Interest on federal student loans has officially resumed, and payments are set to restart on October 1st. On Tuesday, however, a group of Senate Republicans introduced legislation to block President Biden’s Saving on Valuable Education Plan — or SAVE Plan — from going into effect, despite how it could help millions of people struggling to pay off their debt. For more, we’re joined by Braxton Brewington from the Debt Collective, a progressive organization fighting for full student debt cancellation.

And in headlines: a court struck down Alabama’s Republican-drawn congressional map again, the impeachment trial of Texas’s Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton started yesterday, and a pair of construction workers severely damaged a part of the Great Wall in northern China. 

Show Notes:

COVID cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in the U.S., and experts are closely monitoring a new variant nicknamed “Pirola.” Plus, there might be a new, updated vaccine as early as next week. We’re joined by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s America Dissected, to talk about the latest uptick and what to expect in the coming months.

Show notes:

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Two more leaders of the Proud Boys were sentenced yesterday for their roles in the January 6th insurrection. Joe Biggs was sentenced to 17 years in prison while Zachary Rehl was sentenced to 15 years. Plus, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday in the Georgia criminal case where he’s accused of racketeering in his efforts to upend the 2020 presidential election results in the state.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas officially disclosed yesterday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow footed the bill for his private jet trips in 2022 to both attend a speech in Texas and to vacation at Crow’s home in the Adirondacks. With this disclosure, he also included a statement defending his travel with Crow.

And in headlines: at least 74 people died and more than 50 were injured after a fire broke out in Johannesburg, South Africa, federal student loans will once again start accruing interest, and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is coming to a movie theater near you this October.

Show notes:

Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee

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

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

Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast yesterday morning and wreaked havoc in its wake. So far, it has left at least two people dead and caused major flooding and destruction.

A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Rudy Giuliani is liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers. They say their lives were upended after being targeted by Giuliani and Donald Trump after the 2020 election.

And in headlines: Narcan will soon be available over the counter in the U.S., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze in front of reporters, and flight attendants at American Airlines voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike.

Show Notes:

The Biden administration on Tuesday shared the first ten prescription drugs that it has chosen for price negotiations through Medicare. The Biden administration will try to lower Medicare prices for the drugs by negotiating with their respective manufacturers to ease the burden of their otherwise exorbitant costs.

Former employees at Twitter – a.k.a. X – have filed thousands of arbitration complaints against the company in an effort to get the severance pay that they were promised. To date, more than 2,200 cases are backed up in the JAMS arbitration system, and the fees X is on the hook for could amount to about $3.5 million.

And in headlines: the Biden Administration weakened regulations protecting millions of acres of wetlands, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee voted to temporarily censure Representative Justin Jones, and Boston officially dropped gendered language from marriage certificates.

Show Notes:

March 4, 2024 will be the first day for Donald Trump’s federal criminal trial in which he is charged with attempting to subvert the 2020 presidential election results on January 6th. That trial date means it comes one day before the Super Tuesday primary.

Tropical Storm Idalia is headed towards the U.S. and is expected to become a "major hurricane" by the time it hits Florida as early as tonight. Experts have warned residents to prepare for very severe weather, including a potentially deadly surge.

And in headlines: Former L.A. City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas was sentenced to 42 months in prison, the visual effects crew at Walt Disney Studios got one step closer to unionizing, and Dylan Mulvaney took home the trophy for Breakout Creator at the 2023 Streamy Awards.

Plus, listeners share how they or their loved ones have been impacted by anti-trans or anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the country. WAD producer Raven Yamamoto joins us to share those stories and more.

Show Notes:

A white gunman shot and killed three Black people in a racist attack at a Dollar General store on Saturday in Jacksonville, Florida. The attack is the latest incidence of racist gun violence perpetrated by a young, white gunman in the United States, and it is being investigated as a hate crime.

Georgia Republicans have expedited the passing of a new state law that would allow the legislature to remove local prosecutors — particularly Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who recently indicted Donald Trump. This is the GOP’s latest attempt to remove prosecutorial power from DAs across the country.

And in headlines: Russian officials finally confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash outside of Moscow, at least seven people were shot and killed just outside of Haiti’s capital, and members of the United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike.

Show Notes:

Former President Donald Trump surrendered on Thursday at the Fulton County Jail on felony charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. He was released on a $200,000 bond. Meanwhile in the criminal case over mishandled classified documents, a former Mar-a-Lago employee who monitored the security cameras flipped on Trump after switching lawyers.

Japan released the first batch of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, setting off huge protests in China and South Korea. A total of one million metric tons of treated water will ultimately be released.

And in headlines: the Department of Justice sued SpaceX for allegedly discriminating against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring practices, Virginia’s attorney general said local school boards must roll back accommodations for transgender students, and India became the first country to land a spacecraft near the lunar South Pole.

Show Notes:

Eight Republican presidential candidates went head to head for the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee Wednesday night. Notably absent from the lineup was Donald Trump — the former president instead appeared in a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson that debuted on X at the exact same time as the nationally televised event. We’re joined by Crooked’s Editor-in-Chief Brian Beutler and Alyssa Mastromonaco of Crooked’s Hysteria podcast for their takes on who stood out on the debate stage.

And in headlines: Russian authorities said that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the country’s paramilitary Wagner Group, died in a plane crash, South Carolina’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s near-total abortion ban, and Fyre Fest 2 tickets went on sale.

Show Notes:

Students across the country head back to school this month, but tens of thousands of teacher positions remain vacant and more than 160,000 positions are filled by under-qualified teachers. We’re joined by Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, to learn more about the nationwide teacher shortage.

And in headlines: Donald Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case officially started to turn themselves in, members of the Teamsters union ratified their new labor contract, and sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is now the fastest woman in the world.

Show Notes:
NEA’s Guide To Fixing Educator Shortages – nea.org/solutions

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
  Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee
  Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
  For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday