For our first episode of 2023, we talk about the big stories our hosts are watching this year. Stories include: the ongoing war in Ukraine, the effort to reform America’s childcare system, the release of some potentially game-changing films, and the ongoing battle over President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Show Notes: What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roast...
Jan 03, 2023•20 min
As the year comes to a close, we look back at the stories we thought were most memorable in 2022. We talk about the rising momentum of the labor movement, the politicization of drag, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the historic gains Democrats made in the midterm elections. Show Notes: WAD will be on a two-week break for the winter holidays. We’ll have a new episode on Tuesday, January 3rd! What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Vote Save America – https://www.votesa...
Dec 16, 2022•23 min
Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan agreement on a spending bill to keep the government funded — but it’s bringing out the claws among Republicans. Rep. Kevin McCarthy went after Sen. Mitch McConnell for supporting the spending package, in what may be a move to muster support for his bid to become House Speaker. The Federal Reserve hiked its target interest rate by half a percentage point on Wednesday. This is the seventh time the central bank has raised rates this year, and warned that more incre...
Dec 15, 2022•16 min
Federal authorities officially charged FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried with multiple counts of criminal fraud and other financial crimes. It follows the stunning collapse of what was once the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange – while $8 billion in customer funds remain unaccounted for. Twitter abruptly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the volunteer advisory group formed in 2016 to address online safety, harassment, and other issues on the platform. And since Elon Musk’s takeover in Oc...
Dec 14, 2022•17 min
The sports world continues to mourn American soccer journalist Grant Wahl, whose body was returned to the U.S. after he died while covering the World Cup in Qatar. Although whatever caused his sudden death remains a mystery, his family hopes that a pending autopsy will give them answers. Over half a million people have signed a petition calling for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to grant clemency to Nikki Addimando. She's been in prison since 2017 for fatally shooting her longtime partner, which...
Dec 13, 2022•20 min
Congress has until Friday to reach an agreement on a spending package that will fund the government through the next fiscal year, but lawmakers are clashing over what to prioritize. Republicans want to invest heavily in military spending, but Democrats want to put more money toward the social safety net. Karen Bass was officially sworn in as the mayor of Los Angeles yesterday, making her the first woman to serve in the role. Meanwhile, embattled LA City Councilmember Kevin de León is facing more...
Dec 12, 2022•21 min
WNBA star Brittney Griner is finally free from Russian imprisonment, 294 days after she was first arrested. U.S. officials negotiated her release, which involved a 1-for-1 prisoner swap for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout. And in headlines: the House passed a landmark bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, tens of thousands of academic workers in the University of California system continued their strike, and the FTC sued to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard. Show...
Dec 09, 2022•20 min
The Washington Post reported that a team hired by former President Donald Trump’s lawyers found at least two documents marked “classified” inside a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida. It’s the first indication that more potentially sensitive material was, or could still be, at one of Trump’s properties. China is reportedly easing some of its strict “zero COVID” policies, following mass protests over the government’s response to the pandemic. But there are questions about how the rollback w...
Dec 08, 2022•18 min
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock is heading back to D.C. for a full 6-year term, after defeating Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Tuesday’s special runoff election. Warnock’s victory now gives Democrats an outright majority in the Senate with 51 seats, and brings a whirlwind midterm cycle to a close. And in headlines: the suspect in the Club Q mass shooting was charged with over 300 counts, a Manhattan jury convicted the Trump Organization of tax fraud, and Indonesia’s parliament passed a...
Dec 07, 2022•22 min
Today is election day in Georgia’s Senate runoff. Voters are headed to the polls to decide between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker, in a race that could give Democrats an outright majority in the Senate. This Wednesday marks one year since the state of Hawai’i ordered the U.S. Navy to defuel its Red Hill fuel facility, after thousands of gallons of jet fuel contaminated the local water supply. Keoni DeFranco, an O’ahu-based community organizer, join...
Dec 06, 2022•18 min
The rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee voted to reshuffle the presidential primary schedule, making South Carolina the first state to hold a primary in the 2024 elections. The new order will change which voters have an outsized voice in selecting the Democratic nominee for president, and the issues that candidates will center in their campaigns. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in Moore v. Harper on Wednesday, a high-stakes case that could endanger free and fair elect...
Dec 05, 2022•22 min
In this special bonus episode of What a Day, we look back on the life and legacy of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, and the first woman to seek a major party nomination for president. She would have turned 98 earlier this week. Host Juanita Tolliver sat down with Representatives Barbara Lee and Ayanna Pressley, and biographer Dr. Anastasia Curwood for a candid conversation about Chisholm's trailblazing legacy. Show Notes: Shirley Chisholm | Anastasia C. Curwood - UNC...
Dec 03, 2022•21 min
President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program is headed to the Supreme Court. While the plan is blocked for now, the justices will hear arguments in February to decide whether the administration has the authority to cancel federal student loan debt for millions of borrowers. Crooked’s new workplace advice podcast “Work Appropriate” covers everything from how to deal with pushy bosses, to the systemic issues that plague many industries. Host Anne Helen Peterson tells us how a period of burn-...
Dec 02, 2022•21 min
House Democrats voted unanimously Wednesday to make New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries their new leader – making him the first Black person to lead a party in Congress. Meanwhile, the House passed legislation that would force rail companies and labor unions to accept a tentative deal to avert a nationwide rail strike — and while progressives pushed for a separate bill to guarantee paid sick leave, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. And in headlines: the FDA is reportedly planning to a...
Dec 01, 2022•21 min
New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a directive to city agencies on Tuesday to begin involuntarily hospitalizing unhoused people who are, presumably, suffering from mental illness – a move sharply criticized by mental health experts and homeless advocates. Today would have been Shirley Chisholm’s 98th birthday. She was the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first woman to seek a major party nomination for president. Rep. Barbara Lee of California, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachuset...
Nov 30, 2022•25 min
Protesters in China continue to voice their discontent over the country's strict "zero Covid" policies. And while authorities have eased restrictions in some cities in an effort to quell public anger, Beijing isn't backing down from the overall strategy. It's been three weeks since Election Day, but in one Arizona county and two in Pennsylvania, the GOP remains in a state of denial about the results. And in headlines: the gunman who killed 10 Black people in a racist mass shooting in Buffalo ple...
Nov 29, 2022•21 min
A mass shooting left five people dead and dozens of others injured last week at Club Q, an LGBTQ+ bar that’s served as a safe space for the Colorado Springs queer community for over 20 years. Just days later, a gunman opened fire in a Virginia Walmart, killing six people. Both shootings have raised questions about the state of gun violence in the U.S. and how we can prevent such tragedies from happening again. And in headlines: protestors took to the streets in China over the country’s strict CO...
Nov 28, 2022•17 min
After leading congressional Democrats for over 20 years, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she won’t be seeking a leadership role in the next Congress. Her decision to step down is expected to pave the way for a new generation of leaders to fill the caucus’s top ranks. Congresswoman Karen Bass is the next mayor of Los Angeles, after beating out billionaire Rick Caruso. She will become L.A.’s first woman mayor, and the second Black mayor in the city’s 241-year history. And in headlines: worker...
Nov 18, 2022•20 min
Whether we like it or not, the 2024 campaign season has officially kicked off, after Donald Trump announced he’s running for president for the third time. But many of his allies are already eyeing the exits. Tensions have eased after NATO officials said a missile that killed two people in Poland came from neighboring Ukraine – not from Russia as originally suspected, though world leaders say the Kremlin is still to blame for the deadly explosion. And in headlines: a Senate bill to protect same-s...
Nov 17, 2022•15 min
Republicans have essentially secured a House majority for the next two years. But the GOP is in disarray, as members vying for leadership positions point fingers at who's to blame for their midterm losses. Young voters turned out in historic numbers this election cycle to support Democrats. Victor Shi, strategy director for the Gen Z-led nonprofit Voters of Tomorrow, explains how young people helped beat back the anticipated “red wave.” And in headlines: President Biden said it’s “unlikely” that...
Nov 16, 2022•24 min
48,000 academic workers across the University of California’s 10 campuses walked off the job on Monday in the nation’s largest strike of the year. Labor historian and UCLA professor Toby Higbie tells us how we got here and what’s at stake. As winter approaches, experts are warning of a “tripledemic” of RSV, COVID, and the flu. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” explains why it’s happening, and what you can do to protect yourself and your community. And in headlines: a sho...
