Today is the last day that Congress is scheduled to be in session for 2021. Just yesterday, the Senate voted and paved the way for Democrats to raise the debt limit so the country doesn’t default on its loans. Crooked Media’s Editor in Chief Brian Beutler joins us to catch us up on what our lawmakers have been up to all year.

And in headlines: workers at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, New York, have successfully voted to unionize, farmers in India ended their year-long protest, and the FDA approved Pfizer-BioNTech's booster shot for 16- and 17-year-olds.

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

Today, votes will be counted in the effort to unionize three Starbucks stores in Buffalo, New York, with the result expected this afternoon. If that vote is successful, they would be the first unionized Starbucks in the country. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joins us again to discuss labor movements like this one and what’s driving them.

And in headlines: Pfizer said its vaccine booster shot can protect against the Omicron variant, Germany swore in Olaf Scholz as its new chancellor, and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin apologized for going clubbing after being exposed to coronavirus.

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

Redistricting efforts are underway across the country, but it's become a contentious process. The Department of Justice, for example, filed a lawsuit against the newly drawn maps in Texas on Monday, arguing that the maps discriminate against voters of color.

Today, we zero in on what redistricting efforts look like in Georgia, a battleground state that Republicans want to control . Democratic state lawmaker Bee Nguyen joins us to talk about the future of voting in the state of Georgia, along with her campaign for Georgia’s Secretary of State.

Show Notes:

Watch Crooked Media's "What A Year" – https://bit.ly/31saLoL

FiveThirtyEight: "What Redistricting Looks Like In Every State" – https://53eig.ht/3pwx0Sq

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

The US Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Texas over the state's recently updated redistricting maps. The DOJ claims that Texas's maps are unconstitutional and a violation of the Voting Rights Act because they unfairly dilute minority voting power. 

MLB locked out all of its players last week after a five-year collective bargaining agreement between owners and players expired. It marks the first work stoppage for the league in almost three decades. Lindsey Adler, who covers the Yankees for The Athletic, joins us to discuss the issues at play.

And in headlines: the U.S. will stage a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced a Covid vaccine mandate for all private-sector employers, and California Congressman Devin Nunes will resign later this month.

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

Omicron cases were found in at least 17 U.S. states and they aren’t all due to travel to southern Africa. Public health officials and experts say that the variant was possibly circulating in the U.S. prior to its initial discovery across the globe, but it’s too early to tell if it causes more severe disease. 

Descendants of Black revolutionary leader Marcus Garvey have requested that President Joe Biden grant a posthumous pardon to Garvey. As president, Biden has the power to grant clemency but has not exercised it at all during his term. 

And in headlines: prosecutors charged the parents of Ethan Crumbley with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, tensions at the Russia-Ukraine border grew, and the U.S. Navy shut down a drinking water well in Honolulu that was contaminated with petroleum and that made residents sick.

Show Notes:

NY Times: “Before Even Receiving a Name, Omicron Could Have Spread in New York and the Country” – https://nyti.ms/3DqUxsI

Justice in America: “What Happened to Clemency?” – https://bit.ly/3rEnYVR

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

More cases of the omicron variant have been identified in the U.S., and the Biden administration announced a new plan to make at-home rapid tests covered by private health insurance, launch family vaccination clinics, extend the federal mask mandate on public transportation, and more.

Mexico agreed to allow the U.S. to restart the controversial “Remain in Mexico” asylum policy that was put into place by President Trump. The policy requires asylum seekers at the Southern border to stay in Mexico as they wait for immigration hearings. 

And in headlines: MLB owners and players failed to reach a deal on a new work agreement, former Ohio Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade was charged with murder for the shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., and Congress approved a short-term spending bill to fund the government until mid-February.

Show Notes:

New York Times: “Why Didn’t the U.S. Detect Omicron Cases Sooner?” – https://nyti.ms/3Igjjj6

Washington Post: “Biden pledges to fight new variant ‘with science and speed,' as omicron cases multiply and winter outlook worsens” – https://wapo.st/3rLKXib

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

The Supreme Court heard a case yesterday that could ultimately reverse the constitutional right to an abortion. And it looks like the justices were leaning towards upholding a Mississippi law that bars abortion after 15 weeks.

The first confirmed case of the omicron variant has been identified in the U.S. President Biden urged people to not panic and encouraged more vaccinations and boosters. U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joins us to discuss how the variant could impact the supply chain and what the administration is doing to loosen bottlenecks.

And in headlines: a 15-year-old boy was charged with murder and terrorism in Tuesday's school shooting in Michigan, Stacey Abrams announced that she will run for Georgia governor in 2022, and El Salvador will pay damages to a woman who died in prison while serving time for an abortion conviction.

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

Today, the Supreme Court hears what is likely the most consequential reproductive health case in decades. The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, will decide whether or not Mississippi can prohibit abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. And the worst case scenario is that the high court uses the case to completely overturn Roe v. Wade. We lay out what listeners should watch for.

Dutch health officials reported that the Omicron variant was actually in Europe prior to South African scientists discovering it and alerting the World Health Organization. This adds a new wrinkle to the question of where it originated from unanswered.

And in headlines: A school shooting in Michigan left 3 students dead, Dr. Oz announced that he’s running for Senate in Pennsylvania as a Republican, and CNN suspended Chris Cuomo from the network indefinitely.

Show Notes:

New York Times: “How 2 Flights to Europe May Have Spurred Spread of New Variant” – https://nyti.ms/2ZKZije

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

Over the last 24 hours, world leaders and health officials had more to say about the Omicron variant, even as we wait for more scientific information to come out. The World Health Organization said in part that Omicron poses a “very high” global risk, and multiple countries have imposed controversial travel restrictions. President Biden made his first remarks about Omicron yesterday and emphasized that people should get fully vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.

And in headlines: Jack Dorsey stepped down as Twitter’s CEO, leftist presidential candidate Xiomara Castro took the electoral lead in Honduras, and new evidence showed Chris Cuomo used his connections to gather info for his brother Andrew Cuomo’s defense team.

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

Scientists in South Africa announced on Thursday that they detected a new variant of the coronavirus: Omicron. Cases caused by the variant have been identified in almost a dozen countries, but not yet in the U.S. Epidemiologist and host of “America Dissected” Dr. Abdul El-Sayed gives us a better sense of what we know and the much bigger amount of things we don’t. 

And in headlines: Ghislaine Maxwell’s federal trial starts today, legendary Black fashion designer Virgil Abloh died after battling cancer, and South Korea announced plans to build its own metaverse.

Show Notes:

Washington Post: “Officials: Variants ‘haunt’ world with vaccine imbalance between rich and poor nations” – https://wapo.st/3lgDGTp

Politico: “Omicron raises concerns about global vaccine equity and hesitancy” – https://politi.co/3lhIDLr

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