OA1165 - Anna Chu is the Executive Director at We the Action, a nonprofit that recently collaborated with labor and democracy partners like the American Federation of Government Employees and Democracy Forward, to launch Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. This Network connects federal workers who are being illegally terminated to pro bono legal services to help them understand their rights and fight back.
But before our main segment, Lydia sneaks in to OA HQ to give us an old fashioned Doozy Watch of how things have been looking for federal employees and where the various lawsuits stand.
Check out the OALinktreefor all the places to go and things to do!
This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website atcreatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.
In the trade war between the United States and China, the biggest sticking point is a handful of metals that are essential to the U.S. and almost entirely under the control of China.
The problem is, China has now cut off America’s access to those metals, threatening American industry and the U.S. military. Keith Bradsher explains how the United States became so dependent on China for these metals in the first place, and just how hard it will be to live without them.
Guest: Keith Bradsher, the Beijing bureau chief for The New York Times.
Background reading:
China produces the entire world’s supply of samarium, a rare earth metal that the United States and its allies need to rebuild inventories of fighter jets, missiles and other hardware.
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
Photo: Bert van Dijk/Getty Images
Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
President Trump mobilizes 700 active-duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles in the wake of violent protests over ICE raids. A federal judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. And legendary singer Connie Francis gains a Gen Z following on TikTok thanks to the viral success of "Pretty Little Baby."
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In the year 1800, the last year of the 18th century, the world was on the precipice of radical change.
The scientific revolution, the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution had all begun, but were yet to hit full swing.
There were also literal revolutions afoot. Countries began overthrowing their leaders or colonial masters, a trend which would only continue in the next century.
Learn more about the world in the year 1800 on the 1,800th episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
There are people who have résumés we might call “diverse” or “wide-ranging.” And then there are people like Mike Huckabee who, at age 69, has seemingly crammed several lifetimes’ worth of careers into one.
He was a televangelist. He was governor of Arkansas for over a decade. He ran for president and won the Iowa caucuses. He hosted his own show on Fox News for seven years. He’s written books on everything from Christmas to weight loss.
And now he’s America’s ambassador to Israel. And he’s filling that post at a moment when the longtime status quo in the region is being completely upended. Israel is inching closer to eradicating Hamas in Gaza—but the day-after plan is unclear. Iran is feared to be on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons, and Trump and Steve Witkoff are working hard on a renewed Iran nuclear deal.
Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, and even Syria, could normalize relations with Israel. But Islamist terror groups are trying to derail any attempts at lasting peace. And American adversaries like China and Russia are trying to take advantage of any instability in the region. Suffice it to say, it’s a time of great uncertainty.
Meanwhile, Huckabee is in some way redefining what it means to be Israel’s ambassador. He’s been outspoken in criticizing inaccurate press accounts about the conflict, and he’s been ardent in his support of the Jewish state. And while most ambassadors exist behind the scenes, Mike Huckabee has been in front of the cameras, making the case for Israel and its war with Hamas directly to Americans. It could even be argued that he’s making a better case for Israel than the Israeli government itself.
So today on Honestly, Ambassador Huckabee and I discuss all of that and more—the rise of antisemitism in the U.S. and the West more broadly, the future of America’s involvement in the Middle East, and the fight between doves and hawks in Trump’s 2.0 presidency.
One final note: This interview ended abruptly. The ambassador took a call from Israel, and at 10 p.m., the rocket sirens blared and he had 90 seconds to get to the shelter. It’s something normalized in Israeli life. Talk to any parents, and they’ll talk about having to wake their kids up several times a week because of these sirens. But it also serves as a constant reminder of the persistent threat Israel faces—and not just from Hamas.
There were so many other great things I wanted to ask him about—particularly the right’s antisemitism. But we’ll have to have him back. The conversation is thought-provoking and timely, and I think you’ll really enjoy it.
The Trump Administration has decided that diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are themselves a form of discrimination. And last week, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that members of majority groups can also experience discrimination. But what if the entire frame of "discrimination" is the wrong one? Brando Simeo Starkey, author of "Their Accomplices Wore Robes: How the Supreme Court Chained Black America to the Bottom of a Racial Caste System" joins us to discuss how the Supreme Court has worked to ensure that Black Americans stay at the bottom of the racial hierarchy.
And in headlines: California Governor Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration over its deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles, hundreds of NIH scientists issued a public letter condemning Trump's attacks on the agency, and Russia launched nearly 500 drones across Ukraine.
We’re talking about how immigration officials are stepping up enforcement, even in the face of backlash.
Also, what a suspect has told investigators about his flamethrower attack in Colorado this week.
Plus, where tourists had to run from a volcanic eruption, what’s included in a first-of-its-kind reparations package, and why one of the biggest names in podcasting is hanging up the mic.
Those stories and even more news to know in about 10 minutes!
Join us every Mon-Fri for more daily news roundups!
Trump stokes chaos and incites violence in Los Angeles, deploying the Marines and the National Guard, against the request of the governor and mayor, to quell protests opposing ICE deportation raids in downtown LA and nearby Paramount. Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to an El Salvadoran megaprison, returns to the United States to face charges his lawyers claim are made up. And Elon and Trump attempt to mend their relationship, but we're not really buying it. Jon, Lovett, and Tommy talk about Lovett's experience at the protests, how ICE raids escalated over the weekend, and new drama brewing at Ken Martin's DNC. Then, Tommy asks Governor Gavin Newsom about Trump's threats to arrest him and how he's pushing back against the President's authoritarian playbook.
