Where It All Starts

President Donald Trump is scheduled to travel to central Texas today to tour damage of the devastating July 4th weekend floods. More than 100 people have been confirmed dead, and nearly 200 are still missing a week later. As people in the region continue to mourn their loved ones and assess the destruction, there has been a lot of finger-pointing over whether more could have been done to alert people about the flood risks. If staffing cuts at the National Weather Service played a role, and who’s to blame for the mounting death toll? Richard Spinrad, the former administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, talks about how staffing cuts make the agency’s job harder.And in headlines: A federal judge in New Hampshire blocked the Trump Administration’s order ending birthright citizenship after a class-action challenge, retiring Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tills unloads during a CNN exclusive interview, and former Columbia grad student Mahmoud Khalil filed a claim against the Trump administration for $20 million in damages.Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
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• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
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• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Federal agents descended on a park in the middle of Los Angeles midday Monday, showing up on horseback, in armored tanks, and carrying rifles. While it’s still not at all clear if the agents made any arrests, a regional Customs and Border Protection chief told a local FOX News reporter, “Better get used to us now, because this is gonna be normal very soon.” He may not be wrong. President Donald Trump’s new spending and tax law explodes the budget for immigration and border enforcement, setting aside around $170 billion extra dollars for Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Around $75 billion of that money is earmarked specifically for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla joins us to talk about ICE’s aggressive tactics, how immigrants in California are feeling right now, and what Democrats — and all of us — can do to respond.And in headlines: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent Wednesday waltzing around Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers, Trump sent out threatening tariffs letters to more countries, and the CEO of the platform formerly known as Twitter coincidentally quit just a day after Elon Musk’s AI chatbot went full antisemite.Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

In just a few short months on the job, Health And Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has managed to upend the American public health system, successfully inserting his decades of vaccine skepticism into national policy. Late last month, he fired every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel, replacing them mostly with people who’ve voiced skepticism about vaccines. In May, he announced the CDC would stop recommending COVID vaccines for pregnant people and babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics and other health groups are now suing him and HHS over the latter decision. Dr. Fiona Havers, a former senior advisor on vaccine policy at the CDC, resigned from the agency over Kennedy’s changes to federal vaccine policy. She joins us to talk about what everyday people should do to keep themselves and their family safe.And in headlines: President Donald Trump abruptly reversed course on sending defense weapons to Ukraine, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins doubles down on “no amnesty” for undocumented farmworkers, and someone out there is using AI to impersonate Secretary of State/National Security Advisor/Acting Archivist Marco Rubio. Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

Now that President Donald Trump has gotten exactly what he wanted, and signed his major domestic tax and policy agenda into law, what should Democrats do now? Poll after poll has shown the legislation is wildly unpopular, but also that voters don’t know a ton about it. The legislation is projected to strip millions of people of health care and food assistance over the next decade. And for Democrats, tying Republicans to the law’s most unpopular provisions will be imperative to their hopes of regaining power in Congress in next year’s midterm elections. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joins us to talk about how Democrats plan to respond, both to Trump’s big beautiful disaster of a law and to the onslaught of attacks from the Trump administration more broadly.And in headlines: Texas officials said they’ve confirmed more than 100 deaths from Friday’s devastating floods, Trump announced new 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, and immigration officers staged another massive show of force in Los Angeles.Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

Despite months of handwringing and a litany complaints from dozens of Congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump scored yet another major political victory Friday when he signed his One Big Beautiful Bill into law, just like he wanted. The measure, stuffed with Republican spending and policy priorities, threatens to balloon the federal deficit by more than $3 trillion dollars over the next decade while kicking millions of poor Americans off safety net programs like Medicaid and food assistance. But the effects won’t be felt immediately. Jacob Bogage, Congressional economics correspondent for The Washington Post, breaks down the details of the new law.And in headlines: The death toll from the devastating flooding in central Texas topped 70 people, the White House sent mixed messages on the future of Trump’s tariffs, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is headed to the White House again amid a renewed push for a ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.Show Notes:

• Check out Jacob's work – www.washingtonpost.com/people/jacob-bogage/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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 New York City Board of Elections on Tuesday confirmed Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, beat former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the city's Democratic primary for mayor. And not by a thin margin – the results show Mamdani won by 12 points after the ranked choice vote count. The decisive victory puts Mamdani in pole position to win November’s general election and become the city’s next mayor, though Cuomo and current Mayor Eric Adams are set to run as independents. New York City Comptroller Brand Lander, who also ran for mayor (he and Mamdani cross-endorsed each other), talks about what Mamdani’s win says about the state of national Democratic politics.And in headlines: House Republicans bickered over the latest version of President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, a New York jury convicted disgraced rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him of more serious charges, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled a nearly 200-year-old law does not ban abortion in the state.Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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 Senate passed President Donald Trump's spending bill on Tuesday after Vice President JD Vance arrived to break a 50-50 tie. The bill is now headed back to the House where Republican Speaker Mike Johnson can only afford to lose three members and still pass the bill by a party line vote. To learn more about what this means for Republicans' big beautiful bill and the looming July Fourth deadline, we spoke with Nicholas Wu, a congressional reporter for Politico.And in headlines: President Trump tours "Alligator Alcatraz," Florida's new migrant detention center, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says Trump's tariff wars pretty much stopped it from cutting interest rates, and the Trump-Musk feud is reignited.Show Notes:

• Check out Nicholas's work – www.politico.com/staff/nicholas-wu
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

As Republicans in Congress look to gut Medicaid with President Donald Trump’s supposed “Big Beautiful Bill,” the Supreme Court ended its session ruling on United States vs. Skirmetti that Tennessee could bar gender-affirming care for minors. The ruling itself centered on whether or not such a ban would violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. In a 6–3 decision, with the three liberal justices dissenting, the court decided the Tennessee law did not violate the clause. To learn more about what gender affirming care does, and what providers working on the ground think of efforts to ban it, we spoke to Dr. Alex Dworak. He’s the associate medical director of family medicine at One World Community Health Centers and specializes in LGBTQ medicine.Then in headlines: Republicans in the Senate are literally racing to pass President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” by the Fourth of July, the Trump administration’s spat with Harvard continues as it accuses the university of being in violation of the Civil Rights Act, and Trump goes to “Alligator Alcatraz,” Florida’s new migrant detention center.Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

It’s make-or-break week for Congressional Republicans and their big policy and spending legislation, a.k.a. President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’ Trump says he still expects to see the final package on his desk by this Friday, even as new estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office show the latest version of the bill could add more than $3 trillion dollars to the national debt over the next decade. Is that deterring members of the party that professes to care about federal spending? Not really. Senate Republicans are expected to vote on the measures, after narrowly advancing it to the floor for debate over the weekend. Elana Schor, senior Washington editor for the online news publication Semafor, gives us an update on where the bill stands now and the possible speed bumps ahead.And in headlines: Trump hints at a possible TikTok buyer, the Supreme Court hands the White House another huge win by limiting the powers of lower court judges, and the president pressures Israeli officials to drop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial.Show Notes:

• Check out Elana's work – www.semafor.com/author/elana-schor
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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 will issue a slew of major opinions today on what’s expected to be the final day of its current term. Still outstanding are decisions in cases over President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship order, a voting rights challenge in Louisiana, LGBTQ books in schools, and more. On Thursday, the court also paved the way for states to bar Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds, even for services not at all related to abortion. Jessica Levinson, a law professor at Loyola Low School in Los Angeles, explains the justices' Planned Parenthood opinion and what they might have in store for us today.And in headlines: Republicans are racing to meet a July 4th deadline to pass President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill despite yet another major setback in the Senate, Congress is still at odds over whether the US strikes on Iran “obliterated” the country's nuclear program, and a CDC vaccine panel made recommendations that could make it harder to get the flu vaccine.Show Notes:

• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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