Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

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What A Day - Why The Oscars “Never Get It Right”

WAD is taking a break from the daily horror show that is political news to talk about the scandals plaguing another American institution: Hollywood. Specifically, the swirling controversies around this year’s Oscars race, which culminates Sunday at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. From ‘Emilia Perez’ going from a sure-fire Best Picture winner to cinematic albatross, to the use of AI in ‘The Brutalist,’ there’s been something for everyone to get mad at this year. Sam Sanders, host of KCRW’s ‘The Sam Sanders Show’ and ‘Vibe Check,’ explains why the Oscars are bad for America.

And in headlines: Pro-misogyny influencers the Tate brothers headed to Florida after Romania lifted their travel ban, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House to keep up the European pressure campaign on President Trump over Ukraine, and Defense Department leaders were given a deadline to identify transgender service members for removal from the force.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - What Next TBD | The DOGE Resistance

Federal workers in the U.S. Digital Service resigned in protest over what they viewed as indiscriminate, irresponsible firings coming from the DOGE office. While lawsuits are entering the courts and protests are taking to the streets, will any of this make a difference to the chainsaw-minded leaders of DOGE? 


Guest: Ryan Mac, tech reporter at the New York Times and co-author of “Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter.”


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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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What A Day - Billionaire Tax Club

Tax season is upon us, with millions of Americans preparing to file lots of complicated paperwork with the Internal Revenue Service to figure out how much they owe the federal government. Potentially complicating things this year, though, is the Trump administration's decision to fire thousands of IRS workers, just as all that complicated paperwork starts rolling in. Economist Lindsay Owens, executive director of the economic policy think tank Groundwork Collaborative, explains what tax cuts we can expect from Republicans' forthcoming legislation.

And in headlines: A pair of federal agencies directed government departments to prepare for mass layoffs, the U.S. records its first death from measles in a decade, and Jeff Bezos says The Washington Post's op-ed page will focus on 'personal liberties and free markets.'

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Will Gaza’s Ceasefire Last?

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has held since January 19. Now, the second phase—negotiating Gaza’s future—is supposed to begin. But anger over the deaths of hostages and intrusions into the West Bank aren’t going to make it easy.


Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Deep Shtetl, a newsletter about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion. 


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

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What A Day - Are Democrats Really Powerless?

Right now, it feels like President Donald Trump and billionaire ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk are holding all the political cards. While we’re out here just trying to figure out if our local library will still carry books about the Civil Rights Movement, Musk is busy trying to fire every government worker he can find while Trump pitches a golden pathway to citizenship for millionaires. It’s… a lot. And Democrats are understandably upset about it. But what can they actually do about it? Journalist Matt Yglesias, who writes the ‘Slow Boring’ newsletter on Substack, talks about steps we can all take to expand the Democratic Party’s tent.

And in headlines: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans a trip to the White House, the Trump administration has a bad day in court, and new data shows U.S. consumer confidence is plummeting.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - The DOGE Backlash Begins

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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What A Day - Will Republicans Slash Medicaid?

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.

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