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Jane Coaston: It’s Wednesday, September 10th. I’m Jane Coaston and this is What a Day. The show contemplating why everyone who wrote convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein a 50th birthday message seemed to write something like, happy birthday to my favorite sex offender. I hope you enjoy all the sex offending you’ll get to do in the future. Weird, isn’t it? [music break] On today’s show, the U.S. responds to Israel’s strike on Hamas’s political leadership in Qatar. And revised jobs numbers show a weaker labor market than initially thought. But let’s start with schools. Millions of kids have started school over the past few weeks. That includes students in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and now Chicago. All cities targeted by the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and, of course, crime. Here’s President Donald Trump speaking on Tuesday morning. 

[clip of President Donald Trump] 50 people were murdered in Chicago in recent weeks, with hundreds being shot. And it’s time to stop this madness. The people of our country need to insist on protection, safety, law, and order. 

Jane Coaston: It’s worth saying that, like in other cities that have been mentioned by Trump as evil dens of criminal miscreants, violent crime has gone down in the city of Chicago over the last year. But something tells me that the president, who posted an Apocalypse Now inspired meme over the weekend, implying he wants to go to, quote, “‘War’ with Chicago,” doesn’t care much about facts and figures. But teachers do. Because the job of an educator isn’t just about teaching math, science, and how Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton differed on the notion of federal power. It’s about acting as a coach, a therapist, and a caring friend, and about making sure kids are getting to school and home safe, even if they or their parents are undocumented. So to talk more about how teachers in Chicago are handling a new school year and the potential for more federal incursions on the city, I spoke to Stacey Davis Gates. She’s the president of the Chicago Teachers Union. Stacey Davis Gates, welcome to What a Day. 

Stacy Davis Gates: Thank you for having me. How are you today? 

Jane Coaston: I’m doing well. I understand that immigration enforcement stepped up in Chicago starting on Sunday. What are you seeing on the ground? 

Stacy Davis Gates: Um, chaos, um, uncertainty, a lot of fear and intimidation. Um, you know, the Sunday before school starts on Monday, um the alphabet boys are across the street from one of the largest high schools in our city. Um.

Jane Coaston: And by alphabet boys, you mean ICE. 

Stacy Davis Gates: I mean, any number of them actually, we’ve seen any configuration of DHS, ICE, um the list goes on. So, you know, I’m always clear to say that um because they come in all forms and in all letters. And so what that means the next day, families are going to have some trepidation in terms of how they show up in those neighborhoods. And that’s problematic. We are also on high alert from all of the lessons we are learning from D.C. right now. So we want to make sure that as educators, we are both providing historical and the cultural context of now, but also making sure that we’re connected with the families we serve and the students we serve to remind them of both their constitutional and sanctuary rights in this city. 

Jane Coaston: I think that that goes to my next question. You mentioned educators. How are they feeling? How are teachers feeling? What are their biggest concerns as they start a new school year in all of this? 

Stacy Davis Gates: Well, I think it’s um manifold. I think one of the things that we are focused in on is getting young people inside the building. Um. In order for school to work, we have to be in a position where students are in front of us in some way, shape, or form. We know in LA that they’ve had to expand their virtual learning options because there are families who won’t come. We know that in DC, that some schools are and some teachers and some community coalitions are picking students up and taking them to school because of the reticence that families have there as well. So our members in this moment are troubleshooting, they’re problem-solving, um they’re worried about the social emotional toll that this type of terrorism brings to young people, um how to help them hold that. Um. Back in 2019, we used the lessons from Trump’s first term to basically say we’re going to negotiate a contract that enshrines the sanctuary protections of our state, our county, and our city into our contract. We did that. However, in 2025, we’ve had to double down on sanctuary and expand it. So we had to enshrine Black history um to make sure that we are teaching a complete and dimensional history of our country. We’ve had to work hard to reopen school libraries to meet the moment in the age of disinformation and bad media. So we are doing a lot of things to help secure the education of young people, our queer students, our transgender students. We’ve had to double down protections and enshrine them in our contract. We took the the mantle this time and said, let’s Trump proof our school district. So far what it has helped us do is create community with the school district, create community with all the workers in the school building, provide avenues and options in how we communicate with the families we serve. And it also helps the district create training modules and policies that respond to the contract, which means that all of the stakeholders in the school community have some sort of awareness and they have a role to play. Those things give people some sort of comfort and support because it’s solidarity, right? These are history lessons that I used to teach as a high school history teacher. These were not lessons that we were gonna learn as human beings in 2025, but here we are. 

Jane Coaston: I wanted to ask, are you working with elected officials and other community members right now in all of this? 

Stacy Davis Gates: Well, unlike years past, we have a better working relationship with the mayor of the city. And that has helped to unify all parts of the school community. As well as different parts of our city. If I’m honest with you, I haven’t seen Chicago united in this way in quite a long time. It feels good to know that every member of our school community is presenting a united front and seeking to protect our young people. Um. We are creating opportunities now for more dimensional and fruitful engagements with our families on a regular basis, hosting town halls, hosting webinars, hosting trainings. Um. Making sure we are visible both before and after school, um handing out Know Your Rights information so folks have a basis for which to understand the chaos, um connecting with other community and legal organizations to make sure that people have the best information. It’s been reported that one of our members, a teacher’s assistant that serves immigrant families that her husband was detained. So we are working to support that member and connecting them with resources that should be able to help. But like the only anecdote to this moment is our solidarity. And so we are putting that on steroids. 

Jane Coaston: A lot is asked of teachers right now, work that goes well beyond teaching math and English and history, and that’s even before all of this happening. But it sounds like Chicago’s teachers have the resources they need in this moment. 

Stacy Davis Gates: No, we don’t, actually, and that’s why we are so um offended, quite frankly, by this overly surveilled moment in Chicago history. 

Jane Coaston: Right. I mean, I want to know, like, what do your school communities, what do your teachers need, what do students need that isn’t sending in the National Guard to walk around the loop and not do anything? 

Stacy Davis Gates: We need everything and then some. Look, this mayor has done a lot, Mayor Brandon Johnson has done a lot to help um renew our faith in government in Chicago. And that costs money. Um. So we are rebuilding school libraries. We would like to rebuild all of them at the same time. So federal funding would help with that. Um. Right now the Department of Education has stopped offering grants to school districts that are rebuilding their school libraries, we want that restored. Um. We want the Medicaid um cuts restored as well, because what many people don’t know is that school districts get reimbursements and those reimbursements fund social workers, they fund school nurses, they fund valuable supports and resources for our special education students in the system. We want all those things restored and expanded because those are the things that help us meet the needs of the young people that are in our care Monday through Friday. We have sports teams in the city right now who have a difficult time obtaining transportation. We could use support for that. Safe passage and crossing guards. There are many things that federal support can help to undergird in the City and the National Guard and any number of the alphabet boys are not a part of that um algorithm. In fact, I fear that it’s gonna set us back. 

Jane Coaston: I have two final questions for you because you talked about the support that you need and you know, I have a lot of listeners who care about education, care about Chicago, care about teachers. How can we support you? But then I also want to ask you now are in a space in which you can speak to other educators out there who might be looking at seeing increased immigration enforcement or the National Guard on their streets, teachers in New Orleans, teachers and Baltimore. So first, what support can we offer you? And second, do you have any final words of inspiration or wisdom that you wanna share with other educators who are worried about this happening on their streets? 

Stacy Davis Gates: Well, what Americans, people who care about human beings can do is that we can resist in every area in which we are activated. We get to say no to this. Um. For the past couple of weekends, Chicago has showed up and shown out and demonstrating and showing our resistance to this type of terror and chaos. So when there is a march, join us in that march. Join us in walking children to school every morning. Join us in making sure that they make it home safely. Um. Make sure that you check on the kids. Make sure you see them out in the different cities in which they reside and be a safe space for them in truth. Our government is supposed to care for children, not terrorize children. And make sure we’re drawing lines in the sand on that. Um. Encouraging words is that you know, I have had the unenviable um leadership task of helping carry our union through a pandemic, and now we are facing down federal occupation. What I would say in both of these situations, the only thing that helps to keep us going and to get to the other side of these calamities um is solidarity. Solidarity is the anecdote to um white supremacy, to patriarchy, to terrorism, because what it does is that it gives you an opportunity to work hand in glove with someone from a different generation, someone from a different gender, someone of a different race. And in this moment, I am saying that we keep each other safe. I would encourage a collective commitment to safety and to humanity. 

Jane Coaston: Stacey Davis Gates, thank you so much for joining me. 

Stacy Davis Gates: Thank you for doing this, because this too is the sign of resistance that we need. And so I would encourage you to maintain this work as well. So thank you for um allowing your platform to encourage our constitutional democracy and our solidarity. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Stacey Davis Gates, President of the Chicago Teachers Union. We’ll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]

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

[sung] Headlines. 

[clip of Karoline Leavitt] Turns out this revision proves two things. Number one, the president was right, and this is why we need new leadership at the Fed. And this makes it very clear that President Trump inherited a much worse economy by the Biden administration than ever reported. 

Jane Coaston: That’s White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s reaction to new numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which show that the U.S. added nearly a million fewer jobs between April 2024 and March 2025 than previously believed. It’s the largest preliminary revision to jobs data on record, and it’s less than half the amount of jobs the agency had initially indicated had been added. And now all eyes are on the Federal Reserve, which could cut interest rates next week as a response to the weakening labor market. Most of the data covers the labor market under former President Joe Biden, but Trump isn’t happy with BLS either. The new numbers come just weeks after he fired the BLS commissioner over previous jobs numbers he didn’t like, saying they were quote, “rigged against him.” So if you think your job prospects are bleak, it’s not in your head. And neither is that hole in your pocket. The U.S. Census Bureau said Tuesday that inflation wiped out household income gains in 2024. But the richest 10% of households got lucky seeing their incomes rise. Not as lucky? Women and Black people who lost ground. Oh, that’s me. [music break] Israel launched a strike on the capital of Qatar, Doha, on Tuesday, targeting Hamas leadership. Six people died, according to the militant group, including five of its members. But Hamas said no high-ranking officials were killed. The strike dealt a major blow to talks aimed at a ceasefire and Trump’s attempts to bring the war between Israel and Hamas to an end. Qatar has so far played a crucial role as a mediator in the U.S.-backed peace efforts. But after the attack, the country suspended its role in those talks. Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the attack is a, quote, “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.” The extraordinary strikes prompted the White House to issue a rare rebuke of Israel. Press Secretary Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. 

[clip of Karoline Leavitt] Unilaterally bombing inside Qatar, a sovereign nation and close ally of the United States that is working very hard and bravely taking risks with us to broker peace, does not advance Israel or America’s goals. 

Jane Coaston: Leavitt added that Trump was not aware of plans for the attack and said he promised Qatar’s leaders that it will not happen again because we can always count on the Israel Defense Forces to not do something. 

[clip of Linda McMahon] When I look at these scores and I’ve made literacy my number one priority during my term as Secretary of Education because I do believe that if our students cannot read they’re not going to be successful in anywhere and I think the underlying reason that math scores and science scores are down so far is because first and foremost reading scores are so low. 

Jane Coaston: Education Secretary Linda McMahon addressed the historically low scores for the country’s high school students in core subjects on Fox News Tuesday. According to the nation’s report card, a decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the pandemic, and 12th-grader scores dropped to their lowest level in more than 20 years. 

[clip of Linda McMahon] And that’s just an incredibly devastating trend to look at in our country. 

Jane Coaston: In reading, the average score in 2024 was the lowest score in the history of the assessment, which began in 1992. And in math, the average score in 2024 was the lowest since 2005, when the assessment framework changed significantly. Why is this happening? Experts say, aside from COVID-19 lockdowns, school closures, and related issues such as heightened absences, potential underlying factors include children’s increased screen time, shortened attention spans, and a decline in reading longer form writing. So, what do we do about it? I’m sure the woman actively trying to dismantle the education department has great ideas on how to solve low literacy rates among our youth. 

[clip of Linda McMahon] I think the money’s not being spent where it needs to be spent, and that’s at the states. And that’s why the President and I are certainly on a path and a mission to return education to the states. 

Jane Coaston: I give our country an F on its midterm report card. 

[clip of Representative Nancy Mace] Do you think that any of this is a psyop by the U.S. Government? 

[clip of unnamed congressional witness] Entirely possible. I mean they’ve uh our government and other governments have admitted that they’ve tried to use UFOs to cover secret projects.

Jane Coaston: That’s an actual exchange between South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace and a witness during a congressional hearing Tuesday on a topic that impacts us all. Unidentified flying objects. Conspiracy theories abound about UFOs, but a House Oversight Committee task force called the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets because, sure, heard from five witnesses, including military veterans, who said they’ve seen UFOs. 

[clip of unnamed congressional witness 2] Chaos ensued over the radio as the object approached rapidly. I heard my friend screaming, it’s coming right at us, it’s coming right for us, and now it’s right here. 

Jane Coaston: The committee also played a never-before-seen video that appears to show a missile hitting a flying object off the coast of Yemen. And while the hearing didn’t provide answers, it did lead to a bipartisan conclusion. Something is out there. Here’s Florida Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz. 

[clip of Representative Jared Moskowitz] I don’t really know what is true. I don’t know on this subject. But I do know when we’re being lied to. And we are definitely being lied too. There’s just no doubt about that. 

Jane Coaston: Fantastic. And that’s the news. [music break]

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Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, beware of Chagas, or the kissing bug disease, and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading, and not just about how Chagas, which is spread by an insect that often bites people’s faces, can cause serious damage and even death and is now being reported in eight U.S. states and spreading, like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston, and universe, a second Trump term, the rise of AI, and the perils of climate change, and now you’ve got face-biting insects that could kill me? Really? [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 video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Megan Larsen, Gina Pollack, and Jonah Eatman. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adriene Hill. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [music break]

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