What A Day

If you're reading this, it's not too late to vote. The midterm elections are finally here! On today's Election Day show, Jane talks with Galen Druke, co-host of Still Counting, about what to watch for in tonight's returns and whether this is the year for the blue wave.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to Still Counting
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

Tomorrow is Election Day. Candidates are giving their closing arguments. Poll workers are preparing for a busy day ahead. And millions of people will stand in line tomorrow to cast their votes. Jane talks to Jennifer Palmieri, co-host of Long Play, about how candidates in some of the South's most contentious races are preparing and what, if anything, can happen in the last 24 hours before Election Day that will matter.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to Long Play
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

On today's show, Jane is joined by Alex Wagner, host of Crooked's Runaway Country. The pair discuss the Trump administration, corruption, and the midterms before digging into Alex's new book, The Steal: Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and the Raid on America's Courts.

Show Notes:

• Check out Alex's book – http://tinyurl.com/4a8hwa6s
• Subscribe to Runaway Country
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

We’re in the final stretch before Election Day, with early voting underway and new polls still rolling in. The latest CNN poll shows Kansas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton leading Republican Senator Roger Marshall by four points. On today’s show, Jane speaks with Hamilton, a pastor-turned-candidate, about what he would bring to the state, where rural hospitals face some of the highest risks of closure in the country.

Show Notes:

• Check out Adam's campaign – http://adamhamilton.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

Israel, Brazil, and Serbia recently held elections. Jane talks to Tommy Vietor, co-host of Pod Save the World, about what links all three. And whether a "Trump effect" is at work abroad, or if these three are separate stories about corruption, war, and a local backlash.

Show Notes:

• Check out Pod Save the World – http://www.youtube.com/podsavetheworld
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

MAGA is getting nervous as polls in the Michigan U.S. Senate race show Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed leading. According to new polling from Detroit News/WDIV-TV, El-Sayed had 51.4% support, compared with Republican candidate Mike Rogers at 45.1%. Of the 600 likely voters, 3.6% were still undecided. Jane talks to Abdul El-Sayed about tariffs, cost of living, and how President Donald Trump and friends are resorting to their Islamophobic playbook to distract Michiganders from the issues.

Show Notes:

• Check out Abdul's campaign – http://abdulforsenate.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

Georgia's first day of early voting set a midterm-voting record. But should record turnout reassure us, or can turnout be high and suppression still be real? Jane discusses this, ballot access, and how to secure your vote with Stacey Abrams, former leader of the Georgia House, lead organizer of the 10 Steps campaign, and host of Crooked Media's Assembly Required.

Show Notes:

• Check out 10 Steps – http://10stepscampaign.org/
• Subscribe to Assembly Required – http://youtube.com/@AssemblyRequiredPodcast
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

As we know, the Trump administration is working hard to compromise the integrity of the upcoming midterm elections. So on today's episode, Jane speaks with Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz about how he's staying vigilant, his Election Day expectations, and the importance of voting.

Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

A federal judge in California today ordered the Trump administration to halt investigations in nine states into whether noncitizens are registered to vote. The ruling comes as the administration steps up efforts to identify noncitizen voters nationwide in the months leading up to the midterm elections. On today's show, Jane speaks with California Attorney General Rob Bonta about protecting voters' rights and how the state is preparing for Election Day on November 3.

Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

In American politics, candidates often say they care about kitchen-table issues and working-class voters. Yet, if you look at both parties' candidates, you'll find they are more alike than you think: the same five universities and four careers. Jane discusses how American politics keeps folks with a 9-to-5 out of the race with Nicholas Carnes and Noam Lupu, co-authors of "Keeping Workers Off the Ballot: How Democracy Undermines Working-Class Representation."

Show Notes:

• Check out Keeping Workers Off the Ballot – http://tinyurl.com/yr7pkj2m
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

Executions are on the rise in the U.S., even as more Americans oppose the death penalty. An October 2025 Gallup poll found that 44% of Americans oppose capital punishment, the highest level since 1966. Recent headlines, including a proposed public execution by firing squad and the botched execution of Christa Pike, have brought the issue back into focus. Jane discusses the death penalty with Elizabeth Bruenig, a staff writer at The Atlantic who has covered the issue for years.

Show Notes:

• Check out Elizabeth's work – http://theatlantic.com/author/elizabeth-bruenig/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

Nate Silver, statistician and host of Crooked Media's Still Counting, made a bold prediction about the 2026 Senate Midterm races today. Silver argues that Democrats have a 75% chance of winning the Senate, which feels VERY optimistic. Jane talks to Erinn Haines, co-host of Crooked's Long Play, who has been traveling through the South to talk to candidates and voters ahead of the election about whether Democrats can flip some historically red seats.

Show Notes:

• Check out Long Play – http://crooked.com/podcast-series/longplay/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

This weekend, Senator Bernie Sanders will rally with Florida Democratic State Representative Angie Nixon, who is challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody for Florida's U.S. Senate seat. Running on a platform of lowering costs, raising wages, and putting everyday people first, Nixon joins Jane to discuss her campaign.

Show Notes:

• Check out Angie's campaign – https://angienixon.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

The midterms are just around the corner, and that means you’re probably seeing more political ads than ever in your mailbox and on your screens. But who’s funding those ads… and the campaigns they’re supporting? Jane speaks with Judd Legum, a contributor to the The Guardian newsletter How We Win, about dark money and the forces shaping our politics.

Show Notes:

• Subscribe to How We Win — https://www.theguardian.com/hwwjl
• Check out Judd’s Substack, Popular Information — https://popular.info/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

Abortion is back on the ballot in a handful of states – including Missouri, where voters are being asked to repeal the rights they just instated two years ago. Jane sits down with Carter Sherman, co-host of the Guardian podcast, Stateside with Kai and Carter, to hear more about the states weighing abortion in the midterms.

Show Notes:

• Check out Stateside with Kai and Carter — https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/series/stateside
• Buy your Crooked Con tickets — http://crookedcon.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – tinyurl.com/…
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

The Supreme Court is back in session — and nearly two years into Trump’s presidency, we have more questions than ever about the justices' ethics rules, shadow docket, and more. Jane sat down with Strict Scrutiny co-host Kate Shaw to hear her four ideas to reform the highest court in the land.

Show Notes:

• Check out Kate’s piece – https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/opinion/supreme-court-reform-democrats.html
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

The 2026 midterm elections are anxiety inducing. Will Democrats take back the House? The Senate? Can we believe the polls? 2016 PTSD is getting real, so Jane spoke with POLITICO's Dasha Burns to break down what's really going on this cycle.

Show Notes:

• ‘The Conversation with Dasha Burns’ – https://www.politico.com/podcasts/the-conversation
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Republicans are working to keep voters who showed up for President Donald Trump in 2024 engaged in down-ballot races. One key battleground is Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, where freshman Republican Rep. Gabe Evans faces Democratic challenger Manny Rutinel. Rutinel joins Jane to discuss his campaign and why he believes voters should send him to Congress.

Show Notes:

• Check out Manny's campaign – http://www.mannyforcolorado.com/
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

New polling out Thursday shows that concerns about artificial intelligence are crossing party lines. According to an AP-NORC survey, 64% of Americans think AI is developing "too fast." But we wanted to hear from someone who sees the opportunities AI presents and how the technology can make our lives better. On today's show, Jane speaks with Axios co-founder and CEO Jim VandeHei about his new book, "Simplify: Do 50 Percent More with 50 Percent Less."

Show Notes:

• Check out Jim's book – https://tinyurl.com/4wjby6a2
• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with a top Senate Republican, began dialing back its funding for the North Carolina Senate race last week and shifted it elsewhere. Now a group affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, WinSenate, is doing the same. Jane talks with Anderson Clayton, chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, about what's happening in the race to replace retiring Republican Senator Tom Tillis and other races across the state.

Show Notes:

• Call Congress – 202-224-3121
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy
• 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 email transcripts@crooked.com