What A Day

The fallout from President Donald Trump’s decision last week to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over what he called a ‘rigged’ jobs report continued Monday, as White House officials rushed to defend his actions. Amid growing bipartisan outcry, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett put the blame on a familiar culprit in the Trump Cinematic Universe: The Deep State. He told CNBC, “All over the U.S. government, there have been people who have been resisting Trump everywhere they can.” Trump is expected to announce his new pick to run the BLS this week, but already he’s made that person’s job – and the bureau’s job – harder by making Americans even less likely to trust their data. Heidi Shierholz, who served as the chief economist at the Department of Labor under President Barack Obama and now runs the nonpartisan labor think tank the Economic Policy Institute, joins us to talk about the BLS, the important data it compiles, and what the hell a revision is. And in headlines: Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott escalated the redistricting fight with state Democrats, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace announced her campaign for South Carolina governor, and the Trump administration has reportedly backtracked on the president’s campaign promise to make health insurers cover IVF. Show notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Gaza Friday to tour an Israeli-backed aid site, amid growing global outcry over the country’s handling of its war with Hamas. New polling from Gallup shows barely a third of Americans support Israel’s actions in Gaza, a new low. And two Israeli human rights organizations last week concluded Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, a first since the start of the war almost two years ago. But as of now, there’s no indication Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government have any plans to wind down the war. Yair Rosenberg, a staff writer at The Atlantic, talks about the ‘corrupt bargain’ that went into the making of Netanyahu’s coalition. And in headlines: White House officials defended President Donald Trump’s decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a bad jobs report, Texas House Democrats fled the state to block Republicans from redrawing the state’s congressional map, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting said it would shut down. Show notes: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/yair-rosenberg/https://tinyurl.com/4x9f9ee8202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Republicans in the Texas State House released their plans to redraw the state’s congressional map this week. It’s a nakedly partisan gambit to maximize GOP wins in next year’s midterm elections, all at the behest of President Donald Trump. In response, some Democrats want the party to fight fire with fire. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday he wants a special election in a bid to offset Texas’s shenanigans. Justin Levitt, a constitutional law professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and a former White House senior advisor to the Biden Administration, lays out the stakes for this mid-cycle redistricting war and why all of us should care. And in headlines: Trump slaps a 35 percent tariff on Canada after complaining about the country’s plans to recognize a Palestinian state, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff are headed to Gaza, and Trump signs an executive order to bring back the Presidential Fitness Test to schools. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Emil Bove as a federal appeals court judge, a lifetime appointment to a perch one rung below the U.S. Supreme Court. Bove, who served as President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, ascended to the top ranks of the Justice Department when Trump returned to office in January. Ahead of his Senate confirmation, he became the subject of multiple whistleblower complaints, with some alleging Bove told DOJ subordinates they may need to ignore court orders to enact Trump’s agenda (Bove denies the allegations). Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe joins us to talk about what Bove’s confirmation signals to the rank and file at the DOJ. He also weighs in on what’s happening at his former agency right now and — maybe more importantly — what’s not happening. And in headlines: President Donald Trump announced a new 25 percent tariff on India ahead of his Aug. 1 deals deadline, former Vice President President Kamala Harris announced she won’t run for governor of California next year, and the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged for a fifth time this year. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Friday is President Donald Trump’s alleged tariff deadline, the day when dozens of countries either have to reach a new trade deal with the U.S. or face the possibility of sky-high duties on their imported goods. Even an island mostly inhabited by penguins won’t be spared from the president’s economic demands. And while Trump has announced deals with major trading partners like the European Union and Japan, there are still a ton of unanswered questions about what comes next — hell, even what’s happening now! To help us understand what’s going on, and what we can expect come August 1st, we spoke with Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the progressive think tank Groundwork Collaborative. He also served as an economic policy advisor for former President Joe Biden and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. And in headlines, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the United Kingdom would recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel doesn’t reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced plans to gut the agency’s own ability to regulate greenhouse gases, and a group of states sued the Trump administration over it’s demands for state data on food stamp recipients. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://crooked.com/podcast/new-epa-argues-greenhouse-gases-are-totally-fine/https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Global outrage is building as the hunger crisis in Gaza descends into new depths of horror. Even aid workers themselves — the people tasked with helping Palestinians find food and water — say they, too, are starving. The ballooning crisis comes amid months of severe aid restrictions imposed by Israel, which has justified its actions with claims that Hamas has been stealing food and other supplies to maintain its control of the territory. But even President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel needs to do more to let aid in. Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen joins us to talk about the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, how the U.S. is complicit, and what should be done next. And in headlines: President Trump declines to rule out a pardon for Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, former North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper announces a Senate run, and a federal judge blocks Medicaid cuts for Planned Parenthood clinics. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Sometime this week, the Trump Administration is expected to launch an assault on one of the major cornerstones of U.S. climate policy, known as the 'endangerment finding.' It's the scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases are dangerous to people's health and safety, and should therefore be regulated by government agencies that are supposed to protect our interests. While the specifics of the administration's plans are still unknown, if successful, it could be one of the most devastating blows to the federal government's ability — and the world's ability — to mitigate the increasingly devastating effects of a warming planet. Zack Coleman, who covers climate change for Politico, tells us more about the 'endangerment finding' and the potential consequences of gutting it. Later in the show, Crooked Climate Correspondent Anya Zoledziowski debunks the latest right-wing weather conspiracies around this month's devastating floods in Texas. And in headlines: President Donald Trump announced a new trade agreement with the European Union, the president called for Beyonce to be prosecuted for something that never happened, and Israel began airdrops of aid and daily pauses in fighting amid rising deaths from starvation in Gaza. Show Notes: www.politico.com/staff/zack-colman202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

