What A Day

Latest Episodes:

TikTok Is Still On The Chopping Block Jan 13, 2025

Show notes

After months of delays, New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan finally sentenced president-elect Donald Trump in his criminal hush money case Friday. Merchan ruled Trump’s conviction must be upheld, but he did not order the president-elect to serve any jail time. In D.C., the U.S. Supreme Court seemed inclined to side with the federal government over a law to ban TikTok or force its sale, something Trump once supported but now opposes. Jay Willis, editor-in-chief of the legal website Balls and Strikes, breaks down the latest legal goings on.

And in headlines: California lawmakers sought to ease fears that Trump could block federal aid to help the state recover from the deadly L.A. fires, Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from his post, and Vice President-elect JD Vance says he’s pro-pardon for some Jan. 6 rioters.

Show Notes:

Check out Balls and Strikes – https://ballsandstrikes.org/
Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/relief
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

While LA Burns, Trump Fuels The Disinformation Fire Jan 10, 2025

Show notes

The Palisades and Eaton fires that began Tuesday in and around Los Angeles have become some of the most destructive — and likely most expensive — wildfires in American history. City and county officials say more than 9,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed so far. And as the fires have spread, so too has a ton of disinformation online, some of it been fanned by President-elect Donald Trump. Scott Waldman, a White House reporter focused on climate change at Politico’s E&E News, helps us debunk some of Trump’s wild claims.

Later in the show, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs talks about the case to block her re-election to the state’s highest court.

And in headlines: Elon Musk suggests cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget might not be possible, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s last-ditch request to halt his criminal sentencing Friday, and a new report says that the death toll in Gaza has been gravely underreported.

Show Notes:

Check out Scott's work – https://x.com/scottpwaldman?lang=en
Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/relief
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

Los Angeles Is On Fire Jan 09, 2025

Show notes

The Los Angeles area is battling massive fires. At least five people have died, and more than 2,000 structures have either been damaged or destroyed so far. Tens of thousands of people remain under evacuation orders, including parts of the region that aren’t usually at immediate risk for fire damage. Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’s Fire Network, breaks down how the fires were able to spread so fast.

Later in the show, Bob Corn-Revere, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, talks about the group’s defense of Iowa pollster Ann Selzer in a suit brought by President-elect Donald Trump.

And in headlines: World leaders pushed back against Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal, the Justice Department asked a federal appeals court for permission to release part of the special counsel’s report on Jan. 6, and Las Vegas police said the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck on New Years Day used AI to plan his attack.

Show Notes:

Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/relief
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

Meta’s MAGA Moment Jan 08, 2025

Show notes

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the company plans to end its fact-checking program as part of a broader overhaul of how it moderates content on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In a video, Zuckerberg said the move was an effort to prioritize "free expression" and called the 2024 election a "cultural tipping point." It was a notable policy shift ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in a little more than week. Jason Koebler, co-founder of the tech website 404 Media, breaks down why the tech elites are sucking up to Trump.

And in headlines: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigations into Trump, Trump doesn't rule out using military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, and the conservative North Carolina Supreme Court blocked certifying the election results of one of its Democratic colleagues.

Show Notes:

Check out Jason's work – https://www.404media.co/
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

Congress Ain’t Gettin’ Any Younger, Folks Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

Congress certified President-elect Donald Trump’s victory Monday, exactly four years after he denied President Joe Biden the same courtesy by inciting a violent mob of insurrectionists to march to the Capitol. At 78 years old, Trump will be the oldest president ever sworn into office, edging out Biden by just a few months. And at 82, Biden will walk away as the oldest sitting president ever. In fact, nearly a quarter of Congress is 70 or older. Ken Klippenstein, an independent journalist covering national security, explains the problems an aging Congress poses.

And in headlines: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he’ll step down after nearly a decade in the role, a New York judge denied Trump’s request to postpone sentencing in his hush money case, and the former chairman of the Proud Boys asked Trump for a presidential pardon.

Show Notes:

Check out Ken's Substack – https://www.kenklippenstein.com/
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

What Trump's Win Means for Jan 6 Rioters Jan 06, 2025

Show notes

Congress is set to certify President-elect Donald Trump's victory today, on the four-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Since then, almost 1,500 people have been charged with crimes for their actions that day, and more than 500 people have served — or are still serving — time in prison. Not Trump, though. He's managed to avoid any real consequences for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Hanna Rosin, co-host of The Atlantic's narrative podcast 'We Live Here Now,' joins us to reflect on the Jan. 6 anniversary and what Trump's reelection means for the rioters.

Later in the show, a former D.C. metropolitan police officer who was at the Capitol during the insurrection talks about what he saw that day.

And in headlines: The FBI shared more details about the man they say planned the New Orleans terrorist attack, A New York judge upheld Trump's felony conviction and set a sentencing date in his hush money case, and funeral services began for former President Jimmy Carter.

Show Notes:

Check out We Live Here Now podcast – https://tinyurl.com/msvj67bx
Check out Michael's book – https://tinyurl.com/mvvha6hp
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 New Jersey Drones Mass Delusion, Explained Dec 21, 2024

Show notes

Something mysterious has been going down in New Jersey this week…but it’s NOT drones. It’s that thousands of people are looking at airplanes in the night sky and thinking they see UFOs. What causes mass delusions like this wave of now mostly debunked drone sightings? In this concluding episode of How We Got Here, Max and Erin share four stories of famous mass hysterias and talk to William Bernstein, an author who writes about the science of mass delusions and why they happen.

House Republicans ClusterMusk Dec 20, 2024

Show notes

House Republicans on Thursday failed to pass their backup plan to fund the government temporarily. The bill’s demise left lawmakers with few options to avert a looming shutdown Friday, after President-elect Donald Trump and his ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk used their respective social media platforms earlier this week to blow up a bipartisan deal. Politico politics reporter Mia McCarthy, explains the prospects of a government shutdown just a few days before Christmas and the start of Hanukkah.

Later in the show, Melissa’ Murray, co-host of Crooked’s ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ recaps an eventful year at the Supreme Court.

And in headlines: Secretary of State Antony Blinken expresses optimism about an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Amazon delivery drivers go on strike, and Russian President Vladimir Putin holds his annual press conference.

Show Notes:

Check out Mia's reporting – politico.com/staff/mia-mccarthy
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

Abortion in Trump's America Dec 19, 2024

Show notes

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear a case over South Carolina’s effort to defund Planned Parenthood. The state wants to cut off Medicaid funding for all of Planned Parenthood’s healthcare services. That includes things like mammograms, birth control, STD testing — you know, health care. So here we are again, with the very conservative Supreme Court set to hear another case that could affect how and where people get their reproductive care. Mary Ziegler, a professor at U.C. Davis School of Law and an expert on the history and politics of abortion in the U.S., explains where the reproductive rights debate is headed in President-elect Donald Trump’s second term.

And in headlines: Trump torpedoed a government funding bill that could set us up for a government shutdown, the House Ethics Committee voted to release its report on former Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first severe case of bird flu in the U.S.

Show Notes:

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

Media Braces For Trump's Revenge Dec 18, 2024

Show notes

President-elect Donald Trump made good on his promise late Monday to sue The Des Moines Register, the newspaper's former pollster, Ann Selzer, and the paper's parent company, Gannett. His lawyers argue that Selzer's early November poll showing Vice President Kamala Harris beating Trump in Iowa amounted to "election interference." The suit comes on the heels of ABC News' decision to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump. Dylan Byers, media reporter and founding partner of Puck News, explains what it could mean for coverage of Trump's second term.

Later in the show, Crooked correspondent and longtime climate reporter Stephanie Ebbs breaks down the Biden Administration's rush to spend funds for clean energy projects tied to the Inflation Reduction Act.

And in headlines: Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly beat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez in the contest to be the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect is charged with murder, and Ukraine claimed credit for the killing of a senior Russian general in Moscow.

Show Notes:

Check out Dylan's reporting – puck.news/author/dylan-byers/
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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