Share This Podcast

• The Justice Department is investigating former President Donald Trump for potentially violating three federal laws related to handling government documents, including the Espionage Act. That’s according to the unsealed search warrant executed at his Mar-a-Lago residence last week. Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny, joins us to discuss Trump’s mounting legal problems.
• Meanwhile, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint bulletin warning of an uptick in violent threats against federal law enforcement since the search at Mar-a-Lago.
• And in headlines: author Salman Rushdie is recovering after he was stabbed on-stage at an event in New York state, a UCLA study warns that California is due for a “megaflood,” and New York City health officials are sounding the alarm over polio.

 

Show Notes:

• 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

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Priyanka Aribindi: It’s Monday, August 15th. I’m Priyanka Aribindi. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: And I’m Josie Duffy Rice and this is What A Day, the podcast that’s wading back into the private jet discourse. To say that we would support private trains. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: You know, because it went so well for us the first time [laughter] 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: We felt like we should be right back here.

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. As two people who don’t actually know anything about– 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: –How private trains work, what a private train is. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Yeah. [music break]

 

Josie Duffy Rice: On today’s show, author Salman Rushdie is on the mend after he was stabbed multiple times on Friday. Plus, scientists say climate change will force Californians to get ready for more disasters other than the big one.

 

Priyanka Aribindi: You know, wasn’t ready for that one. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: That’s an earthquake. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yes, I think so. I think so. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Okay. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: I don’t need more to prep for personally. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Don’t need more. No.

 

Priyanka Aribindi: But first, don’t worry, we have plenty before we get to that. We’re going to talk about all of the legal problems that face Donald Trump. Actually, I don’t know about all of them because they’re quite a lot. But we’re going to get to at least a few. Let’s start with a recap on the past couple of days, though, because a lot has happened. So on Friday, a federal judge in Florida officially unsealed the search warrant that allowed the FBI to take a little field trip to Mar-a-Lago last week. Now, we didn’t get to see details of what was taken, but according to records that were made public, we do know that the FBI took 11 sets of classified documents, some of which were designated top secret. So it sounds very serious. But Josie, what are some of the major takeaways that we do know about this? 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: It’s not good. The FBI like just doesn’t show up to your house for good news, you know? 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: No, no. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: They don’t search your stuff if there is nothing going on. So it’s not great for the former president. The unsealed search warrant revealed that the FBI is currently investigating Trump for, among other things, a potential violation of the Espionage Act. You may be asking yourself what the Espionage Act is, despite its like very sexy name, suggesting it all has to do with spies like James Bond. The FBI’s warrant deals with a very specific part called Section 793. And that one criminalizes, quote, “gathering, transmitting or losing defense information”. So it’s not as serious as the next section, 794, which is actually about like giving that information to a foreign government. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Sure. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: But it’s still like not great since–

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Absolutely not. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Yeah. No, I don’t suggest it. Since mishandled information could still be used to harm the United States if it ends up in the wrong hands. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: No, totally. And it’s like floating around in the middle of like a hotel in Florida. So really– 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: I would say, by definition, Trump’s hands are the wrong hands. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Absolutely the worst hands to be in. [laughter]

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yikes. So what are Trump and his friends saying in response to these findings? 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: They’ve been, like, really apologetic. They’ve said they messed up and they’re sorry. No, just kidding. That would never happen, right? 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: It’s like immediate. Immediate, like. Absolutely. That could never happen. Please. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Absolutely not even a chance. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: The most, the most plausible explanation. No.

 

Josie Duffy Rice: No. Not a chance. They’ve been saying everything Priyanka. Their defenses keep changing, obviously. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Great. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: On Saturday, Republican Senator Rand Paul tweeted that the Espionage Act should be repealed because it is a, quote, “egregious affront to the First Amendment”. Now, I would be more willing to entertain this argument if Rand Paul had stood up for the First Amendment when it wasn’t convenient for him, like when they were banning books. Meanwhile, Trump released a statement saying that he declassified all of the documents he took with him before leaving office. We’ll get to why that it is just like a crazy thing to say in just a moment. But here’s what Democratic representative and head of the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said when asked about this on CBS News yesterday: 

 

[clip of Adam Schiff] First of all, a former president has no declassification authority. 

 

[clip of CBS Newsperson] Right. 

 

[clip of Adam Schiff] And the idea that 18 months after the fact, Donald Trump could simply announce, well, I’m you know, uh retroactively declassifying or whatever I took home had the effect of declassifying them is absurd. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: You know, never, ever say that man is not bold. [laugh] He is bold. He’s like, I’m not president anymore. But like I said it was cool. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: It’s fine because I said it was okay. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: When I was president or I like I was so it’s fine. I don’t really understand what–

 

Josie Duffy Rice: That’s the equivalent of us saying it’s okay. He is a private citizen. That is the equivalent of us declassifying a document which I wouldn’t try to do because– 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: No, certainly that would never cross anyone’s mind except his. So this is already, you know, a very crazy situation that Trump, as a private citizen, had his hands on material that he really shouldn’t have. But another scary reality is the rise in violent threats against the FBI and even calls for a civil war amongst Trump supporters throughout the country. There is a lot of this happening online. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Yeah. And I just want to say, as a rule, I’m always skeptical. And law enforcement claims like increased threats against them, increase violence. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Sure, yeah. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Because a lot of times it’s sort of used as a way to like silence protestors. Silence, backlash, right? But this time, it actually seems to be pretty real that we’re seeing some very scary threats to– 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah! 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: –these agencies in ways that are not like protesting, in ways that are like murder, okay. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Like showing up with weapons. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: And things like that it’s very terrifying.

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Exactly. Exactly. So as you mentioned, last week, a man fired a nail gun into an FBI field office in Cincinnati. If that seems random, it’s because he saw online that a nail gun will break the ballistic resistant glass. And so it was like actually very intentional he did it that way. Uh since then, a lot more incidents have occurred. And on Friday, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint bulletin warning of a spike in threats against federal law enforcement since the Mar-a-Lago search. You know, I’m all for pushing back on the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, two agencies that are a broken clock. They might have gotten it right this time, but they usually do not get it right. But it’s actually really scary to see, like how many people are willing to just go to war for Donald Trump. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: No, definitely. And I mean, you and I might not be seeing this online. Everyone listening to this might not be seeing this online. But there are corners of the internet that we are definitely not on that are very much talking about this in terms that are terrifying and violent. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right, right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: And have spilled over into real life before. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: So it is an incredibly scary situation. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: And do not look for it online because it– 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah, don’t. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: –is not fun. We look at it so you don’t have to. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: But also on Friday, Breitbart News and a former Trump aide revealed the identities of two of the FBI agents who took part in the search and whose names were on the warrant, which you can only imagine has led to increased harassment against them specifically. And then on Saturday, armed Trump supporters protested outside of an FBI office in Phoenix, Arizona. Very different vibe than like a peaceful protest. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Arms. We want to keep that word in mind. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Armed is a very different vibe. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: They’re not being like subtle about the goals here. Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Like, if you look on Truth social and you look on these, it’s really, really aggressive and violent and, you know, talking about real physical harm. And adding to the list of things Trump is doing to worsen the situation. We recently found out that before Attorney General Merrick Garland’s press conference last Thursday, a person close to Trump reached out to the Justice Department with a message and a weird game of telephone, Trump wanted Garland to know that people were upset about the raid and, quote, “The country is on fire. What can I do to reduce the heat?” Okay. So this is. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Please, please explain how absurd this is to everybody listening. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: This is, first of all, the second attorney general in a row that this man has personally approached and asked to like, do him a possibly illegal favor. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: It’s so dumb.

 

Priyanka Aribindi: This is like almost like a DM slide, like you sort of just like oh. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: It’s almost a DM slide if you are zero for zero on DM slides. [laughter] Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: It is like DM sliding like a celebrity, but it is the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the country who just, by the way, signed the warrant. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Signed the warrant. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: It’s so bizarre to me. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: It’s crazy. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: To like ask one of your people to reach out to Merrick Garland. The crazier thing is, whoever actually did it. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah, sure. I have his number. Like, I’ll give him a call. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: If you’re reaching out to the attorney general on behalf of Donald Trump, it’s just bad. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Okay. So we don’t really know what to make of that. Is that a threat? Is that like you’re asking for legitimate advice? Are you asking– 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: –For, like, some kind of deal that’s shady? We don’t know. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: But it just makes this whole debacle a lot more confusing and a lot more weird. That all being said, though, a lot of questions remain about what all of this means. And legally speaking, you know, what is going to happen next. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: To unpack all of this drama we have with us legal expert Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny. Leah, welcome back to What A Day. 

 

Leah Litman: Thanks so much for having me. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Of course. Thank you for being here. So committing espionage is an incredibly serious act with a punishment that could include death in this country. That most likely won’t happen here. But based on what we know and what has been made public. Do you have a sense for how strong the DOJ’s case is? 

 

Leah Litman: It’s a little bit difficult to know, but based on two things, I feel like it’s probably something involving Trump. One is the recent reports that one of Trump’s lawyers certified to the FBI or DOJ that actually they had given back all of the classified secretive material. And so it seems like he is making false representations to federal law enforcement like that is generally frowned upon. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Leah Litman: And is oftentimes, you know, the most common crime that people get caught up in, you know, making a false statement to a federal law enforcement officer. And seems like that probably happened here. You know, the second thing is, who else is fucking keeping boxes of classified top secret information at Mar-a-Lago? 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Leah Litman: Like, that’s not where Jared lives full time. Right. It’s probably Trump. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right, right. One of the things that I feel like, you know, might not be obvious to people is the difference between the FBI showing up to ask questions or get information and the difference between like regular law enforcement doing that. Right. Like if the FBI shows up, they probably already know the answer. 

 

Leah Litman: Yeah. So the typical story in federal law enforcement, when you’re dealing with federal prosecutors or, you know, the FBI is they have the flexibility and the resources to pick and choose their cases and to build their cases. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Mm hmm. 

 

Leah Litman: So they’re not usually descending on someone’s house unless they have decided it’s probably going to be worth our time. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. So Trump and his supporters are using the defense that all of the documents he had with him were declassified. I don’t know if you guys watch The Office, but that gives me strong– 

 

Leah Litman: I declare bankruptcy! 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: I declare bankruptcy vibes. [laughter] Yes, yes, yes. Real–

 

Leah Litman: I declare declassified. [laughter]

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Yes, exactly. That’s exactly how I imagine him doing it. So can you shed some light on what the declassification process is and like? Is there really even a question as to whether or not these documents were declassified or not? 

 

Leah Litman: It’s so difficult to peel back all of the layers of stupidity that are happening here [laughter] because at a very basic level, it just doesn’t matter whether the documents are declassified or not. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Uh huh. 

 

Leah Litman: You know, these federal laws predate the system of presidential and executive branch classification. They apply to material that could damage the United States, whether or not it is formally classified. So first, it’s just irrelevant. Second, it’s not possible to just tweet out this is declassified or just like stand by yourself in your room at Mar-a-Lago and announce that you are declassifying documents. You know, the procedures are there has to be a formal memorialization. And you add to that that he can’t declassified documents as a private citizen. He is the former president of the United States, like former presidents just don’t get to go around declassifying documents. Also, in any case, President Biden could reclassify them. There’s just so many different layers about why this is wrong. It’s just fascinating to watch all of this stuff be spun out. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Completely. There’s also been quite a change in how members of the GOP are talking about this whole drama that is unfolding. They very quickly went from defund the FBI, uh which was hilarious. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Loved that. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: To more of like a let’s wait and see. South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds, he was asked about this on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. Here is what he said: 

 

[clip of Mike Rounds] It’s important that we recognize that there’s more information to be released yet. I think releasing the affidavit would help, at least that would confirm uh that there was justification for this raid. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Okay. So what should we make of this, you know, turn and then what more are they asking for? What more do they want to see here? 

 

Leah Litman: They’re never going to be satisfied. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Right. 

 

Leah Litman: A few news cycles ago, it was release the warrant. A few cycles ago it was, what’s the big deal? It’s not like he took nuclear secrets. I mean, there is no bottom to which these people will stop. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Sure. 

 

Leah Litman: And so, you know, I feel like that is just what is going on. We are about 2 to 3 news cycles away from everyone should be publicly displaying the nuclear codes whenever they have a chance. Right. That’s what free speech is. I mean. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Mm hmm. 

 

Leah Litman: If that’s what it takes, that’s what they will say. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: The Department of Justice has tried many steps to make this process as unpolitical as possible. But here we are and there is no going back. So Trump and Republicans are deliberately making this seem like a partizan witch hunt. Witch hunt being his favorite word. How will this make Garland’s job even harder going forward? 

