What A Day - Businesses Are People Too

Episode Date: May 4, 2020

As dozens of states reopen, Senator Mitch McConnell wants liability protections for businesses, so that employers won't face the possibility of lawsuits if an employee gets COVID-19. Critics say that puts the economic wellbeing of businesses over the health and safety of workers.Presumptive democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden responded directly to an allegation of sexual assault made by Tara Reade, a former junior staffer in his senate office.And in headlines: the return of Kim Jong-Un, man versus murder hornet, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to say what’s up to an eel.

It's Monday, May 4th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick, and this is What A Day, where we're celebrating Star Wars Day by swinging our microphones like they're lightsabers. Yeah, and I'm yelling at my toaster like C-3PO yells at RGD2. And I'm screaming, I am your father at the sofa. I have nothing left. On today's show, former Vice President Joe Biden responds to an allegation of sexual assault, then some headlines. But first, the latest.

The theme of the past week and this week is likely to be how the United States is reopening. Even as that happens, the health and economic crises are far from over. Even President Trump now concedes that the coronavirus death toll could reach 100,000, higher than his past estimate of 65,000, which we've already crossed. In Congress, negotiations haven't really begun for what a new relief package will look like, but the Republican-led Senate returns to work today, and they are already focused on something else. So, Gideon, do you want to walk us through what they're talking about? Yeah, so we had mentioned it before, but their big focus right now is on liability protections for businesses. has been these kinds of protections need to be passed so that employers can feel safe reopening and not face financial ruin from lawsuits if employees get COVID-19 and want to, I don't know,

hold their employers liable in such a situation. That's what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants, and it appears much of the White House is on board with that too. Now, this is an obvious problem that it presents and creates an incentive structure where the economic well-being of businesses is potentially put over the health and safety of workers. But in practice, it's not entirely clear yet what this would actually look like, but it's unlikely that there would be zero accountability or just carte blanche for these places.

There's reporting that there could be exceptions for gross negligence and possibly the creation of a federal fund that would pay out claims. And another aspect of the liability protection that is being discussed is giving employers the ability to get and exchange information about other employees' health status, the argument there being that it would help keep other employees within the company safe. Yeah. And meanwhile, the Democratic-led House is out for at least another week because they didn't think it was safe to make everyone travel back to D.C. Makes sense to me. House Dems have unsurprisingly said no to the liability protection pitch and are still pushing for more money for states and cities, which is desperately needed.

Right. And after the city and state money demand was made, McConnell responded and said that he wouldn't agree to it without the liability protections included in the same package. So that's kind of the conflict right now. Adding to this mess is the fact that President Trump's top economic advisor, Larry Kudlow, said yesterday that the administration isn't in a hurry to approve another federal aid package, saying that he wanted to see how the money that has been sent out so far is working first. But we know. Yeah, we know that individuals and businesses are still deeply struggling, and that much of the money that has already been allocated has been burned through. So not entirely sure what he's waiting to see. And given Kudlow's prior comments about

the virus in February, when he said it was quote, contained and quote, pretty close to airtight, it is difficult to take his current assessment seriously. He was pressed on that yesterday when he made his comments. So I guess the question is, is there a disconnect between what people such as you who want things to be better than they are so as to help the economy are saying and what people in the health field are saying? Well, look, Jake, for the umpteenth time, I will say my quote then was based on the actual facts, which at the time there were only 40 or 50 cases. And it was contained, particularly after President Trump boldly put up travel restrictions with China. That's what the I didn't make a forecast so far. And that was just there was hardly any cases. OK, now, yes, some doctors

were more fearful. Other doctors had many different things to say. I don't want to get in and play this game. Who said what and when? All right. So that's a quick look at where things stand in Congress with future aid discussions. We'll be following that in the days to come. But we also have some news on the health front to discuss. Yeah, wow, the audacity of that man. But all right, so I don't know about you, but the most important thing in all of this to me is the eventual vaccine. You know, when can we expect it? Are they testing it on a diversity of people, etc.? So I was excited to learn that there is an update on vaccines. An Oxford scientist out of that group that we mentioned last week, who have sort of reached the front of the pack in developing a vaccine, says that it may be something that we

have to get annually, like the flu shot. He says the virus, quote, doesn't mutate at the pace of the flu as far as we can see, but, quote, it's also quite a tricky virus in terms of generating longstanding immune responses to it. Yeah, I mean, I'll take it every day. If that's what they tell me to do, I will drink it by the gallon. Whatever frequency. And on the vaccine front, international diplomats are reportedly already worried about what the rollout plan for the vaccines will be, namely that Donald Trump has already attempted to Bogart masks from Germany, so the fear of a global bidding war for the vaccine doesn't really seem that unfounded. Last month, the World Health Organization had a virtual meeting about distributing the future

vaccine in an equitable way, and the U.S. didn't attend. Today, the EU is doing another virtual gathering for countries to pledge funding for research into vaccines and treatments. America didn't RSVP. So I guess it's America first. Everybody else, go fuck yourself. And to state the obvious, every part of this would be better with global cooperation. You don't want the United States or China or any country who develops a potential vaccine to use it as leverage. That could end up dragging out the crisis even longer. And we'll get more into the conversation around vaccines later this week, where there are already concerns about future supply shortages. But in terms of our current shortages, let's talk about what states are doing here in the United States to get

desperately needed PPE. All right, yeah. So seven eastern states are joining together to buy vital supplies and equipment. Those states are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The idea is that hospitals in those regions are going to try to develop 90-day stockpiles of equipment so they're never playing from behind again, and they'll combine their orders so that they're not driving up prices by bidding against one another. It's a really good idea. And a little bit of good news. On Friday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo directed New York State insurers to waive all essential workers' medical fees, including co-pays and deductibles for mental health services for the duration of this crisis. You know, the mental health effects of dealing

with this day in and day out really can't be overstated. And I think more states should just commit to helping with this. It's a really good look. And that's the latest. This next story involves an allegation of sexual assault that listeners may find disturbing, so skip ahead a couple minutes if you'd like. Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden responded directly for the first time to an allegation of sexual assault made by Tara Reid, a former junior staffer in Biden's Senate office in the early 90s. This is the latest example of an accusation against a powerful male figure, part of a broader movement over the last few years, which has included President Trump, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by at least 20 women.

Biden spoke in an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe last Friday and denied the claim. We've talked about this on the show before, but Reid says in 1993, when she was working in his office, Biden pushed her up against a wall and put his hands underneath her clothing and penetrated her with his fingers. She also says she filed a complaint with a congressional office following the incident, though that complaint was not about the assault. Last year, Reid accused Biden of inappropriately touching her and commenting on her appearance during her time working for him. And in March of this year, she also said that he sexually assaulted her. In the weeks since, several news outlets have started to report on the story. They found some friends, a former co-worker, and a neighbor who say that Reid told

them pieces of the story at the time and also many years later. Reed's brother also backs up her account. However, members of Biden's Senate staff say they were not aware of sexual harassment or assault in his office, despite Reed saying she brought it to their attention. So that's where the reporting stands as of now. And up until last Friday, Biden himself hadn't responded to the allegation. Instead, his campaign had issued a statement denying it. But take us through what he said in this interview. Yeah, so he said the assault didn't happen. And echoing his campaign statement, he said the claims should be vetted. Here's a short clip. Look, from the very beginning, I've said believing women means taking the woman's claims seriously. When she steps forward and then vet it, look into it. That's true in this case as well.

Women have a right to be heard and the press should rigorously investigate claims they make. I'll always uphold that principle. But in the end, in every case, the truth is what matters. And in this case, the truth is the claims are false. Biden also called on the Secretary of the Senate to go through the National Archives to see if they could find a complaint or any record of a complaint that Reid may have filed. When asked, he said he would support the release of any complaint against him from anyone, not just Reid, but he also said that he doesn't believe any complaints exist. The National Archives has since indicated that they don't think they have the

documents, but that they could be in the archives of another Congressional Employment Office. Okay, so those are the congressional documents, but there's another set of documents that have also come into question. These are Biden's own records, which he donated to the University of Delaware. He was asked about those as well. So what did he have to say? Right. So Biden's Senate records are under seal at the University of Delaware until two years after Biden leaves public office. That kind of arrangement is fairly standard. Biden said that personnel files are not included in those records, and he does not want those

records made available because he says they contain politically sensitive information from his career that could be taken out of context, like notes on conversations with foreign leaders, for example. Now, it remains unclear if these documents will in fact be seen and reviewed in relation to this allegation. Okay, so the focus has shifted a bit to figuring out whether any records of a complaint exist and where they might be. But we should clarify that even if a complaint is found from Tara Reid, she says it won't reference sexual assault. That's right. Reid says that the complaint had to do with sexual harassment, though she's not sure that she used those exact words. And according to an interview in the

Associated Press, Reid said she remembers reporting in 1993 that she was, quote, uncomfortable about comments Biden made and experienced, quote, retaliation in the workplace. In terms of why she didn't report the assault, in her own words, Reid told the AP that she was too scared at the time. Reid hasn't done any TV interviews so far, and she canceled one that was scheduled with Fox for this weekend citing safety concerns,

and she said she wants to respond but hasn't decided yet on when. For now, this is all being examined by the media. The New York Times editorial board called for the DNC to set up a panel to investigate the claims. But DNC Chairman Tom Perez says that's not necessary, given all the vetting Biden has undergone during his decades-long career. So that's the latest for now on this story. We'll continue to keep you updated on any new developments. It's Monday, WOD Squad. We have another week in the house ahead of us, but it's

not just any Monday. It is May the 4th, a fictional Star Wars holiday that I'm all in on. Gideon, what is your favorite Star Wars thing? It can be a movie, it can be a character, it can be a souvenir. What's your vibe? I should have come up with a better answer. I really like, I used to really like Boba Fett when I was younger. So I'm a big dummy for having not seen Mandalorian. It's been on the list for a long time. But that was like, as every young kid that

is interested in Star Wars is, the bounty hunter character with the mask is the one that you're most interested in. Yeah, that's legit. I mean, that is one that I actually could point out in a lineup, and I'm really proud of that. And it's because my mom had like, I don't know, I think in the nineties Star Wars hysteria, she got some like toy and she couldn't get one of the main characters. She's like, look, this is Boba Fett. So like I knew what that one

was, but yeah, that's pretty tight. You caught it ahead of the curve. Um, but outside of, outside of us, you know, taking our daily time to celebrate Boba, um, what's your dream way of celebrating the Star Wars day? Ooh. Uh, so my dream would be that coronavirus isn't a thing and I could go to Disneyland and ride the new Star Wars ride, Rise of the Resistance. It is awesome. It's so much fun. I got to do it, do it one and a half times because it broke down halfway through. Oh, no.

Which was, honestly, you'd think that sucks, but to get to do it twice, I mean, you have to wake up at 5 a.m. At least you had to in the old times. So I didn't wake up at 5 a.m. I got there at noon. I got grandfathered into the first ride. It broke down, and then we still got to do it again. And I'm like, wow, I'm really like winning

all day. So I'd love to ride that again. The Kylo Ren in that ride is so scary. Wow. That is very, very tight. That's like a very good thing to look forward to. I think. I know the moment we're allowed back and everything's wiped down. I'm in. And just like that, our temperatures have been checked. Check in with all your friends. May the force be with you. And we're going to check back in tomorrow. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. After much speculation on his whereabouts and rumors of his death, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un made his first public appearance in 20 days on Friday.

A video of him, definitely alive, at the completion of a fertilizer factory emerged over the weekend. South Korean officials maintained that Kim did not undergo surgery or any other medical procedure, though many still have questions about his health. Trump expresses excitement for the dictator's return, tweeting, quote, I for one am glad to see he is back. And to that tweet, I say, bro, I hope he sees this. North Korea has not yet explained Kim's disappearance or why he missed the state's most important anniversary. Yeah, he's got some explaining to do. Canada has banned all military-style assault weapons from being used, sold, or imported. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement on Friday, saying, quote, Canadians deserve more than thoughts and prayers. What a concept. The

announcement comes two weeks after a mass shooting in Nova Scotia that left 23 people dead. The ban went into effect immediately, though gun owners have been given two years to keep their rifles. Trudeau also announced that the government plans to introduce legislation to buy back rifles. Canada's government got a lot of praise over the weekend for their swift response to gun violence in their country. The latest bad discovery in the wet cardboard box that is 2020 is the murder hornet. Small numbers of Asian giant hornets have been found in Washington and Canada. And these two-inch long crimes against God can kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, and they can use their mandibles to wipe out entire honey bee hives using a tragically fitting technique, bee heading.

Oh. Yep. The headless bee aspect of the story is definitely the most disturbing part. Apparently, one beekeeper's realization that thousands of his bees had their heads chopped off was what led to the killer hornet's discovery late last year. To help eradicate the hornets and save the state's honeybee population before it's too late, Washington is asking citizens to build makeshift hornet traps. Now, that's one way to kill or murder hornets. I prefer to use my fists and my trusty buck knife so I can look them in their thousands of eyes before I send them to meet

their maker. Wow, a hero. Eels in a Japanese aquarium are having the same problem as a lot of us stuck in quarantine. They're forgetting what humans' faces look like. Over the past couple of months, the once bold garden eels of Tokyo's Sumida Aquarium have gotten used to an animals-only environment, and as a result, they've begun burrowing in the sand whenever employees walk by.

That's a problem because as an eel in an aquarium, your job is to let people ogle you. Thankfully, the aquarium has a solution. They're asking fans to FaceTime into tablets facing the eel tank to remind eels of the beauty and friendliness of the human face in an event they're calling Face Showing Fest. Guys, Face Showing Fest is my Coachella. The hashtag for the event is hashtag PleaseRememberHumans, which does make it sound like the eels are planning to destroy us. Yeah, if they team up with the murder hornets, it's over. Don't even say it. Don't even say it.

And those are the headlines. Heads up, WOD Squad. Crooked SportsPod, Hall of Shame, is doing a two-part series on NBA player Ron Artest, a.k.a. Metta World Peace. Both parts are out today. In part one, they dive into the backstory, his life, his promising career, everything up until the infamous brawl known as the Malice at the Palace, the biggest in sports history. In part two, they look at what came after the rest of his career, his name change,

and everything that follows. Find both episodes in Hall of Shame's feed wherever you listen to podcasts. That's all for today. If you like the the show make sure you subscribe leave a review look at our human faces and tell your friends to listen and if you're into reading and not just the card and a deck of cards that tells you how to order more cards like me what a day is also a nightly newsletter check it out and subscribe at crooked.com subscribe i'm akilah hughes i'm gideon resnick and we'll see you soon, Eels. You just better be on your best behavior. Don't do anything I wouldn't do.

If they don't pick up the phone, I'm going to be really upset. Yeah, you got time on your hands. On your fins. Do they have fins? I don't know. Thank you.