Russia Attacks Ukraine
In a televised speech early Thursday Moscow-time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” to protect Donbas, the Russian-backed separatist-held region in eastern Ukraine. Around the same time, explosions were heard in multiple cities throughout the country including Kyiv, Kramatorsk, which is in the disputed Donetsk region, Kharkiv in the northeast, and more.The Supreme Court said that it will take up a case that could allow businesses to use their religious beliefs as an excuse to refuse service to LGBTQ customers. Leah Litman, professor of law at the University of Michigan and one of the hosts of Crooked’s podcast about the Supreme Court, “Strict Scrutiny,” joins us to discuss the case and its broader implications.And in headlines: The trial began for the only officer facing criminal charges for Breonna Taylor’s death, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for trans kids as ‘child abuse,’ and American truckers protesting COVID restrictions started their own Canada-inspired caravan.Show Notes:Resources for TX Trans Kids:www.txtranskids.orgwww.transtexas.org/resourceswww.transequality.org/additional-helpwww.transhealthconsulting.com/mentalhealthFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
24 Feb 202218min
How Putin's Aggressions Are Playing Out In Ukraine
President Biden announced sanctions against Russia on Tuesday while referring to President Vladimir Putin’s recent actions as the “beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” CNN’s senior international correspondent Matthew Chance, who is currently reporting out of Kyiv, joins us to discuss what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine.And in headlines: Ahmaud Arbery’s killers were found guilty of committing federal hate crimes, members of the U.S. Women’s Soccer team reached a $24 million settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation, and the Supreme Court will hear a case that could allow businesses to refuse service to LGBTQ couples.Show Notes:CNN’s Matthew Chance – https://twitter.com/mchancecnnFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
23 Feb 202221min
Russia Recognizes New Territories And That's Far More Aggressive Than It Sounds
The Russia-Ukraine crisis ramped up this past weekend, and in a controversial address on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of two Russian-backed territories in eastern Ukraine: the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. In response, the White House announced sanctions on Ukraine’s separatist regions but not yet Russia, as there had been hopes of further diplomatic solutions. Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014 and professor at Stanford University, joins us to discuss his view of the situation.And in headlines: England is ending most COVID restrictions this week, the Supreme Court of Colombia decriminalized abortion, and the horse Medina Spirit was stripped of his Kentucky Derby title after he tested positive for a banned drug last May.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
22 Feb 202218min
Snow Long, Beijing
On Thursday, there was a big spike in shelling across the front line between the Ukrainian military and Russian-backed separatists within Ukraine. The separatists claim that Ukrainians are the ones firing at them, and the fear is that Russia could use this as a “justification” for military action to invade. The Beijing Winter Olympics conclude this Sunday. Ava Wallace, who has been in China reporting on the Olympic Games for the Washington Post, joins us to discuss what it’s been like to cover them.And in headlines: Over 100 people are dead and dozens more missing in Brazil after mudslides, Florida’s House Republicans passed a bill that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and a judge ordered former President Trump to testify under oath within the next 21 days.Show Notes:WAD will be taking a break on Presidents’ Day, and will be back with a new episode on Tuesday, February 22.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
18 Feb 202222min
Reading Between The Strains with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed
On Wednesday, federal officials announced upcoming guidance changes, which reflects yet another new stage of the pandemic. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, epidemiologist and host of Crooked Media’s “America Dissected,” joins us to discuss what these new policies might look like and answers other questions about the future of COVID.And in headlines: Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva took first place in the women’s short program, San Francisco voters overwhelmingly ousted three members of the city’s school board, and President Joe Biden ordered the National Archives to hand over the Trump administration’s White House visitor logs to the January 6th committee.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
17 Feb 202217min
Kyiv Your Friends Close And Your Enemies Closer
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the military has ordered some Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine to return to their bases, signaling the potential for a further de-escalation. However, President Joe Biden later said that “an invasion remains distinctly possible,” and that the U.S. had not yet verified if Russian troops are actually falling back. Matthew Chance, CNN’s Senior International Correspondent, joins us from Kyiv to discuss what things look like on the ground. And in headlines: Remington Arms has settled with families whose loved ones were killed in the Sandy Hook shooting, American scientists say they have cured a woman of H.I.V., and a federal report predicts that sea levels along our nation’s coasts could rise one foot in just three decades because of climate change.Show Notes:CNN’s Matthew Chance – https://twitter.com/mchancecnnFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whatadayFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
16 Feb 202220min
The Notly-Anticipated Debut Of The Texas Voting Law
Monday marked the start of in-person early voting in Texas ahead of the state’s March 1st primary. Texas is just one of nearly 20 states that will hold elections this year with more restrictive voting laws in place, a result of Republican-led efforts to validate former President Trump’s lies about the 2020 presidential election. James Slattery, a senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, joins us to discuss what’s happening in the state, what’s to come and what the rest of the country can anticipate as we head into the midterm elections. And in headlines: The U.S. closed its embassy in Kyiv, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the country’s Emergencies Act for the first time ever, and a judge said he would throw out Sarah Palin’s defamation suit against the New York Times.Show Notes:The Texas Civil Rights Project – https://txcivilrights.org/Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
15 Feb 202217min
The Little Trucker Blockade That Could
Canadian police began arresting those who were part of the ongoing so-called “Freedom Convoy” protests, yesterday. It’s been almost a week since demonstrators blocked the Ambassador Bridge between the U.S. and Canada as an objection to vaccine mandates for truckers doing business across the border. We recap what led us to this moment. The U.S. has reduced its Ukrainian embassy to a skeleton crew and continues to draw down national guard troops stationed in Ukraine, in the likely scenario that Russia invades. Several world leaders have taken a turn trying to talk Vladimir Putin down, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, but none have dissuaded Russia’s leader in his quest to flex his old man muscles. And in headlines: Fully vaccinated Walmart employees will no longer have to wear masks while at work, Rudy Giuliani is expected to cooperate with the January 6th House committee, and Erin Jackson made Olympic history when she won the gold medal in the women’s 500-meter speed skate.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday
14 Feb 202215min
