COVID Burnout Notice
As the U.S. sees another rise in COVID cases, White House officials are working to give all adults access to a second vaccine booster shot. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, an epidemiologist and host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” tells us what we need to know about the Omicron sub-variants driving the current surge in cases. And in headlines: California residents can now sue gun companies when their pr...
20m Jul 13, 2022
20m
Jan 6th Back, Alright!
The House Select Committee investigating January 6th is back in action with another hearing today. Dan Pfieffer, co-host of Crooked’s “Pod Save America,” gives us a refresher on what we’ve learned so far and what to watch for today. And in headlines: Russia is ramping up its attacks on eastern Ukraine, a Minnesota judge struck down most of the state’s abortion restrictions, and actress Lea Mic...
18m Jul 12, 2022
18m
Shinzo Abe's Assassination And What It Means For Japan
President Biden signed an executive order on Friday to try to protect access to abortion, but it’s not the solution many reproductive rights advocates were seeking. Then on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators protested the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade over the weekend in D.C. to pressure Congress to codify abortion-related care into law. Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was...
17m Jul 11, 2022
17m
The Great British Boot Out
Embattled UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he’ll be stepping down after three years in office. This comes after many members of the government have lost confidence in his leadership over several scandals throughout his career. After 140 days in custody, WNBA star Britney Griner appeared before a Russian judge and pleaded guilty to the criminal charges against her. As charged, she...
20m Jul 08, 2022
20m
The Victims Of The July 4th Highland Park Shooting
During an Independence Day parade this Monday, a 21-year-old man in Highland Park, Illinois shot and killed at least seven people and injured many more. We discuss the latest developments and the stories of the victims, who ranged in age from 8 to 88 years old. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Mississippi abortion provider at the center of the case that brought down Roe, officially clos...
21m Jul 07, 2022
21m
The Courts v. Climate (From our friends at Hot Take)
The Supreme Court issued a ruling on Thursday that limits the ability of the Environmental Protection Agency to combat climate change. Our friends at Crooked’s Hot Take podcast recorded such a great episode about climate and the courts this week that we decided to share the episode in this feed too. We’ll be back with our regular episodes next week - until then, check out this week’s Hot Take a...
1hr 43m Jul 01, 2022
1hr 43m
SCOTUS Ends A Low Term On A Low Note
The Supreme Court issued more rulings on Wednesday — one of which dramatically increased the power that states have over Native American tribes and tribal lands. We walk through what was decided yesterday and what’s still to come as the court finishes up its term. In headlines: Ukrainian and Russian officials agreed to the largest prisoner exchange since the war began, R. Kelly was sentenced t...
20m Jun 30, 2022
20m
Ketchup On The Latest January 6th News
The latest House January 6th hearing was perhaps the most explosive to date with testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, the top aide to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. We walk through some of our biggest takeaways from the surprise hearing. The fight to preserve abortion access continues in several states. Kelley Robinson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood’s Action Fund,...
26m Jun 29, 2022
26m
Drag Queen History Hour
The Supreme Court issued more rulings on Monday. There have also been several legal challenges to the trigger laws set to go into effect in states like Louisiana and Utah once the court overturned Roe last Friday. Today is the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. In honor of the drag queens of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera who were central to the fight for LGBTQ equality, ...
34m Jun 28, 2022
34m
The Fight For Abortion Rights Isn't Over
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to overturn Roe v Wade on Friday, and throughout the weekend people took to the streets. We hear from you, our listeners, about how you’re affected by the news. And Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny, joins us to answer some of the big legal questions we have about the ruling. In headlines: Russian forces rampaged across Ukraine, G7 leaders announced ...
25m Jun 27, 2022
25m
SCOTUS Shoots Down A NY Gun Control Law
The Supreme Court announced more rulings on Thursday — one of which dealt a huge blow to gun control advocates. The court struck down a New York State law that had a strict permitting process for people who wanted to carry concealed guns in public. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny, joins us to discuss what this ruling could mean for the rest of the country. The January 6th Hou...
29m Jun 24, 2022
29m
Ready, Aim, Bipartisan Gun Control Deal
The Senate unveiled a highly-anticipated, bipartisan gun control bill on Tuesday. The chamber voted 64-34 in a procedural vote to allow for its quick passage, which some hope will happen as soon as Saturday. Chip Brownlee, a reporter at The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom that focuses on gun violence in America, joins us to discuss key parts of the legislation. And in headlines: a huge earthquake ...
19m Jun 23, 2022
19m
The "Abject Failure" Of Law Enforcement At Uvalde
The January 6th House committee held its fourth hearing on Tuesday, and we learned more about the effort to overturn the election by former President Donald Trump himself as well as two Republican congressmen.  Arizona’s House of Representatives Speaker Rusty Bowers testified that the pressure applied by Trump and his team was continuous, and that they weren’t taking no for an answer. It’s bee...
22m Jun 22, 2022
22m
Some VP That I Used To Know
We're about halfway through the January 6th committee hearings scheduled for this month. Yesterday, the committee focused on former President Trump’s efforts to pressure then Vice President Pence to not certify the 2020 election results. Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America, joins us to discuss what we learned from the new evidence the committee presented. In headlines: the Abbott baby fo...
21m Jun 17, 2022
21m
Goodbye, Yellowstone Road
The Supreme Court released opinions on Wednesday in six different cases across a range of issues including veterans’ benefits, Medicare reimbursements, and gambling on tribal lands. Those six decisions did not include the case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, but in the meantime abortion access has already ended in many states. A disastrous combo of warm weather and rain in recent days caused ...
17m Jun 16, 2022
17m
The Bear Market Necessities
Inflation is at a four-decade high, and on Monday, stocks fell to their lowest levels since March 2021. We break down what’s happening in the economy, why, and what you need to know about what the Federal Reserve might do in response at its meeting today. Russian troops are reportedly in control of as much as 80 percent of the Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk. Jack Crosbie, a correspondent fo...
25m Jun 15, 2022
25m
The Bitter Reality Of Tennessee's Mandatory Minimums
The second public January 6th hearing was yesterday. The House committee focused on the lie that the election was stolen and how that fueled the attack on the Capitol. A 16-year-old was essentially sentenced to life in prison in 1996 under Tennessee’s harsh criminal justice system. Our very own Josie Duffy Rice shares her work that follows the story of Almeer Nance, who was sentenced to 51 yea...
26m Jun 14, 2022
26m
Gun Control Deals N' Roses
Protesters in hundreds of cities around the country rallied against gun violence, last weekend. And on Sunday, a bipartisan group of Senators announced a deal to increase gun safety measures. If passed, it would lead to enhanced background checks, pave the way for additional red flag laws in states, and more. The overall scope of the Senate package, however, falls short of the strong measures t...
22m Jun 13, 2022
22m
Live From DC It's January 6th!
Last night was the first of several public hearings by the January 6th House committee, with the purpose to get the insurrection and the bigger effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election back on people’s radars. Congressman and committee member Adam Schiff, joined us before the hearing to explain what he hopes Americans will learn. And Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the “Will Be Wild” podc...
25m Jun 10, 2022
25m
Don't Touch That Dial, The Coup Hearing Is On
The January 6th House committee finally begins its hearings tonight. The committee intends to lay out what happened on the day of the insurrection, the larger effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and future elections. Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America, joins us to discuss what to expect and look out for. And in headlines: the House voted to advance stricter gun control mea...
21m Jun 09, 2022
21m
Achy Breaky World Economy
Congressmembers yesterday and today are hearing from the family members of the victims of recent mass shootings across the country. They’re there to essentially beg lawmakers to act on both gun violence and white supremacy. The World Bank issued a bad prognosis for the global economy yesterday, saying that a recession is going to be difficult to avoid for a number of countries. This is happeni...
21m Jun 08, 2022
21m
Can Austin City Limit Abortion Criminalization?
As abortion access continues to decline on the local level, lawmakers and advocates across the country are devising new ways to protect abortion access as much as they can, where they can. Chito Vela, an Austin City Councilmember, joins us to discuss what he’s doing to decriminalize abortion in Austin, Texas, should Roe be overturned. And in headlines: Seven states have primary elections today...
17m Jun 07, 2022
17m
Another Weekend Of Gun Violence In America
There were at least five mass shootings this weekend in a matter of 27 hours, according to the Gun Violence Archive. This slate of recent mass shootings, which include Buffalo and Uvalde, has compelled Congressional lawmakers to try to take action on gun control. A group of bipartisan senators may present a package on gun restrictions as early as this week. For parents who lost children in the...
17m Jun 06, 2022
17m
Don't Rainbow-Wash On My Parade
June is Pride Month, the unfortunate time when many corporations claim they support LGBTQ+ people, but also support politicians who actively work against LGBTQ+ rights. It’s not a new phenomenon – even before June, for example, activists called out Disney, which promotes itself as being gay-friendly. We talk about “rainbow washing” with journalist Fran Tirado, and how corporate pride can be don...
23m Jun 03, 2022
23m
The Depp-Heard Verdict And Its Social Impact
A jury found that both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard were liable for defamation in their lawsuits against each other. But the jury awarded significantly more in damages to Depp, and his team is treating it as a legal win. One contentious race in California’s primary election next Tuesday is for L.A. County Sheriff, in which incumbent Sheriff Alex Villanueva faces eight challengers. Although he r...
