Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

Will a First Amendment defense keep TikTok running in America? 

Guest: Emily Baker White, tech reporter for Forbes. 

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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The Los Angeles area is battling massive fires. At least five people have died, and more than 2,000 structures have either been damaged or destroyed so far. Tens of thousands of people remain under evacuation orders, including parts of the region that aren’t usually at immediate risk for fire damage. Lenya Quinn-Davidson, director of the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’s Fire Network, breaks down how the fires were able to spread so fast. 

Later in the show, Bob Corn-Revere, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, talks about the group’s defense of Iowa pollster Ann Selzer in a suit brought by President-elect Donald Trump.

And in headlines: World leaders pushed back against Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal, the Justice Department asked a federal appeals court for permission to release part of the special counsel’s report on Jan. 6, and Las Vegas police said the man who blew up a Tesla Cybertruck on New Years Day used AI to plan his attack.

Show Notes:

• Support victims of the fire – votesaveamerica.com/relief
• 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

With Republicans holding the House, the Senate, and the presidency, cabinet confirmation hearings may be the most prominent place for Democrats to make a stand.

Guest: Chris Murphy, US senator for Connecticut. 

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

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the company plans to end its fact-checking program as part of a broader overhaul of how it moderates content on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In a video, Zuckerberg said the move was an effort to prioritize "free expression" and called the 2024 election a "cultural tipping point." It was a notable policy shift ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in a little more than week. Jason Koebler, co-founder of the tech website 404 Media, breaks down why the tech elites are sucking up to Trump.

And in headlines: U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon temporarily blocked the Justice Department from releasing Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on his investigations into Trump, Trump doesn't rule out using military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, and the conservative North Carolina Supreme Court blocked certifying the election results of one of its Democratic colleagues.

Show Notes:

• Check out Jason's work – https://www.404media.co/
• 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

After a summer on the receiving end of the internet’s ire, Blake Lively is back in the news, as her relationship with her former director and co-star Justin Baldoni has taken a turn for the litigious. 

Guest: Heather Schwedel, staff writer at Slate.

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 and Rob Gunther.

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