

What A Day
Crooked Media
If you’re looking for hype, fake outrage, and groupthink, kindly keep moving. Our mission at What a Day is simple: to be your guide to what truly matters each morning (and the fun stuff you might have missed) in just 20 minutes. Host Jane Coaston brings you in-depth reporting and substantive analysis on the big stories shaping today and the creeping trends shaping tomorrow—and when she doesn’t know the answers, she asks someone even smarter to fill us all in. Radical, right? New episodes at 5:00 a.m. EST, Monday–Friday in your favorite podcast app and on YouTube. Being informed was never this easy.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 14, 2022 • 17min
It’s Not Easy Being Sam Bankman-Fried
Federal authorities officially charged FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried with multiple counts of criminal fraud and other financial crimes. It follows the stunning collapse of what was once the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange – while $8 billion in customer funds remain unaccounted for.Twitter abruptly dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the volunteer advisory group formed in 2016 to address online safety, harassment, and other issues on the platform. And since Elon Musk’s takeover in October, rates of hate speech on Twitter have skyrocketed.And in headlines: today marks 10 years since the Sandy Hook shooting, President Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, and Megan Thee Stallion told an L.A. jury about the night that rapper Tory Lanez allegedly shot at her feet.Show Notes:Sandy Hook Promise: Preventing Gun Violence Before it Happens – https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 13, 2022 • 20min
The Questions Surrounding The Death Of Grant Wahl
The sports world continues to mourn American soccer journalist Grant Wahl, whose body was returned to the U.S. after he died while covering the World Cup in Qatar. Although whatever caused his sudden death remains a mystery, his family hopes that a pending autopsy will give them answers.Over half a million people have signed a petition calling for New York Governor Kathy Hochul to grant clemency to Nikki Addimando. She's been in prison since 2017 for fatally shooting her longtime partner, which she claims was self-defense.And in headlines: Iran carried out its second execution tied to the mass protests over Mahsa Amini, China rolled back more of its strict “zero Covid” policies, and scientists have reportedly achieved a major clean energy breakthrough.Show Notes:The Atlantic: “Remembering Grant Wahl, a Champion of American Soccer” – https://tinyurl.com/5n7wxdwmNikki Addimando Clemency – https://westandwithnikki.com/Survived + Punished – https://survivedandpunished.org/Restoration of Rights Project: 50-State Comparison | Pardon Policy & Practice – https://tinyurl.com/3fshtj45What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 12, 2022 • 21min
We Need To Talk About Kevin De Leon
Congress has until Friday to reach an agreement on a spending package that will fund the government through the next fiscal year, but lawmakers are clashing over what to prioritize. Republicans want to invest heavily in military spending, but Democrats want to put more money toward the social safety net.Karen Bass was officially sworn in as the mayor of Los Angeles yesterday, making her the first woman to serve in the role. Meanwhile, embattled LA City Councilmember Kevin de León is facing more scrutiny after he was involved in a fight with a local community activist. And in headlines: American soccer journalist Grant Wahl died while covering the World Cup in Qatar, NASA successfully wrapped its historic Artemis 1 mission, and the city of Richmond, Virginia began removing its last city-owned Confederate monument.Show Notes:KnockLA: “Councilmember Kevin de León Attacks Activist” – https://knock-la.com/kevin-de-leon-jason-reedy-attack/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 9, 2022 • 20min
Welcome Home, Brittney Griner
WNBA star Brittney Griner is finally free from Russian imprisonment, 294 days after she was first arrested. U.S. officials negotiated her release, which involved a 1-for-1 prisoner swap for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout.And in headlines: the House passed a landmark bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages, tens of thousands of academic workers in the University of California system continued their strike, and the FTC sued to block Microsoft from acquiring Activision Blizzard.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 8, 2022 • 18min
Donald Trump Presents: Storage Wars
The Washington Post reported that a team hired by former President Donald Trump’s lawyers found at least two documents marked “classified” inside a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida. It’s the first indication that more potentially sensitive material was, or could still be, at one of Trump’s properties.China is reportedly easing some of its strict “zero COVID” policies, following mass protests over the government’s response to the pandemic. But there are questions about how the rollback will be implemented, as China faces an increasing number of new infections. And in headlines: Peruvian lawmakers swore in their first female president after ousting her predecessor, German authorities arrested 25 people accused of plotting a far-right coup, and hundreds of New York Times journalists will stage a historic 24-hour strike.Show Notes:NPR: Japan's Disney store sells merchandise of Winnie the Pooh supporting China's protests – https://tinyurl.com/nhk3pdh8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 7, 2022 • 22min
The Art Of Warnock
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock is heading back to D.C. for a full 6-year term, after defeating Republican challenger Herschel Walker in Tuesday’s special runoff election. Warnock’s victory now gives Democrats an outright majority in the Senate with 51 seats, and brings a whirlwind midterm cycle to a close.And in headlines: the suspect in the Club Q mass shooting was charged with over 300 counts, a Manhattan jury convicted the Trump Organization of tax fraud, and Indonesia’s parliament passed a controversial new criminal code.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastEvery Last Vote | Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/every-last-vote/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 6, 2022 • 18min
Revisiting The Ongoing Red Hill Water Crisis in O’ahu
Today is election day in Georgia’s Senate runoff. Voters are headed to the polls to decide between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker, in a race that could give Democrats an outright majority in the Senate.This Wednesday marks one year since the state of Hawai’i ordered the U.S. Navy to defuel its Red Hill fuel facility, after thousands of gallons of jet fuel contaminated the local water supply. Keoni DeFranco, an O’ahu-based community organizer, joins us to discuss the ongoing fight to shut down the facility for good.And in headlines: the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could undercut LGBTQ rights, authorities said a “targeted” attack on power substations over the weekend left thousands of people in North Carolina without electricity, and Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 14 years in prison for embezzlement.Show Notes:O’ahu Water Protectors – https://oahuwaterprotectors.org/Sierra Club of Hawai’i – Shut Down Red Hill – https://sierraclubhawaii.org/redhillHawaii Public Radio: Red Hill fuel storage facility contamination timeline – https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/navy-red-hill-fuel-timelineEvery Last Vote | Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/every-last-vote/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 5, 2022 • 22min
South Carolina Takes The Lead
The rule-making arm of the Democratic National Committee voted to reshuffle the presidential primary schedule, making South Carolina the first state to hold a primary in the 2024 elections. The new order will change which voters have an outsized voice in selecting the Democratic nominee for president, and the issues that candidates will center in their campaigns.The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in Moore v. Harper on Wednesday, a high-stakes case that could endanger free and fair elections. The justices will decide if state legislatures have the power to regulate federal elections.And in headlines: protesters in Iran are planning a three-day strike amid conflicting reports about the fate of the morality police, coal miners in Alabama hit the 20-month mark in their ongoing strike, and Georgia voters broke early voting numbers ahead of Tuesday’s Senate runoff.Show Notes:Every Last Vote | Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/every-last-vote/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 3, 2022 • 21min
Remembering Shirley Chisholm, A Catalyst For Change
In this special bonus episode of What a Day, we look back on the life and legacy of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, and the first woman to seek a major party nomination for president. She would have turned 98 earlier this week.Host Juanita Tolliver sat down with Representatives Barbara Lee and Ayanna Pressley, and biographer Dr. Anastasia Curwood for a candid conversation about Chisholm's trailblazing legacy.Show Notes:Shirley Chisholm | Anastasia C. Curwood - UNC Press – https://uncpress.org/book/9781469671178/shirley-chisholm/Every Last Vote | Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/every-last-vote/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Dec 2, 2022 • 21min
Student Debt Forgiveness Goes To Court
President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program is headed to the Supreme Court. While the plan is blocked for now, the justices will hear arguments in February to decide whether the administration has the authority to cancel federal student loan debt for millions of borrowers.Crooked’s new workplace advice podcast “Work Appropriate” covers everything from how to deal with pushy bosses, to the systemic issues that plague many industries. Host Anne Helen Peterson tells us how a period of burn-out made her think differently about the world of work.And in headlines: survivors of the Uvalde school shooting sued law enforcement agencies in Texas over their response to the massacre, a federal appeals court dismissed the “special master” in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, and the Senate passed legislation to block a nationwide rail strike.Show Notes:Crooked Media | Work Appropriate – https://www.workappropriate.comEvery Last Vote | Vote Save America – https://votesaveamerica.com/every-last-vote/Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday