Midnight Train To The Senate

Wednesday was jam-packed with new developments on and around the Democratic campaign trail. The White House announced that President Biden tested positive for COVID. Biden also appeared to give himself room to exit the presidential race, saying in an interview with BET News he’d reconsider running if “some medical condition” emerged. However, Biden remained defiant and said he had no plans to drop out. California Congressman Adam Schiff became the most high-profile Democrat to publicly call on Biden to exit the race, telling The Los Angeles Times he has “serious concerns” over whether Biden can beat former President Trump in November. And the Democratic National Committee announced it plans to move forward with a virtual roll call vote to officially nominate Biden ahead of the convention, despite calls to drop it amid the ongoing debate within the party over the president’s candidacy. Politics reporter Todd Zwillich breaks down what it all means.And in headlines: Special Counsel Jack Smith appealed the dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case, investigators looking into the assassination attempt against Trump at a rally this weekend reportedly told lawmakers that Secret Service spotted the gunman on a nearby roof roughly 20 minutes before shots were fired, and ‘Shogun’ and ‘The Bear’ lead this year’s Emmy nominations. Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

18 Heinä 202417min

On the outskirts of this week's Republican National Convention, the ultra-conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation held a "Policy Fest" to discuss its plans for the next Republican administration. One of the big talking points during the event was Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page policy blueprint for the next Republican administration to dramatically remake the federal government at almost every level. While former president Donald Trump has distanced himself from Project 2025, members of his administration were directly involved in crafting it. McKay Coppins, a senior staff writer at The Atlantic who covered the Trump administration, tells us more about the goals of Project 2025.And in headlines: A jury convicted New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez on all 16 counts he faced in his federal corruption trial, President Biden is reportedly weighing sweeping changes to the Supreme Court, and a new Senate report found almost half of all worker injuries in Amazon warehouses happen during Prime Day.Show Notes:Read Project 2025 – https://www.project2025.org/Check out McKay Coppins work – https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mckay-coppins/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 Heinä 202422min

Former President Donald Trump chose Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate on Monday, just as Republicans kicked off their national convention in Milwaukee. Vance, who rose to fame in 2016 with his memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ has undergone a radical political transformation in the years since. Once an outspoken critic of Trump, Vance is now one of the former president’s biggest supporters in Congress. Zack Beauchamp, a senior correspondent for Vox and author of the new book “The Reactionary Spirit,” explains why Vance was a logical pick for Trump.And in headlines: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the assassination attempt against former president  Trump at the weekend rally was a security “failure,” Special Counsel Jack Smith says he’ll appeal a federal judge’s decision to dismiss Trump’s classified documents case, and President Biden reiterated his plans to stay in the presidential race during an interview with NBC’s Lester Holt. Show Notes:Read Zack Beauchamp's article, "What J.D. Vance really believes" https://tinyurl.com/3me4cftxWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

16 Heinä 202420min

On Saturday, a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at one of his campaign rallies in Pennsylvania. While Trump was not seriously injured, he said on social media that one of the bullets did graze his ear. President Biden addressed the nation on Sunday evening, acknowledging one of the more shocking instances of political violence in recent history. This all happened just two days before the Republican National Convention kicks off in Milwaukee. We dive into what we know about the shooting so far, and what it means for the week ahead.And in headlines: Israel killed dozens of Palestinians in a strike on southern Gaza, half a million people are still without power from Hurricane Beryl, and honor celebrities we lost over the weekend. Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

15 Heinä 202414min

Why isn’t there a way for party leaders to get together—in a back room, ideally somewhere dark and smokey—and just give Biden the boot? As it turns out, that’s the way things used to get done. Max and Tre’vell explain how back room dealings originated, and why they fell out of favor. Why did the Vietnam War force Democrats to change the process? Did the switch make political parties more extreme? Were there benefits to having a cabal? Listen to this week’s How We Got Here to find out. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

13 Heinä 202435min

President Joe Biden on Thursday wrapped up this week’s NATO summit in Washington by giving his first solo press conference since November. Despite more defections from House Democrats earlier in the day, Biden gave no indication that he would drop out of the presidential race. Some also praised Biden for his command of foreign policy issues during the one-hour Q&A session with reporters, though he did stumble a few times. Political reporter Abigail Tracy breaks down the reaction to Biden’s performance. Also, Illinois Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, one of the first House lawmakers to call on Biden to leave the race, explains why he still thinks it’s time for the party to move forward with a new nominee.And in headlines: China denied NATO members’ claims that it’s a “decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Donald Trump welcomed Hungary's right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Mar-a-Lago, and inflation is coming down.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

12 Heinä 202423min

Lawmakers continue to weigh in on the fate of President Biden’s re-election campaign. Vermont’s Peter Welch on Wednesday became the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to step aside. However, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on MSNBC that her fellow Democratic lawmakers should “hold off” on publicly debating the issue until after this week. Meanwhile, actor George Clooney penned a New York Times op-ed to describe a recent fundraiser he co-hosted for Biden and said the president was, “the same man we all witnessed at the debate.” Amid all the will-he-or-won’t-he chatter, what do voters think about Biden? Friend of the pod Dan Pfeiffer breaks down some of the recent polls in excerpts from the latest episode of, “Pollercoaster.”And in headlines: Two Senate Democrats asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possible tax and ethics violations, testimony began in the involuntary manslaughter trial of actor Alec Baldwin, and Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin became the latest governor to call for restrictions on cell phone use in K-12 schools.Show Notes:“Pollercoaster” – https://crooked.com/podcast-series/pollercoaster/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

11 Heinä 202417min

Republicans appeared to soften their stance on abortion ahead of next week’s party convention and adopted a policy platform this week that didn’t include a call for a federal ban. They did so at the direct request of former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly tried to downplay the issue during the campaign while also taking credit for ending Roe v. Wade. But the 16-page policy document opens the door to establishing fetal personhood, which would threaten access to abortion and IVF. Shefali Luthra, who covers reproductive health for The 19th News and is author of “Undue Burden,” explains what’s actually in the Republican platform.And in headlines: President Biden commemorated NATO’s 75th anniversary in opening remarks at the alliance’s summit in Washington, Congressional Democrats appear to be falling in line behind Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, and an Israeli airstrike killed more than two dozen people in southern Gaza on Tuesday.Show Notes:The 19th, co-written by Shefali Luthra: “RNC approves platform that would give rights to fetuses, endangering abortion, IVF” – https://tinyurl.com/25gsbl6dPod Save America, “Biden Digs In” – https://crooked.com/podcast/biden-digs-in/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 Heinä 202417min