The Florida Supreme Court delivered bittersweet news to abortion rights advocates on Monday. In one ruling, the court gave voters the chance to enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution by okaying a referendum to appear on the state ballot this November. But in a separate decision, the court also cleared the way for Florida’s six-week abortion ban to take effect in 30 days. Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for Floridians Protecting Freedom, explained the ballot initiative that now head...
Apr 02, 2024•19 min
Cesar Chavez Day was Sunday, and it’s the day when Americans honor the late Latino civil rights icon and labor activist. Chavez is most known for co-founding the United Farm Workers (UFW) — the nation’s first-ever farmworker union. He dedicated his life to the fight for better working conditions and wages for people who were part of the agricultural workforce — many of whom were migrants. And while Chavez’s track record on immigration is complicated, UFW is one of many organizations that current...
Apr 01, 2024•24 min
Mifepristone revolutionized abortion access in America, so much that, two years after the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortions in the United States are up. But now “Mife” is taking its turn in the crosshairs of the anti-abortion movement, facing a challenge before the Supreme Court that could cut off access to the drug. Can it survive this challenge? And, if so, would that mean the pro-choice movement is quietly winning the fight for abortion access in America? This week on “How We Got Here,” Hysteria...
Mar 30, 2024•30 min
The federal government announced on Thursday some upcoming changes to the next Census. The form will consolidate two existing questions about race and ethnicity into one question. There will also be a longer list of race categories for people to select from, along with the ability to choose more than one. The list will include, for the first time, the option to select “Middle Eastern or North African.” This Sunday is International Transgender Day of Visibility. It comes amid a legislative, polit...
Mar 29, 2024•24 min
Democrats scored a surprise landslide win on Tuesday when Marilyn Lands prevailed in a special election for an Alabama State House seat previously held by a Republican. Lands made abortion rights and access to IVF central to her campaign. Democrats hope Lands’ win is more evidence that abortion access and reproductive rights remain potent issues for voters heading into the November election. Divers on Wednesday recovered the remains of two victims from the wreckage of the Baltimore bridge that c...
Mar 28, 2024•15 min
The Supreme Court justices on Tuesday seemed skeptical of a case that challenged expanded access to the abortion medication mifepristone. It was brought by anti-abortion doctors looking to roll back access, but during oral arguments both liberal and conservative justices questioned whether the group had the right to bring the case, a concept known as standing. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast Strict Scrutiny, explained why the justices kept coming back to the issue, and what it co...
Mar 27, 2024•23 min
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan. The United States abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass. While it’s unclear how the ceasefire resolution will affect the trajectory of the war, it’s yet more evidence of the deteriorating relationship between the Biden Administration and the Israeli government. The company that owns former President Donald Trump’s social media app Truth Soci...
Mar 26, 2024•20 min
More than 130 people are dead after a terrorist attack Friday night at a concert in Moscow. An offshoot of the Islamic State known as ISIS-K claimed responsibility, and U.S. officials said there’s evidence to support that claim. Four suspects from Tajikistan were arrested. But Russian President Vladimir Putin instead pushed the idea that Ukraine was involved in the attack, despite the fact that there’s no evidence to support it. The Texas Medical Board on Friday released its proposed definition ...
Mar 25, 2024•25 min
Background: Los Angeles Times: Behind the calamitous fall of hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs LA Times: Russell Simmons and Brett Ratner face new allegations of sexual misconduct Reuters: R. Kelly challenge to sex abuse conviction draws skepticism from US appeals court The New York Times: Music Mogul Russell Simmons Is Accused of Rape by 3 Women Variety: Russell Simmons Sued for Alleged Rape of Def Jam Producer in '90s Hollywood Reporter: Writer Jenny Lumet: Russell Simmons Sexually Violated Me ...
Mar 23, 2024•24 min
The Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday for “smothering” the smartphone industry. Among the claims, the suit accused Apple of limiting virtual wallets other than Apple Pay, making chats with Android products less secure, and blocking new apps, all to maintain a monopoly. Apple rejected the claims of the suit and said it would fight it. The New York Times reported this week that the Democratic Party is preparing to mount an aggressi...
Mar 22, 2024•24 min
Texas’ draconian immigration law SB4 is back on hold after a ruling late Tuesday night by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. SB4 would allow state law enforcement officials to arrest and detain anyone they suspect of crossing the border illegally. It also would allow judges to issue orders to deport people to Mexico. The Fifth Circuit’s decision followed an earlier decision by the Supreme Court’s conservative majority to let the law go into effect. Texas Tribune immigration reporter Uriel Garcí...
Mar 21, 2024•22 min
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated his plans to do exactly what President Joe Biden keeps advising him not to do: launch a ground offensive into the crowded city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Netanyahu’s comments came after Biden directly warned him against it in a phone call, their first in more than a month. Netanyahu insists a ground offensive in Rafah is the only way to eliminate Hamas, despite the fact that more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering ...
Mar 20, 2024•14 min
Ohio is one of five states holding primary elections on Tuesday. A few big races there will make it a key state to watch in November. Democrat Sherrod Brown is looking to hold on to his Senate seat in what’s likely to be a tight race that could make or break control of the chamber. There’s also an open seat on the state’s Supreme Court that could lead to Republicans losing their majority. Ohio Democratic Party Chair Liz Walters talks about what’s at stake there this election cycle. And in headli...
Mar 19, 2024•21 min
The Georgia racketeering case against Donald Trump can proceed with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in charge. However, on Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that if Willis stayed on, her lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, would have to leave the case. He stepped down later that day. One of Trump’s co-defendants accused Willis of misconduct for having a romantic relationship with Wade, but Judge McAfee said it did not constitute the kind of conflict of interest ...
Mar 18, 2024•19 min
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he’s invading the Palestinian city of Rafah despite strong opposition from the Biden administration. Why does Israel, a country that seems to rely on the U.S. for so much, increasingly ignore and defy its long time American patron? And at what point is a defiant ally not really an ally at all? This week on How We Got Here, Israel’s decades-long effort to break free of their military, economic, and diplomatic dependence on the United ...
Mar 16, 2024•34 min
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called for new Israeli elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., called Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace.” Ben Rhodes, co-host of Crooked’s ‘Pod Save The World’ and former deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, explains what Schumer’s comments could signal about Democrats’ shifting attitudes toward Israel over the war in Gaza. And in headlines: Vice Pr...
Mar 15, 2024•23 min
Americans have considered the idea of reparations for more than a century, but there’s real momentum around the movement to make it happen right now. Multiple states and localities have launched studies into doing it and California has even introduced legislation. We’ll talk to Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee whose podcast “Uncounted Millions” looks at ways reparations could reshape the lives of the descendants of formerly enslaved people. And in headlines: The Hous...
Mar 14, 2024•20 min
The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could force the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell the social media platform or face a ban on U.S. app stores. Lawmakers say TikTok is a potential national security threat. The bill has bipartisan support in the House. Tech journalist Louise Matsakis explains why banning TikTok is one of the few issues lawmakers can agree on these days. And in headlines: The House Judiciary Committee grilled Special Counsel Robert Hur over his investigation in...
Mar 13, 2024•20 min
President Biden on Monday unveiled his $7.3 trillion budget proposal for the next fiscal year. He calls for new spending to lower the cost of healthcare, housing and childcare, and wants to offset it by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The proposal as it stands now has little chance of passing a divided Congress, but is the basis for negotiations and also serves as a campaign promise for his reelection. A settlement over Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay and Trans” bill means teac...
Mar 12, 2024•17 min
Ramadan began Sunday night, and it was also the unofficial deadline by which the Biden administration hoped to have negotiated a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But as fighting in Gaza rages on and the death toll there tops 30,000, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amped up their criticisms of each other. Haiti’s government is on the brink of collapse after local gangs united in a coordinated attack on the nation’s capital city Port-au-Prince. The roots ...
Mar 11, 2024•14 min
Primaries elections are good, right? It’s how we hold the party accountable and raise up progressives! It turns out there’s more to the story. This week on “How We Got Here,” Max and Erin explore how party primaries have led to the success of more extreme candidates, the passage of fewer polices, and an increase in American polarization. From the Tea Party and Ron Paul to decidedly not "tea" parties with Texas House Speakers, this week’s episode probes the dangers of primaries, and why the U.S. ...
Mar 09, 2024•33 min
President Biden delivered his State of the Union Thursday night. He traded verbal blows with his conservative opponents inside the room, and also offered a preview of his 2024 campaign message. Pod Save America's Tommy Vietor assessed Biden's speech on topics such as abortion access, Gaza, immigration at the southern border and more. And in headlines: Sweden joins NATO, Trump can't delay his payment to E. Jean Carroll, and House lawmakers advanced legislation that could ban TikTok. Show Notes: W...
Mar 08, 2024•19 min
President Biden delivers his third State of the Union address Thursday night ahead of this November’s election. Part of the challenge for Biden is to show voters that he’s still got the energy for another four year term. But he also has to motivate his base, including progressives who are following his campaign with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Activists and organizers across the country told us about the issues they’re most concerned about, and what they want Biden to say when he steps up to ...
Mar 07, 2024•19 min
Super Tuesday was mostly a blowout on the Republican side for former President Donald Trump. Nikki Haley did manage to eke out a win in Vermont, but that's not enough to give her a clear path to victory. Danielle Deiseroth, the executive director of the progressive think tank Data for Progress, helps us interpret what the Super Tuesday results could mean for both Republicans and Democrats in November. And in headlines: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed the GOP-backed Arizona Border Invasion Ac...
Mar 06, 2024•18 min
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump can stay on Colorado’s primary ballot. This reverses a decision by Colorado’s Supreme Court, which ruled that Trump could be disqualified based on his actions on January 6th, and the 14th Amendment’s stipulation that insurrectionists cannot hold public office. To understand the Supreme Court’s rationale, we spoke to Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s “Strict Scrutiny” and professor at the University of Michigan Law ...
Mar 05, 2024•21 min
Oregon’s legislature has reintroduced criminal penalties for hard drug possession, effectively reversing course three years after voters passed the state’s Measure 110 and decriminalized possession in many cases. Many describe the reversal as a big setback for the criminal justice reform movement. But to understand how we got here, we look at where Oregon fell short in its implementation of Measure 110. Israel boycotted ceasefire talks in Cairo on Sunday after Hamas refused a demand to provide a...
Mar 04, 2024•21 min
I see London, I see France, I see Shohei Ohtani’s underpants. This week, the MLB kicked off Spring Training with brand new see-through uniforms — yes, you read that right. But it’s not just MLB players’ clothing that’s seemingly crappier, the uniform change is another story in a long line of corporate decisions that have made the clothing we wear worse and worse with each passing year. Max and Erin get to the bottom of how fashion got so fast, telling the story of a little Spanish retailer named...
Mar 02, 2024•31 min
More than 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured Thursday near Gaza City as people gathered around trucks to receive much needed food and aid. Hamas said in a statement that the Gaza Health Ministry had presented “undeniable” evidence of the Israeli Defense Force directly firing at civilians. Israel, for their part, denied that soldiers shot into the large crowd. Alabama’s legislature voted to protect in vitro fertilization, or IVF, following the ruling by the state’s Supreme Cou...
Mar 01, 2024•19 min
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday that he plans to step down as the Republican Senate leader in November. He has been the longest-serving Senate leader in American history, and is responsible for extensive damage to American politics and life. Congressional reporter Todd Zwillich explains why McConnell is leaving and why now. Both President Biden and former President Trump head to the southern border Wednesday as they jockey on the issue of immigration. Uriel García, imm...
Feb 29, 2024•24 min
Yet another government shutdown looms and lawmakers have until Friday night to avert it. Here's what's holding them up this time: House Republicans have refused to support a spending deal that doesn't cover some of their extremist priorities, like the reversal of a federal rule that broadens access to abortion medication. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he's committed to avoiding a shutdown, but we're definitely not out of the woods yet. The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear arguments abo...
Feb 28, 2024•18 min
