What A Day

The current COVID wave in the U.S. is relatively mild considering what we’ve seen in the past. For instance, recent data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the daily COVID death rate has really slowed. And COVID hospital admissions are far below what we’ve seen during other surges.After numerous refusals by Ukraine to surrender the city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials have brokered a deal with Russia to allow some civilians trapped in a steel mill there to evacuate safely. The operation, in collaboration with the United Nations and the Red Cross, began over the weekend.And in headlines: Thousands of people around the world took to the streets for May Day, the Connecticut Senate passed a bill to protect abortion providers from bans in other states, and now-former member of UK’s Parliament Neil Parish resigned over the weekend.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Moderna seeks FDA authorization for vaccine for children under 6. FDA to ban menthol cigarettes, potentially saving Black lives. Oklahoma passes near-total abortion ban. Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, bombed. Study finds breed has little impact on dog behavior.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights found that Minneapolis and the city’s police department engaged in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the state’s Human Rights Act. The two-year-long investigation began after former officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd in 2020. Russia released a former U.S. Marine from its custody yesterday in a prisoner swap with the U.S. The unexpected move indicates that there might be some diplomatic breakthroughs between Russia and the U.S. in the midst of Russia’s war against Ukraine.And in headlines: Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to five more years in prison, Southern California officials declared an emergency water shortage, and a New York appeals court rejected a congressional map drawn by state Democrats in the legislature.Show Notes:Star Tribune: “Minneapolis police engaged in pattern of illegal racial discrimination” – http://strib.mn/3LqUSR8Minnesota Department of Human Rights: “Investigation into the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department” – https://bit.ly/3vp4tSZFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Harvard University pledged $100 million to redress its ties to slavery. In an email on Tuesday, the school’s president said that the university bore “a moral responsibility to do what we can to address the persistent corrosive effects of those historical practices on individuals, on Harvard, and on our society.”According to multiple reports, President Biden said that he may be prepared to not only extend a pause on federal student loan debts that is set to end August 31, but to cancel some entirely.In headlines: Russia accused the West of sabotaging peace talks with Ukraine, the CDC said that a majority of Americans have been infected with COVID at least once, and Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorne was caught with a loaded gun at an airport.And we chat with Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, about the overturned federal mask mandate for mass transit. We also talked about Delta’s announcement that it will begin paying its flight attendants during boarding time, a move that comes amidst a union drive for the company.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Elon Musk reached a deal with Twitter on Monday to take over the company for roughly $44 billion. Mike Isaac, a tech reporter for the New York Times, joins us to discuss how we got here and what comes next.And in headlines: President Biden plans to nominate Bridget Brink to be the next ambassador to Ukraine, the Supreme Court will take up the case of Rodney Reed, and Beijing officials began mass testing its residents for COVID.Show Notes:NY Times: “Elon Musk and Twitter Reach Deal for Sale” – https://nyti.ms/3xPdgyXFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The Supreme Court is in session this week and will hear two cases that could have a big impact. The first will be heard today and could affect our First Amendment right to freedom of religion, including the separation of church and state. The other will be heard on Tuesday and could have major implications for migrants at the Southern border seeking asylum.Netflix estimates that 100 million accounts around the world are sharing passwords. The streaming service is considering making users pay more for doing so — which means that if you’re not the one in your family or friend group that actually pays for the shared account, you might have to figure out a new arrangement.And in headlines: The war in Ukraine entered its third month, French President Emmanuel Macron beat his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen, and Twitter is banning paid content that denies climate change.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The GOP-led Florida state legislature gave the final stamps of approval to a pair of proposals on Thursday. The first redraws Florida’s Congressional voting map in a way that would eliminate two majority Black districts. The other revokes Disney Corporation’s special tax status around Disney World.In headlines: The U.S. will provide $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, the Supreme Court ruled that residents of Puerto Rico aren’t eligible for some federal aid programs, and CNN+ announced its closure.We also talk with Mary Annaïse Heglar and Amy Westervelt, the hosts of Crooked’s “Hot Take,” to discuss how Earth Day got away from its origins in protest and activism.Show Notes:Crooked’s “Hot Take” – https://crooked.com/podcast-series/hot-take/The “Hot Take” Newsletter – https://www.hottakepod.com/Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Russia gave Ukrainian forces in Mariupol an ultimatum earlier this week: surrender or die. Russian-backed separatists said only five people surrendered, which could mean that the city could be captured very soon.Voting rights organizations are funneling their support to the people on the ground who oversee local elections ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Amanda Litman from Run For Something joins us to discuss her new program called Clerk Work dedicated to recruiting and supporting thousands of candidates for local offices in charge of running elections.And in headlines: Florida’s Senate approved one of the nation’s most gerrymandered Congressional maps, South Carolina’s Supreme Court issued a temporary stay on Richard Moore’s killing, and Netflix’s stock price pledge by 35 percent.Show Notes:Run For Something: Sign-up for Clerk Work – https://wherecanirun.org/Washington Post: “Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right’s outrage machine” – https://wapo.st/3K1plDMAlex Pareene: “They Know How Journalism Works! They’re Just Against It!” – https://bit.ly/3EyD6ZwFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Hours after a federal judge in Florida overturned the CDC’s mask mandate for public transportation, airlines like Delta and United made masks optional. Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, host of Crooked’s “America Dissected,” gives some advice to help you make your own decision on whether to stay masked.In headlines: President Biden announced actions toward federal student loan debt forgiveness, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis escalated his war with Disney, and Blac Chyna's $100 million lawsuit against the Kardashian family started.And an interview about the effort to decriminalize marijuana, and the disproportionate rate at which Black Americans are convicted of marijuana possession. Linn Washington Jr, a long-time investigative reporter, joins us to discuss how far we have and haven’t come on the issueShow Notes:Linn Washington Jr: “Equity in marijuana legalization must prioritize inclusion, expungement, and diverting revenues from police” – https://bit.ly/3uVNOG5 ACLU: “A Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform” – https://bit.ly/3JYQ3wA The Marshall Project: “Will Drug Legalization Leave Black People Behind?” – https://bit.ly/3L65sgkFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

A federal judge in Tampa, Florida, voided the nationwide travel mask mandate on Monday. Last week, the CDC extended that mask mandate for commercial flights, subways, trains, and other forms of public transportation until May 3rd.The Russia-Ukraine war has sparked concerns among U.S. officials about cyber warfare. On Sunday, CBS News reported “evolving intelligence” that suggests that Russia is planning new cyber attacks.And in headlines: Russia launched an assault on eastern Ukraine, Johnson and Johnson agreed to settle an opioid lawsuit for $99 million, and Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy.Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday