What A Day

Thousands of John Deere workers are on strike after the company and the United Automobile Workers union failed to negotiate a new contract. Jonah Furman, a staff writer and organizer with Labor Notes, joins us to discuss what led to the Deere strike and the national movement by workers demonstrating for better pay and rights.And in headlines: the Haitian gang that abducted 17 people has asked for $1 million per person in ransom, Brazil’s Senate calls for homicide charges against President Jair Bolsonaro for his handling of COVID-19, and the January 6th House commission holds Steve Bannon in criminal contempt.Show Notes:Jonah Furman’s Substack, “Who Gets The Bird?” – https://whogetsthebird.substack.com/Labor Notes – https://labornotes.org/A More Perfect Union on Deere strike – https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1450093618962878467For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of police officers in two cases dealing with qualified immunity. Both decisions were unsigned, and none of the justices dissented – a possible indication that they are sadly not planning on overturning qualified immunity entirely any time soon.Boston is poised to elect its first woman of color as mayor, and the election is just two weeks away. We talked with candidate Michelle Wu.And in headlines: former Secretary of State Colin Powell passed away yesterday, the Biden administration is tackling ‘forever chemicals,’ and the union for Chicago Police Officers is fighting the city’s vaccine mandate.For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The leadership of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees announced a tentative agreement for a new contract between the TV and film crew members it represents, and Hollywood producers. In the short term, this deal prevents a strike that would have begun today. In February 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man, was on a run in Brunswick, GA, when three white men chased him down in pickup trucks and fired a shotgun at him three times, killing him. The trial for the men accused of killing Arbery begins today, almost 19 months after he was killed.And in headlines: seventeen Christian Aid missionaries were taken hostage in Haiti, an FDA panel unanimously recommends J&J Covid booster shots, and Sen. Joe Manchin opposes Biden's clean energy program.Show Notes:IATSE: “Landmark tentative agreement reached for IATSE West Coast Film and Television Workers before Strike Deadline” – https://bit.ly/3pfTDfcVariety: “IATSE Deal Could Be Rejected by Members: ‘Our Leadership Let Us Down’” – https://bit.ly/3ALxNClDeadline: (2018) “Popular Vote Shows New IATSE Contract Is Not So Popular” – https://bit.ly/3aSDUu1For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The January 6th commission plans to hold Steve Bannon in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with the committee. Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers are advising all administration officials who have been subpoenaed to not comply while Trump, himself, fights with the Biden White House over the release of documents related to the event.The midterms aren’t until next year, but there is still a big race to watch – the fight to be Virginia’s next Governor. Crooked Media’s political director Shaniqua McClendon joins us to share everything we need to know about the highly important gubernatorial race that is currently underway.And in headlines: street clashes in Lebanon leave several dead and dozens injured, an FDA advisory panel recommended that the agency authorize a booster dose of Moderna’s COVID vaccine, and LinkedIn will leave China later this year.Show Notes:Vote Save America: Virginia – https://votesaveamerica.com/state/virginia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

President Biden addressed the ongoing supply chain problems that are jacking up prices for consumers and slowing economic recovery, and said that the Port of Los Angeles will begin operating 24/7. Shippers including FedEx and UPS also said that they would commit to shipping more packages during off-peak hours. It’s a big week for booster shots. Today, the FDA authorization committee will discuss a potential third dose of Moderna’s vaccine, and on Friday, it will look at a possible booster J&J’s. The FDA will also turn its attention to the safety of mixing and matching different vaccines, which could make the whole booster process a lot easier if it’s approved. And in headlines: Social Security recipients will get a boost to their checks by 5.9 percent in 2022, the U.S. will open its borders to Canadian and Mexican travelers next month, and trans workers at Netflix will stage a walkout to protest statements made by the company’s CEO.For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For more than a decade, officials in Rutherford County, Tennessee, were arresting kids en masse and placing them in juvenile detention. In this county, children were going to jail over tiny – or even non-existent – infractions. ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio reported this story and Meribah Knight, the lead author, joins us to unpack who allowed this to go on for so long. And in headlines: Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden resigned, Texas Governor Greg Abbott banned any entity in the state from mandating the COVID vaccine, and the NBA’s Kyrie Irving will not play in any games for the Brooklyn Nets until he's vaccinated.Show Notes:ProPublica: “Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge” – https://bit.ly/3v7F4vdFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In July of 2014, Iranian-American journalist Jason Rezaian and his wife were accused of being spies by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and were arrested. Jason was held captive for 544 days, and he’s the host of Crooked Media’s podcast, “544 Days.” He joins us to discuss his experience in captivity. And in headlines: Merck asked the FDA for emergency use authorization of its experimental COVID-19 pill, Southwest Airlines cancelled thousands of flights since last weekend, and DC Comics announced that the new Superman is bisexual.Show Notes:Listen to “544 Days,” only on Spotify – https://spoti.fi/3v2QX5rFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Guns were involved in three out of every four homicides in 2020, and 2021 is shaping up to be deadly, too. According to the Gun Violence Archive, from January 1st to September 15th of this year, more than 14,000 people died from gun violence in the U.S. Moms Demand Action founder, Shannon Watts, joined us to discuss Demand a Seat. It's a program that recruits gun violence survivors and activists to run for elected office and become more engaged in our politics.And in headlines: Texas’s restrictive anti-abortion law is back in effect, Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections, and Moderna has been supplying their shots almost exclusively to the world’s wealthiest countries.Show Notes:Moms Demand Action: Demand A Seat – https://www.everytown.org/demand-a-seat/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Players across the National Women’s Soccer League have recently gone public with stories of verbal, emotional, and sexual abuse and harassment. Following these reports of abuse, the league cancelled all five games scheduled for last weekend. And when games resumed on Wednesday, the saga culminated with dramatic moments of silent protests at all league matches. Meg Linehan, who covers the world of women’s soccer for The Athletic, joins us to discuss the developing story. And in headlines: the Senate voted to raise the country’s debt ceiling for now, Pfizer-BioNTech asked the FDA to authorize its vaccine for emergency use in kids 5-11, and Biden signs an executive order today to protect national monuments shrunk in size by Trump.Show Notes:The Athletic: “‘This guy has a pattern’: Amid institutional failure, former NWSL players accuse prominent coach of sexual coercion” – https://bit.ly/3oJ5TVsThe Athletic’s Meg Linehan – https://twitter.com/itsmeglinehanFor a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Biden administration announced it will overhaul the student loan forgiveness program for public service employees. It was supposed to forgive certain federal loans of people who worked in the public sector or at non-profit jobs for at least 10 years, but about 98 percent of those who applied were denied. The change will help over a half-million borrowers.Work at all of the Kellogg Company’s U.S. cereal plants came to a halt. As of Tuesday, 1,400 workers across the country went on strike. Workers want better health care, holiday and vacation pay, and more. Before you panic shop, it is not immediately clear how much the supply of Frosted Flakes will be disrupted.And in headlines: a federal judge blocked the enforcement of Texas’s restrictive anti-abortion law, Mitch McConnell offered to suspend the country’s debt ceiling through December, and the New York Public Library announced no more late fees for overdue material.Show Notes:NY Times: “A Guide to Big Changes for Public Service Loan Forgiveness” – https://nyti.ms/3BeWyrIVice: “‘People Work 100 Days Straight’: Kellogg’s Workers Shut Down Cereal Factories” – https://bit.ly/3uOA2UeThe Guardian: “Wave of US labor unrest could see tens of thousands on strike within weeks” – https://bit.ly/3AnCdPzJonah Furman from Labor Notes – https://whogetsthebird.substack.com/p/weekly40 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.