We’re joined once again by physician and former Detroit health commissioner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to discuss Covid-19. We ask him how to evaluate the success of containment strategies, whether you can get coronavirus twice, and more. Congress is still hashing out the details on a the relief bill. Meanwhile, unemployment claims are skyrocketing. And in headlines: Senators sell off stock ahead of the pandemic, free cheesecake at The Factory, and Representative Tulsi Gabbard drops out of the race....
Mar 20, 2020•22 min
Senator Cory Booker joins us to discuss a proposal he’s drafted with fellow senators to give payments to Americans to help them through the pandemic, and how the current situation reveals the flaws in America’s safety net systems. The Senate passed the House Bill on paid sick leave to help some US workers affected by Covid-19. And in headlines: an earthquake near Salt Lake City, Russian archeologists discover bone house, and the US and China have an old fashioned journalist fight....
Mar 19, 2020•21 min
Yesterday, three states voted in the first post-pandemic-declaration elections of the presidential primary, and former Vice President Joe Biden won in all three. Plus, we interview Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon about switching to vote by mail as the primaries continue. And, Several Democratic Senators have been calling for direct cash payments for all Americans under a certain income level. And in headlines: Tom Brady leaves the Patriots, Duncan Hunter sentenced, and Big Brother’s germa...
Mar 18, 2020•19 min
Covid-19 has hit the US economy hard, devastating the stock market and prompting limited hours and layoffs around the country. We talk to Annie Lowrey, a staff writer at the Atlantic, to help us parse the economic impact of the virus. Florida, Illinois, Ohio, and Arizona were set to go to the polls today on yet another important day of voting in the presidential primary. We go through the different ways states are planning to hold a vote (or not) during a pandemic. And in headlines: France fines...
Mar 17, 2020•29 min
Covid-19 continues to upend events, entire healthcare systems, and economies worldwide. We discuss the latest updates, including a new CDC recommendation on gatherings of 50 people or more and a bill working its way through congress that would help workers who’s jobs have been affected by the pandemic. Sunday brought us the first one-on-one debate between former VP Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders. The two candidates were asked about everything from their hand hygiene to their prior, extensi...
Mar 16, 2020•19 min
Physician and former Detroit health commissioner Abdul El-Sayed comes on the show to discuss Covid-19. We ask him about the government response, how to avoid overloading our healthcare system, and what we can take from the way other countries have responded. Subscribe to the new season of his podcast “America Dissected” to stay up to date on everything you need to know about coronavirus. Plus, we’ll look at Covid-19 on the campaign trail: both former VP Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders gave ...
Mar 13, 2020•23 min
The WHO has officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. And last night, President Trump announced new travel restrictions on foreign nationals coming from Europe. We tell you everything you need to know about where we’re at. Senator Bernie Sanders spoke yesterday in his first event since Tuesday’s elections. He said he will stay in the race and previewed how he plans to go after Vice President Joe Biden in Sunday’s debate. And in headlines: Weinstein gets 23 years, Covid-19 grifters, and Roc...
Mar 12, 2020•18 min
It was another good night for former Vice President Joe Biden, who has taken command of the race for the democratic presidential. He won overwhelming victories in Mississippi and Missouri plus a victory in Michigan and Idaho. We discuss the results and where we go from here. COVID-19 cancel culture is in full swing, with some events like Coachella getting pushed and others like the democratic presidential debates going forward without an audience. The current approach aims to “flatten the curve”...
Mar 11, 2020•16 min
Yesterday, US stock markets had their worst day since the financial crisis in 2008. So many investors were selling off assets that trading was temporality halted in the morning and by the day’s end, the Dow finished down nearly 8 percent. We discuss this and more COVID-19 updates. Six more states are voting today just a week after Super Tuesday, where former VP Joe Biden won big and became the leader in delegates. We zero in on Michigan, the state with the most delegates today and one that Democ...
Mar 10, 2020•18 min
The presidential primary is in full swing, and unfortunately, so is COVID-19. We look at the precautions campaigns are taking against coronavirus and what states are doing to ensure that voting goes smoothly. Women across Mexico are striking today, in protest of the rise of gender-based violence and killings in the country. Activists are calling on women to boycott work, school, shopping, and even using social media. And in headlines: President Trump’s newest chief of staff, Blackwater founder E...
