With five weeks to go before the Iowa caucus, Donald Trump takes a historic lead in the latest Des Moines Register poll while Ron DeSantis half-heartedly criticizes him on Twitter. Congress tries and fails to reach an agreement on aid for Ukraine and border security. The president of the University of Pennsylvania resigns after disastrous Congressional testimony on campus antisemitism. A woman flees Texas after the state’s abortion ban puts her life in jeopardy. And finally, United Auto Workers union president Shawn Fain sits down with Tommy to discuss the UAW’s historic wins and what comes next.

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here. For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

SHOW NOTES: 

IOWA POLL/GOP PRIMARY  

• Des Moines Register: Iowa Poll: Donald Trump holds overwhelming lead; Ron DeSantis edges ahead of Nikki Haley

• NYT: Trump Gains in Iowa Poll, and DeSantis Holds Off Haley for a Distant Second

• Hill: DeSantis rips Trump for remarks about debating Clinton after ‘Access Hollywood’ tape

• Politico: Trump hits Casey DeSantis over call for out-of-state backers to ‘be a part of the caucus’ in Iowa

• Politico: Trump defends dictator comments amid NYC soiree filled with MAGA diehards

• Messenger: Trump Claims General Told Him Access Hollywood Tape Response Was ‘Bravest Thing’ He’d Ever Seen

• WaPo: Republican Party frees candidates to organize own presidential debates

• NBC: Special counsel asks Supreme Court to immediately decide if Trump is immune from Jan. 6 prosecution

CONGRESS

• CNN: Congress appears no closer to a deal ahead of critical week for emergency aid package negotiations 

• CNBC: Ukraine aid in growing jeopardy as Republicans double down on their demands for border security

• ABCNEWS: New US aid for Ukraine by year-end seems increasingly out of reach as GOP ties it to border security

• REUTERS: White House to intensify push for Ukraine aid and border security deal

• The Hill: Zelensky to visit White House as aid package stalls in Congress 

• The Hill: Speaker Johnson will meet with Zelensky during US visit

• APNEWS: Pressure mounts on Hungary to unblock EU membership talks and funds for Ukraine

• BBC: Ukraine aid from US in doubt after failed Senate vote

BIDEN IN PHILLY/PENN PRESIDENT 

• NPR: Penn president, board of trustees chair resign after antisemitism hearing

• CNN: The 4 key events that led to UPenn President Liz Magill’s resignation

• Politico: UPenn president’s decision to withdraw remarks was ‘the right thing to do,’ White House says

• Axios: Penn loses $100 million donation over antisemitism hearing

ABORTION RUN DOWN 

• CNN: Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocks pregnant woman from emergency abortion

• WaPo: Opinion | The Texas abortion case blows up the abortion ban rationale

• NBC:  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s latest move on abortion highlights Democrats’ 2024 push

• PBS: Missouri lawmakers propose allowing homicide charges for women who have abortions

• Missouri Independent: Planned Parenthood backs Crystal Quade with abortion a focus of Missouri governor race