of "The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future," discusses Biden's legacy.

While the GOP had to settle for Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan, the Democrats will have no problem bringing the star power to the DNC. Olivia Craighead, a writer covering pop culture and celebrity for The Cut, highlights the famous folks throwing their support behind the Harris-Walz campaign this week.

Show Notes:

• Check out Franklin's reporting – https://tinyurl.com/3vdn8cpb
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today in Chicago. While Vice President Kamala Harris is riding a lot of positive momentum into the DNC ahead of her prime-time speech Thursday, there are several protests planned to coincide with the convention, especially over the war in Gaza. It has a lot of people very nervous because of the parallels to the infamous 1968 Chicago DNC when tens of thousands of protestors and police violently clashed in the city’s downtown. Shawn Allee, a longtime Chicago reporter on the ground for Crooked this week, talks about some of the major protest groups planning to demonstrate at the convention.

And in headlines: Vice President Harris laid out her economic agenda during a speech in North Carolina, OpenAI said it deactivated a group of ChatGPT accounts linked to an Iranian disinformation campaign, and the Supreme Court blocked the Biden administration from enforcing new Title IX protections for LGBTQ students.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It’s been about a month since former President Donald Trump chose J.D. Vance to be his running mate on the Republican ticket. And in that short amount of time, the Ohio senator has made history… as one of the most unpopular picks for the job ever. The latest polls show more than 40 percent of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Vance, prompting some to question whether he could sink Republicans’ hopes of winning the White House in November. To better understand the extent to which Vance has become an albatross for the Trump campaign, Max and Erin look at four other unpopular V.P. picks in modern history, from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin all the way back to former President Richard Nixon’s turn as President Eisenhower’s running mate in the 50s. They’ll explore the effects each candidate had on his or her respective ticket, and what it could all mean for Vance and the Republicans this year.

Eight years after Michelle Obama's famous "When they go low, we go high" speech, Democrats have been changing their rhetorical strategy on the campaign trail and meeting former President Donald Trump on his level when it comes to personal attacks and trolling. When Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, he'd already received praise for coining a phrase that Republicans still haven't figured out how to defend against: "Weird." Governor Walz has continued to show a knack for mocking his opponents, recently alluding at a rally to a viral but fake story involving JD Vance committing salacious acts with a couch. Aaron Blake, senior political reporter for the Washington Post, talks about the Harris-Walz campaign's willingness to trade barbs on social media and "go low" as the general election approaches in November.

And in headlines: The death toll in Gaza reaches 40,000, Vice President Kamala Harris will give a highly anticipated economic policy speech in North Carolina Friday focusing on the cost of living, a Vice Presidential debate is set for September 18th, and the SAG-AFTRA video game actor strike continues as animation workers enter negotiations and Crooked Media unanimously ratifies our first union contract.

Show Notes:

• Check out Aaron's reporting – https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/aaron-blake/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar easily won her primary race on Tuesday in a rematch against an opponent she beat by just a few thousand votes two years ago. While she and other members of The Squad easily held onto their seats in Congress, two of their fellow progressives were ousted amid record spending by pro-Israel groups: Reps —Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri. The American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, spent $23 million on the two races alone, helping make them the most expensive House primaries in history. Sophie Hurwitz, reporter at Mother Jones, explains why AIPAC targeted some Squad members, not others.

And in headlines: New federal data showed inflation dropped below 3 percent for the first time since March 2021, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in response to an outbreak of mpox in 13 African countries, and archival data from NASA’s Insight Lander shows evidence of water on Mars.

Show Notes:

• Check out reporting Sophie's reporting – https://www.motherjones.com/author/sophie-hurwitz/
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Across the West Coast, cities and counties are still figuring out their approach to homelessness roughly a month after the Supreme Court gave them the OK to ban people from camping and sleeping on the street. In California, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would go so far as to withhold state funds from local governments that don't comply with his order to clear homeless encampments. It's a mandate that's divided local leaders on how to manage one of the most complex issues facing the state. Sydney Johnson, a reporter covering homelessness for San Francisco NPR station KQED, talks about how the Supreme Court's ruling is playing out in California.

And in headlines: Voters in Arizona and Missouri will get a chance to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitutions this November, Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz forcefully pushed back against Republican attacks on his military career during his first solo campaign event in Los Angeles, and the Democratic National Committee says it will stream next week's convention on social media.

Show Notes:

• Check out Sydney Johnson's reporting – https://www.kqed.org/author/sjohnson
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Monday, The FBI confirmed it's investigating claims that Iran hacked the Trump campaign. The agency did not publicly release additional information. However, according to The Washington Post, the agency has been investigating suspected Iranian phishing attempts that targeted both U.S. presidential campaigns since June. Sam Sabin, cybersecurity reporter at Axios, explains the growing risks of foreign interference in the upcoming election.

And in headlines: The U.S. defense secretary ordered more military vessels to deploy to the Middle East amid fears that Iran will soon launch a retaliatory attack on Israel, Ukraine's top military commander said his forces had taken control of more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, and MTV moved the annual VMAs back a day to avoid a conflict with ABC's September presidential debate.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Vice President Kamala Harris is well on her way to shoring up the kind of historic support from Black voters that was starting to slip away from President Biden before he dropped out of the presidential race. In addition to recent polls that show Harris faring significantly better with Black voters than Trump, there’s also been considerable energy among groups of Black organizers who have set up Zoom calls to fundraise for the Vice President’s campaign. But amidst that enthusiasm, voter suppression remains a major concern heading into November. Cliff Albright, co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund, discusses how his organization is working to educate voters in states with a history of suppressing the Black vote.

And in headlines: President Biden gave his first sit-down interview since leaving the presidential race, Israel carried out a deadly air strike in Gaza City, and the 2024 Paris Olympics came to a close.

Show Notes:

• Learn more about Black Voters Matter Fund –https://blackvotersmatterfund.org
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

In front of a crowd of thousands at a rally in Philadelphia this week, Vice President Kamala Harris made her first appearance with her newly-minted running mate: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Aside from popularizing the withering “weird” insult against Republicans, the two-term Midwest governor has a reputation that straddles the moderate/progressive divide within the Democratic Party. During his decade-plus representing a swing district in the House, Walz earned a reputation as a pragmatist who regularly reached across the aisle to pass legislation through Congress. But as governor, he signed a slate of major progressive bills into law, like protecting access to abortion and gender-affirming care, expanding gun control, and guaranteeing paid family leave. To get a better sense of Walz and what we he brings to the ticket, Max and Josie examine Walz’s rise from high school social studies teacher to vice presidential hopeful. They’ll dig deep into four major policies that have helped shape his career as a lawmaker: healthcare, free school lunches, reproductive rights and IVF, and the war in Gaza.

Today marks one decade since 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. was killed in Ferguson, Missouri. Brown's death at the hands of a white law enforcement officer ignited social unrest worldwide and led countless activists to demand an end to police violence.

Former President Donald Trump held his first news conference since Vice President Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. True to Trump fashion, the hour-long conference was jam-packed with intentional mispronunciations of "Kamala," attacks on VP Harris's intelligence, incessant rambling, and lie after lie.

And in headlines: VP Harris addresses the United Auto Workers in Detroit, ABC presidential debate set for September 10, continued fighting in Russia following Ukraine's surprise offensive attack, and Team USA's Noah Lyles wins a bronze despite COVID.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Reproductive choice is on the ballot in 2024, and Vice President Kamala Harris is making it a central issue in her presidential campaign. Harris has been on the front lines of this fight, and since the start of 2024, she's been crisscrossing the country on a reproductive freedoms tour, emphasizing personal stories of people impacted by abortion bans. Meanwhile, Republicans have attempted to avoid this issue with equal enthusiasm. To learn more about the role that reproductive choice could play in this election, we spoke with reporter Abigail Tracy.  

And in headlines: Taylor Swift concerts in Austria canceled following terrorist threat, the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires disaster, one of Arizona's phony 2020 electors pleads guilty, and American figure skaters finally collect their 2022 gold medals.  

Show Notes:

• Check out Abigail's story and subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/23x2jhv3
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

After much deliberation, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday. The two debuted together later that evening at a joint rally in Pennsylvania. Walz, who’s nearing the end of his second term as Minnesota’s governor, describes himself as moderate. But during his time in office, he’s signed some major progressive legislation into law, like protecting access to abortion and gender-affirming care, expanding gun control, and guaranteeing paid family leave. Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, explains what Walz brings to the Democratic ticket.

And in headlines: Hamas named the architect of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel as its new leader, stock markets rebounded after multiple days of losses, and Team USA’s Gabby Thomas took home her first gold medal with a win in the women’s 200-meter race.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

St. Louis, Missouri, residents will vote on Tuesday in one of the most expensive Democratic primaries of the 2024 election cycle. The Congresswoman who represents the city, Cori Bush, has been a harsh critic of Israel's response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 and the U.S. government's support for Israeli military operations. Her stance has led the pro-Israel group AIPAC to spend millions of dollars to back her opponent. We spoke to Nicholas Wu, who covers Congress for Politico, to learn more.

And in headlines: Justice Neil Gorsuch weighs in on Biden's proposed Supreme Court reforms, Israeli airstrike kills 30 in Gaza shelter, Trump refuses to debate VP Harris unless it's on Fox News, and Team USA wins big over the weekend at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Show Notes:

• Check out Nicholas Wu's story – https://tinyurl.com/47a64a4f
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

When then-Sen. Kamala Harris ran for president in the 2020 election, progressive activists quickly labeled her a “cop,” a reference to her time as the district attorney of San Francisco. Activists argued that being a D.A. was an inherently pro-police, pro-prisons job — a charge Harris hasn’t always shied away from in her political career. To get a sense of how Harris’ past has shaped the politician she’s become, Max and Josie examine her time as the San Francisco D.A., and later the attorney general of California. They explore key moments in her career, like when she opted not to seek the death penalty against a man who killed a police officer, to get a sense of her instincts and thinking about criminal justice more broadly. They come out the other side of the conversation with something hard to come by in politics these days: nuance.

Silicon Valley leaders have been weighing in loudly on the upcoming presidential race. Over four hundred venture capitalists and other tech executives recently signed a pledge to support Vice President Kamala Harris, while some prominent holdouts like Tesla CEO Elon Musk are backing former President Donald Trump. To learn more about the tech figures getting involved in this election and precisely what's at stake for them in the 2024 election, we spoke with New York Times business journalist Erin Griffith.

And in headlines: the United States and Russia complete a major prisoner swap, Israel says it killed the head of the Hamas military in July, the Senate blocks a bill that would've expanded the child tax credit, and an incredible comeback from Team USA's Simone Biles.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former President and convicted felon Donald Trump took to the main stage at the National Association of Black Journalists' annual convention in Chicago for a question and answer session. The decision of event organizers to feature Trump was highly divisive, leading one of the association's co-chairs to step down and multiple featured speakers to cancel their appearances. When the interview began, Trump wasted no time in disrespecting the Black women journalists on stage with him and questioning Vice President Kamala Harris's Black and South Asian identity. For an insider's perspective on the lead-up to and aftermath of Trump's Q-and-A session, we spoke with Ameshia Cross, Political Analyst for Sirius XM and frequent guest on MSNBC.

And in headlines: Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, Israel kills Hezbollah commander and several others in Beirut airstrike, at least 11 people have died in protests of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, and the Paris Olympics becomes "Fear Factor" as triathletes dive into the Seine River.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage on Tuesday at a campaign rally in Atlanta in front of a crowd of thousands. She was joined by some celebrity heavy hitters, including rappers Quavo and Megan Thee Stallion. The rally underscores the surge of voter enthusiasm we've seen since Harris stepped into the presidential race. Her next major task is picking a running mate, a decision she's expected to make in the next couple of days. And on the Republican side, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance offers a cautionary tale of how a problematic V.P. pick can drag down a campaign's momentum. Kadia Goba, political reporter for Semafor, breaks down the Democratic veepstakes.

And in headlines: The head of Project 2025 is stepping down, the U.S. Senate passed a bill requiring tech companies to actively shield kids from dangerous content online, and Simone Biles led Team U.S.A back to Olympic gold in the women's gymnastics team finals.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Monday, President Joe Biden announced an ambitious three-part plan to reform the Supreme Court. He’s calling for term limits, a binding ethics code, and a constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity from prosecution. Biden’s proposals have little chance of making it through a divided Congress. However, Melissa Murray, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ says it shows that Democrats are finally waking up to the ways the court controls the party’s ability to get things done.

And in headlines: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening a “severe” response to the recent air strike that killed 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, protestors filled the streets in Venezuela after the government announced the re-election of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, and the U.S. Men’s Gymnastics team won their first Olympic medal in 16 years.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Almost as soon as Vice President Kamala Harris jumped into the 2024 presidential race, she found a message to set her apart from former President Donald Trump: her record as a prosecutor. It’s a compelling narrative, especially given Trump’s status as a convicted felon. But when she ran for president in 2020, then-candidate Harris aligned herself with the recent wave of “progressive prosecutors” moving away from the tough-on-crime policies that helped create mass incarceration. And it’s a label Republicans are trying to use against her and other Democrats in this election. Jamiles Lartey, staff writer for the Marshall Project, talks about the backlash to the progressive prosecutor movement and how it’s shaping the 2024 election.

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump told a group of supporters that if they elect him in November they “won’t have to vote anymore,” Israel launched counterstrikes deep into Lebanon, and millions of West Coast residents are under air quality warnings as firefighters battle California’s biggest wildfire of the year.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Vice President Kamala Harris is hitting the campaign trail, but her talking points don’t shed much light on her approach to foreign policy. With wars in Gaza and Ukraine—not to mention increasingly hostile relations with China and Russia—foreign policy could easily define a potential Harris Administration. To get a sense of how Harris might approach world affairs, Josie and Max take a closer look at her current national security advisor, Philip Gordon. They talk to ‘Pod Save The World’ host Ben Rhodes, who worked with Gordon in the Obama White House on some of the administration's most consequential foreign policy issues, like the war in Syria and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Together, they look at how those moments shaped Gordon, and how they could shape Harris' approach, too.

The Paris Summer Olympics holds opening ceremonies today, officially kicking off 16 days of elite athletic competition. USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles will return to the mat, while fans will return to the stadiums after COVID restrictions kept them away at the last Summer and Winter Games. There's a political context at this year's contests, too, and demonstrations have already begun in Paris to rally support for several causes. We spoke with Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation, about the protests happening ahead of the games.

And in headlines: Vice President Kamala Harris presses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire deal in Gaza, California Governor Gavin Newsom instructs cities to remove homeless encampments, and the Ohio Supreme Court delivers a controversial boneless chicken wing ruling.

Show Notes:

• Read and Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://crooked.com/newsletters/?category=what-a-day-newsletter
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Wednesday, President Biden addressed the nation in an Oval Office speech — three days after he announced his decision to end his re-election bid and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Since the president announced he was stepping aside, the Harris campaign has reported a major influx of donations. As of Wednesday, it had received more than 126 million dollars. But with the election quickly approaching, one of the biggest challenges Vice President Harris will face is winning support from voters outside the committed Democratic base. Craig Snyder, the director of the political action committee Haley Voters for Harris, explains how his PAC is trying to convince people who voted for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Republican primaries to now vote for Vice President Harris instead of Donald Trump. And Abbas Alawieh, director of the Uncommitted National Movement, discusses whether voters who oppose President Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza could still be convinced to support the Vice President.

And in headlines: dozens of Democrats boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress, the planet's two hottest days in recorded history happened this week, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a ban on "LGBTQ+ panic" as a legal defense.

Show Notes:

• Read and Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://crooked.com/newsletters/?category=what-a-day-newsletter
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington, D.C., today to address a joint session of Congress. On Tuesday, hundreds of demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza staged a sit-in at a congressional office building. Thousands more are expected to demonstrate today during Netanyahu’s speech. Inside the Capitol, nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers say they will not attend the joint session. At the same time, both Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington declined to preside over Netanyahu’s address. The Israeli prime minister is expected to meet with Harris and President Biden separately on Thursday. As Harris begins her presidential campaign in earnest, Politico national security reporter Eric Bazail-Eimil explains what a Harris foreign policy might look like.

And in headlines: The head of the U.S. Secret Service resigned, convicted New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez announced he’d resign next month, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Harris’s campaign for president.

Show Notes:

• Read and Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/bdzcrj7a
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

With Vice President Kamala Harris in position to receive the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, Republicans like House Speaker Mike Johnson are raising the possibility of legal challenges to keep a new nominee off the ballot. Experts say these challenges will go nowhere. Republicans have also suggested they will try to block Harris from accessing the 96 million dollars Biden’s campaign raised before he dropped out. But it’s unlikely they’ll succeed there, either. We discuss the details with political reporter Abigail Tracy.

And in headlines: lawmakers call for the head of the Secret Service to resign her post, an Israeli airstrike in Gaza kills at least 70 Palestinians, and Delta is still getting back on track after last week’s CrowdStrike outage.

Show Notes:

• Read and Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/bdzcrj7a
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he is ending his re-election bid and is throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in November. It’s the latest bombshell shakeup to this year’s presidential race. Biden said in a statement, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” In her own statement, Harris said she intends to “earn and win the nomination.” Within hours, a number of big-name Democrats endorsed Harris, though party leadership remained notably quiet on her candidacy as of late Sunday. California Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee talks about why she thinks it’s time for the party to unite around Harris, while Axios National Political Correspondent Alex Thompson explains what’s next for Harris to successfully campaign.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Since the moment someone shot Donald Trump last weekend, we’ve been hearing the same thing: this election’s over, and it’s going to Trump. But the course of this race—and American politics more broadly—will probably change less than you think. Tre’vell and Max take a look at past assassination attempts in the U.S. and abroad to explain why surviving violent attacks does not guarantee an election victory. Has any politician successfully leveraged these assaults for political gain? Which US president survived two assassination attempts in one month? How would this have played out if Trump were in office? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.

Former President Donald Trump wrapped up this week’s Republican National Convention on Thursday night with the longest speech in convention history. He started with a first-person account of the attempted assassination against him last weekend. But his promised message of unity fell apart quickly as he embraced autocrats, doubled down on false claims the 2020 election was stolen, and promised the biggest deportation in history. Washington Post reporter Dylan Wells joins us from the convention while Republican political strategist Mike Madrid talks about what’s next for the Never Trump movement.

And in headlines: The calls for President Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race continued to snowball, a federal appeals court fully blocked the Biden Administration’s student loan repayment program, and Costco is selling an emergency food kit with 150 freeze-dried and hydrated food servings with a promised shelf life of 25 years.

Show Notes:

• Read Dylan Wells, Washington Post Campaign Reporter – https://tinyurl.com/2jdwteuw
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Wednesday was jam-packed with new developments on and around the Democratic campaign trail. The White House announced that President Biden tested positive for COVID. Biden also appeared to give himself room to exit the presidential race, saying in an interview with BET News he’d reconsider running if “some medical condition” emerged. However, Biden remained defiant and said he had no plans to drop out. California Congressman Adam Schiff became the most high-profile Democrat to publicly call on Biden to exit the race, telling The Los Angeles Times he has “serious concerns” over whether Biden can beat former President Trump in November. And the Democratic National Committee announced it plans to move forward with a virtual roll call vote to officially nominate Biden ahead of the convention, despite calls to drop it amid the ongoing debate within the party over the president’s candidacy. Politics reporter Todd Zwillich breaks down what it all means.

And in headlines: Special Counsel Jack Smith appealed the dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case, investigators looking into the assassination attempt against Trump at a rally this weekend reportedly told lawmakers that Secret Service spotted the gunman on a nearby roof roughly 20 minutes before shots were fired, and ‘Shogun’ and ‘The Bear’ lead this year’s Emmy nominations.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On the outskirts of this week's Republican National Convention, the ultra-conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation held a "Policy Fest" to discuss its plans for the next Republican administration. One of the big talking points during the event was Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page policy blueprint for the next Republican administration to dramatically remake the federal government at almost every level. While former president Donald Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, members of his administration were directly involved in crafting it. McKay Coppins, a senior staff writer at The Atlantic who covered the Trump administration, tells us more about the goals of Project 2025.

And in headlines: A jury convicted New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez on all 16 counts he faced in his federal corruption trial, President Biden is reportedly weighing sweeping changes to the Supreme Court, and a new Senate report found almost half of all worker injuries in Amazon warehouses happen during Prime Day.

Show Notes:

• Read Project 2025 – https://www.project2025.org/
• Check out McKay Coppins work – https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mckay-coppins/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former President Donald Trump chose Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate on Monday, just as Republicans kicked off their national convention in Milwaukee. Vance, who rose to fame in 2016 with his memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ has undergone a radical political transformation in the years since. Once an outspoken critic of Trump, Vance is now one of the former president’s biggest supporters in Congress. Zack Beauchamp, a senior correspondent for Vox and author of the new book “The Reactionary Spirit,” explains why Vance was a logical pick for Trump.

And in headlines: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the assassination attempt against former president  Trump at the weekend rally was a security “failure,” Special Counsel Jack Smith says he’ll appeal a federal judge’s decision to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case, and President Biden reiterated his plans to stay in the presidential race during an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt.

Show Notes:

• Read Zack Beauchamp's article, "What J.D. Vance really believes" https://tinyurl.com/3me4cftx
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Saturday, a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at one of his campaign rallies in Pennsylvania. While Trump was not seriously injured, he said on social media that one of the bullets did graze his ear. President Biden addressed the nation on Sunday evening, acknowledging one of the more shocking instances of political violence in recent history. This all happened just two days before the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee. We dive into what we know about the shooting so far, and what it means for the week ahead.

And in headlines: Israel killed dozens of Palestinians in a strike on southern Gaza, half a million people are still without power from Hurricane Beryl, and honor celebrities we lost over the weekend.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Why isn’t there a way for party leaders to get together—in a back room, ideally somewhere dark and smokey—and just give Biden the boot? As it turns out, that’s the way things used to get done. Max and Tre’vell explain how back room dealings originated, and why they fell out of favor. Why did the Vietnam War force Democrats to change the process? Did the switch make political parties more extreme? Were there benefits to having a cabal? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.

President Joe Biden on Thursday wrapped up this week’s NATO summit in Washington by giving his first solo press conference since November. Despite more defections from House Democrats earlier in the day, Biden gave no indication that he would drop out of the presidential race. Some also praised Biden for his command of foreign policy issues during the one-hour Q&A session with reporters, though he did stumble a few times. Political reporter Abigail Tracy breaks down the reaction to Biden’s performance. Also, Illinois Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, one of the first House lawmakers to call on Biden to leave the race, explains why he still thinks it’s time for the party to move forward with a new nominee.

And in headlines: China denied NATO members’ claims that it’s a “decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Donald Trump welcomed Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Mar-a-Lago, and inflation is coming down.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Lawmakers continue to weigh in on the fate of President Biden’s re-election campaign. Vermont’s Peter Welch on Wednesday became the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to step aside. However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC that her fellow Democratic lawmakers should “hold off” on publicly debating the issue until after this week. Meanwhile, actor George Clooney penned a New York Times op-ed to describe a recent fundraiser he co-hosted for Biden and said the president was, “the same man we all witnessed at the debate.” Amid all the will-he-or-won’t-he chatter, what do voters think about Biden? Friend of the pod Dan Pfeiffer breaks down some of the recent polls in excerpts from the latest episode of, “Pollercoaster.”

And in headlines: Two Senate Democrats asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possible tax and ethics violations, testimony began in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin, and Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin became the latest governor to call for restrictions on cell phone use in K-12 schools.

Show Notes:

• “Pollercoaster” – https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pollercoaster/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Republicans appeared to soften their stance on abortion ahead of next week’s party convention and adopted a policy platform this week that didn’t include a call for a federal ban. They did so at the direct request of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tried to downplay the issue during the campaign while also taking credit for ending Roe v. Wade. But the 16-page policy document opens the door to establishing fetal personhood, which would threaten access to abortion and IVF. Shefali Luthra, who covers reproductive health for The 19th News and is author of “Undue Burden,” explains what’s actually in the Republican platform.

And in headlines: President Biden commemorated NATO’s 75th anniversary in opening remarks at the alliance’s summit in Washington, Congressional Democrats appear to be falling in line behind Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, and an Israeli airstrike killed more than two dozen people in southern Gaza on Tuesday.

Show Notes:

• The 19th, co-written by Shefali Luthra: “RNC approves platform that would give rights to fetuses, endangering abortion, IVF” – https://tinyurl.com/25gsbl6d
• Pod Save America, “Biden Digs In” – https://crooked.com/podcast/biden-digs-in/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Biden continued to aggressively push back on the idea that he would drop out of the presidential race. He started Monday morning by sending a letter to all Congressional Democrats that said he is “firmly committed to staying in this race,” and that it was time for speculation about it to end. He followed that up by calling into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where he blamed the party’s “elites” for trying to push him out of the race. Tara Palmeri, senior political correspondent for Puck News and the host of the election podcast “Somebody’s Gotta Win,” breaks down the mood on Capitol Hill as lawmakers returned from the long holiday weekend.

The Paris Olympics are just a couple of weeks away. One of the people competing for Team U.S.A. is runner Nikki Hiltz, who is trans and nonbinary. Hiltz will be one of a few openly trans people at the games during a socio-political moment where trans people — trans women especially — are banned from participating on sports teams that align with their identities. CeCé Telfer, the first openly transgender person to win an NCAA track and field title, has also been trying to get to the Olympics but is barred from doing so. She shares her story.

And in headlines: Republicans proposed a party platform with a softer abortion stance ahead of next week's Republican National Convention, Hurricane Beryl led to at least three deaths in Texas, and Boeing agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the federal government.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden spent the long July Fourth weekend trying to save his re-election bid after his disastrous debate performance more than a week ago. On the campaign trail and in his first post-debate interview with ABC, the president was adamant that he would not leave the race. But Biden’s publicity blitz did little to assure panicked Democrats in Washington, with some top lawmakers in both the House and Senate privately voicing hopes that the president will drop out. Alex Thompson, national political reporter for Axios, gets us up to speed on what happened over the long holiday break.

And in headlines: French voters successfully rallied to stop the formation of the country’s first far-right government since World War II, Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to make landfall in southern Texas today, and four crew members inside NASA’s first Mars simulation have emerged from their year-long isolation.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

We may be starting to see a seismic shift in how the Democratic Party publicly talks about whether President Joe Biden should remain the party’s presumptive nominee for president. On Tuesday, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to leave the race after his devastating debate performance last week. Longtime Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Peter Welch of Vermont were also among those voicing harsh criticism of the president and his campaign. Most notably, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn said he would support Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden dropped out of the race. Liz Bruenig, staff writer at The Atlantic, explains how the stakes of the race have changed in recent days.

And in headlines: New York Justice Juan Merchan has delayed former President Donald Trump’s sentencing until September in the wake of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani lost his license to practice law in the state, and President Biden proposed a new rule on Tuesday to protect around 35 million people from excessive heat in their workplaces.

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The Supreme Court's conservative majority handed former President Donald Trump a major win on Monday, granting him broad — though not full — immunity from charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election. The decision effectively kicks Trump's federal election interference case back down to a lower court judge to parse out which of his actions that day, and leading up to it, could be considered "unofficial acts," for which he could still be prosecuted. It makes the likelihood of a trial before November almost nonexistent and raises the stakes of the presidential election. Kate Shaw, co-host of Crooked's legal podcast 'Strict Scrutiny,' explains what the court's decision means for Trump's Jan. 6 case and all future presidents of the United States.

And in headlines: The Supreme Court put on hold a pair of social media laws from Texas and Florida, trans nonbinary runner Nikki Hiltz is headed to the Olympics after winning the women's 1500-meter race at trials, and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is filing for bankruptcy.

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The Biden campaign spent the weekend trying to contain the damage from the president’s devastating performance in Thursday night’s presidential debate. Biden acknowledged his lackluster showing during a campaign event in North Carolina on Friday. Still, it didn’t do much to end the sheer panic that has overtaken the Democratic Party and quiet the calls for him to leave the race ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Colby Itkowitz, national reporter for The Washington Post, explains what would happen if Biden were to step aside before the DNC in August.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court kicked Democrats while they were down Friday morning. The justices issued a flurry of opinions limiting the ways government agencies can set regulations, allowing city officials to remove homeless encampments, and undermining a key charge used by prosecutors in hundreds of cases against January 6 rioters. The court is expected to wrap up its term today, meaning we expect a decision in the most significant case of the year — whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his role in the insurrection.

And in headlines: France’s far-right political party won big in the country’s parliamentary elections Sunday, the U.S. dismantled the floating pier that the military built for aid delivery in Gaza, and Steve Bannon must turn himself into prison today after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal to delay his sentence.

Show Notes:

• Read Colby Itkowitz's work- https://tinyurl.com/p4y2rywc
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
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Why is America so obsessed with lawns and order? Max and Erin get into the weeds of how the founding fathers made cultivating grass an American pastime, why our lawn mania is a creation of corporate marketing, and how it all feeds class anxiety. Why is it so bad for our environment? Does milkweed bring all the bees to the yard? And how much do lawns and instagram face have in common? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.

SOURCES

The History of the American Lawn

The rise and fall of the American lawn, at least in California - The Washington Post

USDA ERS - Wheat

Grass takes up 2% of the land in the continental US

They Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn’s Done. - The New York Times

The History of the American Lawn

Climate Victory Gardening: How Does It Work? | Green America

Where Lawns Are Outlawed (and Dug Up, and Carted Away)

Lawn wars consume America's neighborhoods

Lawn Conversion

Keeping your lawn cleaner and greener; new law limits fertilizer use - pennlive.com

Why stop mowing your lawn and what happens when you go no-mow - Washington Post

A Brief History of Our Deadly Addiction to Nitrogen Fertilizer – Mother Jones

Grand Prairie Man Served Jail Time For Too Tall Grass - CBS Texas

Single Mother 'Arrested for Grass' After Not Mowing

Sheep Graze on the White House Lawn

Well… that happened. In the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle, President Biden failed to ease concerns about his age, igniting panic among Democrats. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump blustered his way through lie after lie with little pushback and once again refused to say whether he would accept the election results. Grace Panetta, politics reporter for The 19th, and Gerren Keith Gaynor, White House correspondent and managing editor of politics at The Grio, join Tre’vell Anderson to break down the highlights — and the many, many lowlights — of last night’s debate.

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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to square off tonight in their first debate of the presidential election — and the first debate in history between a sitting and former president. Whether you've been waiting for it or dreading it, the debate is expected to draw millions of viewers, even though Election Day is still months away. Friend of the pod and 'Hysteria' co-host Alyssa Mastromonaco served as the deputy chief of staff under President Barack Obama. She explains what we should expect from tonight's big event.

And in headlines: The Supreme Court accidentally posted an opinion suggesting it may allow emergency abortions in Idaho, much of the upper Midwest is getting pounded by heavy rain and dangerous flooding, and soccer star Alex Morgan has been left off the U.S. Women's National Team's Olympic roster.

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Ready or not, tomorrow is debate day. And both President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 78, are under a lot of pressure to show they're fit for re-election. While Biden hunkers down at Camp David to prepare, Trump has been getting an assist from his supporters sharing selectively edited "cheap fake" videos that pray on voter concerns over Biden's age. Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us to talk about why Republicans are resorting to spreading these easily debunked videos, and why they're so insidious.

And in headlines: The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jewish men must enter the military draft, Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange pleaded guilty to one felony count of illegally obtaining and disclosing U.S. military secrets, and the U.S. surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis.

Show Notes:

• Read Tom Nichols Atlantic article – https://tinyurl.com/yc46r9xe
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
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In today’s New York primary elections, voters in the state’s 16th Congressional District will decide what’s become the most expensive House primary race in American history. It pits incumbent Rep. Jamaal Bowman against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, and it epitomizes the divisions within the Democratic Party between the progressive left and the centrist mainstream. Politico’s chief Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza breaks down that race and others worth keeping an eye on tonight.

And in headlines: A top official with the World Health Organization says the U.S.-built pier off the coast of Gaza is not bringing in enough aid for Palestinians, the Supreme Court announced that it will weigh in on whether states can ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, and federal prosecutors have told the Justice Department that Boeing should face criminal charges over safety issues surrounding its 737 Max airplanes.

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Today marks two years since the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority overturned Roe vs. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that for decades guaranteed the right to an abortion. Since then, conservative lawmakers in roughly half the states have either banned or significantly restricted access to abortion, while the other half has expanded or protected access. The nexus of the debate over abortion is now our current presidential election, with both the Biden and Trump campaigns centering reproductive rights in very different ways. Alice Miranda Ollstein, health care reporter on Capitol Hill for Politico, explains how the issue is playing out on the campaign trail.

And in headlines: More than 1,300 people have died so far during this year's Hajj in Saudi Arabia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated claims that the U.S. is withholding military aid amid the war in Gaza, and track star Sha'Carri Richardson is finally getting her shot at the Olympics after winning the 100-meter sprint at the U.S. track trials this weekend.

Show Notes:

• Check out Alice Miranda Ollstein's work – https://tinyurl.com/dwdyf6hw
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Is there a way to send fewer people to prison while lowering crime rates? This week’s How We Got Here unpacks the progressive prosecutor movement—the left’s antidote to tough on crime policies. How have progressive prosecutors fared since the movement began a few years back? How are red states responding? How does the whole debate over progressive prosecutors misunderstand the fundamentals of crime? Max and Josie hold court to figure it all out.

Congress is weighing proposals to update mandatory military conscription policies — aka the draft — including whether to expand it to include women. It’s an idea that’s been debated for a while, especially since women started serving in combat roles nearly a decade ago. This month, a proposal to require women to register for the draft was included in a big Pentagon policy bill passed out of the Senate Armed Services Committee. However, it’s unlikely to win final approval. Katherine Kuzminski, a senior fellow and director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at the Center for New American Security, explains why the draft is still limited to just men.

And in headlines: The Supreme Court kept us waiting again on Thursday for rulings on high-profile cases, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a military defense pact with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, and Louisiana Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill mandating that the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms.

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Tens of millions of Americans in the Northeast and Midwest are sweating through their first major heatwave of the year. Heat is the deadliest of all natural disasters, according to the National Weather Service, killing more Americans on average each year than floods, tornados and hurricanes combined. This week, a coalition of environmental, labor, and healthcare groups filed a petition to push the Federal Emergency Management Agency to start recognizing both extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters. Jean Su, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity and the petition’s lead author, explains how FEMA could help vulnerable people during extreme heat and smoke events.

And in headlines: The first debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump is one week from today, California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he wants to ban smartphones in public schools throughout the state, and Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride is one step closer to becoming the first openly trans person elected to Congress.

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Speaking at a Juneteenth event at the White House this month, President Joe Biden warned about the “old ghosts in new garments” trying to erase the nation’s Black history by banning books and restricting diversity programs. But across the country, people are also working hard to preserve that history in the face of Republican opposition. So, on a special Juneteenth episode of “What A Day,” we speak to an organization doing just that: The Jack Hadley Black History Museum in Thomasville, Georgia. Jack Hadley, the museum’s founder and curator, has spent his life collecting thousands of artifacts that help tell the story of Black history in America. We speak to him and the museum’s executive director, Daniel Pittman, about how the museum is growing and what it means to do this work right now.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday dissolved his war cabinet that’s overseen the country’s fighting in Gaza. The move was expected, but it came after two centrist members of the cabinet resigned in frustration over Netanyahu’s handling of the war. Meanwhile, representatives from dozens of nations left a weekend conference in Switzerland aimed at ending the war in Ukraine with little to show for it. Ben Rhodes, former U.S. deputy national security advisor and co-host of ‘Pod Save The World,’ talks about what these developments mean for both wars.

And in headlines: U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy called for tobacco-like warning labels on social media platforms, President Biden is expected to issue an executive order expanding protections for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, and Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed an executive order pardoning more than 175,000 low-level marijuana convictions.

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Former President Donald Trump has vowed to appeal his criminal conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to sway the 2016 election. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just a few days before the Republican National Convention. Trump and his attorneys claim that the case was impermissibly flawed and that his constitutional rights were violated. Legal experts have raised possible issues for appeal, which run the gamut and include the charging scheme, the case venue, jury instructions, and evidentiary issues. Political reporter Sonam Sheth explains why Trump may have a shot at a successful appeal.

And in headlines: Ukraine and Western leaders have rejected a ceasefire plan floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, a wildfire in Los Angeles County burned more than 12,000 acres in a day while much of the rest of the country baked under a heat dome, and Kate Middleton made her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis.

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We’ve been hearing that the far-right is on the rise in Europe for a decade now. And yet, with a few exceptions, these parties are nowhere near taking power. Even in the EU Parliament, where the far-right made gains for the third election in a row this week, nationalist parties are STILL expected to end up marginalized and powerless. What's driving them and what's stopping them? Max and guest host Josie Duffy Rice take a look at the rise of the German far-right AfD party to illustrate what’s going on across the continent and how we got here.

SOURCES

Germany’s AfD Rises to 2nd Place in E.U. Election - The New York Times

Far-right AfD appears as strongest German party on TikTok – DW – 06/04/2024

Germany's AfD: Euroskeptics turned far-right populists – DW – 03/11/2024

A Far-Right Dilemma for Europe’s Mainstream: Contain It or Join It? - The New York Times

Why Europe Could Melt Down Over a Simple Question of Borders - The New York Times

Germany’s Extreme Right Challenges Guilt Over Nazi Past - The New York Times

European Union: False Hopes and Realities | Foreign Affairs

Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash | Harvard Kennedy School

Germany's AfD: How right-wing is nationalist Alternative for Germany? - BBC News

Islam in Germany: Facts and figures -  Deutsche Islam Konferenz

High Tide? Populism in Power, 1990-2020

Perceived ingroup disadvantage, collective narcissism and support for populism

A New Stress-Based Model of Political Extremism - PMC

In a unanimous decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court preserved broad access to the abortion drug mifepristone — at least for now. The justices dismissed the case on a technicality, ruling that the anti-abortion groups and doctors who brought it didn't have a legal right to sue. But the court's decision isn't a solid win for abortion access. The justices didn't weigh in on the substance of the case, meaning it could end up back in front of the court. Already, three Republican-led states are trying to make that happen. Julia Kaye, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Reproductive Freedom Project, explains the ruling and what's next.

And in headlines: President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders agreed to finance a $50 billion loan to Ukraine to help pay for its war against Russia and rebuild the country's infrastructure, former president Donald Trump schmoozed with House and Senate Republicans during his first visit to Capitol Hill since the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the ACLU and immigrant rights groups sued the Biden administration over the president's executive order severely limiting asylum claims at the southern border.

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House Democrats on Tuesday launched an official task force to take on the far-right agenda Republicans envision under a second Trump presidency. The group of Democrats aims to directly counter the plans outlined in “Project 2025,” a 1,000 page policy blueprint floated by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for eliminating federal agencies like the FBI and Justice Department, restricting access to contraception, and concentrating more power in the presidency. Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is on the task force. He joins us to talk about why a second Trump term could be more destabilizing than the first.

And in headlines: President Joe Biden and other world leaders are convening in Italy for the G7 summit, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a non-binding resolution that condemns the use of in-vitro fertilization, and White House Press Secretary avoided giving a definitive answer on whether Biden will consider commuting his son Hunter’s eventual sentence on federal gun charges.

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A Delaware jury on Tuesday convicted Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, on three federal felony gun charges. The verdict makes Biden the first member of a sitting president’s immediate family to be convicted of a crime. A sentencing date hasn’t been set yet, but the president’s son is facing up to 25 years in prison. Alex Thompson, national political correspondent for Axios, was in the courtroom during the trial. He breaks down the verdict and the reactions in Washington.

And in headlines: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was back in the Middle East to put pressure on Hamas to formally agree to a ceasefire deal with Israel, embattled Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is in hot water again after a secret recording caught him agreeing with Christian conservative viewpoints, and a federal judge struck down Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care.

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On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the Justice Department to weigh in on two cases that deal with whether cities and states can hold fossil fuel companies responsible for the effects of climate change. While we wait to see what happens, one thing is abundantly clear: climate change is already affecting our health. Vox Media, Grist and The 19th News teamed up for a series on how our changing climate is reshaping the reproductive cycle from menstruation to menopause. Lead reporter Zoya Teirstein joins us to talk about the series, “Expecting worse: Giving birth on a planet in crisis.”

And in headlines: Voters in the key swing state of Nevada head to the polls today to vote in the state’s primary election, the United Nations Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored ceasefire resolution for the war in Gaza, and researchers say wild African elephants call each other by unique names when communicating.

Show Notes:

• Read the series- Expecting worse: Giving birth on a planet in crisis
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Benny Gantz, a key member of Israel’s war cabinet, resigned from his post on Sunday. His announcement came one day after Israeli forces rescued four hostages held by Hamas in an operation that killed scores of Palestinians. Gantz, who’s also Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief political rival, said Netanyahu is “preventing us from reaching real victory” and called for new elections.

President Joe Biden wrapped up a five-day visit to France on Sunday. While the trip was nominally about commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Biden also used it to defend the idea of democracy itself, drawing parallels between World War II and the war in Ukraine. Behind the scenes, European leaders are privately panicking over the prospect of a second Trump term. McKay Coppins, senior staff writer at The Atlantic, says he encountered “an undercurrent of dread” in almost every conversation he had with European officials while traveling across this continent this spring.

And in headlines: A New York probation official is set to interview former president Donald Trump today following his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Conspiracy theorist and Info Wars founder Alex Jones asked a bankruptcy court for permission to liquidate his personal assets to pay the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, and the head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme says Sudan could become the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis.”

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Until recently, many people—and colleges—rejected the SAT as a racist and classist metric that perpetuated social divides. But now it’s being championed as a tool for closing some of those same gaps! This week on How We Got Here: why does public opinion on the SAT keep flip-flopping? Who does the test privilege? And is it really the best metric we’ve got for college admissions? With Erin on maternity leave, “What A Day” all-star Priyanka Aribindi joins Max to assess the racist roots of the SAT, how it’s evolved since, and how its history reflects attitudes towards access to higher education.

SOURCES:

Major Changes Adopted in SAT College Exam - Los Angeles Times

The Misguided War on the SAT - The New York Times

Colleges Dropped the SAT and ACT. Here’s Why Many High Schools Didn’t. - WSJ

The SATs are: a) dying; b) already dead; c) alive and well; d) here forever - Vox

Secrets of the SAT : Michael Chandler, Cam Bay Productions., WGBH Educational Foundation., PBS Video. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Interviews - Henry Chauncey | Secrets Of The Sat | FRONTLINE | PBS

Why US Colleges Are Reviving Standardized Tests - Bloomberg

Standardized Test Scores and Academic Performance at Ivy-Plus Colleges

The Rainbow Project: Enhancing the SAT through assessments of analytical, practical, and creative skills

​​The Test | Anya Kamenetz

The Big Test | Macmillan

Thursday was a bit of a letdown for Supreme Court watchers. The justices issued opinions in three smaller cases, but we’re still waiting for decisions in more than two dozen others with just a few weeks left of the term. Some of those cases could be hugely consequential, touching on everything from reproductive rights and presidential immunity to social media and guns. Melissa Murray, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ says we should brace ourselves for a wild June.

And in headlines: An Israeli strike killed dozens of Palestinians who were sheltering at a U.N. school complex, prosecutors called Beau Biden’s widow to the stand to testify in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial, and Pat Sajak hosts his final episode of Wheel of Fortune today.

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Former President Donald Trump’s campaign rode his felony conviction to a banner fundraising day last week, raking in more than 50 million dollars within 24 hours of the verdict, according to aides. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in California this week to court big donors to grow their campaign war chests with the November election less than six months away. Meanwhile, both campaigns have reportedly seen a significant decline in small-dollar contributions during this election cycle. Arjun Singh, a podcast producer with the investigative outlet The Lever, explains the state of fundraising in the race so far.

And in headlines: The Georgia Court of Appeals said prosecutors cannot move forward with Trump’s election interference trial until it decides whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on the case, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a global ban on fossil fuel advertising to combat climate change, and Senate Republicans voted to block a bill that would have protected access to contraception.

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President Joe Biden signed an executive order that will severely limit the number of migrants who can claim asylum at the border. Flanked by high-profile Democrats at a press conference Tuesday, Biden said he was forced to act to address “a worldwide migrant crisis” amid Republican stonewalling on a bipartisan border bill. “Doing nothing is not an option. We have to act,” Biden said. But the president also came under significant criticism from others in the party, including California Sen. Alex Padilla. He explains why he thinks limiting asylum won’t work.

And in headlines: The New York Times reports that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian military facility using American-made military weapons, three Trump associates have been charged with forgery in Wisconsin for their connection in trying to overturn the 2020 election, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a third term in the country’s elections.

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President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order today that would severely limit the number of migrants who can claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The details still aren’t totally clear, but reports say Biden’s order would cap asylum requests at an average of 2,500 a day.

In Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum is set to become the nation’s first female president. She won Sunday’s election in a landslide with roughly 60 percent of the vote. She’s also the hand-picked successor of the current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Lorena Rios, a freelance journalist based in Monterrey, joins us to talk about Sheinbaum’s historic win and what it means for U.S.-Mexico relations.

And in headlines: Dr. Anthony Fauci sparred with House Republicans during a congressional hearing about the U.S. response to the pandemic, Israeli officials confirmed the deaths of four hostages in Gaza, and a Georgia court has tentatively set a date to hear former President Donald Trump’s appeal to kick Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis off his election interference case.

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We’re about five months away from election day, meaning both campaigns will do whatever they can to boost their standing with voters. One of the ways campaigns traditionally try to do this is with celebrity endorsements. But do they actually convince people to vote? Jared Clemons, assistant professor of political science at Temple University, walks us through the data.
 

And in headlines: Hunter Biden's federal gun charge trial begins this week, Israel has agreed to President Biden’s proposed ceasefire deal for the war in Gaza, and former president and convicted felon Donald Trump has joined TikTok.

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Guilty, guilty, guilty. A Manhattan jury on Thursday found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony charges in his criminal hush-money trial. Trump was accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up payments he made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The verdict makes Trump the first U.S. president to be tried and convicted of felony crimes. Diana Florence, a former federal prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, explains what’s next for Trump now that he’s a convicted felon. Pod Save America co-host Dan Pfeiffer weighs in on what the verdict means for both Trump and President Joe Biden’s campaigns.

Show Notes:

• Dan Pfeiffer's newsletter - The Message Box-  www.messageboxnews.com
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
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The Manhattan jury in former President Donald Trump’s criminal defense trial began deliberations on Wednesday. The jury asked to rehear four pieces of testimony before breaking for the day. Outside the courtroom, Trump complained about how the case was “rigged” and how “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges.” Norm Eisen, author of the book “Trying Trump” and former special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee, explains what happens now that the jury has the case.

And in headlines: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito says he will not recuse himself from cases related to January 6th, Israel’s national security advisor said that he expects the war in Gaza to last another seven months, and giant pandas are returning to the nation’s capital.

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The defense and prosecution delivered their closing arguments Tuesday in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial. New York Justice Juan Merchan said jury instructions will begin early today, after which the jurors will begin deliberating Trump’s fate. He faces 34 charges of falsifying business documents in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. Harry Litman, senior legal affairs columnist for The Los Angeles Times and a former deputy assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice, takes us inside the courtroom.

And in headlines: The Democratic National Committee announced plans to nominate President Joe Biden through a “virtual roll call” to ensure he qualifies for Ohio’s general election ballot, at least two dozen people died, and more than a million were without power after severe storms battered the eastern half of the U.S. over Memorial Day weekend, and the Pentagon said it will take more than a week to rebuild and repair portions of a temporary pier built off the coast of Gaza for humanitarian aid deliveries.

Show Notes:

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• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
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Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has called a rare special legislative session starting today to ensure President Joe Biden’s name appears on the state’s November ballot. But Ohio Democrats say Republicans are using it as a pretext to pass legislation that would make it harder for people to fund local ballot initiatives, like the one that enshrined abortion protections in the state’s constitution last year. Ohio House Democratic Minority Leader Allison Russo explains what’s at stake.

House and Senate Democrats are amping up the pressure on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from two current cases involving former President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Their calls come after The New York Times reported two right-wing flags flying outside homes owned by Alito in the last few years. Jay Willis, the editor-in-chief of the website Balls and Strikes, says it’s more evidence the court needs more than an ethics code to fix its reputation problems.

And in headlines: Closing arguments in Trump’s criminal hush money trial are scheduled to start today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a missile attack that killed dozens of Palestinians at a tent camp in Rafah was a “tragic mistake,” and the Libertarian Party selected Chase Oliver as its presidential nominee during its convention Sunday.
 

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The International Criminal Court is formally seeking warrants to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. But what power does the ICC actually have? Does anything they do matter? This week on How We Got Here, Max and Erin take a look at the short history of the world’s paramount arbiter of war crimes and human rights—an impressive title for a court that seldom convicts. The hosts pick apart cases against the leaders of Kenya, Yugoslavia and Russia to determine why the ICC matters, and to whom.

The United States Supreme Court sided with Republicans in a decision over South Carolina’s disputed congressional map. Last year, a lower court ruled that the map was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander because it “exiled” thousands of Black voters from a district that was becoming increasingly competitive to make it safer for the Republican incumbent. On Thursday, The Supreme Court’s conservative majority reversed that decision in a ruling that will likely make it harder for Black voters to bring racial gerrymandering cases in the future. Marc Elias, longtime attorney for the Democratic Party and founder of the voting rights website Democracy Docket, breaks down some other big, ongoing fights over voting rights heading into the election.

And in headlines: The Department of Justice announced it’s suing Live Nation over an alleged monopoly of the entertainment industry, Senate Democrats launched an investigation into a meeting last month between oil companies and former president Donald Trump, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting a massive hurricane season this year.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced plans on Wednesday to fast-track a vote on a bill to protect access to birth control and other contraceptives. It comes the day after former President Donald Trump suggested he would be open to new restrictions, only to backtrack hours later. Longtime Capitol Hill reporter Eugene Scott explains the strategy behind Schumer's fast vote.Kenyan President William Ruto arrived in Washington on Wednesday for a three-day state visit. The White House will host him at an official state dinner tonight, making Ruto the first African leader to have state visit since 2008. We’ll look at what that 16-year gap says about broader U.S. relations on the African continent.

And in headlines: The New York Times reports a second right-wing flag was flown at a beach house owned by Justice Samuel Alito, the families of 19 victims of the Uvalde, Texas school shooting sued the school district and nearly 100 police officers for the botched response to the attack, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a snap general election on July 4.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was one of 11 people who pleaded not guilty in an Arizona court on Tuesday to charges they tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In all, a state grand jury indicted 18 people in the case last month, making Arizona the fourth state to indict fake electors, following Michigan, Georgia, and Nevada. Paul Charlton, former U.S. Attorney for Arizona, explains the state’s case and how cases in other states could build on each other.

And in headlines: The United Nations halted food distribution in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah after it said it ran out of supplies, South Carolina’s Republican Governor signed a law barring medical providers from providing gender-affirming care to trans youth, and Netflix said the third season of ‘Bridgerton’ had the biggest opening weekend debut in the show’s history.

Show Notes:

• Support Trans Teens In South Carolina - www.aclusc.org
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on Monday announced plans to seek arrest warrants for the leaders of Hamas and Israel — including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — over their actions during the war in Gaza. Farther east in Iran, the country’s supreme leader looked to project stability after President Ebrahim Raisi and another top official died in a helicopter accident Sunday. Vox foreign affairs reporter Ellen Ioanes explains what’s at stake for both countries amid simmering tensions in the Middle East.

And in headlines: Prosectors in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial officially rested their case against the former president, voters in Georgia head to the polls to cast ballots in the state’s primary election, and organizers in Nevada say they’ve gathered more than enough signatures to qualify a ballot referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.

Correction: This episode previously stated that Rudy Giuliani was set to testify in Trump’s hush money trial. He’s not set to testify — he was arraigned in Arizona Tuesday.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden gave the commencement speech at Morehouse College’s graduation ceremony on Sunday. Some students and faculty at the historically black college in Atlanta protested his presence on campus amid the war in Gaza.

Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money case may wind down this week in Manhattan. The prosecution could rest its case as soon as today. Longtime federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann says while Trump could still decide to testify, he likely knows it would be ‘suicide.’

And in headlines: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash in the country's mountainous northwest, Sunday. Iran state media reported there were 'no survivors,' Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz says he'll leave the country's government in June if it doesn't come up with a plan for the war in Gaza, and rapper P. Diddy released an apology after CNN published surveillance video from 2016 of him physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

Show Notes:

• Listen to WAD episode with Morehouse Professor Andrew Douglas https://tinyurl.com/mv5mfyx5
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Birth rates are plummeting around the world and no one has cracked the code on how to get people to have babies. More money, free daycare, and medical advances don’t appear to help…and criminalizing abortion DEFINITELY doesn’t help. This week on How We Got Here, Erin and Max break down how the 20th century baby boom is misremembered, the factors responsible for declining birth rates today, and whether anything can be done about it.

SOURCES: 

Understanding the Baby Boom - Works in Progress

German birth rate drops steeply against backdrop of unease – DW – 03/20/2024

Italy's falling birth rate is a crisis that's only getting worse | Euronews

South Korea’s birth rate is so low, the president wants to create a ministry to tackle it | CNN

Romania's abortion ban was deadly for women and is a warning for U.S. - The Washington Post

El Salvador (CIA)

El Salvador: Court Hears Case on Total Abortion Ban | Human Rights Watch

Alarm as South Korea sees more deaths than births

Work–life balance - Government of Sweden

U.S. Fertility Rate Falls to Record Low - WSJ

A World Without Men: Inside South Korea’s 4B Movement

Everything you need to know about artificial wombs

Can Immigration Solve the Demographic Dilemma? – IMF F&D

This week, we saw some big wins in the fight to expand access to the ballot box. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court reinstated a second majority Black congressional district in Louisiana. Earlier in the week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s liberal majority looked poised to overturn a two-year-old decision banning nearly all absentee ballot drop boxes. Still, a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice shows voters in more than half the states will face new restrictions on voting that weren’t there four years ago. Kareem Crayton, senior director of voting rights and representation at the Brennan Center, gives us the lay of the land on ballot access heading into November.

And in headlines: House Republicans moved to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt after the White House blocked the release of audio of President Joe Biden’s interviews with a special counsel over his handling of classified documents, the Supreme Court rebuffed a conservative-backed effort to challenge the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and an Indiana judge says tacos and burritos are legally sandwiches.

Show Notes:

• Brennan Center Voting Laws Roundup: May 2024 https://tinyurl.com/3bp8a5b9
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump agreed to two debates on Wednesday. In agreeing to the debates, Biden and Trump are bucking the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which had been organizing debates since the 80s.U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said this week that the Department of Justice will “aggressively” prosecute anyone who threatens election workers ahead of the 2024 election. 

The announcement comes as a new poll from the Brennan Center for Justice found that more than half of local election officials are scared for their safety. Alexis Johnson, a former VICE News reporter who covers race, politics, and culture, says despite good intentions, Garland and the DOJ will likely struggle to keep that promise, leaving election workers vulnerable.

And in headlines: Inflation dipped slightly in April, the number of Americans who died from a drug overdose decreased for the first time in five years, and a high-level Biden appointee resigned in protest of the U.S.’s continued support for Israel and its war in Gaza.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
• New York Immigration Coalition https://www.nyic.org/get-involved/

Former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial hit a new level of chaos Tuesday as Michael Cohen, Trump’s former self-described ‘fixer,’ continued his testimony for a second day. Trump’s defense team also began cross-examination, trying to paint Cohen as a bitter former employee out for revenge and publicity. Outside the Manhattan courtroom, an entourage of MAGA Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, took turns railing against the trial and bashing the American justice system.
 

And in headlines: Democrat Angela Alsobrooks will face former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in the race for Maryland’s open Senate seat after both won their party primaries Tuesday night, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv to reaffirm the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine amid recent Russian gains in the country’s east, and President Biden announced higher tariffs on Chinese imports of electric vehicles, solar panels, semiconductors, steel and aluminum.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Donald Trump leads President Biden in five of the six battleground states, according to two new polls released by the New York Times. These polls come at a time when Biden is struggling to win the support of young voters. But while polls are an essential snapshot of the country, that snapshot is fairly narrow. So to discuss what these numbers do and do not tell us, we spoke with Dan Pfeiffer, a co-host of Pod Save America and the host of Pollercoaster.

And in headlines: Michael Cohen takes the stand in Trump's hush money trial, three states hold primaries, and Louisiana could be the first state in the country to categorize abortion pills as controlled, dangerous substances.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
• Join Crooked’s Friends of the Pod: http://Crooked.com/Friends

"Decision Day" for high school students looking to go to college was pushed back this year to May 15th, rather than the traditional May 1st deadline. The shift was made to accommodate for a host of problems students have had using the new federal financial aid application or FAFSA. We spoke with Ellie Bruecker, the director of research at the Institute for College Access and Success, to get a better sense of where the FAFSA fiasco left college applicants.

And in headlines: Israeli forces continued to advance in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, students walk out of commencement speeches at VCU and Duke, and the start of the corruption trial of Senator Bob Menendez.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Why are middle-aged and older Americans persistently pro-Israel? It hasn’t always been the case. This week on How We Got Here, Max and Erin discuss the profound opinion shift among younger Americans, and then take a trip off campus to understand how geopolitics and propaganda in the 21st century have entrenched pro-Israel sentiments in Gen Xers, Boomers and beyond.

SOURCES:

The U.S. Public’s Pro-Israel History | Pew Research Center

Majority in US Say Israel's Reasons for Fighting Hamas Are Valid | Pew Research Center

Daniel Hopkins and Gall Sigler | On-campus protests reflect stark generational divide on Israel-Palestine | The Daily Pennsylvanian

Americans' Reaction to Middle East Situation Similar to Past

Americans' Views of Both Israel, Palestinian Authority Down

Majority in U.S. Now Disapprove of Israeli Action in Gaza

Despite concerns about war, many voters would ban pro-Palestinian campus protests

Half of US adults say Israel has gone too far in war in Gaza, AP-NORC poll shows

Americans' views divided on US policy toward Israel-Hamas war: POLL - ABC News

The history of US support for Israel runs deep, but with a growing chorus of critics - ABC News

The generation gap in opinions toward Israel | Brookings

Public Attitudes toward Israel: A Study of the Attentive and Issue Publics

American Public Opinion Polls: Attitudes Toward Israel Prior to 1967

Foreign Policy Interest Groups, Mass Public Opinion and the Arab-Israeli Dispute

CBS News poll: Rising numbers of Americans say Biden should encourage Israel to stop Gaza actions

The American Public and Israel

The 1987 AIPAC Conference

Trump’s Hard-Line Israel Position Exports U.S. Culture War Abroad - The New York Times

How Republicans fell in love with Israel - Vox

What unites the global protests for Palestinian rights - Vox

Israel vs. the Palestinians: TV Coverage of the Second Intifada

Pentagon deleted part of official's apology - Oct. 20, 2003

Franklin Graham conducts services at Pentagon - Apr. 18, 2003

Religious Beliefs, Elite Polarization, and Public Opinion on Foreign Policy: The Partisan Gap in American Public Opinion Toward Israel | International Journal of Public Opinion Research | Oxford Academic

Adult film star Stormy Daniels took the stand this week in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump. And let's just say she didn't hold back from describing what went down between them. We spoke with attorney Norm Eisen, author of "Trying Trump: A Guide to His First Election Interference Criminal Trial," to get his impressions of Trump's outlook in the New York criminal case and review the other cases the former President faces.

And in headlines: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responds to Biden's threat to cut off some military aid to Israel, universities shun U.N. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and Barron Trump is selected as a delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that the U.S. would not supply Israel with some weapons if it moved forward with a ground invasion of Rafah. The announcement came hours after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that the government had already paused a shipment of bombs to Israel over fears of an imminent offensive in the southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering. Israel has been ramping up its attacks on Rafah over the last few days, all while negotiators frantically try to reach a ceasefire deal in Cairo. Ben Rhodes, former Deputy U.S. national security advisor to President Obama and co-host of Pod Save The World, talks about how much leverage Biden really has over Israel's military operations.
 

And in headlines: A Georgia court agreed to hear an appeal over whether the Fulton County District Attorney can continue to lead former President Donald Trump's state election interference case, Republican and Democratic House Lawmakers blocked Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene from ousting Speaker Mike Johnson, and third-party presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says a parasite ate part of his brain.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Justice Department is set to take a significant step this week, initiating a lawsuit against Iowa over its new immigration law. This law, which criminalizes the entry of individuals previously deported or barred from the country, mirrors the controversial Texas law. The latter is currently under legal scrutiny. Notably, other Republican-led states are also contemplating similar legislation. Spencer Amdur, a senior staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, sheds light on the rationale behind these stringent state immigration laws and why federal courts have invalidated similar state laws.

And in headlines: Adult film star Stormy Daniels described in explicit detail a sexual encounter she had with Donald Trump during testimony in the former president’s criminal hush-money trial, TikTok sued the federal government over a new law that could ban the app in the U.S., and Israeli forces seized control of the Rafah border crossing in southern Gaza.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Hamas on Monday announced it had agreed to a proposal for a ceasefire deal, renewing hopes a truce with Israel could be reached. Israeli officials said while the proposal didn’t meet all of its demands, it would send a delegation to Cairo to continue talks in hopes of reaching a deal. The movement on a possible ceasefire came as Israeli officials also ordered more than 100,000 Palestinians to evacuate parts of eastern Rafah. In this city, more than a million people are sheltering. Jeremy Konyndyk, president of the humanitarian group Refugees International, explains how an Israeli invasion of Rafah could further destabilize Gaza.

And in headlines: The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial fined the former president another $1,000 for violating a gag order, Indiana holds its primary election today, and Conde Nast reached a tentative labor agreement with its unionized workers.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former President Donald Trump held an audition of sorts on Saturday for his top vice presidential picks. At least seven known Veep wannabes attended the Republican National Committee’s spring retreat at Mar-a-Lago, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. The attention-seeking behavior continued into the Sunday talk shows when Scott refused to say whether or not he would accept the 2024 election results during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

And in headlines: Israel and Hamas traded blame over an impasse in the latest round of cease-fire negotiations, the Israeli government shuttered Al Jazeera’s news operation in the country and raided one of its offices, and the first civil trial over the lethal crowd surge at rapper Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld music festival has been delayed over a free speech claim by Apple.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Why does it feel like avian flu is always circling around? How did it land on cows? Are we on the cusp of another pandemic? Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of America Dissected, joins Erin to break down how this strain of bird flu could go from animal plague to human plague, lessons learned from past outbreaks, and what can be done to stop it this time around.

SOURCES

A Bird Flu H5N1 Status Report - by Eric Topol

Updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) | FDA

USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread | AgWeb

H5N1 update: We have to do better, faster

Bird flu ‘an urgent warning to move away from factory farming’

Inflation is cooling. Why are egg prices still so hard to crack?

Birds, Pigs, and People: The Rise of Pandemic Flus - PMC

The cost of replication fidelity in an RNA virus.

'Nobody saw this coming'; California dairies scramble to guard herds against bird flu

H5N1 Bird Flu: Current Situation Summary | Avian Influenza (Flu)

Bird flu risk prompts warnings against raw milk, unpasteurized dairy products - CBS News

Climate change will force new animal encounters — and boost viral outbreaks.

Thursday was Day 10 of former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial in Manhattan. Before testimony resumed, Justice Juan Merchan held a second hearing on new allegations that Trump violated his gag order. Later, Keith Davidson, a lawyer for Stormy Daniels, walked the jury through the deal he brokered between Trump and the adult film star in exchange for her silence. Hugo Lowell, political investigations reporter for The Guardian, shares the latest details from inside the courthouse.

And in headlines: Hamas officials said they would meet with negotiators in Egypt to continue talks for a ceasefire in Gaza, President Biden condemned the violence breaking out on college campuses across the country, and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law that bans and criminalizes the sale of lab-grown meat in the state.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

New York police officers arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters who’d occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday night while pro-Israeli counterprotestors attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA.

Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of House lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of passing the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, a bill that critics say could create an overboard definition of what counts as anti-semitic speech on college campuses and other educational institutions. Todd Zwillich, a longtime Washington reporter and friend of the show, explains how the bill is part of a cynical ploy on the part of Republicans to divide Democrats.

And in headlines: Arizona lawmakers voted to reverse the state's Civil War-era abortion ban, the Federal Reserve moved to keep interest rates flat, and the U.S. could have more than 100 million doses of bird flu vaccines available for people within four months if the disease jumps to humans.

Show Notes:

• Joey Scott – https://muckrack.com/joey-scott-1
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Department of Justice took a significant step on Tuesday to downgrade federal restrictions on marijuana. The DOJ submitted a formal recommendation to the White House to reclassify it as a Schedule III drug. It’s a monumental shift in federal drug policy because, for more than 50 years, the U.S. government has considered marijuana to be among the most dangerous drugs, on par with heroin and LSD. Krishna Andavolu, the host and executive producer of the Vice TV show Weediquette, explains what reclassification could mean for businesses, medicine, and criminal justice.

And in headlines: The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial fined the former president $9,000 for violating a gag order, police arrested students that had occupied Hamilton Hall on Columbia University’s campus, and a key federal task force issued new recommendations for women and breast cancer screenings.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

New York holds a special election today to fill a seat vacated by Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins. The Democrat in the race, state Sen. Tim Kennedy, is expected to win. If he does, it would leave Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority as slim as possible: a single vote. Todd Zwillich, a longtime Washington journalist and friend of the show, explains how it will make Johnson’s job even more complicated.

And in headlines: Columbia University began suspending students at the Gaza solidarity encampment, a federal appeals court ruled that certain state insurance plans must provide coverage for gender-affirming care, and the Supreme Court refused to hear billionaire and Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk’s bid to challenge the SEC’s restrictions on what he can post on social media.

Show Notes:
What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday/

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss developments in the latest round of cease-fire talks. The White House says Biden also “reiterated his clear position” against Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge since the start of the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed back to the Middle East on Sunday ahead of meetings with Arab leaders this week.

And in headlines: Pro-Palestine protesters and counter-protesters supporting Israel clashed on UCLA’s campus Sunday morning, Biden roasted former President Donald Trump at Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner, and Republican vice presidential hopeful and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem writes about killing a puppy in her upcoming memoir.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Employees of a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee just voted to form the FIRST autoworkers union in the Southern US. It’s no small feat in a part of the country that has been notoriously anti-union. How has the South managed to scare away organized labor since the Civil War? Are labor unions finally finding a foothold there now? And why have unions been in decline across the whole US in recent years? Max and Erin dive into the politics, racism and foreign influence behind it all to uncover why it’s taken so long for collective bargaining to catch on down south.

SOURCES

UAW wins big at Volkswagen in Tennessee – its first victory at a foreign-owned factory in the American South

UAW strikes at General Motors plant in Texas as union goes after automakers' cash cows | AP News

Welcome to Operation Dixie, the most ambitious unionization attempt in the U.S. | by Meagan Day | Timeline | Medium

Racial divides have been holding American workers back for more than a century - The Washington Post

Manufacturing jobs are defying expectations - The Economist

Union Membership, 1939 and 1953

Textile Union Fight to Organize Stevens Plants Shifts to Greenville, S.C. - The New York Times

The UAW wants to recruit Southern auto workers. Here’s why that failed in the past

In a seminal development for Wisconsin's economy, manufacturing has begun returning home

Nissan attacked for one of 'nastiest anti-union campaigns' in modern US history

How the South Became Anti-Union - Flagpole

Union organizing effort and success in the U.S., 1948–2004 - ScienceDirect

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s presidential immunity case. Trump’s lawyer tried to assert that there’s almost no situation under which a sitting president can face criminal charges, not even ordering a military coup or sharing nuclear secrets. It is a landmark case with big implications for both this year’s election as well as some of the other criminal cases Trump faces. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s “Strict Scrutiny,” says Trump’s team is trying to normalize conduct that is inconsistent with democracy and the rule of law.

And in headlines: Pro-Palestinian protests spread to more college campuses, Manhattan’s DA vowed to retry Harvey Weinstein after the producer’s New York rape conviction was overturned, and Apple forecasted a bleak outlook for its Vision Pro headsets.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a landmark case that could determine whether former President Donald Trump can be tried for his role in the January 6th insurrection. The case concerns whether presidents have “immunity” from prosecution for their conduct while in office. The court has never had to consider this issue until now, and it also has big implications for the 2024 election. Jay Willis, editor-in-chief of the progressive legal site Balls and Strikes, explains what’s at stake.

On Wednesday, the court also heard its second abortion case of the term. It’s over whether an Idaho law that bans nearly all abortions can supersede a federal law that guarantees patients emergency care at hospitals. At least some of the court’s conservative justices expressed skepticism about the Idaho law.

And in headlines: President Biden signs a $95 billion foreign aid package into law, Biden also signed a bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it off within the next year, and the United Nations called for an investigation into two mass graves in Gaza.

Show Notes:

• Pod Save The World – https://crooked.com/podcast/gaza-protests-roil-college-campuses/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Police arrested hundreds of college students in the last week amid intensifying campus protests over the Israel-Gaza war. While demonstrations have been ongoing at some universities since the start of the war, they reached new levels after Columbia University’s president called in the New York Police Department to clear an encampment on campus shortly after testifying in front of Congress. We talk to two student journalists about what’s happening on their campuses: Esha Karam, a junior at Columbia University and managing editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator, and Aarya Mukherjee, a freshman news reporter at University of California, Berkeley’s The Daily Californian.

And in headlines: Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker detailed the tabloid’s ‘catch and kill’ strategy during former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial, the Supreme Court hears arguments today in a case that could decide whether states have to provide emergency abortion care to pregnant patients, and Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee edged out a more moderate challenger in the state’s Democratic primary.

Show Notes:

• Columbia Daily Spectator – www.columbiaspectator.com
• The Daily Californian – www.dailycal.org
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and attorneys for Donald Trump gave their opening statements on Monday in the former president’s criminal hush-money trial. Prosecutors also called their first witness to the stand: former ‘National Enquirer’ publisher David Pecker. Washington Post federal courts and law enforcement reporter Shayna Jacobs was in the courtroom and details what happened.

Pennsylvania holds its primary election today, and there’s plenty to watch for as returns come in. Pro-Palestinian organizers want Democrats to write in ‘uncommitted’ instead of voting for President Joe Biden. First-term Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee is also looking to fend off a more moderate challenger and hold onto her seat.

And in headlines: The Supreme Court appeared divided in a case over whether cities can criminalize homelessness, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security are reportedly looking into granting protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, and a new report says Israel hasn’t offered any proof to back up claims that a significant number of workers with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency are tied to terrorist organizations.

Show Notes:

• The Washington Post:"Prosecutor: A tabloid pact led to Trump faking business records" - https://tinyurl.com/bz68rrbp
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

After months of delay, House lawmakers this weekend passed a package of bills to send foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Included in that package of legislation is also a bill that could end up banning TikTok. Hard-right Republicans are threatening to oust Speaker Mike Johnson over his decision to bring Ukraine aid up for a vote. At the same time, the legislation heads to the Senate for consideration later this week. 

The Supreme Court hears a case today over one of the country’s most heartbreaking and increasingly intractable issues: homelessness. In Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the justices will weigh whether penalizing people experiencing homelessness is “cruel and unusual” and, therefore, a violation of the Eight Amendment. Jeremiah Hayden, staff reporter for Street Roots in Portland, explains what’s at stake in the case.

And in headlines: We’ve got a roundup of climate news in honor of Earth Day, opening statements begin in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial, and workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee join the United Auto Workers union.

Show Notes:

• OPB: "Grants Pass v. Johnson: Here's what led to key homelessness case before high court" - https://tinyurl.com/56an9dv2
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Tesla is laying off 14,000 people, their self-driving cars are hitting a wall—figurative and sometimes literal—and this week, Cybertrucks were recalled over faulty pedals. How did Tesla go from being one of the world’s most successful businesses to the business equivalent of a dumpster fire that’s lost hundreds of billions of dollars in valuation? Erin and Max break down how Elon Musk trapped his company in a cycle of increasingly elusive innovation. And how, despite all of this, Tesla has it remained dominant in an electric car market that is only growing.

SOURCES

​​Ludicrous - BenBella Books

Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them? – Mother Jones

How Elon Musk Got Rich: The $230 Billion Myth | The Class Room ft. Second Thought

Can Elon Musk Lead the Way to an Electric-Car Future? | The New Yorker

Tesla under investigation in California over Autopilot safety issues and false advertising - The Verge

Elon Musk's growing empire is fueled by $4.9 billion in government subsidies - Los Angeles Times

Elon Musk’s Distraction Is Just One of Tesla’s Problems - The New York Times

Tesla’s Value Dips Below $500 Billion in Blow to Stock Bulls - Bloomberg

Tesla Is Running Out of Time to Deliver on Self-Driving Promises - WSJ

Electric vehicles - IEA

Schwarzenegger boosts electric car makers

An Electric Car With Juice - The Washington Post

First Tesla Model S deliveries set for June 22nd - The Verge

When I First Saw Elon Musk for Who He Really Is

Tesla IPO Shares Pop, Drop, And Rally. Market Values It At $1.7 Billion. | TechCrunch

All 12 jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial in Manhattan. While jury selection continues today for alternates, the judge overseeing the case said opening arguments in the trial could come as soon as Monday. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi breaks down the challenges of seating a jury in such a historic, high-profile case.
Google announced late Wednesday that it fired 28 workers who staged sit-in protests at some of the company’s offices this week. The protests were organized by the group No Tech for Apartheid. They were demonstrating against a $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon to provide the Israeli government and military with cloud computing services.

And in headlines: Mutliple news outlets reported that Israel launched a strike on Iran, House lawmakers will again take up a bill to potentially ban TIkTok, and sports icons Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are set to produce a queer soccer romance called “Cleat Cute.”

Show Notes:

• What A Day – Explaining The Timer on TikTok's Fate– https://tinyurl.com/2y5sr88m
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Wednesday, the Senate moved to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats needed “to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements.” Congressional reporter Matt Laslo breaks down the vibes on Capitol Hill.

And in headlines: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel that even the “tiniest invasion” on their part would provoke a “massive” response, President Joe Biden may not appear on Ohio’s ballot this November, and Arizona Republicans defeated another effort to repeal the state’s near-total abortion ban.Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

House Republicans are in chaos again after a second conservative lawmaker voiced support for a push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. The speaker announced plans to bring a foreign aid bill for Ukraine up for a vote, causing an uproar. Joan Greve, senior political reporter for The Guardian, breaks down the mood on Capitol Hill.In the Senate, lawmakers will consider a bill to reauthorize a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that has bipartisan support and bipartisan critics. The part of the law up for renewal allows the federal government to obtain vast amounts of intelligence and communications within the broad category of “foreign intelligence information,” all without a warrant. Without quick Senate approval, it will expire on Friday.

Speaker Johnson VS. House Far-Right GOPAnd in headlines: The Supreme Court seemed open to siding with some January 6th rioters in a case that could undo hundreds of Justice Department prosecutions, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US will enforce new sanctions on Iran after its weekend attack on Israel, and seven jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s historic criminal hush-money trial.

Show Notes:

• WSJ: "On Ukraine’s Front Line, Soldiers Are Forced to Tune In to Washington Politics" –https://tinyurl.com/3kptnhk7
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a major case related to the January 6th Insurrection that has the potential to undo some of the charges former President Donald Trump faces. The case looks at whether the Justice Department was right to charge some of the people who stormed the Capitol that day with the crime of obstructing an official proceeding. The case has the potential to upend hundreds of prosecutions tied to the riot, and knock out two of the four charges Trump is facing in his federal insurrection case. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ breaks down the case for us.

And in headlines: Jury selection began in Trump’s Manhattan criminal hush-money trial, the FBI announced it’s conducting a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and our favorite NCAA stars are headed to the WNBA after yesterday’s draft.

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Description: The Iranian government launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel late Saturday night in what’s believed to be Iran’s first direct attack against Israel from its own soil. Israel reported minimal damage and was able to shoot down most of the drones and missiles, with some help from the U.S. military. Ben Rhodes, former U.S. national security advisor and co-host of Pod Save The World, talks about the significance of the attack and what it means for long-simmering tensions in the Middle East.

Former President Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial begins today in a Manhattan courtroom. He’s accused of falsifying business records to cover up payments he made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election. He also becomes the first former U.S. president to face a criminal trial. Attorney Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee’s majority during Trump’s first impeachment, explains what we can expect during the trial.

And in headlines: Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will push for wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine this week, a dozen news organizations signed a joint letter asking both President Biden and former President Trump to participate in debates, and Nike is under fire over a revealing women’s kit for Team USA’s track and field athletes at this summer’s Olympics.

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Once upon a time, borrowing money for college was an affordable path towards upward mobility. Today, it’s a crisis. With Americans owing a whopping $1.7 trillion in student loans. So how did the student debt crisis get so out of control? From bungled government programs to Sputnik to the Great Recession, “How We Got Here” unpacks the history behind spiraling student debt…with interest!

SOURCES

Only 25% of those with student loans went to graduate school—but they owe around 50% of all student debt | CNBC

Student loans are now easier to discharge in bankruptcy, attorneys say: It's 'life changing' | CNBC

Average Cost of College [2023]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses | Education Data Initiative

Everything you need to know about college costs - Vox

Student loan forgiveness: What to know about Biden’s $39 billion plan - Vox

Why Does College Cost So Much? - The New York Times

Introducing Bennett Hypothesis 2.0 | Center for College Affordability and Productivity

Statement Before the House Committee on Education and Workforce On Lowering Costs and Increasing Value for Students, Institution | Texas Public Policy Foundation

Is Rising Student Debt Harming the U.S. Economy? | CFR

Student loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN Politics

Federal Student Loan Borrowers Reveal Grim Expectations for Payment Resumption | Morning Consult

Drivers of the Rising Price of a College Education | MHEC

MSD Annual Report 2022 - Student Debt and Young America

State Funding for Higher Education Still Lagging | NEA

Education; College Officials Defend Sharply Rising Tuition - The New York Times

Student loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN Politics

The Political Case For Student Debt Cancellation | Data for Progress

Public Law 94-482 94th Congress An Act

The Justice Department announced Thursday, it finalized rules to close a major loophole in gun purchases. Known as 'the gun show loophole' it allowed people to sell firearms online, at gun shows, or in other more informal settings without conducting background checks. The finalized rules are expected to take effect in 30 days. Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, explains how the new rules are a big win for gun control.

And in headlines: The director of the U.S. Agency for International Development said parts of Northern Gaza are officially experiencing famine; Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s heading to Mar-A-Lago; and federal prosecutors charged Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter with stealing more than $16 million from the LA Dodgers star player.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

A group of House Republicans dealt Speaker Mike Johnson another embarrassing blow on Wednesday when they blocked legislation to extend part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. They did so after former President Donald Trump posted to “kill” the bill on social media.

Meanwhile, Republicans struggled to deliver a coherent response to Tuesday’s Arizona Supreme Court decision that said an 1864 law banning almost all abortion was enforceable. Trump said Wednesday, that the ruling went too far, just days after he said the issue should be left to the states. Other Arizona Republicans tried to distance themselves from the ruling after previously supporting harsh abortion restrictions. We pulled the receipts.

And in headlines: The latest Consumer Price Index report shows inflation is still stubbornly persistent; the Biden Administration announced a first-of-its-kind federal limit on so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water; and New York City officials want to give rats birth control.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, that an 1864 law banning almost all abortions is enforceable. The only exception is if a pregnant person’s life is at risk. The court stayed its decision for at least 14 days pending other legal challenges. Chris Love, one of the lead organizers behind an effort to get an abortion rights amendment on Arizona’s November ballot, explains what the decision means for the fight for reproductive rights in the state.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule that will force more than 200 chemical plants to reduce their toxic emissions. The rule targets two chemicals the EPA says are likely carcinogens. Most of the affected plants are in just two states: Texas and Louisiana.

And in headlines: A Michigan court sentenced both of Ethan Crumbley’s parents to 10 to 15 years in prison for failing to stop him from carrying out a mass shooting. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he hasn’t found any evidence of Israel committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. And Mattel said it will debut an easier version of the game Scrabble.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden on Monday announced another round of student debt relief that could help tens of millions of borrowers. He made the announcement in Madison, Wisconsin, a major college town in a swing state that’s key to the president’s re-election effort. We talk to Braxton Brewington, press secretary for The Debt Collective, an organization dedicated to student debt cancellation. He gives his opinion on whether Biden’s plan will be enough to energize young voters heading into November.

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump said states should have the final say on abortion access, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date has been set for the invasion of Rafah, and Missy Elliot announced her first-ever solo headlining tour.

Show Notes:

• White House: “President Biden Announces New Plans that would Provide Relief to Borrowers Disproportionately Burdened by Student Loan Debt” – https://tinyurl.com/2xq4b22r
• The Debt Collective – https://debtcollective.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel said on Sunday that it was reducing its military presence in Gaza but rejected any suggestion that it was a sign the war was winding down. Sunday also marked six months since Hamas attacked Israel, killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. Ceasefire negotiations resumed over the weekend in Cairo amid the ongoing international fallout over an Israeli strike that killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen.

A rare total solar eclipse will cross a large swath of North America on Monday, and more than a dozen states from Texas to Maine are within the “path of totality.” It’s only the second total solar eclipse to be visible in the U.S. in the 21st century. Scientists have a simple message for viewers: Don’t look directly at it!

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump’s campaign claimed it raised $50 million at a weekend fundraiser, a man was arrested and charged on Sunday for starting a fire outside Sen. Bernie Sanders’ congressional office in Vermont, and the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks bested Iowa and star guard Caitlin Clark in Sunday’s NCAA women’s championship game.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Why on earth is Wall Street valuing Donald Trump’s little social network at $7 billion despite having few users, scant revenue and tremendous losses? This week on “How We Got Here,” Max and Erin take stock of how wonky and meme-ified investment markets have become, what this means Trump’s legal bills, and why “DJT” shares would never be this high if not for Netscape and GameStop.

SOURCES

Trump Media’s Business Doesn’t Matter - Bloomberg

Pump and Dumps Are Legal Now - Bloomberg

Jonathan Lebed's Extracurricular Activities - The New York Times

Trump Media stock plunges as 2023 Truth Social loss put at $58 million

Opinion | ‘Dumb Money’ and the Meme Stock Phenomenon - The New York Times

Meme Stocks Are Back. Here’s Why Wild Trading May Be Here to Stay. - The New York Times

Trump Stock Takes Washington by Storm - WSJ

Who Is Fueling the Surge in Shares of the Trump SPAC? - WSJ

Trump’s Dazzling Truth Social SPAC - WSJ

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday, the first time since Israeli strikes killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Biden reportedly told Netanyahu that an immediate ceasefire was necessary and seemed to condition future U.S. support on improved treatment of Gaza’s civilians. Hours later, the White House said Israel agreed to open another border crossing into Gaza so more aid could get into the area. Crooked contributor Max Fisher explains the tonal shift happening in the White House right now and what we could expect to see going forward.

Biden heads to Baltimore Friday to assess the damage to the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The wreckage has almost completely shut down the Port of Baltimore, which supports tens of thousands of jobs in the region. Baltimore’s Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott talks about how the cleanup effort is going and what he hopes to show Biden during his visit.

And in headlines: The centrist group No Labels ended its bid to field a 2024 presidential candidate, judges in Florida and Georgia slapped down separate efforts from former President Donald Trump to toss some of his criminal charges, and the first living person to ever receive a kidney transplant from a pig was able to head home after surgery.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

José Andrés, the celebrity chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, said that Israel “targeted” his aid workers when the country killed seven of them this week. He gave an interview to Reuters on Wednesday, and he also rebuked the claims by the Israeli and U.S. governments, which both say the strikes were a tragic accident. In a statement issued late Tuesday, President Biden said he was “outraged” by the deaths, and he criticized Israel for failing to protect aid workers and civilians during the war in Gaza. But the White House still hasn’t announced any plans to change its policies in support of Israel.

Nearly 50,000 Wisconsinites voted “uninstructed” in Tuesday night’s Democratic Primary instead of voting for Biden. That’s more than double the goal set by organizers, who hoped to send a message to the president over his handling of the war in Gaza. It’s also more than double the margin by which Biden won the state in 2020. Reema Ahmad, the campaign manager for Listen to Wisconsin, explained what’s next for the movement.

And in headlines: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed legislation to lower the draft age for men, the prosecutor in the classified documents case against Trump criticized the judge for entertaining a “flawed legal premise,” and LSU’s Angel Reese declared for the WNBA draft.

Show Notes:

• NYT: “José Andrés: Let People Eat” – https://tinyurl.com/279vyjkh
• Buddhist Tzu Chi, the largest Taiwan-based disaster relief organization – https://tzuchi.us/
• Taiwan Red Cross – https://www.redcross.org.tw/english/index.jsp
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

World Central Kitchen, an international aid group, said on Tuesday it paused its relief operation in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of its workers on the ground there. The strikes happened late Monday night as the aid workers were leaving a warehouse in the central Gaza Strip in vehicles clearly marked with World Central Kitchen’s logo. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the government launched a thorough inquiry into what happened, but he also added, “This happens in war.”

Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin held primary elections Tuesday night. Democratic organizers in Wisconsin surpassed their goal of getting 20,000 voters to cast “uninstructed” ballots in order to send President Biden the message that they disapprove of his handling of the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, thousands of Republicans cast ballots for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, even though she dropped out of the GOP race last month.

And in headlines: A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Taiwan, backers of an abortions rights amendment to Arizona’s constitution say they’ve collected more than enough signatures to get it onto the state’s November ballot, and the moon is set to get its own time zone.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Florida Supreme Court delivered bittersweet news to abortion rights advocates on Monday. In one ruling, the court gave voters the chance to enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution by okaying a referendum to appear on the state ballot this November. But in a separate decision, the court also cleared the way for Florida’s six-week abortion ban to take effect in 30 days. Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for Floridians Protecting Freedom, explained the ballot initiative that now heads to voters and how the state’s impending six-week abortion ban raises the stakes.

The Israeli military on Monday ended its 14-day siege of Al-Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital. The Gazan Health Ministry estimated that about 3,000 people were inside the hospital when the IDF began its raid. Meanwhile, in Israel over the weekend, thousands in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

And in headlines: A temporary shipping channel opened in the port of Baltimore, former President Donald Trump posted a $175 million dollar bond tied to his civil fraud case in New York, and Iowa defeated LSU and will head to the Final Four of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Cesar Chavez Day was Sunday, and it’s the day when Americans honor the late Latino civil rights icon and labor activist. Chavez is most known for co-founding the United Farm Workers (UFW) — the nation’s first-ever farmworker union. He dedicated his life to the fight for better working conditions and wages for people who were part of the agricultural workforce — many of whom were migrants. And while Chavez’s track record on immigration is complicated, UFW is one of many organizations that currently advocates for the rights of undocumented workers, more pathways to citizenship, and overall immigration reform.

In this special episode, we host a roundtable with Dani Marrero Hi of La Uniòn del Pueblo Entro, Liza Schwartzwald of the New York Immigration Coalition, and Pulitzer Prize-winning immigration journalist Molly O’Toole. We talk about why our immigration system doesn’t work — and what’s at stake this November as both Biden and Trump make their case for how to fix it.

Show Notes:

• La Uniòn del Pueblo Entro – https://lupenet.org/
• New York Immigration Coalition – https://www.nyic.org/
• Journalist Molly O’Toole – https://twitter.com/mollymotoole
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Mifepristone revolutionized abortion access in America, so much that, two years after the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortions in the United States are up.

But now “Mife” is taking its turn in the crosshairs of the anti-abortion movement, facing a challenge before the Supreme Court that could cut off access to the drug. Can it survive this challenge? And, if so, would that mean the pro-choice movement is quietly winning the fight for abortion access in America?

This week on “How We Got Here,” Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher tell the story of how Mifepristone became the anti-abortion movement’s #1 enemy and the new lows that movement has had to go to get this challenge before the court.

SOURCES: 

Cover Up: The Pill Plot

Timeline of the Supreme Court’s mifepristone abortion pill ruling | CNN Politics

One in Six Abortions Is Done With Pills Prescribed Online, Data Shows - The New York Times

Abortion Shield Laws: A New War Between the States - The New York Times

Challenging Abortion, Again - The New York Times

Despite State Bans, Legal Abortions Didn’t Fall Nationwide in Year After Dobbs

Abortion Bans Across the Country: Tracking Restrictions by State - The New York Times

Abortion Ruling Could Undermine the F.D.A.’s Drug-Approval Authority - The New York Times

The many lives of mifepristone: Multi-glandular exaptation of an endocrine molecule - PMC.

A Political History of RU-486

NYT Archive: DRUG MAKER STOPS ALL DISTRIBUTION OF ABORTION PILL

The long and winding history of the war on abortion drugs

The Complicated Life of the Abortion Pill | The New Yorker

The federal government announced on Thursday some upcoming changes to the next Census. The form will consolidate two existing questions about race and ethnicity into one question. There will also be a longer list of race categories for people to select from, along with the ability to choose more than one. The list will include, for the first time, the option to select “Middle Eastern or North African.”

This Sunday is International Transgender Day of Visibility. It comes amid a legislative, political and sociocultural assault on the lives of trans people. Sports journalist and athlete Karleigh Chardonnay Webb talks about one of those assaults: a recent lawsuit against the NCAA that seeks to roll back eligibility rules for trans college athletes.

And in headlines: A federal court says South Carolina can use a Congressional map ruled unconstitutional for the the 2024 election, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’ll send impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate on April 10.

Show Notes:

• Outsports: “College female athletes file lawsuit to ban trans athletes from competing in the NCAA” –  https://tinyurl.com/2dp4rxpa
• Media Matters: “The New York Times failed to quote trans people in two-thirds of stories on anti-trans legislation in a one-year period” – https://tinyurl.com/244cbteu
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Democrats scored a surprise landslide win on Tuesday when Marilyn Lands prevailed in a special election for an Alabama State House seat previously held by a Republican. Lands made abortion rights and access to IVF central to her campaign. Democrats hope Lands’ win is more evidence that abortion access and reproductive rights remain potent issues for voters heading into the November election.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the remains of two victims from the wreckage of the Baltimore bridge that collapsed earlier this week. The Francis Scott Key Bridge crumbled after it was struck by a shipping container that had lost power. At least six people — all immigrants — are presumed dead. They were filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

And in headlines: Former senator and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman died on Tuesday at the age of 82, a federal appeals court continued its hold on a draconian Texas immigration law, and the three white Georgia men who killed Ahmaud Arbery asked a federal appeals court to overturn their hate crime convictions.

Show Notes:

• Politico: “McDaniel eyes big payout after NBC drama” – https://tinyurl.com/238tm3v8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court justices on Tuesday seemed skeptical of a case that challenged expanded access to the abortion medication mifepristone. It was brought by anti-abortion doctors looking to roll back access, but during oral arguments both liberal and conservative justices questioned whether the group had the right to bring the case, a concept known as standing. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast Strict Scrutiny, explained why the justices kept coming back to the issue, and what it could mean for the court’s final decision.

And in headlines: Six construction workers are presumed dead after a bridge collapsed in Baltimore, former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel got the ax from NBC News, and a New York judge issued a gag order against former President Donald Trump in his criminal hush-money trial.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan. The United States abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass. While it’s unclear how the ceasefire resolution will affect the trajectory of the war, it’s yet more evidence of the deteriorating relationship between the Biden Administration and the Israeli government.

The company that owns former President Donald Trump’s social media app Truth Social will begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange Tuesday under the symbol DJT. It’s thanks to a merger that could net Trump more than $3 billion. Crooked’s news editor Greg Walters explains the mechanics of the deal and what it means for the former president.

And in headlines: A New York Judge set an April 15th start date for Trump’s criminal trial over alleged hush money payments, the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a case about access to the abortion drug mifepristone, and federal agents raided two mansions owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

More than 130 people are dead after a terrorist attack Friday night at a concert in Moscow. An offshoot of the Islamic State known as ISIS-K claimed responsibility, and U.S. officials said there’s evidence to support that claim. Four suspects from Tajikistan were arrested. But Russian President Vladimir Putin instead pushed the idea that Ukraine was involved in the attack, despite the fact that there’s no evidence to support it.

The Texas Medical Board on Friday released its proposed definition for what would constitute an “emergency medical exception” to the state’s strict anti-abortion law. The board left the rule purposefully vague, however. Molly Duane, a senior staff attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, explains how the proposed definition could make things even worse for Texas patients and doctors.

And in headlines: Monday is the deadline for former President Donald Trump to cough up the $454 million fine he owes in his New York civil fraud case, the Princess of Wales said she’s undergoing chemotherapy to treat an undisclosed form of cancer, and indicted former Rep. George Santos said he's dropping the Republican Party to run as an independent for another seat in Congress. 

Show Notes:

• Vox: “The battle for blame over a deadly terror attack in Moscow” – https://tinyurl.com/2aup665m
• Texas Medical Board’s Proposed Rule for Medical Exceptions To The State’s Anti-Abortion Law: https://tinyurl.com/2ceh2hxa
• Publicly Comment On The Board’s Proposed Rule – https://tinyurl.com/2dpt9zqg
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Background:

• Los Angeles Times: Behind the calamitous fall of hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs
• LA Times: Russell Simmons and Brett Ratner face new allegations of sexual misconduct 
• Reuters: R. Kelly challenge to sex abuse conviction draws skepticism from US appeals court 
• The New York Times: Music Mogul Russell Simmons Is Accused of Rape by 3 Women
• Variety: Russell Simmons Sued for Alleged Rape of Def Jam Producer in '90s 
• Hollywood Reporter: Writer Jenny Lumet: Russell Simmons Sexually Violated Me (Guest Column) 
• TMZ: Usher Vacations in Bali with Russell Simmons, Partakes in Yoga Session 
•  AP News: Rapper Kodak Black gets probation in teen's assault case
• Hollywood Reporter: Russell Simmons Sued For Defamation By Former Def Jam Recordings Executive
• The New York Times: Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual Harassment Accusers for Decades
• Body And Soul featuring Sista Dee Barnes & Rose Almighty - directed by Tamra Davis

The Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday for “smothering” the smartphone industry. Among the claims, the suit accused Apple of limiting virtual wallets other than Apple Pay, making chats with Android products less secure, and blocking new apps, all to maintain a monopoly. Apple rejected the claims of the suit and said it would fight it.

The New York Times reported this week that the Democratic Party is preparing to mount an aggressive campaign to challenge the presidential ballot-access efforts of third party candidates. And on Thursday, former New Jersey Governor and twice-failed Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie didn’t rule out the possibility of running with the centrist party No Labels. David Faris, an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University, explains how third parties could tip the outcome of this election cycle.

And in headlines: Lawmakers on Friday will try to pass a $1.2 trillion package to prevent a partial government shutdown, President Biden canceled nearly $6 billion more in student debt for public service workers, and Reddit made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

Show Notes:

• NYT: “Democrats Prepare Aggressive Counter to Third-Party Threats” – https://tinyurl.com/yvbwakgh
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Texas’ draconian immigration law SB4 is back on hold after a ruling late Tuesday night by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. SB4 would allow state law enforcement officials to arrest and detain anyone they suspect of crossing the border illegally. It also would allow judges to issue orders to deport people to Mexico. The Fifth Circuit’s decision followed an earlier decision by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to let the law go into effect. Texas Tribune immigration reporter Uriel García explained the legal whiplash and what it means for migrants in the state.

The Biden administration on Wednesday finalized the country’s strictest-ever limits on emissions for passenger cars and light trucks in an effort to rev up the nation’s transition towards electric vehicles. It’s definitely a big deal, but it is a bit more modest than what was proposed last year. Nevertheless, the health of the planet will improve with these changes as will our own.

And in headlines: The Federal Reserve kept interest rates flat on Wednesday amid continued concerns over inflation, former President Donald Trump said he’d be open to endorsing a national ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and a fourth Mississippi police officer was sentenced to 40 years in prison in a case involving the horrific torture of two Black men.

Show Notes:

• Texas Tribune: “Disagreement and confusion on display in hearing over Texas’ new immigration law” – https://tinyurl.com/24h7x3jm
• ABC News: “Electric vehicle sales are slowing. No need for panic yet, insiders say.” – https://tinyurl.com/2xb8okyg
• USC: “Study links adoption of electric vehicles with less air pollution and improved health” – https://tinyurl.com/25t24c7d
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated his plans to do exactly what President Joe Biden keeps advising him not to do: launch a ground offensive into the crowded city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Netanyahu’s comments came after Biden directly warned him against it in a phone call, their first in more than a month. Netanyahu insists a ground offensive in Rafah is the only way to eliminate Hamas, despite the fact that more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering there.

And in headlines: Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown will face Bernie Moreno, a Trump-backed businessman, in the November election; a new report says the number of abortions in the US topped 1 million for the first time in more than a decade; and a nonprofit canceled its annual Ruth Bader Ginsberg Leadership Award gala after it came under fire for nominating… Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch?

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Ohio is one of five states holding primary elections on Tuesday. A few big races there will make it a key state to watch in November. Democrat Sherrod Brown is looking to hold on to his Senate seat in what’s likely to be a tight race that could make or break control of the chamber. There’s also an open seat on the state’s Supreme Court that could lead to Republicans losing their majority. Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters talks about what’s at stake there this election cycle.

And in headlines: Trump said he can’t pay the $454 million bond he owes in his New York civil fraud case, the U.S. Supreme Court seemed likely to reject a Republican-led effort to limit communication between the federal government and social media companies over disinformation on their platform, and the creators of the horror film “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” unveiled plans for a crossover called “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble.”

Show Notes:

• Ohio Democrats: Build The Bench – http://ohiodems.org/buildthebench
• IPC Global Famine Review Committee: Gaza Strip – https://tinyurl.com/25x5hhbh
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Georgia racketeering case against Donald Trump can proceed with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in charge. However, on Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that if Willis stayed on, her lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, would have to leave the case. He stepped down later that day. One of Trump’s co-defendants accused Willis of misconduct for having a romantic relationship with Wade, but Judge McAfee said it did not constitute the kind of conflict of interest that would require her removal from the case. Former prosecutor Titus Nichols explains how much Willis’ case against Trump has been damaged by the accusations.

And in headlines: Vladimir Putin unsurprisingly won his fifth term as Russia’s president, Trump told a rally there would be a “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win in November, and searches for VPNs shot up in Texas after Pornhub restricted access to its site in the state.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he’s invading the Palestinian city of Rafah despite strong opposition from the Biden administration. Why does Israel, a country that seems to rely on the U.S. for so much, increasingly ignore and defy its long time American patron? And at what point is a defiant ally not really an ally at all? This week on How We Got Here, Israel’s decades-long effort to break free of their military, economic, and diplomatic dependence on the United States—and what it means for the peace process.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called for new Israeli elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., called Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace.” Ben Rhodes, co-host of Crooked’s ‘Pod Save The World’ and former deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, explains what Schumer’s comments could signal about Democrats’ shifting attitudes toward Israel over the war in Gaza.

And in headlines: Vice President Kamala Harris made history by visiting an abortion provider in Minnesota, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office asked to delay its hush money case against former President Donald Trump by 30 days, and Pornhub blocked Texas users from using the site amid an ongoing legal battle over the state’s age verification law.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Americans have considered the idea of reparations for more than a century, but there’s real momentum around the movement to make it happen right now. Multiple states and localities have launched studies into doing it and California has even introduced legislation. We’ll talk to Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee whose podcast “Uncounted Millions” looks at ways reparations could reshape the lives of the descendants of formerly enslaved people.

And in headlines: The House overwhelmingly passed a bill to ban TikTok from U.S. app stores unless it splits from its China-based owner, a Georgia judge tossed six charges in Trump’s election interference case, and New Orleans rats are breaking into police headquarters to munch down on confiscated weed.

Show Notes:

• “Uncounted Millions: The Power of Reparations” – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/into-america/id1499906821
• 988 Suicide And Crisis Lifeline – https://988lifeline.org/help-yourself/lgbtq/
• The Trevor Project crisis hotline for LGBTQ youth – https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could force the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell the social media platform or face a ban on U.S. app stores. Lawmakers say TikTok is a potential national security threat. The bill has bipartisan support in the House. Tech journalist Louise Matsakis explains why banning TikTok is one of the few issues lawmakers can agree on these days.

And in headlines: The House Judiciary Committee grilled Special Counsel Robert Hur over his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, an FAA report said Boeing failed dozens of audits, and Airbnb told hosts no more indoor security cameras.

Show Notes:

• Louise Matsakis’s newsletter “You May Also Like” – https://youmayalsolike.beehiiv.com/
• The Guardian: “Revealed: how TikTok censors videos that do not please Beijing” – https://tinyurl.com/y56o6hnk
• Network Contagion Research Institute: “ How TikTok's Global Platform Anomalies Align with the Chinese Communist Party's Geostrategic Objectives” – https://tinyurl.com/ynsd9kyj
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Biden on Monday unveiled his $7.3 trillion budget proposal for the next fiscal year. He calls for new spending to lower the cost of healthcare, housing and childcare, and wants to offset it by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The proposal as it stands now has little chance of passing a divided Congress, but is the basis for negotiations and also serves as a campaign promise for his reelection.

A settlement over Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay and Trans” bill means teachers and students can talk about gender identity and sexual orientations in classrooms again. Kind of. Both sides are calling it a win.

And in headlines: Trump asks to delay the Manhattan trial in his hush money case, Special Counsel Robert Hur testifies in front of Congress about his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, and could next month’s total solar eclipse make some animals extra randy? Researchers want to know.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Ramadan began Sunday night, and it was also the unofficial deadline by which the Biden administration hoped to have negotiated a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But as fighting in Gaza rages on and the death toll there tops 30,000, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amped up their criticisms of each other.

Haiti’s government is on the brink of collapse after local gangs united in a coordinated attack on the nation’s capital city Port-au-Prince. The roots of the violence can be traced back all the way to the 90s.

And in headlines: Oppenheimer dominated the Oscars, the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into Boeing, and the Republican National Committee named two new leaders, one with the last name Trump.

Show Notes:

• AP: “Why is Haiti so chaotic? Leaders used street gangs to gain power. Then the gangs got stronger” – https://tinyurl.com/259cbjhv\
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Primaries elections are good, right? It’s how we hold the party accountable and raise up progressives! It turns out there’s more to the story.