 

Leah Litman: It’s a very tough situation because, of course, there is some value to equality under the law. When you commit violations of the Espionage Act, you should be treated like other people, right, who are treated when they violate the Espionage Act. And it makes this idea of, you know, the rule of law or equality under the law difficult to maintain when, you know, you have one side basically saying you can never prosecute, you can never investigate. You know, the individual who is the leader of our kind of side or movement or cult or, you know, however you want to describe it. So it is going to make Merrick Garland and federal law enforcement’s job more difficult. We’ve already seen reports about threats, attacks, violence against FBI offices , FBI agents. You know, there have been horrific threats against the judge who signed the warrant actually causing, you know, a synagogue to have to cancel services because of the volume of anti-Semitic hate directed at them. So, of course, this is going to make federal law enforcement’s job more difficult. It’s going to make DOJ’s job more difficult. That was always going to be a cost, if not, you know, the primary cost of trying to hold Trump accountable. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: So based on everything we know now, what are the next steps for the Justice Department in taking this forward? 

 

Leah Litman: I feel like there are two different tracks. One is, it seems like some of the information, at least in the way it is described, in skeletal forms, in, you know, the materials, they’re going to need to figure out who actually had access to it. You know, there have been reports that they’re actually fingerprinting the documents to try to determine, like, who else saw this information. And so there are national security, you know, decisions that are going to have to be made, you know, based on that. And then on the law enforcement side, the next step is usually an indictment. That’s kind of what would happen next. And I feel like that’s going to have to be the next decision that again, is going to have to take into account, like all of these costs we are already seeing and attempting to hold Trump accountable. But but that’s kind of the next stage, it’s like, who do you indict for what would be the next step in the process. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Mm. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Got it. Okay. That was Leah Litman, co-host of Crooked’s Strict Scrutiny podcast. Leah, thank you so much for joining us once again. 

 

Leah Litman: Thanks for having me. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Be sure to check out Crooked’s pod Strict Scrutiny wherever you get your podcasts. We will be sure to keep following all of this, but that is the latest for now. We’ll be back after some ads. 

 

[AD BREAK]

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Now let’s wrap up with some headlines. 

 

[sung] Headlines. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Author Salman Rushdie is recovering and off a ventilator after he was stabbed ten times last Friday. The attack happened just minutes before he was set to speak at an event in New York State. Police arrested and charged the 24 year old New Jersey man who rushed on stage to assault Rushdie but have not ID’d his motive yet. Though the author has lived under constant threat of violence for over three decades after he published his novel The Satanic Verses. In 1989, the former Ayatollah of Iran called the book Blasphemous to Islam, issued an edict to Muslims known as a fatwa to kill Rushdie. But again, there is no clear connection between that and this attack. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Another tragic story, the actress Anne Heche was taken off of life support yesterday after recipients were found for organs she had wished to donate. Heche was declared brain dead at the end of last week following her horrific August 5th car accident. She overcame abuse in her childhood and later relentless, critical coverage in the media to deliver intense and vulnerable performances in films like Birth, Donnie Brasco and Wag the Dog. She was 53. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Climate change continues to give us too little water or too much, but never the exact right amount. According to a new study from UCLA, the phenomenon could be doubling drought stricken California’s chances of getting slammed by an unprecedented mega flood. Here is what could happen by the end of the century. As global temperatures rise, warmer air will be able to hold more moisture in the atmosphere, creating what meteorologists call atmospheric rivers. And when these literal rivers of water in the sky reach land, they can release enormous amounts of rain or snow in their wake. The last big flood to sweep through the Golden State happened in 1862, and the UCLA study predicts that an even bigger deluge is now more likely to strike. Such a disaster could force millions of people to flee their homes and potentially cause nearly a trillion dollars in damage and also make me rethink, you know, uh my living plans for the rest of my life. So cool. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Yeah. Mega flood. Not a term I’d ever heard before. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: No. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Didn’t need to know about mega floods. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: No. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: New York is making life even harder for incarcerated people and their families. Over the past month. The state’s prison system has been phasing in a policy blocking people in prison from receiving homemade care packages. The so-called Secure Vender program is billed as an attempt to keep prisons free of drugs and other contraband. But critics have pointed out that those things are much more likely to be smuggled in by prison guards. While banning care packages robs people in prison of one of their last remaining comforts and in many cases, an important nutritional supplement to their low quality meals. The new policy also places a financial burden on families who, if they want to send gifts, must now rely on expensive third party companies that are deemed safe. New York isn’t alone in having a policy like this. California and Florida, among other states, also ban packages sent from home. This is among the cruelest things you can do to people who are incarcerated, who often have, I think 80% of people who are incarcerated are parents. They often have kids at home or family or friends, and now they can’t get anything from them because quote unquote, “drugs” when like already these packages were inspected to within an inch of their lives. I know this. I’ve had to send plenty of these and it’s very difficult to get stuff through. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Yeah, we have known that guards were kind of how this stuff was getting in for a long time. It is very clear that like– 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: You know, the people who run– 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: –run this system understand that as well. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: So this just ends up being– 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: An intensely cruel and terrible thing to do. Also in New York, our shared feeling that time has lost all meaning has been confirmed by health officials who are sounding the alarm on polio. That is after the virus was detected in sewage samples from different parts of the state, including New York City, indicating that it’s spreading through communities. Do not like the sound of that one bit. Polio is a virus usually transmitted through feces, and it can lead to paralysis and even death. The bigger risk is to children younger than six who haven’t gotten all four doses of the vaccine yet. So parents get those Spider-Man Band-Aids ready and adults, most of you were vaccinated against polio as kids. So unless your mom was Jenny McCarthy or one of her disciples, the CDC says that you are protected, although they added that you can opt for a booster shot if you work in a lab or a health care setting where you’re more likely to come in close contact with the virus. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: The American diplomatic effort to make China as mad as possible continued yesterday as a delegation of US lawmakers landed in Taiwan. The five member group led by Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, arrived less than two weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island nation. That trip drew outrage from Beijing and touched off days of tense Chinese military drills. China has long claimed the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory and considers it a, quote, “breakaway province”. The US has a long standing policy to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself from China, even though Taiwan is not recognized as an independent country. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: What we’ve lost in privacy, we will gain in laughter in a new show called Ring Nation. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Mm. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Which rounds up viral clips from ring cameras to create a version of America’s Funniest Home Videos, updated for the surveillance state that we now live in. Tragically, the show is hosted by comedic legend Wanda Sykes. It hails from Ring, which is owned by Amazon, MGM Television, which is owned by Amazon and Big Fish Entertainment, which is owned by MGM and therefore Amazon. Not very funny about all of this is Ring’s role at the forefront of turning houses into big wooden narcs. Not only do doorbell cameras give us live feeds of our neighbors trying to carry all the groceries inside on one trip. That is me. I’m not going to make a second. No matter how much stuff I have. Ring is also on record saying it has repeatedly provided footage to law enforcement without getting user permission, a court order, or a warrant. Which is just extremely uncool. Very much. Ring Nation is set to premiere next month. Whether or not you watch it. It will be watching all of us. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Not okay. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: This also doesn’t sound like a good show. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: No, I’m not going to watch. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: This doesn’t sound entertaining. There might be, like, one or two, like, whoa, that’s wild. I’m sorry. I don’t want to watch shitty Ring camera footage. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: No I don’t. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: For what, 30 minutes? Like– 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Right. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: For multiple episodes? Who thought this was a good idea? 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: I don’t need to be thinking about Ring when I’m watching the other two, but now I will. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Wow Amazon. Fuck you for all of that. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Truly. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: And those are the headlines. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Two more things before we go, on the newest episode of Pod Save America. Live from Atlanta, there is a special guest host and that guest host is me. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: It’s amazing. You have to listen. Josie is a real life celebrity. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: I am. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: I mean you’re already on this show all the time. But Pod America. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: You should listen to this episode for many reasons, including that the entire end is Herschel Walker quotes. And I was blown away by some things that this man has said and I am in Georgia so– 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: I’m excited. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Listen and then go to VoteSaveAmerica.com because we need that shit immediately. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Plus everyone’s favorite talking tree is back and X-Ray Vision takes a deep dive into the delightful new Disney animated series, I Am Groot. Plus, Harley Quinn co-creator Justin Halpern makes an appearance to dish on everything from the inspiration behind the series to how they squeeze so many jokes into every minute. New episodes of X-Ray Vision drop every Friday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. [music break] That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. Binge watch the original America’s Funniest Home Videos and tell your friends to listen. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: And if you’re into reading and not just the full text of the Espionage Act like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. So check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Josie Duffy Rice. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: I’m Priyanka Aribindi. 

 

[spoken together] And come at me Polio. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Absolutely. Do not come anywhere near me, please. And thank you. Do not. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: Look. 

 

Priyanka Aribindi: Stay far away. 

 

Josie Duffy Rice: You’re probably fine. But polio boosters do exist. [music break]

 

Priyanka Aribindi: What A Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Bill Lancz. Jazzi Marine and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers. Our head writer is Jon Millstein and our executive producer is Leo Duran. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.