The Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments on a case that could upend the online world. At issue are laws championed and passed by Republicans in Florida and Texas which would prevent social media companies from banning users based on their viewpoints. Jason Koebler, co-founder of the tech publication 404 Media, believes that tech companies would leave both states if the Supreme Court allowed these laws to stand. Michigan holds its primary elections on Tuesday. From the war in Gaza to the ...
Feb 27, 2024•19 min
Former President Donald Trump cleaned up in the South Carolina Republican primary last Saturday, winning 60 percent of the votes to Nikki Haley’s 40 percent, in spite of the fact that the battle played out in Haley’s home state. For her part, Haley says she’s still not dropping out. The race now heads to Michigan which holds its Presidential primary on Tuesday. The results could demonstrate how much support President Biden maintains among a key demographic in the state: Muslim and Arab American ...
Feb 26, 2024•20 min
Republicans are coming after IVF? And no-fault divorce? This week, a Supreme Court ruling in Alabama and a new report from POLITICO unmasked an ascendant ideology taking over the Republican Party: Christian nationalism. Why does this ideology have Republicans waging war on public schools, failing marriages, and fertility clinics? And how did this movement go from the far fringes of the religious right to the center of the GOP? This week on How We Got Here, Offline’s Max Fisher and Hysteria’s Eri...
Feb 24, 2024•29 min
The mother of deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said that authorities are “blackmailing” her over his remains to get her to agree to a secret funeral. Sanctions on more than 500 targets in Russia are expected from the U.S. State and Treasury Departments Friday for the Russian government’s suspected role in Navalny’s death. Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. The U.N. says that nearly 6.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country and become refugees in that time....
Feb 23, 2024•16 min
The University of Alabama health system became the first organization in the state to pause IVF treatments following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos can legally be considered “children.” Meanwhile, the future of IVF in the ten other states remains unclear as well because, like Alabama, they say life begins at fertilization. To learn more about how this fits into the larger fight for reproductive rights, we spoke with Dana Sussman, deputy executive director of Pregnancy ...
Feb 22, 2024•20 min
The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and stood alone on the 15-member U.N. Security Council in its vote. To understand the veto and the current state of hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas, we spoke with The Intercept’s Prem Thakker. A newly-overhauled website for FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is not working as intended and it’s creating chaos for students applying for college. Left in the dark about the size of their a...
Feb 21, 2024•20 min
Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers signed new legislative maps into law on Monday, and broke a Republican gerrymander that has shaped the state’s politics for years. That means Democrats are pretty much set to gain seats in the state Assembly and state Senate this November. John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, explains what Wisconsin’s win means for the state and the nation. Alexei Navalny, the head of Russia’s political opposition, died last Frid...
Feb 20, 2024•25 min
What do the 1970s crime wave, the endangerment of the California condor, and Gen Xers demanding to speak to the manager have in common? There’s a compelling case that all are exacerbated by lead exposure. This week How We Got Here unpacks the long and sordid story of how lead found its way into gasoline…and the organs of many Americans. But gas is just the tip of the iceberg—we still see lead in consumer products today, from drinking water to baby food to Stanley Cups. Why do we still use this p...
Feb 17, 2024•28 min
Fulton County DA Fani Willis and special counsel Nathan Wade both took the stand on Thursday about their prior romantic relationship. The hearing will determine whether it constituted a conflict of interest that disqualifies Willis from prosecuting Donald Trump for election racketeering in Georgia. Meanwhile, a verdict is expected Friday in New York’s civil fraud trial against Trump, and New York’s hush money criminal trial against Trump got a start date of March 25th. And in headlines: Kansas C...
Feb 16, 2024•19 min
A mass shooting at Wednesday’s Super Bowl parade for the Kansas City Chiefs left one person dead and 21 more injured. Authorities said they had three people in custody. Democrats took home some important wins earlier this week, including Democrat Tom Suozzi flipping the Congressional seat that once belonged to New York Republican George Santos. We’re joined by Shaniqua McClendon, Vice President of political strategy at Crooked Media, for more on what the victories could mean for Dems’ chances in...
Feb 15, 2024•21 min
House Republicans impeached Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday in a 214-213 vote. Meanwhile in New York, Democrat Tom Suozzi won the special election to replace ousted Republican Congressman George Santos, and Pennsylvania voters elected Democrat Jim Prokopiak in Tuesday’s state House special election. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may loosen Covid isolation requirements. Under newly proposed guidelines, Americans who test positive for Covid would no lo...
Feb 14, 2024•17 min
Control of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives hinges on a special election taking place today in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Democrats currently have a one-seat majority in the chamber. The results of today’s race will determine if Democrats can pick up one more seat or if they become tied with Republicans. We’re joined by Melissa Walker, head of Giving Circles over at The States Project, to learn more about who’s running and what’s at stake. It’s looking like a whirlwind of a week for T...
Feb 13, 2024•21 min
Tuesday is Election Day for the race to replace George Santos in New York’s third congressional district. The candidates running for the seat include former Democratic congressman Tom Suozzi and Nassau County legislator Mazi Pilip who’s been selected as the nominee for Republican and conservative parties. With Republicans holding a narrow 219-212 majority in the House, the stakes are high. We’re joined by Gabby Seay, the campaign director of Battleground New York, to learn more about what it wou...
Feb 12, 2024•22 min
It’s Week 2 of What a Day’s new series “How We Got Here,” in which Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher pose a question about the week’s biggest headlines and comb through history to answer it. This week, they dive into the enemies-to-lovers story of the NFL and sports betting. Why did professional sports leagues disavow gambling for so long? How did the NFL go from hating Vegas to hosting a Super Bowl there? And who cares what color gatorade they dump on the field this Sunday? (Spoiler...
Feb 10, 2024•29 min
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday in a case considering whether or not Donald Trump can be removed from the ballot in Colorado because of his role in the Jan. 6th insurrection. Most of the justices, including a number of the liberal justices, seemed convinced by at least one argument from the defense: that an individual state can't disqualify candidates in a national election without Congress specifically granting them that power. We’re joined by Melissa Murray, professor of law...
Feb 09, 2024•17 min
The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments about Amendment 4 — a constitutional amendment that would guarantee the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability in the state's constitution. Justices must approve the language of the amendment proposed by abortion advocates before it can be put on the ballot in November. We’re joined by Anna Hochkammer, Councilmember for PineCrest Florida and Executive Director of Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition, to learn more about Amendme...
Feb 08, 2024•20 min
A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump's immunity claim and ruled that he can be put on trial over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A three-judge panel issued the unanimous decision, writing, “for the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump.” We’re joined by Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast Strict Scrutiny and a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, to learn more about the case and what comes n...
Feb 07, 2024•22 min
Brittney Gilliam agreed to a $1.9 million settlement more than three years after police officers in Aurora, Colorado held her, her sister, her two nieces, and her six-year-old daughter at gunpoint. This comes on the heels of two new studies from the Journal of the American Medical Association that show the effect of police violence on Black communities. Educators in Durham, North Carolina held another “Day of Protest" on Monday that forced Durham Public Schools to close seven schools. It was the...
Feb 06, 2024•25 min
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis admitted to having a personal relationship with Nathan Wade, the prosecutor she hired to handle the election interference case against Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the federal case against Trump is being delayed. And the Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Thursday deciding whether he can be left off the ballot in Colorado for his role in the January 6th insurrection. Police in the city of Dearborn, Michigan were on high alert this weekend after...
Feb 05, 2024•19 min
Welcome to What a Day’s How We Got Here, a new weekend series where Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher pose a question about the week’s biggest headlines and comb through history to answer it. This week: why does it feel like the souther border is always in crisis? How does immigration enforcement distort our view of what’s actually happening? And what lessons about our fragile national identity can we learn from a discontinued California highway sign? Show Notes: What A Day – YouTube...
Feb 03, 2024•28 min
President Joe Biden issued an executive order imposing sanctions and visa bans on Israeli settlers who were accused of attacking Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank. Meanwhile, the violence in Gaza continues. The Palestinian death toll has reportedly surpassed 27,000. More than 66,000 people have been wounded by Israel since Hamas’ attack killed 1,200 and took about 250 largely civilian hostages. Universal Music Group started pulling their music from TikTok Thursday morning...
Feb 02, 2024•23 min
The first official Democratic primary of 2024 taking place this Saturday in South Carolina. President Joe Biden has seen a decline in support among Black voters in early polls, so this early primary date is a chance for the Biden-Harris campaign to rally support in South Carolina and make a broad appeal to Black voters nationally. We’re joined by Jaime Harrison, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, to dig into the significance of South Carolina’s Democratic primary and how it plays into t...
Feb 01, 2024•21 min
Despite reported headway in the negotiations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday rejected Hamas’ two primary demands for an extended temporary ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages. Meanwhile, around a dozen Israeli troops disguised themselves as medics and civilians and stormed a hospital in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinian militants in the city of Jenin Tuesday morning. Tech CEOs of several social media platforms are on Capitol Hill today to tes...
Jan 31, 2024•21 min
A bipartisan immigration deal in Congress could be announced as soon as this week. The agreement would give the executive branch the legal authority to suspend asylum when migrant crossings surpass a certain threshold, among other things. That’s the part of the deal that President Biden referred to when he said late last week that he’d “shut down the border” if this new bill makes it into law. A new report by the Associated Press found that prison labor is connected to hundreds of millions of do...
Jan 30, 2024•23 min
The UN’s International Court of Justice ruled last Friday ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire. The court is weeks into a case that considers whether Israel is committing genocide. Republicans are, yet again, threatening the lives of trans people. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to get healthcare providers in other states to give him the private medical records of youth who’ve received gender-affirming care. Meanwhile, Repu...
Jan 29, 2024•18 min
President Joe Biden will send CIA Director William Burns to help negotiate a new deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages. Meanwhile, protests in the U.S. continued around America’s involvement in the war and whether we should officially call for a ceasefire. Universities in particular have been in the spotlight as the sites of many of these demonstrations. L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong appointed Terry Tang as interim executive editor, making her the first woman ever to be th...
Jan 26, 2024•23 min
New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered his third State of the City address on Wednesday. Since just last spring, 170,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, tens of thousands of whom were sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. But in his speech, Mayor Adams fell short of providing any real plans to address the situation. We’re joined by Christine Quinn, former Speaker of the New York City Council and current head of shelter operator Win, to discuss what migrants need and what providers in the...
Jan 25, 2024•24 min
Former President Donald Trump won New Hampshire’s Republican primary on Tuesday and defeated former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary as a write-in candidate. We’re joined by Colin Booth, Chief Political Correspondent for the Granite Post, to break down the results. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint campaign event of 2024 in Manassas, Virginia on Tuesday. And one clear takeaway from this event is that the ...
Jan 24, 2024•20 min
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Biden administration has the authority to remove parts of a barbed wire barrier erected by Texas officials at the U.S.-Mexico border. The high court ruled for Biden in a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett siding with the three liberal justices. More than 300 L.A. Times journalists walked off their jobs last Friday for a one-day strike to protest potential layoffs. Then on Monday, a group of ten California lawmake...
Jan 23, 2024•23 min
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially exited from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump. He made the announcement in a video posted on X on Sunday, just two days before the New Hampshire primary. Because of his exit, all eyes will be Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in Tuesday’s primary. Democrats will also go out to vote, even though President Joe Biden will actually not be on the ballot this year. For more, we’re joined by Manny Espitia...
Jan 22, 2024•17 min
