President Trump is old, and it shows. But in his second term in the White House, he's not just old – he's cloistered. After building his political career on massive rallies, he's spent significantly more time this year on international travel and hanging out with billionaires, and significantly less time with the Americans who actually voted for him. Could that be why he's spent way more energy focused on getting America psyched up for a war with Venezuela and building a new ballroom than pretty much anything his base supported him for? To find out, we spoke to Jonathan Lemire, staff writer at The Atlantic and co-host of Morning Joe on MSNOW, about his piece called "The Bubble-Wrapped President."

And in headlines, the president holds another perfectly normal cabinet meeting, more immigration judges get pink slips, and the Trump administration threatens to cut off SNAP payments in most Democratic-led states next week… unless those states turn over detailed personal records on aid recipients.

Show Notes:

• Check out Jonathan's piece – https://tinyurl.com/59ef33st
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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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It's been nearly two months since the fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas went into effect. The ceasefire is intended to be the first phase of an overarching plan to bring peace to the region after two years of war. But the next steps in the plan seem murky at best. Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that countries that had planned to deploy troops to Gaza to keep the peace as part of an International Stabilizing Force have backpedaled on their commitments. Meanwhile, Gazans are continuing to struggle – reeling from massive flooding and increasingly cold weather. For more on the current conditions in Gaza, we spoke with Mohammed Aklouk, a coordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council who lives in Gaza with his family.

And in headlines, Luigi Mangione's lawyers attempt to get key pieces of evidence thrown out in his New York state trial, a federal court rules that Alina Habba has been serving unlawfully as New Jersey's top federal prosecutor, and Indiana Republicans continue their push to assist President Donald Trump's calls for partisan gerrymandering.

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Show Notes:

• Check out the Norwegian Refugee Council's work – www.nrc.no/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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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Two members of the West Virginia National Guard were shot just a few blocks away from the White House, on Wednesday. One of the two shooting victims, 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, died of her injuries on Thursday. The alleged shooter is a 29-year-old man from Afghanistan who served in a “Zero Unit,” an Afghan military force that helped the US military. He moved to the United States in 2021 as part of a Biden-era program to help Afghan nationals who had assisted US troops. He was living in Washington State with his family before making the cross-country trip to commit the attack, and he’d reportedly been struggling with mental health issues for years. For more on what role, if any, mental health considerations might have in the judicial process and the overall effectiveness of the DOJ under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, we spoke to Ken White. He’s a federal criminal defense attorney, former federal prosecutor, and the co-host of the legal podcast, Serious Trouble.

And in headlines, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pursues peace between Ukraine and Russia at a lavish Miami golf club, Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz defends himself after a New York Times report detailed massive fraud targeting his state’s social services programs, and the person who drew Alabama’s new state Senate map is… an 18-year-old?

Show Notes:

• Check out Ken's podcast – www.serioustrouble.show/podcast
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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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Fear is mounting about the integrity of next year’s elections and all the tricks MAGA World might be able to pull. How valid are those concerns? What are the reasons for confidence? Jane Coaston convenes a discussion with some of the elected officials and experts who know best: Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias, North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Allison Riggs, and Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar. This episode was recorded at Crooked Con on November 7th.

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Congress is not exactly a barrel of fun at the best of times. Still, after the unexpected exit of Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene last week, the vibes have reportedly never been worse. According to the Congressional Record, the 119th Congress has spent fewer days in session, held fewer votes, and done less procedurally than any Congress in years. And in the meantime, many Representatives are spending their time trying to censure one another. But some people, for whatever reason, still want to join the party like Aftyn Behn, who's running for the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election next Tuesday. She's hoping to flip a Tennessee district that hasn't elected a Democrat since Ronald Reagan's first term. We spoke to her about why she's running for office and who she wants to see vote for her.

And in headlines, a federal judge throws out the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Pentagon announces an investigation into Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, and the Trump administration continues to play games with Americans' health insurance.

Show Notes:

• Check out Aftyn's campaign – aftynforcongress.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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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A lot happened while we were off this weekend, from President Donald Trump's overly friendly meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation announcement. That was a doozy. In a 10-minute-long video on Friday, Greene announced that she's leaving Congress, and explained that she felt betrayed by the party – and the President – she'd spent years fighting for. MTG has detailed the numerous death threats she and her family have received because of her recent opposition to Trump's policies. But she is hardly the first to face threats of violence for saying or doing something that MAGA decides it doesn't like. On today's show, we speak with Mark Bray, a college professor who wrote a book about Antifa. And after the murder of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk earlier this year, Bray became the subject of a conservative media storm, fomented in part by the organization Kirk founded, Turning Point USA. So Bray decided to leave the United States to protect himself and his family. He explains what Antifa even is and how writing a book eight years ago cost him his American home.

And in headlines, the U.S. Coast Guard makes clear swastikas and nooses are still considered hate symbols, the U.S. continues to work with Ukraine and Russia on an end to the war, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts anti-vaccine language to its site.

Show Notes:

• Check out Mark's book – https://tinyurl.com/mw9ys4jk
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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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From $400 million planes to $300 million ballrooms, from cryptocurrency to just plain… currency, President Donald Trump and his family have profited massively from his return to the White House. According to the Center for American Progress, the Trump family has received nearly $2 billion in cash and gifts since President Trump won the 2024 presidential election. This week, during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House, the president downplayed his family's dealings in Saudi Arabia, but the reality is that those business ties have grown significantly during his second term. For more on just how much money Trump and his family are making from his return to the Oval Office, we spoke to Andrea Bernstein, podcast host and author of "American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power."

And in headlines, President Trump threatens Congressional Democrats with violent rhetoric, Customs and Border Patrol prepares more immigration crackdowns in Louisiana and Mississippi, and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to meet with President Trump at the White House.

Show Notes:

• Check out Andrea's book – wwnorton.com/books/american-oligarchs
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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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For the last two weeks, a critically important climate conference has been taking place in Belem, Brazil. For the first time in 30 years, the United States did not send a delegation to the conference. Outside of the event, massive groups of Indigenous people have gathered to demand that world leaders do something to curtail the effects of climate change, which their communities are already feeling. Somini Sengupta, international climate reporter for the New York Times, joins the show to recap the conference.

And in headlines, Elon Musk predicts a work-less utopia at the Saudi Investment Forum, the Trump Administration comes up with concepts of a plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and a federal judge restarts criminal contempt proceedings against the Trump Administration over potentially illegal deportation flights to El Salvador.

Show Notes:

• Check out Somini's reporting – www.nytimes.com/by/somini-sengupta
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• 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

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.