What A Day

Trump signed a new executive order yesterday temporarily barring new foreign workers from coming to the US until the end of the year. The tech industry has warned that this order hinders their ability to recruit top talent. 

In Minneapolis, a city council pledge to dismantle the police department could be harder to implement than expected. And one county jail is facing criticism for allegedly blocking non-white correctional officers from guarding former police officer Derek Chauvin. 

And in headlines: CARES Act stimulus checks prevented poverty, four authors quit JK Rowling’s agency, and the FDA advises against nine brands of hand sanitizer.

New York, Virginia, and Kentucky have primaries on Tuesday. We speak with two progressive candidates for congress: Jamaal Bowman, who’s running against incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel for New York’s 16th congressional district, and Charles Booker, who’s running against Amy McGrath, for senate in Kentucky.

COVID-19 is still happening in the US, whether government officials recognize it or not. New daily cases have hit record highs in 12 states, with about 30,000 new daily cases countrywide. 

And in headlines: an 18-year-old security guard is killed by police in Los Angeles, Bill Barr tries to fire someone quietly and fails, and a new name for Columbus, Ohio.

Head to crooked.com/podcast/to-the-left-to-the-left/ to read a transcript of our full interview with Jamaal Bowman.

The Supreme Court ruled that Trump can’ t immediately end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA, because his administration’s reasons for ending it are not sufficient. We explain what comes next. 

Today is Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. We discuss the day’s significance and why this year’s Juneteenth feels different than others. 

And in headlines: Seattle’s largest labor group votes to expel the police union, California’s mask law, and a high-tech new ring for the NBA.

COVID-19 cases have plateaued in the US at around 20,000 a day as some states are seeing outbreaks grow. That hasn’t stopped Texas governor Greg Abbot from enforcing his executive order that bans cities from making face coverings mandatory. 

The police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, Georgia is now facing 11 charges including felony murder. 

Contact tracers are working around the country to cut off chains of coronavirus transmission. We interview one of them, Alexander Miamen, about what a typical day is like for him and how he speaks to his community’s needs. 

And in headlines: a price-fixing tuna CEO is going to prison, genetically modified mosquitos in Florida, and why you don’t need to buy John Bolton’s book.

Trump signed a fairly inconsequential executive order yesterday that is supposed to incentivize police departments to adopt reforms. Across the country, local officials are continuing to respond to protests against police brutality and systemic racism—some making more impactful moves than others. 

We interview Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley about federal legislation on policing, and why ending qualified immunity is a central goal.

And in headlines: violent clashes along China and India’s border, the Black Lives Matter Foundation versus Black Lives Matter, and an aggressive cyberstalking campaign from eBay.