21m Jun 02, 2022
21m
The Life And Legacy Of George Floyd
The first of several funeral services started for the victims killed by a gunman at a school in Uvalde, Texas. And over the weekend, the Justice Department said it would open a probe into the local law enforcement’s response to the mass shooting. Two former Minneapolis police officers on trial for aiding and abetting George Floyd’s killing asked a judge to delay and relocate their trial. In ad...
27m Jun 01, 2022
27m
The Police Response To The Uvalde Shooting
Parents and other community members in Uvalde, Texas, are criticizing local police for its handling of the Robb Elementary School shooting where 21 people were killed on Tuesday. In addition, many are wondering why there were differences in the initial statements that officials had made, why it took so long for police to apprehend the gunman, and how the gunman was apparently able to enter the ...
28m May 27, 2022
28m
Texas Mourns The Children Killed At Robb Elementary School
Officials have not confirmed all the identities of the 21 victims – nearly all children – of the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. However some family members have started to identify them publicly. Their deaths have sparked widespread outrage over Republicans’ staunch opposition to gun control measures. Nicole Golden, executive director of Texas Gun Sense, joins us to discuss h...
21m May 26, 2022
21m
Another Deadly Shooting At An American Elementary School
A gunman killed at least 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. Officials say they expect the death toll to rise with additional victims hospitalized but in critical condition. Today, President Biden is expected to issue an executive order on federal police reform on the two-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd. The order will direct all f...
15m May 25, 2022
15m
Don't Believe Every COVID Count You Read
COVID cases are rising again in the U.S. In just the past month alone, the average number of confirmed cases has doubled according to the CDC. But with many people using at-home rapid tests where results don’t get reported to officials, the actual case count could be much higher. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, epidemiologist and host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” joins us to discuss how to get an accu...
19m May 24, 2022
19m
Title 42 Won't Be 86'd
A federal judge ruled that the Biden administration could not end a pandemic-related border restriction program known as Title 42. It was set to expire today. The first shipment of infant formula from Europe arrived in Indianapolis on Sunday, one of the first signs of relief to the critical shortage in the U.S. Other shipments are expected later this week, as well, to help ease the burden. An...
17m May 23, 2022
17m
Panic! At The New York Redistrict
Oklahoma’s legislature passed the country’s strictest abortion bill. The ban goes further than Texas’ abortion law, and if signed by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt it would take effect immediately. After the New York State Court of Appeals declared maps drawn by the legislature unconstitutional, a court-appointed “special master” released a new set of Congressional districts for the state. Th...
21m May 20, 2022
21m
Primary Go Round
Following Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary elections, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. And State Senator Doug Mastriano, one of the leading proponents to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, was nominated as the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate. Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run for Something, joins us to discuss various primary races ...
18m May 19, 2022
18m
An Abortion Access Win For Michigan
President Biden traveled to Buffalo, New York, yesterday to speak with the families of victims of the white supremacist mass shooting, as well as other community members. Without invoking any particular names, Biden also referenced political and media figures who have attempted to gain from spreading the racist lie of the so-called “replacement theory.” A judge in Michigan temporarily blocked ...
24m May 18, 2022
24m
Racism Fueled Buffalo's Mass Shooting
Federal officials are investigating Saturday’s shooting in Buffalo, New York, as both a hate crime and “racially-motivated violent extremism.” The gunman touted the white supremacist theory that immigrants and folks of color are “replacing” white Americans and voters. It’s primary election day in Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Watching these states will help us unde...
22m May 17, 2022
22m
Rallying for Reproductive Rights
A white gunman killed 10 people and injured three others on Saturday at a grocery store in a historically Black neighborhood of Buffalo, New York. Local authorities and the FBI are investigating the mass shooting as a hate crime. On Saturday, thousands of people across the U.S. took to the streets to protest the leaked SCOTUS opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. More than 450 “Bans Off Our...
19m May 16, 2022
19m
We Need To Talk About Kevin McCarthy
The January 6th commission issued subpoenas to five Republican Congressmembers including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in order to gain information about communications they had with the White House leading up to the riot, during it, and after. These are critically being issued before the committee begins its public hearings next month. Tomorrow is a nationwide day of action with Bans O...
24m May 13, 2022
24m
A Failed Attempt To Codify Roe with Sen Kirsten Gillibrand
The Senate failed to pass a bill on Wednesday that would effectively codify the right to an abortion. The bill, called, “The Women’s Health Protection Act,” was expected to fail because Democrats didn’t have enough votes to pass it and beat a filibuster. Democratic New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joins us to discuss what comes next. And in headlines: Palestinian-American reporter Shireen ...
