WTF Just Happened Today

By Matt Kiser

What's WTF Just Happened Today about?

Your essential guide to the daily shock and awe in national politics.

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WTF Just Happened Today episodes:

04.18.2024
Day 1185: "Annoyance."
1/ On the third day of Trump’s election interference case involving falsified business records to conceal a hush money payment late in the 2016 campaign, two of the seven jurors already seated in the case were removed. One expressed concerns...
04.17.2024
Day 1184: "Make our own decisions."
1/ Speaker Mike Johnson defied threats from his Republican colleagues to oust him and scheduled a vote on individual bills to fund Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Johnson plans to have the House vote on three individual foreign aid bills, a...
04.16.2024
Day 1183: "A clusterfuck."
1/ The House will vote on three individual bills to fund Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. A fourth bill would wrap several Republican foreign policy proposals into one, including the seizure of Russian assets, and a House-approved bill that could ban...
04.15.2024
Day 1182: "Take the win."
1/ Jury selection in Trump’s criminal hush money trial began, marking the first criminal prosecution of an American president. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to conceal hush money payments...
04.11.2024
Day 1178: "No guarantee."
1/ Biden is reportedly considering an executive order to limit the number of asylum-seekers who can cross the southern border. After the bipartisan Senate bill collapsed earlier this year, the Biden administration is studying whether Biden has the use authority...
04.10.2024
Day 1177: "Out of step."
1/ The EPA finalized the first-ever national limits on toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water, a group of human-made chemicals that are considered especially harmful because they don’t degrade, can accumulate in the body and the environment, and pose a...
04.09.2024
Day 1176: "The extreme agenda."
1/ Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld a 160-year-old near-total ban on abortion. The court ruled that a 1864 territorial law, which went into effect 48 years before Arizona became a state, supersedes the state’s 2022 15-week ban. Under the 19th-century law,...
04.08.2024
Day 1175: "The cruelty and the chaos."
1/ Biden announced a new student loan forgiveness plan that would cancel student debt for more than 30 million borrowers. Under the new plan, the administration would cancel up to $20,000 of a borrower’s accrued, unpaid interest regardless of their...
04.04.2024
Day 1171: "There will be a change."
1/ Biden called for “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza to “protect innocent civilians.” During a reportedly tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden called the deaths of humanitarian workers caused by Israeli airstrikes and the overall humanitarian...
04.03.2024
Day 1170: "Fundamentally flawed."
1/ Special Counsel Jack Smith warned the judge overseeing Trump’s classified documents case that she is pursuing a legal premise that “is wrong” and would “distort” the trial. In an unusual order last month, Judge Aileen Cannon directed Trump and...
04.02.2024
Day 1169: "This happens in war."
1/ An Israeli airstrike killed seven aid workers, leading to the World Central Kitchen charity suspending delivery of 240 tons of food to Gaza, where famine is imminent. The U.S.-based disaster relief nonprofit group said its team was traveling through...
04.01.2024
Day 1168: "Outrageous and abhorrent."
1/ The Biden administration authorized another weapons transfer to Israel despite public frustration with Israel’s conduct in the war and opposition to Israel’s planned invasion of Rafah, which could lead to mass casualties and exacerbate the humanitarian disaster on Gaza....
03.28.2024
Day 1164: "The ideal must bend to the practical."
1/ The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures” to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza as famine sets in, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel, and medical supplies into...
03.27.2024
Day 1163: "A clear message."
1/ An Alabama Democrat won a special election in the state Legislature after making in vitro fertilization and abortion rights central to her campaign. Marilyn Lands – who had criticized the state’s near-total abortion ban and the recent state Supreme...
03.26.2024
Day 1162: "Sufficient risk."
1/ The New York judge presiding over Trump’s hush money criminal trial imposed a gag order barring Trump from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, and jurors. Trump’s history of “prior extrajudicial statements establishes a sufficient risk to the administration of justice,” Justice...
03.25.2024
Day 1161: "A bit surprising and unfortunate."
1/ The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan and the release of all hostages. The U.S., however, abstained, which allowed the resolution to pass 14-0. This is the first...
03.21.2024
Day 1157: "Enough is enough."
1/ The Biden administration will cancel nearly $6 billion in federal student loans for 78,000 Americans through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The latest student debt cancellation allows eligible borrowers to have their remaining debt forgiven if they have...
03.20.2024
Day 1156: "Historic progress."
1/ A federal appeals court blocked a Texas law allowing state police to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border — hours after the Supreme Court had allowed it to go into effect. The appeals court judges are...
03.19.2024
Day 1155: "Further chaos."
1/ Biden and House Republicans reached a deal to fund the government, but Congress might not have time to pass the legislation before a partial shutdown this weekend. House rules require 72 hours between when legislation is made public and...
03.18.2024
Day 1154: "A practical impossibility."
1/ Trump doesn’t have enough money to post the $464 million appeal bond he owes in his New York civil fraud case, according to a court filing by Trump’s attorneys. Trump needs to post the appeal bond in order to...
03.14.2024
Day 1150: "Serious consideration."
1/ The Manhattan DA’s office agreed to delay the start of the hush money case against Trump by 30 days. “Specifically, yesterday the USAO produced approximately 31,000 pages of additional records and represented that there will be another production of...
03.13.2024
Day 1149: "Lack of detail."
1/ A Georgia judge threw out six charges in the Georgia election meddling case against Trump and his allies. The decision by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee marks the first time any charges have been dropped in the...
03.12.2024
Day 1148: "Requisite intent."
1/ A group of Independent and Democratic senators led by Bernie Sanders urged Biden to suspend U.S. military aid to Israel until it allows humanitarian assistance to reach Gaza. In a letter, the senators argued that blocking aid violates the...
03.11.2024
Day 1147: "Not on my watch."
1/ Biden proposed a $7.3 trillion budget for the next fiscal year that would raise taxes on high earners and corporations to keep Social Security and Medicare from hitting insolvency within the next decade. Additionally, the budget calls for restoring...
03.07.2024
Day 1143: "We're not waiting."
1/ Biden will order the U.S. military to build a temporary port and pier in Gaza so more humanitarian aid can reach 2.3 million Palestinian civilians in need. Biden has reportedly grown frustrated with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has...
03.07.2024
Day 1142: "Earn the votes."
1/ The House passed a $460 billion package of spending bills, setting up a Senate vote before Friday’s deadline to avert yet another partial government shutdown. The measure packages six of the 12 required appropriations bills and will extend funding...
03.05.2024
Day 1141: "The situation is simply intolerable."
1/ Today is Super Tuesday. Democrats and Republicans are casting ballots in 15 states for their party’s nominee for president, Senate, House, and governors races that can determine political control of Congress and states for the next two to four...
03.04.2024
Day 1140: "Such chaos."
1/ The Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Colorado Supreme Court decision to remove Trump from the ballot for engaging in an insurrection on Jan. 6. The ruling ends efforts in Colorado, Illinois, Maine and elsewhere to remove Trump from the...
02.29.2024
Day 1136: "Posed a threat."
1/ A state judge in Illinois ruled that Trump had engaged in insurrection and disqualified him from the state’s primary ballot. Trump appealed Judge Tracie Porter’s decision to ban him for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the...
02.28.2024
Day 1135: "Bait."
1/ Mitch McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November. The 82-year-old is the longest-serving Senate leader in history and has faced a series of recent health issues, including a concussion, a fall that required him to...
02.27.2024
Day 1134: "You can't do both."
1/ Biden suggested that a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could begin as soon as next week, saying talks were “close but not done yet.” Negotiators are nearing an agreement that would halt Israel’s military operations in Gaza in exchange...
02.26.2024
Day 1133: "Clarifying."
1/ On the third day of Trump’s election interference case involving falsified business records to conceal a hush money payment late in the 2016 campaign, two of the seven jurors already seated in the case were removed. One expressed concerns...
02.22.2024
Day 1129: "That's unfortunate."
1/ A third Alabama fertility clinic stopped its vitro fertilization program following the state Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children. By classifying “cryopreserved embryos” as children, the ruling opens families, clinics, and doctors up to wrongful death lawsuits....
02.21.2024
Day 1128: "The type of chaos that we expected."
1/ The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization are “children” under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. The Alabama ruling permits three couples to sue for wrongful death after their frozen embryos...
02.20.2024
Day 1127: "Wishful and irresponsible."
1/ For the third time, the U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 13 in favor with the U.S. against. The U.K. abstained from...
02.15.2024
Day 1122: "Unprecedented stress."
1/ The first of Trump’s four criminal trials will start March 25. Justice Juan Merchan set the trial date after denying Trump’s attempt to dismiss the 34 felony charges, which center on allegations that Trump falsified business records to cover...
02.14.2024
Day 1121: "Destabilizing."
1/ Democrats won a special election and flipped George Santos’ seat in the House. Tom Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip to take the seat vacated by Santos, who was indicted on a charge of fraud and then expelled from Congress....
02.13.2024
Day 1120: "It will be devastating."
1/ The Senate approved $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan by a 70-29 vote. Despite efforts by Trump, hard-right Republicans, and House Speaker Mike Johnson to kill the legislation, Senate Republican support for the deal increased overnight,...
02.12.2024
Day 1119: "Appalling and unhinged."
1/ Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries that were “delinquent” in meeting the group’s guidelines for defense spending. Trump, recounting an exchange from his time in office with the leader...
02.08.2024
Day 1115: "A good first step."
1/ The Senate advanced a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan after Republicans rejected a version of the bill that included the border policy changes they had demanded. The vote of 67-32 allows the Senate to begin...
02.07.2024
Day 1114: "Delusional."
1/ House Republicans failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after four Republicans joined Democrats in voting against what would have been the second-ever impeachment of a Cabinet official. Although the vote failed 214-216, Republicans immediately moved to bring...
02.06.2024
Day 1113: "Show some spine."
1/ A federal appeals court rejected Trump’s claim that he’s immune from federal prosecution for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “We cannot accept former President Trump’s claim that a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would...
02.06.2024
Day 1112: "Playing politics."
1/ House Republicans vowed to kill the Senate’s bipartisan $118.3 billion national security bill that pairs strict border enforcement policies with aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other U.S. allies. For months, Republicans have demanded concessions from Democrats, threatening to tank...
02.01.2024
Day 1108: "This is a dangerous moment."
1/ The House passed a bipartisan tax package that pairs a temporary expansion of the child tax credit with a trio of business tax breaks. The bill includes $33 billion to expand the child tax credit for three years. The...
02.01.2024
Day 1107: "A holy war."
1/ FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that Chinese hackers are preparing to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” to critical U.S. infrastructure, including water treatment plants, electrical grids, oil and natural gas pipelines, and transportation systems. Wray, appearing before the...
01.30.2024
Day 1106: "That's absurd."
1/ Republicans – who have for months insisted on changes to border and migration policy as a condition of approving any additional aid to Ukraine – declared that the bipartisan Senate-proposed border deal would be “dead on arrival” in the...
01.30.2024
Day 1105: "Something Donald Trump hates."
1/ House Republicans released two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, accusing him of “willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law” and “breach of public trust.” Republicans have repeatedly accused Mayorkas of failing to enforce...
01.25.2024
Day 1101: "The nominee."
1/ Trump threatened anyone who donates to Nikki Haley “will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp.” The super political action committee backing Haley raised $50.1 million in the last six months of 2023 – about $5 million more than...
01.23.2024
Day 1099: "An atmosphere of fear."
1/ Nikki Haley vowed to continue her presidential campaign even if Trump wins New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Republican primary, saying “This has always been a marathon. It’s never been a sprint.” Most polls, however, showed Haley trailing Trump going into today’s...
01.22.2024
Day 1098: "A total failure to launch."
1/ The Biden administration announced new steps to expand access to contraception, abortion medication, and emergency abortion care at hospitals on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Eighteen months after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, Biden called...

