The reality show that is President-elect Donald Trump?s White House appointments keeps on rolling. In the last few days, Trump has picked World Wrestling Entertainment co-founder Linda McMahon to be his Secretary of Education, former acting Attorney General and toilet scammer Matthew Whitaker for U.S. ambassador to NATO, and billionaire former finance executive Howard Lutnick for Secretary of Commerce. Can any of these people win confirmation from the Senate? TBD! But Trump?s team says it doesn?t really matter because they want to force the president-elect?s unqualified picks through with recess appointments. Casey Burgat, director of the Legislative Affairs program at George Washington University?s Graduate School of Political Management, explains how that would work.

And in headlines: Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders forced a Senate vote to stop the U.S. from selling weapons to Israel, more details emerge about the sexual misconduct allegations against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Texas has offered up thousands of acres of land to the Trump administration to construct deportation facilities.

Show Notes:

Tuesday marked 1,000 days since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, plunging the European continent into its largest and deadliest conflict since World War II. The milestone was marked by yet another major escalation of violence, when Ukraine launched U.S.-made long-range missiles into Russia for the first time. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by issuing a new nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. It all comes at a tense time for Europe, as leaders prepare for the return of President-elect Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to wind down U.S. support for Ukraine. McKay Coppins, senior staff writer at The Atlantic, explains how Europe is preparing for Trump?s return to the White House.

And in headlines: South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace introduced a resolution to ban transgender women from female bathrooms in the Capitol, Trump picked Dr. Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the White House says this year?s Christmas tree will come from North Carolina.

Show Notes:

President-elect Donald Trump made a lot of questionable promises on the campaign trail. But one of the biggest ones was his promise to improve the economy by imposing at least a 10 percent tariff on all imported goods. For goods from China, he wants a minimum 60 percent tariff. Never mind that some economists say these tariffs, if imposed, could cost the average U.S. household an extra $2,600 a year. Stacey Vanek Smith, senior story editor at Bloomberg Audio, helps us break down what Trump?s tariff plans could mean for all of us.

And in headlines: Trump confirms in an early morning retweet that he will try to use the military to mass deport millions of immigrants, momentum builds around the potential release of a House Ethics Committee report about former Rep. Matt Gaetz, and a new report finds 20 percent of Americans get their news from social media influencers.

Show Notes:

In 2016, Donald Trump?s presidential win came as a surprise to many people, which inspired resistance and energized liberals and progressives across the country: from the ubiquitous pink hats of the Women?s March, to striking cab drivers fighting Trump?s attempted Muslim ban, scores of people came together to push back against unconstitutional policies. But after Trump?s 2024 win, that energy doesn?t seem there. Are people tired? Numb? Resigned? What does resistance look like when we have to do it all over again? For groups like the ACLU, the battle will take place in the courtroom, where they had several big wins against the last Trump administration. AJ Hikes, ACLU Deputy Executive Director for Strategy and Culture, joins us.

And in headlines: Vivek Ramaswamy says his and Elon Musk?s ?Department of Government Efficiency? will ?delete? entire agencies via executive order, President Joe Biden authorizes Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles against Russia, Israeli airstrikes kill nearly 100 Palestinians in Gaza, and a top Hezbollah official in Beirut, and the Democratic Party is still blowing up your phone with fundraising texts.

Show Notes:

Trump would love to be a dictator. His affinity for strongmen like Victor Orbán and Vladimir Putin is no secret. But will he actually take the country down that road? What does authoritarianism look like in 2024? This week on How We Got Here, Max and Erin examine the president elect?s blustering and ask: will Trump really try to become an autocrat? Or is this just a lot of hot air from someone who doesn?t really understand how to work the levers of power. Cornell political scientist Tom Pepinsky weighs in on what we should be looking out for, and what we can learn from countries like Malaysia, Hungary and Turkey.

Republicans clinched a governing trifecta late Wednesday after a handful of congressional race calls cemented the party?s House majority. As for Democrats, officially losing the House means the party will be shut out of power for at least the next two years. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier this week the party will have to figure out how to strategically wield its influence while in the minority, while also figuring out how to gear up for the next election. Brianna Tucker, deputy campaign editor for The Washington Post, stops by the WAD studio to talk about what voters told her on the campaign trail, and how the Post is gearing up for a second Trump administration.

Also on the show: Trump picks anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, senators voice skepticism about whether Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz can win confirmation to be the next attorney general, and The Onion buys Infowars.

Show Notes:

The Trump cabinet pageant continues! And we?re all about to find out which of the judges ? aka our elected U.S. senators ? are willing to let President-elect Donald Trump run the show. On Wednesday, Trump selected Florida Rep. and contender for most hated member of Congress Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general of the United States. Gaetz has little relevant experience, but he is one of Trump?s most loyal ? and vocal ? supporters in Congress. At least one senator is already expressing skepticism. Ken White, a former federal prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney who writes the Popehat newsletter, games out what an Attorney General Matt Gaetz would mean for the Justice Department.

And in headlines: President Joe Biden and Trump had an awkward meeting at the White House, South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune is the new Senate majority leader, and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones? Infowars media empire is auctioned off to anonymous bidders.

Show Notes:

President-elect Donald Trump announced more appointments on Tuesday, giving us a fuller picture of what his incoming administration is going to look like (tl;dr: It's bad). One cabinet spot that?s still open, though: Secretary of Education. Whoever gets the job, they?ll likely be tasked with implementing Trump's campaign promise to close the Department of Education, a long-time GOP goal that dates back to the Reagan Era. Erica Meltzer, national editor at Chalkbeat, explains why keeping that promise will be pretty difficult.

And in headlines: Arizona Democrat Ruben Gallego is headed to the Senate, the New York judge overseeing Trump?s hush money trial delayed a decision on dismissing the president-elect?s conviction, and the chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil says the incoming Trump administration should avoid drastic changes to American climate policy.

Show Notes:

The incoming Trump Administration 2.0 is starting to take shape. And as expected, it?s a Democrat?s worst nightmare. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner with white nationalist views, to be his deputy chief of staff. He also officially announced his picks for ?border czar,? EPA director and U.N. ambassador, all of them in line with his repeated promise to appoint loyalists that will help him bend the government to his whims. Zack Beauchamp, senior correspondent for Vox and author of the book ?The Reactionary Spirit,? explains what Trump's picks mean for the continual functioning of our democracy.

And in headlines: President Biden?s lead adviser for international climate policy shared strong words about Trump at an annual U.N. climate change conference, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made their first joint appearance since the election at a Veterans Day event, and abolitionist Harriet Tubman was posthumously awarded the rank of one-star Brigadier General in the Maryland National Guard.

Show Notes:

We?re starting to get a fuller picture of what the incoming Congress is going to look like under President-elect Donald Trump. Republicans have clinched a majority in the Senate and seem poised to take the House, too. But on the whole, it?s a less rosy picture for the party than Trump?s win suggests. Republican Senate candidates drastically underperformed the incoming president. Over in the House, the GOP isn?t expected to make any significant gains on its existing narrow majority. Burgess Everett, Congressional bureau chief for Semafor, explains why Trump?s big win didn?t translate to more down-ballot success.

And in headlines: California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a special legislative session to ?Trump-proof? state law, Trump?s White House starts to take shape, and Target stores removed ?Wicked? dolls from shelves amid a packaging error that included the address of a porn website.

Show Notes:

Trump won over America by securing electoral votes in all seven swing states and gaining ground in historically blue areas. On this week's "How We Got Here," Max and Erin cope with post-election grief by going through the election data bit-by-bit. They discuss what we can learn about America, its political trajectory, and where we go from here. 

President Joe Biden addressed the nation Thursday for the first time since Election Day. He promised to ?honor the constitution on January 20th? and peacefully hand over power to President-Elect Donald Trump. Meanwhile, the blame game and painful soul-searching within the Democratic Party has begun in earnest. Jon Favreau, co-host of ?Pod Save America? and former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, stopped by to discuss what comes next.

And in headlines: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says he will not resign when Trump takes office, former New York City mayor and disbarred attorney Rudy Giuliani goes to court again, and Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey pushes back on the Associated Press? race call against him.

Show Notes:

Vice President Kamala Harris officially conceded to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday in her first public comments since the election. Speaking to a crowd of hundreds of campaign staffers and students at her alma mater, Howard University, Harris called accepting the results a ?fundamental principle of American democracy.? But she encouraged her supporters to keep fighting for the ideals her campaign championed, even in the face of defeat. ?What A Day? newsletter editor Greg Walters was in the audience for Harris' speech. He spoke with some of the vice president's supporters about how they're taking it all in.

Also on the show: Washington Post White House reporter Yasmeen Abutaleb talks about what?s next for the Biden Administration and the Democratic Party. And Crooked Correspondent Todd Zwillich gives us an update on some of the close House and Senate races.

Show Notes:

Welp. That happened. Former President Donald Trump declared victory in the presidential race in the early hours of Wednesday morning. As of 3 am Wednesday, The Associated Press had not officially called the race, but it had declared Trump the winner of three crucial swing states: North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania, effectively cutting off any path to victory for Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats did see a few wins down ballot. Erin Ryan, co-host of the Crooked podcast ?Hysteria,? joins Jane to break down some of the election results.

Show Notes:

Happy Election Day! Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump spent their final full day on the campaign trail converging on the must-win state of Pennsylvania. Harris spent her entire day in the Keystone State, making direct appeals to Latino voters and young voters. For Trump, Pennsylvania was one of three swing states he stumped in Monday, continuing to muddle his closing message all along the way. Alyssa Mastromonaco, former White House deputy chief of staff under President Obama and co-host of the the Crooked podcast ?Hysteria,? explains what the Election Day vibes are like on a presidential campaign.

Also on the show: Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen talks about how she's working to win her tight re-election race, and an update on a Florida ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state?s constitution.

Show Notes:

Election Day is tomorrow! More than 75 million people have already voted. And a slew of new polls released over the weekend show good news for Vice President Kamala Harris? campaign. Naturally, former President Donald Trump responded by railing against the polls at his rallies, even though polls aren?t predictions, and both candidates have a good shot at winning Tuesday. Nate Silver, polling guru and author of the Substack newsletter ?Silver Bulletin,? stops by to tell us what the polls are ? and aren?t ? telling us ahead of Election Day.

Also on the show: Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan resident and co-founder of the ?Uncommitted? movement,? talks about how his fellow activists are feeling as they cast their ballots. And Crooked Correspondent Josie Duffy Rice breaks down election lawsuits in Georgia.

Show Notes:

If Trump wins the presidential election, Project 2025 gives us an inkling of what his next term might look like. But due to a power struggle within the far-right, there could be another plan that?s just as threatening. On this week?s ?How We Got Here,? Max and Erin hear from New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger about the America First Policy Institute and its political goals with a second Trump term.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump spent their Thursdays courting voters in the Southwest. Trump started his day in New Mexico, a state that Democrats are expected to easily win, before heading to events in Nevada and Arizona. Harris also spent her day in the two Western swing states, wrapping up the night at a rally with pop megastar Jennifer Lopez. With just four days left until Election Day, Alex Wagner of MSNBC's ?Alex Wagner Tonight? joins us to talk about what she?s hearing on the ground and Democratic fears about a 2016 repeat.

And in headlines: The head of Trump?s transition team outs himself as an anti-vaxxer on CNN, Republican Vice Presidential Nominee J.D. Vance joined Joe Rogan for a three-hour interview, and inflation continues to cool.

Show Notes:

In the wake of former President Donald Trump?s Madison Square Garden rally Sunday, Major Puerto Rican stars with tens of millions of social media followers have been throwing their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. On Wednesday, singer Nicky Jam, who endorsed Trump last month, renounced his support for the former president in a video to his supporters, citing the joke a comedian made at the rally about Puerto Rico being an ?island of garbage.? Adrian Carrasquillo, a national political reporter who writes about our increasingly Latino America, talks about the ongoing fallout from the MSG rally within the Puerto Rican community.

And in headlines: Billionaire Elon Musk says Trump?s economic plans will come with some ?hardship,? Republicans revive talk of repealing Obamacare, and the U.S. Supreme Court says Virginia can keep purging its voter rolls.

Show Notes:

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her closing arguments in a speech at the Ellipse in Washington D.C. ? where then-President Donald Trump encouraged a mob of his supporters to march to the Capitol ? to try to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Stef Kight, political reporter for Axios, breaks down the pitch Harris is making to voters in the final week of the presidential race. The fallout from Trump?s anti-Puerto Rican remarks in Madison Square Garden continues. The chairman of the Puerto Rico GOP said he won?t vote for Trump unless he apologizes. The Archbishop of Puerto Rico, Roberto O. González Nieves, has also asked Trump to ?personally apologize? for the comments. But Trump did not.

And in headlines: Steve Bannon was released from federal prison, the Supreme Court actually rejected R-F-K junior?s attempt to get off Michigan and Wisconsin?s ballots, and the Israeli Parliament passed two laws that would cut ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Show Notes:

With one week left until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris plans to deliver her closing arguments today with a speech at the Ellipse in Washington D.C. It?s the same place where nearly four years ago, then-President Trump incited a violent mob to march toward the Capitol in an attempt to steal the election. For Trump?s part, he?ll end his day with a rally in Allentown, Pa., a politically purple area in one of the most important swing states this election cycle. As we head into the final few days of the presidential race, both candidates will spend their time barnstorming the swing states, making their case to an electorate that appears as evenly divided as you can get. Tens of millions of Americans have already voted. Ashlyn Earnest, a poll manager in Georgia, another major swing state, talks about what it?s like to work the polls on Election Day.

And in headlines: The Trump Campaign faces blowback over racist comments made during Sunday?s Madison Square Garden rally, ballot boxes in Washington and Oregon were set on fire, legal battles over voter suppression continue, and Brown University suspended a student-led pro-Palestine group on campus.

Show Notes:

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Former President Donald Trump made his closing pitch to voters Sunday at a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City. His speech leaned heavily on the dehumanizing anti-immigrant rhetoric that?s defined his third run for the presidency. Even his warm-up speakers sank to new xenophobic lows, with one calling Puerto Rico ?a floating island of garbage.? 

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris spent her Sunday campaigning in Philadelphia after blockbuster rallies with Michelle Obama and Beyoncé. Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore stops by to talk about the role of campaign surrogates in the final stretch to Election Day.

And in headlines: Trump sat for a three-hour interview with podcast host Joe Rogan, The Washington Post is the latest major newspaper to have its Harris endorsement blocked by its billionaire owner, and Israel launched a retaliatory strike against Iran.

Show Notes:

Trump is winning the presidential race according to some polls. But others say Harris is ahead. What?s the point of following the polls if they contradict each other and, at times, seem outright broken? On this week?s ?How We Got Here,? Max and Erin talk with Crooked?s Dan Pfeiffer to explain how Trump, the pandemic, iPhones and more messed with the reliability of presidential election polls.

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are preparing to make their closing pitches to voters ahead of Election Day. The Harris Campaign announced she?ll make her final arguments to the American people next week in a speech at the Ellipse in D.C., the exact same spot where nearly four years ago, then-President Donald Trump incited a mob of his supporters to march toward the Capitol. The Harris campaign said the decision to have the vice president speak at the Ellipse is meant to highlight the contrast between her and Trump, who still has yet to say whether he?ll accept the results of the upcoming election. Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, says Trump is already laying the groundwork to challenge the election results if he loses. This time, he could be successful.

And in headlines: Trump says he?ll fire Special Counsel Jack Smith if elected, Harris headlines a rally in Texas with Beyonce tonight, and Los Angeles County?s district attorney says he?ll recommend resentencing for the Menendez Brothers.

Show Notes:

Last night, Vice President Kamala Harris was in the Philadelphia suburbs for a CNN Town Hall with Anderson Cooper and an audience of what the network called ?undecided and persuadable voters.? Harris fielded questions about whether former President Donald Trump is a fascist, and was asked by audience members what she?d do about the price of groceries. There?s a reason the CNN town hall was in Pennsylvania. It?s the state both campaigns have visited the most ? and where they?ve spent the most money on ads. It?s also the swing state with the most electoral college votes up for grabs in the election. And on top of that ? Pennsylvania is also home to an extremely tight race that will help decide which party controls the Senate. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey joins us to talk about his race and what Democrats can do to help Harris take Pennsylvania.

And in headlines: The Democratic People?s Republic of Korea sends troops to Russia, RFK Jr. asks the Supreme Court to take him off another swing state ballot, a report from Microsoft warns of Chinese, Russian, and Iranian interference in the election, and former Republican National Convention Chair Ronna McDaniel warns the GOP about neglecting young voters.
 

Show Notes:
 

Roughly 20 million people have already voted in the upcoming election, either by mail or in person. And as the ballots keep pouring in, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are running around the country, trying to sway as many voters as they can ahead of what?s shaping up to be a historically close election. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for interviews with NBC and Telemundo, while former President Barack Obama and rapper Eminem rallied for her in Michigan. Meanwhile, Trump joined a roundtable with Latino leaders in Doral, Florida, canceled a virtual town hall, and finished the day repeating lies about FEMA during a rally in North Carolina. Atlantic Staff writer Charlie Warzel explains how the debunked FEMA conspiracies play into something darker that?s happening online and what it could all mean for the election.

And in headlines: The FBI announced it's investigating a possible leak of classified documents that allegedly outline Israel?s plans to attack Iran, a federal judge ordered former New York City mayor and Trump loyalist Rudy Giuliani to turn over his Upper East Side penthouse to two Georgia election workers who he defamed, and Trump plans a sit-down interview with podcaster Joe Rogan.

Show Notes:

It's officially two weeks until Election Day, and SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants you to vote ? for former President Donald Trump, obviously. In fact, Musk wants you to vote so badly that he says he?s giving out $1 million a day to people in swing states who sign his petition supporting the rights to free speech and to bear arms. It?s part of an effort to get more Republicans registered to vote. Except legal experts we spoke with ? like Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin and UCLA election law professor Rick Hasen ? say the whole scheme is likely illegal. 

Later in the show, NPR National Correspondent Sarah McCammon talks about where the white Evangelical vote stands after Roe. v. Wade was overturned.

And in headlines: A major election watcher says Pennsylvania?s Senate race is now a ?tossup,? the group of men formerly known as the Central Park Five filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump, and the Biden Administration says it?s proposing a new rule to make private health insurers cover more contraceptives.

Show Notes:

In-person early voting kicked off this weekend in Nevada, one of the key swing states that will decide the upcoming election. Like all the other major battlegrounds, polling averages show the race there between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is a statistical dead heat. Four years ago, President Joe Biden won Nevada?s six electoral votes by about 2.5 points. But Nevada is also a state where Republicans could chip away at the Democrat Party?s historical advantage with two major voting blocs: union voters and Latino voters. Manuel Santamaria, the Nevada state director for the nonprofit Mi Familia Vota, talks about where things stand in the state with just about two weeks to go until Election Day.

And in headlines: Trump waxed poetic about the late golfer Arnold Palmer?s genitalia, Cuba suffered its worst blackout in decades, and letter carriers agreed to a tentative new contract with the United States Postal Service.

Show Notes:

Buying a home is already so expensive in America, but climate change is poised to make it much worse?even if you don?t live in the path of a hurricane. This week on How We Got Here, Max and Erin take a look at Florida to understand the thorny problem of insuring a home in a warming world. They break down how the insurance system is trying to account for ever-increasing risk, and explain why people keep moving to the places that are hardest hit by climate change.

In the aftermath of increasingly destructive natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton, politicians on both sides of the aisle have politicized the recovery effort. What fewer people are making political is the reason those storms were so destructive: warmer oceans caused by climate change. Bill Nye, the Science Guy, joins us to talk about why people should vote with the environment in mind this November.

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump blames Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for Ukraine's war with Russia, A Texas state court temporarily delays an execution, Israeli officials killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and Google says it will block all political ads as soon as the polls close on November 5th.

Show Notes:

Polls have shown that former President Donald Trump is increasingly weak when it comes to support from women. Recent Wall Street Journal polling found that Vice President Kamala Harris has a 13 point lead over Trump among women. In an attempt to reverse those trends, Trump went on Fox News to speak to a crowd of all women where he called himself the ?father of IVF.? Erin Ryan, host of Crooked?s Hysteria and the weekend edition of What A Day, joins us to debrief.

And in headlines: Democratic Representative Colin Allred dragged Republican Senator Ted Cruz during the Texas Senate race debate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his ?Victory Plan? to his country?s Parliament, and an abortion rights group in Florida sued the state after Governor Ron DeSantis? administration ordered TV stations to stop airing their pro-abortion ad.

Show Notes:

In a Presidential race that will be decided on the margins ? there?s evidence that Vice President Kamala Harris is losing support among Black Voters and Latino Voters. Both groups still overwhelmingly support Harris, just less overwhelmingly than Democrats in the past. Journalist Paola Ramos has spent the last few years trying to understand why a growing number of Latinos seem drawn to former President Donald Trump and his far-right, nativist message. She spoke with insurrectionists, border vigilantes, a MAGA congresswoman, and others for her new book ?Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What it Means for America.?

And in headlines: Donald Trump spends 39 minutes dancing at a rally, Georgia sets records for voter turnout during early voting, the Biden administration threatens to withhold weapons funding from Israel unless they allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson sues CNN for defamation.

Show Notes:

Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump are working hard to earn the support of a key voting bloc this election: union voters. While most major unions have kept up the tradition of backing Democrats by endorsing Harris, two of the country?s biggest unions ? the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the International Association of Fire Fighters ? opted not to endorse either candidate, citing internal divisions among their ranks. April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, joins us to talk about why her union endorsed Harris, and what?s driving divisions within unions.

And in headlines: Georgia?s Republican secretary of state says local officials are prepared to fight election misinformation, A Nevada man says he?ll sue a California county sheriff who accused him of plotting to assassinate Trump, and NASA?s Europa Clipper spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter?s ocean moon.

Show Notes:

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz will spend this week barnstorming through the so-called ?Blue Wall? states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Between now and Saturday, the two have more than a dozen campaign events planned in the three states. While the ?Blue Wall? offers Democrats the best shot at winning the White House, the Harris campaign?s slate of stops there this week also reflects the party?s growing unease as the presidential race tightens. All three states also feature major Senate races that Democrats need to win for the party to hold onto its majority. Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin joins us to talk about her race and what the party needs to do to win these battleground states.

And in headlines: The Pentagon announced plans to send an anti-missile defense system to Israel, Republican Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance still won?t say Trump lost the 2020 election, and a Las Vegas man was arrested outside former President Donald Trump?s rally in California's Coachella Valley.

Show Notes:

Jill Stein may not be polling high, but in several states she?s poised to bring in more votes than the margin of error between Harris and Trump. Her campaign events tout that they could cost Harris key states like Michigan, and thus the election. Is this what she wants? A closer look at Stein?s 20 years in politics reveals the Green Party candidate has had little success in elevating left-wing positions, and many of her stances?including a ceasefire in Gaza?aren?t nearly as clear cut as they seem. What?s more, Stein?s presidential runs have been aided and funded by a slew of Trump lawyers and Republican consultants. What?s her game plan here? Is she going to spoil this election? How many metaphors will Max and Erin deploy to describe her hypocrisy? Listen to this week?s ?How We Got Here? to find out.

People in Florida are assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Milton. The storm made landfall late Wednesday as a Category 3 storm just south of Tampa, dropping up to 18 inches of rain overnight. As of late Thursday, around 3 million people in the state were still without power. At least 12 people died, though that number is expected to increase as rescue efforts continue. Hurricane recovery ? both from Milton and Helene ? is happening right alongside the 2024 election, conspiracy theories and all. Longtime D.C. reporter and friend of the pod Todd Zwillich joins us to talk about how the disinformation from the MAGA-verse is an operating feature of the movement. 

Later, Shaniqua McClendon, head of Crooked?s partner organization Vote Save America, talks about important down-ballot and state legislature races.

And in headlines: Former President Barack Obama campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh, Harris committed to a CNN town hall event with undecided Pennsylvania voters, and a federal judge set a date for the sex trafficking trial against rapper Sean ?Diddy? Combs.

Show Notes:

Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night along Florida?s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm. It?s expected to be one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. in more than 100 years, with sustained winds of over 120 miles an hour. As Milton moved closer to shore Wednesday, strong inland winds triggered tornado warnings across parts of Florida, and at least one tornado was reported near Fort Myers. WAD?s own Josie Duffy Rice got in contact with two friends who evacuated from western Florida ahead of the storm. 

Later in the show, Abrahm Lustgarten, climate reporter for ProPublica and author of the book ?On the Move: The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America,? talks about the ways climate change is reshaping how ? and where ? we live.

And in headlines: Vice presidential candidates Tim Walz and J.D. Vance rallied supporters in Arizona, X is relaunching in Brazil, and New York?s Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the theme for the 2025 Met Gala exhibition.

Show Notes:

In Texas, Democratic Congressman Colin Allred is making Republican Ted Cruz work hard to keep his Senate seat, with polls showing the race within three percentage points. Cruz?s campaign seems to think the best strategy for winning re-election is to lean into anti-trans messaging. Semafor politics reporter Dave Weigel joins us from the campaign trail in Texas to talk about how Cruz and other Republicans are leaning into anti-trans fearmongering this election cycle. 

Later, Grace Panetta, political reporter for The 19th, talks about how voter ID laws make it more difficult for trans people to vote.

And in headlines: Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall as soon as tonight, former President Donald Trump has reportedly spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin ?as many as seven? times since leaving office, and the Supreme Court flirts with putting restrictions on one specific type of gun.

Show Notes:

The Supreme Court kicked off its new term Monday by opting not take up two cases that could have major implications for reproductive rights. In one decision, the court rejected an appeal from an Alabama fertility clinic seeking to avoid a wrongful death lawsuit over the destruction of a couple?s embryos. The other case it rejected was an appeal from the Biden administration over emergency abortions in Texas. With issues like trans rights, ghost guns and the potential for more election cases on the docket this term, Melissa Murray, co-host of Crooked's ?Strict Scrutiny,? breaks down what we can expect from the justices in the coming months.

And in headlines: Forecasters upgraded Hurricane Milton to a Category 5 storm as it barrels toward Florida?s Gulf Coast, Vice President Kamala Harris reflected on the one-year anniversary of Hamas? attack on Israel, and Georgia?s top court revived the state?s six-week abortion ban.

Show Notes:

Donald Trump rallied with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, at the same site where a lone gunman attempted to assassinate the former president earlier this year. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris was in North Carolina over the weekend helping with the ongoing recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene. She?s scheduled to do a series of sit-down interviews this week with a slew of different outlets, from ?60 Minutes? to ?Howard Stern.?

Today also marks one year since Hamas militants broke out of the Gaza Strip, killing roughly 1,200 Israelis and taking more than 200 hostage in the deadliest attack on Israelis in the country?s history. It prompted Israel to immediately declared war on Hamas, and in the year since, the Gaza Health Ministry says around 42,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel?s military. As the threat of a wider war mounts in the region, Yonatan Zeigen, the son of an Israeli peace activist who was killed during the attack, and Nivine Sandouka, a Palestinian living in East Jerusalem and regional director of the Alliance for Middle East Peace, talk about the work they?re doing to help bring peace the region.

Show Notes:

Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel this week, in the latest escalation between the two Middle Eastern powers. But would you believe that 40 years ago the two nations enjoyed a quiet diplomacy? What happened here? And why is the rest of the Middle East once more getting sucked into the rivalry? This week on How We Got Here, Max and Erin explain why ?ancient hatred? isn?t to blame, what role Lebanon and Hezbollah play, and how Donald Trump has made?and could still make?all of this much, much worse.

While Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are vying for the White House, neither will be able to make good on their campaign promises if they don?t also get some help from their respective parties in Congress. Control of both the Senate and the House are up for grabs this election cycle. And right now, Democrats? quickest path to victory in the House runs through two unlikely states: California and New York. California Democratic Rep. Mike Levin talks about his experience flipping a longtime Republican district.

And in headlines: Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney campaigned with Harris in the birthplace of the GOP, former First Lady Melania Trump says she supports access to abortion in an upcoming memoir, and the union representing tens of thousands of longshoremen agreed to call off its walkouts at East and Gulf Coast ports.

Show Notes:

Fighting in the Middle East between Israel, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and Iran dramatically ramped up this week. On Tuesday, Iran launched around 200 missiles at Israel in response to the assassination of longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week. With the help of the U.S., Israel was able to defend against most of the Iranian airstrikes and prevent significant damage. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate, while Iranian officials have warned of more airstrikes should Israel do so. Ben Samuels, U.S. correspondent for Haaretz, says the events show just how little control the Biden administration has over what happens next in the widening conflict.

And in headlines: President Biden and Vice President Harris surveyed damage from Hurricane Helene in separate visits to the southeast, a newly unsealed court filing gives the public the most detailed picture yet of former President Trump?s ?private criminal conduct? in the lead up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, and a federal appeals court says betting on U.S. elections can resume

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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance met Tuesday for the first and only vice presidential debate ahead of the November election. It?s also likely to be the final debate for both campaigns, making it one of the last big moments before voters decide who will take over the White House. The two men kept things pretty civil over their 90 minutes on stage, and neither committed the kind of egregious error that could hurt their respective tickets. WAD host Jane Coaston recaps the highlights with longtime Washington reporter Todd Zwillich. Later in the show, she?s joined by ?Pod Save America? co-host Tommy Vietor for more analysis.

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The death toll from Hurricane Helene topped more than 120 people on Monday across six states in the southeast. Hundreds are still unaccounted for, and the number of casualties is going up. Juliette Kayyem, faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard?s Kennedy School of Government and the author of ?The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters,? explains what the next steps in recovery will look like.

And in headlines: Israel launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, schools outside of Atlanta closed Monday because of toxic smoke from a chemical plant, and a Superior Court judge in Georgia struck down the state?s six-week abortion ban.

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Huge swaths of the Southeast are still digging out from Hurricane Helene after the storm made landfall Thursday night along Florida?s gulf coast. As of late Sunday, more than 90 people were reported dead across six states. Tampa and western North Carolina saw some of the worst damage from the storm. Blue Ridge Public Radio reporter Gerard Albert III joins us to talk about rescue and recovery efforts around Asheville, N.C. 

Later in the show, Michigan Democratic Sen. Gary Peters talks about the state of play in one of the most pivotal swing states in the upcoming election.

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump called Vice President Kamala Harris ?mentally impaired? during a weekend rally, Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a Friday airstrike, and the International Longshoremen?s Association and its tens of thousands of members are set to strike starting Tuesday.

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The California Attorney General sued Exxon Mobil this week for misleading the public on the sustainability of single use plastics. How did plastics recycling go from an exciting promise to a scam perpetuated by Big Oil? Max and Erin tear into Exxon?s decades-long campaign to unwrap the truth?with help from journalist Oliver Franklin-Wallis and the AG himself, Rob Bonta. Why is it so hard to recycle plastic? Who actually processes our waste? Will the lawsuit work? Listen to this week?s How We Got Here to find out.

Federal officials on Thursday unsealed an inducement charging New York City Mayor Eric Adams with a litany of corruption and illegal campaign finance crimes, making him the city's first sitting mayor to charged with a crime. But in good news, New York's WNBA team has made it to the league?s semifinals! While 2024 has been a banner year for the WNBA, players have also had to deal with a torrent of racist invective and general culture war nonsense all season long. Crooked?s own Erin Ryan, host of ?Hysteria? and the weekend edition of ?What A Day,? joins Jane to talk about it.

And in headlines: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Israeli officials defiantly rejected international calls for a ceasefire with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and Hurricane Helene made landfall along Florida?s Gulf Coast.

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Vice President Kamala Harris laid out what she called her ?pragmatic? approach to growing the economy during a speech in Pittsburgh Wednesday. While Harris has been closing the gap with former President Donald Trump, when it comes to which candidate voters trust more to handle the economy, most polls show he still has the edge on one of the top issues in the race. But it?s not like Trump has particularly good ideas for voters who want the economy to work better for them. Among his more hare-brained plans is to appoint Elon Musk to find ways to cut government spending. Long-time tech journalist Kara Swisher explains how Trump and Musk became so close.

And in headlines: The House and Senate passed a temporary spending bill to avert a government shutdown?for now, a new report from a bipartisan Senate committee detailed multiple Secret Service failures around the first assassination attempt against Trump, and a Missouri man was put to death despite state prosecutors' attempts to appeal his sentence.

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In his final address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, President Joe Biden reflected on his foreign policy legacy and called on world leaders to ?end this war? in Gaza. But privately, senior administration officials have reportedly acknowledged that Biden's time is running out to reach a deal for a ceasefire and the return of the remaining hostages to Israel before he leaves office. The prospect of a deal looks more distant than ever right now because of the rapidly escalating conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Nahal Toosi, senior foreign affairs correspondent for Politico, talks about the situation in Lebanon and the risks of the conflict becoming a wider regional war.

And in headlines: Former President Donald Trump promised women will ?no longer be thinking about abortion? if he?s elected in November, the U.S. promised to send another $357 million in military aid to Ukraine, and the Justice Department sued Visa for monopolizing the debit card market.

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