18m May 12, 2022
18m
How Data Tracking Could Be Used To Prosecute Abortion
As the Supreme Court considers overturning or scaling back Roe, online privacy and pro-choice advocates are concerned about how police might use data from someone’s phone or computer to prosecute or charge them for seeking an abortion in states where it could be deemed illegal. Sara Morrison, a senior reporter for Recode, joins us to discuss the need for more data privacy laws in a post-Roe wor...
24m May 11, 2022
24m
Voters Could Protect Abortion Rights In Michigan
Michigan has a 1931 law on the books that criminalizes abortion. That law has not been enforced since 1973 when Roe v Wade was decided, but it hasn’t been repealed either. And so it would take effect again should Roe be overturned because the state’s GOP-controlled legislature said they don’t plan to revoke it. We talk with Kelly Hall of The Fairness Project, which is gathering signatures to pu...
17m May 10, 2022
17m
How Pro-Life Becomes Pro-Incarceration
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion would become illegal in at least 26 states. That means two main things for people who hope to terminate a pregnancy – increased confusion and increased criminalization. Today is Victory Day, an important holiday in Russia that marks the defeat of Nazi Germany 77 years ago. Some reports say Putin might use the occasion to claim victory in Ukraine, while ot...
18m May 09, 2022
18m
Providing Abortions In Uncertain Times
Abortion providers and advocates in several states have been scrambling to figure out how to process the fall out of the Supreme Court leak, what to tell patients, and how to still help them if the procedure is restricted where they are. Susan Braselton, who manages the clinic escort program for the Roe Fund in Oklahoma, joins us to discuss how her work has been affected by anti-abortion laws b...
25m May 06, 2022
25m
Reactions To What Could Be The End Of Roe
Abortion providers across the country are rushing to figure out their next steps in light of this week’s news about abortion and the Supreme Court. Plus, we share some of our listeners’ stories about how Roe has helped them and what it would mean to them if it were overturned. In headlines: The Federal Reserve is raising interest rates again, New Mexico officials are struggling to contain seven...
26m May 05, 2022
26m
Imagining A World Without Roe
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said that the leaked draft majority opinion on overturning abortion rights is authentic and that “it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.” Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s “Strict Scrutiny” podcast, joins us to answer our legal questions about what this could mean for abortion access n...
24m May 04, 2022
24m
SCOTUS Seems Poised to Overturn Roe V. Wade
Politico has obtained what is says are leaked documents showing the Supreme Court is poised to strike down the constitutional right to abortion. In a draft majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito writes that two landmark rulings – 1973’s Roe v Wade as well as 1992’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey – “must be overruled.” Workers at an Amazon warehouse in New York City voted against joining the Amazon...
19m May 03, 2022
19m
Off-Peak Pandemic
The current COVID wave in the U.S. is relatively mild considering what we’ve seen in the past. For instance, recent data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the daily COVID death rate has really slowed. And COVID hospital admissions are far below what we’ve seen during other surges. After numerous refusals by Ukraine to surrender the city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials have brokered a de...
19m May 02, 2022
19m
FDA Says Last Call For Menthol
Moderna said on Thursday that they were asking the FDA for emergency use authorization for their vaccine for children under 6. If granted, they would be the first shots available to the youngest of kids. Separately, the FDA announced they will ban the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars across the U.S. within a year. Experts say that this could save hundreds of thousands of lives, es...
19m Apr 29, 2022
19m
Reckoning With Racist Policing in Minneapolis
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found that Minneapolis and the city’s police department engaged in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the state’s Human Rights Act. The two-year-long investigation began after former officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in 2020.  Russia released a former U.S. Marine from its custody yesterday in a prisoner swap with the U...
18m Apr 28, 2022
18m
Harvard Faces Its Legacy Of Slavery
Harvard University pledged $100 million to redress its ties to slavery. In an email on Tuesday, the school’s president said that the university bore “a moral responsibility to do what we can to address the persistent corrosive effects of those historical practices on individuals, on Harvard, and on our society.” According to multiple reports, President Biden said that he may be prepared to not ...
20m Apr 27, 2022
20m
Musk Rules Everything Around Me
Elon Musk reached a deal with Twitter on Monday to take over the company for roughly $44 billion. Mike Isaac, a tech reporter for the New York Times, joins us to discuss how we got here and what comes next. And in headlines: President Biden plans to nominate Bridget Brink to be the next ambassador to Ukraine, the Supreme Court will take up the case of Rodney Reed, and Beijing officials began ma...
20m Apr 26, 2022
20m