What A Day
What A Day is a daily news podcast hosted by Jane Coaston that delivers in-depth reporting and analysis on the most important stories of the day in just 20 minutes. The show aims to provide substantive coverage without hype or fake outrage, covering both major news and overlooked topics. New episodes are released every weekday morning at 5:00 a.m. EST.
Episodes
Stacey Abrams And Jane Fonda Discuss Why Activism Matters
Today, we bring you an episode from Assembly Required with Stacey Abrams. Stacey Abrams has committed her career to bold political advocacy and voting rights. In this episode, Stacey opens the show by answering audience questions about the Supreme Court's recent Voting Rights Act ruling and what it means for our democracy. Then she's joined by Jane Fonda, who explains why she's revived the Commit
The College Dropoff
July 1 is the start of big changes for colleges, universities and you – if you have student loans. Because of last year’s ugly Republican One Big Beautiful Law, there are new caps on student loans for graduate and professional programs, as well as for undergraduate students. And if you were enrolled in a Biden-era student loan plan known as Saving on a Valuable Education or SAVE, you need to look
The Big One: Birthright Citizenship Is Upheld
On his first day back in the White House, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that would have made the children of undocumented immigrants and temporary visitors non-citizens — rendering them effectively stateless. And while six Supreme Court justices struck down that executive order today, three sided with Trump. So what does this ruling mean — and what’s next for the issue of birth
SCOTUS Tells Trump: Hands Off The Fed
On Monday, we got four more decisions from the nation’s highest court, and they were… well, confusing. For example, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump can fire federal independent agency commissioners, but he can’t fire a governor at the Federal Reserve – which is also an independent agency. We also got a surprisingly good ruling on mail-in voting, and a separate victory for privacy and
JD Vance Takes On Iran Negotiations
Vice President JD Vance has been given a job no one really wants: ending the incredibly unpopular Iran war. He’s been tasked with leading negotiations with Iranian counterparts to find a lasting solution that he thinks could QUOTE “transform the Middle East.” But there are many, many obstacles in his way. And as the US and Iran attempt to hammer out not just an end to the war, but a new nuclear d
SCOTUS: Don't Give US Your Huddled Masses
As so many World Cup fans are discovering ranch dressing and enjoying their visits to the U.S., the Supreme Court left a very different message for people who come to the U.S. for safety and protection: leave. In two 6-3 decisions today, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration can block asylum seekers at the border and withdraw deportation protections from immigrants fleeing violenc
Trump, GOP Shouting Match
President Trump has one clear talent: pissing off his purported allies, like when he was supposed to sign a big bipartisan housing bill. Republicans were hoping to campaign on the legislation and show that they care about the number one concern of American voters: the high cost of living. But Donald Trump doesn't care. Wednesday morning, he abruptly canceled the signing ceremony without telling R
UK Prime Minister Musical Chairs
It’s been 10 years since the UK voted to leave the European Union — a decision with major political implications that most of the country regrets. Since then, neither the Labour Party nor the Conservative Party have been able to keep a leader in power. Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned his post – becoming the sixth prime minister to quit in the last ten years. For comparison’s sake, the UK had
Will The Iran War Cost Trump The Midterms?
The so-called “memorandum of understanding” that might end Trump’s war in Iran has felt pretty disappointing. But here in the U.S., voters may be more focused on the final outcome, and what that means going forward. To find out how Americans are feeling about the Iran war as midterms approach, we spoke to Sarah Longwell, who knows voter sentiment better than most. She’s the publisher of The Bulwa
How Trump Is Betraying Black Soldiers
A message from Jane on Juneteenth:Happy Juneteenth! Juneteenth is a holiday to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States and the emancipation of millions of Black Americans held in human bondage. People like my great-great-grandparents. Their grandson, my grandfather, Oscar Coaston, served his country during World War II as part of a segregated unit that landed on Omaha Beach during D-Day
What If Abortion Meant Prison... Or Worse?
The 2022 Dobbs decision that reversed Roe v. Wade promised to return the issue of abortion back to the states. But for anti-abortion activists, that’s never been good enough. Some anti-abortion activists are pushing bills that could see women who get abortions imprisoned. And with the number of people who have gotten abortions only increasing over the last year, that’s a lot of punishment they wa
Trump's Latest Plot To Rig The Midterms
President Donald Trump has been trying to get the SAVE America Act passed for months. The bill would require not just ID, but proof of citizenship to vote — effectively disenfranchising Americans who don’t happen to have their passport or birth certificate handy. Which is… millions of Americans. So what does Trump’s determination to get this bill passed mean for November? To find out, we spoke wi
Pride Persists Even Under Trump
Pride Month is here. It’s a month to celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ Americans and the impact they’ve had on our past and present. But it’s also a weird and very scary time for a lot of people. So what do we do now — at a time that somehow feels both great yet increasingly scary? To find out, we spoke with Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson.And in headlines, Iran’s top diplomat s
America 250? More Like: Trump 80
If you didn’t tune into Paramount+ to watch the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the White House lawn, because you had better things to do, you're not alone. The entire 250th celebration of America’s founding has felt remarkably Trumpian, implying that the only way to be an American is to be a Trump supporter. So how can those of us who love this country, but hate this bullshit respond? To find out, we t
Trump’s Senioritis
On today’s show, we are diving into the tough week our commander in chief just had. From MMA fights no one seems very excited about… to the potential end of warrantless surveillance because of an unpopular Trump hire, our dear president has been taking some big losses. Oh, and not to mention, the war with Iran is still going on. But Trump doesn’t seem to care about any of it! So to talk more abou
Trump Keeps Promising Peace
President Donald Trump has changed a lot about American foreign policy – and to many, America itself. But a lot of the issues facing this country were around long before he became president. Ben Rhodes’ new book, All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches, tells the story of this country through speeches by figures like Ben Franklin, Martin Luther King, and yes, Donald
America Icing Out World Cup Fans
The World Cup is the biggest annual sporting event in the world. And the first game is tomorrow. This year’s competition is being hosted by three countries for the first time: the US, Canada, and Mexico. Already, fans of Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire, and other countries have flooded social media with their journeys to watch their favorite teams play. But with the World Cup, as with most things, comes
Can Blanche Do What Bondi Couldn't?
President Donald Trump officially nominated Todd Blanche to serve as Attorney General. After firing Pam Bondi back in April, Trump went with his former defense attorney to lead more than 10,000 attorneys. And it seems pretty clear why: Trump wants someone to do exactly what he wants. Like prosecute his political enemies or set up a 1.776 billion dollar MAGA "anti-weaponization" fund. But by doing
Democrats' Platner Problem
Maine voters will head to the polls tomorrow to decide who will take on five-term Republican Senator Susan Collins. And somehow, Graham Platner still has a sizable lead in the Democratic primary. You probably know a few things about the presumptive Democratic nominee for Maine’s Senate seat. He served in the Marine Corps and now runs an oyster farm. And you’ve probably heard a lot of other things
Are The Killer Robots Inevitable?
Artificial Intelligence isn't just clogging up your Instagram feed with cartoon cat romance-revenge videos or helping your cousin pass AP European History class. Artificial Intelligence is on the battlefield. The Trump administration has been pushing to supercharge the U.S. military with A.I., and the military is leaning into the powerful new technology, from Venezuela to Iran. But not everyone i
The CBS News Crisis
CBS News, under the leadership of Bari Weiss, continues to devolve into chaos. On Tuesday, CBS News fired longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley. It came a day after Pelley reportedly said Weiss was "murdering the show" and accused its new producer of having "slender qualifications" for the job. Here to talk about it all is Jeremy Barr, media reporter for The Guardian US.And in headline
Trump’s Dangerous New Spy Boss
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he's appointing the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, as acting Director of National Intelligence. The news comes after Tulsi Gabbard announced she was resigning from the position amid her husband's battle with cancer. So who is Bill Pulte? From what we know, Pulte is another Trump-henchman type whose only qualification for th
Californians Vote With New Map
California politics is experiencing a rare moment on the national stage as wacky candidates and local scandals have become a microcosm for the country as a whole, as well as a potential preview of what November’s midterms have in store. We talk to KQED’s Marisa Lagos about what the hell is going on with California politics right now.And in headlines, primary season kicks off nationwide, Trump's I
Is Social Media Hype Even Real?
It’s no secret that what we see on social media is highly choreographed. But a recent article in New York Magazine by Lane Brown confirms it by uncovering the world of artificial hype that drives what we perceive as buzz. The piece dominated the groupchats these last few days, and for good reason: it taps into a general unease about how we’ve ceded our reality to platforms that are manipulated by
ICE Is Still Detaining People
President Donald Trump's immigration policies haven't been getting much attention lately. But don't be fooled — the immigration detention industrial complex hasn't slowed down. One infamous facility in Florida, known as "Alligator Alcatraz," is reportedly closing. Katie Blankenship is an attorney representing immigrants across the country – including some who have been detained at "Alligator Alca
The Challenge To Ending The Iran War
Despite whatever President Donald Trump has said over the last few days, his war in Iran does not look like it's ending soon. But here's the thing: a major factor in what happens with Trump's Iran war isn't Trump – it's Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite a ceasefire, Israel has continued to bomb targets in southern Lebanon – part of the country's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-
The Real J6 Victims Are Standing Up
You know, President Donald Trump's 1.776 billion-dollar MAGA slush fund? The fund is intended for victims of "DOJ weaponization," like the January 6 insurrectionists Trump pardoned. Shockingly, very few people support it. And now former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and a colleague, actual victims of the January 6 insurrection, are suing the Trump administration to put a stop to this fund. Ja
MAGA's Misogyny
You may have noticed that misogyny seems to be everywhere right now, especially online. As American women continue to move further to the political left, men on the American Right appear to have responded by losing their minds completely. Helen Lewis, a staff writer for the Atlantic, coined a term for these kinds of people. She calls them "masculinists." And she argues that "masculinism" has beco
How Trump Got In The Way Of His Own Bill
Republicans had a filibuster-proof immigration bill that would allocate $70 billion to immigration enforcement and fully reopen the Department of Homeland Security. But then, Trump got involved. First, he wanted $1 billion for "security" for his beloved beautiful ballroom. Then, the Department of Justice announced that $1.776 billion slush fund for Trump's allies. After Acting Attorney General To
Trump's Revenge Tour Could Backfire
A swath of President Donald Trump’s handpicked candidates won their primary elections Tuesday night – and one of Trump's biggest opponents in Congress, Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, lost. It was the continuation of Trump’s weeks-long revenge tour against Republicans he views as disloyal. So, for more about what we learned from Tuesday’s primaries, we spoke with Alex Wagner. Sh
Is The US Ready For A New Global Health Threat?
The World Health Organization met on Tuesday in Switzerland to discuss a deadly outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. According to the WHO, the outbreak, which has killed more than 130 people and infected more than 500, could last for months. Those numbers could be much, much higher than what they've been able to report. The Ebola outbreak comes in the midst of ano
Has The West Forgotten About Ukraine?
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. And despite President Donald Trump's promise to end the conflict on his first day back in office, the two countries are still at war. So far, over 300,000 Russian soldiers have died in the war, compared to roughly 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers. The fighting is brutal, and it seems to keep… going. So how can both sides end this conflict – and what will t
Americans Should Be Happy, But They're Not
It's rather obvious Americans have not exactly been … cheerful for the last few years. And it's showing up in the data – the General Social Survey, the Consumer Sentiment Survey from the University of Michigan, the World Happiness Report, and even the Federal Reserve all report that Americans are less happy than they were a decade ago. Whether that's with their jobs, the economy, the state of the
Trump Made Inflation Great Again
Life is pretty expensive right now – and Americans are not happy about it. Trump came into office claiming he would lower prices, QUOTE, “on day 1.” But that didn’t happen – and his own policies are partially to blame. To talk more about the economy, inflation, and what we can do when our lives feel way too expensive, we spoke with Stacey Vanek Smith. She’s a reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek a
Stacey Abrams On Why We Still Need The Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais last month dismantled a critical portion of the Voting Rights Act. And since then, a slew of states — largely in the South — have moved to redraw voting maps. In doing so, they’re eliminating majority-Black voting districts. There are not many people who have done more to fight for Black voting power and for the rights of Black voters in the Sout
What Does Trump Need Most From China?
President Donald Trump is arriving in Beijing today on a long-awaited trip – one that got delayed even further by Trump’s war in Iran. It’s Trump’s second trip to China and his first in nearly a decade. It’s also a trip where both sides see big opportunities (mostly to make money). But, the global balance of power has shifted – arguably, in China’s favor. Trump is in the midst of an unpopular war
Jeffrey Epstein Funded Harvard Women's Athletics
The impact of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes has been felt in so many places, from the halls of Congress to the royal families of Britain and Norway. Here in the U.S., it’s taken the work of student journalists to uncover the worrying details about Epstein’s hidden relationship with another important institution: Harvard University. Epstein didn’t go to Harvard (actually, he didn
The Gentrification Of Intersectionality
Over the last year and a half, the Trump Administration has made a big effort to limit which words are used in federal documents. Across government memos and wide-ranging agency material, hundreds of terms and ideas have been explicitly or implicitly forbidden from use. These terms include words like “accessible” or “activism.” Another example? Intersectionality. It’s been nearly 40 years since K
Trump Still Has A Grip On Indiana
There’s a lot going on in this year’s midterm elections. Tennessee Republicans approved a new map on Thursday, splitting the majority-Black voting district that encompasses the city of Memphis – and possibly eliminating the state’s only blue congressional seat. The president also got to flex his muscles this week in Indiana’s Republican primary. Candidates with his support beat at least five Repu
Why You Shouldn't Buy Into The Crypto Trend
President Donald Trump made a lot of promises when he took office for the second time. One of those promises included becoming the most pro-cryptocurrency president ever! (Probably because the Trump family is trying to make as much money as possible from the enterprise.) But the wheels appear to be falling off both Trump’s crypto adventures and the industry itself. Though millions of Americans ow
Can Democrats Sell Affordability?
President Trump was elected, in part, due to his many promises to lower the cost of living. Unsurprisingly, he gave up on that pretty much the second he walked into the Oval Office again. Some Democrats see this as an opportunity not just to beat Trump but to move forward as a party. Last week, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced a series of bills they’re calling “The New Af
Trump v. The Constitution
The Supreme Court surprised many on Monday allowing the commonly used abortion medication mifepristone to stay available via mail for at least one more week. But even with this decision, the current Supreme Court still feels like a mystery. For a body that intends to examine the law through a Constitutional lens, the court is kind of… freestyling a lot of the time. And in the era of Trump, a lot
A Committee Protecting U.S. Elections Is Under Threat
Last week's Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act is big news. But there are tons of other ways that the Trump Administration and the GOP are trying to make it harder for you to vote. Take the Technical Guidelines Development Committee, or TGDC. It's supposed to be a nonpartisan federal committee that determines the standards for voting equipment used in elections across the countr
Trump’s Vibing Approach To Governing
From the alleged attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey (and everything in between), it’s been a long week in the United States. But one thing is for certain. Trump is one of the most powerful people on Earth. And yet, he spends so much of his time focused on trivial issues. Take that $400 mi
SCOTUS Clears The Way for Gerrymandering
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court struck down a 2024 Louisiana district map that created a second majority-Black voting district for use in future elections. In a 6-3 decision, the Court found that the Voting Rights Act did not authorize states the ability to create majority-minority voting districts. The ruling didn't overturn Section Two of the Voting Rights Act, but in the dissent, Justice Elena
Hegseth Hits The Hill
Secretary of War/little boy Pete Hegseth will be testifying before Congress this week — starting with a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee today. And if you ask him, everything in Iran and everything else is going just fine! Great, even! But Colorado Democratic Rep. Jason Crow serves on the committee – and he has a lot of questions for Hegseth. We asked him to give me a preview ahe
Can Jared Kushner Negotiate Peace And Still Make Money?
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff were supposed to fly to Islamabad, Pakistan, this week to negotiate an end to the Iran war. Yet once again, the Trump administration couldn't follow through on its promises. But let's back up. Why is Ivanka Trump's husband involved in these talks in the first place? To find out, we spoke with Judd Legum. He's the
From Inside The Ballroom
On Saturday evening, there was a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C. President Trump and members of his cabinet were rushed out of the room, and Trump later gave a surprisingly calm press conference. Authorities have a suspect in custody. Normally, security is extremely tight wherever the President goes, but several journalists reported that security at the even
Should Dems Welcome The MAGA Defectors?
Earlier this week, What A Day talked about Tucker Carlson's "apology" for supporting President Donald Trump. Carlson's unexpected confession stemmed from a conversation on his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show. But it sounds like the reason Carlson is disappointed in Trump is simply that Trump didn't do what he wanted. And there's a lot of Trump "regret" right now – from Alex Jones to former Georg
Kash Grabs Trump’s Defamation Playbook
FBI director Kash Patel has sued The Atlantic for $250 million. It comes after the magazine published an article alleging that Patel is frequently drunk on the job and that his security team has had difficulty waking him on multiple occasions. Still, The Atlantic isn’t backing down, writing in a statement, “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and ou
Donald Trump Boosts Renewable Energy (By Accident)
Happy Earth Day! While we celebrate efforts to save the earth, the Trump administration appears to be doing everything in its power to destroy it. At the same time, the Iran war has driven gas prices through the roof, making sustainable energy sources more appealing than ever. Dharna Noor, climate reporter for The Guardian, joins the show to discuss how President Donald Trump’s war of choice coul
Is Trump… Okay?
The media and Democrats have been sounding the alarm on Trump's mental health for a decade. But now, even some of his biggest supporters are wondering: is Trump… okay? Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin agrees that Trump's recent behavior is alarming, which is why he's introduced a bill that could start the process of removing Trump from office involuntarily using the 25th Amendment. We discus
Trump vs Reddit: Free Speech In The Balance
President Donald Trump and Co. have historically claimed to be all about free speech. But maybe Trump only cares about free speech when he likes what's being said. Earlier this month, The Intercept reported that the Department of Justice is taking Reddit to court to force the massive social media platform to unmask one of its users. Why? Because Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been desper
How Trump Bullied Israel Into A Ceasefire
On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to a 10-day ceasefire. The ceasefire could pause weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Iran. The agreement followed the first direct talks between Israel and Lebanon since 1993. Of course, there’s still a lot we don't know about the ceasefire or how it will affect America
The Race To 2028 Has Begun
Presidential hopefuls have already started jockeying for position in the 2028 race — look at the number of Democrats who published memoirs over the last year. But a lot can happen in two years. And across the aisle on the Republican side, there's a big orange obstacle: Donald Trump, the unpopular president who somehow still has a stranglehold on GOP primary voters. To talk more about the race for
#MeToo Hits Congress, Again
Two members of Congress stepped down over allegations of sexual misconduct from former staffers on Tuesday —Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales and California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell. (Swalwell is also accused of sexual assault, and other women have come forward. He has denied the allegations.) Over and over, we see powerful people in politics — typically men — use their power to take advan
Should Democrats Be The Anti-War Party?
Trump’s war in Iran is now 45 days old with no end in sight — which is a problem for Republicans. Because while midterms are always tough for the party in power, an unpopular war with no exit strategy isn’t helping. So how should Democrats running for office this year – and in coming years – respond? And what should they be running for? Because recently “we aren’t Trump” hasn’t been good enough.
Why Iran Spells Trouble For The GOP
A very tired-looking Vice President JD Vance emerged from 21 hours of high-stakes peace talks on Sunday to say no deal has been made to end the Iran war — a failure that comes with serious economic and political consequences. It’s an election year, and Congressional Republicans are getting jumpy with their majorities on the line. So, to help unpack what all of this means for the midterms, we spok
Prediction Markets: All Bets Are War
From the moment the U.S. and Israel launched strikes in Iran at the end of February, several people have been profiting from them because of extremely well-timed bets they made on the prediction market website Polymarket. In March, Polymarket barred trades based on, “stolen confidential information.” And yet people appear to still be making trades using insider information. Just this week, a grou
A Trumped Up Ceasefire
In the brief period since President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States, Iran has claimed that the United States and Israel have violated its terms. As a result, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — again. According to Iranian state media, the 10-point framework Trump agreed to includes an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, an end to all sanct
Trump & Iran: From Doomsday To Ceasefire
President Donald Trump posted a disturbing threat on Truth Social on Tuesday morning. If Iran did not meet his demands by 8 PM Eastern, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again." But then, an hour and a half before his deadline, Trump said he’d agree to a two-week ceasefire — if Iran agreed to the “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz.” And
Lebanon, The Iran War’s Second Front
The Iran War has a second front in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah, a militia that launched missiles into northern Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader. Israel believes the group threatens its security and it is striking targets across Lebanon to stop it. Tarek Abou Jaoude, a research fellow specializing in Lebanese politics at Queen’s University Belfas
For Hegseth, It’s One Military Under God
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is inserting Christian nationalism into the culture and policy of the armed forces, and that’s drawing concern both inside and outside the military. The Pentagon had spent years making non-Christians feel more welcome, but as Washington Post religion reporter Michelle Boorstein explains, Hegseth has rolled back that work in favor of a particular brand of evangelical
Pam, You're Fired
Attorney General Pam Bondi is out of a job. After multiple media reports stating she was headed to the green pastures of… somewhere else, President Trump officially announced her departure Thursday on Truth Social. So why is Bondi getting pushed out of her position? Was it the Epstein files debacle? Or her inability to successfully prosecute Trump’s enemies? To find out, we spoke with Ryan Barber
SCOTUS Takes On Birthright Citizenship
The Supreme Court tackled a question Wednesday that most Americans probably thought was settled: are the American-born children of immigrants American citizens? The Constitution seems pretty clear -- Section 1 of the 14th Amendment reads in part, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state where
USPS Needs Congress' Stamp Of Approval
Last month, Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress that the U.S. Postal Service is in danger of running out of money by the end of the year. One big reason for this: there’s just less mail being sent. Between 2008 and 2025, first-class mail volume declined by more than 50 percent. And the Postal Service reported losing roughly $9 billion dollars in each of the past two fiscal years. So wh
Conservatism's Biggest Conference Was Missing Its Star
Over the past decade or so, the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, has become a massive gathering of right-wing power brokers — but this year, President Trump didn’t go. Neither did Vice President JD Vance nor Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The lackluster convention seemed to mirror a MAGA movement that’s looking increasingly unmoored. Ben Jacobs is a Washington-based political r
The Next Abortion Battle
It’s been nearly four years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and sent the issue back to the states. Since then, more than a dozen states have essentially banned abortion, while others have severely limited access. Back in February, two Tennessee Republican legislators tried passing a law making it so that women who had abortions could be charged with homicide, which would make them
Gen Z Is Angsty: Here's Why
Young voters are one of many groups that pushed Trump back into the White House in 2024. Some researchers saw this as a potentially massive realignment with game-changing implications for our politics — but one year into Trump's second term, it doesn't seem like it. Trump is 34 points underwater according to the Cook Political Report's poll aggregator. And those polls were taken before Trump laun
The Great Social Media Reckoning
On Wednesday, a California jury found Meta and YouTube each liable for harming the well-being of a young user who had sued the two companies. The plaintiff argued that the products had negatively impacted her mental health. This verdict follows a similar decision made by a jury in New Mexico earlier this week. Both decisions are part of a massive shift in how Americans are thinking about social m
Democrats Add Tax Cuts To Affordability Agenda
Ahead of the midterms, several Democrats are trying to seize on the affordability messaging that has been connecting with voters across the country by talking about lowering taxes. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen have introduced separate measures aimed at easing the tax burden on middle- and lower-income people. And Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders a
What Is ICE Really Doing In Airports?
It’s been more than a month since the Department of Homeland Security shut down, and American airports are definitely feeling it. Now, President Donald Trump has sent ICE agents to at least 14 airports across the country. A Truth Social post over the weekend from Trump, said in part that ICE in airports will, “do Security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all Ill
The Iran War Is Fueling Antisemitism
The MAGA Right is at war over the role that Israel has in American foreign policy and the war with Iran. If you listen to Tucker Carlson or former counterterrorism chief Joe Kent, you would think that President Donald Trump was bamboozled into this conflict, lured by the evil "Israel lobby." The way some on the American Right (and the American Left) are talking about Israel has edged into outrigh
The Uncertain Fate of America’s Dreamers
The Trump Administration’s crackdown on undocumented and documented immigrants hasn’t stopped — even for recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Since Trump returned to the White House last year, his administration has made life harder and harder for the estimated half a million DACA recipients living in the US. The Trump Administration has said it’s deported nearly 100 DAC
Can Trump's FCC Manufacture War Propaganda?
The Iran War is not very popular with Americans – and the Trump Administration seems to think it knows why: the media is being too mean about the President’s war of choice. On Saturday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr reposted a Trump Truth Social screed against The New York Times and Wall Street Journal on Twitter — adding, “The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they
MAGA Meltdown Over Trump’s War
Joe Kent – someone you’ve probably never heard of – made huge news on Tuesday. He was the director of the National Counterterrorism Center – until he posted a resignation letter on Twitter. In it, Kent wrote directly to President Trump: “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran. Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressur
Meet Trump's Pick To Lead DHS
This week, the Senate will hold a confirmation hearing for Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, President Donald Trump's pick to replace Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security Secretary. In some ways, he’s not very different from his predecessor. Mullin also smeared Renee Good and Alex Pretti following their killings by federal immigration officials in Minnesota. He endorses the
Can Big Oil Grease The Courts?
The war in Iran has essentially closed the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil transfer point, sending oil prices over $100 a barrel with the potential to go even higher. And yet, the odds of the Trump administration suddenly pivoting to invest in renewable energy are pretty much zero. Last year, the Department of Justice submitted a brief urging the Supreme Court to take up a case t
Why Trump Abandoned America First
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 Cost Of War Is More Than Oil
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 abou
