Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

Trump's pick for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is an outlier: She has experience in federal government, where she was one of three House Republicans to support the “Protecting the Right to Organize Act” to expand employees’ rights to organize and collectively bargain and she was accompanied by the head of the Teamsters when she went to visit Mar A Lago after the election.

What did her hearing tell us about how she would approach being labor secretary—while working in an administration that’s firing huge chunks of its workforce? 

Guest: Tammy Kim, contributing writer at the New Yorker.

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

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President Donald Trump has a problem with journalists, particularly those who do or say things he doesn’t like. His latest fight is with the Associated Press, which refuses to go along with the president’s decision to unilaterally rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. But he’s also going after CBS’s “60 Minutes” for how it edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Des Moines Register over a late-election poll it published showing Trump losing Iowa in November (he didn’t). Katherine Jacobsen, the Committee to Protect Journalists’ program coordinator in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, talks about the risks to press freedom under the Trump administration.

Also in headlines: Trump officials continued to move closer to Russia during peace talks in Saudi Arabia over ending its invasion of Ukraine, the White House says billionaire Elon Musk is not running the Department of Government Efficiency, and another top federal prosecutor in D.C. resigned.

Show Notes:

• Learn more about The Committee to Protect Journalists – cpj.org
• 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

When enough people opt out of routine vaccinations for their children, diseases that have been all but eliminated can come roaring back, as is the case with a growing measles outbreak in West Texas. 

Guest: Dr. Adam Ratner, pediatrician of infectious disease in New York City and author of Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health.

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

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President Donald Trump said on the campaign trail that he wants to end the Department of Education and return teaching “to the states.” And now that he’s in office, he’s making good on that promise. The administration recently sent billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency bros to Education Department headquarters to cut contracts, staff and grants. Trump has also said he hopes his pick to head the department, Linda McMahon, ultimately puts herself out of a job. Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Teachers Federation, talks about what destroying the Department of Education could mean for kids.

And in headlines: DOGE eyes the Internal Revenue Service as its next target, Mexico’s President says she could sue Google for using ‘Gulf of America’ on its maps, and European leaders meet to discuss their options around the war in Ukraine.

Show Notes:

• Learn more about American Federation of Teachers – www.aft.org
• 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

The Justice Department ordered New York federal prosecutors to drop charges against Eric Adams, claiming his indictment was preventing him from aiding in Trump’s immigration crackdown. The move has prompted multiple high level Justice Department officials to resign, and raised concerns of a quid pro quo. 

Guest: Jay Willis, Editor-in-Chief of Balls & Strikes.

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

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The Justice Department is in turmoil after more than half a dozen federal prosecutors resigned rather than sign their names to a motion to dismiss corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. It's the latest indication that the Trump administration plans to use the DOJ, now led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, as an extension of the president's political agenda above all else. Ken White, a former federal prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney who writes the 'Popehat' newsletter, talks about what the crisis at the DOJ means for the agency charged with enforcing federal laws.

And in headlines: The U.S. seems ready to sideline Zelensky and Europe in favor of starting peace talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, thousands of federal workers at the CDC and NIH lose their jobs, and phase two of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas is in doubt.

Show Notes:

• Check out Ken's newsletter – https://www.popehat.com/
• 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

As What Next celebrates President’s Day, please enjoy this episode from our colleagues at How To. What Next will be back in your feed tomorrow.

Jeff and his family lost their home last month in the L.A. wildfires. Since then, he’s been hyperfocused on insurance claims, an epic to-do list, and finding a “temporary” place to live for the next several years. But Jeff hasn’t experienced the emotional punch of the devastation yet. In fact… he just feels numb. On this episode of How To!, Courtney Martin brings on Laurel Braitman, author of What Looks Like Bravery: An Epic Journey Through Loss to Love. In a moving (and sometimes funny) conversation, Laurel tells Jeff how she’s still processing what she lost in a 2017 wildfire, and they talk about the heartbreak, grief—and glimmers of hope—that follow the sudden loss of your family’s home.

Artwork mentioned: It’s Going Down Like a House on Fire by Nyx Coker.

If you liked this episode check out: How To Survive a Disaster.

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis.

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