Where It All Starts

A string of recent warnings from AI industry insiders, including a former Anthropic employee who puts the odds of human extinction at over 10 percent in the next 10 years.Politicians on both sides of the aisle are feeling pressure to do something. And tomorrow we're going to see a very rare spectacle: Senator Bernie Sanders, lion of the progressive movement, sharing a stage with Steve Bannon, the MAGA bomb-thrower, at what they're calling a "Pro-Human Assembly." You don't see that kind of bipartisanship very often in DC these days.But will it be enough? Will the literal possible end of humanity...

Nate Silver, Clare Malone, and Galen Druke discuss the most competitive Senate races heading into the midterms in this excerpt from their new podcast, Still Counting. To hear the rest, head over to Still Counting and subscribe! New episodes drop every Wednesday evening.You can request a transcript by emailing transcripts@crooked.com. Include the podcast name, episode title, and air date. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.

In June 2022, a 14-year-old girl named Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her Utah home and held captive for nine months. She endured abuse and torture before police finally rescued her. Now, she's an advocate for other survivors, and she has a new true crime podcast, "The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart," which centers on their stories. Jane talks to her about what she's learned about getting through one of the worst things imaginable."The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is available every Monday on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere podcasts are heard.Show Notes:Check...

Friday marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. And earlier this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release of records related to the government’s response in the aftermath of the attacks, as well as the settlement of two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch. On today’s show, Jane speaks with Andrew Carboy, an attorney for 9/11 Health Watch, about the survivors of 9/11 and the devastating health problems they have faced over the past two and a half decades.Show Notes:Check out the NYC 9/11 Document Portal Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e...

College football is back and so is Congress. What does one have to do with the other? More than you think. Jane talks to veteran college sports analyst Paul Finebaum, host of The Paul Finebaum Show, about the Protect College Sports Act and why some members of Congress have taken an interest in sports this session. Show Notes:Check out Paul’s showCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jyWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode...

President Donald Trump is going all in on... President Donald Trump. And he's hoping GOP lawmakers will do the same at their midterm convention in Dallas this week. Jane talks to Antonia Hylton, host of the new MSNOW show, "The Assignment," about Trump's strategy for the midterms.Show Notes:Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jyWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com

On today's show, our guest host, Todd Zwillich, talks with Nate Soares, co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, and the President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, about recent AI hacks, the great AI debate, and Vice President JD Vance's comments about the end times on the Bryce Crawford Podcast.Show Notes:Check out Nate's book - If Anyone Builds It, Everyone DiesCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jyWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript...

Here at What A Day, we’re keeping an eye on the midterms — which are likely to hinge on which party can tackle the skyrocketing cost of living. On today’s show, Jane speaks with The Atlantic’s Annie Lowrey about why it's so damn expensive and complicated to be low-income in America.Show Notes:Check out Annie's book - The Time TaxCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jyWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, plea...

On today's show, Jane talks with Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson about what he thinks it will take for him to beat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s midterms.Show Notes:Call Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jyWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com

The House passed a short-term measure today to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection. On today's show, Jane speaks with Slow Boring’s Matt Yglesias about what Democrats need to do – and avoid – to make November really count this year.Show Notes:Check out Matt's work – www.slowboring.comCall Congress – 202-224-3121Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jyWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, plea...

In case you missed it, President Donald Trump announced a deal that would give the United States a stake in Venezuela’s vast oil reserves on Friday. And over the weekend, the United States and Iran exchanged fire for the first time in a month. The Bulwark’s Tim Miller joins What A Day host Jane Coaston to break down Trump’s increasingly imperial adventures! Jane and Tim also take a moment to say goodbye to a right-wing activist who cheered on deportations and then got himself deported.Show Notes:Check out Tim's podcast – tinyurl.com/yzx2wv22Call Congress – 202-224-3121S...

In the last year and a half, President Donald Trump has put his name, image, or both, on a whole host of things — federal buildings, passports, the resident National Park pass, the administration’s child savings accounts, the under construction border wall, and of course, the Kennedy Center. But why? Why is Trump so obsessed with seeing his name on pretty much everything that isn’t nailed down (and a lot that is)? To find out, we spoke with Alex Wagner, host of Crooked Media’s Runaway Country.And in headlines, the Iran war hits the six-month mark, Federal Reserve Chair Ke...

Yesterday, we heard from former USAID administrator Dr. Atul Gawande about the lives lost because of the gutting of the United States Agency for International Development. On today's show, we focus on people in Nepal and their experiences before and after the cuts to foreign assistance. In Nepal, USAID helped fund organizations whose efforts centered on fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. And some of those organizations employed transgender aid workers, who are living in a country where existing outside the gender binary is generally forbidden. But after the cuts to USAID, many of these trans women have resorted to...

It’s been more than a year since Elon Musk and the DOGE boys fed the United States Agency for International Development – or USAID, into a QUOTE “woodchipper.” And since then, according to reporting from NPR and other outlets, the dismantling of USAID has resulted in the deaths of more than 700,000 people. That’s because USAID worked globally to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, end childhood malnutrition, battle infectious diseases and help women have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Dr. Atul Gawande was a USAID administrator under the Biden Administration, leading the Bureau of Global Health. Now he’s warning what...

We’ve all seen how Customs and Border Protection has run roughshod over the civil rights of immigrants both legal and undocumented alike across the country. But if you’re an American citizen, you might not think that these abuses could ever happen to you. In fact, maybe the only time you’ve ever even seen Border Protection agents has been at the airport. And yet, that’s where journalist Matthew Petti got detained for hours by Border agents. Now he’s trying to figure out what happened and how to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. We spoke wit...

President Donald Trump is back at it with his nonsensical trade wars, and this time he’s targeting one of our closest allies: Canada. After trade negotiations crumbled at the eleventh hour, Trump’s 50% tariffs on scores of Canadian imports kicked in over the weekend. Meanwhile, Trump is also threatening to make moves that could lead to the U.S. being involved in a trade war with China. Here to break down what, if any, political strategy is in play for the White House is MS NOW’s Eugene Daniels.And in headlines, a new poll has found that more America...

The United States national debt reached a record-breaking $40 trillion dollars this week. If you spread out that debt to every resident of the U.S., we would each owe more than $115,000 dollars. So how did we get here? To find out more about what our big bad debt means for you, we spoke with Scott Lincicome. He’s the vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute.And in headlines, Trump-fixer-turned-frenemy Michael Cohen hosted the president on his radio show, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is relieving the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln, and a Texas court slashes a $50 mi...

Americans spend nearly $30 billion a year on plastic surgery procedures, including fillers and Botox. And there's probably no better example than the White House, where the "Mar-A-Lago face" – a very specific, very smooth, very… augmented appearance – runs rampant. But maybe that's starting to change. Faced with actors, actresses, influencers, and AI, some people are starting to forgo their pursuit of aesthetic perfection in favor of something a little more natural. But does that mean more people are going to go without Botox – or will more people want procedures that don't make them look like they had Botox? To find out, we spoke...

You may have heard about the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln — the carrier where sailors have been facing food shortages and broken toilets. They’ve gone without a traditional port call for eight and a half months, and counting. But they’re not the only vessel facing long deployments and concerning conditions. In May, the USS Gerald Ford finally returned to port in the U.S. after 11 months at sea – the longest deployment since the end of the Vietnam War. Those months away from home featured a massive fire that raged for hours onboard, and – you guessed it – plumbing problems. So...

You’ve probably heard a lot about the Democratic Socialists of America this year. Political figures who are either members of the organization or associated with its beliefs are running in primaries across the country, sometimes even winning against their more moderate opponents. But what does D.S.A. want? Does the organization want to elect more left-leaning Democrats – or replace them? Is this a left-wing Tea Party movement? Or something else entirely? To find out, we spoke to Charles Homans. He’s a reporter for The New York Times and The New York Times Magazine who just did a deep d...

The fact that the US Congress is absolutely rotten with creeps is one of the worst-kept secrets in Washington. From former Representatives like California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, to sitting lawmakers like North Carolina Republican Representative Chuck Edwards – it turns out sexual misconduct is bipartisan, and so is the pushback. A bipartisan effort fronted by Florida Republican Kat Cammack and New Mexico Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez aims to rein in the frathouse behavior of their colleagues. To discuss what’s on the table, we called up Grace Panetta, political reporter with The 19th.And in headlines, Trum...

