A Texas judge ruled Thursday that a woman can terminate her pregnancy because of a lethal abnormality in the fetus. It’s the first attempt in the country to use the courts to obtain an abortion since the end of Roe v Wade, and Thursday’s ruling is meant to shield the woman and her doctor from Texas’s strict anti-abortion measures. But state Attorney General Ken Paxton warned that it’s still possible his office might prosecute those involved. Then, over 17,000 people are dead in Gaza as the war i...
Dec 08, 2023•28 min
Senate Republicans blocked meaningful gun control once again Wednesday by stopping a Democratic measure that would have banned assault-style weapons. Unfortunately, the failed Congressional effort came on the same day as a mass shooting on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where three people were killed and a fourth wounded. The Biden Administration approved another $4.8 billion in debt relief for over 80,000 student loan borrowers. So far, the administration canceled $132 billi...
Dec 07, 2023•17 min
GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama finally backed down on Tuesday after single-handedly blocking nearly every single military promotion for almost a year. He released the vast majority of his holds, and shortly afterwards the Senate confirmed the promotions of 440 service members. Georgia’s Republican-controlled state senate passed a redrawn Congressional map that preserves the GOP majority among the state’s delegation to the House of Representatives. The map also splits Democratic Represen...
Dec 06, 2023•22 min
The Biden administration is sounding the alarm to Congress about the need to pass a funding bill to support Ukraine in their war with Russia. White House budget official Shalanda Young sent a letter to party leaders in the House and Senate on Monday warning that “we are out of money — and nearly out of time.” The Supreme Court on Monday heard yet another case with significant implications – this time about the opioid crisis. The question in front of the court will determine whether or not the we...
Dec 05, 2023•20 min
Hundreds of Palestinians were killed since fighting resumed after a weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas ended Friday morning. Israeli officials are also preparing for a ground invasion of the south of Gaza, and they ordered more residents to evacuate the area on Sunday. Meanwhile, it appears too soon to tell if negotiations for another truce will resume. And in headlines: the Supreme Court will hear arguments over the legality of a $6 billion Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan, oil companies at t...
Dec 04, 2023•20 min
The weeklong truce between Israel and Hamas expired early Friday morning local time and combat operations resumed. Prior to that, Hamas released eight more hostages on Thursday for a total of more than 100. Israel that same day released another 30 Palestinians from Israeli prisons for a total of 240. Governors Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom took to the stage on Thursday for a primetime debate on Fox News. Under Sean Hannity’s moderation, the two debated everything from taxes to the economy to abo...
Dec 01, 2023•24 min
The UN’s 28th Conference of the Parties, also called COP28, kicks off today in Dubai. The annual climate change conference is set to take place through December 12th with an estimated 70,000 people in attendance. We’re joined by Naveena Sadasivam, senior staff writer from the climate outlet Grist, for what to watch at this year’s event. And in headlines: Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their truce one more day to Friday, former U.S Secretary of State Henry Kissinger died at 100, and Taylor Swi...
Nov 30, 2023•23 min
Donald Trump threatened to replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, if he wins the 2024 presidential election. Trump took to social media over the weekend to post that he is “seriously looking at alternatives” to it, and on Monday, President Biden said in a statement: “My predecessor once again called for cuts that could rip away health insurance for tens of millions of Americans…They just don’t give up.” Hunter Biden told lawmakers on Tuesday that he is willing to publicly testify before ...
Nov 29, 2023•20 min
Israel and Hamas both agreed on Monday to extend the current pause in fighting for another two days. Hamas released another 11 hostages as part of the deal, and in exchange Israel released 33 more Palestinians being held in prison. The long-awaited trial of rap artist Young Thug started on Monday in Atlanta. The trial has implications far beyond the music industry because Young Thug and his co-defendants are being prosecuted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and have been charged un...
Nov 28, 2023•22 min
Seventeen more hostages held by Hamas were released on Sunday under a temporary, four-day ceasefire agreement reached last week between Israel and Hamas. In total, 58 hostages were released over the first three days of the deal, and in return, Israel agreed to release 150 Palestinian women and children from prison. Israel and Hamas have also both expressed openness to extending the pause beyond four days. Meanwhile, people on every side of the war took to the streets across the world over the we...
Nov 27, 2023•24 min
A federal appeals court on Monday issued a ruling that jeopardizes the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In a 2-1 decision, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that private groups or individuals can’t sue under a key provision of the VRA. We’re joined by Jay Willis, Editor-in-Chief of Balls and Strikes, to discuss what comes next. Over in Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Tuesday in a case that could toss Republican-drawn legislative maps. The lawsuit was file...
Nov 21, 2023•17 min
Israel, Hamas and the U.S. are close to an agreement to free some hostages held in Gaza, according to The Washington Post. The tentative deal, which is being brokered by the U.S., would involve a pause in fighting in exchange for the release of at least 50 women and children hostages. Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, was ousted from his own company by its board of directors on Friday. In a statement, the company – which is the maker of ChatGPT – said of Altman: “The board no longer ...
Nov 20, 2023•18 min
Family members of Israeli hostages held by Hamas are currently on a five-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with plans to end the march in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home. Meanwhile, a protest calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was held outside the Democratic Party headquarters in D.C on Wednesday. And across the country in the Bay Area, dozens of protestors shut down the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge for roughly four hours on Thursday. Republican Representa...
Nov 17, 2023•22 min
President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping met on Wednesday for the first time in a year. Following their private conversations, it was announced that the U.S. and China will resume military-to-military communications, and the leaders also reached an agreement to curb fentanyl production. The Israeli military stormed Al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday and said they found guns, ammunition, protective vests and Hamas military uniforms at the hospital – claims Hamas called “fabricated.” Meanw...
Nov 16, 2023•17 min
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed Speaker Mike Johnson’s bill to avoid a government shutdown. The measure passed with bipartisan support, and it now heads to the Senate for approval ahead of Saturday’s deadline to avert a shutdown. Republicans also spent Tuesday fighting mostly among themselves: GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged the president of the Teamsters Union to a fight during a committee hearing, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett said Rep. Kevin McCarthy elbowed him, and Rep...
Nov 15, 2023•23 min
The Supreme Court announced its first-ever ethics code on Monday after pressure from Congress and the public. But it’s unclear how the code – signed by all nine justices – will be enforced. We’re joined by Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny podcast, to make sense of it all. And in headlines: thousands of people fled Gaza’s largest hospital as fighting continues outside the facility, protesters and police clashed at Monday’s Cop City protests, and Chuck E. Cheese is getting rid of ...
Nov 14, 2023•17 min
Local organizers in Atlanta are set to hold a mass nonviolent community action today against Cop City — the 90-million-dollar police training complex slated to be built in the city’s South River Forest. We’re joined by Kamau Franklin, founder of the Community Movement Builders, to discuss what’s at stake if Cop City gets built and what folks on the ground are doing to keep that from happening. And in headlines: the second largest hospital in Gaza City has run out of fuel, Republican presidential...
Nov 13, 2023•22 min
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election in 2024. Manchin’s decision to step down leaves Democrats in a bind and jeopardizes their narrow 51-49 Senate majority. The White House said on Thursday that Israel agreed to daily, four-hour-long pauses in its military operation in Gaza to allow civilians to evacuate. These pauses will also make it easier for deliveries of humanitarian aid to get into Gaza safely, and hopefully facilitate the relea...
Nov 10, 2023•24 min
The third GOP presidential debate took place in Miami last night with five hopefuls on stage. Meanwhile, Donald Trump skipped out and held a rally nearby in Hialeah, Florida. We’re joined by Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-Executive Director of Indivisible, to discuss the biggest takeaways of the night and look ahead to the 2024 presidential election. And in headlines: an estimated 40,000 people have fled northern Gaza, the Hollywood actors’ strike is over, and Virginia delegate Danica Roem be...
Nov 09, 2023•26 min
Tuesday was Election Day in key battleground states. In Ohio, voters codified reproductive rights into the state’s constitution. And over in Kentucky, incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear won reelection over Republican challenger Daniel Cameron. Heather Williams, interim president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, breaks down the results and gives insight on what might happen in next year’s general election. And in headlines: Israel said its troops have reached the heart of...
Nov 08, 2023•19 min
Israeli forces said they were closing in on Gaza City as of Monday night. Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said more than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. Israel said it will not agree to a ceasefire, although White House officials said there might be “tactical pauses” on the table to allow for humanitarian efforts. Former President Donald Trump took the stand on Monday in his New York civil fraud trial. During his testimony, Trump called New York Attorney Gener...
Nov 07, 2023•23 min
Israeli troops said they closed in on Gaza City, and Gaza appeared to be under yet another communications blackout on Sunday – the third in 10 days. Meanwhile, the conflict at the Israel-Lebanon border has gotten more deadly after an Israeli strike killed four people Sunday evening. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the Middle East over the last few days meeting with a host of leaders in hopes of containing the war’s fallout. On Sunday, Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud ...
Nov 06, 2023•23 min
As Israeli troops enter Gaza City and the Palestinian death toll crosses 9,000 lives, the U.S. is pushing for a humanitarian pause in the war between Israel and Hamas. The GOP-led House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would provide $14.3 billion dollars in military aid to Israel, but not to Ukraine. The bill is expected to be dead on arrival in the Senate, and President Biden has also threatened to veto the legislation. And in headlines: a former Memphis police officer charged ...
Nov 03, 2023•19 min
The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened on Wednesday for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began. The move comes after a deal was reached this week to allow foreign nationals, aid workers, and some injured Palestinians to leave the embattled enclave. Representative George Santos of New York survived a House vote that would have removed him from Congress. But he isn’t off the hook just yet: he’s still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and his criminal tria...
Nov 02, 2023•19 min
Israel confirmed that an airstrike targeting a top Hamas commander hit a densely populated refugee camp in northern Gaza, killing at least 50 people and wounding hundreds more. The attack raises fears that Israel’s continued push into the enclave will put even more Palestinian civilians in harm’s way. On Capitol Hill, anti-war protesters interrupted a U.S. Senate hearing over the White House’s emergency aid request for Israel and Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary L...
Nov 01, 2023•19 min
As Israel continues its air and ground offensive into Gaza, its military says it has freed an IDF soldier who was captured by Hamas on October 7th. Meanwhile, Hamas released a video of three other Israeli hostages – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “cruel psychological propaganda,” and rejected calls for a ceasefire. A trial to determine whether Donald Trump can appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Colorado began on Monday. The case centers on whether the former president is inel...
Oct 31, 2023•17 min
Gaza’s Health Ministry says that over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has since announced it has entered the “next stage” of its operations into Gaza, after sending in more ground troops to the enclave over the weekend. Meanwhile, calls for an immediate ceasefire have grown, with protesters taking to the streets in cities around the world to demand an unconditional end to the fighting. And in headlines: the suspected gunman behi...
Oct 30, 2023•16 min
A manhunt is underway in Maine for the gunman behind two shootings in Maine. Eighteen people were killed and thirteen others were injured Wednesday evening, in what has become the deadliest mass killing in the U.S. this year. As the likelihood of an escalation in the war between Israel and Hamas looms, activists in the U.S. are revving up their demands for an immediate ceasefire. Eva Borgwardt with the progressive Jewish group IfNotNow joins us to talk about their push for peace and solidarity w...
Oct 27, 2023•20 min
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana is the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, ending a 22-days of GOP in-fighting since Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. While he managed to earn the support of both “moderate” and far-right Republicans, Johnson has a history of voting against abortion access and LGBTQ rights. The war between Israel and Hamas rages on, and people living on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border are on edge over skirmishes between the IDF and the militant group Hezbollah. We che...
Oct 26, 2023•24 min
The whirlwind saga to choose the next House speaker continues. After three rounds of secret votes late Tuesday night, House Republicans nominated Rep. Mike Johnson as their latest contender. The move came after Rep. Tom Emmer dropped out of the race just hours after he was selected as the GOP’s speaker designee. One of the two Israeli hostages recently released by Hamas told reporters she “went through hell,” during her two weeks in captivity. More than 200 others are still being held by the mil...
Oct 25, 2023•20 min