What's WTF Just Happened Today about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

WTF Just Happened Today episodes:

Day 1185: "Annoyance."

Day 1184: "Make our own decisions."

Day 1183: "A clusterfuck."

Day 1182: "Take the win."

Day 1178: "No guarantee."

Day 1177: "Out of step."

Day 1176: "The extreme agenda."

Day 1175: "The cruelty and the chaos."

Day 1171: "There will be a change."

Day 1170: "Fundamentally flawed."

Day 1169: "This happens in war."

Day 1168: "Outrageous and abhorrent."

Day 1164: "The ideal must bend to the practical."

Day 1163: "A clear message."

Day 1162: "Sufficient risk."

Day 1161: "A bit surprising and unfortunate."

Day 1157: "Enough is enough."

Day 1156: "Historic progress."

Day 1155: "Further chaos."

Day 1154: "A practical impossibility."

Day 1150: "Serious consideration."

Day 1149: "Lack of detail."

Day 1148: "Requisite intent."

Day 1147: "Not on my watch."

Day 1143: "We're not waiting."

Day 1142: "Earn the votes."

Day 1141: "The situation is simply intolerable."

Day 1140: "Such chaos."

Day 1136: "Posed a threat."

Day 1135: "Bait."

Day 1134: "You can't do both."

Day 1133: "Clarifying."

Day 1129: "That's unfortunate."

Day 1128: "The type of chaos that we expected."

Day 1127: "Wishful and irresponsible."

Day 1122: "Unprecedented stress."

Day 1121: "Destabilizing."

Day 1120: "It will be devastating."

Day 1119: "Appalling and unhinged."

Day 1115: "A good first step."

Day 1114: "Delusional."

Day 1113: "Show some spine."

Day 1112: "Playing politics."

Day 1108: "This is a dangerous moment."

Day 1107: "A holy war."

Day 1106: "That's absurd."

Day 1105: "Something Donald Trump hates."

Day 1101: "The nominee."

Day 1099: "An atmosphere of fear."

Day 1098: "A total failure to launch."