President Joe Biden will send CIA Director William Burns to help negotiate a new deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages. Meanwhile, protests in the U.S. continued around America’s involvement in the war and whether we should officially call for a ceasefire. Universities in particular have been in the spotlight as the sites of many of these demonstrations.

L.A. Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong appointed Terry Tang as interim executive editor, making her the first woman ever to be the paper’s top editor in its 142-year history. Her appointment came after a tumultuous couple of weeks at the paper. But as publications downsize and shutter, we also saw newsrooms unionize or otherwise stand up for better pay, improved working conditions and a seat at the table.

And in headlines: Alabama carried out the nation’s first ever execution using nitrogen gas, transgender veterans sued the Department of Veterans Affairs over its failure to provide coverage for gender-affirming surgeries, and housing was unaffordable for half of all renters in the United States in 2022.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered his third State of the City address on Wednesday. Since just last spring, 170,000 migrants have arrived in New York City, tens of thousands of whom were sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. But in his speech, Mayor Adams fell short of providing any real plans to address the situation. We’re joined by Christine Quinn, former Speaker of the New York City Council and current head of shelter operator Win, to discuss what migrants need and what providers in the city are doing to meet the moment.

And in headlines: the United Auto Workers Union endorsed President Joe Biden, nine people were killed and more than 70 were injured after a UN shelter in Khan Younis was bombed, and Obamacare hit a record level of enrollment.

Show Notes:

• Win NYC – https://winnyc.org/
• Politico: “War cats: Ukraine enlists feline friends in fight against Russia” – http://tinyurl.com/ysytnmhp
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Former President Donald Trump won New Hampshire’s Republican primary on Tuesday and defeated former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary as a write-in candidate. We’re joined by Colin Booth, Chief Political Correspondent for the Granite Post, to break down the results.

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held their first joint campaign event of 2024 in Manassas, Virginia on Tuesday. And one clear takeaway from this event is that the Biden-Harris campaign is betting big on abortion rights.

And in headlines: Turkey’s parliament voted to allow Sweden to join NATO, the L.A. Times laid off about 115 journalists on Tuesday, and Oscar nominations are officially here.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the Biden administration has the authority to remove parts of a barbed wire barrier erected by Texas officials at the U.S.-Mexico border. The high court ruled for Biden in a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett siding with the three liberal justices.

More than 300 L.A. Times journalists walked off their jobs last Friday for a one-day strike to protest potential layoffs. Then on Monday, a group of ten California lawmakers said in a letter that they’re concerned about how possible cuts might impact “the availability of essential news and the strength of our democracy at large.”

And in headlines: New Hampshire officials are investigating robocalls that used AI to impersonate President Joe Biden, a Georgia judge unsealed documents in a divorce case that involves prosecutors in the election interference case against Donald Trump, and we learn about the science behind heartbreak.

Show Notes:

• LA Times: “Science can explain a broken heart. Could science help heal mine?” – http://tinyurl.com/yvjttlsk
  What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially exited from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed former President Donald Trump. He made the announcement in a video posted on X on Sunday, just two days before the New Hampshire primary.

Because of his exit, all eyes will be Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in Tuesday’s primary. Democrats will also go out to vote, even though President Joe Biden will actually not be on the ballot this year. For more, we’re joined by Manny Espitia, former New Hampshire lawmaker and northern regional director for the progressive group Run for Something.

And in headlines: the death toll in Gaza soared past 25,000 people, a grand jury is set to investigate local police in Uvalde, Texas for their response to the deadly 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School, and California State University System faculty members will walk off the job this week to demand better pay and benefits. 

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis faces misconduct allegations after a co-defendant in Georgia’s election interference case against Trump claimed that Willis was in a “romantic relationship” with her special prosecutor. The presiding judge set a hearing for February 15th to focus on the allegations.

The Justice Department released a scathing 575-page report Thursday about the 2022 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The report described the “significant failure” in the police’s response that day, and emphasized that the officers took too long to treat the incident as an active shooter situation.

And in headlines: Congress narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown by passing a short-term funding bill Thursday, Pakistan and Iran both launched unprecedented attacks on each other’s territories, and the NFL announced that Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day will perform at this year’s Super Bowl pregame.

Show Notes:

• Missouri’s effort to get an abortion amendment on the 2024 ballot: Missourians For Constitutional Freedom – https://moconstitutionalfreedom.org/
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on Wednesday to get medicine delivered to hostages held in Gaza. In exchange, humanitarian aid and medication will be delivered to Palestinian civilians. And overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday, Israeli forces advanced on the area around the Al Nasser hospital complex in Khan Younis, a city in Southern Gaza.

Over in Texas, a floating barrier in the Rio Grande will stay for now because an appeals court reversed an order for the state to remove it. Governor Greg Abbott installed the 1,000 foot-long string of buoys and submerged netting in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass last July as part of his anti-immigration program.

And in headlines: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis decided to move his presidential campaign away from New Hampshire and instead prioritize South Carolina’s primary, Democrats filed a lawsuit to demand that the Wisconsin Supreme Court throw out the state’s congressional maps, and thousands marched the streets of Honolulu on Wednesday for the annual ‘Onipa’a Peace March that commemorates the day that the U.S. illegally overthrew the Hawaiian Kingdom. 

Show Notes:

• WAD – “Hawai’i: An American Coup” – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hawaii-an-american-coup/id1483692776?i=1000594870921
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

President Biden invited Congressional leaders to the White House Wednesday for their first face-to-face talks in months about critical aid to Ukraine, immigration and border policy, and aid for Israel. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday where he emphasized the need for more aid and called out Putin directly.

In the Middle East, fears of an expanding war in the region have multiplied in recent days. The U.S. launched a new airstrike against Houthi ballistic missiles in Yemen on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Iran launched missiles of their own at locations in Iraq, Syria and Pakistan.

And in headlines: Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson dropped out of the race, the Supreme Court decided to stay out of the debate over bathroom access for transgender students, and Elton John joined the EGOT club.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Iowa caucuses are officially over. Donald Trump won as expected with just over 50 percent of the vote, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in second and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley came in third. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy finished in fourth place, and suspended his campaign just minutes after the polls closed and then endorsed Trump. We’re joined by Eugene Scott, senior politics reporter for Axios, to break down the results and turnout in Iowa.

And in headlines: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was released from the hospital, the Biden Administration sent a cease-and-desist to Texas officials to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from the border, and we recap last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Iowa caucuses are here. Former President Donald Trump is in the lead, according to the most recent Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll. He has the backing of 48 percent of likely Republican caucus-goers. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley is in second place with 20 percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in third place at 16 percent.

Meanwhile, it is bitterly, bitterly cold in Iowa with a wind chill warning in place until after the caucus on Tuesday. And it’s not just Iowa – an arctic cold outbreak is set to bring record-setting, too-cold-for-comfort temperatures all over. Daily records for this time of year could be broken from coast to coast.

And in headlines: Sunday marked 100 days since the Israel-Hamas war began, John Kerry will step down as the U.S. special climate envoy, and the Supreme Court agreed to take on cases that will impact people experiencing homelessness and workers’ rights to unionize.

Show Notes:

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday