What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Welcome to Trump City, USA

Donald Trump retook the presidency, in part, by doing much better in American cities in 2024 than ever before. Why did these urban Democratic strongholds shift towards Republicans, and are these changes permanent? 


Guests:

Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate.

Ron Kim, representative for New York State’s 40th Assembly District.


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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What A Day - ACLU Ready To Fight

In 2016, Donald Trump’s presidential win came as a surprise to many people, which inspired resistance and energized liberals and progressives across the country: from the ubiquitous pink hats of the Women’s March, to striking cab drivers fighting Trump’s attempted Muslim ban, scores of people came together to push back against unconstitutional policies. But after Trump’s 2024 win, that energy doesn’t seem there. Are people tired? Numb? Resigned? What does resistance look like when we have to do it all over again? For groups like the ACLU, the battle will take place in the courtroom, where they had several big wins against the last Trump administration. AJ Hikes, ACLU Deputy Executive Director for Strategy and Culture, joins us.

And in headlines: Vivek Ramaswamy says his and Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” will “delete” entire agencies via executive order, President Joe Biden authorizes Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles against Russia, Israeli airstrikes kill nearly 100 Palestinians in Gaza, and a top Hezbollah official in Beirut, and the Democratic Party is still blowing up your phone with fundraising texts.

Show Notes:

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Jamie Raskin: “We Can’t Let The Fear Paralyze Us”

Rep. Jamie Raskin led the second impeachment of Donald Trump, the effort to get him off the ballot under the 14th amendment, and campaigned to beat him at the ballot box. With Trump heading back to the White House with even fewer guardrails, Raskin’s still not giving up the fight.


Guest: Jamin “Jamie” Raskin is the U.S. representative for Maryland’s 8th congressional district


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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | The X-odus

Since Elon Musk took over, Twitter—er, sorry “X”—has been slowly deflating. But given that soon you’ll be getting yelled at by right-wing trolls directly from White House press briefings, and your data is being swept up to train A.I., is there any reason to stay on the site at all anymore? 


Guest: Nitish Pahwa, Slate business writer.


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What A Day - What Are the Symptoms of a Dictatorship?

Trump would love to be a dictator. His affinity for strongmen like Victor Orbán and Vladimir Putin is no secret. But will he actually take the country down that road? What does authoritarianism look like in 2024? This week on How We Got Here, Max and Erin examine the president elect’s blustering and ask: will Trump really try to become an autocrat? Or is this just a lot of hot air from someone who doesn’t really understand how to work the levers of power. Cornell political scientist Tom Pepinsky weighs in on what we should be looking out for, and what we can learn from countries like Malaysia, Hungary and Turkey.

More or Less: Behind the Stats - Did 20 million votes really go missing in the US election?

Just hours after Donald Trump claimed victory in the US presidential election, rumours started swirling that something was afoot. A graph went viral on social media that appeared to show there were 20 million more votes cast in 2020 than in the 2024 election. Where had these supposedly ?missing? votes gone? Conspiracy theorists on both sides of the political spectrum began shouting claims of fraud. The answer, it turns out, is rather more straightforward. Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison Sound Mix: Hal Haines Editor: Richard Vadon

What A Day - Trump’s Dr. Brainworm

Republicans clinched a governing trifecta late Wednesday after a handful of congressional race calls cemented the party’s House majority. As for Democrats, officially losing the House means the party will be shut out of power for at least the next two years. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier this week the party will have to figure out how to strategically wield its influence while in the minority, while also figuring out how to gear up for the next election. Brianna Tucker, deputy campaign editor for The Washington Post, stops by the WAD studio to talk about what voters told her on the campaign trail, and how the Post is gearing up for a second Trump administration.

Also on the show: Trump picks anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, senators voice skepticism about whether Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz can win confirmation to be the next attorney general, and The Onion buys Infowars.

Show Notes:

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | The Manosphere That Delivered Trump Back to Power

Going on Joe Rogan’s podcast didn’t fit into Kamala Harris’s last month of campaigning, which consisted of a careful diet of traditional media and specifically selected appearances. It came up short against Donald Trump’s “get on mic with that guy and his big following” strategy. 


Guest: Makena Kelly, senior writer at Wired.


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