Author: LaMonica McIver, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau

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What A Day - Trump Takes Down US Immigration System

The machinery of mass deportations has been operating both in plain sight and out of view since President Donald Trump took office back in January. As millions of people are being deported, thousands more are stuck in detention facilities across the country. In fact, the exact number of people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention right now is 58,766, according to ICE data. The vast majority have no criminal record, but the Trump administration is denying them bond at an astounding rate, forcing them to stay in dirty and decrepit detention facilities for months on end with no hope of getting their day in court. But aside from that, there’s a lot we don’t know about the immigration system, as it’s operating right now. To discuss immigration policy in more detail, we spoke with Katie Blankenship, an attorney who represents clients navigating the immigration system.

And in headlines, more than 100 countries at the United Nations General Assembly agree to mitigate climate change, sans the United States, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz clarified that Tylenol, is not in fact bad for you, and the federal government is asking scores of employees who lost their jobs (thanks to Elon Musk) to pretty please come back.

Show Notes:


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What A Day - Trump Dumps Putin?

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the brutal war has cost millions of lives. But President Donald Trump has consistently said that he could easily end the war. We think by that he probably meant charm Russian President Vladimir Putin into making a deal. Weirdly enough, efforts to cozy up to Russia have not actually stopped Putin from doing anything. Not only has Russia continued to bomb Ukraine, but it is now sending drones into Poland. But maybe, just maybe, Vladimir Putin has reached the end of Trump's patience. To find out what the hell is going on, we spoke to Tommy Vietor, co-host of Crooked Media's "Pod Save the World."

And in headlines, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer gets testy with Trump after the president cancels a meeting with him in a Truth Social post, former Vice President Kamala Harris makes the rounds to promote her shockingly blunt new book, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says anyone who intentionally stopped the escalator Trump was on at the UN, needs to be "fired and investigated immediately."

Show Notes:


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What A Day - Dr. Trump’s Bad Medicine

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., noted anti-vaxxer and, apparently, part-time detective, announced back in April that he was on the hunt for the real cause of autism. A hunt that would take no prisoners, ask big questions, and find the one true answer to a medical question that's been researched for decades... by September. Well, on Monday, the Trump administration announced that the hunt was over. Sort of. In an upcoming report that already has raised way, way, way more questions than it could possibly answer, the government announced that it was looking to link rising autism rates to the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, by pregnant women. And blaming autism on Tylenol, with no evidence, is part and parcel of what the "Make America Healthy Again" movement actually looks like. To help us understand all of this, we spoke to Brandy Zadrozny, a journalist covering misinformation and extremism for MSNBC.

And in other news, the Supreme Court signals it will probably, maybe, overturn a nearly century-old law for President Donald Trump, the White House denies claims that Border Czar, Tom Homan, allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe, and Disney announces "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will return to late night.

Show Notes:


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Pod Save America - Kimmel Wins, Tylenol Loses

Disney reverses course and announces, despite pressure from the FCC, Jimmy Kimmel will return to the air. President Trump, speaking at the White House, declares — without scientific evidence — that acetaminophen use during pregnancy causes autism. The DOJ shuts down an FBI investigation into border czar Tom Homan, who was caught, on tape, accepting a $50,000 bribe in a Cava bag. Favreau, Lovett, and Tommy react to it all and discuss Charlie Kirk's NFL stadium memorial service, Sen. Ted Cruz's departure from the MAGA-majority on free speech, and Trump's latest Watergate-level corruption scandal—the firing of a US Attorney who refused to charge Trump's enemies with crimes they did not commit. Then, Sen. Elizabeth Warren stops by the studio to talk to Lovett about the Democratic Party's impending government shutdown fight.

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Strict Scrutiny - Looking for Bright Spots in the Courts

Leah is joined by guest co-host Skye Perryman, president & CEO of Democracy Forward, to discuss the week’s news, including the continued pushback on the shadow docket from the lower courts and Trump’s boundless abuse of Article II. Then Kate, Melissa, and Leah — along with special guest Sherrilyn Ifill — take a look at the impact of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, three years into her time on the Supreme Court.

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What A Day - The Big Business Behind The Kimmel Suspension

On Friday we learned that according to President Donald Trump, when coverage is negative, "It's no longer free speech."  And it seems he's not alone. There's a growing sentiment within the Republican Party, which currently controls the White House and both Chambers of Congress, that actually, free speech doesn’t apply if you say mean things about Republicans. This is all in regards to ABC pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its usual spot in the nightly lineup, after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said that Kimmel should face repercussions for comments regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. On this episode, we discuss why the suspension of a late-night talk show host isn’t just about a late-night talk show host. It’s about speech, and what you can, and apparently can’t, say on television. To talk more about the media machinations that got Jimmy Kimmel pushed off the air, and the chilling effect of the FCC’s implied threats, we spoke to Brian Stelter, media analyst for CNN. 

And in headlines, a federal judge in Florida tosses out Trump’s $15-billion dollar defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, the United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal and Canada formally recognize a Palestinian state, and new H1-B applicants will have to pay an extra $100,000 fee for their visas.

Show Notes:


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Pod Save America - The Roots of Political Violence and How We Prevent It

What's causing the rise in political violence in America? Can we overcome it? And if not, what’s in store for our democracy? Dr. Lilly Mason, a professor of political science at Johnny Hopkins and expert on political violence, joins the show to give context to this moment — and offer some hope for what comes next. She talks to Tommy about what Charlie Kirk’s assassination means in our deeply polarized political climate, President Trump’s crackdown on late-night comedians and left-wing organizations, and why Americans — on both sides of the aisle — are increasingly struggling to recognize the humanity in their neighbors.

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What A Day - Trump’s War On Free Speech

Democrats on the Hill are hitting back after ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" indefinitely. They’ve introduced the No Political Enemies (or NOPE) Act, a bill that would protect people targeted for political speech, and called for the resignation of Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr, whose comments targeting Kimmel came just hours before ABC pulled the show. To learn more about what Democrats are doing to protect free speech amid President Trump's crackdown — while working to avoid a potential government shutdown  — we spoke to Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin.

And in headlines, the Senate confirms a whopping 48 of Trump's nominees all at once, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s handpicked vaccine advisory council makes a change to the childhood vaccine schedule, and Trump disagrees with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer — while standing next to him.

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Pod Save America - Trump Cancels Kimmel

Caving to a pressure campaign from Donald Trump's FCC, Disney pulls Jimmy Kimmel's show off the air. Jon and Dan are joined by newly minted Crooked contributor Alex Wagner to discuss Trump's attacks on Kimmel and his new lawsuit against The New York Times, the impending takeover of TikTok by MAGA-aligned billionaires, and new details from the White House about the coming crackdown on left-leaning nonprofits and organizations. Then they react to the CDC's dangerous new recommendations on childhood vaccinations, excerpts from Kamala Harris's forthcoming tell-all book about the 2024 election, and Trump's bracing candor about when plane crashes are okay.

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 - How NOT To Run The FBI

The investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk has raised a lot of questions – not just about the alleged shooter, but about the investigation itself. And especially about the person at the head of the bureau tasked with helping to find and capture suspects in acts of violence not just in the Kirk case, but across the country: FBI Director Kash Patel. His performance thus far has been, well, questionable. And he's tussling with Democrats who call him on it. To learn more about the FBI, Kash Patel, and how the Bureau is supposed to work, I spoke to Andrew McCabe, the FBI's former deputy director.

And in headlines, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates amid some less-than-stellar employment and inflation numbers, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testified to the Senate about her firing by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,  and the U.K. rolls out the red carpet for President Trump.

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