Episodios

  • Why Trump Abandoned America First
    Mar 13 2026

    The war with Iran has already killed more than a thousand Iranians, including 175 people killed at an elementary school on February 28th. Remember America First? That swath of the MAGA movement that purportedly wanted to stay out of foreign entanglements and wars to focus on problems that Americans were facing right here at home? Today, the same GOP that called Kamala Harris a warmonger is giving the war with Iran two thumbs up. And while some notable anti-war figures on the right have been speaking out against the conflict, Trump and the Republican Party are full speed ahead despite struggling to justify their actions. Tommy Vietor, co-host of Crooked Media’s Pod Save the World and former spokesperson for the National Security Council in the Obama administration, joins to discuss the American First presidency that isn't.

    And in headlines, the Senate passes a housing bill with overwhelming bipartisan support but House GOP members are unlikely to get on board, Department of Homeland Security funding talks continue to stall, and the White House is keeping busy posting tasteless memes about the war.

    Show Notes:

    • Check out Pod Save The World – https://tinyurl.com/4n6y99mu
    • 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
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    22 m
  • The Cost Of War Is More Than Oil
    Mar 12 2026

    The war with Iran has already killed more than a thousand Iranians, including 175 people killed at an elementary school on February 28th. According to multiple news outlets, a preliminary report from the U.S. military says the U.S. was at fault for that strike. President Donald Trump previously said Saturday that Iran was at fault for the attack and then, on Wednesday, replied, "I don't know about it," when a reporter asked him about the investigation. It's part of a larger pattern in the Trump administration's messaging about the war. From why we're in this conflict in the first place, to what our goals are, to when this war will end, there's a fog around everything. Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly joins the show to discuss how members of Congress are dealing with the White House's stonewalling.

    And in headlines, President Donald Trump travels to Ohio and Kentucky to downplay concerns about the economy, no one has any idea what Kristi Noem's new job entails, and newly released deposition videos show a former DOGE staffer struggling to answer basic questions about DEI.

    Show Notes:

    • 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
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    24 m
  • Trump, Iran And A Brewing Economic Crisis
    Mar 11 2026

    In case you haven’t noticed, the American economy isn't doing so well right now. Oil prices have been on an absolute rollercoaster since the Iran war began — but that’s not all. On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the U.S. lost nearly 100,000 jobs in February, pushing the unemployment rate up to 4.4 percent. So what exactly is going wrong with the economy, besides… everything? And what can we learn from past economic crises to hopefully avoid another one? To find out, we spoke to Rogé Karma. He’s a staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the economy-focused newsletter, Work in Progress.

    And in headlines, Jane speaks to Crooked’s Washington Correspondent Matt Berg about a report that at least 20 countries are now militarily involved in the Iran war, the Democratic National Committee suing the Trump administration, and how flying cars are actually, maybe, really happening.

    Show Notes:

    • Check out Rogé's piece – https://tinyurl.com/3p3amzx9
    • 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
    Más Menos
    28 m
  • The War With Iran Has No Exit Plan
    Mar 10 2026

    The Iran war is a little over a week old and the Trump administration has supplied more than a dozen explanations about why, exactly, it began. Confused? Well, now we’re getting wildly conflicting messages about how that same war will end, with the president telling CBS News Monday that the war is “very complete, pretty much.” Later that same day, he told GOP lawmakers that it’s not. Robin Wright, an expert on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East who contributes to the The New Yorker, explains where the war goes from here.

    And in headlines, President Trump promotes the questionably named “Save America Act,” the Department of Justice makes a shady deal with Live Nation, and artificial intelligence company Anthropic sues the Trump administration for labeling it a security-related supply chain risk.

    Show Notes:

    • Check out Robin’s writing on the war in Iran
    • 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
    Más Menos
    23 m
  • Can States Stop Trump’s Election Meddling?
    Mar 9 2026

    President Donald Trump wants to dramatically change how Americans vote, and to make that happen he’s holding all other legislation hostage until Congress passes the SAVE America Act. The bill would require that Americans prove citizenship via a passport or a birth certificate to register to vote. Make no mistake: Trump wants America to pay the price for the election he lost to Joe Biden in 2020. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joins us to explain how states are ready to fight Trump’s next moves to restrict voting.

    And in headlines, Iran finds a new supreme leader in the son of the former one, a federal judge wants to reverse layoffs at the Voice of America, and the Trump administration threatens intervention in Cuba.

    Show Notes:

    • More about Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.
    • 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
    Más Menos
    21 m
  • Sen. Mark Warner Won’t Miss Kristi Noem
    Mar 6 2026

    On Thursday, President Donald Trump fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem via a Truth Social post. Her tenure was marked by a photoshoot in a superprison in El Salvador, brutal immigration raids, and the killing of two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. It didn’t help that she spent $200 million dollars on an ad campaign featuring – wait for it – Kristi Noem. To make sense of Noem’s exit and the ongoing war in Iran, we hear from Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

    And in headlines, the U.S. House rubber stamps Trump’s war with Iran, negative public comments flood a hearing about the White House ballroom rebuild, and two dozen states sue the Trump administration over its latest tariffs.

    Show Notes:

    • 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
    Más Menos
    21 m
  • Can Talarico Turn Texas Blue?
    Mar 5 2026

    Three states – North Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas – held primaries Tuesday. The turnout was massive, but so were the stakes, with the balance of power in Congress being decided this year. Texas held the spotlight with record campaign spending during the lead-up and a notable U.S. Senate primary upset by Texas Democratic State Representative James Talarico over Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. The contentious Senate race between Republican incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was so tight it triggered a runoff. NOTUS Congressional Reporter Daniella Diaz joins us to sort out what it all means.

    And in headlines, the Senate votes against a War Powers Resolution, the House Oversight Committee subpoenas Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Epstein files, and RFK Jr. picks a fight with Massachusetts about sweet drinks at Dunkin’.

    Show Notes:

    • Check out Daniella’s reporting on the Texas primary
    • 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
    Más Menos
    22 m
  • Trump’s War Hits The Economy
    Mar 4 2026

    The U.S.-Israeli war in Iran is sowing death and chaos, surely, but with ship traffic avoiding Iran’s shores, the war’s also threatening the global economy through higher oil prices. Miles Taylor explains why all this is happening. Taylor served as the chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security in the first Trump administration, where he made waves for writing an Op-ed in the New York Times headlined, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration.”

    And in headlines, the State Department scrambles to help thousands of Americans stuck in the Middle East, Iran continues to retaliate against the U.S.-Israeli attacks, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faces tough questions in the Senate.

    Show Notes:

    • Miles Taylor’s writing on whether Trump is creating a financial crisis
    • 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
    Más Menos
    24 m