Author: LaMonica McIver, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau

Posted on

What A Day - The White House’s Mob Boss Approach To AI Chips

Nvidia, a U.S.-based chip manufacturer that's now the richest company on earth, has agreed to pay the federal government 15 percent of its profits from selling its chips to China, in a deal that became public this week. Basically, the United States government is now a partner in not one, but two private companies that are selling AI technology to the country that is supposed to be our biggest competitor. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the model could "expand in the future to other companies." But for critics, the deal is giving serious mob vibes, while also posing a national security risk. Ashley Gold, senior tech and policy reporter at Axios, explains what the deal does and why so many people — including some Republicans — are concerned about it.

And in headlines: President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska today, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a redistricting plan to go head-to-head against Texas Republicans, and the Trump Administration got more bad news from the Labor Department.

Show Notes:

Posted on

Pod Save America - Can Newsom Stop Trump’s Steal?

In response to Trump and Texas Republicans' attempt to rig the 2026 midterm elections, Governor Gavin Newsom calls a special election to redraw California's congressional map. The governor stops by the show to talk to Dan about why California Democrats decided to strike first—and what it will take for the ballot proposal to become law. But first, Jon and Dan discuss Trump's authoritarian power grab in the nation's capital, the January 6th attendee he appointed to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the President's negotiations in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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.

Posted on

What A Day - Can Trump Broker Peace With Putin?

President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine (which Putin started). While Trump insisted Wednesday there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin doesn’t agree to some kind of ceasefire, the Russian president has given no indication he plans to give up his goal of eventually taking over all of Ukraine. And Ukraine continues to insist it will not cede any of its territory to Russia. In short: The war is still at a stalemate, and the president of the United States wants to move the needle by hosting the aggressor — an international pariah who faces an arrest warrant on war crimes from the Hague – right here on American soil. Julia Ioffe, a founding member of Puck News and a long-time Russian politics expert, joins us to talk about the Alaska summit and what could come out of it.

And in headlines: Trump suggested he may extend federal control of the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department beyond the 30-day limit, a panel of appeals court judges opened the door for the White House to suspend or terminate billions in foreign aid funding, and fewer Americans say they’re drinking alcohol.

Show Notes:

Posted on

What A Day - Baltimore Mayor Responds To Trump Bashing His City

National Guard troops began showing up on the streets of the nation's capital overnight, a little more than a day after President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy hundreds of them to Washington, D.C., and federalize the city's police department. But during his press conference Monday, the president suggested more cities could be next. He specifically called out Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore and Oakland. All of these cities have declining crime rates – as does the United States as a whole. All of them also happen to be majority-minority cities run by Black Democratic mayors in Democratic-run states. Baltimore Democratic Mayor Brandon Scott joins us to talk about the president's ' racist talking points' and how Democratic mayors like him can't let Trump distract them from running their cities.

And in headlines: Trump announced his new pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White said UFC will host a first-ever White House fight next year to celebrate the country's 250th birthday, and YouTube will test a new AI feature to determine the age of its users.

Show Notes:

Posted on

What A Day - Netanyahu’s War Expansion Plan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing massive backlash — both domestic and international — over his government's decision late last week to take over Gaza City. Thousands marched in Tel Aviv Saturday to protest the decision, while the families of some of the remaining hostages called for a nationwide strike. On Monday, Australia became the latest country to announce plans to recognize a Palestinian state, while French President Emmanuel Macron called the Israeli plan 'a disaster of unprecedented gravity.' Already Palestinian health officials say 61,000 people in Gaza have died since the start of the war. Matthew Chance, chief global affairs correspondent for CNN, joins us from Jerusalem to talk about the latest in the war, the Israeli killing of five Al Jazeera journalists Sunday, and the risks that come with yet another escalation in the conflict.

And in headlines: President Donald Trump ordered a federal takeover of Washington D.C.'s police, a federal judge blocked the release of Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell's grand jury transcripts, and AOL said it's ending its dial-up internet service.

Show Notes:

Posted on

Pod Save America - Trump’s Made for TV Occupation of D.C.