Mar 09, 2020•16 min
Senator Elizabeth Warren exited the presidential race on Thursday following disappointing results in her home state and beyond on Super Tuesday. Now, like princes at a formal ball, both Biden and Sanders are vying for her affection. We reflect on Warren's campaign and discuss what’s coming next. It's been 10 years so that means it's census time: the great big test everyone loves to take comes out next week. We discuss what's different about this year’s census and why it’s important. And in headl...
Mar 06, 2020•17 min
Super Wednesday kicked off with a bang: former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg dropping out of the race. Plus, the race in Maine was narrowly called for Biden. Now we wait as Senator Elizabeth Warren reassesses her path forward after a disappointing night. Some coronavirus updates: the death toll from COVID-19 rose to 11 on Wednesday. American cases have surpassed 100, with at least 50 in California and 39 in Washington State. The Trump administration won’t say who will cover the cost of testing for un...
Mar 05, 2020•16 min
Yesterday was Super Tuesday, where 14 states and one territory voted in the presidential primary. Former VP Joe Biden over-performed in what some (read: none) are already calling "Joebal Warming," while Senator Bernie Sanders didn’t do as well as some predicted. Final delegate totals are still coming in—we’ll talk you through what we know. And in headlines: deadly storms in Tennessee, an election update in Israel, and the Knicks lose their biggest fan.
Mar 04, 2020•16 min
Today is Super Tuesday, where 14 states and one territory will vote. It’s the biggest day of the presidential nominating contest so far… and 1,357 delegates are up for grabs. Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a major abortion rights case out of Louisiana, over a law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. We explain. And in headlines: Uber and Lyft do political activism in California, astronauts wanted, and the return of Batterygate....
Mar 03, 2020•16 min
The government is beginning to dole out COVID-19 testing kits, and hundreds of medical centers in the US have begun developing their own version of testing in the meantime. The South Carolina primary was this weekend, with former VP Joe Biden scoring a decisive victory. A poor showing from former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg led him to drop out on Sunday. Now, it’s onward to Super Tuesday, where 14 states and one territory will vote. And in headlines: a union representing Starbucks workers sa...
Mar 02, 2020•18 min
South Carolina goes to the polls on Saturday. There are 54 delegates at stake and it’s the first state where black voters make up a majority of the electorate. More coronavirus updates: a whistleblower says more than a dozen federal employees in California weren’t given proper training or protective gear when they were assigned to interact with quarantined Americans who were evacuated from Wuhan. And Gavin Newsroom says 8,400 California residents are being monitored for the virus after one woman...
Feb 28, 2020•18 min
President Donald Trump held a press conference yesterday in conjunction with the CDC to update the nation on the COVID-19 preparedness plan. That plan involves appointing Vice President Mike Pence to oversee the government's response to the epidemic—but importantly, he’s not really a coronavirus czar, so don’t call him one. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation that would make lynching a federal hate crime on Wednesday — more than 100 years since the first measure agains...
Feb 27, 2020•15 min
Last night seven democratic presidential candidates took the stage in Charleston, South Carolina for the tenth debate of this election cycle and the last one before Super Tuesday. Overall, this one was a mess. We’ll talk you through the big moments, and the ways the candidates tried to define themselves against frontrunner Bernie Sanders. And in headlines: Bob Iger retires, Trump’s least favorite Supreme Court justices, and the CDC weighs in on coronavirus.
Feb 26, 2020•18 min
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted on two counts of felony sex crimes. The convictions are the culmination of a month-long trial and testimonies brought by six women. The Supreme Court added a case to its docket on Monday, which will decide whether it was okay for city officials in Philadelphia to end a foster care contract with Catholic Social Services because the agency said it would not accept applications from same-sex couples. And in headlines: Trump is big in Ind...
Feb 25, 2020•14 min
Bernie Sanders had a dominating win in the Nevada caucus on Saturday. As of Sunday night, he had captured nearly 47.1 percent of county convention delegates, with former VP Joe Biden in a distant second, followed by Mayor Pete, Senator Warren, and Senator Klobuchar. We discuss the coalition that led Sanders to victory and what to look for in South Carolina. The Wuhan coronavirus is still spreading, having produced its first major outbreak in Italy, along with South Korea and Iran. Just keep wash...
Feb 24, 2020•16 min
The Nevada caucuses are on Saturday. It’s the third contest in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and the first where voters of color will have a huge say in the outcome. We tell you everything you need to know about the “Big Bad Battle In The Desert.” Nine people are dead following a shooting at two hookah bars in Germany on Wednesday. It’s the latest in a tragic pattern of white supremacist violence in the country. And in headlines: Victoria’s Secret goes private, UC Santa Cruz grad stud...
Feb 21, 2020•15 min
Six presidential candidates took the stage in Las Vegas last night for the last debate before the Nevada Caucuses on Saturday. And folks: it was a street fight. We discuss how Bloomberg fared on his first time out (spoiler alert: not well) and some extremely tense moments between our beloved midwesterners. And in headlines: hat birds are back, My Own Private Greater Idaho, and California to apologize for the internment of Japanese Americans.
Feb 20, 2020•17 min
President Trump went on a pardoning spree on Tuesday, giving commutations or pardon to 11 individuals convicted of white-collar crime. To make his picks, he took “recommendations” from Rudy Giuliani. Employees at Kickstarter voted to unionize yesterday, making it the first large-scale union at a well-known tech company. We discuss the ‘state of the unions’ in the world of tech. And in headlines: Boy Scouts of America scores its “Chapter 11 badge,” Harvard students call for prison divestment, and...
Feb 19, 2020•14 min
An extremely rich man wants to do a good thing: Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced a pledge of $10 billion to combat climate change. We discuss how he’s going to spend that money and reactions to the news. Over 73,000 people have been infected with coronavirus and the death toll is above 1,800. The latest on what the outbreak means for travelers and the global economy. And in headlines: floods in Mississippi, Virginia votes down an assault weapons ban, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has...
Feb 18, 2020•13 min
Major US newspaper publisher McClatchy, which owns The Miami Herald and dozens of other daily newspapers around the country, has filed for bankruptcy. We discuss what we’re missing out on when local journalism outfits bite the dust. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has been spending immense amounts of money to promote his presidential campaign and now, it’s brought him attention both good and bad. We look back at some of his more troubling stances. Plus, how he’s running to become the f...
Feb 14, 2020•17 min
The sentencing recommendation for former Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone got shortened by the DOJ and it all feels awfully corrupt. We discuss what might've happened and how lawmakers are reacting to a possible overreach by President Trump. The chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party is resigning amid calls for a partial re-canvass and a large union in Nevada is calling out candidates that support Medicare For All. And in headlines: white supremacists are publishing more propaganda, WhatsApp hi...
Feb 13, 2020•16 min
Senator Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night with around 26 percent of the vote, followed by Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Joe Biden. We talk to Sanders voters at his victory event and give the view on the ground from 2020's first primary. And in headlines: Roger Stone’s lighter sentence, beautiful dogs gather in New York City, and T-Mobile and Sprint get approved to get married.
Feb 12, 2020•13 min
Today is the day of the New Hampshire primary, which will hopefully be the first totally worry-free candidate selecting event of the 2020 season. We’re on the ground in NH finding out what’s motivating voters. The Trump administration announced their 2021 budget proposal yesterday, and it included big cuts to social programs like Medicare and Medicaid and more money for defense and the all-important Space Force. And in headlines: Amazon’s case against Trump, SeaWorld eliminates dolphin-riding, a...
Feb 11, 2020•16 min
The New Hampshire primary is on Tuesday and we’re on-the-ground describing what the 2020 candidates are doing there. We’ll also talk you through a new law passed by the state’s Republican controlled legislature that is causing confusion amongst young voters. The death toll of Wuhan’s coronavirus continues to rise in China. We talk you through the actions that the Chinese government is taking to control the spread and how it’s affecting the people of China and beyond. And in headlines: Weinstein’...
Feb 10, 2020•15 min
The Iowa caucuses took place on Monday night and more full results have finally started to come in. 100 percent of precincts have been reported, but most news outlets has yet to declare a winner. Bernie Sanders leads in vote totals and he and Pete Buttigieg differ by just .1 percent in Standard Delegate Equivalents. Following the recent string of deaths in Mississippi prisons, the Justice Department is now opening a civil rights probe into the state’s prison system. As the lawsuit goes on, inmat...
Feb 07, 2020•16 min
