The Challenges Of Jury Selection
All 12 jurors have been seated in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial in Manhattan. While jury selection continues today for alternates, the judge overseeing the case said opening arguments in the trial could come as soon as Monday. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi breaks down the challenges of seating a jury in such a historic, high-profile case.Google announced late ...
21m Apr 19, 2024
21m
An Anticlimactic End to Mayorkas Impeachment
On Wednesday, the Senate moved to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the border. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats needed “to set a precedent that impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements.” Congressional reporter Matt Laslo breaks down the vibes on Capitol Hill.
14m Apr 18, 2024
14m
Speaker Johnson VS. House Far-Right GOP
House Republicans are in chaos again after a second conservative lawmaker voiced support for a push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. The speaker announced plans to bring a foreign aid bill for Ukraine up for a vote, causing an uproar. Joan Greve, senior political reporter for The Guardian, breaks down the mood on Capitol Hill.In the Senate, lawmakers will consider a bill to reauthorize a section o...
23m Apr 17, 2024
23m
Supreme Court Could Help Trump In Jan 6 Obstruction Case
The Supreme Court hears arguments today in a major case related to the January 6th Insurrection that has the potential to undo some of the charges former President Donald Trump faces. The case looks at whether the Justice Department was right to charge some of the people who stormed the Capitol that day with the crime of obstructing an official proceeding. The case has the potential to upend hu...
17m Apr 16, 2024
17m
Middle East Tensions At A High After Iran Attacks Israel
Description: The Iranian government launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel late Saturday night in what’s believed to be Iran’s first direct attack against Israel from its own soil. Israel reported minimal damage and was able to shoot down most of the drones and missiles, with some help from the U.S. military. Ben Rhodes, former U.S. national security advisor and co-host of Pod Save ...
22m Apr 15, 2024
22m
The Real Origins of the Student Debt Crisis
Once upon a time, borrowing money for college was an affordable path towards upward mobility. Today, it’s a crisis. With Americans owing a whopping $1.7 trillion in student loans. So how did the student debt crisis get so out of control? From bungled government programs to Sputnik to the Great Recession, “How We Got Here” unpacks the history behind spiraling student debt…with interest! SOURC...
31m Apr 13, 2024
31m
DOJ Closes 'The Gun Show Loophole'
The Justice Department announced Thursday, it finalized rules to close a major loophole in gun purchases. Known as 'the gun show loophole' it allowed people to sell firearms online, at gun shows, or in other more informal settings without conducting background checks. The finalized rules are expected to take effect in 30 days. Nick Suplina, senior vice president for law and policy at Everytown ...
17m Apr 12, 2024
17m
House Republicans Deal Speaker Another Blow With FISA Bill
A group of House Republicans dealt Speaker Mike Johnson another embarrassing blow on Wednesday when they blocked legislation to extend part of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. They did so after former President Donald Trump posted to “kill” the bill on social media. Meanwhile, Republicans struggled to deliver a coherent response to Tuesday’s Arizona Supreme Court decision th...
17m Apr 11, 2024
17m
Arizona Abortion Access Now Hinges On A Referendum
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, that an 1864 law banning almost all abortions is enforceable. The only exception is if a pregnant person’s life is at risk. The court stayed its decision for at least 14 days pending other legal challenges. Chris Love, one of the lead organizers behind an effort to get an abortion rights amendment on Arizona’s November ballot, explains what the decisi...
21m Apr 10, 2024
21m
Will Biden's Student Debt Plan Payoff Come November?
President Joe Biden on Monday announced another round of student debt relief that could help tens of millions of borrowers. He made the announcement in Madison, Wisconsin, a major college town in a swing state that’s key to the president’s re-election effort. We talk to Braxton Brewington, press secretary for The Debt Collective, an organization dedicated to student debt cancellation. He gives ...
19m Apr 09, 2024
19m
A Total Eclipse Of The...Sun!
