What A Day

Latest Episodes:

Trump's Odds Of Getting Conviction Reversed Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

Former President Donald Trump has vowed to appeal his criminal conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to sway the 2016 election. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11, just a few days before the Republican National Convention. Trump and his attorneys claim that the case was impermissibly flawed and that his constitutional rights were violated. Legal experts have raised possible issues for appeal, which run the gamut and include the charging scheme, the case venue, jury instructions, and evidentiary issues. Political reporter Sonam Sheth explains why Trump may have a shot at a successful appeal.

And in headlines: Ukraine and Western leaders have rejected a ceasefire plan floated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, a wildfire in Los Angeles County burned more than 12,000 acres in a day while much of the rest of the country baked under a heat dome, and Kate Middleton made her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis.

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

The Real Story Behind the Far-Right's Rise in Europe Jun 15, 2024

Show notes

We’ve been hearing that the far-right is on the rise in Europe for a decade now. And yet, with a few exceptions, these parties are nowhere near taking power. Even in the EU Parliament, where the far-right made gains for the third election in a row this week, nationalist parties are STILL expected to end up marginalized and powerless. What's driving them and what's stopping them? Max and guest host Josie Duffy Rice take a look at the rise of the German far-right AfD party to illustrate what’s going on across the continent and how we got here.

SOURCES

Germany’s AfD Rises to 2nd Place in E.U. Election - The New York Times

Far-right AfD appears as strongest German party on TikTok – DW – 06/04/2024

Germany's AfD: Euroskeptics turned far-right populists – DW – 03/11/2024

A Far-Right Dilemma for Europe’s Mainstream: Contain It or Join It? - The New York Times

Why Europe Could Melt Down Over a Simple Question of Borders - The New York Times

Germany’s Extreme Right Challenges Guilt Over Nazi Past - The New York Times

European Union: False Hopes and Realities | Foreign Affairs

Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash | Harvard Kennedy School

Germany's AfD: How right-wing is nationalist Alternative for Germany? - BBC News

Islam in Germany: Facts and figures - Deutsche Islam Konferenz

High Tide? Populism in Power, 1990-2020

Perceived ingroup disadvantage, collective narcissism and support for populism

A New Stress-Based Model of Political Extremism - PMC

SCOTUS Maintains Access to Abortion Drug...For Now Jun 14, 2024

Show notes

In a unanimous decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court preserved broad access to the abortion drug mifepristone — at least for now. The justices dismissed the case on a technicality, ruling that the anti-abortion groups and doctors who brought it didn't have a legal right to sue. But the court's decision isn't a solid win for abortion access. The justices didn't weigh in on the substance of the case, meaning it could end up back in front of the court. Already, three Republican-led states are trying to make that happen. Julia Kaye, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's Reproductive Freedom Project, explains the ruling and what's next.

And in headlines: President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders agreed to finance a $50 billion loan to Ukraine to help pay for its war against Russia and rebuild the country's infrastructure, former president Donald Trump schmoozed with House and Senate Republicans during his first visit to Capitol Hill since the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the ACLU and immigrant rights groups sued the Biden administration over the president's executive order severely limiting asylum claims at the southern border.

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

Rep. Jamie Raskin On Project 2025 Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

House Democrats on Tuesday launched an official task force to take on the far-right agenda Republicans envision under a second Trump presidency. The group of Democrats aims to directly counter the plans outlined in “Project 2025,” a 1,000 page policy blueprint floated by the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for eliminating federal agencies like the FBI and Justice Department, restricting access to contraception, and concentrating more power in the presidency. Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin is on the task force. He joins us to talk about why a second Trump term could be more destabilizing than the first.

And in headlines: President Joe Biden and other world leaders are convening in Italy for the G7 summit, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a non-binding resolution that condemns the use of in-vitro fertilization, and White House Press Secretary avoided giving a definitive answer on whether Biden will consider commuting his son Hunter’s eventual sentence on federal gun charges.

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

Hunter Biden's Guilty Verdict Jun 12, 2024

Show notes

A Delaware jury on Tuesday convicted Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, on three federal felony gun charges. The verdict makes Biden the first member of a sitting president’s immediate family to be convicted of a crime. A sentencing date hasn’t been set yet, but the president’s son is facing up to 25 years in prison. Alex Thompson, national political correspondent for Axios, was in the courtroom during the trial. He breaks down the verdict and the reactions in Washington.

And in headlines: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was back in the Middle East to put pressure on Hamas to formally agree to a ceasefire deal with Israel, embattled Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is in hot water again after a secret recording caught him agreeing with Christian conservative viewpoints, and a federal judge struck down Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care.

