Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

John Bolton isn’t exactly beloved by the right or the left. But sending the FBI to raid his house fits a pattern: Either tell the president what he wants to hear, or face the consequences. 

Guest: Shane Harris, staff writer covering national security and intelligence for The Atlantic.

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

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A lot has happened so far since President Donald Trump took office for a second term, but one thing is certain- he's indisputably unpopular. According to Gallup, Trump's six-month approval rating was around 37-percent, which is lower than that of any other president at that point in their presidency. That's, of course, with the exception of Trump in his first term. But polling can be confusing. Because while Trump's approval ratings have taken a dive, so has the Democratic Party's favorability. According to The Wall Street Journal, 63-percent of voters have a negative view of the Democratic Party. So where does that leave us? Can we trust the polls to tell us how Americans really feel? To find out more, we spoke with Crooked's resident polling expert, Dan Pfeiffer.

And in headlines: President Trump hosts South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the White House, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a strike on a hospital in Gaza was a "tragic mishap", and Trump signs an executive order to crack down on anyone who burns or desecrates the American flag.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to Crooked's substack –crookedmedia.substack.com/s/exclusive-content
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• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte has led investigations into Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Leititia James, and the Federal Reserve’s Lisa Cook for mortgage fraud. 

With a background a lot like Trump’s—and a little like Mr. Beast’s—who is Pulte? And what kind of damage could a vengeful FHFA director do?

Guest:  Rachel Siegel, reporter covering the economics of real estate and housing for the Washington Post.

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

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Third Way, a center-left think tank, released a list of words it thinks Democrats should stop using on Friday. The list included words like “intersectionality,” “body shaming,” “cisgender,” and “LGBTQIA+.” It sparked an online debate around the terms, which has caused many people to ask “what do Democrats and liberals actually believe?” Jerusalem Demsas is CEO and founder of a new media outlet called “The Argument,” and she joins the show to answer the question: What is a liberal?

And in headlines, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defends the Russian war in Ukraine on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Kilmar Abrego Garcia – a Salvadoran immigrant who was deported despite a court order allowing him to stay in the country – returns home to Maryland only to be immediately threatened with deportation to Uganda, Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticizes President Trump over threats to deploy the National guard to Chicago, and the Department of Justice releases hundreds of pages of interviews with Ghislaine Maxwell, a collaborator of Jeffrey Epstein.

Show Notes:

• Check out The Argument – www.theargumentmag.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

Katie Miller, whose husband Stephen Miller is Trump’s right-hand man, launched a new podcast to join the growing ranks of content made specifically for conservative women. But is there enough demand—in listeners and supplement sponsorship—to make the same impact that the conservative manosphere has?

Guest:  Emma Goldberg, business features writer at The New York Times.

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

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President Trump has proposed cutting $2.5 billion from the National Cancer Institute, which in addition to cuts to the National Institutes of Health and research universities almost makes you wonder: whose side is he on in the fight against cancer? 

Guest: Angus Chen, cancer reporter for STAT news

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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