• In a bombshell story Thursday, CNN reported that the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, Mark Robinson, made crazy statements on a porn website’s messaging board more than a decade ago. Robinson, who’s also the state’s sitting lieutenant governor, reportedly referred to himself as “a black NAZI” and a “perv.” He wrote about wanting to reinstate slavery, and he admitted to enjoying porn featuring people who are transgender, despite a record of deeply anti-trans comments. Robinson denied the story, despite a long-history of making similarly inflammatory comments. North Carolina Democratic Congressman Jeff Jackson, who’s running to be the state’s next attorney general, talks about what it all means for the state’s election.
• And in headlines: The Uncommitted National Movement said it will not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president, the number of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. fell dramatically for the first time in decades, and video and audio footage analyzed by the Washington Post appears to prove that the coach of Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles did submit her appeal within the necessary time frame.

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TRANSCRIPT

Jane Coaston: It’s Friday, September 19th. I’m Jane Coaston. 

Tre’vell Anderson: And I’m Tre’vell Anderson and this is What a Day, the show shouting out all of the local Teamsters union chapters in swing states that rushed to endorse Kamala Harris after their president, Sean O’Brien, spoke at the RNC then refused to endorse either candidate. 

Jane Coaston: I love unions. I love mess. I love drama and I love swing states. What’s up, Michigan? [music break]

Tre’vell Anderson: On today’s show, hopeful news in the battle to save lives from opioids. Plus, new evidence shows that U.S. Olympian Jordan Chiles was improperly stripped of her medal. 

Jane Coaston: But first, Tre’vell, when I logged into X on Thursday morning, I saw a couple of North Carolina reporters talking about some breaking story that was causing Republicans in the state to panic. And it had to do with North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson. And my first thought was how on earth could a story about Mark Robinson be crazier than literally everything he has ever said? Because the man has said some crazy things. Actually, he seems to only say crazy things. And we’re going to get to some of them in a minute. But like, the bar was already in hell. 

Tre’vell Anderson: How bad can it be, Jane? 

Jane Coaston: Really bad. [laughter] The story from CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski shows that Robinson, the sitting lieutenant governor, made some crazy statements on a porn website’s messaging board. Yes, I said porn website’s messaging board, about a decade ago. Those statements included referring to himself as a, quote, “Black Nazi” and a “perv.” He wrote about wanting to reinstate slavery. He also admitted to enjoying porn featuring people who are transgender despite a record of anti-trans statements. Because, of course, he did. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Absolutely. Of course. That’s how they do these things. CNN says it was able to tie the comments to an old username used by Robinson in the past. He posted a video Thursday denying the claims and vowing to stay in the race. 

[clip of Mark Robinson] Those are not the words of Mark Robinson. You know my words, You know my character. And you know that I have been completely transparent in this race. And before. Uh. Folks, this race right now, our opponents are desperate to shift the focus here from the substantive issues and focus on what you are concerned with, to salacious tabloid trash. 

Jane Coaston: Okay, girl. But we do know you. We know you way better than I ever really wanted to. So let’s revisit some of your words. This is, again, the same person who said that both the film Black Panther and the television show Roots were a Jewish conspiracy. Who has denied the Holocaust, who said that LGBT people were, quote, “filth” and that survivors of a mass shooting were, quote, “prosti-tots,” and this deeply misogynistic nonsense using biblical references?

[clip of Mark Robinson] God sent women out when he was supposed to do what they had to do that thing. But when it was time to face down Goliath, sent David. Not Davita. David. 

Tre’vell Anderson: David not Davita is a new one for me, Jane. 

Jane Coaston: I want to know if he workshopped what the right feminine version of David would be. I really hope that there is some sort of like, yes, and game involved. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Right. 

Jane Coaston: There, but you know, I’ll never get these questions answered. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Well, as of our recording Thursday night, Robinson was still in the race. But whether he ultimately stays or goes, it could create some real chaos. Absentee ballots are supposed to go out Friday. They’ve already been delayed because former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully sued to get his name taken off them. Robinson was already trailing his Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, Attorney General Josh Stein. But yeah, it’s a mess in a very important swing state that Democrats want to flip in November. And Republicans very much want to hold on to. 

Jane Coaston: Now, granted, I think Republicans should have probably seen this coming a little bit. But after the news broke, I spoke to North Carolina Democratic Representative Jeff Jackson. He’s running to be the state’s next attorney general. And we talked about the kind of chaos this is going to create for the state’s election. And honestly, what the hell is going on? Everyone, it feels like, has been talking about these specific allegations made by CNN with regard to current Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. But I’ve been struck by why were these allegations and this documentation, the moment that seems to be so jarring for Republicans like he’s been lieutenant governor, even after calling Black Panther a Jewish conspiracy, even after saying really heinous things about basically every group under the sun. What’s going on here? 

Jeff Jackson: It is a little curious because this is not that different than other things we have seen from him. It sort of fits the same category. It’s sexual in nature. It’s very extreme. It’s very crude. And we have seen all of those things from him. I was the first elected official to call on him to resign. It was three years ago, and it was after he called gay people filth from the pulpit of a church. And yet this is striking a very different chord, maybe because it’s just so many different comments at once. It’s not one. It’s like a dozen different things. 

Jane Coaston: So I think something else that other people are noticing is that he’s not doing well in his race for the governor’s mansion. Do you think that he’s dragging down the ticket? And can you tell me a little more about what this means for North Carolina’s elections? 

Jeff Jackson: I think it puts other Republican statewide candidates in a really tough spot, because even after this. Robinson is still going to be much more popular and better known than every statewide Republican candidate. So if they rescind their endorsements, as I’m sure many of them are considering, they’re going to get hammered by their base. And right now, I think a lot of them are just running a political calculation about, is this going to hurt me more with my base or hurt me more with swing voters if I don’t do it? And it’s not obvious to me how that as like a raw political calculation will go for them. It’s pretty clear what the right thing to do is. I’m curious how many of them would just do the right thing over the next 24 hours and distance themselves from him. 

Jane Coaston: What role does Donald Trump play in this? Donald Trump loves Mark Robinson, uh called him: 

[clip of Donald Trump] Martin Luther King on steroids. Okay. Now, I told that I told that. I told that to Mark. I said, I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two. 

Jane Coaston: Which is slightly ironic given uh the lieutenant governor’s apparent views on Martin Luther King. What role does Trump play in what happens next here? 

Jeff Jackson: Trump has given Mark Robinson a bear hug from the very beginning, and now it looks like he’s trying to let go. And Mark Robinson is going to give him a bear hug right back and potentially pull him under. I mean, it is very possible that Mark Robinson performs so poorly that he becomes a significant factor in losing the presidential election for Trump, that is a real possibility right now. 

Jane Coaston: There’s a deadline looming as we are speaking. It’s 5:30 p.m. Eastern time and Mark Robinson would have until 11:59 to drop out of the race. What do you think happens next? 

Jeff Jackson: I watched the statement where Mark Robinson looked straight into a camera. This was just about two hours ago and he said, I am not going to drop out. I imagine there are many very high ranking Republicans in the state right now who are asking him to reconsider. But here’s the thing. We’re so gerrymandered as a state that it’s not actually going to affect our congressional elections except for maybe one. It’s not going to affect a bunch of state legislative elections. These folks have insulated themselves from the consequences of statewide races. And so those major state legislative leaders, I’m sure they would prefer that he drop out. But I don’t think it matters that much to their own political future. Whether or not he does it matters very much for statewide races and for the presidential race. But for the real heavy hitting Republicans who could actually muscle him out. I’m not sure they have that much skin in the game. 

Jane Coaston: I mean, you’re a North Carolina representative. You’re in this state. What has this all been like for you? I mean, you were telling me a little bit before we started recording that this is one of the first times in which the press has seen you and just started to you know run for you. What has this been like? 

Jeff Jackson: This has been wild. And we’ve known that Mark Robinson is the most extreme candidate in the entire country for the last year. I think a lot of people are just now learning about him and they’re shocked to learn what this guy is, the lieutenant governor? And he is the Republican nominee for governor. In North Carolina we’ve been dealing with the reality of his extremism for several years at this point. But it’s all different now. I mean, this is going to hit a national level. And to your point, this was my first time in a year and a half as a member of Congress where I got swarmed by reporters. They all wanted to know what I thought about Mark Robinson. That doesn’t normally happen. And it’s indicative of just how loud the volume on this particular issue and this particular person is about to get. 

Jane Coaston: I know we talked a little bit about the potential for him dropping out, and I don’t think he will. You don’t think he will, but let’s say he does drop out. There’s not a lot of time between now and the election. What does that look like? 

Jeff Jackson: I have no idea because there’s no obvious person who would replace him. I mean, if you ask Republicans, hey, who’s the obvious number two? They’re not going to have any names for you, particularly in light of the fact that the attorney general, who is our Democratic nominee, has established a healthy lead and has another, I think, $20 Million reserved for television. Does someone with very little name ID and no money want to step up against that? With 46 days to go? I think a lot of people would say no to the opportunity, even if it means getting to skip a primary, go straight to the head of the line as being the nominee. I think a lot of credible Republicans in the state would say, no thanks. I’ll pass. 

Jane Coaston: North Carolina’s already been dealing with some ballot issues because of Robert F. Kennedy Jr dropping out of the race. Let’s say theoretically that Robinson does drop out and he does so after 11:59 p.m. eastern tonight. Will that create even more chaos for sending out ballots? 

Jeff Jackson: Well, then you’ve got maximum chaos because the ballots are still going to be sent out. They’re just going to be sent out with his name on them. And what has happened in the past in North Carolina is someone’s name has been on it and they have said, hey vote for Mark Robinson in order for your vote to go to Bob Duffy or whoever the actual nominee is. So at this point, he would be there on the ballot, but somebody else would get the benefit of his votes and they would have to communicate that to the electorate and they would have 46 days and pretty close to $0 with which to do that. 

Jane Coaston: Well, on a absolutely wild day, Representative Jackson, thank you so much for joining me. 

Jeff Jackson: Thank you for having me. 

Jane Coaston: That was North Carolina Congressman Jeff Jackson, who’s running to be the state’s next attorney general. 

Tre’vell Anderson: We’ll get to some headlines in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe and watch it on YouTube and share it with your friends. We’ll be back after some ads. [music break]

Jane Coaston: [AD BREAK] 

Jane Coaston: Let’s get to some news. [music break]

[clip of unnamed Uncommitted National Movement speaker] I’m finding myself oscillating between dealing with the pain and the grief and trying to be super politically strategic and help the broader cause of both organizing to stop the war and organizing to stop Trump. 

Jane Coaston: The uncommitted national movement released a statement on Thursday saying they will not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Organizers with the uncommitted movement have been calling for a cease fire and an end to U.S. weapons transfers to Israel since February. The group made some headlines after staging a sit in when the request to have a Palestinian-American speak at the DNC was denied. Uncommitted listed several reasons they won’t endorse Harris, including her unwillingness to commit to stopping arms sales to Israel and enforcing international humanitarian law. But the statement also makes it clear organizers oppose a Trump presidency which makes sense and are not calling for voters to choose third party candidates. Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, announced a, quote, “new phase” of attacks against Lebanon on Thursday as 52 Israeli air raids hit southern Lebanon after two days of attacks involving exploding electronic devices that killed at least 37 people, including children and health care workers and injured thousands more. 

[clip of Yoav Gallant and translator] [speaking in Hebrew] Over the past several days, we have held a series of important discussions. In the new phase of the war there are significant opportunities, but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that it is being persecuted and the sequence of military actions will continue. 

Jane Coaston: The continuing escalations have Pentagon officials concerned that Israel might be planning to launch a ground war in Lebanon. And according to The Washington Post, investigators at the State Department and Pentagon are preparing to publish the results of investigations into the U.S. government and whether billions of dollars worth of arms shipments to Israel have violated laws that prohibit military assistance to governments committing human rights violations. In a rare bit of actually really good news, the number of fatal drug overdoses in the U.S. is falling dramatically for the first time in decades. That’s according to new preliminary data from the CDC. The new data shows that the number of people dying from overdose is still way too high. At more than 100,000 people annually. But from April of last year to this year, the country saw a 10% drop in the number of deaths. That translates to thousands of lives saved. Public health officials don’t quite know what is driving the downward trend, but they point to the increased availability of the overdose reversing drug naloxone and the end of pandemic era social distancing as possible factors. 

[clip of Jordan Chiles] Um. The biggest thing that was taken from me was the recognition of who I was. Not just my sport, but the person I am. 

Jane Coaston: That was Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles speaking last week at the Forbes Power Women Summit about being stripped of her bronze medal in the individual floor exercise after this year’s Paris Olympics. About a week after winning the medal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Chile’s coach, Cecile Landi, was too late in submitting an inquiry that raised Chiles’ score and brought her from fifth place into third. On Monday, Chiles appealed that decision to the federal Supreme Court of Switzerland. And do not ask me why that they’re the ones who need to rule on this. Now, video and audio footage analyzed by The Washington Post appears to prove that Landi actually did submit her appeal within the necessary time frame. The coach only had a minute to do so, and the video shows that she first told an official she was appealing Chiles’ score 46 seconds after it was posted. 

[clip of Cecile Landi] Inquiry for Jordan. Inquiry for Jordan. For Jordan 

Jane Coaston: It’s a little hard to make out, but Landi told the official there that she was making an inquiry for Jordan, and even when the coach repeated her request, she still did so within the required minute. All of this is so much more complicated than it needs to be, but that’s gymnastics for you and hopefully it ends the way it should. With Jordan Chiles keeping the medal, she 100% earned with that floor routine. And that’s the news. I’ve been thinking a lot about a relationship with artificial intelligence. Some people are AI optimists, believing that artificial intelligence is going to save us all and also do all of our jobs for us while we just hang out or something. And some people believe that AI’s going to kill everyone, terminator two style. Great movie, by the way. But personally, I think AI’s just going to make things a lot weirder. Case in point. 

[clip of AI Kamala Harris] I, Kamala Harris am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate. Thanks, Joe. I was selected because I am the ultimate diversity hire. I’m both a woman and a person of color. So if you criticize anything, I say, you’re both sexist and racist. 

Jane Coaston: That’s obviously not Kamala Harris, and neither is this. 

[clip of AI Kamala Harris] I may not know the first thing about running the country, but remember, that’s a good thing if you’re a deep state puppet. 

Jane Coaston: All of these clips of the creation of Christopher Kohls who goes by Mr. Reagan USA on X because obviously he does. And while he has called these clips parodies, one clip was shared by X owner and credulous weirdo Elon Musk, who did not tell his audience that they were parodies. 

[clip of AI Kamala Harris] I take insignificant things and I discuss them as if they’re significant. And I believe that exploring the significance of the insignificant is in itself significant. 

Jane Coaston: These clips are now part of a lawsuit filed by Kohls against the state of California, where the governor signed a series of bills into law earlier this week banning digitally altered political deepfakes, requiring platforms to label political ads that use A.I. and compelling them to take down content if users complain. But Kohl says that these bills are a violation of his constitutional rights. 

[clip of AI Kamala Harris] Another trick is trying to sound Black. I pretend to celebrate Kwanzaa, and in my speeches I always do my best Barack Obama impression. 

Jane Coaston: The state of California responded by saying that there is a parody exception to the legislation, adding that they are simply joining a host of other states, including Alabama in trying to crack down on ad generated political content. And no, she does not sound like Barack Obama. Unless you think all biracial people giving speeches sound alike. And what is the deal with being so weird about Kwanzaa? Anyway, a few weeks ago, Donald Trump was sharing AI created images of Taylor Swift endorsing him, which famously she did not do. And I’ve seen tons of A.I. created anti-Harris memes online, which all seem to imply that she is an evil communist while also making her look amazing, which is an unusual flex, to me personally. And honestly, that’s what my relationship to A.I. has been like so far. I haven’t really seen anything to be excited for or scared of. I’m sure it’s capable of saving lives or destroying planets, but current AI programming seems pretty confused by big questions like how many fingers go on a human hand? But using deepfakes of a presidential candidate’s voice and sharing them with a credulous audience, Elon Musk, is worrying. Not because of the technology, but because of the goal. Just lie. Lie harder and then lie some more and hope Some people believe you along the way while you claim you were joking the whole time. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Tre’vell Anderson: Also, the time has come for me to sashay away. Today is my last day as a co-host of What a Day. It’s been an eventful three and a half years. Shout out to my fellow co-hosts, Josie, Priyanka, Juanita, and the wonderful producers and writers, past and present, who taught me so many things like how to say Angela Merkel. It’s not Angela, by the way. I have not taken lightly being a Black, trans and non-binary journalist on a platform such as this, at times such as these. But to quote the Playhouse Disney series out of the box, so long farewell to you, my friends. Goodbye for now until we meet again. In case you were wondering, my books make for great birthday and holiday gifts. Also for that gender reveal party you probably shouldn’t be going too. We see each other: A Black trans journey through TV and film and the NAACP Image award winning Historically Black Phrases, from I ain’t one of your Little Friends, to Who all gonna be there? are both available wherever good books are sold and bad ones too. Also at your local library. And if you’d like to stay connected to my razzle dazzle, follow me on Instagram at @rayzhon R-A-Y-Z-H-O-N or join my email community at @slayzhon S-L-A-Y-Z-H-O-N dot com.

Jane Coaston: Tre’vell, I have one fact check for you. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Uh oh. 

Jane Coaston: I refuse to believe that you would ever lose a lip sync and be asked to sashay away. 

Tre’vell Anderson: [laugh] Valid point. Valid point. 

Jane Coaston: No, that would never happen. You know that you would be crowned America’s next drag superstar because of your charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. 

Tre’vell Anderson: As the universe intended. [laugh] [music break]

Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. Try to cleanse yourself of everything we’ve learned about Mark Robinson and do not Google him and tell your friends to listen. 

Tre’vell Anderson: And if you’re into reading and not just rare good statistics from the CDC like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Tre’vell Anderson. 

Jane Coaston: I’m Jane Coaston. Thanks for listening. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded by Jerik Centeno and mixed by Bill Lancz. Our associate producer is Raven Yamamoto. Our producer is Michell Eloy. We had production help today from Ethan Oberman, Tyler Hill, JoHanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters and Julia Claire. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Collin Gilliard and Kashaka. [music break]

[AD BREAK]