Author: LaMonica McIver, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau

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What A Day - Chicago Caught In The Trump Administration’s Crosshairs

The Trump administration is preparing a major Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago, and it may come as soon as this week. The details have been few and far between, but it would likely increase the number of ICE and Border Patrol agents in the city significantly. According to “border czar” Tom Homan, the White House is even considering taking over a Naval base north of Chicago to hold the “large contingent” of federal agents. Chicago, unsurprisingly, has long been in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s threats to federally invade cities as part of his so-called crackdown on crime. And Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is not having it. On Saturday, he signed an executive order instructing local police not to cooperate with troops or federal agents if the President’s threats come to fruition. For more on the impact that federal arrests have on federal courts, we spoke with Jessica Brand, a lawyer and Executive Director of Wren Collective, a non-profit aimed at criminal justice reform and prosecutorial power.

And in headlines: Congress is back in session, a federal judge blocks the Trump administration from deporting hundreds of migrant children to Guatemala, and more than 800 demonstrations take place across the country on Labor Day to protest billionaires taking over the government.

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Pod Save America - Why is JD Vance so Annoying?

Pod Save America hits 1,000 episodes, and to celebrate, Favreau, Lovett, Tommy, and Dan sit down in studio to answer your questions. Among them: Why is JD Vance so grating? Should more Democrats take Newsom's lead on social media? And who would you rather be trapped in an under-sea habitat with—Don Jr., Stephen Miller, or Marjorie Taylor Greene? Plus, ranking the media platforms that matter in a preview of our subscription-only show: Inside 2025.

Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com

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What A Day - Introducing Shadow Kingdom: Coal Survivor

The What A Day team is off. But we’re excited to bring you the first episode of Season 2 of Crooked’s award-winning limited series, Shadow Kingdom: Coal Survivor.

On New Year’s Eve 1969, Jock Yablonski, a union hero, is mysteriously gunned down in his bed. Jock’s son is convinced the head of the United Mine Workers’ Union is behind it. But why, and can he prove it? Decades later, lawyer Nicolo Majnoni embarks on a journey to uncover who killed Jock and discovers a conspiracy at the heart of the union.

Shadow Kingdom is a series from Crooked Media and Campside Media. Each season begins with a crime, and as the layers are peeled back to uncover the perpetrator, a larger system at play is revealed.

Get early access to the full season by joining Crooked’s Friends of the Pod at crooked.com/friends or subscribe directly on the Shadow Kingdom Apple Podcasts feed. 

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What A Day - Cash Bail Keeps People In Jail

This week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending cash bail in Washington D.C. and other jurisdictions around the country. He summarized the largely successful criminal justice reform policy like this: "They kill people and they get out." Well, it may come as a surprise (to no one) that this statement is… not accurate. All it means is that a person's release, before they stand trial, is NOT determined by how much money is in their wallet. But despite the data showing the policy works, Trump and his MAGA buddies want to end it. To gain a better understanding of all this, we spoke with Rena Karefa-Johnson, Vice President of National Initiatives at FWD.U.S.

And in headlines: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is undergoing a major staffing shake-up, National Guard members are picking up trash in D.C., and President Donald Trump proposes military funeral honors for the January 6th rioter who was killed by an officer at the insurrection…. four and a half years later.

 

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Pod Save America - RFK Jr. Decapitates the CDC

Donald Trump and RFK Jr. team up to fire the CDC director after she voices concerns over Kennedy's dangerous policies—including his announcement that the FDA will limit access to this year's COVID vaccines and his promise to release a report on the "causes" of autism. Dan and Jon sort through the dismantling of America's gold-standard research apparatus and check in on the craziest comments from Trump's three-hour cabinet meeting. Then they discuss the latest polling on Trump's D.C. deployment, what happened a the DNC's summer meeting, and Charlie Kirk's unsolicited advice for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.

Get tickets to CROOKED CON November 6-7 in Washington, D.C at http://crookedcon.com

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What A Day - Why Conservatism Is Dead In The Trump Era

President Donald Trump’s administration is full of sycophants. That was made quite apparent this week (if it wasn't already) during a three-hour-long televised Cabinet meeting. The lengthy meeting allowed for department secretaries to sing their lord and savior’s praises while the world watched on. The excessive fawning over the dear leader would raise more suspicions if it were taking place literally anywhere else. But it’s happening in the United States. And we are in trouble. We spoke with Bill Kristol, editor at large for The Bulwark, to find out what we can do to meet the challenge of the moment.

And in headlines: the Department of Homeland Security now prohibits state agencies and volunteer groups from receiving federal funds if they help undocumented immigrants, an alleged sandwich thrower dodged federal charges, and the Food and Drug Administration approved updated Covid-19 vaccines.

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What A Day - Three Signs Of The Trumpification Of The Economy

In the federal government’s latest excursion into the private sector, the US announced last week that it took a 10% stake in Intel. The move comes after the Defense Department became the biggest shareholder in a mining company, and the Trump administration made deals with AI chipmakers. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is continuing to direct his ire at the Federal Reserve— this time specifically on Fed Governor Lisa Cook, whom he tried to fire on Monday. So for more on state-sponsored capitalism and the seemingly never-ending Federal Reserve fight, we spoke with Scott Lincicome. He’s the vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute.

And in headlines: President Trump makes a lengthy television appearance with his Cabinet, a whistleblower says the Department of Government Efficiency put Social Security data at risk, and a federal judge dismisses a Department of Justice lawsuit against Maryland's entire federal bench.

Show Notes:

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What A Day - Trump’s Trolling Weakens Polling

A lot has happened so far since President Donald Trump took office for a second term, but one thing is certain- he's indisputably unpopular. According to Gallup, Trump's six-month approval rating was around 37-percent, which is lower than that of any other president at that point in their presidency. That's, of course, with the exception of Trump in his first term. But polling can be confusing. Because while Trump's approval ratings have taken a dive, so has the Democratic Party's favorability. According to The Wall Street Journal, 63-percent of voters have a negative view of the Democratic Party. So where does that leave us? Can we trust the polls to tell us how Americans really feel? To find out more, we spoke with Crooked's resident polling expert, Dan Pfeiffer.

And in headlines: President Trump hosts South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a strike on a hospital in Gaza was a "tragic mishap", and Trump signs an executive order to crack down on anyone who burns or desecrates the American flag.

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Pod Save America - First They Came for John Bolton

Trump's FBI raids the home of John Bolton—the former first-term Trump advisor turned vocal critic—as the President escalates his use of state power to target and threaten anyone who's criticized him, most recently Chris Christie, Wes Moore, ABC News, and NBC News. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy react to those threats and all of this week's fascist horrors, including the arming of the National Guard in D.C., the administration's pending deployment of troops to Chicago, and ICE's plan to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man they wrongly sent to CECOT, to Uganda unless he pleads guilty to a set of dubious charges brought against him in Tennessee. Then, economic writer James Surowiecki sits down with Lovett to talk about the Trump administration's unprecedented acquisition of Intel stock—and what it signals to other major companies.

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Strict Scrutiny - The Shadow Docket Just Won’t Quit

The gang is back together as Melissa, Kate, and Leah break down this week’s mountain of legal news, including the Court’s greenlighting of Trump’s anti-DEI National Institutes of Health cuts, the president’s war on mail-in ballots, and a batshit missive from Solicitor General John Sauer. Then, Leah speaks with candidate for Michigan attorney general Eli Savit about the latest threat to marriage equality. Finally, Kate chats with Penn Law professor Serena Mayeri about her book, Marital Privilege: Marriage, Inequality, and the Transformation of American Law.

Hosts’ and guests’ favorite things:

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  • 10/4 – Chicago

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