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TRANSCRIPT

Jane Coaston: It’s Monday, March 9th, I’m Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that doesn’t really have a voice right now. To be clear, I am actually fine, but I have laryngitis, which is why I sound like that scene in Ratatouille when rats try to talk to humans, but the humans here squeak squeak squeak. Anyway, sorry to your ears. [music break] On today’s show, Iran’s new supreme leader is reportedly the son of the last supreme leader, just what the US and Israel wanted all along. And with no evidence to back it up, the Trump administration promises those pesky gas prices will be going down very soon. But let’s start with voting. There’s obviously a lot going on right now. War, drought, economic turmoil. But don’t worry, President Donald Trump is laser-focused on the issue he cares about most. Making it harder for you to vote in this year’s midterm elections and beyond. In a Sunday Truth Social post made after watching Fox and Friends, Trump said that he would not sign any piece of legislation until the Save America Act is passed. That very normally titled legislation would dramatically change how Americans vote. For example, Americans would need to provide proof of citizenship, like a passport or a birth certificate in order to register to vote. Trump and his allies claim this is common sense, except about half of Americans don’t have passports, and according to the Brennan Center, roughly 20 million Americans don’t have ready access to their birth certificates or naturalization documents. I mean, think about it for a second. Do you know where your birth certificate is right now? Trump’s Truth Social post also demanded more limits to mail-in voting in the legislation, something he advocated for during the State of the Union last month. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] And no more crooked, mail in ballots except for illness, disability, military, or travel. None.

Jane Coaston: All of this isn’t really about 2026 or 2028. It’s about the 2020 election Donald Trump lost to former president Joe Biden. And Trump is intent on making America pay the price for the election he lost. So what are states doing about Trump’s never ending battle against America’s right to vote? To find out, I spoke with Nevada attorney general, Aaron Ford, before I lost my voice. Attorney General Aaron Ford, welcome to What a Day. 

Aaron Ford: Thank you, happy to be here. 

Jane Coaston: Last year, President Trump issued an executive order that would limit mail-in voting, which he hates, and impose stricter ID standards around voter registration. You’ve led a lawsuit against that. What’s your biggest concern about that order? 

Aaron Ford: We are pushing back on the president’s attempt to essentially override state sovereignty when it comes to our elections. We’re most concerned about the disenfranchisement of voters based on the things that are in this executive order. 

Jane Coaston: It’s pretty clear the Trump administration doesn’t want Democrats to vote. It’s pretty clear to me, and it’s probably pretty clear to you as well, but what are your, what are your concerns about this specific order? 

Aaron Ford: Yeah. Well, we have three main issues that that we are concerned about, you know, the first of which is one where essentially he’s trying to require folks to get passports before they can vote. He has a component of this executive order that’s called Documentary Proof of Citizenship, and that doesn’t even include a birth certificate. In most cases, as I’ve indicated, it’s going to require citizens to obtain a passport to register. So, you know, in my estimation, a first-time voter in Nevada. When they fill out a registration form, they shouldn’t need a passport in their back pocket in order to participate in our democracy. And approximately 50% of U.S. citizens eligible to vote don’t have a valid passport. You know in my mind, again, a single mom working two jobs shouldn’t have to pay for a passport fee to register to vote. So that’s one issue. The second issue uh you know relates to that type of applicability to our military and our overseas voters. It applies to what’s called the federal postcard application that’s used by service members stationed deployed overseas. And in my mind, when a service member is deployed overseas, they shouldn’t have to navigate new federal hurdles just in order to cast the ballot, especially when they are there protecting our democracy. And then thirdly, we’re concerned about the restrictions that this executive order attempts to make on mail ballot counting. It would require mail ballots to be received on or before election day, but ballots cast before election day but received afterwards wouldn’t be counted. And you know, we we have seen federal efforts to slow down the mail, for example, so that some mail may not actually be received on the day of election and our state laws have those types of protections in there to ensure that the constitutional right to vote is protected. 

Jane Coaston: You and several other attorneys general, including California’s Rob Bonta, have been preparing for interference from the Trump administration in the leadups to the midterms. What scenarios are you watching out for? 

Aaron Ford: Well, so many different ones. I mean, we hear him talking about trying to nationalize federal elections again by coming in and trying to tamp down on mail voting. We’re gearing up for um his threat to have ICE appear at the polls. And you know those kind of conversations are are contentious, to be sure, relative to us being able to protect the right to vote. And we want to be prepared for that. We are working with our relative secretaries of state. My secretary of state has already indicated that we will, in fact, sue if um the president attempts to come in and undermine the efficacy of our state voting laws and I think um other uh Democratic attorneys general across the nation are likewise preparing for those types of undertakings. 

Jane Coaston: How much help are you getting from Republican Attorneys General? 

Aaron Ford: None. [laugh] None at all. I mean, the fact is they are riding our coattails as they have done for the entirety of this second term and frankly, probably most of the first term that President Trump had. We are the ones who are pursuing these battles. We’ve sued, last count our call was around 70 times over different issues, not the least of which is elections related lawsuits, but we’ve prevailed in 90% of those. And we have not been joined by Republican attorneys general, I should say, in these particular actions. Although we’ve been able to get nationwide relief. They’ve been riding our coattails and their residents are getting the benefit of our efforts. 

Jane Coaston: According to recent reporting from the Washington Post, right-wing activists have put together a draft executive order outlining how Trump could declare a national emergency to enact his restrictive agenda on elections. Trump denied that he’s considered this, but like, sure. Just in case, what would that order do, and how concerning is it given that elections are controlled by states. 

Aaron Ford: Well, first of all, let me back up and and reiterate the fact that my colleague and I, Rob Bonta, joined by other Democratic attorneys general, have already sued over the first executive order that attempts to impede upon the rights of sovereign states to run our elections. We’ve already prevailed at what we call the preliminary injunction stage. We’ve been able to block some of those efforts already. We are in the appellate court right now contemplating a win in that particular case. Similarly, if he were to submit this executive order, we are going to be looking at it with a fine-tooth comb ensuing over those provisions that are in our estimation unconstitutional, and I’m confident that we’re going to prevail in court on those as well. 

Jane Coaston: You alluded to this earlier, which I’m glad you did, but a DHS official recently told state election officials that ICE agents will not be sent to polling places in the midterms. A, it’s really hard to take the Department of Homeland Security at their word on this or pretty much anything else. Are there any actions you can take to keep ICE away from the polls in Nevada? 

Aaron Ford: You know, while I won’t reveal the types of actions that we are that you can undertake, what I can say is this. Um. At least here in Nevada, I’m going to be working with my Secretary of State, who has already again indicated that he will fight vigorously any effort um uh to overtake our elections. And that includes bringing ICE to our polls. Uh. We will continue moving forward to ensure that in the case of elections and ICE being out here, we’re going to pursue every legal alternative that we have to protect the integrity of our elections and have people exercise their right to vote. 

Jane Coaston: I feel like Trump’s election denialism is kind of hanging over everything with the midterms and even thinking ahead to 2028. Earlier this year, the FBI raided Fulton County election headquarters in search of ballots from the 2020 election, tied to Trump’s lies that he won the 2020 election against Joe Biden, which he didn’t. How dangerous is Trump’s weaponization of federal agencies to relitigate his false election claims?

Aaron Ford: It’s very dangerous and we’re not new at this. Just as Donald Trump is attacking Georgia, he has attacked Nevada in the past. My office in the 2020 election had to withstand six different lawsuits that the Trump administration brought trying to undermine the integrity of our elections and we prevailed on every single one. We believe in the integrity of our elections. There is no widespread voter fraud that can uh you know justify these types of interactions and so what we are going to do is what we’ve already demonstrated. Go to court, prevail in these court actions, and then hold those accountable who are attempting to undermine our elections. That includes, in my own state, what we call our fake fake electors. You know I’m trying to prosecute them right now for doing exactly that, that is, undermining our elections, and you know it’s very dangerous because it does have people think twice about our elections and what we want to be able to do is to express to them as my secretary of state, both a Republican in 2020 and a Democrat right now in 2026 uh are reiterating, and that is that our elections in Nevada are fair, free, safe, and open. 

Jane Coaston: Uh and just very quickly for those of us who blacked out the 2020 fight, who were the fake electors again? 

Aaron Ford: These were six Republican individuals who who claimed that they were casting votes on behalf of Nevada um to give our electoral votes to Donald Trump. We’re prosecuting them now, and we’ll continue to try to hold them to justice on this because, again, they’ve attempted to undermine the integrity of our elections. We won’t stand for it. 

Jane Coaston: You and your Democratic counterparts in other states are trying to protect voting rights through the courts. Here’s the thing, could the court system be too slow to fight Trump on this? Or given the makeup of the Supreme Court, are you worried about the conservative justices siding against you? 

Aaron Ford: Well, certainly, it’s always a worry, right, when we’ve seen some disappointing decisions come from the Supreme Court, to be sure. But we’ve also seen victories, and we contemplate success on a going-forward basis. What we have to do is continue to rely upon the rule of law, be um fearless, incorporate these efforts without fear or favor relative to who’s in the White House. Our Constitution doesn’t change based on who’s the president when it comes to these elections. And we’re going to continue to stand up, and we’re going to press upon um uh the courts to act with all deliberate speed in responding to these lawsuits that we filed. 

Jane Coaston: Attorney General Ford, thank you so much for joining me. 

Aaron Ford: Thank you. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. I’m going to squeak some more news at you soon, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More squeaking after some ads. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Jane Coaston: Here’s what else we’re following today. 

