What A Day

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has long been a pusher of junk science, especially when it comes to research around vaccines and autism. So it should come as no surprise that he appears open to revisiting the decades-old FDA approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, at least in part based on a report from a conservative think tank that was neither peer-reviewed, nor published in a medical journal. What the report in question conveniently contradicts more than 100 peer-reviewed studies that show mifepristone is safe to use and effective. Jessica Valenti, author of book ‘Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lives, And The Truths We Use To Win,’ joins us to talk about the state of reproductive rights in the U.S. with President Donald Trump is back in power. And in headlines: Trump again walked back his threats for steep tariffs on the European Union, Russia unleashed another massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, and Republican Senators throw cold water on the House version of Trump’s spending and tax plan — a.k.a. the Big Beautiful Bill. Show Notes: * Check out Jessica's book –https://tinyurl.com/2zs7jfsz [https://tinyurl.com/2zs7jfsz] * Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8 [https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8] * What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast] * Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ [https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/] * For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday [http://crooked.com/whataday]

Today, the What A Day team is off. But we’re excited to bring you a recent episode of Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. In the first 100 days of the Trump Administration, we’ve watched Republicans erode American democracy with alarming speed. While this political moment may feel unprecedented, it isn’t new. America has dealt its share of far-right movements, fascist provocateurs, and anti-democratic threats. But time and again, heroes have risen to meet those moments. In this episode, Stacey unpacks how we’ve fought fascism before – and won. She’s joined by the host of MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism. Subscribe to Assembly Required wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.  For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast. Learn & Do More: * Be Curious: History can be an extremely useful tool to help us navigate the present. Pick up Rachel Maddow’s book Prequel — now available in paperback anywhere books are sold. Also pick up the Assembly Required Recommended Read: The Dictator’s Learning Curve by William Dobson. * Solve problems: The best thing we can do right now is show up and use our voices. There are two key ways to do this. First: call your representatives! Democrat, Republican, Independent — it doesn’t matter. Tell them where you stand and why it matters. Second: get involved locally. Join a protest, volunteer to support a community that is particularly vulnerable right now, donate to a grassroots group in your area. Change starts with showing up, so let’s get to work. * Do Good: Not only has Trump waged a war on books, he’s waged a war on independent businesses. So if you’re interested in reading any of the books I mentioned today, or want to pick up our weekly recommended reading, purchase them at a local bookstore. If there isn’t a local option near you, or you just prefer the convenience of online shopping, check out small businesses that operate online — like Octavia’s Bookshelf.

In one of the most anticipated rulings of the term, the Supreme Court justices deadlocked Thursday in a case over the creation of a religious charter school in Oklahoma. The 4-4 split sets no precedent, meaning the justices could take up a similar case — and the underlying thornier questions around the separation of church and state — in the future. Later in the day, the justices also handed President Donald Trump a major temporary win, allowing him to fire the leaders of two independent federal agencies while the cases play out in the lower courts. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s legal podcast ‘Strict Scrutiny’ and author of the new book “Lawless,” talks about Thursday’s decisions and gives us a preview of SCOTUS opinion season. And in headlines: The Justice Department filed murder charges against a man suspected of killing two staffers of the Israeli embassy in D.C., the Palestinian health minister said more than two dozen children and elderly people had died of starvation-related causes in Gaza over the last two days, and the U.S. Treasury gets ready to bid adieu to the penny. Show Notes: * Check out Leah's book –www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lawless/Leah-Litman/9781668054628 [http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lawless/Leah-Litman/9781668054628] * Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8 [https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8] * What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast] * Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ [https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/] * For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday [http://crooked.com/whataday]

If you're a certain age, Sean' Diddy' Combs was inescapable during some really formative years of your music-listening habits. The entertainment mogul and producer showed up in music videos, hosted a reality show, and had a clothing line. His label Bad Boy Records helped launch the careers of iconic names in Hip-Hop and R&B, like Mary J. Blige, Usher and Notorious B.I.G. Now, he's standing trial on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison, if convicted. Anne Branigin, a staff writer for The Washington Post has been covering the trial from the Manhattan courthouse. She joins us to talk about the latest developments in the case and what's still to come. And in headlines: The U.S. government officially accepted a $400 million Boeing 747 from Qatar, President Donald Trump lectured the president of South Africa about a 'white genocide' in his country that's not happening, and Virginia Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly passed away at 75 after a battle with esophageal cancer. Show Notes: * Follow Anne for more coverage of the trial – www.washingtonpost.com/people/anne-branigin/ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/anne-branigin/] * Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8 [https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8] * What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast] * Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ [https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/] * For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday [http://crooked.com/whataday]

As Congressional Republicans try to pass President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' through the House and Senate, Medicaid is one of the big programs in the party's legislative crosshairs. GOP lawmakers are eyeing upwards of $800 billion in cuts to the safety net health care program over the next decade, in part by imposing new work and eligibility requirements for recipients. But while the president keeps insisting 'no cuts to Medicaid,' the government's calculations suggest the party's plan could cost 10 million Americans their health care coverage. Matt Bruenig, founder of the People's Policy Project, explains why work requirements don't work. And in headlines: Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem got her constitutional rights all mixed up during a Senate hearing, Trump's FDA looks to limit access to Covid booster shots, and New Jersey U.S. Congresswoman LaMonica McIver is charged with assault. Show Notes: * Check out Matt's column –www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/opinion/medicaid-work-requirements-pointless.html [http://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/16/opinion/medicaid-work-requirements-pointless.html] * Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8 [https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8] * What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast] * Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ [https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/] * For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday [http://crooked.com/whataday]