The Women’s National Basketball Association has been making the headlines lately. In fact, according to a Media Matters report, since the end of June, Fox News has devoted at least 206 segments to the WNBA. But why are the likes of Sean Hannity and Bret Baier suddenly paying such close attention to women’s basketball? To get to the bottom of how the most LGBTQ-friendly sports league became a favorite subject of the right-wing media, we spoke with Leah Asmelash, a culture writer for CNN.And in headlines, the USS George Washington aircraft carrier is headed to the Middle East to r...

Donald Trump’s poll numbers are trash — and numbers for right-wing influencers on YouTube, Twitter and elsewhere are going down the tubes, too. As the New York Times reported at the end of last month, some of the biggest names in right-wing media are experiencing massive declines in clicks and views to their content. David Pakman is the host of the David Pakman Show on YouTube – and he’s been thinking a lot about the algorithms that control what we watch, read, listen to and think about. He stopped by to talk about how right-wing media has become a victim of its o...

On Tuesday, Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong narrowly lost to Milwaukee’s county executive, David Crowley, in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary. Now, the somewhat unknown is facing Republican Representative Tom Tiffany in November — but Crowley he may not have an easy time winning over the Democrats who voted for Hong. For more on what Democrats can learn from the race, we spoke with Holly Otterbein, senior politics reporter at Axios.And in headlines, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has convened a special grand jury in Washington, D.C., Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deli...

It’s voting day in states across the country – including in two Southern states that have already voted once this year. In South Carolina, Republicans will select their new Senate nominee after Lindsey Graham’s sudden death. And in Alabama, voters in several congressional districts are heading back to the polls after the Supreme Court told the state to use a map from 2023… despite that map being struck down by lower courts for being racially discriminatory. All of this is happening in the orange-tinted shadow of Donald Trump — but the South isn’t owned by the 47th president. For more, we spoke to...

Last month, Trump bragged that the Board of Peace had accomplished a monumental breakthrough: an agreement for the disarmament of Hamas in Gaza. However, this “agreement” didn’t really stand much of a chance because Hamas and the Israeli government were stuck in a classic standoff. And on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu turned down the deal. So not only are we nowhere near a peace deal, we’re not even close to peace. To talk more about the failures of Trump and the Board of Peace, we spoke with Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for Inte...

Automated License Plate Readers have been sweeping the country, with cameras popping up outside of stores and alongside roads in communities big and small. The largest manufacturer of those cameras is Flock, with around 100,000 readers in use across the country. According to Flock, the cameras are a boon to law enforcement. But as they become more prevalent, people are protesting their use – even blocking their views or destroying them. NewsNation reportedearlier this week that 23 jurisdictions have cancelled contracts with Flock, citing privacy concerns. And as tech reporter Drew Harwell wrote for The Washington Post, some law enforcement officers are even us...

In a livestream Wednesday night, Tucker Carlson laid out some ideas for what he thinks would make Americans’ lives better – a vision, you could call it. And while he didn’t say that he’s going to run for President in 2028, a lot of people think he should – including some of Trump’s most prominent former allies. So we asked The Bulwark’s Will Sommer: What’s really behind Tucker Carlson’s long rant?And in headlines, a Senate committee votes to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, Uganda’s Defense Minister wins parliamentary approval to deploy troops to Gaza, and WK Kell...

It was a big night for Michigan Democrats, as progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed beat US Representative Haley Stevens in the race for a seat in the Senate this fall. But what did we actually learn from El-Sayed’s victory? Was this a win for progressives? A shot at the establishment? Is he too liberal to win in November? And what does this say about the midterms? Everyone has an opinion… but not all of them are good. To hear more about which takes we should be listening to, we spoke to Jon Favreau. He’s the co-host of Pod Save Americ...

Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is facing serious allegations of spousal and child abuse from his former wife, Emily Moreno. Miller has denied all of the allegations, and as of our recording on Tuesday, he’s shown no indications that he wants to resign from office – even as several Senate Republicans have said he should quit. But Miller is not the only House Republican under the microscope for bad behavior — something that isn’t making life any easier on House Speaker Mike Johnson just a few months before the midterms. For more, we spoke to Jake Sherman, co-founder of Punchbowl News.And...

You’ve probably heard a lot about the Democratic Socialists and progressives running for office nationwide – and maybe even more about how establishment Democrats are terrified of them. A lot of that concern is because they think they’ll lose to their Republican counterparts. But many Republican candidates running for statewide office this term are in a league of their own… and not in a good way. So are establishment Democrats right? Will progressive candidates push voters to Republicans – even if they're the least qualified people around? To find out, we talked to Dan Pfeiffer. He’s the co-host of Pod Save Amer...