Flanked by half his cabinet and citing crimes against a DOGE staffer, Donald Trump announces that he’s deploying 800 National Guard troops to Washington and federalizing the city’s police department. Jon and Lovett react to Trump's desperate show of force, then break down his new plan to negotiate a Russia-Ukraine peace deal and JD Vance’s latest attempt to spin the Epstein files crisis as “full transparency.” Then, Lovett talks to The New Yorker’s David Kirkpatrick about his big new investigation into how much the Trump family is profiting off of the presidency.

 

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.

Posted on

Strict Scrutiny - How the GOP is Trying to Steal the 2026 Midterms

Melissa and guest co-host Imani Gandy of Rewire News Group break down the week’s legal happenings, including how Texas Democrats are attempting to thwart that state’s gerrymandering efforts, college admissions in the age of Trump, and more Epstein fallout. Then, Melissa chats with Duke Law Professor Brandon Garrett about his book, Defending Due Process: Why Fairness Matters in a Polarized World. Finally, Leah speaks with University of Michigan Law Professor Richard Primus, author of the new book The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power. Check out Imani’s podcast Boom! Lawyered.

Hosts’ Favorite Things:

Melissa: Tom Lake, Ann Patchett; The Midnight Library, Matt Haig; How the George Floyd Protests Changed America, for Better and Worse, Justin Driver (NYT)

Imani: Palisade Peaches; Revenge; Death Stranding; Brit Box


Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 

10/4 – Chicago

Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

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

Buy Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Get tickets for STRICT SCRUTINY LIVE – The Bad Decisions Tour 2025! 

  • 10/4 – Chicago

Learn more: http://crooked.com/events

Order your copy of Leah's book, Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes

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

Follow us on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

Posted on

What A Day - 80 Years After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, New Nuclear Threats Emerge

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week to discuss a potential end to the war in Ukraine (which Russia started.) To call the meeting ‘high stakes’ would be an understatement — already critics are warning of the potential for a ‘1938 Munich Moment,’ when Britain and France allowed Nazi Germany to take control over a swath then-Czechoslovakia in a bid to preserve peace on the continent. But the parallels to WWII don’t end there. Earlier this month, Trump said nuclear submarines were ‘in the region’ ahead of special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Putin in Moscow. As we mark 80 years this month since the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, historian Garrett Graff, author of the new book ‘The Devil Reached Toward the Sky,’ joins us to talk about what we learned — and we didn’t learn — in the decades since the U.S. dropped those bombs.

And in headlines: Thousands of people in Israel demonstrated against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City, Trump ramped up threats to take federal control of Washington D.C., and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued to remove 13 Democratic state lawmakers from office amid an ongoing fight over redistricting.

Show Notes:

Posted on

Pod Save America - Pete Buttigieg Thinks Democrats Can’t Go Back

Pete Buttigieg—former South Bend mayor, 2020 presidential candidate, and Transportation Secretary—sits down with Jon Favreau to discuss how much of the status quo Democrats should aim to restore (if any) if they win in 2026, what the party needs to change to effectively message around Trump’s broken promises, and what Pete thinks of JD Vance’s rapid ascent to power—and the values he’s abandoned along the way. Then, Lovett joins Jon to answer listener questions about building a Democratic Project 2029, our nation’s new gerrymandering war, and whether Barack Obama is right about ketchup’s place on a burger.

Posted on

What A Day - RFK Jr. Is Putting American Lives At Risk

If you got a COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna or Pfizer, congratulations, you got a vaccine that uses mRNA to teach your cells how to fight the disease. But Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is doing his best to undermine their future use. On Tuesday, he announced the cancellation of $500 million in grants and contracts aimed at developing more mRNA vaccines. The decision has received near-universal condemnation from public health experts — even President Donald Trump’s first-term Surgeon General said it will 'cost lives.' Dr. Fiona Havers, an infectious-disease specialist at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and a former senior advisor on vaccine policy for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, joins us to talk about Kennedy’s dangerous decision and the risk it poses to public health.

And in headlines: President Donald Trump says he wants a new Census, The U.S. Air Force said it’s denying the option to retire early to all trans service members who have served between 15 and 18 years, and tariff day is (unfortunately) finally here.

Show Notes: