What A Day

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Texas Republicans Return To Islamophobia Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

The Texas Senate primary is already setting records for both Republicans and Democrats, with more than $110 million spent on advertising and reserved ad time. And on the Republican side, where Senator John Cornyn is facing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Representative Wesley Hunt, things have gotten incredibly messy. But there's at least one thing those three candidates can agree on: Islamophobic rhetoric. So, why is the Texas GOP laser-focused on Islam? To find out, we spoke with Forrest Wilder. He's a senior writer at Texas Monthly.

And in headlines, Surgeon General nominee Casey Means testifies before the Senate Health Committee, South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace hopes to hold lawmakers accountable for sexual harassment violations, and Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar's State of the Union guest is arrested after standing up during the President's speech.

Show Notes:

Check out Forrest's story – https://tinyurl.com/2yep8yk4
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
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

Medals, Insults and A Very Long Speech Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

Trump’s State of the Union address had everything — if by “everything,” you mean easily fact-checkable lies. We also got fearmongering and racism about Somali immigrants… Trump’s frequently used claim that Democrats can only win elections if they cheat… and a lot of awards for members of the armed services. But his overall message was the same we get every single day on Truth Social in between rants about cable television hosts and misused punctuation: we are the hottest country in the world and everything is awesome and great. So to talk more about the longest State of the Union speech in history, we spoke with two people who were covering it from D.C.: Crooked News Editor Greg Walters and What A Day Newsletter writer Matt Berg.

Show Notes:

Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
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

Dems Opt Out Of State Of The Union Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

President Trump will deliver the State of the Union address tonight. And spoiler… the state of his particular union isn't great. According to new polling from CNN, Trump's approval rating with Americans is 36%. But – despite everything – Democrats are still not winning over the American people. So how should they respond to tonight's two-hour adventure of non sequiturs, rants, and excessive bronzer? To find out, we spoke to New Jersey Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver. She's delivering a prebuttal to the State of the Union address.

And in headlines, the Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments from oil and gas companies hoping to block lawsuits related to climate change, a U.S. district judge permanently bars the release of a report on Trump's alleged hoarding of classified documents, and the U.S. orders some diplomats and their families in Lebanon to leave the country.

Show Notes:

Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

Trump Orders More Tariffs After SCOTUS Ruling Feb 23, 2026

Show notes

The Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 on Friday that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority when he invoked sweeping tariffs using a 1970s emergency statute. The decision was a major blow to Trump's tariff policy, which is basically his entire economic agenda. But for Trump, it means just one thing: more tariffs! So to learn what's next for our terrible tariff trajectory, we spoke with David J. Lynch. He's the global economics correspondent at The Washington Post and the author of The World's Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right).

And in headlines, the US and Iran prepare for high-stakes talks later this week, Global Entry becomes a casualty of the partial government shutdown, and a check-in on the President's approval ratings before his State of the Union address.

Show Notes:

Check out David's book – https://a.co/d/08oXFjqU
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

DHS Dysfunction Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

It’s been about a week since the Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown, with Democrats refusing to fund the agency until changes are made to federal immigration enforcement. According to the White House, we are still no closer to a deal. But Democrats are reluctant to budge, and polling shows that most Americans think ICE has gone too far with its enforcement operations. Recent reporting from The Wall Street Journal paints a chaotic picture of DHS under Secretary Kristi Noem. In her colleagues’ view, she’s prioritized getting photo ops for herself over getting results for the Trump Administration. So for more on DHS scandals and what the future holds for Noem, we spoke with Michelle Hackman, a reporter covering immigration for The Wall Street Journal.

And in headlines, President Trump worries America’s 250th birthday might be soiled by the smell of feces emanating from the Potomac, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gets arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and the Trump administration alienates MAHA by ramping up pesticide production.

