What A Day

Latest Episodes:

I Know Who You Called Last January with Rep. Zoe Lofgren Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

The House January 6th Committee has found gaps in official phone logs from the White House on the day of the insurrection, during times when investigators know that former President Trump was making calls. Plus, new details have emerged regarding Trump’s handling of White House documents, causing concern that he may have destroyed or stolen “top-secret” materials. Representative Zoe Lofgren, one of the members of the Jan. 6 committee, joins us to discuss what this will for the House investigation.

The Cincinnati Bengals are competing in the Super Bowl this weekend for the first time since 1988, so to discuss his hopes for the game, and his love for the city, we're joined by Mayor of Cincinnati Aftab Pureval.

And in headlines: Canada’s “freedom convoy” blocked a third passageway to the U.S., Congress passed a bill that would end forced arbitration in cases of sexual misconduct, and the state of California sued Tesla for allegedly allowing racist discrimination in one of its factories.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

A Slow Descent Into Maskless Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

Several states announced plans to lift mask mandates this week, but the federal government is taking a more cautious approach, and has communicated that hospitalizations and deaths are still high enough that relaxing guidelines at this point would be premature. Dr. Céline Gounder, a clinical assistant professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at NYU who has been in touch with the White House, joins us to discuss what comes next in this new, slightly less-masked phase of the pandemic.

And in headlines: Top Russian military commanders flew into Belarus for a massive military exercise, families of the victims who died in the Bronx apartment fire last month are suing the building owners, and Russian figure skaters may have their Olympic medals stripped after one of their athletes failed a drug test.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On Race, The NFL Fumbles The Ball Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

This weekend's Super Bowl LVI comes as the NFL is being sued by Brian Flores, a former head coach of the Miami Dolphins who has accused the league racial discrimination in hiring practices. To discuss the lawsuit and racism in the NFL, we're joined by Tyler Tynes, a staff writer for GQ who covers the intersection between race, politics, and sports.

The nominees for the 94th Academy Awards were announced yesterday and Netflix’s "Don’t Look Up" is up for Best Picture. The climate change satire has been a huge hit for Netflix, though the critical response to it has been more mixed. David Sirota, who co-wrote the screenplay, joins us to talk about the movie and how the climate catastrophe gets covered in media.

And in headlines: a new Freedom Convoy blockade emerged at the U.S.-Canadian border, Peng Shuai spoke to reporters in her first sit-down interview since last year, and federal agents arrested a couple for conspiring to launder $4.5 billion in stolen cryptocurrency.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Inside The Unionization Effort At Amazon Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

The White House released a report yesterday detailing how it wants to increase union participation and collective bargaining in the workforce amid historic lows in union membership across the U.S. This is happening while workers at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama are in the midst of a union election process after last year’s election result was overturned. Reyn McGuire, an employee at the warehouse who is actively organizing her coworkers, joins us to discuss how this vote is and isn’t different from last time.

And in headlines: Protests over Covid mandates in Ottawa prompted the city to declare a state of emergency, school mask mandates repealed in three states in the Northeast, and Frontier and Spirit Airlines announced plans to merge.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Maps, They Don't Draw You Like I Draw You with Michael Li Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Republican-drawn congressional and state legislative maps constituted partisan gerrymanders that violated the state’s constitution. This is just the latest example of courts recently acting as a line of defense against maps that are very clearly drawn to increase Republicans' electoral odds. Michael Li, the senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, joins us to discuss the impact of redistricting efforts across the country.

And in headlines: Amir Locke was killed by Minneapolis police after they entered his apartment during a no-knock raid, Olympic athletes took to social media to call out the poor living conditions for athletes in isolation in Beijing, and Southwest Airlines announced that it would resume serving alcohol on its flights.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Showing Up For Trans Rights with Chase Strangio Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

South Dakota became the first state to pass an anti-trans bill in 2022 yesterday, and according to a report by the Human Rights Campaign, roughly 280 anti-trans bills will likely move through state legislatures nationwide this year. Chase Strangio, a lawyer for the ACLU and transgender activist, joins us to discuss how we can get involved in the fight to combat these measures across the country.

President Biden said that the U.S. had conducted a raid in Syria during which Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi, the leader of ISIS, died. There were at least three civilian deaths confirmed by the Pentagon with no American casualties. Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff said that the civilian deaths should be investigated “while keeping in mind the history of ISIS leaders using civilians as human shields.”

And in headlines: The Biden administration accused Russia of planning a false flag operation, the FBI identified suspects amid a wave of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities, and Facebook reported it had lost daily active users for the first time in its history.

Show Notes:

Donate to the Trans Justice Funding Project - https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/

Track Anti-Transgender Legislation in the U.S. - https://freedomforallamericans.org/legislative-tracker/anti-transgender-legislation/

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Where We Stand In The Fight For Reproductive Justice Feb 03, 2022

Show notes

Roe v. Wade was issued just over 49 years ago, and in the months ahead, we're faced with the very real possibility that the Supreme Court could effectively overturn it. Plus, conservative lawmakers in at least 29 states have been racing to pass new anti-abortion restrictions. We're joined by Destiny Lopez, co-president of All* Above All, to discuss what abortion justice organizers are doing to defend the right to choose and how we can support them.

The Pentagon announced that 3,000 additional U.S. troops will be deployed to Eastern Europe to support NATO nations amid concerns of a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine.

And in headlines: Tonga went into lockdown after reporting five cases of the coronavirus, Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and CNN President Jeff Zucker stepped down.

Show Notes:

All* Above All - https://allaboveall.org/

National Network of Abortion Funds - https://abortionfunds.org/

Keep Our Clinics - https://keepourclinics.org/

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Police Killings And The DOJ Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

The NAACP is urging the Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who murdered 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. Zooming out, it's not uncommon for people to look to the federal justice system when state courts or local law enforcement decline to hold police officers responsible in cases like these. The same avenues were pursued in the case of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who also was killed by police in 2014, though the DOJ has announced it will not reopen an investigation into that shooting.

Later this week, employees at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama will begin voting on whether to unionize their workplace after the National Labor Relations Board concluded that Amazon’s actions disrupted the process the first time around. To get a sense of where things stand, we hear from Reyn McGuire, an employee at the Bessemer facility that has been actively organizing her coworkers.

And in headlines: Putin publicly addresses the Ukraine crisis, NFL quarterback Tom Brady confirmed his retirement, and Native American tribes reach a settlement with opioid manufactures who precipitated a crisis.

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Get Your Bans Off My Books with George M. Johnson Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

As we celebrate the beginning of Black History Month, conservatives are actively and aggressively silencing educators’ ability to talk honestly about history. Book bans are gaining steam with schools banning everything from "The 1619 Project," to Toni Morrison’s "Beloved," to Art Spiegelman’s "Maus." Journalist and activist George M. Johnson joins us to discuss the issue from an author’s perspective after their book, "All Boys Aren’t Blue," was targeted for removal in at least 14 states.

And in headlines: A Georgia judge rejected plea agreements in the federal hate crime trial of Gregory and Travis McMichael, the FDA granted full approval of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, and The New York Times announced it had acquired Wordle.

Show Notes:

NYT: "Book Ban Efforts Spread Across the U.S." - https://nyti.ms/3uah9wK

Order "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson - https://bit.ly/34qKfNC

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Are You Putin Or Are You Out? Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

Concerns of a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine continue to mount, with Britain moving this week to broaden the sanctions it could impose in case of a Russian offensive. The U.S. has reportedly considered its own set of sanctions, which could have severe ramifications for individuals in Russia and conceivably others in Europe as well. Michael McFaul, the former US Ambassador to Russia, joins us to discuss everything we know and everything we don’t.

And in headlines: New data suggests the omicron wave in the U.S. may have peaked, a massive winter storm in the Northeast left over a hundred thousand people without power over the weekend, and numerous celebrities have joined Neil Young’s boycott of Spotify.

Show Notes:

NYT: “U.S. Sanctions Aimed at Russia Could Take a Wide Toll:” – https://nyti.ms/3s6znfJ

WAPO: "Ukraine’s Zelensky’s message is don’t panic. That’s making the West antsy" - https://wapo.st/3obGK4J

AL: "Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal ‘black hole’" - https://bit.ly/3ARQBBF

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday