Author: LaMonica McIver, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau

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What A Day - Will Supreme Court Uphold A Trans Youth Healthcare Ban?

The Supreme Court will hear a landmark case over trans rights today. In U.S. v. Skrmetti, the justices will weigh the constitutionality of a 2023 Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming care for trans minors. A group of families, a doctor, the Biden Administration, and civil rights groups are challenging the law. Sruti Swaminathan, a staff attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ and HIV project, talks about what’s at stake in the case.

And in headlines: South Korean President Yoon Suk Seoul reversed his earlier decision to declare martial law, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested he’s open to negotiating a peace deal with Russia, and Iowa officials sued the Biden administration to get the citizenship status of more than 2,000 registered voters.

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What A Day - What Trump’s Pick Means For The Future Of The FBI

President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to staff his next administration have been…questionable. His selection over the weekend of Kash Patel to lead the FBI fits into that mold: Patel is a MAGA enthusiast, a 2020 election denier, and a conspiracy theorist who says he’s ready to go after Trump’s political enemies! Ken Klippenstein, a national security reporter, helps us dig into how Patel could help Trump reshape the agency and its mission.

And in headlines: Republicans and Democrats blasted Biden for pardoning his son Hunter, a New Yorker article details more damning allegations against Trump’s Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth, and the Supreme Court looks poised to side with the FDA in a case around vaping.

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Pod Save America - The Old Man and the Clemency

President Biden pardons his son Hunter—a move he'd once promised not to make—and the backlash is immediate. Republicans are calling it a political favor, while some Democrats argue it undermines trust in the justice system. Meanwhile, Trump promises to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, a loyalist known for wanting to prosecute Trump's enemies (including journalists), even as his pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, faces new allegations of workplace misconduct—and a scathing email from his own mother. Plus, Bernie Sanders finds surprising common ground with Elon Musk, and Cheryl Hines posts a Black Friday thirst trap.

 

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.

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Strict Scrutiny - Gender-Affirming Care in the Court’s Crosshairs

After touching on some shenanigans from the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention and Chuck Schumer’s lousy deal on judicial appointments, Leah, Kate, and Melissa preview December’s upcoming Supreme Court cases. The Justices will hear arguments in cases about gender-affirming care for minors, the FDA’s denial of authorization to flavored e-cigarettes, and the National Environmental Policy Act. 

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What A Day - Does Trump Need To Keep His Promises To Keep His Voters?

With fewer than 50 days until Inauguration Day, President-elect Donald Trump spent the long holiday weekend inviting more people to join his administration. But for Democrats, the conversation is still very much backward looking, as the party litigates why it lost the 2024 election despite delivering on a lot of its promises from four years ago. Matt Yglesias, who writes the Substack newsletter ‘Slow Boring,’ explains why ‘deliverism’ didn’t deliver for Democrats in 2024.

And in headlines: President Biden pardoned his son Hunter, a new drug to seek authorization to fight the AIDS epidemic, and The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees suspended deliveries into Gaza through a key crossing.

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Pod Save America - Thanksgiving Mailbag: Trans Rights, Progressive Media, and Skinny Jeans

It’s our annual Thanksgiving Mailbag episode! Jon, Lovett, and Tommy dive into some of your smartest, funniest, and most thought-provoking questions. They tackle everything from concerns about the Democratic Party’s stance on trans rights and Biden’s legacy to ideas for boosting left-wing media and getting more people to run for local office. Plus, they share their thoughts on the fate of skinny jeans in 2025, favorite holiday movies, and their fitness routines. 

 

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.

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What A Day - Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams: Plotting Our Way Forward by Looking Back at History

The What A Day team is off this week, but we're excited to share an episode of Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. In this episode, Stacey speaks with historian Heather Cox Richardson to see what history can teach us about moving forward after Trump’s reelection. They discuss strategies for countering disinformation, how Democratic leaders are preparing to use states’ rights to their advantage to challenge Trump’s federal overreach, and how the era following William McKinley’s presidency can be a guide for progressives. Then, Stacey answers questions from the audience on how to get involved in politics, and how to respond to the community in this post-election environment.

If you liked this episode, subscribe to Assembly Required wherever you get your podcasts: crooked.com/assemblyrequired

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Pod Save America - “Get These Incels to Work” (feat. Hasan Piker)

Lovett sits down with Hasan Piker, the massively popular progressive streamer, to talk through (and argue about) the hard questions about where the Democratic Party needs to go from here, the liberal media landscape, what the Harris campaign told us about why they lost, and yes, a jobs program for incels. Then, Jon talks to Massachusetts Congressman Seth Moulton about the fight for the House, why blue states like his swung right, and the controversy he kicked up with his comments about trans athletes.

 

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.

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What A Day - Stacey Abrams on America’s Food Insecurity Crisis

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and many of us will celebrate with full tables. But for millions of Americans, food insecurity is a daily problem, year-round. According to government data from 2023, roughly 14% of American households didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, or whether they could afford to feed everyone in their home. Politician, voting rights activist, and ‘Assembly Required’ host Stacey Abrams has spent years talking about how food insecurity affects communities of all kinds. She joins us to talk about what she’s learned. 

Later in the show, YouTube star Brian Tyler Cohen shares tips on how to talk politics with your family during the holidays.

And in headlines: President Biden announced a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, President-elect Donald Trump gets mixed reactions to his plan to immediately enact sweeping tariffs on the top three U.S. trading partners, and the Biden Administration says it wants Medicare and Medicaid to cover the cost of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.

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Pod Save America - Exclusive: The Harris Campaign On What Went Wrong

In this candid interview, the leaders of the Harris-Walz Campaign speak for the first time about the challenges they faced and why they made the decisions they did. Dan sits down with Jen O'Malley Dillon, David Plouffe, Quentin Fulks, and Stephanie Cutter to talk about the campaign's roadmap, their approach to nontraditional media outlets like Joe Rogan, the voters they most needed to win over, why they fell short in the end, and what Democrats should do differently next time.

 

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.