[sung] Headlines.

[clip of Ali Hashem] Mojtaba Khamenei has been announced officially as Iran’s third supreme leader. This is the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new chapter at the time of war. 

Jane Coaston: Al Jazeera correspondent Ali Hashem discussed Iran’s new leader after Iranian state TV confirmed the news early Monday. So much for Trump’s glowing hope for regime change. The long-awaited decision by a group of clerics came after the U.S. and Israel killed Iran’s previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamanei, now stands at the heart of Iran’s theocracy and will have final say over matters of state, and will serve as commander-in-chief of the military. But as of our recording time Sunday, there are indications a certain someone won’t be happy. In an interview with Axios last week, Trump said, quote, “Khamanei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran.” So, not Donald Trump. Before the announcement Sunday, President Trump told ABC News that a new leader, quote, “Is not going to last long if the U.S. doesn’t give approval first.” But remember, this is not about regime change. Or maybe it is. Who knows? 

[clip of Chris Wright] Gasoline today, still $1.50 a gallon cheaper than it was in the middle of the Biden administration. But you’re right, we want it back below $3 a gallon and it will be again before too long. 

[clip of Jake Tapper] Well, what do you mean by too long? How much longer? 

[clip of Chris Wright] Um, look, you never know exactly the time frame of this, but in the worst case, this is a weeks, this is not a months thing. 

Jane Coaston: Energy Secretary Chris Wright made CNN’s Jake Tapper, and all of America, a promise he probably can’t keep Sunday, that gas prices will be back to normal very quickly. Because that is usually what happens when gas gets expensive. It just goes right back down. That’s what gas prices do. Prices at the pump have skyrocketed since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran at the end of February. As of our recording Sunday, data from AAA shows the national average is up more than 46 cents per gallon from a week ago. And contrary to what Energy Secretary Wright says, there’s no indication that gas prices will drop anytime soon, because oil prices are up too, and typically when oil prices are high, gas prices follow. Still, let’s hope for drivers everywhere that, putting all the evidence aside, Chris Wright is not wrong this time. 

[clip of Senator Lindsey Graham] I’m in Miami. You see this hat? Free Cuba. Stay tuned. The liberation of Cuba is upon us. It’s just a matter of time now. You see this hat? Make Iran great. President Trump said the only way to make Iran great is for the people to take over. 

Jane Coaston: South Carolina Republican Senator and hype man from hell, Lindsey Graham, broke out his latest regime change-themed hat on Fox News Sunday. Graham was one of the loudest voices pushing the Trump administration to intervene in Iran. And now he joins a chorus of right-wingers ominously signaling that Cuba is next. On Saturday, Trump hosted the Shield of the Americas Summit in Florida. The Shield of the Americas is a new security coalition of U.S. aligned leaders from Latin America. And during the summit, Trump made his latest in a string of threats towards the Cuban government. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] Four of you said actually could you do us a favor? Take care of Cuba. I’ll take care of it, okay?

Jane Coaston: Trump told CNN on Friday that he’s going to, quote, “Put Marco over there.” Because if you’ve already toppled two foreign leaders this year, why stop? Over the weekend, a federal judge issued a ruling that could reverse Trump administration layouts at the U.S. run global news outlet, The Voice of America. The agency provides American news content worldwide, including in authoritarian states like Iran. Last year, Trump appointed Arizona Senate race loser Kari Lake to lead the US agency for global media, which oversees The Voice Of America. Lake then fired more than 1,000 employees in an effort to dismantle the outlet. Before then, the service had been reaching nearly 360 million people worldwide in 49 languages. In a Saturday decision, District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled that Lake didn’t have legal authority to conduct those layoffs because she was not confirmed by the Senate. Lake responded on Twitter, calling the decision, quote, “bogus,” and labeling Lamberth an activist judge, which makes sense since Lamberth was appointed by noted left-wing radical President Ronald Reagan. And that’s the news. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, let South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham talk about the war in Iran as much as he wants, and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading, and not just about how Lindsey Graham is the biggest backer of Trump’s war, and after watching him on Fox News on Sunday, I think he really understands the point of this conflict. 

[clip of Senator Lindsey Graham] When this regime goes down, we’re going to have a new Mideast. We’re going make a ton of money. 

Jane Coaston: Like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston and sure, conservative pundit Meghan McCain is begging the Trump administration to stop sending Lindsey Graham out as a mouthpiece in support of the war because he’s quote, “scaring people.” And right wing podcast host, Megyn Kelly tweeted quote, “for the love of God, this man should never be in Trump’s orbit again.” But I don’t see what the issue is. He’s just being honest. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Fohr. Our producer is Caitlin Plummer. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Sean Allee, and Ethan Oberman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Kyle Murdock and Jordan Cantor. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [music break]