Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

In town halls from Oregon to Georgia, people are letting Republicans know just how angry they are about the dramatic cuts to the federal government. And their displeasure is starting to sink Trump’s approval rating.

Guest:

Greg Bluestein, political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 

Ben Mathis-Lilley, senior writer for Slate.

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

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As House Republicans prepare to begin voting on their big policy blueprint this week, one of the programs they're targeting for major cuts is Medicaid. The federal healthcare program covers around 80 million Americans, mostly people living near or below the poverty line. While President Donald Trump has endorsed the House's budget plan, he has also said that Medicaid is 'not going to be touched.' Sarah Kliff, investigative health care reporter for The New York Times, explains what the proposed Medicaid cuts would mean for actual people.

And in headlines: Trump had an awkward meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron over Ukraine, Trump officials continued to sow confusion over an email demanding federal workers justify their jobs, and the president picked right-wing podcaster Dan Bongino as the next FBI deputy director.

Show Notes:

• Check out Sarah's work – https://www.nytimes.com/by/sarah-kliff
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/relief
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Barron Trump, the president’s youngest son, isn’t on the public speaking circuit and has no social media presence. But he’s nevertheless become a Gen-Z-aged avatar of Trump masculinity for the MAGA faithful. Where does reality end and speculation begin?

Guest: Dan Adler, staff writer for Vanity Fair.

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

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The Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, wrapped up Saturday. While billionaire Elon Musk ate up a lot of the attention by wielding an actual chainsaw on stage to symbolize his attacks on government waste (and subtlety), the annual conservative conference featured a host of other speakers with far-right ties. That included people like Jack Posobiec, a right-wing influencer who was recently invited to travel with members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Elle Reeve, CNN reporter and author of the book ‘Black Pill: How I Witnessed the Darkest Corners of the Internet Come to Life, Poison Society, and Capture American Politics,’ talks about how the far-right got a foothold in the U.S. government.

And in headlines: Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he’ll step down as president of Ukraine if it means his country can join NATO, President Donald Trump ousted the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Musk issued another ultimatum to federal workers.

Show Notes:

• Check out Elle’s Article – https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/trump-musk-alt-right-fascism-psychological-war.html
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/relief
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

In 2011, a Republican majority in the Wisconsin State House faced massive protests to their plans to strip power from public sector workers. State Democrats fled across the border and the possibility of a general strike loomed. 

But the strike fizzled out and the legislation ultimately passed. 

And now the situation in the federal government is shaping up in a similar way. Do the workers need to break the glass and do what Wisconsin stopped short of?

Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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

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The crypto industry threw its weight and money behind Donald Trump, in hopes of legitimizing the industry. Before his Inauguration Day was over, Donald Trump was already enriching himself via a memecoin, one of the scammier, least legitimate-looking uses of crypto.

Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany, reporter covering cryptocurrency for the New York Times.

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