What A Day

A jury in Connecticut ordered Infowars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay nearly $1 billion in damages to the families of eight victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. The verdict is the largest award to date for those families, who say they've suffered for years because Jones has repeatedly claimed the massacre was a “hoax.”Members of the Oath Keepers are currently on trial for seditious conspiracy, as more information comes to light about how right-wing, white nationalist militia groups allegedly helped plan and execute the attack on January 6. And in headlines: the Biden administration released its National Security Strategy Report, Nury Martinez resigned from her seat on the Los Angeles City Council, and the U.S. authorized updated COVID booster shots for young kids.Show Notes:Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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 

John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's open U.S. Senate seat, is hanging on to his lead over his Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz. But Republicans are sharpening their attacks by questioning Fetterman’s health and fitness for office, after he suffered a stroke earlier this year.Things are heating up in Arizona's secretary of state race, where Democrat Adrian Fontes is squaring off against far-right MAGA Republican Mark Finchem to become the state’s top election official. Fontes tells us what's at stake, and why these offices are so important.And in headlines: Baltimore prosecutors dropped charges against Adnan Syed, Nury Martinez announced she's taking a "leave of absence" from the L.A. City Council, and Tulsi Gabbard said she’s leaving the Democratic Party.Show Notes:Pod Save America: "Of MAGA and Midterms (with John Fetterman!)" – https://crooked.com/podcast/of-maga-and-midterms-with-john-fetterman/Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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 

Russia launched its biggest attacks against Ukraine in months, targeting at least 14 regions – including civilian areas – on Monday. Vladimir Putin said the strikes were retaliation for a blast that damaged the only bridge connecting annexed Crimea to Russia.Nury Martinez stepped down as the L.A. City Council president, after she, two other council members, and a local labor leader were heard on a leaked recording making racist comments. Martinez is facing calls to resign, and the conversation has fueled concerns that some city leaders are trying to deplete the political power of Black Angelenos.And in headlines: Hurricane Julia made landfall on Sunday in Nicaragua, a union of railroad workers rejected a tentative agreement with freight carriers, and rapper Kanye West was locked out of Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts.Show Notes:L.A. Times: L.A. Council racist comments full coverage – https://tinyurl.com/vj4yp223Vote Save America: Fuck Bans Action Plan – http://theherschelwalkerabortionfund.com/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

Over the weekend, 20 Russian missiles hit civilian areas of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 13 people and injuring 60 more. These air strikes followed an explosion on Saturday on the bridge between Russia and Crimea, which has both economic and symbolic importance.New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency on Friday after the city’s primary shelter system became overloaded, due in part to the influx of asylum seekers from Latin America. We discuss what Adams is and isn't doing to help people in New York City find shelter... and the efforts of Republican governors like Texas's Greg Abbott and Arizona's Doug Ducey to exacerbate the city's houselessness crisis.And in headlines: Nationwide protests in Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini entered their fourth week, Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial starts today, and a NLRB judge ruled that a Michigan Starbucks illegally fired one of its baristas for union organizing. Show Notes:Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – https://votesaveamerica.com/every-last-vote/Thanks to Nick Turner for writing on this episode!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

President Biden announced Thursday he will pardon federal marijuana convictions. The order will impact a few thousand people, since most cannabis convictions happen at the state level, but it will also revisit how cannabis is classified with other drugs under federal law.As Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia continues to gain ground, there are now signs of growing discontent from prominent Russian officials and supporters of the war. And in headlines: a mass shooting at a daycare center in Thailand left at least 36 people dead, a high ranking member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, and Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse is expected to resign from Congress.Show Notes:NORML: State-by-State Guide to Marijuana Conviction Expungement – https://norml.org/laws/expungement/Vote Save America: Fuck Bans Action Plan – http://theherschelwalkerabortionfund.com/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

President Biden visited Florida on Wednesday to survey the damage from Hurricane Ian, which has left at least 100 people dead in that state. So far, many of those victims are older adults. Dr. Sue Ann Bell, a disaster researcher at the University of Michigan, tells us why older people are especially vulnerable during natural disasters.The OPEC Plus coalition, led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, said it will cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day, which is expected to push energy prices higher around the world. The move would benefit Russia, and help finance its war against Ukraine.And in headlines: anti-government protests in Iran entered a third week, actor Alec Baldwin agreed to settle with the family of Halyna Hutchins, and longtime lesbian icon Velma Hinkley comes out in the latest Scooby Doo movie.Show Notes:The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies – https://disasterstrategies.org/AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit – https://tinyurl.com/26jvwd3bVote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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 

Conservative leaders have rallied behind Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker, following a report that he paid for an abortion for an ex-girlfriend. It's one of the first October surprises to drop ahead of the high-stakes midterm elections.The federal government has a history of underfunding our election infrastructure, even though the people who run state and local election departments play a critical role in our democracy. Tiana Epps-Johnson, co-founder of the Center for Tech and Civic Life, tells us why America's voting system needs an upgrade.And in headlines: North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in five years, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could chip away at the Voting Rights Act, and European regulators voted to standardize charging cables for portable devices.Show Notes:The Daily Beast: “‘Pro-Life’ Herschel Walker Paid for Girlfriend’s Abortion” – https://tinyurl.com/ya2m7z8aCenter for Tech and Civic Life – https://www.techandciviclife.org/Fat Bear Week 2022 – http://www.fatbearweek.org/Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Puerto Rico on Monday, weeks after Hurricane Fiona tore through the island. The trip – and the pledges of support – was markedly different from when then-President Trump arrived after Hurricane Maria five years ago.Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who is up for re-election in November, is embroiled in another controversy – this time, over a probe targeting a prominent local official, an outspoken critic of the sheriff.And in headlines: UK Prime Minister Liz Truss dropped a plan to slash the tax rate for the wealthy, Native American activist and actor Sacheen Littlefeather has died, and Kim Kardashian settled with the SEC over an alleged cryptocurrency "pump and dump" scheme.Show Notes:KnockLA: "A Tradition of Violence/The History of Deputy Gangs in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department" – https://knock-la.com/tradition-of-violence-lasd-gang-history/Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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

Florida's death toll from Hurricane Ian soared to at least 74 over the weekend, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses still do not have electricity. President Biden plans to visit the state Wednesday, after a stop in Puerto Rico to survey damage from Hurricane Fiona.The Supreme Court begins its new term today, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson becoming the first-ever Black woman to serve on the bench. But she joins a divided, conservative-majority court, which is set to hear major cases on affirmative action, voting, and LGBTQ rights.And in headlines: at least 125 people died in the chaos following an Indonesian soccer match, American prisoners were released from Venezuela and Iran, and the makers of Monster energy drinks won a lawsuit against rival Bang Energy for false advertising.Show Notes:Florida Ian Response Fund – http://ianresponse.org/Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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

After leaving a trail of destruction in southern Florida, Hurricane Ian is expected to make a second landfall in South Carolina on Friday. Officials in Charleston are bracing for intense rain, higher-than-usual tides, and a storm surge across the state’s coast.Russian President Vladimir Putin today plans to formally annex separatist regions of Ukraine that supposedly voted to join the Russian Federation. Ukraine and its western allies have called it an illegal "land grab."And in headlines: a group of Republican-led states sued the Biden administration over its plan to cancel some student debt, California made it easier for farm workers to join unions, and Ginni Thomas sat for an interview with the House January 6th committee.Show Notes:Vote Save America: Every Last Vote – 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