What A Day

Donald Trump threatened to replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, if he wins the 2024 presidential election. Trump took to social media over the weekend to post that he is “seriously looking at alternatives” to it, and on Monday, President Biden said in a statement: “My predecessor once again called for cuts that could rip away health insurance for tens of millions of Americans…They just don’t give up.” Hunter Biden told lawmakers on Tuesday that he is willing to publicly testify before Congress next month. That comes after House Republicans subpoenaed him as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Biden, an investigation that has not turned up any evidence that President Biden benefited from Hunter’s business dealings. And in headlines: Hamas released 12 additional hostages in exchange for Israel’s release of more Palestinian prisoners, the Koch network formally endorsed Nikki Haley for the GOP presidential nomination, and New York House Representative George Santos could be expelled from Congress as early as this week. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastcrooked.com/coffeehttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Israel and Hamas both agreed on Monday to extend the current pause in fighting for another two days. Hamas released another 11 hostages as part of the deal, and in exchange Israel released 33 more Palestinians being held in prison. The long-awaited trial of rap artist Young Thug started on Monday in Atlanta. The trial has implications far beyond the music industry because Young Thug and his co-defendants are being prosecuted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and have been charged under Georgia’s RICO statute, just like former President Donald Trump. And in headlines: Vermont police arrested a suspect who they say shot and injured three college students of Palestinian descent, Amazon workers around the world walked off the job to demand better pay and working conditions during Cyber Monday, and Merriam-Webster announced 2023’s word of the year. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastcrooked.com/coffeehttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Seventeen more hostages held by Hamas were released on Sunday under a temporary, four-day ceasefire agreement reached last week between Israel and Hamas. In total, 58 hostages were released over the first three days of the deal, and in return, Israel agreed to release 150 Palestinian women and children from prison. Israel and Hamas have also both expressed openness to extending the pause beyond four days. Meanwhile, people on every side of the war took to the streets across the world over the weekend. And in headlines: George Floyd’s murderer Derek Chauvin is stable after being stabbed in prison, Sean “Diddy” Combs faces his third accusation of sexual assault in a month, and SAG-AFTRA published the full, tentative labor agreement reached with studios. Show Notes:

A federal appeals court on Monday issued a ruling that jeopardizes the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In a 2-1 decision, the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that private groups or individuals can’t sue under a key provision of the VRA. We’re joined by Jay Willis, Editor-in-Chief of Balls and Strikes, to discuss what comes next. Over in Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Tuesday in a case that could toss Republican-drawn legislative maps. The lawsuit was filed by 19 Democratic voters in Wisconsin who argue that the maps are proof of gerrymandering because they ensure the GOP has an unfair advantage in State Assembly and Senate races. And in headlines: Microsoft hired Sam Altman and Greg Brockman to lead an A.I. research team, far-right populist Javier Milei was elected to be Argentina’s next president, and autoworkers ratified their contract with Detroit carmakers. Show notes: https://ballsandstrikes.org/https://europa.nasa.gov/message-in-a-bottle/sign-on/https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel, Hamas and the U.S. are close to an agreement to free some hostages held in Gaza, according to The Washington Post. The tentative deal, which is being brokered by the U.S., would involve a pause in fighting in exchange for the release of at least 50 women and children hostages. Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, was ousted from his own company by its board of directors on Friday. In a statement, the company – which is the maker of ChatGPT – said of Altman: “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.” And in headlines: at least seven people are dead after an underwater earthquake struck the southern Philippines, former President Donald Trump can remain on Colorado’s primary ballot, and former first lady and humanitarian Rosalynn Carter died peacefully on Sunday. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Family members of Israeli hostages held by Hamas are currently on a five-day march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, with plans to end the march in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home. Meanwhile, a protest calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was held outside the Democratic Party headquarters in D.C on Wednesday. And across the country in the Bay Area, dozens of protestors shut down the westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge for roughly four hours on Thursday. Republican Representative George Santos announced that he will not seek re-election in next year’s elections after the House Ethics Committee released its highly-anticipated report on Thursday. The report found that there was “substantial evidence” that Santos used campaign money for personal expenses, and concluded that Santos “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.” And in headlines: the Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, the Supreme Court declined to enforce Florida’s anti-drag show law, and China’s President Xi Jinping suggested that his country might lend more giant pandas to the U.S. in the future. Show Notes:

President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping met on Wednesday for the first time in a year. Following their private conversations, it was announced that the U.S. and China will resume military-to-military communications, and the leaders also reached an agreement to curb fentanyl production. The Israeli military stormed Al-Shifa hospital on Wednesday and said they found guns, ammunition, protective vests and Hamas military uniforms at the hospital – claims Hamas called “fabricated.” Meanwhile, Hamas has agreed “in principle” to a tentative deal to release at least 50 hostages in exchange for pauses in fighting and the release of women and children held in Israeli prisons, among other things. And in headlines: Donald Trump will remain on Michigan’s Republican primary ballot, New Hampshire announced that the state’s primaries will be held ahead of South Carolina, and thousands of the people took to the streets of Mexico City on Monday night to demand justice and a thorough investigation into the death of Jesús Ociel Baena. Show notes: https://crooked.com/podcast/not-on-my-ballot/https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed Speaker Mike Johnson’s bill to avoid a government shutdown. The measure passed with bipartisan support, and it now heads to the Senate for approval ahead of Saturday’s deadline to avert a shutdown. Republicans also spent Tuesday fighting mostly among themselves: GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged the president of the Teamsters Union to a fight during a committee hearing, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett said Rep. Kevin McCarthy elbowed him, and Republican Rep. James Comer told Democratic Rep. Jared Moscowitz that he looked like a smurf. And in headlines: Israel said it raided Gaza’s central Al-Shifa hospital, a new report says every region in the U.S. is feeling the effects of climate change, and inflation rates cooled last month to the lowest increase since July. Show Notes:

The Supreme Court announced its first-ever ethics code on Monday after pressure from Congress and the public. But it’s unclear how the code – signed by all nine justices – will be enforced. We’re joined by Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny podcast, to make sense of it all. And in headlines: thousands of people fled Gaza’s largest hospital as fighting continues outside the facility, protesters and police clashed at Monday’s Cop City protests, and Chuck E. Cheese is getting rid of animatronics in nearly all of its locations around the country. Show Notes:

Local organizers in Atlanta are set to hold a mass nonviolent community action today against Cop City — the 90-million-dollar police training complex slated to be built in the city’s South River Forest. We’re joined by Kamau Franklin, founder of the Community Movement Builders, to discuss what’s at stake if Cop City gets built and what folks on the ground are doing to keep that from happening. And in headlines: the second largest hospital in Gaza City has run out of fuel, Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott announced that he’s dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, and a potential government shutdown is just days away. Show notes: https://communitymovementbuilders.org/https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election in 2024. Manchin’s decision to step down leaves Democrats in a bind and jeopardizes their narrow 51-49 Senate majority. The White House said on Thursday that Israel agreed to daily, four-hour-long pauses in its military operation in Gaza to allow civilians to evacuate. These pauses will also make it easier for deliveries of humanitarian aid to get into Gaza safely, and hopefully facilitate the release of more of the 200 hostages still being held. And in headlines: the U.S. is one week away from another potential government shutdown, federal officials are investigating a series of suspicious letters sent to local election offices, and the trailblazing feminist website Jezebel will shutter after 16 years. Show Notes: crooked.com/friendshttps://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastcrooked.com/coffeehttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The third GOP presidential debate took place in Miami last night with five hopefuls on stage. Meanwhile, Donald Trump skipped out and held a rally nearby in Hialeah, Florida. We’re joined by Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-Executive Director of Indivisible, to discuss the biggest takeaways of the night and look ahead to the 2024 presidential election. And in headlines: an estimated 40,000 people have fled northern Gaza, the Hollywood actors’ strike is over, and Virginia delegate Danica Roem became the first openly transgender state senator in the South. Show Notes: crooked.com/friendshttps://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastcrooked.com/coffeehttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Tuesday was Election Day in key battleground states. In Ohio, voters codified reproductive rights into the state’s constitution. And over in Kentucky, incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear won reelection over Republican challenger Daniel Cameron. Heather Williams, interim president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, breaks down the results and gives insight on what might happen in next year’s general election. And in headlines: Israel said its troops have reached the heart of Gaza City, New Delhi is dealing with another year of severe air pollution, and scientists have discovered the oldest known black hole in space. Show Notes: https://dlcc.org/votesaveamerica.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastcrooked.com/coffeehttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Israeli forces said they were closing in on Gaza City as of Monday night. Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said more than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began. Israel said it will not agree to a ceasefire, although White House officials said there might be “tactical pauses” on the table to allow for humanitarian efforts. Former President Donald Trump took the stand on Monday in his New York civil fraud trial. During his testimony, Trump called New York Attorney General Letitia James a political hack and scolded the case’s judge. He also acknowledged his role in putting together the company’s annual financial statements. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments today in United States v. Rahimi, a case that could shape limitations on gun ownership in the future. This is the second major gun rights case this Court has taken, and it’s shaping up to be even more consequential – and contentious – than the first. And in headlines: a jury found a Colorado police officer not guilty in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, teachers in Portland, Oregon were back on the picket line, and Gannett announced its new Taylor Swift beat reporter. Show Notes:

Israeli troops said they closed in on Gaza City, and Gaza appeared to be under yet another communications blackout on Sunday – the third in 10 days. Meanwhile, the conflict at the Israel-Lebanon border has gotten more deadly after an Israeli strike killed four people Sunday evening. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the Middle East over the last few days meeting with a host of leaders in hopes of containing the war’s fallout. On Sunday, Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. He later stopped in Baghdad where he issued a warning, particularly to Iran and its proxies like Hezbollah. And in headlines: Donald Trump is set to take the stand in New York’s civil case against him and his company for fraud, more than 150 people were killed in an earthquake in Nepal, and SAG-AFTRA is reviewing an offer by AMPTP after months of failed labor talks. Show Notes:

As Israeli troops enter Gaza City and the Palestinian death toll crosses 9,000 lives, the U.S. is pushing for a humanitarian pause in the war between Israel and Hamas. The GOP-led House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would provide $14.3 billion dollars in military aid to Israel, but not to Ukraine. The bill is expected to be dead on arrival in the Senate, and President Biden has also threatened to veto the legislation. And in headlines: a former Memphis police officer charged in Tyre Nichols’ death pleaded guilty to two federal charges, a jury found FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of fraud and money laundering, and family and friends mourn the passing of progressive attorney and healthcare activist Ady Barkan. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt opened on Wednesday for the first time since the Israel-Hamas war began. The move comes after a deal was reached this week to allow foreign nationals, aid workers, and some injured Palestinians to leave the embattled enclave. Representative George Santos of New York survived a House vote that would have removed him from Congress. But he isn’t off the hook just yet: he’s still under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, and his criminal trial for fraud and money laundering is tentatively scheduled for next September. And in headlines: families of transgender teenagers asked the Supreme Court to block Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth, the Biden administration announced a narrower plan to forgive student loan debt, and teachers at Oregon’s largest school district are on strike for the first time ever. Show Notes: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/10/31/desantis-boots-shoemakers-00121044https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel confirmed that an airstrike targeting a top Hamas commander hit a densely populated refugee camp in northern Gaza, killing at least 50 people and wounding hundreds more. The attack raises fears that Israel’s continued push into the enclave will put even more Palestinian civilians in harm’s way. On Capitol Hill, anti-war protesters interrupted a U.S. Senate hearing over the White House’s emergency aid request for Israel and Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin both testified that the $106 billion request is imperative for national security. And in headlines: Republican Rep. George Santos could face an historic vote to expel him from Congress, a federal judge in Texas ordered Border Patrol agents to temporarily stop removing razor wire along the US-Mexico border, and a Kansas judge ruled that officials there cannot enforce laws that discourage anyone from seeking an abortion. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

As Israel continues its air and ground offensive into Gaza, its military says it has freed an IDF soldier who was captured by Hamas on October 7th. Meanwhile, Hamas released a video of three other Israeli hostages – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “cruel psychological propaganda,” and rejected calls for a ceasefire. A trial to determine whether Donald Trump can appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Colorado began on Monday. The case centers on whether the former president is ineligible to hold office again, because of the “insurrectionist” clause in the 14th Amendment. And in headlines: the union representing striking auto workers reached a tentative deal with General Motors, President Biden signed a first-of-its-kind executive order on artificial intelligence, and rapper Flavor Flav’s rendition of the national anthem has gone viral. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Gaza’s Health Ministry says that over 8,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas. Israel has since announced it has entered the “next stage” of its operations into Gaza, after sending in more ground troops to the enclave over the weekend. Meanwhile, calls for an immediate ceasefire have grown, with protesters taking to the streets in cities around the world to demand an unconditional end to the fighting. And in headlines: the suspected gunman behind last week’s deadly mass shootings in Maine has been found dead, Hollywood is mourning the sudden passing of “Friends” star Matthew Perry, and former Vice President Mike Pence dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. Show Notes: https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday