A destructive 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night and left 2,000 people dead and thousands injured. It’s the strongest to hit the country in over a century and rescue and recovery efforts have since been slow and tough. It's looking more and more likely that auto workers will go on strike starting this Friday. That’s unless United Auto Workers and the big three U.S. carmakers reach a deal by Thursday night. And in headlines: the Lahaina fire is officially 100% contained one...
Sep 11, 2023•16 min
In a new report, Hawai'i’s Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism estimates that because of the Maui fire damages, the state’s economy will lose about $1.9 billion through 2024. So while state tourism officials initially urged tourists to stay away from Maui, they’ve now started to encourage tourists to come back to other parts of Maui and other Hawaiian islands to boost the local economy. But that tourism comes with a price. Today, the Florida Supreme Court will hear a case t...
Sep 08, 2023•20 min
It's only been five weeks since Justice Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but state Republicans are hell-bent on getting her kicked off the court before she even hears her first case. In their latest effort, Republicans in the state are floating the idea of impeaching Protasiewicz for statements she made about legislative maps. The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it will ban drilling in 13 million acres of wilderness in Alaska’s Arctic National Wild...
Sep 07, 2023•20 min
Interest on federal student loans has officially resumed, and payments are set to restart on October 1st. On Tuesday, however, a group of Senate Republicans introduced legislation to block President Biden’s Saving on Valuable Education Plan — or SAVE Plan — from going into effect, despite how it could help millions of people struggling to pay off their debt. For more, we’re joined by Braxton Brewington from the Debt Collective, a progressive organization fighting for full student debt cancellati...
Sep 06, 2023•21 min
COVID cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in the U.S., and experts are closely monitoring a new variant nicknamed “Pirola.” Plus, there might be a new, updated vaccine as early as next week. We’re joined by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s America Dissected, to talk about the latest uptick and what to expect in the coming months. Show notes: What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available...
Sep 05, 2023•22 min
Two more leaders of the Proud Boys were sentenced yesterday for their roles in the January 6th insurrection. Joe Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison while Zachary Rehl was sentenced to 15 years. Plus, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday in the Georgia criminal case where he’s accused of racketeering in his efforts to upend the 2020 presidential election results in the state. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas officially disclosed yesterday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow f...
Sep 01, 2023•19 min
Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast yesterday morning and wreaked havoc in its wake. So far, it has left at least two people dead and caused major flooding and destruction. A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Rudy Giuliani is liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers. They say their lives were upended after being targeted by Giuliani and Donald Trump after the 2020 election. And in headlines: Narcan will soon be available over the counter in th...
Aug 31, 2023•18 min
The Biden administration on Tuesday shared the first ten prescription drugs that it has chosen for price negotiations through Medicare. The Biden administration will try to lower Medicare prices for the drugs by negotiating with their respective manufacturers to ease the burden of their otherwise exorbitant costs. Former employees at Twitter – a.k.a. X – have filed thousands of arbitration complaints against the company in an effort to get the severance pay that they were promised. To date, more...
Aug 30, 2023•19 min
March 4, 2024 will be the first day for Donald Trump’s federal criminal trial in which he is charged with attempting to subvert the 2020 presidential election results on January 6th. That trial date means it comes one day before the Super Tuesday primary. Tropical Storm Idalia is headed towards the U.S. and is expected to become a "major hurricane" by the time it hits Florida as early as tonight. Experts have warned residents to prepare for very severe weather, including a potentially deadly sur...
Aug 29, 2023•26 min
A white gunman shot and killed three Black people in a racist attack at a Dollar General store on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. The attack is the latest incidence of racist gun violence perpetrated by a young, white gunman in the United States, and it is being investigated as a hate crime. Georgia Republicans have expedited the passing of a new state law that would allow the legislature to remove local prosecutors — particularly Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who recently indi...
Aug 28, 2023•23 min
Former President Donald Trump surrendered on Thursday at the Fulton County Jail on felony charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. He was released on a $200,000 bond. Meanwhile in the criminal case over mishandled classified documents, a former Mar-a-Lago employee who monitored the security cameras flipped on Trump after switching lawyers. Japan released the first batch of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, setting ...
Aug 25, 2023•21 min
Eight Republican presidential candidates went head to head for the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee Wednesday night. Notably absent from the lineup was Donald Trump — the former president instead appeared in a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson that debuted on X at the exact same time as the nationally televised event. We’re joined by Crooked’s Editor-in-Chief Brian Beutler and Alyssa Mastromonaco of Crooked’s Hysteria podcast for their takes on who stood out on the debate stage. An...
Aug 24, 2023•26 min
Students across the country head back to school this month, but tens of thousands of teacher positions remain vacant and more than 160,000 positions are filled by under-qualified teachers. We’re joined by Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, to learn more about the nationwide teacher shortage. And in headlines: Donald Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case officially started to turn themselves in, members of the Teamsters union ratified their n...
Aug 23, 2023•22 min
Tennessee lawmakers gathered yesterday for the start of a week-long special session on public safety and mental health. But as of Monday evening, the Senate adjourned without passing any meaningful legislation and the House adopted rules that bar lawmakers they deem as "unruly" from participating in discussion. President Biden arrived in Maui yesterday afternoon where he met with survivors and emergency workers following the deadly wildfires that devastated the island earlier this month. Accordi...
Aug 22, 2023•18 min
Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in Mexico’s Baja California region yesterday and the center of the storm officially moved into Southern California Sunday evening. It’s expected to have a major effect on the region, where it could drop more than a year's worth of rain in parts of California, Nevada, and Arizona. Twenty states have enacted bans or restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors so far, and at least five states have now permanently or temporarily blocked those measures from ta...
Aug 21, 2023•23 min
Hundreds of documents containing detailed debate advice seemingly intended for Gov. Ron DeSantis were posted online this week, according to reporting by The New York Times. The documents – which were later taken down – were posted by Axiom Strategies, the company owned by the chief strategist for DeSantis's Super PAC. Earlier this month, a Texas woman was arrested and charged with threatening to kill U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan — the judge currently overseeing Trump’s election interf...
Aug 18, 2023•24 min
A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that it would impose restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, including preventing it from being prescribed via telehealth or sent through the mail. But those restrictions won’t go into effect immediately due to a previous stay by the Supreme Court. Republican state leaders like Texas Governor Greg Abbott continue the inhumane practice of busing and flying migrants to Democratic-led states and cities. We’re joined by Jacob Love, a staff attorney wit...
Aug 17, 2023•20 min
Donald Trump was indicted for a fourth time Monday night. Trump now faces a total of 91 criminal counts across four separate cases. A Texas lawsuit against Planned Parenthood seeks more than $1.8 billion in reimbursement, penalties and fees after the state moved to cut the organization as a Medicaid provider. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, the same judge who halted federal approval of mifepristone back in April, heard arguments on Tuesday. On Monday, Chuck Hoskin Jr. was sworn into his second term as ...
Aug 16, 2023•25 min
Donald Trump was charged with 13 felonies in Georgia yesterday, including forgery, filing false documents and racketeering. Eighteen others in his circle were indicted as well, all tied to the alleged attempt to overturn the outcome in Georgia’s 2020 Presidential Election. To break down the charges, we’re joined by Morgan Cloud, professor of law at Emory University who specializes in Georgia’s RICO statute. And in headlines: the official death toll from the deadly Maui wildfires has climbed to 9...
Aug 15, 2023•18 min
More than 90 people have been killed in Maui since wildfires erupted last week, making it the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in over a century. The Hawai’i Tourism Authority is urging travelers to not visit the island at this time as organizers work to provide shelter to thousands of displaced residents. Former president Donald Trump could face his fourth criminal indictment as soon as this week. Fulton County Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis appears close to charging Trump with more crimes regard...
Aug 14, 2023•17 min
Rescue efforts continue in Maui after fast-moving wildfires caused catastrophic damage across the island this week. The death toll from the wildfires has risen to at least 53 with several others wounded. Thousands of Maui residents have been displaced by the catastrophe, as well. The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will return to the negotiating table today. The meeting comes as the writers' strike just crossed the 100-day mark, a milestone th...
Aug 11, 2023•21 min
Raging wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed six people and displaced thousands more. Hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed as well, including within the historic town of Lahaina. Leaders of eight South American countries that share the Amazon rainforest wrapped up a two-day summit in Belem, Brazil yesterday. By the end of the gathering, the group – known as the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, or ACTO – adopted a “new and ambitious shared agenda” to protect ...
Aug 10, 2023•21 min
Ohio overwhelmingly voted against Issue 1 in a statewide special election on Tuesday. It’s a major relief because the ballot measure would have made it harder to change the state’s constitution and protect abortion rights in an upcoming vote this November. The Supreme Court sided with President Biden in a 5-4 ruling Tuesday and allowed his regulations related to ghost guns to move forward. That means the administration can continue to regulate ghost gun kits and require that they be treated like...
Aug 09, 2023•18 min
Donald Trump’s lawyers argued on Monday that prosecutors are infringing on Trump's First Amendment rights by asking him not to discuss the case over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. That comes after special counsel Jack Smith on Friday asked for a protective order that limits disclosure of discovery material in the case, and referenced Trump's incendiary social media post. Ohioans head to the polls today to vote on a ballot measure that could make it harder to amend the state’s...
Aug 08, 2023•24 min
The United States is officially out of the Women’s World Cup after a heartbreaking and dramatic loss to Sweden on Sunday. The loss marks the earliest tournament exit in the history of the team. Today, England faces Nigeria and Australia takes on Denmark. On July 29th, O'Shae Sibley, a gay man and professional dancer, was fatally stabbed at a Brooklyn gas station while listening to Beyoncé and dancing with friends. A 17-year-old has now been charged with murder and a hate crime in the killing of ...
Aug 07, 2023•21 min
Former President Trump pleaded not guilty to the four criminal charges against him tied to his actions leading up to January 6th. The next hearing will be on August 28th. Suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s long-delayed criminal trial is expected to begin early 2024. But before that, he has an upcoming impeachment trial on September 5th. Also in Texas: A federal lawsuit was filed on Wednesday to stop the state’s ban intended to target drag performances. The suit argues that the law is ...
Aug 04, 2023•23 min
Last July was so hot that 81 percent of the world's population endured sweltering heat, according to a new report by the science non-profit Climate Central. The temps broke records across the globe. Next week President Biden visits the nation's Southwest to talk more about his plans to combat climate change. Negotiations in Hollywood may soon resume nearly 100 days since the strike began. The president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers reached out to Writers Guild of Ame...
Aug 03, 2023•21 min
Former President Donald Trump was indicted for the third time on Tuesday for the alleged role he played to overturn the 2020 election. He was charged with four criminal counts including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and more. We talk with Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny podcast, to break it down. And in headlines: the family of Henrietta Lacks reached a historic settlemen...
Aug 02, 2023•20 min
A Georgia judge on Monday rejected former president Donald Trump’s effort to stop an investigation into whether he interfered in the 2020 election results in that state. It comes as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says her office is “ready to go” to announce her decision on whether to charge Trump in that case. And in headlines: a federal judge in Arkansas temporarily blocked a state law that would have made it a crime for librarians and booksellers to provide “harmful” reading mater...
Aug 01, 2023•23 min
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
