What A Day

The North Carolina Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Republican-drawn congressional and state legislative maps constituted partisan gerrymanders that violated the state’s constitution. This is just the latest example of courts recently acting as a line of defense against maps that are very clearly drawn to increase Republicans' electoral odds. Michael Li, the senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, joins us to discuss the impact of redistricting efforts across the country.

And in headlines: Amir Locke was killed by Minneapolis police after they entered his apartment during a no-knock raid, Olympic athletes took to social media to call out the poor living conditions for athletes in isolation in Beijing, and Southwest Airlines announced that it would resume serving alcohol on its flights.

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

South Dakota became the first state to pass an anti-trans bill in 2022 yesterday, and according to a report by the Human Rights Campaign, roughly 280 anti-trans bills will likely move through state legislatures nationwide this year. Chase Strangio, a lawyer for the ACLU and transgender activist, joins us to discuss how we can get involved in the fight to combat these measures across the country.

President Biden said that the U.S. had conducted a raid in Syria during which Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Qurayshi, the leader of ISIS, died. There were at least three civilian deaths confirmed by the Pentagon with no American casualties. Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff said that the civilian deaths should be investigated “while keeping in mind the history of ISIS leaders using civilians as human shields.”

And in headlines: The Biden administration accused Russia of planning a false flag operation, the FBI identified suspects amid a wave of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities, and Facebook reported it had lost daily active users for the first time in its history.

Show Notes:

Donate to the Trans Justice Funding Project - https://www.transjusticefundingproject.org/

Track Anti-Transgender Legislation in the U.S. - https://freedomforallamericans.org/legislative-tracker/anti-transgender-legislation/

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

Roe v. Wade was issued just over 49 years ago, and in the months ahead, we're faced with the very real possibility that the Supreme Court could effectively overturn it. Plus, conservative lawmakers in at least 29 states have been racing to pass new anti-abortion restrictions. We're joined by Destiny Lopez, co-president of All* Above All, to discuss what abortion justice organizers are doing to defend the right to choose and how we can support them.

The Pentagon announced that 3,000 additional U.S. troops will be deployed to Eastern Europe to support NATO nations amid concerns of a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine.

And in headlines: Tonga went into lockdown after reporting five cases of the coronavirus, Brian Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and CNN President Jeff Zucker stepped down.

Show Notes:

All* Above All - https://allaboveall.org/

National Network of Abortion Funds - https://abortionfunds.org/

Keep Our Clinics - https://keepourclinics.org/

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

The NAACP is urging the Justice Department to bring federal civil rights charges against Jason Van Dyke, the Chicago police officer who murdered 17-year-old Laquan McDonald in 2014. Zooming out, it's not uncommon for people to look to the federal justice system when state courts or local law enforcement decline to hold police officers responsible in cases like these. The same avenues were pursued in the case of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who also was killed by police in 2014, though the DOJ has announced it will not reopen an investigation into that shooting.

Later this week, employees at an Amazon facility in Bessemer, Alabama will begin voting on whether to unionize their workplace after the National Labor Relations Board concluded that Amazon’s actions disrupted the process the first time around. To get a sense of where things stand, we hear from Reyn McGuire, an employee at the Bessemer facility that has been actively organizing her coworkers.

And in headlines: Putin publicly addresses the Ukraine crisis, NFL quarterback Tom Brady confirmed his retirement, and Native American tribes reach a settlement with opioid manufactures who precipitated a crisis.

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

As we celebrate the beginning of Black History Month, conservatives are actively and aggressively silencing educators’ ability to talk honestly about history. Book bans are gaining steam with schools banning everything from "The 1619 Project," to Toni Morrison’s "Beloved," to Art Spiegelman’s "Maus." Journalist and activist George M. Johnson joins us to discuss the issue from an author’s perspective after their book, "All Boys Aren’t Blue," was targeted for removal in at least 14 states.

And in headlines: A Georgia judge rejected plea agreements in the federal hate crime trial of Gregory and Travis McMichael, the FDA granted full approval of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, and The New York Times announced it had acquired Wordle.

Show Notes:

NYT: "Book Ban Efforts Spread Across the U.S." - https://nyti.ms/3uah9wK

Order "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson - https://bit.ly/34qKfNC

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday

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

Concerns of a possible Russian invasion into Ukraine continue to mount, with Britain moving this week to broaden the sanctions it could impose in case of a Russian offensive. The U.S. has reportedly considered its own set of sanctions, which could have severe ramifications for individuals in Russia and conceivably others in Europe as well. Michael McFaul, the former US Ambassador to Russia, joins us to discuss everything we know and everything we don’t.

And in headlines: New data suggests the omicron wave in the U.S. may have peaked, a massive winter storm in the Northeast left over a hundred thousand people without power over the weekend, and numerous celebrities have joined Neil Young’s boycott of Spotify.

Show Notes:

NYT: “U.S. Sanctions Aimed at Russia Could Take a Wide Toll:” – https://nyti.ms/3s6znfJ

WAPO: "Ukraine’s Zelensky’s message is don’t panic. That’s making the West antsy" - https://wapo.st/3obGK4J

AL: "Police in this tiny Alabama town suck drivers into legal ‘black hole’" - https://bit.ly/3ARQBBF

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

President Biden reaffirmed his commitment to nominating a Black woman to the Supreme Court yesterday, and said that he would announce his choice by the end of February. Plus, Justice Stephen Breyer formally announced his retirement. We were joined by Dan Pfeiffer, former White House Communications Director during the Obama administration and one of the hosts of Pod Save America, to discuss the impact the SCOTUS shakeup could have for Democrats as we head into midterm election season.

And in headlines: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the military to install measures to prevent civilian deaths caused by American airstrikes, countries across the globe advised their athletes to bring temporary cellphones to the Beijing Winter Olympics, and a study claimed that even when gas stoves are turned off, they often continue to leak unburned methane into their surroundings.

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

The 83-year-old Justice Stephen Breyer intends to retire at the end of this Supreme Court term in June, according to multiple reports yesterday. The oldest justice on the court, Breyer has been under enormous pressure to retire while Democrats have the slimmest control of the Senate. Leah Litman, a law professor at the University of Michigan and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny, joins us to discuss what comes next. 

And in headlines: San Jose passed the first U.S. law requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee, France’s National Assembly voted unanimously to ban 'conversion therapy,' and a rogue SpaceX rocket is expected to crash into the Moon.

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

Russia conducted a series of military drills yesterday while Ukraine received a shipment of weapons including antitank missiles from the U.S. These were some of the latest turns since diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Russia have faltered and now both are accusing the other of ratcheting up tensions. Ben Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration and co-host of Pod Save the World, joins us to discuss how we got here and what’s next. 

And in headlines: Pfizer announced that it has begun testing a new vaccine designed to target the omicron variant, British police opened an inquiry into a series of parties held at 10 Downing Street during COVID lockdown, and Neil Young threatens to pull his discography from Spotify if the company doesn't drop Joe Rogan.

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

The Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will hear cases on the right of universities to consider race in admissions. The court has historically ruled that universities have a limited right to consider an applicant’s race during the admission process, but the court’s conservative majority could upend decades of precedent. Lawyer and journalist Jay Willis joins us to discuss what we can expect, what this might mean for affirmative action, and the future of higher education.

And in headlines: NATO said that its allies are sending military reinforcements to Eastern Europe amid tensions at the Ukrainian border, the Burkina Faso military announced that it seized control after overthrowing President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, and four attorneys general filed a privacy lawsuit against Google.

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