What A Day – Details, episodes & analysis

Israel spent the last few days engulfed in mass protests and paralyzed by a national strike after the bodies of six hostages, including an American Israeli, were recovered from a tunnel in southern Gaza this weekend. But despite national outcry for a ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed to double down on his terms for a deal with Hamas during a press conference Monday night. While the war in Gaza captured most of the headlines this weekend, Russia's war in Ukraine is showing no signs of letting up either. On Monday, Russia fired a barrage of missiles and drone attacks on the capital city of Kyiv, while President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded that Ukrainian forces holding territory in Russia had not yet managed to divert troops away from the frontlines of the war in the country's east. Kateryna Hodunova, a journalist at the Kyiv Independent, explains where things stand in Ukraine after two and a half years of war.

And in headlines: Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden held their first joint campaign event in Philadelphia to promote their support for unions, Brazil's Supreme Court upheld a decision to ban X in the country, and Italian Paralympic runner Valentina Petrillo became the first openly transgender woman to run in the games.
 

Show Notes:

• Check out Kateryna's stories – https://tinyurl.com/3yztjcej
• 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

2024 is on track to be the hottest year on record, beating out the current #1…2023. In a world where extreme heat is becoming the norm and more and more people are living in cities, are urban areas literally and figuratively cooked? To get a sense of the unique climate threats facing cities and what mayors are doing about it, Max and Erin take a closer look at Boston, Phoenix, and Hoboken. Can soapy roads address the urban heat island effect? Where’s the best place to hide a stormwater cistern? Where does environmental justice fit into all of this? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out.

Tuesday night’s DNC turned into a raucous celebration as delegates from each state showed off their local pride while casting their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris. Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama headlined the night’s speeches, capping an exciting night for the party. But to win in November, Democrats will need to mobilize voters while also combating a slate of new voter suppression policies enacted by Republicans since the 2020 election. Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia lawmaker and voting rights activist — and host of the new Crooked podcast ‘Assembly Required' — joins us from the DNC to talk about the voting rights fight ahead. Meanwhile, DNC organizers granted more than 200 content creators and influencers special access to the convention this year. Their presence speaks to the power of social media in the world of political messaging, especially with young voters.

And it’s a power that the Democratic Party is eager to tap into in these final few months before the election. Victoria Hammett, deputy director for Gen-Z for Change, talks about the content that resonates with young voters.
 

Show Notes:

• Check Out Assembly Required – https://tinyurl.com/2s38jxs3
• 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 Department of Justice took a significant step on Tuesday to downgrade federal restrictions on marijuana. The DOJ submitted a formal recommendation to the White House to reclassify it as a Schedule III drug. It’s a monumental shift in federal drug policy because, for more than 50 years, the U.S. government has considered marijuana to be among the most dangerous drugs, on par with heroin and LSD. Krishna Andavolu, the host and executive producer of the Vice TV show Weediquette, explains what reclassification could mean for businesses, medicine, and criminal justice.

And in headlines: The New York judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial fined the former president $9,000 for violating a gag order, police arrested students that had occupied Hamilton Hall on Columbia University’s campus, and a key federal task force issued new recommendations for women and breast cancer screenings.

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

Rent is due next week, but we still don’t have a new relief bill to extend federal unemployment assistance and eviction protections. Negotiations have stalled, with Senate Republicans, the White House, and Democrats far apart in negotiations. 

Federal agents will withdraw from Portland after a deal was reached between Oregon’s governor and the Department of Homeland Security. When this will happen is unclear, but it’s clear that state troopers will replace them. 

And in headlines: retail workers are left to enforce mask rules, Snapchat’s terrible diversity numbers, and Madonna’s bad IG post.

The CEO’s of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Alphabet will testify before Congress today in hearings that will examine whether their companies hurt consumers and stifle competition.

The Trump administration isn't getting rid of DACA (yet) but it is trying to restrict it. And the country’s second largest teachers union says they’ll support their members if they want to strike rather than go back to schools that are unsafe. 

And in headlines: China suspends their extradition treaty with three countries, Trump’s supporters don’t want to vote by mail and that could be bad if he wants their votes, and a man in Florida goes on PPP spending spree.

Pharmaceutical company Moderna entered phase three trials of its Covid-19 vaccine, and plans to test the efficacy of their drug on 30,000 healthy participants. The director of the NIH said they plan to reach out to communities that have been hardest hit by the virus to form that sample group. 

Major League Baseball has already announced that it’s postponing two games after players and coaches tested positive for Covid-19. Vietnam moved to evacuate 80,000 tourists from one city after a man there tested positive for the virus. 

And in headlines: Kyrie Irving commits to cover salaries of WNBA athletes, Chainsmokers wreak havoc in the Hamptons, and Melania Trump’s goth rose garden.

Florida has now passed New York in total known coronavirus cases, making it the second worst-hit state behind California which is nearly twice its size. In Europe, the UK is imposing a two week quarantine on anyone who’s been in Spain after an uptick in virus spread there. 

Republicans are set to propose their bill for the next round of coronavirus relief today. As federal unemployment benefits expire, we examine how we got to $600 per week in federal aid, and why Republicans want to reduce that going forward.

And in headlines: the 30th anniversary of the ADA, a reduced-capacity Hajj, and more info on a government UFO program.

The federal eviction moratorium from the CARES Act expires today, leaving up to 12 million people vulnerable to eviction if they can’t pay rent. Trump cancelled the Jacksonville portion of the RNC, after he moved the event there from North Carolina. 

The Justice Department’s Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security will investigate federal law enforcement actions in Portland. This comes days after Portland’s mayor was tear gassed by federal agents along with protestors in the city. 

And in headlines: Trump repeals and replaces the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, Michael Cohen will be released from prison again, and virtual Matrix baseball fans.

NBA games start next week with just 22 qualifying teams finishing off the season that the pandemic put on hold back in March. We interview Tania Ganguli, who covers the Lakers for the LA Times and is reporting live from the Disney World basketball “bubble” where games will be held.

The world passed 15 million coronavirus cases yesterday, with the US accounting for a quarter of that total. 

And in headlines: Trump announced he’ll be sending more federal officers to Chicago and Albuquerque, the US Army backs away from its twitch channel, and 7,000 QAnon devotees get kicked off Twitter.