This year's Olympics is like no other, taking place in the midst of a pandemic, and in a city under a state of emergency in response to rising COVID-19 cases. We talked to The Washington Post's Ava Wallace about what it's like to report on the games this year, but also, the overall experience for her, for athletes, and for Tokyo residents at-large.
Democratic donor Ed Buck was convicted in federal court on Tuesday in connection with the death-by-overdose of two Black gay men who he injected with methamphetamine. We discuss the significance of the conviction, and what the long road to accountability says about the way our justice system treats Black gay men.
And in headlines: Tunisia’s president seizes judicial power, Activision Blizzard employees stage a walkout, and Hobby Lobby’s $1.6M Gilgamesh tablet is confiscated by the government.

Show Notes:
Washington Post: coverage by Ava Wallace – https://wapo.st/3BUVgmi
Follow Ava Wallace on Twitter – https://twitter.com/AvaRWallace

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

On The Ground At Tokyo 2020

What A Day cuts through all the chaos and crimes to help you understand what matters and how you can fix it—all in just 20 minutes. Hosts Tre’vell Anderson, Priyanka Aribindi, Josie Duffy Rice, and Juanita Tolliver break down the biggest news of the day, share important stories you may have missed, and show you what “Fox & Friends” would sound like if it were hosted by people whose parents read to them as children. New episodes Monday through Friday at 5 a.m. EST.

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Daily News

All 12 jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial in Manhattan. While jury selection continues today for alternates, the judge overseeing the case said opening arguments in the trial could come as soon as Monday. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi breaks down the challenges of seating a jury in such a historic, high-profile case.Google announced late Wednesday that it fired 28 workers who staged sit-in protests at some of the company’s offices this week. The protests were organized by the group No Tech for Apartheid. They were demonstrating against a $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon to provide the Israeli government and military with cloud computing services.

The Challenges Of Jury Selection

On Wednesday, the Senate moved to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats needed “to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements.” Congressional reporter Matt Laslo breaks down the vibes on Capitol Hill.

An Anticlimactic End to Mayorkas Impeachment

House Republicans are in chaos again after a second conservative lawmaker voiced support for a push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. The speaker announced plans to bring a foreign aid bill for Ukraine up for a vote, causing an uproar. Joan Greve, senior political reporter for The Guardian, breaks down the mood on Capitol Hill.In the Senate, lawmakers will consider a bill to reauthorize a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, that has bipartisan support and bipartisan critics. The part of the law up for renewal allows the federal government to obtain vast amounts of intelligence and communications within the broad category of “foreign intelligence information,” all without a warrant. Without quick Senate approval, it will expire on Friday.

Speaker Johnson VS. House Far-Right GOPAnd in headlines: The Supreme Court seemed open to siding with some January 6th rioters in a case that could undo hundreds of Justice Department prosecutions, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US will enforce new sanctions on Iran after its weekend attack on Israel, and seven jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s historic criminal hush-money trial.

Speaker Johnson VS. House Far-Right GOP

The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a major case related to the January 6th Insurrection that has the potential to undo some of the charges former President Donald Trump faces. The case looks at whether the Justice Department was right to charge some of the people who stormed the Capitol that day with the crime of obstructing an official proceeding. The case has the potential to upend hundreds of prosecutions tied to the riot, and knock out two of the four charges Trump is facing in his federal insurrection case. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny,’ breaks down the case for us.

And in headlines: Jury selection began in Trump’s Manhattan criminal hush-money trial, the FBI announced it’s conducting a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, and our favorite NCAA stars are headed to the WNBA after yesterday’s draft.

Supreme Court Could Help Trump In Jan 6 Obstruction Case

Description: The Iranian government launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel late Saturday night in what’s believed to be Iran’s first direct attack against Israel from its own soil. Israel reported minimal damage and was able to shoot down most of the drones and missiles, with some help from the U.S. military. Ben Rhodes, former U.S. national security advisor and co-host of Pod Save The World, talks about the significance of the attack and what it means for long-simmering tensions in the Middle East.

Former President Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial begins today in a Manhattan courtroom. He’s accused of falsifying business records to cover up payments he made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 election. He also becomes the first former U.S. president to face a criminal trial. Attorney Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee’s majority during Trump’s first impeachment, explains what we can expect during the trial.

On The Ground At Tokyo 2020

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