This week on “How We Got Here,” Max and Erin explore how party primaries have led to the success of more extreme candidates, the passage of fewer polices, and an increase in American polarization. From the Tea Party and Ron Paul to decidedly not "tea" parties with Texas House Speakers, this week’s episode probes the dangers of primaries, and why the U.S. seems to be the last country in the world to catch on.

President Biden delivered his State of the Union Thursday night. He traded verbal blows with his conservative opponents inside the room, and also offered a preview of his 2024 campaign message. Pod Save America's Tommy Vietor assessed Biden's speech on topics such as abortion access, Gaza, immigration at the southern border and more.

And in headlines: Sweden joins NATO, Trump can't delay his payment to E. Jean Carroll, and House lawmakers advanced legislation that could ban TikTok.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Biden delivers his third State of the Union address Thursday night ahead of this November’s election. Part of the challenge for Biden is to show voters that he’s still got the energy for another four year term. But he also has to motivate his base, including progressives who are following his campaign with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Activists and organizers across the country told us about the issues they’re most concerned about, and what they want Biden to say when he steps up to the podium.

And in headlines: Nikki Haley cedes the Republican primary race to Trump, a Russian missile hits near the President of Ukraine, and a Texas company says it’s one step closer to bringing back woolly mammoths.

Show Notes:

• “Rep. Allred to Host Dr. Austin Dennard at State of the Union” – https://tinyurl.com/24s5646j
• Listen To Michigan campaign – https://www.listentomichigan.com/
• United We Dream Action – https://unitedwedreamaction.org/
• Debt Collective – https://debtcollective.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

Super Tuesday was mostly a blowout on the Republican side for former President Donald Trump. Nikki Haley did manage to eke out a win in Vermont, but that's not enough to give her a clear path to victory. Danielle Deiseroth, the executive director of the progressive think tank Data for Progress, helps us interpret what the Super Tuesday results could mean for both Republicans and Democrats in November.

And in headlines: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed the GOP-backed Arizona Border Invasion Act, Senator Kyrsten Sinema won't seek re-election, and Dartmouth's basketball team votes to unionize.

Show Notes:

• Data For Progress – https://www.dataforprogress.org/
• Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump can stay on Colorado’s primary ballot. This reverses a decision by Colorado’s Supreme Court, which ruled that Trump could be disqualified based on his actions on January 6th, and the 14th Amendment’s stipulation that insurrectionists cannot hold public office. To understand the Supreme Court’s rationale, we spoke to Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s “Strict Scrutiny” and professor at the University of Michigan Law School.

Today is Super Tuesday. Voters in 16 states and American Samoa head to the polls, and one of the states we’re keeping a close eye on is California where several House races could determine which party will take control of Congress. We spoke with Marisa Lagos, KQED politics reporter, about how these California races in several swing districts got so competitive in the first place.

And in headlines: the Supreme Court temporarily blocked Texas from implementing its harsh new immigration law, the first OTC birth control pill heads to pharmacies, and French lawmakers make abortion a constitutional right.

Show Notes:

• Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny – https://crooked.com/podcast-series/strict-scrutiny/
• Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/
• “Biodiversity footprints of 151 popular dishes from around the world” – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10880993/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Oregon’s legislature has reintroduced criminal penalties for hard drug possession, effectively reversing course three years after voters passed the state’s Measure 110 and decriminalized possession in many cases. Many describe the reversal as a big setback for the criminal justice reform movement. But to understand how we got here, we look at where Oregon fell short in its implementation of Measure 110.

Israel boycotted ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas refused a demand to provide a list of all the hostages who are still alive and in their captivity. Meanwhile as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, the U.S. carried out its first airdrop of aid supplies into the region.

And in headlines: CVS and Walgreens will start dispensing abortion pills, Caitlin Clark shatters an NCAA scoring record, and Donald Gorske shatters a McDonald’s eating record.

Show Notes:

• OPB: “Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment appears dead” – https://tinyurl.com/2d3o5v5n
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

I see London, I see France, I see Shohei Ohtani’s underpants. This week, the MLB kicked off Spring Training with brand new see-through uniforms — yes, you read that right.

But it’s not just MLB players’ clothing that’s seemingly crappier, the uniform change is another story in a long line of corporate decisions that have made the clothing we wear worse and worse with each passing year. Max and Erin get to the bottom of how fashion got so fast, telling the story of a little Spanish retailer named Zara that changed the way we shop and a big, bad bogeyman (hint: it’s private equity) that stepped in to accelerate the decline of clothing quality.

More than 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured Thursday near Gaza City as people gathered around trucks to receive much needed food and aid. Hamas said in a statement that the Gaza Health Ministry had presented “undeniable” evidence of the Israeli Defense Force directly firing at civilians. Israel, for their part, denied that soldiers shot into the large crowd.

Alabama’s legislature voted to protect in vitro fertilization, or IVF, following the ruling by the state’s Supreme Court earlier this month that categorized frozen embryos as “children” and said that anyone who destroys them can be held liable for “wrongful death.” The bills aimed to protect IVF providers from lawsuits and criminal prosecution in hopes that they would resume offering treatments in the state again.

And in headlines: the government shutdown will be delayed for another week, Texas battles the largest wildfire in its history, and Wendy’s sets the record straight on “surge pricing.”

Show Notes:

• VSA’s F*ck Bans Action Plan – https://votesaveamerica.com/fuckbans/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday that he plans to step down as the Republican Senate leader in November. He has been the longest-serving Senate leader in American history, and is responsible for extensive damage to American politics and life. Congressional reporter Todd Zwillich explains why McConnell is leaving and why now.

Both President Biden and former President Trump head to the southern border Wednesday as they jockey on the issue of immigration. Uriel García, immigration reporter for the Texas Tribune, talks about the humanitarian cost of the U.S. government trying to secure the border, and how Texas residents and migrants feel about the plans proposed by the two leading presidential candidates.

And in headlines: the Supreme Court will weigh in on the question of presidential immunity for Trump, Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would've established federal protectors for IVF, and France will likely add the right to abortion to its constitution.

Show Notes:

• Todd Zwillich on Twitter – https://twitter.com/toddzwillich
• Texas Tribune – https://www.texastribune.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Yet another government shutdown looms and lawmakers have until Friday night to avert it. Here's what's holding them up this time: House Republicans have refused to support a spending deal that doesn't cover some of their extremist priorities, like the reversal of a federal rule that broadens access to abortion medication. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he's committed to avoiding a shutdown, but we're definitely not out of the woods yet.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments about a Trump-era ban on bump stocks, which enable rapid firing when added to semi-automatic weapons. The bump stock owner who brought the case argues that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives doesn't have the authority to outlaw bump stocks, and that bump stocks shouldn't be classified as "machine guns."

And in headlines: Hamas and Israel are far less optimistic than Joe Biden about the near-term possibility of a ceasefire, Starbucks agreed to start bargaining talks with the Starbucks Workers Union, and Macy's is closing 150 stores.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments on a case that could upend the online world. At issue are laws championed and passed by Republicans in Florida and Texas which would prevent social media companies from banning users based on their viewpoints. Jason Koebler, co-founder of the tech publication 404 Media, believes that tech companies would leave both states if the Supreme Court allowed these laws to stand.

Michigan holds its primary elections on Tuesday. From the war in Gaza to the candidates’ ages, voters in Detroit told us what issues are the most important to them as they head to the polls.

And in headlines: President Biden says he expects a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas as early as next week, the FTC sues to block a massive grocery store merger, and Trump could get hit with another gag order.

Show Notes:

• 404 Media – https://www.404media.co/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former President Donald Trump cleaned up in the South Carolina Republican primary last Saturday, winning 60 percent of the votes to Nikki Haley’s 40 percent, in spite of the fact that the battle played out in Haley’s home state. For her part, Haley says she’s still not dropping out.

The race now heads to Michigan which holds its Presidential primary on Tuesday. The results could demonstrate how much support President Biden maintains among a key demographic in the state: Muslim and Arab American voters. Many of these voters pledge to vote “uncommitted” as part of the Listen to Michigan campaign, a statewide effort aimed at pressuring the president to take action to prevent the death of thousands more people in Palestine.

And in headlines: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 31,000 of his country's soldiers have died since the start of Russia's invasion, the former head of the NRA was found liable in a massive corruption lawsuit, and what happened at the Screen Actors Guild and Independent Spirit Awards.

Show Notes:

• Listen To Michigan campaign – https://www.listentomichigan.com/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Republicans are coming after IVF? And no-fault divorce? This week, a Supreme Court ruling in Alabama and a new report from POLITICO unmasked an ascendant ideology taking over the Republican Party: Christian nationalism. Why does this ideology have Republicans waging war on public schools, failing marriages, and fertility clinics? And how did this movement go from the far fringes of the religious right to the center of the GOP? This week on How We Got Here, Offline’s Max Fisher and Hysteria’s Erin Ryan break down Christian nationalism's origin as a reaction to school desegregation, how the ideology is spreading via “trad wife” TikTok trends, and why Donald Trump is embracing the ideology as part of his 2024 presidential campaign. 

The mother of deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said that authorities are “blackmailing” her over his remains to get her to agree to a secret funeral. Sanctions on more than 500 targets in Russia are expected from the U.S. State and Treasury Departments Friday for the Russian government’s suspected role in Navalny’s death.

Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. The U.N. says that nearly 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country and become refugees in that time. We heard from one of those refugees about that transition and her life in Poland, which war has turned into her family’s new home.

And in headlines: a Texas judge rules that one student’s locs are not protected by the CROWN Act, two more clinics stop IVF services in Alabama, and the MyPillow Guy is out $5 million for his devotion to Stopping The Steal.

Show Notes:

• CARE – https://www.care.org/
  What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The University of Alabama health system became the first organization in the state to pause IVF treatments following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos can legally be considered “children.” Meanwhile, the future of IVF in the ten other states remains unclear as well because, like Alabama, they say life begins at fertilization. To learn more about how this fits into the larger fight for reproductive rights, we spoke with Dana Sussman, deputy executive director of Pregnancy Justice.

Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student in Oklahoma, died earlier this month one day after a fight in a school bathroom. The circumstances of Benedict’s tragic death are still coming into focus. But one thing’s for sure: the efforts of anti-LGBTQ lawmakers in Oklahoma, as well as influential right-wing social media accounts like Libs of TikTok, have helped create an extremely hostile environment for trans youth and LGBTQ people in the state.

And in headlines: the White House wiped out another $1.2 billion in student debt, the latest on the sputtering Republican-led Biden impeachment inquiry, and the Boeing executive in charge of 737 Max’s is out.

Show Notes:

• Pregnancy Justice – https://www.pregnancyjusticeus.org/
• The Independent: “Oklahoma banned trans students from bathrooms. Now a bullied student is dead after a fight” – http://tinyurl.com/2ck7rqso
• Anti-Violence Project’s Hotline for LGBTQ+ Survivors of Violence – Call/Text 212.714.1141
• Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network – https://www.glsen.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and stood alone on the 15-member U.N. Security Council in its vote. To understand the veto and the current state of hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, we spoke with The Intercept’s Prem Thakker.

A newly-overhauled website for FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is not working as intended and it’s creating chaos for students applying for college. Left in the dark about the size of their aid packages, some students don’t know which schools they can afford. We discuss what the Department of Education says they’re doing about it.

And in headlines: two men were charged in last week's shooting at a Kansas City Super Bowl victory parade, librarians could be under attack in West Virginia, and Bridgit Mendler rides the Disney-Channel-star-to-CEO pipeline.

Show Notes:

• The Intercept’s Prem Thakker – https://theintercept.com/staff/premthakker/
  Politico: “College admissions face new turmoil after Biden’s Education Department fumble” – http://tinyurl.com/2ywazazn
  Chalkbeat: “Partial FAFSA fix lets students from immigrant families apply for financial aid” – http://tinyurl.com/29bydcr7
  CNBC: “Disney star turned space CEO: Bridgit Mendler launches satellite data startup backed by major VCs” – http://tinyurl.com/2cazb6cb
  What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers signed new legislative maps into law on Monday, and broke a Republican gerrymander that has shaped the state’s politics for years. That means Democrats are pretty much set to gain seats in the state Assembly and state Senate this November. John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, explains what Wisconsin’s win means for the state and the nation.

Alexei Navalny, the head of Russia’s political opposition, died last Friday while serving over 30 years in an Arctic Penal Colony. That means that with less than a month before the country’s next presidential election, the party opposing Vladimir Putin’s regime has lost its most visible leader. It’s not clear how Navalny died, but his widow Yulia accused Putin himself of killing her husband.

And in headlines: Donald Trump is selling $400 sneakers while facing a $450 million fine in his New York fraud trial, the U.N’s highest court started hearing arguments on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian territories, and the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are “children.”

Show Notes:

• National Democratic Redistricting Committee: “2023-2024 Priority States” – https://democraticredistricting.com/priority-states/
• PIX11: “NYPD Dance Team performs” – https://pix11.com/news/morning/nypd-dance-team-performs-on-pix11/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

What do the 1970s crime wave, the endangerment of the California condor, and Gen Xers demanding to speak to the manager have in common? There’s a compelling case that all are exacerbated by lead exposure. This week How We Got Here unpacks the long and sordid story of how lead found its way into gasoline…and the organs of many Americans. But gas is just the tip of the iceberg—we still see lead in consumer products today, from drinking water to baby food to Stanley Cups. Why do we still use this poisonous metal? What does it do to our brains? And who does it impact the most? Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher unpack what lead us to this point.

Fulton County DA Fani Willis and special counsel Nathan Wade both took the stand on Thursday about their prior romantic relationship. The hearing will determine whether it constituted a conflict of interest that disqualifies Willis from prosecuting Donald Trump for election racketeering in Georgia.

Meanwhile, a verdict is expected Friday in New York’s civil fraud trial against Trump, and New York’s hush money criminal trial against Trump got a start date of March 25th.

And in headlines: Kansas City officials said Wednesday’s mass shooting at the Super Bowl parade probably started with a personal argument, President Biden is expected to visit East Palestine, Ohio on Friday, and an FBI informant was charged for lying about connections between Hunter Biden and Ukraine.

Show Notes:

What A Day will be off on Monday, February 19th for Presidents’ Day. We’ll be back with a new episode on Tuesday, February 20th. 

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

A mass shooting at Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade for the Kansas City Chiefs left one person dead and 21 more injured. Authorities said they had three people in custody.

Democrats took home some important wins earlier this week, including Democrat Tom Suozzi flipping the Congressional seat that once belonged to New York Republican George Santos. We’re joined by Shaniqua McClendon, Vice President of political strategy at Crooked Media, for more on what the victories could mean for Dems’ chances in November.

And in headlines: President Biden blocked the deportation of Palestinians from the U.S. for the next 18 months, the ACLU of Colorado sued Children’s Hospital Colorado because the center discontinued gender-affirming surgeries for trans adults, and thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers and DoorDash delivery workers went on strike.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

House Republicans impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday in a 214-213 vote. Meanwhile in New York, Democrat Tom Suozzi won the special election to replace ousted Republican Congressman George Santos, and Pennsylvania voters elected Democrat Jim Prokopiak in Tuesday’s state House special election.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may loosen Covid isolation requirements. Under newly proposed guidelines, Americans who test positive for Covid would no longer be advised to isolate for five days. Instead, they plan to recommend that people use their symptoms to determine when they should end their isolation.

And in headlines: the Senate passed a $95 billion bill with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, the death toll from last year’s West Maui wildfires reached 101 on Tuesday, and Meghan Markle teamed up with Lemonada Media for a new podcast.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives hinges on a special election taking place today in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Democrats currently have a one-seat majority in the chamber. The results of today’s race will determine if Democrats can pick up one more seat or if they become tied with Republicans. We’re joined by Melissa Walker, head of Giving Circles over at The States Project, to learn more about who’s running and what’s at stake.

It’s looking like a whirlwind of a week for Trump and the many battles he faces in court. After an appeals court ruled last week that he did not qualify for immunity from prosecution, Trump and his lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court on Monday and asked them to pause the case. Meanwhile, the hearing to address the allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis engaged in an improper and unethical relationship with her lead prosecutor will take place on Thursday.

And in headlines: Israel’s military killed at least 67 Palestinians in Rafah, a new bill that was introduced in Wyoming could take trans kids away from their parents if they receive gender-affirming care, and Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash drivers will walk off the job this Valentine’s Day.

Show Notes:

• The State’s Project — https://statesproject.org/
• Vote Save America — https://votesaveamerica.com/
• Palestine Red Crescent Society — https://www.palestinercs.org/en
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

Tuesday is Election Day for the race to replace George Santos in New York’s third congressional district. The candidates running for the seat include former Democratic congressman Tom Suozzi and Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip who’s been selected as the nominee for Republican and conservative parties. With Republicans holding a narrow 219-212 majority in the House, the stakes are high. We’re joined by Gabby Seay, the campaign director of Battleground New York, to learn more about what it would take to flip this seat and others in the state blue.

And in headlines: the Senate advanced a bill that would provide $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel, a series of Israeli strikes hit Rafah, and Vox’s Ellen Ioanes tells us about the significance of last week's parliamentary election in Pakistan.

Show Notes:

• Vox: Everything is chaotic about Pakistan’s election — except the outcome - https://www.vox.com/2024/2/8/24066427/pakistan-imran-khan-nawaz-sharif 
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

It’s Week 2 of What a Day’s new series “How We Got Here,” in which Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher pose a question about the week’s biggest headlines and comb through history to answer it. This week, they dive into the enemies-to-lovers story of the NFL and sports betting. Why did professional sports leagues disavow gambling for so long? How did the NFL go from hating Vegas to hosting a Super Bowl there? And who cares what color gatorade they dump on the field this Sunday? (Spoiler alert: MANY people!)

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday in a case considering whether or not Donald Trump can be removed from the ballot in Colorado because of his role in the Jan. 6th insurrection. Most of the justices, including a number of the liberal justices, seemed convinced by at least one argument from the defense: that an individual state can't disqualify candidates in a national election without Congress specifically granting them that power. We’re joined by Melissa Murray, professor of law at NYU and co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny podcast, to learn more about the hearing and what comes next.

And in headlines: a Special Counsel report into President Biden’s handling of sensitive government documents cleared Biden of committing any crimes, the FCC said that it’s immediately outlawing robocalls that feature AI voices, and a high school football team from the town of Lahaina is headed to the Super Bowl this weekend.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• NFL Films Lahainaluna Football Documentary - https://www.espnhonolulu.com/2024/01/04/watch-nfl-films-lahainaluna-football-documentary/
• Luna Strong Fundraiser - https://www.downtownathleticclubhawaii.org/luna-strong/
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments about Amendment 4 — a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability in the state's constitution. Justices must approve the language of the amendment proposed by abortion advocates before it can be put on the ballot in November. We’re joined by Anna Hochkammer, Councilmember for PineCrest Florida and Executive Director of Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, to learn more about Amendment 4 and how it would protect women and pregnant people in the state if passed.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the latest Hamas counterproposal for a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Egypt and Qatar working on mediation between Hamas and Israel. He also met with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials in Jerusalem.

And in headlines: the Supreme Court will hear arguments about whether or not Trump is eligible to be president again, Senate Republicans killed the new border deal and foreign aid package, and the Environmental Protection Agency tightened standards for fine particle pollution.

Show Notes:

• Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition — https://floridawomensfreedomcoalition.com/
• Vote Save America: https://votesaveamerica.com/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump's immunity claim and ruled that he can be put on trial over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A three-judge panel issued the unanimous decision, writing, “for the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump.” We’re joined by Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast Strict Scrutiny and a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, to learn more about the case and what comes next.

And in headlines: the House rejected impeachment charges against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, a Michigan jury voted to convict Jennifer Crumbley of involuntary manslaughter, and New Hampshire officials said they found the source behind the fake Biden robocalls.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Brittney Gilliam agreed to a $1.9 million settlement more than three years after police officers in Aurora, Colorado held her, her sister, her two nieces, and her six-year-old daughter at gunpoint. This comes on the heels of two new studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association that show the effect of police violence on Black communities.

Educators in Durham, North Carolina held another “Day of Protest" on Monday that forced Durham Public Schools to close seven schools. It was the second demonstration that caused closures in less than a week over a pay dispute with the school board. Meanwhile, the University of North Carolina in Greensboro is eliminating 20 programs from its roster, citing low enrollment.

And in headlines: Nevada’s Democratic and Republican presidential primaries are happening on Tuesday, King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer, and some scientists say that hurricanes are getting so intense that it may be time for a new rating.

Show Notes:

• PNAS: The growing inadequacy of an open-ended Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale in a warming world — https://rb.gy/rrzslt
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis admitted to having a personal relationship with Nathan Wade, the prosecutor she hired to handle the election interference case against Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the federal case against Trump is being delayed. And the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Thursday deciding whether he can be left off the ballot in Colorado for his role in the January 6th insurrection.

Police in the city of Dearborn, Michigan were on high alert this weekend after an opinion piece published by the Wall Street Journal called the city “America’s Jihad Capital.” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said on Saturday that he was ramping up police presence across all places of worship and major infrastructure points. President Joe Biden even weighed in on Sunday in a post on X, writing, “Americans know that blaming a group of people based on the words of a small few is wrong.”

And in headlines: Senators released the long-awaited $118 billion border deal and foreign aid package, President Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary over the weekend, and more than a hundred people have been killed by the wildfires raging in Chile’s Pacific Coast.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• “Kickin' Off The Party In South Carolina” with DNC Chair Jaime Harrison - https://www.crooked.com/podcast/kickin-off-the-party-in-south-carolina/
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Welcome to What a Day’s How We Got Here, a new weekend series where Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher pose a question about the week’s biggest headlines and comb through history to answer it. This week: why does it feel like the souther border is always in crisis? How does immigration enforcement distort our view of what’s actually happening? And what lessons about our fragile national identity can we learn from a discontinued California highway sign? 

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions and visa bans on Israeli settlers who were accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank. Meanwhile, the violence in Gaza continues. The Palestinian death toll has reportedly surpassed 27,000. More than 66,000 people have been wounded by Israel since Hamas’ attack killed 1,200 and took about 250 largely civilian hostages.

Universal Music Group started pulling their music from TikTok Thursday morning. The move comes after the previous licensing deal between UMG and TikTok was set to expire on Wednesday. And on Tuesday, Universal released a strongly worded open letter to TikTok outlining their concerns.

And in headlines: the European Union agreed to a $54 billion funding deal for Ukraine, Oregon’s Supreme Court ruled that the Republican lawmakers who walked off the job last year to block progressive legislation cannot run for re-election, and newsroom staffers at the Chicago Tribune and six other publications around the country walked off the job to demand better pay amid stalled labor talks.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The first official Democratic primary of 2024 taking place this Saturday in South Carolina. President Joe Biden has seen a decline in support among Black voters in early polls, so this early primary date is a chance for the Biden-Harris campaign to rally support in South Carolina and make a broad appeal to Black voters nationally. We’re joined by Jaime Harrison, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, to dig into the significance of South Carolina’s Democratic primary and how it plays into the party’s agenda at large for 2024.

And in headlines: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologized to the families of victims during the Senate hearing into online child safety, President Biden is set to visit East Palestine, Ohio later this month, and Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox signed a bill banning trans people from using bathrooms that align with their gender identity.
 

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• Visit Vote Save America - https://votesaveamerica.com/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Despite reported headway in the negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected Hamas’ two primary demands for an extended temporary ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. Meanwhile, around a dozen Israeli troops disguised themselves as medics and civilians and stormed a hospital in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinian militants in the city of Jenin Tuesday morning.

Tech CEOs of several social media platforms are on Capitol Hill today to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about kids’ safety on the internet. Senators will question the CEOs about how their platforms contribute to child sexual abuse and exploitation and how to better protect children online.

And in headlines: Donald Trump will remain on Illinois’ March 19th primary ballot, UPS plans to lay off more than 12,000 employees this year, and Sabrina Ionescu and Stephen Curry will be competing in an NBA All-Star 3-point contest.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

A bipartisan immigration deal in Congress could be announced as soon as this week. The agreement would give the executive branch the legal authority to suspend asylum when migrant crossings surpass a certain threshold, among other things. That’s the part of the deal that President Biden referred to when he said late last week that he’d “shut down the border” if this new bill makes it into law.

A new report by the Associated Press found that prison labor is connected to hundreds of millions of dollars worth of food and agricultural products sold by some of the country’s biggest brands. It’s the latest indication that prison labor is used more widely than many people realize – and that these companies benefit from it while also trying to shield their connection to the public.

And in headlines: Illinois could be the next state to take Donald Trump off their presidential primary ballot, Bayer was ordered to pay $2.25 billion to a man who said he developed cancer from using the company's weed killer, and a New Jersey animal shelter said it would neuter feral cats named after people’s exes for Valentine's Day.

Show Notes:

• AP: “Prisoners in the US are part of a hidden workforce linked to hundreds of popular food brands” – http://tinyurl.com/ypxooooo
  Louisiana Illuminator: “Louisiana still leads nation for state prisoners held in local jails” – http://tinyurl.com/yr9wzyvr
  What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The UN’s International Court of Justice ruled last Friday ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire. The court is weeks into a case that considers whether Israel is committing genocide.

Republicans are, yet again, threatening the lives of trans people. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to get healthcare providers in other states to give him the private medical records of youth who’ve received gender-affirming care. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers in Ohio and Michigan admitted late last week that their endgame is to ban trans healthcare for all.

And in headlines: three U.S. troops were killed and dozens others injured in a drone strike in northeast Jordan, Maui officials identified the final known victim of the Lahaina wildfire, and activists threw pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa in Paris.

Show Notes:

• Erin In The Morning: “Ohio, Michigan Republicans In Released Audio: ‘Endgame’ Is To Ban Trans Care ‘For Everyone’” – http://tinyurl.com/yr43zwuv
• Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Joe Biden will send CIA Director William Burns to help negotiate a new deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages. Meanwhile, protests in the U.S. continued around America’s involvement in the war and whether we should officially call for a ceasefire. Universities in particular have been in the spotlight as the sites of many of these demonstrations.

L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong appointed Terry Tang as interim executive editor, making her the first woman ever to be the paper’s top editor in its 142-year history. Her appointment came after a tumultuous couple of weeks at the paper. But as publications downsize and shutter, we also saw newsrooms unionize or otherwise stand up for better pay, improved working conditions and a seat at the table.

And in headlines: Alabama carried out the nation’s first ever execution using nitrogen gas, transgender veterans sued the Department of Veterans Affairs over its failure to provide coverage for gender-affirming surgeries, and housing was unaffordable for half of all renters in the United States in 2022.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered his third State of the City address on Wednesday. Since just last spring, 170,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, tens of thousands of whom were sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. But in his speech, Mayor Adams fell short of providing any real plans to address the situation. We’re joined by Christine Quinn, former Speaker of the New York City Council and current head of shelter operator Win, to discuss what migrants need and what providers in the city are doing to meet the moment.

And in headlines: the United Auto Workers Union endorsed President Joe Biden, nine people were killed and more than 70 were injured after a UN shelter in Khan Younis was bombed, and Obamacare hit a record level of enrollment.

Show Notes:

• Win NYC – https://winnyc.org/
• Politico: “War cats: Ukraine enlists feline friends in fight against Russia” – http://tinyurl.com/ysytnmhp
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former President Donald Trump won New Hampshire’s Republican primary on Tuesday and defeated former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary as a write-in candidate. We’re joined by Colin Booth, Chief Political Correspondent for the Granite Post, to break down the results.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint campaign event of 2024 in Manassas, Virginia on Tuesday. And one clear takeaway from this event is that the Biden-Harris campaign is betting big on abortion rights.

And in headlines: Turkey’s parliament voted to allow Sweden to join NATO, the L.A. Times laid off about 115 journalists on Tuesday, and Oscar nominations are officially here.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Biden administration has the authority to remove parts of a barbed wire barrier erected by Texas officials at the U.S.-Mexico border. The high court ruled for Biden in a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett siding with the three liberal justices.

More than 300 L.A. Times journalists walked off their jobs last Friday for a one-day strike to protest potential layoffs. Then on Monday, a group of ten California lawmakers said in a letter that they’re concerned about how possible cuts might impact “the availability of essential news and the strength of our democracy at large.”

And in headlines: New Hampshire officials are investigating robocalls that used AI to impersonate President Joe Biden, a Georgia judge unsealed documents in a divorce case that involves prosecutors in the election interference case against Donald Trump, and we learn about the science behind heartbreak.

Show Notes:

• LA Times: “Science can explain a broken heart. Could science help heal mine?” – http://tinyurl.com/yvjttlsk
  What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially exited from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump. He made the announcement in a video posted on X on Sunday, just two days before the New Hampshire primary.

Because of his exit, all eyes will be Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in Tuesday’s primary. Democrats will also go out to vote, even though President Joe Biden will actually not be on the ballot this year. For more, we’re joined by Manny Espitia, former New Hampshire lawmaker and northern regional director for the progressive group Run for Something.

And in headlines: the death toll in Gaza soared past 25,000 people, a grand jury is set to investigate local police in Uvalde, Texas for their response to the deadly 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School, and California State University System faculty members will walk off the job this week to demand better pay and benefits. 

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis faces misconduct allegations after a co-defendant in Georgia’s election interference case against Trump claimed that Willis was in a “romantic relationship” with her special prosecutor. The presiding judge set a hearing for February 15th to focus on the allegations.

The Justice Department released a scathing 575-page report Thursday about the 2022 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The report described the “significant failure” in the police’s response that day, and emphasized that the officers took too long to treat the incident as an active shooter situation.

And in headlines: Congress narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown by passing a short-term funding bill Thursday, Pakistan and Iran both launched unprecedented attacks on each other’s territories, and the NFL announced that Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day will perform at this year’s Super Bowl pregame.

Show Notes:

• Missouri’s effort to get an abortion amendment on the 2024 ballot: Missourians For Constitutional Freedom – https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Wednesday to get medicine delivered to hostages held in Gaza. In exchange, humanitarian aid and medication will be delivered to Palestinian civilians. And overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday, Israeli forces advanced on the area around the Al Nasser hospital complex in Khan Younis, a city in Southern Gaza.

Over in Texas, a floating barrier in the Rio Grande will stay for now because an appeals court reversed an order for the state to remove it. Governor Greg Abbott installed the 1,000 foot-long string of buoys and submerged netting in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass last July as part of his anti-immigration program.

And in headlines: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to move his presidential campaign away from New Hampshire and instead prioritize South Carolina’s primary, Democrats filed a lawsuit to demand that the Wisconsin Supreme Court throw out the state’s congressional maps, and thousands marched the streets of Honolulu on Wednesday for the annual ‘Onipa’a Peace March that commemorates the day that the U.S. illegally overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom. 

Show Notes:

• WAD – “Hawai’i: An American Coup” – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hawaii-an-american-coup/id1483692776?i=1000594870921
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Biden invited Congressional leaders to the White House Wednesday for their first face-to-face talks in months about critical aid to Ukraine, immigration and border policy, and aid for Israel. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday where he emphasized the need for more aid and called out Putin directly.

In the Middle East, fears of an expanding war in the region have multiplied in recent days. The U.S. launched a new airstrike against Houthi ballistic missiles in Yemen on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Iran launched missiles of their own at locations in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

And in headlines: Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson dropped out of the race, the Supreme Court decided to stay out of the debate over bathroom access for transgender students, and Elton John joined the EGOT club.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Iowa caucuses are officially over. Donald Trump won as expected with just over 50 percent of the vote, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley came in third. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy finished in fourth place, and suspended his campaign just minutes after the polls closed and then endorsed Trump. We’re joined by Eugene Scott, senior politics reporter for Axios, to break down the results and turnout in Iowa.

And in headlines: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital, the Biden Administration sent a cease-and-desist to Texas officials to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from the border, and we recap last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Iowa caucuses are here. Former President Donald Trump is in the lead, according to the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll. He has the backing of 48 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley is in second place with 20 percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in third place at 16 percent.

Meanwhile, it is bitterly, bitterly cold in Iowa with a wind chill warning in place until after the caucus on Tuesday. And it’s not just Iowa – an arctic cold outbreak is set to bring record-setting, too-cold-for-comfort temperatures all over. Daily records for this time of year could be broken from coast to coast.

And in headlines: Sunday marked 100 days since the Israel-Hamas war began, John Kerry will step down as the U.S. special climate envoy, and the Supreme Court agreed to take on cases that will impact people experiencing homelessness and workers’ rights to unionize.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Iowa Caucuses are back! Trump is the clear favorite, but there’s a tense battle for second place that is all going to play out on Monday. We dive into what the caucuses even are, how they work, and what their role is in this year’s presidential election.

Then, Crooked’s very own Tommy Vietor joins the show after being on the ground in Iowa himself. He walks us through what it was like sneaking into Republican campaign events, and what voters said.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel is accused of committing genocide in Gaza in a case before the International Court of Justice on Thursday. South Africa filed the claim, and it alleges that Israel violated international law by committing and failing to prevent genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza.

Hunter Biden took a surprise trip to the Capitol Building on Wednesday to look Republicans in the eye as they advanced a resolution to hold him in contempt of Congress. And outside the Capitol, Hunter and his legal team reiterated the notion that House Republicans are attempting to use Hunter as a surrogate to attack the president.

And in headlines: at least 10 people are dead in Ecuador in a series of attacks blamed on armed gangs, Chris Christie suspended his presidential campaign, and the Screen Actors Guild and the Director’s Guild Award nominations dropped yesterday.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Donald Trump was back in court on Tuesday for the federal case against him for trying to overturn the 2020 election. This time, however, Trump tried to make the argument that he cannot be charged at all. Plus, Trump on Monday requested that a Maine judge put a pause on deciding whether he should appear on the state’s ballot for now.

The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing today about how artificial intelligence could impact journalism. One of the committee’s members – Sen. Amy Klobuchar – discusses a bill she introduced that protects local news. We’re joined by the Senator to discuss that bill and the larger effort to crack down on A.I.

And in headlines: The White House ordered cabinet secretaries to tell them if they might not be able to perform their duties, New York City started evicting migrant families that hit their 60-day shelter stay limit, and powerful storms swept across the country on Tuesday.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday