Author: LaMonica McIver, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau

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What A Day - Why We’re In A Redistricting Race To The Bottom

On Thursday, California lawmakers passed a redistricting plan aimed at winning Democrats up to five more U.S. House seats in the 2026 elections. It was the latest escalation in a gerrymandering battle between red and blue states, after the GOP-controlled Texas House approved redrawn congressional maps Wednesday. Other states, like New York and Indiana, may soon follow. Former U.S. Representative and current Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Colin Allred of Texas, breaks down what this means for the Lone Star State and the 2026 midterms.

And in headlines, Russia strikes an American-owned electronics plant in Ukraine, the Department of Justice goes after gender-affirming care for young people, and President Donald Trump thanks troops patrolling Washington, D.C.

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Pod Save America - Officer Trump Patrols Washington

Donald Trump heads out on "patrol" in Washington, JD Vance hosts a photo op with the National Guard at the Union Station Shake Shack, and Stephen Miller—taking a moment away from terrorizing immigrants—excoriates "communists" and "elderly white hippies" for daring to protest. Dan and Jon break down the latest news coming out of occupied Washington, including Trump's new history-erasing reforms at the Smithsonian, his new ideological screening program from green card applicants, and MAGA goon Bill Pulte's weaponization of the Federal Housing Finance Authority. Then, Congressman Jake Auchincloss stops by the studio to talk to Jon about why Democrats need to embrace big ideas again.

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What A Day - The Smithsonian Gets The Trump Edit

The White House announced it's leading a "comprehensive internal review of selected Smithsonian museums and exhibitions" to ensure that the museums "celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions."Why? One reason is that White House special assistant Lindsey Halligan got in Trump's ear and complained that there was too much focus on slavery across the Smithsonian Institution. Halligan even told Fox News that in museums, there should QUOTE: "be more of an overemphasis on how far we've come since slavery." To discuss who's behind the changes in our cultural institutions, we spoke with Zachary Small. He's a New York Times reporter with a focus on the art world.

And in headlines, the Israeli army says it's calling up 60,000 reservists ahead of its expanded assault on Gaza City, the Trump administration announces cuts to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the new price of the PS-5 Pro is making gamers angry.

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What A Day - Does Washington, D.C. Need Federal Intervention?

On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced it's launching a much-needed and super important investigation into Washington D.C.'s crime statistics. The DOJ said it's looking into whether the stats have been QUOTE: "manipulated" to make the crime rate seem lower. Why, might you ask, is the DOJ using time, money, and resources to look into this? Probably because it's searching for a way to justify President Donald Trump's takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department and deployment of National Guard troops to the district. However, it has been roughly two weeks since Trump's takeover, and we have some questions. Is DC's crime problem really that bad? And is it better now after federal intervention? We spoke with journalist Josh Barro. He's also co-host of the podcast "Serious Trouble".

And in headlines, the Trump administration decides it doesn't want feedback from its federal employees, the White House says arrangements for a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Putin are underway, and Oklahoma is making sure teachers from California and New York aren't "woke".

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What A Day - The AI Chatbot Childhood Is Officially Here

The conversation surrounding artificial intelligence in the US is hard to avoid right now. Powerful companies like Nvidia are making AI chips, doctors are using AI to revolutionize and enhance healthcare, and companies like Waymo have implemented the technology in self-driving cars. But even with all these advances, concerns continue to grow over how children are using AI. Reports about chatbots engaging children in "sensual" conversations have led to amplified concerns. However, others have found that students and teachers alike are using AI to complete schoolwork and create class assignments. For more information about the intersection of AI and America's children, we spoke with Lila Shroff, Assistant Editor at The Atlantic.

And in headlines, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spruces up for his White House visit, President Donald Trump rants about the evil that is mail-in ballots, and MSNBC is changing its name to MS NOW.

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Pod Save America - Blessed are the Peacemakers (Trump and Putin)

Following an unproductive day of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to discuss a potential deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Favreau, Lovett, and Tommy discuss the meetings, the MAGA press corp's bizarre questions for Zelensky, and Trump's latest Putin-inspired fixation—eliminating mail in ballots. Then, they react to Republican governors sending armed troops to DC, ICE saying the quiet part out loud, and Governor Newsom's new social media strategy. To close the show, Bridget Brink, the former United States Ambassador to Ukraine, joins Tommy to talk about Ukraine's reaction to Trump's unusual approach to peace talks.

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 - The Dubious Legality of Trump’s DC Takeover

Kate and Leah recap the week's legal news, including argument calendars for the next SCOTUS term and President Trump's attempted federal takeover of Washington, DC. Then, it's our third annual State of The Uterus episode. Melissa and Leah talk with Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Lisa Beattie Frelinghuysen, founder of ClutchKit, about the current status of reproductive freedom three years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Finally, Leah talks about the authors of After Dobbs: How the Supreme Court Ended Roe, But Not Abortion.

Favorite Things:
Leah: Unbearable: Five Women and the Perils of Pregnancies in America, by Irin Carmon; track list and cover art for Taylor Swift's forthcoming The Life of a Showgirl; Ben Platt's cover of Diet Pepsi; Melissa's appearance on Nicole Wallace's podcast, The Best People; "Redistricting Texas Now is Illegal and the U.S. Department of Justice is the Reason Why," by Ellen Katz; and Laura Loomer's weird deposition in a case against Bill Maher

Kate: Vera, or Faith, by Gary Shteyngart; Parable of the Talents, by Octavia Butler; Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab; The Retrievals; "The Chadha Presidency," by Josh Chafetz; and "Trump, John Roberts and the Unsettling of American Politics," by David Dailey

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What A Day - What It’s Like To Have Trump Hold Your Science Research Hostage

The Trump administration’s crackdown on universities across the country for alleged antisemitism has made its way from the East Coast to the West Coast. Earlier this month, the administration demanded the University of California Los Angeles pay $1-billion to the federal government to resolve what it’s calling civil rights violations. That was on top of more than half a billion dollars in cuts to federal research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other federal sources. But, a federal judge on Friday said the cuts to UCLA’s funding violated a previous order and ruled some of the funding must be restored. To talk more about the impact the funding cuts have had, we spoke with Dr. Aradhna Tripati, a professor of climate science and geochemistry at UCLA. Joining her in the conversation is Monique Trinh, a program Manager in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.

And in the headlines: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defends the department's decision to halt visitor visas for people from Gaza, and more National Guard troops are headed to DC at the behest of Trump.

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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:

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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.