The latest battle over abortion rights is set to begin in Ohio. On August 8th, voters in the Buckeye State will decide on Issue 1, a ballot initiative about ballot initiatives (yes, you read that right). The outcome will determine whether or not Ohioans can decide in November whether to enshrine abortion access into the state's constitution. And in headlines: Russia's military says it brought down three Ukrainian drones over Moscow, a property manager at Mar-a-Lago charged in the Trump classifie...
Jul 31, 2023•15 min
Former President Donald Trump is facing additional charges in the case over his handling of classified documents. The superseding indictment accuses Trump, along with two of his aides, of trying to delete security video from Mar-a-Lago to keep federal investigators from viewing it. The new charges came down hours after Trump's legal team met with special counsel Jack Smith in Washington, D.C., indicating that Trump will soon face another indictment over his bid to interfere with the 2020 electio...
Jul 28, 2023•17 min
A federal judge has delayed approval for Hunter Biden’s plea deal with the Justice Department over tax and gun charges. The agreement the president’s son reached with prosecutors unexpectedly fell apart Wednesday, after the judge raised concerns about some of its conditions. Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani admitted in court documents that he made ‘false’ and defamatory statements about two former Georgia election workers. The pair have sued him for defamation, after he claimed they tampered wi...
Jul 27, 2023•20 min
UPS and the Teamsters union — which represents about 340,000 UPS workers nationwide — reached a tentative labor deal on Tuesday, averting what would have been the largest strike involving a single employer in the history of the United States. Workers still need to ratify the agreement, which includes wage increases and new worker protections. Though the Supreme Court ended affirmative action in higher education this summer, the Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into...
Jul 26, 2023•17 min
Black lung disease, a debilitating and incurable condition that affects coal miners, is now on the rise for younger mine workers in Central Appalachia – which labor advocates say is due to unsafe working conditions that have gone unchecked. Journalist Kim Kelly joins us to discuss her investigative reporting on the issue, and what’s being done to protect miners from the dangers they face on the job. And in headlines: Israeli lawmakers approved a key piece of legislation to overhaul the country’s...
Jul 25, 2023•20 min
Israel’s parliament is set to vote today on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to reform the country’s judicial system. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Israel to protest the proposal, saying that it threatens the country’s democratic foundation. Voters in Spain cast their ballots in what was arguably one of the most important elections in that country in years. Though no single party captured an outright majority, the results defied expectations that Spain’s far...
Jul 24, 2023•18 min
A federal grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results met on Thursday in Washington, D.C. and heard testimony from former Trump aide William Russell. The meeting comes after Trump this week revealed that he received a target letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith, informing him that he is the subject of the federal investigation. The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup officially kicked off in Auckland, New Zealand on Thursday. This year’s tournament – the large...
Jul 21, 2023•19 min
The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote on a bill today that would impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court. While Democrats say the move is necessary in light of recent reports about Justice Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito's relationship with GOP mega donors, the legislation is unlikely to become law due to strong opposition from Republicans. Private health insurance companies have denied millions of requests for care from Medicaid recipients with little to no oversight, according to...
Jul 20, 2023•18 min
Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he received another "target letter" from the Justice Department, this time, saying he could face a federal indictment over his bid to overturn the results of the 2020 election. While the exact charges were not immediately clear, it indicates that Trump could soon face his third criminal indictment this year. Alabama Republicans on Monday proposed a redrawn Congressional map that ignores a Supreme Court mandate to create a second majority-Black district....
Jul 19, 2023•19 min
On Monday, explosives damaged a key bridge connecting the Russian mainland and Crimean Peninsula. Russia blamed Ukrainian forces for the deadly attack on the Kerch Bridge, and Russia soon after said it would halt its participation in the Black Sea grain deal. Donald Trump’s legal team is heading back to court today for a pre-trial hearing in the former president’s classified documents case. The hearing could shine a light on how Judge Aileen Cannon plans to handle the case, and whether the trial...
Jul 18, 2023•20 min
More than 100 million people across the United States were under excessive heat warnings and advisories over the weekend, and more than 55 million people are expected to experience high temperatures reaching or exceeding 100 degrees this week. And another, separate heat wave is expected to broil southern Europe in the coming days. On Saturday, the crowd of 2024 presidential candidates were required to file campaign finance reports with federal regulators. Former President Donald Trump, who leads...
Jul 17, 2023•18 min
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill in the United States. The landmark move could help make contraception more accessible across the country at a time when access to birth control and abortion is being restricted. The Federal Trade Commission has opened an investigation into OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. In a 20-page demand letter sent to the company this week, the FTC said it was investigating if OpenAI “engaged in unfair or ...
Jul 14, 2023•18 min
160,000 Hollywood actors are poised to strike Thursday, joining WGA members on the picket lines in what could be the first double strike in more than 60 years. This all comes as this year’s coveted Emmy nominations were announced Wednesday morning, further cementing 2023 as a fraught year for the entertainment industry that is already without 11,000 of its writers. A major heat wave has settled in across the South and Southwestern United States, with temperatures in the triple digits from Califo...
Jul 13, 2023•27 min
Leaders of the 31 NATO nations gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday for the first day of the annual summit to discuss potentially admitting Ukraine and Sweden into the alliance. NATO leaders said they will invite Ukraine to join their alliance when “conditions are met,” and Turkey cleared the way for Sweden to join NATO. SAG-AFTRA members could be joining Hollywood writers on the picket lines as soon as Thursday if they fail to reach an agreement with AMPTP by Wednesday at midnight. If a de...
Jul 12, 2023•21 min
Former U.S. Congressman Mondaire Jones is once again running for Congress in New York’s 17th district, a seat he previously held and lost after redistricting changed his reelection plans. We’re joined by the former congressman to talk about his comeback bid, his connection to New York’s Hudson Valley, and more. And in headlines: intense rain and flooding across the globe has left dozens of people missing or dead, the New York Times has announced plans to shut down its sports desk, and trans peop...
Jul 11, 2023•21 min
A New York Times report published Sunday revealed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s involvement in the exclusive Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. According to the The Times, Justice Thomas’s three decade membership granted him access to benefits – many unreported – from wealthy members and friends. Last Friday, the Dutch government collapsed after the parties in its ruling coalition failed to agree on migration policy. A general election will be held this fall, and in ...
Jul 10, 2023•19 min
On Thursday, a Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Lviv killed at least six people and injured at least 36 more. Plus, the Biden administration is expected to announce plans to send controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. Meta officially launched Threads on Wednesday, a new app and Twitter rival that gained millions of users overnight. Lawyers for Twitter have already threatened legal action against Meta, accusing the company of engaging in “systematic, willful, and unlawful misa...
Jul 07, 2023•22 min
The Supreme Court blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program and limited protections for LGBTQ+ people in the United States on Friday. The two decisions were 6-3 down ideological lines. A Boston non-profit filed a civil rights complaint against Harvard, alleging that the university’s legacy admission practice violates the Civil Rights Act by discriminating against students of color. This comes a week after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in a case that involved t...
Jul 06, 2023•20 min
Over the past year, newsrooms across the country have experienced significant staff cuts, even leading to the shuttering of BuzzFeed News and bankruptcy of VICE Media. We’re joined by S. Mitra Kalita, veteran journalist and co-founder of URL media, to learn more about why these layoffs are happening and its impact on local journalism. Show notes: URL Media - https://url-media.com/ TIME: Looking Back on Three Years of Performative Diversity Efforts - https://time.com/charter/6290473/undoing-workp...
Jul 05, 2023•15 min
This week marks the anniversary of the Stonewall riots — the very reason we celebrate Pride in June every year. In honor of the drag queens that have always been on the front lines of the fight for equality before, during, and after Stonewall, we dive deep into the troubling saga of Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation attempt to ban public drag performances. Memphis-based drag queen and Tennessee native Bella DuBalle joins us to discuss the impact the legislation has had on local performers ever sin...
Jul 01, 2023•28 min
On Thursday, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. In a decision along ideological lines, the high court ruled that race-based affirmative action programs violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, and that American colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration for admissions. We’re joined by Jay Willis, editor-in-chief of Balls and Strikes, to talk about this decision and its consequences. And in headlines: the Supreme Court expa...
Jun 30, 2023•20 min
President Joe Biden delivered an economic speech in Chicago on Wednesday outlining his vision for what he calls “Bidenomics.” The goal is to create more jobs, lower inflation, increase broadband internet access, and more. We’re joined by Jared Bernstein, President Biden’s top economic advisor, to discuss the details of Bidenomics. And in headlines: Yusef Salaam is on track to win a Democratic primary for a City Council seat in Harlem, millions of Americans are under air quality alerts due to smo...
Jun 29, 2023•27 min
The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling in Moore v. Harper Tuesday, dismissing the “independent state legislature” theory in a case about a GOP-drawn North Carolina congressional map. Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate Magazine, joins us to talk about the Supreme Court’s ruling, and the theory central to the case. And in headlines: an audio recording recently made public suggests former President Donald Trump had “highly confidential” documents he did not declassify, the first UN investigat...
Jun 28, 2023•22 min
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed his nation on Monday for the first time since the short-lived military rebellion by the Wagner Group came to an end. During his five minute televised speech, Putin refused to specifically name Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and called the mutiny organizers “traitors.” The Kremlin said that it reached a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers. On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that sexual abuse lawsuits...
Jun 27, 2023•21 min
Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russia’s most notorious mercenary leader, sent an armed convoy toward Moscow over the weekend after accusing the country’s military of staging an airstrike on his own fighters. Crooked news contributor Max Fisher joins us to break down what happened, and what it could entail for Russia and the war in Ukraine. And in headlines: Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was re-elected for a second term, the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration over how it can enforce...
Jun 26, 2023•21 min
The days-long search for the tourist submersible that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic came to a tragic end Thursday. A U.S. Coast Guard official said the five people aboard the vessel are presumed dead, after pieces of the craft were found on the ocean floor roughly 1,600 feet from the Titanic's bow. It’s believed that the submersible imploded. This Saturday, June 24th marks one year since Roe v. Wade was overturned, ending the decades-long constitutional right to an abortion. Since t...
Jun 23, 2023•19 min
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito failed to disclose a luxury fishing trip he took in 2008 with hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer and did not recuse himself from later cases involving Singer, according to a new report from ProPublica. Instead of responding to ProPublica’s questions directly, Justice Alito penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal ahead of the report’s publication defending his actions. We’re joined by Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and co-host of ...
Jun 22, 2023•21 min
On Tuesday, French financial police raided the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympics organizing committee as part of two ongoing investigations into the misuse of public funds. Prosecutors said they’re looking into potential conflicts of interest, embezzlement and favoritism. President Joe Biden touted his administration’s historic record on combatting climate change during a recent trip to California. He recently won the endorsement of four major environmental groups for his re-election campa...
Jun 21, 2023•16 min
SB 1718, Florida’s controversial new immigration law, is set to go into effect in less than two weeks. The law limits social services for undocumented people in the state, makes it harder for businesses to hire them, and earmarks millions to fund DeSantis' relocation of migrants to other states. Paula Muñoz with the Florida Immigrant Coalition tells us just how harmful this measure will be once it goes into effect. And in headlines: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Preside...
Jun 20, 2023•18 min
In a major victory for Native American rights, the Supreme Court voted 7-2 to uphold key provisions of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act Thursday. ICWA was enacted to keep Native children with their families and tribes during custody disputes. Rebecca Nagle, host of Crooked’s This Land documentary podcast series, joins us to discuss the decision, and why the challenge against ICWA threatened tribal sovereignty. And in headlines: Miami Mayor Francis Suárez has become the latest Republican to ente...
Jun 16, 2023•20 min
