NCAA It Forward
Congressional leaders think they could pass a roughly $900 billion stimulus bill by the end of the week, which might include direct payments, but won't include money for states and localities. A deal can’t come soon enough: eight million Americans have been pushed into poverty since this summer, while jobless claims (and COVID cases) are rising. The Supreme Court announced it will hear a case o...
18m Dec 17, 2020
18m
Staffing Season
Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg was announced as Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary yesterday, and former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm is expected to be picked to lead the Energy Department. We discuss those picks, plus other recent Biden nominees, like Marcia Fudge, Tom Vilsack, and Denis McDonough.  The Dolly Parton-backed Moderna vaccine has been reviewed by the FDA a...
17m Dec 16, 2020
17m
Stimu-Less And Less
The first coronavirus vaccines were administered in the US yesterday, and public education efforts also got underway with the HHS and CDC emphasizing the safety of the drug.  Congress has one week left to agree on a relief bill before they go on recess. The latest proposal splits provisions into two parts, one that everyone can agree on, and one that contains more controversial elements. We exp...
19m Dec 15, 2020
19m
Better 538 Than Never
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized by the FDA on Friday evening, and the first shipments went out on Sunday. Most state governments intend to follow CDC recommendations and give the first few batches to health care workers and nursing home residents and staff… members of the Trump White House might also get it early. Today is the official electoral college vote, after which Biden and Ha...
19m Dec 14, 2020
19m
COVID By The Numbers
The FDA’s advisory panel voted to approve emergency authorization of the Pfizer-BionNTech coronavirus vaccine. Once it’s authorized, which could be any day now, an initial shipment of about 6.4 million doses is expected to be sent across the country.  The state of the pandemic in the United States is extremely dire, with this week bringing a new record in single day fatalities, and a record num...
24m Dec 11, 2020
24m
Zuck The Police
Facebook is facing two major antitrust lawsuits, one from the Federal Trade Commission and one from nearly every state in the country. The suits argue that Facebook has turned itself into a social media monopoly by purchasing or unfairly stifling its rivals. As a solution, the FTC is calling for the company to break off WhatsApp and Instagram. An FDA panel is meeting today to vote on whether to...
19m Dec 10, 2020
19m
No One's Quick As Gascón
As vaccinations kick off in the UK, the approval process is moving forward here in the US as well. The FDA now says Pfizer’s vaccine offers protection within just 10 days of getting the first dose, though efficacy goes up even further after a second one. Authorization is still pending. The US had planned to rely heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine, having made a deal to buy 300 million doses… bu...
20m Dec 09, 2020
20m
Crime And Capital Punishment
A bipartisan relief bill that had some momentum last week hit a snag after two senators said they won’t support the proposal. We explain. Plus, an update on coronavirus restrictions in New York. The Trump administration has five executions planned between now and January 20th, including that of Brandon Bernard, whose sentence many are fighting to commute. Biden is against the death penalty and ...
17m Dec 08, 2020
17m
California, Here We Close
Biden has reportedly selected California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who led the defense of the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court last month, to lead the department of Health and Human Services. We discuss the pick. California Governor Gavin Newsom’s new lockdown order takes effect today in large parts of the state, and will be in effect for at least the next three weeks but possibl...
19m Dec 07, 2020
19m
Runoff The Jewels
There’s about a month left to go until the two Senate runoffs in Georgia, with Republican Senators Loeffler and Perdue walking the line of campaigning as a check on Biden while also not admitting that he will be the President. Meanwhile, Democratic challengers Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are focusing largely on the pandemic and the multi-million dollar stock trades both their Republican oppo...
21m Dec 04, 2020
21m
God Save The Vaccine
The UK became the first country to authorize Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine yesterday, with vaccinations expected to begin next week. In the US, the CDC voted to give health care workers and residents of long term facilities access to the vaccine first, if and when it's approved. CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield predicted that the US could see close to 450,000 deaths from COVID-19 by next Februar...
16m Dec 03, 2020
16m
Congress This Mess
Attorney General Bill Barr said what is obvious to everyone, that the Justice Department hasn’t found any election of widespread voter fraud that would change the result of the election. As Trump winds down his presidency, he’s reportedly looking into pre-emptive pardons for Ivanka, Eric, Don Jr., Jared Kushner, and his face-melting lawyer Rudy Giuliani.  A bipartisan group of senators pitched ...
20m Dec 02, 2020
20m
Bidenomics 101
Biden officially announced several top members of his economic team, including his picks to lead the Treasury, White House Council of Economic Advisers, and the Office of Management and Budget. We talk about the picks and what it says about Biden's economic priorities. Moderna submitted its vaccine for FDA authorization yesterday, following Pfizer’s submission a couple weeks ago. The CDC is hol...
22m Dec 01, 2020
22m
Pardon Me, Mr. President
New York City is opening up elementary schools next week after city officials faced heavy criticism for appearing to prioritize economic activities like restaurant dining over the well-being of children. Across the country, public school closures have led to a spike in private school matriculation, since private institutions have a better chance of staying open.  Trump still hasn’t conceded yet...
23m Nov 30, 2020
23m
Yes We Michigan with Rep. Rashida Tlaib
Michigan and Wayne County have repeatedly been targeted in Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results. In particular, he and his supporters have singled out Detroit, a heavily Democratic, majority-Black city. We talk to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib about that effort. Plus, we get her take on what’s next for House Democrats and what she’d like to see from the Biden administration.  And in ...
22m Nov 20, 2020
22m
Home Is Where The School Is
Yesterday brought more bad news about the current state of the pandemic, even as we got more good news about ending it in the future. The entire public school system in New York City, the largest in the country, is going fully remote as cases rise in the city. Meanwhile, the FDA gave emergency use authorization to the first at-home COVID test, and Pfizer said their vaccine is 95% effective, acc...
18m Nov 19, 2020
18m
Airborne In The USA With Dr. Abdul El-Sayed
The US is in an extremely dangerous period of the pandemic, with cases and hospitalizations at record highs, holidays fast approaching, and little in the way of a federal response. Our guest host for today —epidemiologist and former Detroit health commissioner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed — answers our questions about the current state of affairs, vaccine updates, Thanksgiving, and what gives him hope ab...
20m Nov 18, 2020
20m
Midnight Train To The Senate
Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced yesterday that its vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to early data. This comes after Pfizer's announcement last week and raises the prospects that two vaccines could cleared for use on a limited basis by the end of the year. With two senate runoffs set for January, all eyes are on Georgia. We talk about the candidates, the issues, and the organizers ...
19m Nov 17, 2020
19m
System Of A Lockdown
The federal government still hasn’t affirmed Biden's victory, blocking him from the White House access he needs to get a handle on the transition and the government's pandemic response. America has now surpassed 11 million COVID-19 cases, and the virus is still predominately affecting Black and Brown Americans. Some states are taking sweeping actions to slow rising case numbers, like New Mexico...
19m Nov 16, 2020
19m
Trial and Error
Joe Biden’s lead has only grown since major networks projected him to win the presidential election last weekend, and despite that, Trump has continued to baselessly claim that he is the true winner and delay Biden’s transition process. To better understand the nuances of Trump’s lawsuits and whether we have anything at all to worry about, we spoke to Risk Hasen, a law professor at UC Irvine wh...
22m Nov 13, 2020
22m
Lost In Transition
The US is still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 70 percent in the past two weeks. The CDC put out a new guidance that said face masks protect the person wearing the mask as well as the people around them—which is one more reason to keep wearing them.  Republicans are still occupying an alternate reality where they largely refuse to acknowledge...
18m Nov 12, 2020
18m
Exhibit None
Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo made a bad “joke” yesterday that led many to believe Trump will continue to ignore the election results… which is making it harder for President-elect Joe Biden to begin the transition process. Trump’s lawsuits to challenge election results have been mostly unsuccessful and lacking in any evidence. We go through a few examples, as well as what comes next in the el...
19m Nov 11, 2020
19m
I've Vaccine Enough
Pfizer says an initial analysis of their vaccine found it was more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. President-elect Joe Biden announced his 13-member pandemic task force, which includes health experts that previously served in Republican and Democratic administrations. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the election yesterday,...
20m Nov 10, 2020
20m
Let's Joe Crazy
The presidential race was called this weekend for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, leading to spontaneous celebrations across the country. Biden and Harris gave their first speeches as President-elect and Vice President-elect on Saturday night, reiterating their message of unity and sketching out a mandate that includes rooting out systemic racism, working towards and economic fairness, and tacklin...
21m Nov 09, 2020
21m
Biden Rising
A significant number of ballots were counted yesterday in states where races have been too close to call, leading to gains for Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia. At this point, Trump would need everything to break his way to win the election—and that doesn’t seem likely. Biden’s campaign continued to project confidence yesterday, while Trump did a press conference where he tried ou...
19m Nov 06, 2020
19m
Another Brick In The Blue Wall
Joe Biden now has the most votes of any presidential candidate in history, and he’s won two more key states in his path to 270 electoral votes: Michigan and Wisconsin. We’re still waiting on calls in five battleground states: Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina. We discuss where things stand, and how the two campaigns are responding. Spoiler alert: one is being dignified ...
18m Nov 05, 2020
18m
No Winner, No Cry
Yesterday was Election Day, and it ended as we expected it to: without an official call on the presidential race. There wasn’t a Biden landslide like we hoped, but as we went to record last night, he still had a path to victory. We discuss that path, some surprising and less surprising calls, and how the two presidential candidates treated the results.  Looking at Congress, Democrats retained c...
14m Nov 04, 2020
14m
No Sleep Til Votes In
After four long hard years, we’ve made it to election day… now we just need to make it through the next 24, to 48, to 100-plus hours. We discuss when the results will come in and what we’ll be watching out for. Plus, a look at some key Senate races in states that could flip.  And in headlines: battleground states were hit hardest with misinformation, voter preferences by first name, and a whale...
20m Nov 03, 2020
20m
First Vote's The Charm
Over 93 million people have voted as of Sunday night. More than 8 million of those voters are doing so for the first time, according to the data firm TargetSmart. We talk to a group of first time voters about why they are participating this year, and why they’re choosing Biden. The US hit a new record high of Covid-19 cases last Friday — with many swing states hitting record highs as well. And ...
20m Nov 02, 2020
20m
In This COVID Economy?
Another 5 million people cast ballots yesterday, bringing the vote total to over 80 million so far. We explain two recent Supreme Court decisions over voting rights in Pennsylvania and North Carolina… and what they could mean for the post-election count. The GDP went up by 7.4 percent in the third quarter, but the economy is still 3.5 percent smaller than it was pre-pandemic. Plus, we check in ...
20m Oct 30, 2020
20m
Ballot Cleanser
COVID-19 numbers are up in the US, with more than 500,000 new cases over the past week. Trouble spots include El Paso, TX, where hospitals are stretched to capacity, plus the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Montana. Europe is also seeing numbers spike, leading some countries to re-implement national shutdowns.  There are five days until election day, so we’re continuing to review notable ballot initiat...
20m Oct 29, 2020
20m
I've Got Polls But I'm Not A Pollster
With less than a week until November 3rd, almost 70 million people have already voted in this election as of last night, which is over half the total in 2016. We talk with Charlotte Swasey, the Vice President of polling at Data for Progress, about how things are looking for Biden, how to read the polls, and what results we may and may not get on Election night.  And in headlines: protests in Ph...
26m Oct 28, 2020
26m
I Just Can't Barrett
Amy Coney Barrett was officially confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, cementing a 6-3 conservative majority on the court. Barrett has not said whether she will recuse herself from cases having to do with this election… meanwhile, her confirmation has led even more moderate Democrats to warm up to the idea of court reform or expansion. Policing is on the ballot this year, with over 20 state and...
19m Oct 27, 2020
19m
Pence Like Nobody's Watching
At least 5 aides of Mike Pence including his Chief of Staff have tested positive for Covid-19, but Pence still isn’t going to quarantine. The country is seeing record numbers of new cases, with over 85,000 new cases last Friday… that fits with a recent admission from White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows that the federal government is “not going to control the pandemic.”  Over 59 million peop...
20m Oct 26, 2020
20m
A More Muted Presidential Debate
Last night Biden and Trump faced off in the second and final presidential debate. It was less interrupt-y and the candidates discussed everything from the pandemic to climate change and racism. We break down what Biden and Trump had to say, and the biggest news leading into the night.  And in headlines: Remdesivir approved, Pompeo signs an anti-abortion declaration, and a beautiful green dog is...
20m Oct 23, 2020
20m
Pharma Police
The DOJ announced an $8.3 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma yesterday for illegally marketing their painkiller Oxycontin. The settlement doesn’t prevent members of the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, from criminal liability and there is still a criminal case pending.  Protests continue in Nigeria against a notorious police unit called SARS, which has been accused of corruption, viole...
17m Oct 22, 2020
17m
OK Google, What's A Monopoly
The Justice Department filed a major lawsuit against Google saying that the company is illegally trying to maintain its search dominance using anti-competitive practices. We look at what's the behind the case and what it could mean for Google. Trial volunteers in London will be deliberately infected with COVID-19 to aid in vaccine research starting in January, if a plan by researchers gets appr...
17m Oct 21, 2020
17m
Stuck In The Meddle With GRU
In the final two weeks before November 3rd, Trump has been criticizing his own public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci. Meanwhile, Biden and Harris have been defending scientists and their role in public policy. Federal prosecutors charged six men for some of the biggest, most notorious hacks in recent years, including the 2018 Winter Olympics hack and a 2017 hack on Ukraine. The hackers a...
18m Oct 20, 2020
18m
Con Census
In the US, we’re now seeing uncontrolled spread of coronavirus as parts of the country get colder and people prepare to gather for the holidays. On Friday, the CEO of Pfizer said his company won’t apply for emergency vaccine authorization until late November at the earliest, which appears to be the nail in the coffin for any vaccine getting approval by election day.  After SCOTUS ruled that Tru...
19m Oct 19, 2020
19m
Everything Is Feinstein
A new study shows eight million people have fallen into poverty since May, when the CARES Act money started running out, but lawmakers in Washington still can’t agree on a second relief bill. We review the current state of negotiations, and how the delay is affecting Americans in need.  Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up their confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, ...
24m Oct 16, 2020
24m
Rotten To The Court
Amy Coney Barrett appeared for her last day of Senate questioning yesterday and gave more evasive non-responses. Today is the final day of the hearings, and will feature witness testimony on Barrett’s nomination.  Brian Fallon is the executive director of Demand Justice, a group which pushes for progressive structural reforms and political hardball when it comes to the judiciary. We spoke to hi...
23m Oct 15, 2020
23m
Take On Amy
Yesterday was day two of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings, when members of the Senate Judiciary Committee got their first public chance to directly question the nominee. There were a lot of questions, but there weren’t many answers. Safety concerns led Johnson & Johnson to pause a large clinical trial of its COVID vaccine candidate and Eli Lilly to pause trials of their antibody drug. ...
22m Oct 14, 2020
22m
If U Seek Amy Coney Barrett
Senate hearings began yesterday to consider Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Democrats tried to keep the focus on the Affordable Care Act, while Republicans treated the day like they were writing a profile of Barrett for a conservative version of Marie Claire.  With three weeks left until November 3rd, we look at recent polling, what it says about swing voters, and the...
20m Oct 13, 2020
20m
Vaccine Nation With Dr. Abdul El-Sayed
Senate confirmation hearings begin today for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, Trump's Supreme Court nominee. The president is scheduled to return to the campaign trail today just over a week after being hospitalized with COVID-19, after his doctor released a memo saying he’s no longer contagious, but providing no other information.  Daily new cases of COVID-19 in the US are creeping above 50,000, which...
22m Oct 12, 2020
22m
The Date Debaters
Thirteen men were charged yesterday in connection to an alleged violent plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. This is unsurprising when you consider Trump’s “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” tweets from earlier in the year that encouraged armed protestors to mount anti-government and anti-COVID restriction rallies.  The fate of next week’s debate is in question after an extended back-and-forth b...
16m Oct 09, 2020
16m
Veeping With The Enemy
Last night was the first and only vice presidential debate, with Senator Kamala Harris and VP Mike Pence facing off. Their conversation covered police killings of Black Americans, Trump’s response to the pandemic, Roe v. Wade, and more. We discuss a debate that was a lot more measured than the last one, but still very frustrating.  Trump went back to the Oval Office yesterday and released anoth...
19m Oct 08, 2020
19m
Keep Calm And Harrison
Trump said yesterday he won't negotiate with Democrats on another Covid relief before the election. He sent a torrent of other tweets too, all while more people in D.C. continued to test positive, including Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller and General Mark Milley. Former South Carolina Democratic party chair Jaime Harrison is tied with Senator Lindsey Graham in a tight senate race accordin...
22m Oct 07, 2020
22m
The West Wheeze
Trump is now back in the White House after making a Trumpian and very public return, but doctors say he’s still not "out of the woods." Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany tested positive along with two deputies in the communications department, but the White House’s contact tracing effort seems to be negligible at best.  The Supreme Court began its new term yesterday by rejecting an appeals case ...
18m Oct 06, 2020
18m
All The President's Meds
Amidst rosy reports about Trump's condition, we also learned that he received multiple drug treatments over the weekend including dexamethasone, which is typically reserved for patients with severe cases of coronavirus. We look at what his diagnosis, along with other positive cases among Senate Republicans, means for the country and the Supreme Court confirmation process. Following a negative t...
19m Oct 05, 2020
19m
The President Has Covid-19
In a tweet overnight, President Trump said that he and the first lady had tested positive for the coronavirus. The news comes after a White House aid, Hope Hicks, tested positive. She had been traveling with the President in recent days, including to the debate on Tuesday. House Dems passed a new slimmed down relief package yesterday, but Republicans still say it’s too expensive. In the meantim...
22m Oct 02, 2020
22m