What A Day

Trump’s State of the Union address had everything — if by “everything,” you mean easily fact-checkable lies. We also got fearmongering and racism about Somali immigrants… Trump’s frequently used claim that Democrats can only win elections if they cheat… and a lot of awards for members of the armed services. But his overall message was the same we get every single day on Truth Social in between rants about cable television hosts and misused punctuation: we are the hottest country in the world and everything is awesome and great. So to talk more about the longest State of the Union speech in history, we spoke with two people who were covering it from D.C.: Crooked News Editor Greg Walters and What A Day Newsletter writer Matt Berg.
Show Notes:

Call Congress – 202-224-3121

Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy

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

President Trump will deliver the State of the Union address tonight. And spoiler… the state of his particular union isn't great. According to new polling from CNN, Trump's approval rating with Americans is 36%. But – despite everything – Democrats are still not winning over the American people. So how should they respond to tonight's two-hour adventure of non sequiturs, rants, and excessive bronzer? To find out, we spoke to New Jersey Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver. She's delivering a prebuttal to the State of the Union address.
And in headlines, the Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments from oil and gas companies hoping to block lawsuits related to climate change, a U.S. district judge permanently bars the release of a report on Trump's alleged hoarding of classified documents, and the U.S. orders some diplomats and their families in Lebanon to leave the country.
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 Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 on Friday that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority when he invoked sweeping tariffs using a 1970s emergency statute. The decision was a major blow to Trump's tariff policy, which is basically his entire economic agenda. But for Trump, it means just one thing: more tariffs! So to learn what's next for our terrible tariff trajectory, we spoke with David J. Lynch. He's the global economics correspondent at The Washington Post and the author of The World's Worst Bet: How the Globalization Gamble Went Wrong (And What Would Make It Right).
And in headlines, the US and Iran prepare for high-stakes talks later this week, Global Entry becomes a casualty of the partial government shutdown, and a check-in on the President's approval ratings before his State of the Union address.
Show Notes:

Check out David's book – https://a.co/d/08oXFjqU

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

It’s been about a week since the Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown, with Democrats refusing to fund the agency until changes are made to federal immigration enforcement. According to the White House, we are still no closer to a deal. But Democrats are reluctant to budge, and polling shows that most Americans think ICE has gone too far with its enforcement operations. Recent reporting from The Wall Street Journal paints a chaotic picture of DHS under Secretary Kristi Noem. In her colleagues’ view, she’s prioritized getting photo ops for herself over getting results for the Trump Administration. So for more on DHS scandals and what the future holds for Noem, we spoke with Michelle Hackman, a reporter covering immigration for The Wall Street Journal.
And in headlines, President Trump worries America’s 250th birthday might be soiled by the smell of feces emanating from the Potomac, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gets arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and the Trump administration alienates MAHA by ramping up pesticide production.
Show Notes:

Check out Michelle's reporting – https://tinyurl.com/3xfpycmd

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 IRS has lost tens of thousands of employees since President Donald Trump took office – the result of DOGE, policy differences, last year’s government shutdown, and layoffs. Now that we're in tax season, the agency is asking thousands of untrained employees from other departments to help with taxpayer services. Those job cuts and changes could, at best, slow down your refund. At worst, the IRS could be far less able to stop scammers. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is insisting that taxpayers will be getting bigger refunds this year. The problem is, prices on basically everything are still super high – which gives people less of a chance to hold onto that money. And will anyone even remember their tax refunds when they head out to vote in November? For more, we spoke with Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of “The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History.”
And in headlines, Arizona Republicans want to send ICE officers to polling places, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in a case weighing if social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, and the Trump administration pushes back against a court order to restore an exhibit on people enslaved by George Washington in Philadelphia.
Show Notes:

Check out Vanessa's book – brookings.edu/books/the-price-of-democracy/

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