Georgia has become one of the most closely watched states in America, but its story didn't begin with the last election.Jen, Mitch, and Errin explore the history, communities, and political forces that transformed Georgia into the center of the national conversation.Through interviews with civic leaders, elected officials, and everyday Georgians, they examine how the state's civil rights legacy, rapid growth, and changing electorate continue to shape both Southern politics and the future of the country.Guests: Sen. Jon Ossoff, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, LaTosha Brown (Black Voters Matter), Kyle Tibbs-Jones (The Bitter Southerner)

About a month ago, the Antwerp World Diamond Center, which deals with a large percentage of the world’s diamonds, made Donald Trump a very special gift purportedly for America’s 250th birthday. Then, just last week, the Trump Administration coincidentally exempted natural diamonds from its new sweeping global tariffs. Not a great look. It’s no secret that the Trump Administration is steeped in deals aimed at getting the President, his family, and his political organizations paid. As the Wall Street Journal reported, Trump is routinely asking for cash from companies and donors so he can build his ballroom or fut...

There are just 96 days until the November midterms — and while the battle between Democrats and Republicans is taking up a lot of headlines, many Democrats are also facing serious challenges from within their own party. Take Massachusetts's Eighth District, which includes parts of the city of Boston. Democratic Representative Stephen Lynch has represented the state in Congress since 2001 – and for much of that time, he hasn’t faced any serious primary challenges.But this year, he’s up against Patrick Roath, a 39-year old attorney who thinks that it’s time for a new generation in Congress. Today, we’re speak with b...

We don’t often talk about what the most moral path forward for the Senate, or Congress, or hell, politics in general might be — but it would probably look more like doing something about ensuring everyday Americans can afford groceries and less like going to war with Iran. Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock gives this a lot of thought in his new book, “The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America,” where he lays out some of the biggest problems facing our country. We speak with Senator Warnock about his book and how we might move forward...

Today marked the start of two days of services for the late South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, with President Donald Trump joining foreign leaders at Washington National Cathedral for the funeral. Graham was arguably one of the biggest supporters of the Iran war. But now, he's gone – and the war he helped start is becoming increasingly unpopular. The Economist reported earlier this month that the war in Iran is America's least popular conflict since public poll tracking began. And thanks to a virtual Pentagon blackout on information, there's a lot we don't even know about this war in the first pl...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is trying to get a bunch done ahead of the Senate’s long summer break, from sanctions legislation on Russia to funding the government. But none of that seems to matter to President Trump. He’s focused on the SAVE America Act – a sweeping piece of federal legislation that would dramatically change how Americans vote (and most likely, who gets to vote in the first place). Now, a group of far-right Senators – like Utah Sen. Mike Lee – are demanding Thune cancel vacation and put the SAVE America Act on the floor. So who is in charge in...

Andrew and Tristan Tate are facing extradition to the United Kingdom after their arrest in Miami last weekend. The brothers are facing 59 counts between them in the UK, including rape, sex trafficking, and more. And now, President Trump’s inner circle — including the White House — is backing away from the Tates. For more, we spoke to Madeline Peltz. She’s an independent journalist covering the right-wing media and author of the Substack, Number Two Pencil.And in headlines, the U.S. is facing its worst year for measles in decades, the DOJ withdraws its subpoenas of three New York Times reporter...

By now, you've probably heard more than you ever wanted about cyclospora, a parasite that spreads via infected water and food and causes explosive diarrhea. This has been a very bad year for cyclosporiasis. According to the New York Times, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention typically report an average of 2,800 cases of the illness in the U.S. every year. But this year, the CDC reports more than 11,000 cases across 41 states. So, for more on our summer of cyclosporiasis and why you should maybe skip the bagged lettuce, we spoke to Julie Rovner. She's the Chief Washington correspondent...

Last week, President Trump dramatically reduced the size of two national monuments that aren't only beloved by everyday Utahns but contain priceless archeological treasures. But Utah is fighting back – against Trump, and against the Republican legislators letting private industries and a Shark Tank host run roughshod over what most people in the state actually want. To learn more, we spoke to Caroline Gleich. She’s an environmental activist and a professional ski mountaineer based in Park City.And in headlines, the Trump Administration announces a deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide the country with a civilian nuclear prog...