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What A Day

If you’re looking for hype, fake outrage, and groupthink, kindly keep moving. Our mission at What a Day is simple: to be your guide to what truly matters each morning (and the fun stuff you might have missed) in just 20 minutes. Host Jane Coaston brings you in-depth reporting and substantive analysis on the big stories shaping today and the creeping trends shaping tomorrow—and when she doesn’t know the answers, she asks someone even smarter to fill us all in. Radical, right? New episodes at 5:00 a.m. EST, Monday–Friday in your favorite podcast app and on YouTube. Being informed was never this easy.

It’s been about a week since the Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown, with Democrats refusing to fund the agency until changes are made to federal immigration enforcement. According to the White House, we are still no closer to a deal. But Democrats are reluctant to budge, and polling shows that most Americans think ICE has gone too far with its enforcement operations. Recent reporting from The Wall Street Journal paints a chaotic picture of DHS under Secretary Kristi Noem. In her colleagues’ view, she’s prioritized getting photo ops for herself over getting results for the Trump Administration. So for more on DHS scandals and what the future holds for Noem, we spoke with Michelle Hackman, a reporter covering immigration for The Wall Street Journal.

And in headlines, President Trump worries America’s 250th birthday might be soiled by the smell of feces emanating from the Potomac, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor gets arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and the Trump administration alienates MAHA by ramping up pesticide production.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Michelle's reporting – 
https://tinyurl.com/3xfpycmd • 

 • 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 •

DHS Dysfunction

The IRS has lost tens of thousands of employees since President Donald Trump took office – the result of DOGE, policy differences, last year’s government shutdown, and layoffs. Now that we're in tax season, the agency is asking thousands of untrained employees from other departments to help with taxpayer services. Those job cuts and changes could, at best, slow down your refund. At worst, the IRS could be far less able to stop scammers. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is insisting that taxpayers will be getting bigger refunds this year. The problem is, prices on basically everything are still super high – which gives people less of a chance to hold onto that money. And will anyone even remember their tax refunds when they head out to vote in November? For more, we spoke with Vanessa Williamson, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and author of “The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History.”

And in headlines, Arizona Republicans want to send ICE officers to polling places, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand in a case weighing if social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, and the Trump administration pushes back against a court order to restore an exhibit on people enslaved by George Washington in Philadelphia.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Vanessa's book – 
brookings.edu/books/the-price-of-democracy/ • 

 • 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 •

Don't Bank On Trump's Tax Cuts

U.S. officials met with Iranian envoys in Switzerland Tuesday to negotiate the fate of Iran’s nuclear program — and came away with a “set of guiding principles,” according to Iran’s foreign minister. But trying to figure out what, exactly, each country wants in these talks is confusing at best. Both President Donald Trump and Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have made not-so-veiled threats of military action toward the other country. So what, exactly, is everyone doing here? Do they want a deal – or a war? To find out, we spoke to Nahal Toosi, the senior foreign affairs correspondent and columnist for Politico.

And in headlines, CBS Late Show host Stephen Colbert calls out his own network, President Trump lashes out over a sewage leak in the Potomac River, and Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is leaving the Trump administration.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Nahal's work – 
www.politico.com/staff/nahal-toosi • 

 • 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 •

Trump’s Iran Power Play

It's been about a year since President Donald Trump signed an executive order, "Establishing the President's Make America Healthy Again Commission." Since then, MAHA has brought together a lot of strange bedfellows, ranging from people who want Americans to eat less sugar to others who want to ban the polio vaccine. Which begs the question — what, exactly, is the Make America Healthy Again movement… and is any of it actually making America healthier? To find out, we spoke to Rina Raphael. She's a journalist focused on wellness culture and the author of The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care.

And in headlines, U.S. and Iranian representatives are set to meet today in Switzerland, funding for the Department of Homeland Security expired over the weekend, and former President Barack Obama feeds our inner conspiracy theorist by talking about aliens on a podcast.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Rina's work – 
https://www.rinaraphael.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 •

The MAGA Health Movement

Capitol Hill was surprisingly busy this week. Republicans and Democrats yelled at one another, Republicans yelled at other Republicans, and amazingly, some actual business got done – sort of. But it looks like it wasn’t enough to avoid a partial government shutdown. For more on a wild week in Congress, we spoke with Burgess Everett. He’s the Congressional bureau chief for Semafor.

And in headlines, President Donald Trump is losing to former President Joe Biden in the polls, a federal judge blocks the Pentagon from punishing Arizona Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, and after a long two months, the immigration crackdown in Minnesota is finally ending.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Burgess's work – 
www.semafor.com/author/burgess-everett • 

 • 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 •

Democrats Shut Down DHS

The Department of Justice fumbled yet another attempt to prosecute President Donald Trump’s enemies on Tuesday night. This time, it failed to get an indictment of the six Democrats who posted a video in November reminding U.S. troops they have an obligation to refuse illegal orders — no matter who they come from. Colorado Democratic Representative Jason Crow is one of those six lawmakers. We spoke about the investigation, Pam Bondi’s Congressional testimony, and how to protect U.S. troops from being targeted by the government they serve.

And in headlines, the House votes to rescind the tariffs Trump placed on Canada last year under the authority of a “national emergency,” revised government data shows President Trump’s first year in office wasn’t actually good for the job market, and Trump has a “very good meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu… even though it sounds like not much happened.

Show Notes:

 • 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 •

Bondi's DOJ Fails Again

Over the past year, the Trump administration has been eliminating policies aimed at slowing down climate change – and now, it may go even further. This week, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to repeal the “endangerment finding” that has been the scientific basis of rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions since 2009. To talk more about this endangerment finding and where the fight against climate change goes from here, we spoke to Leah Stokes. She’s an associate professor at UC Santa Barbara where she works on climate and clean energy policy and co-host of the climate podcast, A Matter of Degrees. 

And in headlines, Department of Homeland Security officials testify before Congress, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admits to lunching with his kids on Epstein Island, and the Trump administration takes down a rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Leah's podcast – 
https://www.degreespod.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 •

ICE Warns It’s ‘Only Getting Started’

Getting justice for Epstein survivors seems impossible in the United States. But in the United Kingdom, the Epstein files could bring down the British government. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing calls to resign after admitting he knew the UK's former Ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, had ties to Epstein when he appointed him in 2024. To unpack how the United Kingdom is reckoning with Epstein, we spoke to Coco Khan, co-host of Crooked Media’s Pod Save the UK.

And in headlines, Vice President JD Vance becomes the first sitting US Vice President – or President – to visit Armenia, immigration officials are set to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security, and a new report from CBS News finds that less than 14 percent of people arrested by ICE in the first year of Trump’s second term had violent criminal records.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Pod Save the UK – 
https://tinyurl.com/2kvufs9f • 

 • 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 •

Epstein Files Cause Ripples Across The Pond

Sunday was the Super Bowl, which means betting. A lot of betting. And even if you're not a gambler– and even if you don't particularly care about sports, you've probably noticed that in the last few years, sports betting has gone from obscure to nearly omnipresent. But that's not necessarily for the better. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center survey, "43% of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society." So, we spoke with Hannah Vanbiber, a senior editor at The Athletic, to talk about sports betting ahead of Sunday's big game.

And in headlines, survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein release a Public Service Announcement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats are ready to shut down the government partially, and the Japanese prime minister's governing party secures a supermajority in parliamentary elections.

Show Notes:

 • Check out Hannah's reporting – 
www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/hannah-vanbiber/ • 

 • 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 •

Why You Can Basically Bet On Anything These Days

We're just one week into February, and a lot has happened already — from the fallout over the Department of Justice's Epstein file dump, to President Trump's claims the U.S. should "nationalize" elections, to the decision to pull 700 federal immigration agents out of Minnesota on Wednesday. It's been a lot to follow — so we spoke to Tim Miller. He's writer-at-large at The Bulwark and host of The Bulwark Podcast.

And in headlines, lawmakers are nowhere near an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. and Iran are set to hold nuclear talks in Oman, and the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots face off in Super Bowl LX.

Show Notes:

 • Check out 
The Bulwark • 

 • 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 •

Trump Passes The Buck To Bondi

The city of Jackson, Mississippi is under a state of emergency because of ongoing problems with its troubled water system, leaving residents without safe drinking water.

Officials in Pakistan say one-third of that country has been submerged by catastrophic flooding, which has left at least 1,100 people dead. And experts warn the worst of the disaster has yet to come.

And in headlines: the Biden administration wiped out $1.5 billion in federal student loan debt for students of a defunct for-profit college, former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev died in Moscow, and the West Coast is bracing for a Labor Day heat wave.

Show Notes:

 • Cooperation Jackson: Donate – 
https://cooperationjackson.org/donate • 

 • Guardian News: “Pakistan floods: drone footage shows scale of destruction” (video) – 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/aug/29/pakistan-floods-drone-footage-shows-scale-of-destruction-video • 

 • Washington Post: “His emotional support animal is an alligator. They sleep in the same bed.” – 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/08/29/emotional-support-alligator-wally-henney/ • 

 • Vote Save America: Fuck Bans Action Plan –
 https://votesaveamerica.com/roe/ • 

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/coffee

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/whataday/

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Mississippi’s Crisis Over Troubled Water

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