Show Notes:

Check out Michelle's reporting – https://tinyurl.com/3xfpycmd
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

Don't Bank On Trump's Tax Cuts Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

The IRS has lost tens of thousands of employees since President Donald Trump took office – the result of DOGE, policy differences, last year’s government shutdown, and layoffs. Now that we're in tax season, the agency is asking thousands of untrained employees from other departments to help with taxpayer services. Those job cuts and changes could, at best, slow down your refund. At worst, the IRS could be far less able to stop scammers. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is insisting that taxpayers will be getting bigger refunds this year. The problem is, prices on basically everything are still super high – which gives people less of a chance to hold onto that money. And will anyone even remember their tax refunds when they head out to vote in November? For more, we spoke with Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of “The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History.”

And in headlines, Arizona Republicans want to send ICE officers to polling places, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in a case weighing if social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, and the Trump administration pushes back against a court order to restore an exhibit on people enslaved by George Washington in Philadelphia.

Show Notes:

Check out Vanessa's book – brookings.edu/books/the-price-of-democracy/
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

Trump’s Iran Power Play Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

U.S. officials met with Iranian envoys in Switzerland Tuesday to negotiate the fate of Iran’s nuclear program — and came away with a “set of guiding principles,” according to Iran’s foreign minister. But trying to figure out what, exactly, each country wants in these talks is confusing at best. Both President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have made not-so-veiled threats of military action toward the other country. So what, exactly, is everyone doing here? Do they want a deal – or a war? To find out, we spoke to Nahal Toosi, the senior foreign affairs correspondent and columnist for Politico.

And in headlines, CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert calls out his own network, President Trump lashes out over a sewage leak in the Potomac River, and Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is leaving the Trump administration.

Show Notes:

Check out Nahal's work – www.politico.com/staff/nahal-toosi
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

The MAGA Health Movement Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

It's been about a year since President Donald Trump signed an executive order, "Establishing the President's Make America Healthy Again Commission." Since then, MAHA has brought together a lot of strange bedfellows, ranging from people who want Americans to eat less sugar to others who want to ban the polio vaccine. Which begs the question — what, exactly, is the Make America Healthy Again movement… and is any of it actually making America healthier? To find out, we spoke to Rina Raphael. She's a journalist focused on wellness culture and the author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care.

And in headlines, U.S. and Iranian representatives are set to meet today in Switzerland, funding for the Department of Homeland Security expired over the weekend, and former President Barack Obama feeds our inner conspiracy theorist by talking about aliens on a podcast.

Show Notes:

Check out Rina's work – https://www.rinaraphael.com/
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

Democrats Shut Down DHS Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

Capitol Hill was surprisingly busy this week. Republicans and Democrats yelled at one another, Republicans yelled at other Republicans, and amazingly, some actual business got done – sort of. But it looks like it wasn’t enough to avoid a partial government shutdown. For more on a wild week in Congress, we spoke with Burgess Everett. He’s the Congressional bureau chief for Semafor.

And in headlines, President Donald Trump is losing to former President Joe Biden in the polls, a federal judge blocks the Pentagon from punishing Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, and after a long two months, the immigration crackdown in Minnesota is finally ending.

Show Notes:

Check out Burgess's work – www.semafor.com/author/burgess-everett
Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

Bondi's DOJ Fails Again Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

The Department of Justice fumbled yet another attempt to prosecute President Donald Trump’s enemies on Tuesday night. This time, it failed to get an indictment of the six Democrats who posted a video in November reminding U.S. troops they have an obligation to refuse illegal orders — no matter who they come from. Colorado Democratic Representative Jason Crow is one of those six lawmakers. We spoke about the investigation, Pam Bondi’s Congressional testimony, and how to protect U.S. troops from being targeted by the government they serve.

And in headlines, the House votes to rescind the tariffs Trump placed on Canada last year under the authority of a “national emergency,” revised government data shows President Trump’s first year in office wasn’t actually good for the job market, and Trump has a “very good meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu… even though it sounds like not much happened.

Show Notes:

Call Congress – 202-224-3121
Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
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

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