Conservative leaders have rallied behind Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, following a report that he paid for an abortion for an ex-girlfriend. It's one of the first October surprises to drop ahead of the high-stakes midterm elections. The federal government has a history of underfunding our election infrastructure, even though the people who run state and local election departments play a critical role in our democracy. Tiana Epps-Johnson, co-founder of the Center for Tech a...
Oct 05, 2022•26 min
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Puerto Rico on Monday, weeks after Hurricane Fiona tore through the island. The trip – and the pledges of support – was markedly different from when then-President Trump arrived after Hurricane Maria five years ago. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who is up for re-election in November, is embroiled in another controversy – this time, over a probe targeting a prominent local official, an outspoken critic of the sheriff. And in head...
Oct 04, 2022•17 min
Florida's death toll from Hurricane Ian soared to at least 74 over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still do not have electricity. President Biden plans to visit the state Wednesday, after a stop in Puerto Rico to survey damage from Hurricane Fiona. The Supreme Court begins its new term today, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson becoming the first-ever Black woman to serve on the bench. But she joins a divided, conservative-majority court, which is set to hear major ...
Oct 03, 2022•21 min
After leaving a trail of destruction in southern Florida, Hurricane Ian is expected to make a second landfall in South Carolina on Friday. Officials in Charleston are bracing for intense rain, higher-than-usual tides, and a storm surge across the state’s coast. Russian President Vladimir Putin today plans to formally annex separatist regions of Ukraine that supposedly voted to join the Russian Federation. Ukraine and its western allies have called it an illegal "land grab." And in headlines: a g...
Sep 30, 2022•15 min
Hurricane Ian reached Florida Wednesday afternoon as one of the strongest storms to hit the U.S. mainland in decades. Some 2.5 million residents of Tampa and Fort Myers were ordered to evacuate, but thousands stayed behind – even in areas expected to be inundated by extreme storm surge flooding. And in headlines: a human rights organization said at least 76 Iranian protesters have been killed in clashes with police since the death of Mahsa Amini, Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine “voted” i...
Sep 29, 2022•19 min
Hurricane Ian has knocked out power across Cuba and is barreling toward Florida, where it’s expected to intensify into a Category 3 or 4 storm. Mary Annaïse Heglar, co-host of Crooked’s “Hot Take,” explains how climate change is making hurricanes like Ian stronger, less predictable, and more dangerous. Texas attorney general Ken Paxton is up for re-election on November 8, but his legal troubles and controversial policies have cast doubt over whether he's fit to be in office. Rochelle Garza, Paxt...
Sep 28, 2022•24 min
The British pound hit a record low against the U.S. dollar on Monday. We discuss the economic plan by new U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss that sent the currency tumbling, and how international markets are responding. Nearly complete results from Italy’s election showed a clear victory for a right-wing coalition – making it almost certain that the coalition's leader, Giorgia Meloni, will be prime minister. Her party has its roots in a post-World War II neo-fascist movement in Italy. And in headline...
Sep 27, 2022•17 min
Almost 750 demonstrators were arrested in Russia on Saturday. They were protesting president Vladimir Putin’s declaration from last week of a “partial mobilization” or a draft in which some men are being called up to join the war. Plus, Ukraine's response to Putin's nuclear threats. The number of new cases of monkeypox in the U.S. are down significantly since their peak just about a month ago. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” tells us why. And in headlines: an Arizona j...
Sep 26, 2022•18 min
Outrage continues in Iran over the death of a woman detained by that country's "morality police," and at least nine people have been killed in clashes with security forces. Former N.F.L. quarterback Brett Favre has emerged as a key figure in one of the largest welfare fraud cases in Mississippi's history, after text messages revealed his connections to state officials involved in the scandal. And in headlines: a judge temporarily blocked Indiana's near-total abortion ban, President Biden issued ...
Sep 23, 2022•21 min
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a $250 million lawsuit against former President Donald Trump and his three adult children, accusing them of "persistent and repeated" business fraud. Rolling Stone politics reporter Nikki McCann Ramirez joins us to discuss the case and what's at stake for the Trumps. Russian president Vladimir Putin declared a “partial” military mobilization to shore up forces in Ukraine. It was the first such move since World War II, and was met with rare protests. ...
Sep 22, 2022•23 min
The legal battle over sensitive government documents seized from Mar-a-Lago continued on Tuesday, as lawyers for Donald Trump and the Justice Department met for the first hearing overseen by the special master appointed to review the materials. The midterm elections are fast approaching and a lot of candidates and organizations are vying for financial support. Shaniqua McClendon, Crooked’s political director, shows us how you can make a difference with your donations – even if you don’t have a l...
Sep 21, 2022•19 min
Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest Monday, marking the end of the ten days of public mourning since her death on September 8th. President Biden said in an interview that the pandemic is "over,” prompting swift criticism from public health officials. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” tells us, there's still work to be done. And in headlines: Hurricane Fiona left more destruction in the Caribbean, a Russian missile struck near another Ukrainian nuclear plant, and Adnan Sy...
Sep 20, 2022•15 min
The entire island of Puerto Rico is without power after Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday. More than 3 million people are in the dark, nearly five years to the day that Hurricane Maria struck. State officials in Alabama said they are not ready to use “nitrogen hypoxia” to execute people on death row – for now. They had planned to execute an inmate this week using the new and untested method, but will instead opt for lethal injection. And in headlines: world leaders arrive in London for Que...
Sep 19, 2022•18 min
The White House announced a tentative agreement with freight rail companies and the unions representing 100,000 workers on Thursday, averting a strike that would have had huge economic consequences. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he paid to fly about 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard – escalating a tactic used by other Republican governors to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies. A recent study found that Muslim characters on TV face an “epidemic of invisibility....
Sep 16, 2022•24 min
Tens of thousands of railroad workers could go on strike Friday, even as top-level negotiators and Labor Department officials met in Washington yesterday to try to reach a deal to avert it. Max Alvarez, editor-in-chief of the non-profit Real News Network, joins us to discuss what's at stake, and why the dispute has reached this point. And in headlines: soldiers clashed at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, R. Kelly was convicted of multiple child pornography charges, and West Virginia la...
Sep 15, 2022•18 min
The latest Consumer Price Index report caught investors off-guard Tuesday, after it showed that inflation in August didn't cool off as much as economists had hoped. The disappointing news plunged the stock market to its worst day since June 2020. The midterm elections are coming up, and we're here to help you WAD The Vote. Crooked's Jon Favreau joins us to discuss what’s at stake in November. And in headlines: jurors began deliberations in R. Kelly’s federal sex crimes trial, athletes can now re...
Sep 14, 2022•24 min
Mourners are paying their respects to Queen Elizabeth II as her remains make the journey to London ahead of her funeral, but protesters are also turning out to hold the royal family accountable for the misdeeds of its past. The Department of Justice filed papers on Monday signaling that it would accept one of the candidates that former President Donald Trump’s legal team recommended as a "special master" to review the documents taken from Mar-a-Lago last month. And in headlines: Ukraine's milita...
Sep 13, 2022•17 min
Yesterday marked 21 years since the September 11th attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives and remains the deadliest act of terror on U.S. soil. Ukraine’s military says it has made significant gains in recent days after taking back some of its territory from Russia in a major counteroffensive. And in headlines: thousands of railroad workers could walk off the job by the end of the week, the growing Cedar Creek wildfire continues to burn in Oregon, and Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrived in Sco...
Sep 12, 2022•16 min
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
