More Police Money, More Police Problems

FBI Director Kash Patel spoke on Tuesday about a massive rise in the number of investigations into so-called NVEs, which stands for “nihilistic violent extremists.” He defined them as people who “engage in violent acts motivated by a deep hatred of society.” Some experts would use that term to describe the suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting. Utah prosecutors said Tuesday that the suspect allegedly wrote video game references and online jokes on the bullet casings. We’ve chosen not to reference the name of the alleged shooter because we think it’s important not to give people who commit acts of violence the infamy they crave. To talk more about the online spaces where Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter spent most of his time and the rise of NVEs, we spoke to David Gilbert, who covers disinformation and online extremism for Wired Magazine.And in headlines: President Donald Trump is suing the New York Times again, Israel officially launches its ground offensive in Gaza City, and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez testifies to a Senate panel about her ouster by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Show Notes:David’s work — https://www.wired.com/author/david-gilbert/Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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 Sep 26min

Memphis, Tennessee, is the latest city in President Donald Trump's Crime Takeover-A-Go-Go. On Monday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum establishing a "Memphis Safe Task Force" and announced that he would send the National Guard to the city.During a press conference detailing the decision, Trump said that he wanted to accomplish in Memphis – and everywhere else – what federal authorities did in Washington, D.C. But the question is…what exactly did the administration accomplish in D.C.? We asked Emma Uber, a reporter covering crime and criminal justice for the Washington Post.And in headlines, the suspect in Charlie Kirk's killing reportedly confessed to the murder in a Discord group chat, according to the Washington Post, Secretary of State Marco Rubio heads to Qatar, and a longtime federal prosecutor — who happens to be James Comey's daughter — sues the Trump administration over her firing.Show Notes:Check out Emma's reporting – https://tinyurl.com/49wzspyfCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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 Sep 20min

The clock is ticking until the federal government runs out of money and potentially shuts down—again. Now you might be thinking, "Didn't we do this? Like, a few months ago?" And yeah, we did. In March, the Senate approved a short-term spending bill with the support of 10 Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. And if Republicans want to keep the government open, they'll need a lifeline from Democrats. But Democrats want something in return: an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits that are due to expire at the end of the year. Will the two sides reach a deal? We asked Daniella Diaz, who covers Capitol Hill for NOTUS, a nonprofit D.C. journalism organization.And in headlines, Utah's governor reveals new details about the man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk, Trump eyes Memphis for his crime crackdown, and a federal judge says it appears the Trump administration is trying to pull a fast one on the courts with its latest deportations.Show Notes:Check out Daniella's reporting – www.notus.org/daniella-diazCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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 Sep 21min

The search for a suspect in Charlie Kirk's death continues. The FBI released some grainy photos of a person of interest wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap — all in black — in the hope it might trigger tips or other information from the public. The FBI also said it recovered a bolt-action rifle that may have been used in the shooting. With no suspect in custody, no motive has been established either. And let's be incredibly clear: as of this moment, we still do not know why someone shot and killed Charlie Kirk. We spoke with Graeme Wood, Atlantic staff writer, about the growing trend of political violence in America.And in headlines, Senate Republicans go nuclear to push through Trump's nominees, the U.K. fires its ambassador to the U.S. over his links to Jeffrey Epstein, and the Department of Education ends grant funding for minority-serving colleges.Show Notes:Check out Graeme's piece – https://tinyurl.com/3p6ed8cjCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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 Sep 24min

On Wednesday, 31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an on-campus event near Salt Lake City, Utah. He was there as part of his “American Comeback Tour,” an event series produced by Turning Point USA, the right-wing organization he founded when he was 18 years old. He was a force in the conservative movement who held real political capital. Local officials are calling his killing an act of political violence, and it's the latest in a string of disturbing incidents. For more on who Kirk was, we spoke with reporter Tess Owen, who covers political violence.And in headlines, former Vice President Kamala Harris calls former President Biden's decision to seek re-election "recklessness," President Trump doubles down on his effort to fire a Federal Reserve official, and suspected Russian drones cross into Poland.Show Notes:Check out Tess's work – https://x.com/misstessowen?lang=enCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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 Sep 21min

Millions of kids have started school over the past few weeks – that includes students in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C, and now Chicago, all cities targeted by the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and, of course, crime. It's worth saying that, like in other cities that Trump has mentioned as evil dens of criminal miscreants, violent crime has gone down in the city of Chicago over the last year. But the president, who posted an "Apocalypse Now" inspired meme over the weekend, implying he wants to go to "war" with Chicago, doesn't seem to care much about facts and figures. But teachers do. So to learn more about how teachers in Chicago are handling a new school year and the potential for more federal incursions on the city, we spoke to Stacy Davis Gates, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union. And in headlines: revised job numbers show a much weaker job market than previously thought, Israel strikes Qatar, dealing a major blow to ceasefire talks, and American high school students' test scores hit a historic low.Show Notes:Check out the Chicago Teachers Union – https://www.ctulocal1.org/Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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 Sep 22min

Say what you will about President Donald Trump’s first administration, but at least some of the people given top jobs had a morsel of experience doing those jobs. Now, the Trump administration is chock full of the weirdest people the MAGA world has to offer, united by their personal allegiance to one man – Donald J. Trump. From Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose qualifications are “co-hosted the weekend edition of Fox and Friends” to Paul Ingrassia, the former podcaster nominated to run the Office of Special Counsel, who thinks the descendents of slaves should pay the descendants of slave-OWNERS reparations….to Laura Loomer, a Jewish, white nationalist, 9/11 truther, who made headlines in 2018 when she chained herself to the doors of Twitter’s office to protest getting banned from the platform.It’s a cavalcade of the worst people ever to be given a high-speed internet connection. Especially when they now have real power. So we spoke to Will Sommer, senior reporter at The Bulwark, to help us understand how the craziest people in America rose to the very top of the federal government.And in headlines: Trump goes to the Museum of the Bible to talk about how much he loves religion, Pete Hegseth hypes up the troops in Puerto Rico, and Democrats release a very NSFW birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein, allegedly signed by Trump himself.Show Notes:Check out Will's work – substack.com/@willsommerCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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.

9 Sep 21min

A crucial race for Georgia's Public Service Commission is coming up in November. And though the name sounds boring, it's a race that really matters. That's because the commission is in charge of regulating public utilities in the state, including electric, gas, and telecommunications. Right now, all five commissioners are Republicans…but two of them are up for election this fall. And the Democratic challengers are strong. To learn more about the importance of this race, we spoke with John Taylor, Executive Director of the Black Male Initiative, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement in Georgia.And in headlines, President Donald Trump continues to threaten Chicago…but this time with war, Russia attacks Ukraine in its latest aerial strike, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the U.S. might have to refund some money it's collected from Trump's infamous tariffs.Show Notes:Check out the Black Male Initiative – www.bmifund.org/Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What 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.

8 Sep 23min