What A Day

New York police officers arrested more than 100 pro-Palestinian protesters who’d occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia University on Tuesday night while pro-Israeli counterprotestors attacked a pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA. Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of House lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of passing the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, a bill that critics say could create an overboard definition of what counts as anti-semitic speech on college campuses and other educational institutions. Todd Zwillich, a longtime Washington reporter and friend of the show, explains how the bill is part of a cynical ploy on the part of Republicans to divide Democrats. And in headlines: Arizona lawmakers voted to reverse the state's Civil War-era abortion ban, the Federal Reserve moved to keep interest rates flat, and the U.S. could have more than 100 million doses of bird flu vaccines available for people within four months if the disease jumps to humans. Show Notes: https://muckrack.com/joey-scott-1https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Department of Justice took a significant step on Tuesday to downgrade federal restrictions on marijuana. The DOJ submitted a formal recommendation to the White House to reclassify it as a Schedule III drug. It’s a monumental shift in federal drug policy because, for more than 50 years, the U.S. government has considered marijuana to be among the most dangerous drugs, on par with heroin and LSD. Krishna Andavolu, the host and executive producer of the Vice TV show Weediquette, explains what reclassification could mean for businesses, medicine, and criminal justice. And in headlines: The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial fined the former president $9,000 for violating a gag order, police arrested students that had occupied Hamilton Hall on Columbia University’s campus, and a key federal task force issued new recommendations for women and breast cancer screenings. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

New York holds a special election today to fill a seat vacated by Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins. The Democrat in the race, state Sen. Tim Kennedy, is expected to win. If he does, it would leave Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority as slim as possible: a single vote. Todd Zwillich, a longtime Washington journalist and friend of the show, explains how it will make Johnson’s job even more complicated. And in headlines: Columbia University began suspending students at the Gaza solidarity encampment, a federal appeals court ruled that certain state insurance plans must provide coverage for gender-affirming care, and the Supreme Court refused to hear billionaire and Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk’s bid to challenge the SEC’s restrictions on what he can post on social media. Show Notes: What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday/

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday to discuss developments in the latest round of cease-fire talks. The White House says Biden also “reiterated his clear position” against Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge since the start of the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed back to the Middle East on Sunday ahead of meetings with Arab leaders this week. And in headlines: Pro-Palestine protesters and counter-protesters supporting Israel clashed on UCLA’s campus Sunday morning, Biden roasted former President Donald Trump at Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner, and Republican vice presidential hopeful and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem writes about killing a puppy in her upcoming memoir. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Employees of a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee just voted to form the FIRST autoworkers union in the Southern US. It’s no small feat in a part of the country that has been notoriously anti-union. How has the South managed to scare away organized labor since the Civil War? Are labor unions finally finding a foothold there now? And why have unions been in decline across the whole US in recent years? Max and Erin dive into the politics, racism and foreign influence behind it all to uncover why it’s taken so long for collective bargaining to catch on down south. SOURCES UAW wins big at Volkswagen in Tennessee – its first victory at a foreign-owned factory in the American South UAW strikes at General Motors plant in Texas as union goes after automakers' cash cows | AP News Welcome to Operation Dixie, the most ambitious unionization attempt in the U.S. | by Meagan Day | Timeline | Medium Racial divides have been holding American workers back for more than a century - The Washington Post Manufacturing jobs are defying expectations - The Economist Union Membership, 1939 and 1953 Textile Union Fight to Organize Stevens Plants Shifts to Greenville, S.C. - The New York Times The UAW wants to recruit Southern auto workers. Here’s why that failed in the past In a seminal development for Wisconsin's economy, manufacturing has begun returning home Nissan attacked for one of 'nastiest anti-union campaigns' in modern US history How the South Became Anti-Union - Flagpole Union organizing effort and success in the U.S., 1948–2004 - ScienceDirect

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s presidential immunity case. Trump’s lawyer tried to assert that there’s almost no situation under which a sitting president can face criminal charges, not even ordering a military coup or sharing nuclear secrets. It is a landmark case with big implications for both this year’s election as well as some of the other criminal cases Trump faces. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s “Strict Scrutiny,” says Trump’s team is trying to normalize conduct that is inconsistent with democracy and the rule of law. And in headlines: Pro-Palestinian protests spread to more college campuses, Manhattan’s DA vowed to retry Harvey Weinstein after the producer’s New York rape conviction was overturned, and Apple forecasted a bleak outlook for its Vision Pro headsets. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a landmark case that could determine whether former President Donald Trump can be tried for his role in the January 6th insurrection. The case concerns whether presidents have “immunity” from prosecution for their conduct while in office. The court has never had to consider this issue until now, and it also has big implications for the 2024 election. Jay Willis, editor-in-chief of the progressive legal site Balls and Strikes, explains what’s at stake. On Wednesday, the court also heard its second abortion case of the term. It’s over whether an Idaho law that bans nearly all abortions can supersede a federal law that guarantees patients emergency care at hospitals. At least some of the court’s conservative justices expressed skepticism about the Idaho law. And in headlines: President Biden signs a $95 billion foreign aid package into law, Biden also signed a bill that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese parent company doesn’t sell it off within the next year, and the United Nations called for an investigation into two mass graves in Gaza. Show Notes: https://crooked.com/podcast/gaza-protests-roil-college-campuses/https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Police arrested hundreds of college students in the last week amid intensifying campus protests over the Israel-Gaza war. While demonstrations have been ongoing at some universities since the start of the war, they reached new levels after Columbia University’s president called in the New York Police Department to clear an encampment on campus shortly after testifying in front of Congress. We talk to two student journalists about what’s happening on their campuses: Esha Karam, a junior at Columbia University and managing editor of the Columbia Daily Spectator, and Aarya Mukherjee, a freshman news reporter at University of California, Berkeley’s The Daily Californian. And in headlines: Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker detailed the tabloid’s ‘catch and kill’ strategy during former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial, the Supreme Court hears arguments today in a case that could decide whether states have to provide emergency abortion care to pregnant patients, and Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee edged out a more moderate challenger in the state’s Democratic primary. Show Notes: www.columbiaspectator.comwww.dailycal.orghttps://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and attorneys for Donald Trump gave their opening statements on Monday in the former president’s criminal hush-money trial. Prosecutors also called their first witness to the stand: former ‘National Enquirer’ publisher David Pecker. Washington Post federal courts and law enforcement reporter Shayna Jacobs was in the courtroom and details what happened. Pennsylvania holds its primary election today, and there’s plenty to watch for as returns come in. Pro-Palestinian organizers want Democrats to write in ‘uncommitted’ instead of voting for President Joe Biden. First-term Democratic Congresswoman Summer Lee is also looking to fend off a more moderate challenger and hold onto her seat. And in headlines: The Supreme Court appeared divided in a case over whether cities can criminalize homelessness, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security are reportedly looking into granting protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, and a new report says Israel hasn’t offered any proof to back up claims that a significant number of workers with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency are tied to terrorist organizations. Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/bz68rrbphttps://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

After months of delay, House lawmakers this weekend passed a package of bills to send foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Included in that package of legislation is also a bill that could end up banning TikTok. Hard-right Republicans are threatening to oust Speaker Mike Johnson over his decision to bring Ukraine aid up for a vote. At the same time, the legislation heads to the Senate for consideration later this week. The Supreme Court hears a case today over one of the country’s most heartbreaking and increasingly intractable issues: homelessness. In Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the justices will weigh whether penalizing people experiencing homelessness is “cruel and unusual” and, therefore, a violation of the Eight Amendment. Jeremiah Hayden, staff reporter for Street Roots in Portland, explains what’s at stake in the case. And in headlines: We’ve got a roundup of climate news in honor of Earth Day, opening statements begin in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial, and workers at a Volkswagen plant in Tennessee join the United Auto Workers union. Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/56an9dv2https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Tesla is laying off 14,000 people, their self-driving cars are hitting a wall—figurative and sometimes literal—and this week, Cybertrucks were recalled over faulty pedals. How did Tesla go from being one of the world’s most successful businesses to the business equivalent of a dumpster fire that’s lost hundreds of billions of dollars in valuation? Erin and Max break down how Elon Musk trapped his company in a cycle of increasingly elusive innovation. And how, despite all of this, Tesla has it remained dominant in an electric car market that is only growing. SOURCES ​​Ludicrous - BenBella Books Taxpayer Subsidies Helped Tesla Motors, So Why Does Elon Musk Slam Them? – Mother Jones How Elon Musk Got Rich: The $230 Billion Myth | The Class Room ft. Second Thought Can Elon Musk Lead the Way to an Electric-Car Future? | The New Yorker Tesla under investigation in California over Autopilot safety issues and false advertising - The Verge Elon Musk's growing empire is fueled by $4.9 billion in government subsidies - Los Angeles Times Elon Musk’s Distraction Is Just One of Tesla’s Problems - The New York Times Tesla’s Value Dips Below $500 Billion in Blow to Stock Bulls - Bloomberg Tesla Is Running Out of Time to Deliver on Self-Driving Promises - WSJ Electric vehicles - IEA Schwarzenegger boosts electric car makers An Electric Car With Juice - The Washington Post First Tesla Model S deliveries set for June 22nd - The Verge When I First Saw Elon Musk for Who He Really Is Tesla IPO Shares Pop, Drop, And Rally. Market Values It At $1.7 Billion. | TechCrunch

All 12 jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial in Manhattan. While jury selection continues today for alternates, the judge overseeing the case said opening arguments in the trial could come as soon as Monday. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi breaks down the challenges of seating a jury in such a historic, high-profile case. Google announced late Wednesday that it fired 28 workers who staged sit-in protests at some of the company’s offices this week. The protests were organized by the group No Tech for Apartheid. They were demonstrating against a $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon to provide the Israeli government and military with cloud computing services. And in headlines: Mutliple news outlets reported that Israel launched a strike on Iran, House lawmakers will again take up a bill to potentially ban TIkTok, and sports icons Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird are set to produce a queer soccer romance called “Cleat Cute.” Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/2y5sr88mhttps://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

On Wednesday, the Senate moved to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats needed “to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements.” Congressional reporter Matt Laslo breaks down the vibes on Capitol Hill. And in headlines: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel that even the “tiniest invasion” on their part would provoke a “massive” response, President Joe Biden may not appear on Ohio’s ballot this November, and Arizona Republicans defeated another effort to repeal the state’s near-total abortion ban.Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

House Republicans are in chaos again after a second conservative lawmaker voiced support for a push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. The speaker announced plans to bring a foreign aid bill for Ukraine up for a vote, causing an uproar. Joan Greve, senior political reporter for The Guardian, breaks down the mood on Capitol Hill.In the Senate, lawmakers will consider a bill to reauthorize a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that has bipartisan support and bipartisan critics. The part of the law up for renewal allows the federal government to obtain vast amounts of intelligence and communications within the broad category of “foreign intelligence information,” all without a warrant. Without quick Senate approval, it will expire on Friday. Speaker Johnson VS. House Far-Right GOPAnd in headlines: The Supreme Court seemed open to siding with some January 6th rioters in a case that could undo hundreds of Justice Department prosecutions, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US will enforce new sanctions on Iran after its weekend attack on Israel, and seven jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s historic criminal hush-money trial. Show Notes: On Ukraine’s Front Line, Soldiers Are Forced to Tune In to Washington Politicshttps://tinyurl.com/3kptnhk7https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a major case related to the January 6th Insurrection that has the potential to undo some of the charges former President Donald Trump faces. The case looks at whether the Justice Department was right to charge some of the people who stormed the Capitol that day with the crime of obstructing an official proceeding. The case has the potential to upend hundreds of prosecutions tied to the riot, and knock out two of the four charges Trump is facing in his federal insurrection case. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ breaks down the case for us. And in headlines: Jury selection began in Trump’s Manhattan criminal hush-money trial, the FBI announced it’s conducting a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and our favorite NCAA stars are headed to the WNBA after yesterday’s draft. https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Description: The Iranian government launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel late Saturday night in what’s believed to be Iran’s first direct attack against Israel from its own soil. Israel reported minimal damage and was able to shoot down most of the drones and missiles, with some help from the U.S. military. Ben Rhodes, former U.S. national security advisor and co-host of Pod Save The World, talks about the significance of the attack and what it means for long-simmering tensions in the Middle East. Former President Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial begins today in a Manhattan courtroom. He’s accused of falsifying business records to cover up payments he made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election. He also becomes the first former U.S. president to face a criminal trial. Attorney Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee’s majority during Trump’s first impeachment, explains what we can expect during the trial. And in headlines: Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will push for wartime aid to Israel and Ukraine this week, a dozen news organizations signed a joint letter asking both President Biden and former President Trump to participate in debates, and Nike is under fire over a revealing women’s kit for Team USA’s track and field athletes at this summer’s Olympics. https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Once upon a time, borrowing money for college was an affordable path towards upward mobility. Today, it’s a crisis. With Americans owing a whopping $1.7 trillion in student loans. So how did the student debt crisis get so out of control? From bungled government programs to Sputnik to the Great Recession, “How We Got Here” unpacks the history behind spiraling student debt…with interest! SOURCES Only 25% of those with student loans went to graduate school—but they owe around 50% of all student debt | CNBC Student loans are now easier to discharge in bankruptcy, attorneys say: It's 'life changing' | CNBC Average Cost of College [2023]: Yearly Tuition + Expenses | Education Data Initiative Everything you need to know about college costs - Vox Student loan forgiveness: What to know about Biden’s $39 billion plan - Vox Why Does College Cost So Much? - The New York Times Introducing Bennett Hypothesis 2.0 | Center for College Affordability and Productivity Statement Before the House Committee on Education and Workforce On Lowering Costs and Increasing Value for Students, Institution | Texas Public Policy Foundation Is Rising Student Debt Harming the U.S. Economy? | CFR Student loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN Politics Federal Student Loan Borrowers Reveal Grim Expectations for Payment Resumption | Morning Consult Drivers of the Rising Price of a College Education | MHEC MSD Annual Report 2022 - Student Debt and Young America State Funding for Higher Education Still Lagging | NEA Education; College Officials Defend Sharply Rising Tuition - The New York Times Student loan forgiveness: How much debt has Biden canceled? | CNN Politics The Political Case For Student Debt Cancellation | Data for Progress Public Law 94-482 94th Congress An Act

The Justice Department announced Thursday, it finalized rules to close a major loophole in gun purchases. Known as 'the gun show loophole' it allowed people to sell firearms online, at gun shows, or in other more informal settings without conducting background checks. The finalized rules are expected to take effect in 30 days. Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety, explains how the new rules are a big win for gun control. And in headlines: The director of the U.S. Agency for International Development said parts of Northern Gaza are officially experiencing famine; Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he’s heading to Mar-A-Lago; and federal prosecutors charged Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter with stealing more than $16 million from the LA Dodgers star player. Show Notes:

A group of House Republicans dealt Speaker Mike Johnson another embarrassing blow on Wednesday when they blocked legislation to extend part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. They did so after former President Donald Trump posted to “kill” the bill on social media. Meanwhile, Republicans struggled to deliver a coherent response to Tuesday’s Arizona Supreme Court decision that said an 1864 law banning almost all abortion was enforceable. Trump said Wednesday, that the ruling went too far, just days after he said the issue should be left to the states. Other Arizona Republicans tried to distance themselves from the ruling after previously supporting harsh abortion restrictions. We pulled the receipts. And in headlines: The latest Consumer Price Index report shows inflation is still stubbornly persistent; the Biden Administration announced a first-of-its-kind federal limit on so-called “forever chemicals” in drinking water; and New York City officials want to give rats birth control. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, that an 1864 law banning almost all abortions is enforceable. The only exception is if a pregnant person’s life is at risk. The court stayed its decision for at least 14 days pending other legal challenges. Chris Love, one of the lead organizers behind an effort to get an abortion rights amendment on Arizona’s November ballot, explains what the decision means for the fight for reproductive rights in the state. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule that will force more than 200 chemical plants to reduce their toxic emissions. The rule targets two chemicals the EPA says are likely carcinogens. Most of the affected plants are in just two states: Texas and Louisiana. And in headlines: A Michigan court sentenced both of Ethan Crumbley’s parents to 10 to 15 years in prison for failing to stop him from carrying out a mass shooting. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he hasn’t found any evidence of Israel committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. And Mattel said it will debut an easier version of the game Scrabble. Show Notes: