What A Day

It's rather obvious Americans have not exactly been … cheerful for the last few years. And it's showing up in the data – the General Social Survey, the Consumer Sentiment Survey from the University of Michigan, the World Happiness Report, and even the Federal Reserve all report that Americans are less happy than they were a decade ago. Whether that's with their jobs, the economy, the state of the world – no matter the metric, Americans are not having it. To find out why we're feeling down, we spoke with Derek Thompson. He's the co-author of the book "Abundance," and he writes a popular Substack called, well, Derek Thompson.
And in headlines, President Donald Trump is once again threatening Iran via Truth Social, House Speaker Mike Johnson talks about the administration's priorities, and Taiwan's president stresses the importance of arms purchases from the United States.
Show Notes:

Check out Derek's piece –https://tinyurl.com/zzsjpf7a

Call Congress – 202-224-3121

Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy

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

Life is pretty expensive right now – and Americans are not happy about it. Trump came into office claiming he would lower prices, QUOTE, “on day 1.” But that didn’t happen – and his own policies are partially to blame. To talk more about the economy, inflation, and what we can do when our lives feel way too expensive, we spoke with Stacey Vanek Smith. She’s a reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and co-host of the Bloomberg podcast, Everybody’s Business.
And in headlines, Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping offered his help in making a deal to end the Iran war, FBI Director Kash Patel allegedly went snorkeling on his “not vacation” in Hawaii, and did the Supreme Court just become a feminist?
Show Notes:

Check out Stacey's podcast – https://tinyurl.com/y2zannt6

Call Congress – 202-224-3121

Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy

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 Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais last month dismantled a critical portion of the Voting Rights Act. And since then, a slew of states — largely in the South — have moved to redraw voting maps. In doing so, they’re eliminating majority-Black voting districts. There are not many people who have done more to fight for Black voting power and for the rights of Black voters in the South than Stacey Abrams, host of Crooked Media’s Assembly Required. So we talked to her about the racist implications of Louisiana vs. Callais and where we go from here.
And in headlines, Senate Republicans once again block legislation that would halt President Donald Trump’s war of choice with Iran, Vice President JD Vance takes more steps in the administration’s anti-fraud initiative, and a Politico analysis finds that the Trump administration has lost in court more than 10,000 times in ICE detention decisions.
Show Notes:

Check out Stacey's podcast –

Call Congress – 202-224-3121

Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy

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

President Donald Trump is arriving in Beijing today on a long-awaited trip – one that got delayed even further by Trump’s war in Iran. It’s Trump’s second trip to China and his first in nearly a decade. It’s also a trip where both sides see big opportunities (mostly to make money). But, the global balance of power has shifted – arguably, in China’s favor. Trump is in the midst of an unpopular war with no clear exit plan and he’s looking to make deals, not problems. Meanwhile, China has become an economic and military powerhouse more than able to stand up to the US and Trump’s trade wars. So to talk more about Trump’s trip to China and what’s at stake, we spoke to Phelim Kine. He is the DC based China correspondent at POLITICO.
And in headlines, Secretary of War/little boy Pete Hegseth returns to the Hill, Food and Drug Administration head Marty Makary steps down, and the What A Day newsletter investigates a new video game that parodies Trump’s second term in office.
Show Notes:

Check out Phelim's work – politico.com/staff/phelim-kine

Call Congress – 202-224-3121

Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy

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 impact of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes has been felt in so many places, from the halls of Congress to the royal families of Britain and Norway. Here in the U.S., it’s taken the work of student journalists to uncover the worrying details about Epstein’s hidden relationship with another important institution: Harvard University. Epstein didn’t go to Harvard (actually, he didn’t graduate from college at all). But back in 2020, Harvard released a report aiming to detail its relationship with Epstein, including the millions of dollars he donated to the university. As journalist Pablo Torre and student journalists at the Harvard Crimson discovered, Harvard was actually keeping a lot of secrets about its relationship with the convicted sex offender. We spoke with Torre about his investigation and what he wants Harvard to do now.
And in headlines, President Donald Trump participates in a Maternal Healthcare Event in the Oval Office, the Supreme Court is leaving access to a widely used abortion pill untouched until at least Thursday, and the man accused of attempting to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner pleads not guilty.
Show Notes:

Check out Pablo's podcast – https://tinyurl.com/yjn2ndp2

Call Congress – 202-224-3121

Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy

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