Today marks a year since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where supporters of former President Donald Trump tried to violently overturn the 2020 election. Among the Congressmembers who saw all of this unfold is New York Rep. Mondaire Jones. He joins us to discuss the work the House committee is doing to investigate that day, what more needs to be done and what the future of our democracy looks like. And in headlines: A tragic fire at a Philadelphia row house killed 12 people, Kazakhstan decl...
Jan 06, 2022•18 min
The Omicron variant has absolutely exploded in the US in the last few weeks. On Monday alone, the U.S. reported an astonishing record 1.08 million cases, and the CDC estimates that Omicron is responsible for about 95 percent of known infections through January 1st. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of “America Dissected” joins us again to discuss everything from testing to schools to the CDC’s quarantine recommendations. And in headlines: Harrowing winter storms made life a nightmare for many travelers on the ...
Jan 05, 2022•26 min
2021 is done, and we are excited to tell you all about what you need to know throughout 2022. In our first episode of the year, we talk about the big story our hosts will be keeping an eye on this year. Stories include: the ever-evolving pandemic, the upcoming midterm elections, the future of the criminal justice system, and the political landscape of trans rights in America. Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/w...
Jan 04, 2022•17 min
The year is coming to a close, so we look back at the stories we thought were the biggest and most memorable of 2021. We talk about the historic visibility of trans and nonbinary people, the brouhaha over critical race theory, the divisive anti-vaccine movement, and the effort to unionize workers across the country. Show Notes: This is our last What A Day of 2021. We’ll be back with new episodes on Tuesday, January 4th, 2022. Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/ For a tra...
Dec 17, 2021•27 min
As we jump head first into the holiday season, COVID-19 news has been overwhelming. Britain logged its highest number of daily COVID cases ever, attributed to a steep rise in confirmed Omicron cases, and organizations in the U.S. are changing their COVID-19 policies. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed joins us to give us a sense of how we should view this moment. And in headlines: The monthly child tax credits are about to expire, a North Carolina man was sentenced to 28 months in prison for threating to harm H...
Dec 16, 2021•18 min
Tens of thousands of military families in O’ahu have been living without clean water for weeks after their water well was contaminated with petroleum. Many people got severely ill and some were even hospitalized for skin rashes, chemical burns, and vomiting. Hawai’i Congressman Kai Kahele joins us to discuss the gravity of the situation and how we got here. And in headlines: the Senate voted to raise the debt ceiling, six women sued Tesla for sexual harassment in the workplace, and former New Yo...
Dec 15, 2021•22 min
We’ve reached another grim benchmark since the pandemic began almost two years ago. According to the New York Times database, the U.S. has reached 50 million known cases of COVID-19. The country is also on the cusp of passing or has already passed 800,000 deaths, with the last 100,000 happening at a relatively quick pace. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee agreed to a $380 million settlement for the victims of Larry Nassar, the former doctor of the U.S. women’s gymnasti...
Dec 14, 2021•16 min
At least 100 people have died after tornadoes ripped through at least six states on Friday night. Search and rescue efforts continued throughout the weekend in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that health providers could sue to block a law like Texas’s abortion ban, which allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against anyone who assists those seeking an abortion. But the options on who they can sue are extremely limited. A g...
Dec 13, 2021•19 min
Today is the last day that Congress is scheduled to be in session for 2021. Just yesterday, the Senate voted and paved the way for Democrats to raise the debt limit so the country doesn’t default on its loans. Crooked Media’s Editor in Chief Brian Beutler joins us to catch us up on what our lawmakers have been up to all year. And in headlines: workers at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, have successfully voted to unionize, farmers in India ended their year-long protest, and the FDA approv...
Dec 10, 2021•18 min
Today, votes will be counted in the effort to unionize three Starbucks stores in Buffalo, New York, with the result expected this afternoon. If that vote is successful, they would be the first unionized Starbucks in the country. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joins us again to discuss labor movements like this one and what’s driving them. And in headlines: Pfizer said its vaccine booster shot can protect against the Omicron variant, Germany swore in Olaf Scholz as its new chancellor, and Finnish Pr...
Dec 09, 2021•13 min
Redistricting efforts are underway across the country, but it's become a contentious process. The Department of Justice, for example, filed a lawsuit against the newly drawn maps in Texas on Monday, arguing that the maps discriminate against voters of color. Today, we zero in on what redistricting efforts look like in Georgia, a battleground state that Republicans want to control . Democratic state lawmaker Bee Nguyen joins us to talk about the future of voting in the state of Georgia, along wit...
Dec 08, 2021•21 min
The US Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Texas over the state's recently updated redistricting maps. The DOJ claims that Texas's maps are unconstitutional and a violation of the Voting Rights Act because they unfairly dilute minority voting power. MLB locked out all of its players last week after a five-year collective bargaining agreement between owners and players expired. It marks the first work stoppage for the league in almost three decades. Lindsey Adler, who covers the...
Dec 07, 2021•17 min
Omicron cases were found in at least 17 U.S. states and they aren’t all due to travel to southern Africa. Public health officials and experts say that the variant was possibly circulating in the U.S. prior to its initial discovery across the globe, but it’s too early to tell if it causes more severe disease. Descendants of Black revolutionary leader Marcus Garvey have requested that President Joe Biden grant a posthumous pardon to Garvey. As president, Biden has the power to grant clemency but h...
Dec 06, 2021•17 min
More cases of the omicron variant have been identified in the U.S., and the Biden administration announced a new plan to make at-home rapid tests covered by private health insurance, launch family vaccination clinics, extend the federal mask mandate on public transportation, and more. Mexico agreed to allow the U.S. to restart the controversial “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy that was put into place by President Trump. The policy requires asylum seekers at the Southern border to stay in Mexico ...
Dec 03, 2021•20 min
The Supreme Court heard a case yesterday that could ultimately reverse the constitutional right to an abortion. And it looks like the justices were leaning towards upholding a Mississippi law that bars abortion after 15 weeks. The first confirmed case of the omicron variant has been identified in the U.S. President Biden urged people to not panic and encouraged more vaccinations and boosters. U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joins us to discuss how the variant could impact the supply chain and w...
Dec 02, 2021•20 min
Today, the Supreme Court hears what is likely the most consequential reproductive health case in decades. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will decide whether or not Mississippi can prohibit abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. And the worst case scenario is that the high court uses the case to completely overturn Roe v. Wade. We lay out what listeners should watch for. Dutch health officials reported that the Omicron variant was actually in Europe prior to South Af...
Dec 01, 2021•19 min
Over the last 24 hours, world leaders and health officials had more to say about the Omicron variant, even as we wait for more scientific information to come out. The World Health Organization said in part that Omicron poses a “very high” global risk, and multiple countries have imposed controversial travel restrictions. President Biden made his first remarks about Omicron yesterday and emphasized that people should get fully vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible. And in headlines: Jack Dor...
Nov 30, 2021•14 min
Scientists in South Africa announced on Thursday that they detected a new variant of the coronavirus: Omicron. Cases caused by the variant have been identified in almost a dozen countries, but not yet in the U.S. Epidemiologist and host of “America Dissected” Dr. Abdul El-Sayed gives us a better sense of what we know and the much bigger amount of things we don’t. And in headlines: Ghislaine Maxwell’s federal trial starts today, legendary Black fashion designer Virgil Abloh died after battling ca...
Nov 29, 2021•19 min
Thanksgiving is almost here in the U.S., where COVID cases are up by more than 20 percent compared to last month. Dr. Ashish Jha, the Dean of Brown’s School of Public Health, helps us understand how we should compare these stats to last year, and what we can expect as we head into the holiday season. And in headlines: Kevin Strickland was exonerated after 43 years in prison, a jury holds three pharmacy chains liable for contributing to the opioid crisis, and a Trump-presidency themed bar opened ...
Nov 24, 2021•22 min
Attorneys presented closing arguments in the trial of the three Georgia men charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery, yesterday. Now, we wait for the jury to decide whether they’ll be convicted. On Sunday night, a man plowed his vehicle into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At least five people died and several others were injured in the incident. Police are charging the suspect with five counts of intentional homicide. And in headlines: A Florida judge dismissed all charges against The Gr...
Nov 23, 2021•16 min
After four days of deliberation, a Wisconsin jury found Kyle Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts on Friday. As a defendant, Rittenhouse had a strong case under the law, but over the weekend, people expressed their discontent with the verdict. We discuss the result in the broader context of the criminal justice system and its bearing on issues of race in America. And in headlines: protesters took to the streets in several European cities against COVID restrictions, Sudan’s Prime Minister was rei...
Nov 22, 2021•16 min
House Democrats are on the verge of passing President Biden's Build Back Better bill, and once they do, it will head to the Senate. The $1.9 trillion social spending bill is a key part of Biden’s agenda. Both that legislation and the recently passed infrastructure bill have provisions to address climate change. And all this week, EPA administrator Michael Regan has been touring the country to get a first-hand look at polluted communities fighting for environmental justice. Regan joins us to disc...
Nov 19, 2021•22 min
This week is Trans Awareness Week, leading up to the Trans Day of Remembrance on Saturday. This year is particularly important because 2021 is the deadliest year on record for trans and nonbinary people in the U.S., according to the Human Rights Campaign. Kate Sosin, the LGBTQ+ Reporter for the non-profit news organization, The 19th, joins us to discuss the rights and safety of trans people in America, among other trans news. And in headlines: tensions at the border between Belarus and Poland te...
Nov 18, 2021•19 min
Mayor-elect of Cleveland, Justin Bibb, comes on the show to discuss his win and what he hopes to achieve in his first 100 days. The 34-year-old had never run for political office before but during the race, he prioritized public safety and policing among other issues, which proved to be successful. And in headlines: Pfizer asked the FDA for authorization of its COVID treatment pill, current and former employees of Activision Blizzard staged a walkout, and a prominent New York real estate develop...
Nov 17, 2021•19 min
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voted to ratify new film and TV contracts after months of negotiations. The results were announced yesterday, and it establishes three year contracts for the union’s over 60,000 impacted members. Yesterday, Georgia’s Republican-led state House approved the bill that would redraw state assembly maps, and the state Senate voted it through last Friday, too. After Governor Brian Kemp signs off on this, the new districts will be legalized. The ...
Nov 16, 2021•17 min
Britney Spears is finally free. Last Friday, a Los Angeles judge ended her 13 year conservatorship where her father, Jamie, oversaw many aspects of her life. Washington Post’s Ashley Fetters Maloy, who has been covering the court hearings, joins us about what this means for others who are fighting their own conservatorships. And in headlines: President Biden signs the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law today, the U.S. military kept secret a 2019 drone strike in Syria that killed dozens of c...
Nov 15, 2021•17 min
The 2020 Census data and the redistricting that comes after will have big implications for who gets represented and who gets to stay in power for the next decade. The debate over redrawing maps is currently being worked out in key states such as Florida, South Carolina, and Maryland. Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, joins us. And in headlines: nearly one million 5- to 11-year-olds have received COVID vaccines in the last week, Belarus’ autocratic leader Alex...
Nov 12, 2021•20 min
A new report by the Labor Department shows that inflation continued to spike last month. Consumer prices jumped 6.2 percent between October of this year and last year. That’s the fastest pace since 1990. We also dive into the supply chain issues and labor shortage felt in everyday life. And in headlines: Kyle Rittenhouse took the stand yesterday, victims of the lead water crisis in the Flint, MI, get a $626 million settlement, and 2021 is now the deadliest year on record for transgender and non-...
Nov 11, 2021•15 min
The UN Climate Summit in Glasgow, aka COP26, brought together leaders from all over the world to combat climate change, and it wraps up in a few days. Ben Rhodes, the host of Crooked Media’s “Pod Save The World,” is in Glasgow right now with former President Obama. He joins us to break down the biggest takeaways from the summit. And in headlines: Moderna filed an application to patent the technology for its vaccine, there's an ongoing crisis at the Poland-Belarus border, and Starbucks workers at...
Nov 10, 2021•18 min
The U.S. ended a year and a half-long pandemic travel ban, reopening borders to vaccinated travelers from 33 countries. Yesterday was an emotional day as families around the world were finally able to reunite after being apart. We take a step back and discuss the Supreme Court during the middle of its term. Jay Willis, who runs the legal site Balls and Strikes, breaks down how these justices are leaning on certain issues and what we might expect from them on important cases coming up. And in hea...
Nov 09, 2021•21 min