The Trump Administration is quickly ramping up its efforts to arrest and deport as many undocumented immigrants as possible, now that extra money is starting to roll in thanks to President Donald Trump’s new tax and spending law. It set aside more than $170 billion in new funding for immigration enforcement, including $45 billion to build and expand detention centers and $29 billion to help hire new immigration agents. The most notorious symbol of the administration's immigration crackdown is the pop up detention center in the Florida Everglades the administration calls ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ But more facilities are popping up all over the country, as are allegations of horrific conditions. Katie Blankenship is an attorney and co-founder of Sanctuary of the South, which provides legal services and civil rights representation throughout the region. She’s currently representing clients in ICE detention centers, and joins us to talk about what she's hearing from them. And in headlines: Trump and embattled Fed Chair Jerome Powell publicly bicker during a tour of the central bank headquarter’s ongoing renovations, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would recognize the state of Palestine, and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Jeffrey Epstein’s former fixer Ghislaine Maxwell. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

While pressure mounts on the White House to release documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump is doing his damndest to turn the public’s attention to his latest conspiracy (which is really just a remix of an old one). The president is alleging, despite zero evidence, that former President Barack Obama and members of his administration lied about Russian efforts to swing the 2016 election for Trump and made up intelligence to support those claims. This time, though, Trump’s wild allegations are being fueled by his own Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. She’s been releasing documents she says contradict the intelligence community’s well-established conclusions about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, claiming they’re proof of a ‘coup’ to undermine Trump during his first term in office. Atlantic Staff Writer David Frum, host of the new podcast ‘The David Frum Show,’ joins us to talk about the return of ‘Russia, Russia, Russia,’ and what Trump’s willingness to go after his political opponents– including a former president – says about where his second term is headed. And in headlines: The Justice Department reportedly informed Trump his name appears in the so-called Epstein files, a federal judge ruled a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador should be freed from custody at the Tennessee jail where he’s currently being held, and President Trump announced a new tariff deal with Japan. Show Notes: https://youtu.be/0kISxha7bJA?feature=shared202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

House lawmakers will start their Summer break a few days early today, vacating the capital until September. They’re leaving early because Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is trying desperately – desperately – to avoid holding any votes on releasing materials related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Over at the White House Tuesday, President Donald Trump did his best to turn attention away from Epstein and toward his latest conspiracy de jour, which is really just a remix of his favorite first-term conspiracy surrounding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election (A.K.A. Russia, Russia, Russia). But House Democrats say no dice. California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, talks about what Democrats are doing to keep the Trump administration in check. And in headlines: Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba is out of a job…maybe, Trump announced a new trade deal with the Philippians, and the United Nations delivered a stark warning about mass starvation in Gaza. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Despite President Donald Trump's best efforts, his administration can't escape the conspiracies swirling around convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — conspiracies Trump and his allies helped stoke before he returned to the White House.On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not permit a vote this summer on a non-binding resolution calling for the release of documents and records related to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 before his federal sex-trafficking trial. And on Friday, Trump sued The Wall Street Journal for billions of dollars over a story alleging he sent Epstein a lewd birthday card in the early 2000s, when the two were known to be friends. Trump has always denied any knowledge that the disgraced financier was abusing underage girls and young women, but there's no denying the two men frequently hung out together, often in the presence of young, attractive women.Matthew Goldstein, a New York Times business reporter who covers white collar crime, joins us to talk about the backstory of Trump and Epstein's friendship, and why the administration can't make this story go away. And in headlines: Some foreign travelers will have to pay a new $250 fee to enter the U.S. thanks to a provision in Trump's new Big Beautiful Law, a new Human Rights Watch report alleges 'dehumanizing' conditions across immigration detention centers in Florida, and Texas Republicans kicked off a special legislative session to potentially redraw the state's congressional map to help Trump in next year's midterm elections. Show Notes: nytimes.com/2025/07/19/us/politics/inside-trump-epstein-friendship.html202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

As artificial intelligence programs become more widely accessible, so too do increasingly sophisticated deepfake scams that take advantage of the technology. Earlier this month, the State Department confirmed reports that an imposter pretending to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio reached out to at least five high-ranking government officials. It wasn’t the first time a member of the Trump administration had been impersonated by AI; in May, the White House confirmed a similar incident involving Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. But these days, you don’t even have to be a big-name politician to end up on the wrong side of a deepfake scam. If your image and voice exist on the internet, enterprising bad actors might be able to use them against you. Reporter David Gilbert, who covers disinformation and online extremism for Wired, joins us to talk about the risks deepfakes pose to the public and how all of us can protect ourselves. And in headlines: President Donald Trump sued The Wall Street Journal for $20 billion over an article claiming he sent a lewd birthday card to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Israeli troops killed dozens of Palestinians seeking food in Gaza Sunday, and CBS is pulling the plug on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.’ Show Notes: https://www.wired.com/author/david-gilbert/202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Alligator Alcatraz, a pop-up immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, has been touted by members of the Trump Administration as an ‘efficient and low cost way’ to carry out the president's mass deportation agenda against ‘criminal illegal aliens.’ But an investigation by the Miami Herald found hundreds of the people at the facility have no criminal convictions or pending charges at all. And according to detainees and staff, the conditions in the makeshift facility are horrible, with reports of floors flooded with waste water, food ridden with worms, and clouds of mosquitos. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost visited Alligator Alcatraz. He joins us to talk about his experience, and how he thinks Democrats should respond. And in headlines: An Israeli strike hit the only Catholic church in Gaza, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin slammed Trump’s judicial nominee Emil Bove as “unqualified,’ and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem hinted carry-on liquid limits could change. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

President Donald Trump spent Wednesday refuting reports he plans to imminently fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The president has been complaining about him for months, accusing Powell of unnecessarily keeping interest rates high. But Trump’s frustrations seemed to reach a new peak this week amid reports he had a letter drafted to oust the man he appointed to the job back in 2017, then asked a group of House Republicans whether he should do it. Firing Powell would undermine the Federal Reserve’s independence. It’s also potentially illegal. Bloomberg Senior Editor and friend of the pod Stacey Vanek Smith stops by to talk about interest rates, inflation risks, and Trump’s very focused campaign of loathing against Powell. And in headlines: Vice President J.D. Vance hit the road to put some proverbial lipstick on Trump’s pig of a new tax and spending law, the Trump administration deported five migrants to the small African nation of Eswatini, and the senior vice president of PBS Kids says the network will have to scale back new programing if Congress lets Trump claw back funding. Show Notes: x.com/svaneksmith?lang=en202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

On the 2024 campaign trail, then-candidate Donald Trump repeatedly claimed he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine ‘on day one.’ Roughly 180 days into his second presidential term, the war has only escalated. What has changed is Trump’s attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin. This week, Trump announced a new deal to send U.S. weapons to Ukraine, after weeks of complaining about Putin’s increasingly destructive attacks. Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama and co-host of Pod Save the World, discusses the significance of Trump’s pivot. He also weighs in on the latest fault lines in the ongoing ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel, mass layoffs at the State Department, and looming cuts to foreign aid. And in headlines: The House joined in on the Jeffrey Epstein discourse, the Supreme Court greenlights mass layoffs at the Department of Education, and former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz testifies at his Senate confirmation hearing to be US ambassador to the United Nations. Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/mrapf4a4202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago, the question of abortion's legality and availability returned to the states. As of now, abortion remains broadly legal in more than 30 states and Washington, D.C. In some, like Kansas, Missouri and Montana, abortion is still legal largely because of voters. But while Trump spent a lot of time on the campaign trail trying to avoid the topic of abortion, his new tax and spending law proves that the GOP has stayed laser focused on restricting the rights of everyday Americans. It contains a provision that prevents health care nonprofits like Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion care provider, from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for one year for ANY services – even those not related to abortion. Mary Ziegler, a professor at UC Davis School of Law who focuses on the history and politics of reproduction, healthcare and conservatism, explains how the new law could limit your ability to access health care and threaten Planned Parenthood. And in headlines: Trump announced the U.S. will send Patriot missiles to Ukraine, a bunch of states sued the Trump administration for withholding money for after-school care and English language programs, and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he'll stay in the race to be New York City's next mayor. Show Notes: workstatecourtreport.org/about/mary-ziegler202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

President Donald Trump’s new spending and tax law is set to balloon the budget for immigration and detention enforcement. With an extra $170 billion over the next four years, the government is hoping to hire 10 thousand new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, build new detention facilities, and otherwise ramp up every aspect of arrests and removals. In fact, under the new spending plan, ICE will become the most well-funded law enforcement agency in the federal government. Garrett Graff is a historian and longtime politics and national security reporter who currently writes the ‘Doomsday Scenario’ newsletter. He joins us to talk about why dramatically expanding the federal immigration enforcement budget so quickly is a bad idea. And in headlines: President Trump threatened new tariffs on Mexico and the European Union, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pushed back on critical reports of her handling of the response to the deadly Texas floods, and the State Department laid off more than 1,000 staffers. Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/33p63f8vhttps://tinyurl.com/32bdmpny202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to central Texas today to tour damage of the devastating July 4th weekend floods. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead, and nearly 200 are still missing a week later. As people in the region continue to mourn their loved ones and assess the destruction, there has been a lot of finger-pointing over whether more could have been done to alert people about the flood risks. If staffing cuts at the National Weather Service played a role, and who’s to blame for the mounting death toll? Richard Spinrad, the former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, talks about how staffing cuts make the agency’s job harder. And in headlines: A federal judge in New Hampshire blocked the Trump Administration’s order ending birthright citizenship after a class-action challenge, retiring Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tills unloads during a CNN exclusive interview, and former Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil filed a claim against the Trump administration for $20 million in damages. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

Federal agents descended on a park in the middle of Los Angeles midday Monday, showing up on horseback, in armored tanks, and carrying rifles. While it’s still not at all clear if the agents made any arrests, a regional Customs and Border Protection chief told a local FOX News reporter, “Better get used to us now, because this is gonna be normal very soon.” He may not be wrong. President Donald Trump’s new spending and tax law explodes the budget for immigration and border enforcement, setting aside around $170 billion extra dollars for Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Around $75 billion of that money is earmarked specifically for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla joins us to talk about ICE’s aggressive tactics, how immigrants in California are feeling right now, and what Democrats — and all of us — can do to respond. And in headlines: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent Wednesday waltzing around Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers, Trump sent out threatening tariffs letters to more countries, and the CEO of the platform formerly known as Twitter coincidentally quit just a day after Elon Musk’s AI chatbot went full antisemite. Show Notes: 202-224-3121https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday

In just a few short months on the job, Health And Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has managed to upend the American public health system, successfully inserting his decades of vaccine skepticism into national policy. Late last month, he fired every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel, replacing them mostly with people who’ve voiced skepticism about vaccines. In May, he announced the CDC would stop recommending COVID vaccines for pregnant people and babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other health groups are now suing him and HHS over the latter decision. Dr. Fiona Havers, a former senior advisor on vaccine policy at the CDC, resigned from the agency over Kennedy’s changes to federal vaccine policy. She joins us to talk about what everyday people should do to keep themselves and their family safe. And in headlines: President Donald Trump abruptly reversed course on sending defense weapons to Ukraine, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins doubles down on “no amnesty” for undocumented farmworkers, and someone out there is using AI to impersonate Secretary of State/National Security Advisor/Acting Archivist Marco Rubio. Show Notes: https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/crooked.com/whataday