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

How Climate Change Is Impacting Reproductive Health Jun 11, 2024

Show notes

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the Justice Department to weigh in on two cases that deal with whether cities and states can hold fossil fuel companies responsible for the effects of climate change. While we wait to see what happens, one thing is abundantly clear: climate change is already affecting our health. Vox Media, Grist and The 19th News teamed up for a series on how our changing climate is reshaping the reproductive cycle from menstruation to menopause. Lead reporter Zoya Teirstein joins us to talk about the series, “Expecting worse: Giving birth on a planet in crisis.”

And in headlines: Voters in the key swing state of Nevada head to the polls today to vote in the state’s primary election, the United Nations Security Council approved a U.S.-sponsored ceasefire resolution for the war in Gaza, and researchers say wild African elephants call each other by unique names when communicating.

Show Notes:

Read the series- Expecting worse: Giving birth on a planet in crisis
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

Israel Hostage Rescue Mission Kills Scores of Palestinians Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

Benny Gantz, a key member of Israel’s war cabinet, resigned from his post on Sunday. His announcement came one day after Israeli forces rescued four hostages held by Hamas in an operation that killed scores of Palestinians. Gantz, who’s also Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief political rival, said Netanyahu is “preventing us from reaching real victory” and called for new elections.

President Joe Biden wrapped up a five-day visit to France on Sunday. While the trip was nominally about commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Biden also used it to defend the idea of democracy itself, drawing parallels between World War II and the war in Ukraine. Behind the scenes, European leaders are privately panicking over the prospect of a second Trump term. McKay Coppins, senior staff writer at The Atlantic, says he encountered “an undercurrent of dread” in almost every conversation he had with European officials while traveling across this continent this spring.

And in headlines: A New York probation official is set to interview former president Donald Trump today following his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, Conspiracy theorist and Info Wars founder Alex Jones asked a bankruptcy court for permission to liquidate his personal assets to pay the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims, and the head of the United Nations’ World Food Programme says Sudan could become the “world’s largest humanitarian crisis.”

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

Why Is the SAT Back (Again)? Jun 08, 2024

Show notes

Until recently, many people—and colleges—rejected the SAT as a racist and classist metric that perpetuated social divides. But now it’s being championed as a tool for closing some of those same gaps! This week on How We Got Here: why does public opinion on the SAT keep flip-flopping? Who does the test privilege? And is it really the best metric we’ve got for college admissions? With Erin on maternity leave, “What A Day” all-star Priyanka Aribindi joins Max to assess the racist roots of the SAT, how it’s evolved since, and how its history reflects attitudes towards access to higher education.

SOURCES:

Major Changes Adopted in SAT College Exam - Los Angeles Times

The Misguided War on the SAT - The New York Times

Colleges Dropped the SAT and ACT. Here’s Why Many High Schools Didn’t. - WSJ

The SATs are: a) dying; b) already dead; c) alive and well; d) here forever - Vox

Secrets of the SAT : Michael Chandler, Cam Bay Productions., WGBH Educational Foundation., PBS Video. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Interviews - Henry Chauncey | Secrets Of The Sat | FRONTLINE | PBS

Why US Colleges Are Reviving Standardized Tests - Bloomberg

Standardized Test Scores and Academic Performance at Ivy-Plus Colleges

The Rainbow Project: Enhancing the SAT through assessments of analytical, practical, and creative skills

The Test | Anya Kamenetz

The Big Test | Macmillan

SCOTUS Holds Off On Big Case Decisions... Again Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

Thursday was a bit of a letdown for Supreme Court watchers. The justices issued opinions in three smaller cases, but we’re still waiting for decisions in more than two dozen others with just a few weeks left of the term. Some of those cases could be hugely consequential, touching on everything from reproductive rights and presidential immunity to social media and guns. Melissa Murray, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ says we should brace ourselves for a wild June.

And in headlines: An Israeli strike killed dozens of Palestinians who were sheltering at a U.N. school complex, prosecutors called Beau Biden’s widow to the stand to testify in Hunter Biden’s federal gun trial, and Pat Sajak hosts his final episode of Wheel of Fortune today.

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

Harris, Trump Head To California To Court Big-Money Donors Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign rode his felony conviction to a banner fundraising day last week, raking in more than 50 million dollars within 24 hours of the verdict, according to aides. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in California this week to court big donors to grow their campaign war chests with the November election less than six months away. Meanwhile, both campaigns have reportedly seen a significant decline in small-dollar contributions during this election cycle. Arjun Singh, a podcast producer with the investigative outlet The Lever, explains the state of fundraising in the race so far.

And in headlines: The Georgia Court of Appeals said prosecutors cannot move forward with Trump’s election interference trial until it decides whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on the case, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for a global ban on fossil fuel advertising to combat climate change, and Senate Republicans voted to block a bill that would have protected access to contraception.

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

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected