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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 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•Transcript available on Metacast 