Israel said on Sunday that it was reducing its military presence in Gaza but rejected any suggestion that it was a sign the war was winding down. Sunday also marked six months since Hamas attacked Israel, killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage. Ceasefire negotiations resumed over the weekend in Cairo amid the ongoing international fallout over an Israeli strike that killed seven aid w...
15m Apr 08, 2024
15m
How is Trump's Phony Media Company "Worth" $7 Billion?
Why on earth is Wall Street valuing Donald Trump’s little social network at $7 billion despite having few users, scant revenue and tremendous losses? This week on “How We Got Here,” Max and Erin take stock of how wonky and meme-ified investment markets have become, what this means Trump’s legal bills, and why “DJT” shares would never be this high if not for Netscape and GameStop. SOURCES Tr...
30m Apr 06, 2024
30m
Baltimore Mayor Says Key Bridge Cleanup Is Like "Jenga"
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Thursday, the first time since Israeli strikes killed seven aid workers with World Central Kitchen in Gaza. Biden reportedly told Netanyahu that an immediate ceasefire was necessary and seemed to condition future U.S. support on improved treatment of Gaza’s civilians. Hours later, the White House said Israel agreed to op...
29m Apr 05, 2024
29m
Outrage Intensifies After World Central Kitchen Strike
José Andrés, the celebrity chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, said that Israel “targeted” his aid workers when the country killed seven of them this week. He gave an interview to Reuters on Wednesday, and he also rebuked the claims by the Israeli and U.S. governments, which both say the strikes were a tragic accident. In a statement issued late Tuesday, President Biden said he was “outr...
21m Apr 04, 2024
21m
World Central Kitchen Pauses Work in Gaza After Fatal Israeli Strike
World Central Kitchen, an international aid group, said on Tuesday it paused its relief operation in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed seven of its workers on the ground there. The strikes happened late Monday night as the aid workers were leaving a warehouse in the central Gaza Strip in vehicles clearly marked with World Central Kitchen’s logo. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sa...
16m Apr 03, 2024
16m
Florida Voters Will Decide Abortion Access In November
The Florida Supreme Court delivered bittersweet news to abortion rights advocates on Monday. In one ruling, the court gave voters the chance to enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution by okaying a referendum to appear on the state ballot this November. But in a separate decision, the court also cleared the way for Florida’s six-week abortion ban to take effect in 30 days. Lauren Bren...
19m Apr 02, 2024
19m
How Biden Can Move Voters on Immigration
Cesar Chavez Day was Sunday, and it’s the day when Americans honor the late Latino civil rights icon and labor activist. Chavez is most known for co-founding the United Farm Workers (UFW) — the nation’s first-ever farmworker union. He dedicated his life to the fight for better working conditions and wages for people who were part of the agricultural workforce — many of whom were migrants. And w...
24m Apr 01, 2024
24m
The Pill That May Save Abortion Rights
This week on “How We Got Here,” Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and Offline’s Max Fisher tell the story of how Mifepristone became the anti-abortion movement’s #1 enemy and the new lows that movement has had to go to get this challenge before the court.
30m Mar 30, 2024
30m
Trans Athletes Fight For Rights
The federal government announced on Thursday some upcoming changes to the next Census. The form will consolidate two existing questions about race and ethnicity into one question. There will also be a longer list of race categories for people to select from, along with the ability to choose more than one. The list will include, for the first time, the option to select “Middle Eastern or North A...
24m Mar 29, 2024
24m
Baltimore Mourns Victims of the Bridge Collapse
Democrats scored a surprise landslide win on Tuesday when Marilyn Lands prevailed in a special election for an Alabama State House seat previously held by a Republican. Lands made abortion rights and access to IVF central to her campaign. Democrats hope Lands’ win is more evidence that abortion access and reproductive rights remain potent issues for voters heading into the November election. D...
15m Mar 28, 2024
15m
Supreme Court Side-Eyes Anti-Abortion Doctors
The Supreme Court justices on Tuesday seemed skeptical of a case that challenged expanded access to the abortion medication mifepristone. It was brought by anti-abortion doctors looking to roll back access, but during oral arguments both liberal and conservative justices questioned whether the group had the right to bring the case, a concept known as standing. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s ...
23m Mar 27, 2024
23m
Trump Trades In Lies, And On Nasdaq Starting Today
The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution on Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan. The United States abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass. While it’s unclear how the ceasefire resolution will affect the trajectory of the war, it’s yet more evidence of the deteriorating relationship between the Biden Administration and th...
20m Mar 26, 2024
20m
Texas Gives No Clarity On Exceptions to Anti-Abortion Law
More than 130 people are dead after a terrorist attack Friday night at a concert in Moscow. An offshoot of the Islamic State known as ISIS-K claimed responsibility, and U.S. officials said there’s evidence to support that claim. Four suspects from Tajikistan were arrested. But Russian President Vladimir Putin instead pushed the idea that Ukraine was involved in the attack, despite the fact that...
25m Mar 25, 2024
25m
Why Hip Hop Never Had a #MeToo Movement
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct. It’s the latest in a pattern of accusations against hip hop titans that spans decades, and features the likes of R. Kelly, Chris Brown, Russell Simmons and many others. So why hasn’t the industry faced the music? This week on “How We Got Here,” Hysteria’s Erin Ryan and What A Day’s Tre’vell Anderson break down why the music indu...
24m Mar 23, 2024
24m
Third Parties Could Threaten Biden’s Reelection
The Justice Department and more than a dozen states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple on Thursday for “smothering” the smartphone industry. Among the claims, the suit accused Apple of limiting virtual wallets other than Apple Pay, making chats with Android products less secure, and blocking new apps, all to maintain a monopoly. Apple rejected the claims of the suit and said it would figh...
24m Mar 22, 2024
24m
The Courts Temporarily Stop Texas From Arresting and Deporting Migrants
Texas’ draconian immigration law SB4 is back on hold after a ruling late Tuesday night by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. SB4 would allow state law enforcement officials to arrest and detain anyone they suspect of crossing the border illegally. It also would allow judges to issue orders to deport people to Mexico. The Fifth Circuit’s decision followed an earlier decision by the Supreme Cour...
22m Mar 21, 2024
22m
Netanyahu Insists on Rafah Offensive Despite Biden's Warning
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated his plans to do exactly what President Joe Biden keeps advising him not to do: launch a ground offensive into the crowded city of Rafah in southern Gaza. Netanyahu’s comments came after Biden directly warned him against it in a phone call, their first in more than a month. Netanyahu insists a ground offensive in Rafah is the only w...
14m Mar 20, 2024
14m
Ohio Could Be Make Or Break For Senate Dems
Ohio is one of five states holding primary elections on Tuesday. A few big races there will make it a key state to watch in November. Democrat Sherrod Brown is looking to hold on to his Senate seat in what’s likely to be a tight race that could make or break control of the chamber. There’s also an open seat on the state’s Supreme Court that could lead to Republicans losing their majority. Ohio ...
21m Mar 19, 2024
21m
The Damages Done To Georgia's Case Against Trump
The Georgia racketeering case against Donald Trump can proceed with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in charge. However, on Friday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled that if Willis stayed on, her lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, would have to leave the case. He stepped down later that day. One of Trump’s co-defendants accused Willis of misconduct for having a romanti...
19m Mar 18, 2024
19m
How Israel Became a Rogue Ally
This week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he’s invading the Palestinian city of Rafah despite strong opposition from the Biden administration. Why does Israel, a country that seems to rely on the U.S. for so much, increasingly ignore and defy its long time American patron? And at what point is a defiant ally not really an ally at all? This week on How We Got Here, Israel’s ...
34m Mar 16, 2024
34m
Sen. Chuck Schumer Slams Netanyahu As "Obstacle To Peace"
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called for new Israeli elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the U.S., called Netanyahu an “obstacle to peace.” Ben Rhodes, co-host of Crooked’s ‘Pod Save The World’ and former deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, explains what Schumer’s comments could s...
23m Mar 15, 2024
23m
The Fight For Reparations Gains Real Momentum
Americans have considered the idea of reparations for more than a century, but there’s real momentum around the movement to make it happen right now. Multiple states and localities have launched studies into doing it and California has even introduced legislation. We’ll talk to Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning journalist Trymaine Lee whose podcast “Uncounted Millions” looks at ways reparat...
20m Mar 14, 2024
20m
Explaining The Timer on TikTok's Fate
The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a bill that could force the Chinese owners of TikTok to sell the social media platform or face a ban on U.S. app stores. Lawmakers say TikTok is a potential national security threat. The bill has bipartisan support in the House. Tech journalist Louise Matsakis explains why banning TikTok is one of the few issues lawmakers can agree on these days. And ...
20m Mar 13, 2024
20m
Biden's Budget Takes Aim At The Wealthy, Corporations
President Biden on Monday unveiled his $7.3 trillion budget proposal for the next fiscal year. He calls for new spending to lower the cost of healthcare, housing and childcare, and wants to offset it by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The proposal as it stands now has little chance of passing a divided Congress, but is the basis for negotiations and also serves as a campaign prom...
17m Mar 12, 2024
17m
Ramadan Begins With No Ceasefire In Sight
Ramadan began Sunday night, and it was also the unofficial deadline by which the Biden administration hoped to have negotiated a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. But as fighting in Gaza rages on and the death toll there tops 30,000, President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amped up their criticisms of each other. Haiti’s government is on the brink of collapse ...
14m Mar 11, 2024
14m
Are Primaries What's Wrong with American Politics?
Primaries elections are good, right? It’s how we hold the party accountable and raise up progressives! It turns out there’s more to the story. This week on “How We Got Here,” Max and Erin explore how party primaries have led to the success of more extreme candidates, the passage of fewer polices, and an increase in American polarization. From the Tea Party and Ron Paul to decidedly not "tea" p...
33m Mar 09, 2024
33m
Biden Got Feisty In His State Of The Union
President Biden delivered his State of the Union Thursday night. He traded verbal blows with his conservative opponents inside the room, and also offered a preview of his 2024 campaign message. Pod Save America's Tommy Vietor assessed Biden's speech on topics such as abortion access, Gaza, immigration at the southern border and more. And in headlines: Sweden joins NATO, Trump can't delay his p...
19m Mar 08, 2024
19m
Progressives Explain What They Want Out Of Biden's Big Speech
President Biden delivers his third State of the Union address Thursday night ahead of this November’s election. Part of the challenge for Biden is to show voters that he’s still got the energy for another four year term. But he also has to motivate his base, including progressives who are following his campaign with varying amounts of enthusiasm. Activists and organizers across the country told...
19m Mar 07, 2024
19m
Donald Trump Closer To Clinching Nomination After Super Tuesday
Super Tuesday was mostly a blowout on the Republican side for former President Donald Trump. Nikki Haley did manage to eke out a win in Vermont, but that's not enough to give her a clear path to victory. Danielle Deiseroth, the executive director of the progressive think tank Data for Progress, helps us interpret what the Super Tuesday results could mean for both Republicans and Democrats in No...
18m Mar 06, 2024
18m
Trump Back On The Ballot In Colorado
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump can stay on Colorado’s primary ballot. This reverses a decision by Colorado’s Supreme Court, which ruled that Trump could be disqualified based on his actions on January 6th, and the 14th Amendment’s stipulation that insurrectionists cannot hold public office. To understand the Supreme Court’s rationale, we spoke ...
21m Mar 05, 2024
21m
Why Oregon's Going From Drug Decriminalization To Recriminalization
Oregon’s legislature has reintroduced criminal penalties for hard drug possession, effectively reversing course three years after voters passed the state’s Measure 110 and decriminalized possession in many cases. Many describe the reversal as a big setback for the criminal justice reform movement. But to understand how we got here, we look at where Oregon fell short in its implementation of Mea...
21m Mar 04, 2024
21m
How Wall Street Ruined Your (and the MLB's) Wardrobe
I see London, I see France, I see Shohei Ohtani’s underpants. This week, the MLB kicked off Spring Training with brand new see-through uniforms — yes, you read that right. But it’s not just MLB players’ clothing that’s seemingly crappier, the uniform change is another story in a long line of corporate decisions that have made the clothing we wear worse and worse with each passing year. Max and...
31m Mar 02, 2024
31m
Over 100 Palestinians Killed While Collecting Aid
More than 100 Palestinians were killed and hundreds more injured Thursday near Gaza City as people gathered around trucks to receive much needed food and aid. Hamas said in a statement that the Gaza Health Ministry had presented “undeniable” evidence of the Israeli Defense Force directly firing at civilians. Israel, for their part, denied that soldiers shot into the large crowd. Alabama’s legi...
19m Mar 01, 2024
19m
Mitch McConnell Is Stepping Down
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday that he plans to step down as the Republican Senate leader in November. He has been the longest-serving Senate leader in American history, and is responsible for extensive damage to American politics and life. Congressional reporter Todd Zwillich explains why McConnell is leaving and why now. Both President Biden and former President T...
24m Feb 29, 2024
24m
Another Shutdown Looms Thanks To Far-Right Conservatives
Yet another government shutdown looms and lawmakers have until Friday night to avert it. Here's what's holding them up this time: House Republicans have refused to support a spending deal that doesn't cover some of their extremist priorities, like the reversal of a federal rule that broadens access to abortion medication. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he's committed to avoiding a shutdown...
18m Feb 28, 2024
18m
Could Facebook Abandon Florida and Texas?
The Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments on a case that could upend the online world. At issue are laws championed and passed by Republicans in Florida and Texas which would prevent social media companies from banning users based on their viewpoints. Jason Koebler, co-founder of the tech publication 404 Media, believes that tech companies would leave both states if the Supreme Court all...
19m Feb 27, 2024
19m
Why Michigan’s Muslim and Arab Voters Are Uncommitted to Biden
Former President Donald Trump cleaned up in the South Carolina Republican primary last Saturday, winning 60 percent of the votes to Nikki Haley’s 40 percent, in spite of the fact that the battle played out in Haley’s home state. For her part, Haley says she’s still not dropping out. The race now heads to Michigan which holds its Presidential primary on Tuesday. The results could demonstrate ho...
20m Feb 26, 2024
20m
How We Got Here: How Christian Nationalists Took Over the GOP
Republicans are coming after IVF? And no-fault divorce? This week, a Supreme Court ruling in Alabama and a new report from POLITICO unmasked an ascendant ideology taking over the Republican Party: Christian nationalism. Why does this ideology have Republicans waging war on public schools, failing marriages, and fertility clinics? And how did this movement go from the far fringes of the religiou...
29m Feb 24, 2024
29m
Russia Withholds Alexei Navalny's Body From His Family
The mother of deceased Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said that authorities are “blackmailing” her over his remains to get her to agree to a secret funeral. Sanctions on more than 500 targets in Russia are expected from the U.S. State and Treasury Departments Friday for the Russian government’s suspected role in Navalny’s death. Saturday marks two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. ...
16m Feb 23, 2024
16m
Fertility Treatments Threatened In Post-Roe Alabama
The University of Alabama health system became the first organization in the state to pause IVF treatments following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said frozen embryos can legally be considered “children.” Meanwhile, the future of IVF in the ten other states remains unclear as well because, like Alabama, they say life begins at fertilization. To learn more about how this fits into the la...
20m Feb 22, 2024
20m