What A Day

Lawmakers continue to weigh in on the fate of President Biden’s re-election campaign. Vermont’s Peter Welch on Wednesday became the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to step aside. However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC that her fellow Democratic lawmakers should “hold off” on publicly debating the issue until after this week. Meanwhile, actor George Clooney penned a New York Times op-ed to describe a recent fundraiser he co-hosted for Biden and said the president was, “the same man we all witnessed at the debate.” Amid all the will-he-or-won’t-he chatter, what do voters think about Biden? Friend of the pod Dan Pfeiffer breaks down some of the recent polls in excerpts from the latest episode of, “Pollercoaster.”And in headlines: Two Senate Democrats asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possible tax and ethics violations, testimony began in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin, and Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin became the latest governor to call for restrictions on cell phone use in K-12 schools.Show Notes: “Pollercoaster” – https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pollercoaster/ 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

Republicans soften abortion stance in platform without federal ban, influenced by Trump. Biden marks NATO anniversary, Dems unify. Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Podcast covers GOP's anti-abortion agenda, Biden's NATO summit, and Texas energy provider challenges.

President Biden continued to aggressively push back on the idea that he would drop out of the presidential race. He started Monday morning by sending a letter to all Congressional Democrats that said he is “firmly committed to staying in this race,” and that it was time for speculation about it to end. He followed that up by calling into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where he blamed the party’s “elites” for trying to push him out of the race. Tara Palmeri, senior political correspondent for Puck News and the host of the election podcast “Somebody’s Gotta Win,” breaks down the mood on Capitol Hill as lawmakers returned from the long holiday weekend.The Paris Olympics are just a couple of weeks away. One of the people competing for Team U.S.A. is runner Nikki Hiltz, who is trans and nonbinary. Hiltz will be one of a few openly trans people at the games during a socio-political moment where trans people — trans women especially — are banned from participating on sports teams that align with their identities. CeCé Telfer, the first openly transgender person to win an NCAA track and field title, has also been trying to get to the Olympics but is barred from doing so. She shares her story.And in headlines: Republicans proposed a party platform with a softer abortion stance ahead of next week's Republican National Convention, Hurricane Beryl led to at least three deaths in Texas, and Boeing agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the federal government.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

Alex Thompson, a National political reporter, discusses Biden's refusal to exit the race despite Democratic pressures. The podcast also covers French voters preventing far-right government, upcoming Tropical Storm Beryl, and NASA Mars simulation concludes.

We may be starting to see a seismic shift in how the Democratic Party publicly talks about whether President Joe Biden should remain the party’s presumptive nominee for president. On Tuesday, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to leave the race after his devastating debate performance last week. Longtime Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Peter Welch of Vermont were also among those voicing harsh criticism of the president and his campaign. Most notably, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn said he would support Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden dropped out of the race. Liz Bruenig, staff writer at The Atlantic, explains how the stakes of the race have changed in recent days.And in headlines: New York Justice Juan Merchan has delayed former President Donald Trump’s sentencing until September in the wake of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani lost his license to practice law in the state, and President Biden proposed a new rule on Tuesday to protect around 35 million people from excessive heat in their workplaces.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 Supreme Court's conservative majority handed former President Donald Trump a major win on Monday, granting him broad — though not full — immunity from charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election. The decision effectively kicks Trump's federal election interference case back down to a lower court judge to parse out which of his actions that day, and leading up to it, could be considered "unofficial acts," for which he could still be prosecuted. It makes the likelihood of a trial before November almost nonexistent and raises the stakes of the presidential election. Kate Shaw, co-host of Crooked's legal podcast 'Strict Scrutiny,' explains what the court's decision means for Trump's Jan. 6 case and all future presidents of the United States.And in headlines: The Supreme Court put on hold a pair of social media laws from Texas and Florida, trans nonbinary runner Nikki Hiltz is headed to the Olympics after winning the women's 1500-meter race at trials, and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is filing for bankruptcy.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 Biden campaign spent the weekend trying to contain the damage from the president’s devastating performance in Thursday night’s presidential debate. Biden acknowledged his lackluster showing during a campaign event in North Carolina on Friday. Still, it didn’t do much to end the sheer panic that has overtaken the Democratic Party and quiet the calls for him to leave the race ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Colby Itkowitz, national reporter for The Washington Post, explains what would happen if Biden were to step aside before the DNC in August.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court kicked Democrats while they were down Friday morning. The justices issued a flurry of opinions limiting the ways government agencies can set regulations, allowing city officials to remove homeless encampments, and undermining a key charge used by prosecutors in hundreds of cases against January 6 rioters. The court is expected to wrap up its term today, meaning we expect a decision in the most significant case of the year — whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his role in the insurrection.And in headlines: France’s far-right political party won big in the country’s parliamentary elections Sunday, the U.S. dismantled the floating pier that the military built for aid delivery in Gaza, and Steve Bannon must turn himself into prison today after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal to delay his sentence.Show Notes: Read Colby Itkowitz's work- https://tinyurl.com/p4y2rywc 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 America so obsessed with lawns and order? Max and Erin get into the weeds of how the founding fathers made cultivating grass an American pastime, why our lawn mania is a creation of corporate marketing, and how it all feeds class anxiety. Why is it so bad for our environment? Does milkweed bring all the bees to the yard? And how much do lawns and instagram face have in common? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.  SOURCESThe History of the American LawnThe rise and fall of the American lawn, at least in California - The Washington PostUSDA ERS - WheatGrass takes up 2% of the land in the continental USThey Fought the Lawn. And the Lawn’s Done. - The New York TimesThe History of the American LawnClimate Victory Gardening: How Does It Work? | Green AmericaWhere Lawns Are Outlawed (and Dug Up, and Carted Away)Lawn wars consume America's neighborhoodsLawn ConversionKeeping your lawn cleaner and greener; new law limits fertilizer use - pennlive.comWhy stop mowing your lawn and what happens when you go no-mow - Washington PostA Brief History of Our Deadly Addiction to Nitrogen Fertilizer – Mother JonesGrand Prairie Man Served Jail Time For Too Tall Grass - CBS TexasSingle Mother 'Arrested for Grass' After Not MowingSheep Graze on the White House Lawn

Politics reporter Grace Panetta and White House correspondent Gerren Keith Gaynor analyze the chaotic first presidential debate of 2024. They discuss Biden's shaky performance, Trump's lies, and immigration. The podcast covers key topics like abortion, foreign policy, and the impact of the debate on the upcoming election.

Friend of the pod Alyssa Mastromonaco, former Deputy Chief of Staff under Obama, talks about what to expect from the Biden-Trump debate. Also, Supreme Court accidentally hints at allowing emergency abortions in Idaho, Midwest faces dangerous flooding, and Alex Morgan left off US Women's National Team's Olympic roster.