• Congress is out of session this week. Democrats are keeping busy with planned town hall events in red and blue districts nationwide. But a certain progressive duo is taking a different approach. Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders will continue his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour with New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over the next few days to speak out against the Trump administration. The two were just in Los Angeles over the weekend. We stopped by to talk to folks in the crowd about what they want to see from Democrats over the next four years.
• And in headlines: The Trump administration walked back its statement declaring electronic imports exempt from the president’s tariffs, a judge ruled that the Trump administration can deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, and Pennsylvania authorities arrested a man for suspected arson after a fire blew through Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence.

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TRANSCRIPT

Jane Coaston: It’s Monday, April 14th. I’m Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that doesn’t know if there are or aren’t tariffs on electronics coming from China. As far as I’m concerned, they are Schrodinger’s tariffs. They are there, and they are also not there, which is a great way to build an economic policy in my book. [music break] On today’s show, the Social Security administration lists immigrants as dead to push them out of the country, and police are investigating an arson at the home of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. But let’s start with this past weekend. Congress is out of session this week. Despite everything going on in Washington, nothing can get in the way of spring break, baby. Time to get absolutely crazy in Iowa’s second district. Many Democrats will be holding town hall events, particularly in GOP districts. One example, as Politico reported on Thursday, Democrats will hold a town hall in the North Carolina district of the National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson, the representative who told Republicans to stop holding in-person town hall events back in early March. But as we’ve mentioned on the show before, Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are doing something a little different. On their fighting oligarchy tour, the pair is barnstorming America to bring together local Democrats, union representatives, and others to stand in opposition to the Trump administration. In Los Angeles on Saturday, the two brought together more than 34,000 people in Gloria Molina Grand Park. I went with What a Day producer, Johanna Case, to find out what inspired so many people to attend. 

[clip of Senator Bernie Sanders] You know, it’s funny, just yesterday, our good friend Elon Musk. Mr. Musk sent out a tweet, and in essence, he said, you know, Bernie Sanders has been talking about the growth of oligarchy year after year after year. Well, Elon, you’re damn right, that’s what I’ve been talking about. The difference is I’m no longer talking about how we’re moving to oligarchy, I’m talking about how are we living today in an oligarchic form of society. 

Jane Coaston: I talked to young people, middle-aged people, senior citizens, families, friends, and a dog named Ava. And what seemed to unite people was a desire to show solidarity with one another and reject Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk. 

[clip of Terry] I want to see what the fight behind this. I want it to galvanize all of us to be able to fight all together in solidarity with every nationality, every color, every being in this, you know, United States of America. 

[clip of Audrey] I’ll be honest, like I want to fight against that stereotype where like young people don’t really like show up as much and I just want to show up locally for like what I believe in. 

[clip of Jen] Because he’s a fucking asshole. He’s trying to take away all the rights that we got 50 years ago. I’m 53 years old and I am seeing the rights that I have always enjoyed in this country go away from my niece. My niece as a woman is losing her rights. 

[clip of Jen’s niece Jocelyn] I don’t know what’s going to happen to my country, because I grew up in a time where the only person I knew in politics was Donald Trump. 

Jane Coaston: That was Terry, Audrey, and Jen, and her niece Jocelyn. When I asked some folks like Hector Ruiz, a third grade teacher from Orange County, what they wanted to hear from Democrats, they largely said they didn’t really want to hear anything. They wanted to see some action. 

[clip of Hector Ruiz] I want the Democrats to start showing a lot more fight than they’ve been showing. They haven’t been. I mean, I’m tired of getting I’m tired of getting the text messages to rush $5. The $5 isn’t going to cut it. I mean if you’re going to stand outside the Treasury Department and wonder why there’s one single little nerdy guy that’s preventing you from coming in, why aren’t you rushing this? Why aren’t Democratic senators, why aren’t representatives doing what AOC and Bernie are doing and going around and actually showing some fight? It’s falling upon us unfortunately. 

Jane Coaston: Some of the people I talked to had specific policies they wanted to hear more about from Democrats. But again, they also just wanted to hear more fight. I spoke with some younger folks. Here’s Trent from Pasadena, who came along with friends Zatara and Audrey, who we heard from earlier, and who had a very specific policy he wanted to here more about. 

[clip of Trent from Pasadena] I mean, I really like a lot of what Bernie supports, you know, like stopping Citizens United or like, you, know, I guess overturning Citizens United, um taking a lot of money out of, like, private money out of politics. 

Jane Coaston: And Lily of Simi Valley also came with friends. 

[clip of Lily of Simi Valley] I definitely want to hear a lot of support for trans rights and trans issues, because that’s something that even democratic, progressive candidates haven’t been able to kind of deliver on and haven’t. 

[clip of Jane Coaston] They’ve been fucking up! 

[clip of Lily of Simi Valley] They’ve been fucking up a lot! 

Jane Coaston: And I spoke with Glory. She’s from Long Beach and said she’s just trying to figure out how to persist when it feels like the rights of immigrants, women and people of color are being scaled back very quickly. 

[clip of Jane Coaston] What do you want to see Democrats prioritize right now? I mean, because it’s it’s a there’s so much going on. Like that whole flood the zone with shit thing is real. But what do you want to see Democrats prioritize?

[clip of Glory] I would like for more, I guess, actual fighting and legislation, like Cory Booker just did 25 hours of a similar to a filibuster not exactly a filibuster. 

[clip of Jane Coaston] Yeah. 

[clip of Glory] But more things like that, like actually fighting to fight against some of these legislations and rules that are being written up in Congress and things like that and actually trying to fight fire with fire because what usually happens is letting things happen and then things get worse. So now it’s really time to start fighting back. 

Jane Coaston: Here’s Jen again. She was there with her niece Jocelyn, who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in her very first presidential election last year. 

[clip of Jen] I don’t care if you have to cross the aisle, but I don’t want them to give up on social security and Medicaid and Medicare and all the stuff that is important for the American people, not the 1%, but the American people. I want them have a plan, whether it is being a little centrist or being more left, but we need to make it good for all. It’s not good for some, it needs to be good for all, and that’s what I want to hear. 

Jane Coaston: It’s April. This administration only started in January. I know I’m exhausted and I had to ask how the people at the Fighting Oligarchy Rally were making sure they could keep pushing back for four years. Here’s Kenna of Santa Monica who is trying to find balance and support in this moment. 

[clip of Kenna] Instead of just doom-scrolling, I took out my brother and some friends out here, and I’m ready to have some fun and be ready as a community. So it’s just continuing on with that. Gotta fill your own cup and gotta fill your own before other people’s. So definitely some meditation maybe too and work it out. 

Jane Coaston: And here’s third grade teacher Hector again talking about how he tries to explain what’s happening to his students, even tariffs. 

[clip of Hector Ruiz] I was trying to explain to my kids how that 10% can work its way up, you know, to that they’re spending a lot more money on a washing machine, for example, that might be made overseas than they would normally be doing. And while I’m in a position now, because I’ve taught long enough to earn a decent wage, a lot of my kids’ parents aren’t. So having to pay $150 more, for example for a washing machine doesn’t help them. And so trying to explain to them, trying to clear to them. Apologizing to them as an adult for having screwed up their future so badly. I do that on a regular basis. So I think that kind of helps me work through a lot of this as well. 

Jane Coaston: And here’s Glory again. 

[clip of Glory] I think community is the biggest part, having people around you who are like-minded and being able to go to those people and be like, you know what, this really sucks. And having that moment of like, you know what, I don’t think I can do it, but if we’re all together in this, we can keep fighting forward. 

Jane Coaston: I know it’s cliche, or cringe, or whatever, to talk about something being inspiring right now. But seriously, genuinely, totally unironically, the Fighting Oligarchy Tour made me feel actually inspired. I met so many different kinds of people. Maybe it was because of the location, but the diversity of age, race, gender, beliefs was off the charts. And all of them were united in support of something better than what we have right now, and wanted to join others in showing just how big that support really is. And also, there is a lot of Bernie merch out there, merch the likes of which I had no idea existed. [music break] 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, and check out today’s show on YouTube to see all the amazing people we met at the Bernie Rally and Ava the dog. And share with your friends. More to come after some ads. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

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

[sung] Headlines.

[clip of Howard Lutnick] You’re going to have a special, focused type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored. 

Jane Coaston: President Trump’s tariff chaos somehow got even more chaotic, or at least more confusing on Sunday. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said electronics imported from other countries actually will face tariffs, even though the administration said just days ago that they won’t. This all started Friday when Customs and Border Protection declared smartphones, computers and other foreign-made electronics exempt from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. This was great news for tech giants like Apple because they make the majority of their products in China. You know, a country that Trump hit with tariffs that top out at 145%. Here’s what Lutnick told ABC’s This Week about how semiconductors are going to be taxed. 

[clip of Howard Lutnick] Those products are going to be part of the semiconductor sectoral tariffs which are coming. 

Jane Coaston: So they are getting hit with tariffs, but like separate ones? And they’re coming in two months unless they change their minds? Are we in a situationship with tariffs? In the midst of all of this, China announced Sunday that it’s suspending some exports, including rare earth minerals and magnets. These are important materials for, of all things, fighter jets, cars, electronics, and um phones. All the things Trump wants to be made here. We’re recording this show on Sunday night. Surely nothing about this situation will change by the time you listen to it Monday morning. 

[clip of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro] We experienced an attack not just on our family but on the entire commonwealth of pennsylvania here at the governor’s residence. 

Jane Coaston: The governor of Pennsylvania and his family had to evacuate the governor’s mansion early Sunday morning after a fire swept through part of the residence. Democratic governor Josh Shapiro said police banged on his door in Harrisburg at 2 a.m. and led them to safety. State police say no one was hurt. Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo said a man was arrested for suspected arson. 

[clip of Francis Chardo] This is not of record yet but the charges will include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person. These are all very serious charges. As with any charges, the defendant is presumed innocent. 

Jane Coaston: Police said the man gained access to the home by hopping over a fence around the property. They say he also had homemade incendiary devices. The alleged attack happened on the first night of Passover, a major Jewish holiday. Shapiro had posted a photo Saturday celebrating Passover with his family’s dinner table set for Seder. He said during the press conference that he’s not fearful. 

[clip of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro] I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love. Stop me from being a leader of this commonwealth and looking out for all Pennsylvanians. 

Jane Coaston: Shapiro also said he’s grateful for the first responders who kept his family safe. An immigration judge ruled Friday that the Trump administration can deport Mahmoud Khalil. The Columbia University grad student detained last month over his involvement in pro-Palestinian campus protests. Khalil was born in Syria and is of Palestinian descent. He’s a legal permanent resident of the United States. He helped organize the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia last year. Immigration authorities arrested Khalil and revoked his green card last month. The White House deemed his activities, quote, “pro-Hamas.” Khalil’s lawyers argue that the First Amendment protects his activism, but an immigration judge sided with the White House Friday, citing an undated memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The only evidence the administration offered was a whopping two pages long. The memo doesn’t accuse Khalil of any crime, but claims his beliefs are a threat to national security and that his presence in the U.S. compromises the country’s, quote, “policy to combat anti-Semitism.” Khalil’s attorneys have until April 23rd to appeal the decision. The Trump administration is working to effectively cancel the social security numbers of more than 6,000 living immigrants. It’s basically an effort to classify them as dead, at least financially. That’s according to multiple outlets. The Associated Press reports that the administration transferred the immigrants’ social security numbers to a database known as the Death Master File. It had been used to keep track of dead people who should no longer be receiving benefits, but why would the administration add these very alive people to a death database. The New York Times cites documents last week that show the administration had revoked these immigrants’ legal status. A Trump official said the initial immigrants affected were identified as having been suspected terrorists or having FBI criminal records. There have been no reports of the White House providing evidence of this claim. The White House says, quote, “by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport.” Taking away someone’s social security number makes it, among other things, nearly impossible to get a legal job and much harder to use credit cards. In some cases, it can even make it difficult to enroll children in school. And that’s the news. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, shudder in horror at the fact that I think ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith might really run for president, and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading, and not just about how seriously, I think he’s really going to do it, and we are going to have to watch an entire presidential campaign centered around a guy who spends three hours a day discussing Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, like me, What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston, and finally, a presidential debate over LeBron James’ legacy. Just what we all wanted. [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Fohr. Our producer is Michell Eloy. We had production help today from 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 Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [music break]