What A Day

The U.S. ended a year and a half-long pandemic travel ban, reopening borders to vaccinated travelers from 33 countries. Yesterday was an emotional day as families around the world were finally able to reunite after being apart.

We take a step back and discuss the Supreme Court during the middle of its term. Jay Willis, who runs the legal site Balls and Strikes, breaks down how these justices are leaning on certain issues and what we might expect from them on important cases coming up.

And in headlines: the Justice Department seized approximately $6 million in ransomware payments, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega is on track to win a fourth consecutive term in office, and the House committee investigating the January 6th riot issued new subpoenas for six of Trump's close allies.

Show Notes:

Balls and Strikes – https://ballsandstrikes.org/

Jay Willis: “Who Is the Worst Supreme Court Justice of All Time?” – https://bit.ly/3obh4Ej

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

The Biden administration set a January 4th deadline for companies with 100 or more employees to have their workforce fully vaccinated, or start weekly testing. And this past week, the CDC signed off on Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11. That means an estimated 28 million kids are eligible. Epidemiologist and host of “America Dissected,” Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, joins us to unpack the latest news.

And in headlines: a nearly all-white jury has been selected for the trial over Ahmaud Arbery’s murder, over 40 countries pledged to phase out the use of coal at the COP26 summit, and the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas for a restrictive voting law.

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

We discuss more election results and analyze where Democrats and progressives stand now. Some highlights include Michelle Wu becoming the first woman and first person of color as Boston’s mayor. Some lowlights include Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin defeating Democrat Terry McAuliffe for Virginia’s next governor. 

Voters in Minneapolis also rejected a proposal that would have replaced the city's police department with a Department of Public Safety. Minister JaNaé Bates from the Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign, which put the proposal on the ballot, joins us to discuss the amendment and where activists go from here.

And in headlines: Ethiopia’s ruling government declared a state of emergency, the Supreme Court heard arguments in what could be its first decision on the Second Amendment in more than a decade, and scientists say California condors can reproduce without mating.

Show Notes:

MPR: “Minneapolis voters reject plan to overhaul city policing” – https://bit.ly/2ZSGnCv

Austin American-Statesman: “Austin voters overwhelmingly reject Prop A police staffing plan” – https://bit.ly/3mHswbi

Cleveland 19: “Police oversight ballot measure approved; union promises to fight it” – https://bit.ly/3mHVNTj

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

Election day has come and gone with several important contests on the line. In New York, Eric Adams triumphed to become the city’s next mayor. And in Minneapolis, voters struck down a ballot measure that would’ve transformed the city’s police department.

We also explain that there are a number of elected positions that have an enormous impact on your local community. We focus on three of them, in particular, and how they influence the criminal justice system.

And in headlines: the CDC approved Pfizer’s vaccine for kids 5-11, world leaders made pledges on methane emissions and deforestation at the UN Climate Summit, and Congressional Democrats are inching towards finalizing their social safety net plan.

Show Notes:

Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/be-a-voter/

Ballotpedia – https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup

Vote 411 – https://www.vote411.org/

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

It’s election day, again! We are following major gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, mayoral contests in Cleveland, Buffalo, Atlanta and Boston, as well as ballot measures, city council, and more. Amanda Litman, co-founder and co-executive director of Run for Something, joins us to break everything down.

And in headlines: the COP26 UN Climate Conference began in Glasgow, Scotland, the Supreme Court heard challenges to the Texas abortion law, and COVID-19 has now killed more than five million people around the world.

Show Notes:

Run For Something – https://runforsomething.net/run/candidate-support-system/

Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/be-a-voter/

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

President Biden and other leaders formally endorsed a new global corporate minimum tax at the G20 Summit in Rome. Under this agreement, corporations trying to avoid taxes by moving their profits to low-tax countries will now be forced to pay the difference. The world leaders also made several pledges on the environment ahead of a UN Climate Summit that began in Scotland.

Employees at several Starbucks stores in the Buffalo area of New York have been looking to unionize, and the National Labor Relations Board last week gave them the go-ahead to hold elections. If they vote “yes,” it would be a first for the company and could lead to a broader push around the country. 

And in headlines: the FDA authorized Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for children 5-11, American Airlines canceled over 1,800 flights this past the weekend, and The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inducted Carole King, Jay Z and more.

Show Notes:

The Buffalo News: “Buffalo Starbucks workers get ready to vote on union” – https://bit.ly/3myqtpK

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

After weeks of negotiations, President Biden announced his revamped Build Back Better plan, which includes approximately $1.85 trillion of investments to fight climate change, expand health care, create jobs and more. This plan was originally much much bigger but two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, are the reasons Dems had to abandon some of the bigger provisions.

And in headlines: big oil CEOs testified before Congress, the DOJ will pay $88 million to the victims’ families of the 2015 massacre at a Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, and a new criminal complaint alleges former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo of forcibly touching a female staff member.

Show Notes:

NY Times: “The World ‘Has Found a Way to Do This’: The U.S. Lags on Paid Leave” – https://nyti.ms/3mmRzA5

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

Sudan is in the grips of a coup after the military seized control of the country, and in the past several days, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets. Nima Elbagir, CNN’s senior international correspondent, joins us to discuss the news.

And in headlines: investigators are still piecing together why a prop gun killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie “Rust,” America issued its first-ever passport with a nonbinary gender marker, and a U.S. military official said China was "very close" to a Sputnik moment because of a recent missile test.

Show Notes:

CNN: “The military has taken over in Sudan. Here's what happened” – https://cnn.it/3vMFfMI

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

Facebook is in the crosshairs after a drumbeat of stories over the last few weeks all stemming from a set of documents called the Facebook Papers. Some of those documents detailed how the company prioritized engagement over user safety, and described its failure to moderate hate speech and misinformation across the world. We spoke to Mike Isaac, a tech correspondent at the New York Times who has been wading through all of this. 

And in headlines: cyclones drenched the East and West Coasts, Congressional Democrats rushed to finalize the details of the climate and social policy bill, and Disneyland raised its prices this week.

Show Notes:

NYT: Mike Isaac – https://www.nytimes.com/by/mike-isaac

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

Minneapolis residents are voting on a ballot measure, Question 2. If it passes, the city’s police department would be replaced with a Department of Public Safety. But despite what some fear-mongers say, this would not actually replace the police and the police are not being defunded.

An FDA advisory committee is expected to meet today to discuss Pfizer/BioNTech’s authorization request for a lower dose of its vaccine designed for children 5-11. Children in a trial got two doses of the vaccine, each dose one-third the strength of what adults get.

And in headlines: the military staged a coup in Sudan, students at Howard University are protesting the school’s housing conditions, and a federal civil rights trial began against the white supremacists who helped plan a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Show Notes:

Ballotpedia: “Minneapolis, Minnesota, Question 2, Replace Police Department with Department of Public Safety Initiative” – https://bit.ly/3pCbXiJ

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