What A Day

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