Nov 15, 2022•19 min
Democrats have officially retained their majority in the U.S. Senate, after incumbent Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto held off a challenge from her Trump-endorsed Republican challenger, Adam Laxalt. Meanwhile, the governor’s race in Arizona is still too close to call, though Democrat Katie Hobbs holds a slim lead over Republican Kari Lake — and it could be days before a winner is declared. We explain why the vote count is taking so long, and why it’s not unusual to wait for results in Ariz...
Nov 14, 2022•16 min
As the vote count continues from Tuesday's midterm elections, both parties are eyeing next month's Senate runoff in Georgia, but Arizona and Nevada are also in the spotlight. Democrats can clinch control of the Senate if incumbents win in at least two of those states. The Supreme Court this week heard arguments in Haaland v. Brackeen , a case challenging the Indian Child Welfare Act. Rebecca Nagle, host of Crooked's "This Land" podcast, explains why it could ultimately upend other legal protecti...
Nov 11, 2022•21 min
Pollsters and pundits warned there would be a “red wave” of Republican victories on Election Day, but the results tell a different story. We share some of the big wins for Democrats that have been called so far. Democrat Raphael Warnock is once again heading into a runoff election in the Georgia Senate race. Tia Mitchell, the Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, tells us what voters in that state can expect in the weeks ahead. And in headlines: Brittney Griner was trans...
Nov 10, 2022•22 min
Election Day has wrapped, but now the wait begins as votes are counted and results pour in from across the country. We walk through what we know so far, and what to watch in some key races. And in headlines: Tropical Storm Nicole is tracking toward Florida, the January 6th committee interviewed Donald Trump’s driver from the day of the insurrection, and someone in Southern California won the record $2 billion Powerball jackpot. Show Notes: AP News: 2022 midterms live updates – https://tinyurl.co...
Nov 09, 2022•16 min
Today is Election Day. And Shaniqua McClendon, Crooked’s political director, explains what you need to know if you’re voting today – from what to bring to the polls, to how to respond to voter intimidation. And in headlines: Ukraine accused Russian forces of looting and occupying empty civilian homes in Kherson, a Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin admitted to interfering in U.S. elections, and Facebook’s parent company is set to lay off thousands of employees. Show Notes: When We All Vote...
Nov 08, 2022•18 min
Elon Musk, who recently acquired Twitter for $44 billion, laid off about half of the company’s staff on Friday. The move also impacted teams that moderate content on the site. New York Times technology reporter Mike Isaac says that’s raising concerns about how well the platform can combat misinformation ahead of the midterm elections. And in headlines: the UN’s annual climate summit opened in Egypt, President Biden’s top national security advisor has reportedly been in talks with his Russian cou...
Nov 07, 2022•21 min
In the run-up to the midterm elections, Republicans have made crime a central issue in their attacks against Democrats. But the fear tactics aren’t backed up by facts. North Korea tried to launch a powerful long-range missile on Thursday, following an intense volley of short-range missile tests earlier this week. And with tensions already high in the region, there’s concern that North Korea may attempt a nuclear weapons test. And in headlines: former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan was shot ...
Nov 04, 2022•22 min
President Biden on Wednesday made his closing argument to voters ahead of Election Day. In a speech delivered near Capitol Hill, where violent extremists attempted to overturn the 2020 election, he warned that America’s democratic traditions are on the line this midterm cycle. For our final installment of WAD The Vote, Rep. Sean Casten, the first Democrat to represent Illinois’ 6th Congressional District in decades, tells us how he entered politics, and why he’s running for a third term. And in ...
Nov 03, 2022•22 min
As Democrats make their final push on the campaign trail ahead of Election Day, election deniers are making their presence known in person. In Florida, two former members of the Proud Boys were hired as poll workers in Miami-Dade County – a third was dismissed because he’s facing charges for his involvement in the Jan. 6th riot. School board elections have a huge impact on local communities, but rarely get the same coverage as other, higher-profile races. Maria Salamanca, a progressive school bo...
Nov 02, 2022•22 min
