Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, passed away on Thursday. She was 96 years old. Kristen Meinzer, the cohost of Newsweek’s Royal Report podcast, joins us to discuss what made the queen such an important figure on the world stage. And in headlines: Nevada police arrested a county official in the fatal stabbing of a Las Vegas reporter, the U.S. announced a new $2.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine, and Steve Bannon was indicted for his alleged role in the...
Sep 09, 2022•19 min
As millions of Californians were trying to stay cool amid a scorching heat wave on Tuesday, overwhelming demand for electricity nearly forced the state to impose rolling blackouts. Katherine Blunt, who covers renewable energy and utilities for the Wall Street Journal, explains why California was so close to the brink. And in headlines: Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey secured the Democratic nomination for governor, Steve Bannon is expected to surrender to New York State prosecutors to...
Sep 08, 2022•17 min
NASA was forced to scrub the test launch for its Artemis I moon mission for the second time on Saturday. Miriam Kramer, a space reporter for Axios, joins us to explain why Artemis has yet to take off. And in headlines: Liz Truss was appointed to replace Boris Johnson as the U.K. 's prime minister, Chileans rejected a new progressive constitution, and e-cigarette maker Juul agreed to a nearly $440 million settlement for false advertising. Show Notes: Vote Save America: Fuck Bans Action Plan – htt...
Sep 07, 2022•16 min
Labor Day weekend is coming up, and it's a great time to celebrate American workers. We check in with Labor Secretary Marty Walsh about unions, the state of the job market, and why so many people are “quiet quitting” their jobs. And in headlines: a U.N. report accused China of committing human rights violations against Uyghur Muslims, actress Lea Michele addressed rumors about her behind-the-scenes conduct on “Glee”, and Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad is getting a sequel. Show Notes: WAD will be on brea...
Sep 02, 2022•21 min
The FDA authorized the first new versions of the Covid-19 vaccines since they were introduced in late 2020, and the updated formulations target the newest Omicron subvariants. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, epidemiologist and host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” tells us what we need to know about the new shots. And in headlines: U.N. nuclear inspectors arrived in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, NASA announced a new launch date for the Artemis I mission, and a scorching heat wave continued its grip on the West Co...
Sep 01, 2022•21 min
The city of Jackson, Mississippi is under a state of emergency because of ongoing problems with its troubled water system, leaving residents without safe drinking water. Officials in Pakistan say one-third of that country has been submerged by catastrophic flooding, which has left at least 1,100 people dead. And experts warn the worst of the disaster has yet to come. And in headlines: the Biden administration wiped out $1.5 billion in federal student loan debt for students of a defunct for-profi...
Aug 31, 2022•18 min
A federal judge has indicated that she may appoint a “special master” to review the documents that the FBI seized from Mar-A-Lago earlier this month. We go over what that means, and what it means for the Justice Department's investigation into former President Donald Trump. NASA was set to blast off the debut flight of its Artemis I mission to the moon on Monday, but engineers were forced to delay the launch over apparent engine problems. And in headlines: Iraqi leader Muqtada al-Sadr said he’s ...
Aug 30, 2022•17 min
The Justice Department released the affidavit that led to the FBI search on former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago. Although the document was heavily redacted, it does indicate that Trump had highly classified information about sensitive intelligence gathering, and that the FBI had reason to believe he was trying to obstruct the investigation into those records. Over 2,000 Kaiser Permanente mental health workers in Northern California remain on strike. Today marks their 15th day sinc...
Aug 29, 2022•20 min
A redacted version of the affidavit that justified the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is expected to be released to the public today. We recap how we got here, and what could come from the unsealed document. It’s been two months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and at least a dozen states have enacted near-total abortion bans, with “trigger laws” taking effect in three states just this week. And in headlines: the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was briefl...
Aug 26, 2022•21 min
President Biden announced on Wednesday a plan that would cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for millions of Americans, and $20,000 for Pell grant recipients. That will allow millions of borrowers to become debt-free, but critics say it won’t benefit those with larger balances nearly as much as full forgiveness – a goal that progressives have pursued for years. Braxton Brewington with the Debt Collective, an organization that works to empower student loan borrowers, joins us to discuss the decis...
Aug 25, 2022•22 min
Today is Ukraine’s Independence Day, marking 31 years since it broke from the Soviet Union. It also comes six months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and Ukrainian officials are concerned that new strikes could come on the symbolic date. California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation on Monday that would have allowed three California cities to open overdose prevention sites – though Newsom said during his campaign in 2018 he was “very, very open” to the harm reduction strategy...
Aug 24, 2022•25 min
A teenager and her mother are facing criminal charges for allegedly violating Nebraska's abortion ban, and police used their Facebook direct messages as evidence to charge them. Sara Morrison, senior reporter for Vox's Recode, tells us how easy it is for law enforcement to obtain your personal data from the internet and use it against you — even when it comes to making a health care decision like abortion. And in headlines: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was charged under that count...
Aug 23, 2022•20 min
Extreme weather is taking a toll around the globe, with intense storms battering parts of Europe, and historic drought revealing long-submerged relics in other regions. China is also wrestling with one of its hottest, driest summers on record. A bitter recall campaign forced Chesa Boudin, San Francisco's progressive district attorney, out of office in June. But critics of his replacement, Brooke Jenkins, say her new policies are troubling. And in headlines: a car explosion killed the daughter of...
Aug 22, 2022•19 min
A federal judge in Florida announced Thursday he is "inclined" to release parts of the affidavit that led to the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago earlier this month. That means it could be made public, giving the Justice Department a week to submit its redactions. Meanwhile, Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, pleaded guilty to tax evasion – and agreed to testify in a broader investigation of the company. And in headlines: Israeli forces raided the offices of...
Aug 19, 2022•21 min
CDC director Rochelle Walensky announced Wednesday the agency is making big structural and cultural changes, following widespread criticism over its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s America Dissected, joins us to discuss what that overhaul will look like, and why it matters. And in headlines: a deadly explosion erupted at a mosque in Kabul, Liz Cheney hints at a White House bid after her defeat in Wyoming's House Republican primary, and former Vice Preside...
Aug 18, 2022•20 min
The CDC recently reported that new monkeypox cases in New York City appear to be slowing down, though new cases are slowly rising nationwide. Dr. Carlton Thomas, an advocate for queer health and sex positivity, joins us to talk about the stigma surrounding the disease, and safer sex practices for people who are at higher risk for exposure. And in headlines: President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, former Trump White House lawyers were interviewed by the FBI over sensitive doc...
Aug 17, 2022•19 min
More allies of former President Donald Trump will have to appear before a special grand jury in Georgia in the coming weeks, as part of the criminal investigation over possible attempts to interfere in the 2020 election. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, is now a target of that probe. And as millions of people across the country face the effects of extreme weather, a new poll finds that fewer Americans are concerned about how climate change will impact them personally. And in headlines: ...
Aug 16, 2022•23 min
The Justice Department is investigating former President Donald Trump for potentially violating three federal laws related to handling government documents, including the Espionage Act. That's according to the unsealed search warrant executed at his Mar-a-Lago residence last week. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny, joins us to discuss Trump's mounting legal problems. Meanwhile, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint bulletin warning of an uptick in violent thr...
Aug 15, 2022•25 min
Attorney General Merrick Garland made an unexpected announcement yesterday to address the FBI search for confidential documents at Donald Trump’s home at Mar-A-Lago. The Washington Post reports some of those documents involve nuclear weapons. Because of increasing online and in-person threats to FBI officials, Garland went to great lengths to emphasize that the search was in the public interest and not politically motivated. The House is expected to vote on the Inflation Reduction Act today. It ...
Aug 12, 2022•18 min
Former President Donald Trump pleaded the Fifth Amendment during depositions for the civil case against him by New York state. The strategy could be advantageous for him since anything revealed could be used in the criminal case against Trump by Manhattan’s District Attorney. Jury selection began Wednesday in Vanessa Bryant’s lawsuit against Los Angeles County. Vanessa Bryant is the widow of Kobe Bryant and the mother of Gianna Bryant, both of whom were killed in a helicopter crash in January of...
Aug 11, 2022•18 min
The FBI raided Donald Trump’s Florida property Mar-A-Lago on Monday. A New York Times source says agents were searching for classified documents the former President might’ve taken with him after he left the White House. But the event was just one of several developments in the past few days involving Trump records kept from the various teams investigating him. Ilya Marritz, co-host of the podcasts "Will Be Wild" and “Trump Inc,” helps us round up all of Trump’s mounting legal battles, including...
Aug 10, 2022•25 min
Three men were sentenced in federal court for their role in the February 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The man who shot Arbery, Travis McMichael, and his father Gregory McMichael were sentenced to life in prison. William Bryan, who was with the McMichaels that day, got 35 years. A new study published in the Nature Climate Change journal found that climate change can worsen the spread of infectious diseases like malaria, cholera and anthrax. It also details how climate disasters can wreak havoc o...
Aug 09, 2022•20 min
Hot Take’s Mary Annaïse Heglar joins us to talk about the Senate passing the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday. It now heads to the House this week where it’s expected to pass. One of the main pieces of the legislation addresses the climate crisis, but the bill ultimately falls short of many activists’ demands. And in headlines: Indiana’s banned nearly all abortions, President Biden is now negative for COVID, and Lake Mead revealed another set of human skeletal remains. Show Notes: NPR: “Democra...
Aug 08, 2022•21 min
The U.S. declared a federal public health emergency over the monkeypox outbreak on Thursday after the states of New York, California and Illinois did the same recently. A Russian court convicted WNBA star Brittney Griner of smuggling illegal drugs into the country and sentenced her to nine years in prison — all because she had less than one gram of cannabis oil in her luggage. And in headlines: the Justice Department charged four police officers for violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights, the N...
Aug 05, 2022•17 min
Far-right talk show host Alex Jones took the stand on Wednesday in one of his many defamation cases. Jones has spent the last decade lying repeatedly about the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting and claiming that it was a hoax. In headlines: Republican Congresswoman Jackie Walorski died in a car accident, the Justice Department is investigating over 100 cases of threats made against election workers, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi left Taiwan. And we chat with Zayd Dohrn, host of Crooked’s “Mother Country...
Aug 04, 2022•23 min
Abortion access in Kansas will be preserved because yesterday the state overwhelmingly voted against a referendum designed to open the door to abortion bans. Meanwhile, the Justice Department sued Idaho on Tuesday over that state’s abortion law — the first lawsuit filed against a state’s anti-abortion law by the Biden administration since the Supreme Court overturned Roe. California declared a state of emergency on Monday to combat the outbreak of monkeypox. New York and Illinois have done the s...
Aug 03, 2022•23 min
Kansas votes today on whether the state’s constitution should still explicitly protect the right to an abortion. Ashley All, a spokesperson for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom, joins us to discuss how she’s been organizing ahead of the vote. And in headlines: the U.S. killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri, Cleveland Browns quarterback DeShaun Watson was temporarily suspended, and Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt was sentenced to over seven years in prison. Show Notes: Kansans for Constitutional F...
Aug 02, 2022•21 min
Indiana state lawmakers on Saturday moved one step closer to banning nearly all abortions. The vote puts the state on track to be one of the first in the nation to enact new abortion restrictions after Roe V. Wade was overturned. President Biden tested positive for COVID again over the weekend. He had one of the uncommon “rebound” cases after taking Paxlovid. And in headlines: Ukraine’s President ordered a mass evacuation from the Donetsk Province, Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell passed away,...
Aug 01, 2022•17 min
Senate Democrats reached a deal on a historic climate spending package – thanks to a surprise reversal from West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who previously rejected the measure. Judges in North Dakota and Wyoming both put temporary holds on abortion bans that would have taken effect in those states this week. And in headlines: the U.S. economy shrank again, torrential rains triggered devastating floods in eastern Kentucky, and Pope Francis ends his week-long tour of Canada today. Show Notes: T...
Jul 29, 2022•19 min
The U.S. announced Wednesday that it has officially proposed a deal to Russia for the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner as well as former Marine Paul Whelan. Griner also got the chance to speak for herself in court during her trial. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75% on Wednesday, continuing its efforts to bring down inflation without causing a recession. This is the fourth rate increase this year, and it comes as inflation continues to hit record levels. And in headlines: the...
Jul 28, 2022•13 min
