• Former President Donald Trump held an audition of sorts on Saturday for his top vice presidential picks. At least seven known Veep wannabes attended the Republican National Committee’s spring retreat at Mar-a-Lago, including South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. The attention-seeking behavior continued into the Sunday talk shows when Scott refused to say whether or not he would accept the 2024 election results during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
• And in headlines: Israel and Hamas traded blame over an impasse in the latest round of cease-fire negotiations, the Israeli government shuttered Al Jazeera’s news operation in the country and raided one of its offices, and the first civil trial over the lethal crowd surge at rapper Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld music festival has been delayed over a free speech claim by Apple.

• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

TRANSCRIPT

Tre’vell Anderson: It’s Monday, May 6th. I’m Tre’vell Anderson. 

Juanita Tolliver: And I’m Juanita Tolliver and this is What a Day where we recognize the first Monday in May for what it is, the Met Gala. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Yes. This year’s theme is the Garden of Time. And I want to see tulips, Juanita. 

Juanita Tolliver: Everywhere? 

Tre’vell Anderson: All over the place. Tulips, tulips as far as the eye can see. [laugh] [music break] On today’s show, ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel hit an impasse. Plus campus protests continue and DePaul University demonstrations fill the streets of Chicago. 

Juanita Tolliver: But first, former President Donald Trump’s latest reality show is in full swing as Republicans debase themselves in the audition process to join him on the 2024 ticket as the Republican vice presidential nominee. Now, it is reasonable to question why anyone would want to serve as Trump’s vice president after he publicly targeted his former vice president, Mike Pence, on January 6th as an armed mob shouted, hang Mike Pence! But alas, at least seven known Veepskates contenders attended the RNC spring retreat at Mar-A-Lago last weekend, including South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, House GOP conference chair Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. 

Tre’vell Anderson: That is a laundry list of potential V.P. picks. I know they’ve been tap dancing trying to–

Juanita Tolliver: Yes. 

Tre’vell Anderson: –stand out and get Trump’s attention lately. How have they been fighting? 

Juanita Tolliver: Well, on Saturday, Trump paraded nearly all of them on stage during his speech, except for Governor Noem, who reportedly left the event early and has been facing heavy criticism for killing her dog, an event which is detailed in her upcoming memoir. Based on a recording reviewed by The New York Times and NBC, Trump made positive statements about each potential VP candidate. He gave particular praise to Representative Elise Stefanik for her questioning a former Harvard dean, Claudine Gay, during a congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses in fall 2023, saying, quote, “you destroyed her” and “she did so well, everyone said. She’s going to be the vice presidential candidate.” So that’s further confirmation of the type of behavior and actions that Trump values. Some of the attention seeking behavior continued Sunday as Senator Tim Scott appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press and refused to say whether or not he would accept the 2024 election results. Take a listen. 

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] Will you commit to accepting the election results of 2024? Bottom line. 

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] Well, at the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump. And I’m excited to get back to low inflation, low unemployment, and [?]. 

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] Wait, wait, Senator, yes or no? Yes or no? Will you accept the election results of 2024 no matter who wins? 

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] That is my statement. 

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] But but is it just yes or no? Will you accept the election results of 2024? 

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] I look forward to President Trump being the 47th president. Kristen you could ask him mulitple times [?]–

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] But Senator, just a yes or no answer. 

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] So the American people, the American people will make the decision. And the decision [?]–

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] But I don’t hear you committing–

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] –for President Trump. That’s [?] clear. 

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] I don’t hear you commiting to the–

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] I’m not–

[clip of Kristen Welker from NBC’s Meet the Press] –election results. 

[clip of Senator Tim Scott] Here’s the deal.

Juanita Tolliver: Shout out to Kristen Welker because she did what needed to be done in this moment. But this response from Senator Tim Scott is unhinged, and it paints a bleak picture of what we should expect after November 5th, 2024. And again, it’s what Trump values.

Tre’vell Anderson: It’s wild to me that you could ask somebody such a simple yes or no question, and they fumble their way through it. It’s actually kind of wild. 

Juanita Tolliver: As for the sole potential VP candidate who did not appear on stage at Mar-A-Lago. Governor Kristi Noem, she went on CBS’s Face the Nation to correct the record about meeting Kim Jong Un, an account that has since been removed from her memoir. Take a listen. 

[clip of unidentified speaker from CBS’s Face the Nation] So you did not meet with Kim Jong Un? That’s what you’re saying. 

[clip of Kristi Noem] You know, I’ve met with many, many world leaders, many world leaders. I’ve traveled around the world. I think I’ve talked extensively in this book about my time serving in Congress, my time as governor, before governor, some of the travels that I’ve had, um I’m not going to talk about my specific meetings with world leaders. 

Juanita Tolliver: [laugh] She doesn’t want to talk about specifics, but literally had a specific that she had to since take out of the book. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Right. 

Juanita Tolliver: And while Noem was rumored to be out of the running to be Trump’s VP, Trump did acknowledge her last week in saying that the South Dakota governor is, quote, “somebody that I love.” And last but not least, Senator Marco Rubio went on Fox and attempted to deliver an attack on President Joe Biden, that didn’t quite work out. 

[clip of Senator Marco Rubio] I think Biden or he hasn’t done it again because he’s feak and he’s a fit he’s weak and he’s feeble. 

Tre’vell Anderson: He’s feak and he’s feeble. That’s what you get when you have your stock lines that you are trying to get across. You just end up bumbling over yourself. So tell us when will Trump make a final decision and announce his running mate? 

Juanita Tolliver: Trump is in no rush to pick a running mate. His campaign has not sent out any questionnaires to the potential VP picks, nor have they begun any deep vetting of their prospects. Here’s what Trump told WITI-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, about his timeline during a campaign stop on May 1st. 

[clip of reporter from WITI-TV] When you look at that timeline, though, what’s the timeline for picking this vice president? 

[clip of Donald Trump] Well, I’ll be picking, but probably not too much before the convention, which I happen to be having in the great state of Wisconsin. 

Juanita Tolliver: So Trump plans to continue this process well into July, as the Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin on July 15th. So buckle up, y’all, because the worst is yet to come. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Yes, and we will be watching so you don’t have to. But that’s the latest for now. We’ll get to some headlines in a moment, but if you like our show, make sure to subscribe and share with your friends. We’ll be back after some ads. [music break]

Speaker 5 [AD BREAK]

Juanita Tolliver: Now let’s wrap up with some headlines. 

[sung] Headlines. 

Juanita Tolliver: Cease fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas reached an impasse Sunday, with both sides blaming each other. The talks appear to have stalled over the duration of a potential cease fire. Hamas wants a permanent end to the war in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he’ll only accept a temporary pause in fighting. The delegation for Hamas left Cairo on Sunday, where negotiations were taking place. But multiple outlets reports that they may return later this week to continue discussions. Both Hamas and Israel launched attacks on each other Sunday night, killing three Israeli soldiers and more than a dozen Palestinians as of our recording time. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Meanwhile, Netanyahu said Sunday on X that his war cabinet voted unanimously to shut down the operations of Al Jazeera in Israel. Israeli officers were seen raiding one of the news network’s offices at a hotel in East Jerusalem, carting out camera equipment and boxes. It’s unclear if Al Jazeera’s closure in Israel will affect its reporting in Gaza and the West Bank. In a statement, Al Jazeera media network called Israel’s move a, quote, “criminal act that violates human rights and the basic right to access of information.” And the Foreign Press Association said in a statement that Israel, quote, “joins a dubious club of authoritarian governments to ban the station.” The move came after Israeli lawmakers passed a bill last month that allows the government to temporarily shutter foreign media outlets that the prime minister deems a threat to national security. The closure order is for 45 days, but Israeli officials can extend it for another 45 days. The decision threatened further to disrupt ceasefire negotiations over the war in Gaza because Qatar, Al Jazeera’s sponsor, plays a major role in mediating those talks. 

Juanita Tolliver: Student protests of the war in Gaza continued on college campuses across the country over the weekend. In Chicago, an encampment was set up by students from the school of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia College Chicago on Saturday morning, according to ABC seven. Just several hours later, police forcefully dismantled the demonstration, then arrested and charged protesters with criminal trespassing. And on Sunday, tensions rose at DePaul University’s pro-Palestinian encampment as pro-Israel demonstrators showed up to counter-protest. The unrest in Chicago over Israel’s war in Gaza brings up questions about what the upcoming Democratic National Convention could look like in August. The 1968 Democratic Convention was also in Chicago, and it was marred by violence as police clashed with protesters of the Vietnam War. The whole world is watching became a phrase chanted by anti-war protesters outside of the Conrad Hilton Hotel. The demonstrations lasted for seven days. Hundreds of protesters were arrested and suffered horrible levels of police brutality and violence by the Chicago Police Department. 

Tre’vell Anderson: More than two million people in southeastern Texas are under flood watch since heavy storms began on Friday. More than 400 people were rescued from rooftops, homes, and roads from floodwaters. Tragically, a child stuck in a car died on Sunday after being swept away by rushing water. Officials have been instructing people in low lying areas to evacuate quickly. Harris County, which includes Houston, is the third most populated county in the United States. It’s also incredibly prone to flooding. This most recent batch of storms brought Houston’s rivers to levels not seen since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and heavy flooding isn’t just hitting the US. Over the weekend, hundreds of people have been killed and many are still missing in both Kenya and Brazil because of dangerous flooding. Dubai also experienced its heaviest recorded rainfall in the past few weeks. 

Juanita Tolliver: The first civil trial related to the 2021 Astroworld music festival tragedy was scheduled to start on Tuesday, but it’s been delayed. Ten people died and hundreds of others were injured in a crowd surge during rapper Travis Scott’s set. One of the victim’s families sued Scott and other entities with ties to the festival, including event promoter Live Nation. Attorneys for the family allege that the defendants were negligent in their organizing of the event, and that they were responsible for the victim’s wrongful death. Jury selection was supposed to start on Tuesday, but now everything’s on hold because one of the defendants in the case, Apple, wants to be removed from the lawsuit. The tech company, which live streamed Scott’s concert in 2021, filed a motion to be dismissed from the case last month. The victim’s family argues that the placement of Apple’s camera equipment limited the audience’s space at the venue, but Apple claims that it can’t be prosecuted for the lives lost because it was capturing the concert as a member of the media, and is therefore protected by the First Amendment. The judge presiding over the case initially ruled against Apple last month, but Apple repealed the decision last week, halting the entire trial indefinitely. 

Tre’vell Anderson: And speaking of rappers, the internet has been in shambles over the beef between hip hoppers Drake and Kendrick Lamar. 

Juanita Tolliver: Oh my goodness. 

The Toronto and Compton rappers have been going at it with diss track after diss track for weeks. The beef between Kendrick and Drake goes back over a decade if you know, you know. But the most recent drama stems from Kendrick’s verse on a Metro Boomin song that dropped last month called Like That, featuring Drake’s longtime collaborator Future. Kendrick mercilessly ripped into Drake during his feature, and the back and forth has only intensified since then. We’re not going to get into all the details of each diss, because maybe there’s just not enough time, but the consensus seems to be that–

Juanita Tolliver: Nope. 

Tre’vell Anderson: –Kendrick is the winner here. Juanita, who do you got? 

Juanita Tolliver: I mean, I’m always going to bet on a Pulitzer Prize winner. Shout out to Kendrick Lamar. [laughter] But also, I feel like J. Cole deserves an honorable mention for disappearing into the hedges like Homer Simpson pretty early on. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Sometimes you just got to go mind your business. You know what I mean? 

Juanita Tolliver: The world would be better if everybody did that, but actually. 

Tre’vell Anderson: That part. Okay. 

Juanita Tolliver: And those are the headlines. 

[AD BREAK]

Tre’vell Anderson: That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, watch the MET red carpet and tell your friends to listen. 

Juanita Tolliver: And if you’re into reading and not just the lyrics to Drake diss tracks like me, let’s be real, I don’t need to read Drake’s lyrics. I do need to read Kendrick’s though. Complexity, layers, all the things. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Juanita Tolliver.

Tre’vell Anderson: I’m Tre’vell Anderson. 

[spoken together] And who’s going to dress like a tulip? 

Juanita Tolliver: Who’s invited? [laughing]

Tre’vell Anderson: I don’t know, but I feel like Janelle Monet would dress as a tulip. 

Juanita Tolliver: Oh 100%. Or Rihanna, if she decides to participate. 

Tre’vell Anderson: Literally. 

Juanita Tolliver: She will deliver on your demands. [music break]

Tre’vell Anderson: What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Bill Lancz. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Natalie Bettendorf. We had production help today from Michell Eloy, Greg Walters, and Julia Claire. Our showrunner is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adriene Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.