What A Day - Campaigning In The Time Of Coronavirus

Episode Date: March 9, 2020

The presidential primary is in full swing, and unfortunately, so is COVID-19. We look at the precautions campaigns are taking against coronavirus and what states are doing to ensure that voting goes smoothly. Women across Mexico are striking today, in protest of the rise of gender-based violence and killings in the country. Activists are calling on women to boycott work, school, shopping, and even using social media.And in headlines: President Trump’s newest chief of staff, Blackwater founder Erik Prince spies on teachers, and a fake cure for coronavirus.

it's monday march 9th i'm akilah hughes and i'm gideon resnick and this is what a day the daily news podcast you're listening to one hour earlier than you did last week i feel like we forgot to tell them it was daylight savings time on friday i forgot to tell myself and uh i i can first you know I come first, you know. On today's show, women go on strike in Mexico. Some headlines, but first... We have more presidential primaries on the way on Tuesday, and the coronavirus is still a major cause for concern in the United States and around the world. Today, we're going to take a look at how campaigns are taking precautions

and what states are doing to ensure that voting goes smoothly. Let's start in Washington, which has a primary set for Tuesday and is also home to the most known coronavirus cases in the country. How are people preparing in the state? Yeah, so interestingly enough, Washington lucked out in the sense that their primary is using exclusively mail-in ballots. That's not a response to the coronavirus, but just how it was, you know, not knowing that something like this would happen. This reduces the worry, obviously, about people putting their nasty fingers on voting machines or even, you know, gatherings in any sort of voting precinct.

And even with that in mind, the Washington Secretary of State's office is urging further precautions here out of an abundance of caution. They want voters to not lick their ballots when they're sealing the envelope. You shouldn't lick your actual ballot either way. It's the envelope that I'm talking about. But rather use a wet sponge or cloth to seal them up. Honestly, people should do that anyway. Who's licking envelopes? I don't know. I don't want to touch dried saliva if I'm working there. And so if you are in Washington, please be advised about that.

Additionally, election workers who have started counting ballots this week were asked to use gloves when doing so. And voters are also being encouraged to use drop boxes for their ballots instead of going into a physical post office. The good news in Washington is that they're preparing for record turnout. In terms of events, though, there aren't any more that we know of planned for the top presidential contenders before the Tuesday primary. Yeah, for good reason. I mean, to that end, what else have the campaigns been doing to prepare?

Well, recently, state Democrats in Washington postponed an annual party dinner. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who represents most of Seattle, acknowledged that coronavirus was posing a challenge and that she was doing a lot of elbow bumping. It's congressionally approved now. As for the campaigns, this is, of course, a policy issue that's come up. We saw in the last debate, even, you know, conversations from the candidates about the mishandling of the crisis by the Trump administration. But they're also starting to get questions about coronavirus as a practical issue on the trail. And for the moment, the presidential campaigns of three men that are in their 70s,

Biden, Sanders and President Trump, are proceeding as usual for now. Here's what Trump had to say at a recent visit to the CDC about his campaign events. We have tens of thousands of people standing outside the arena. So there's that many people close together. Doesn't bother me at all. And it doesn't bother them at all. Yikes. It definitely bothers me. And Sanders was asked about it on CNN on Sunday. We are in communications with public health officials wherever we go. Yesterday, we had a rally in Chicago, Grant Park. We had 15,000 people out.

And I love rallies. But your point is well taken. We will not endanger the health of anybody in this country. And I think there are many organizations, the NBA being one, theaters all over this country. I mean, we are watching this thing very, very carefully. What is most important is the health of the American people. And we are in constant contact with public health officials and getting their advice. Yeah. So that is sort of the posture that the Democratic candidates are taking. Biden had a similar answer during a campaign stop in Mississippi saying, quote,

we're listening to the experts at the CDC and doing everything they recommend. But already, in addition to the preparation that is going on in Washington state, at least one political event that was set to host the presidential candidates has been canceled. The AFL-CIO had a forum that was scheduled for Thursday in Florida, which Sanders and Biden were set to attend, but the AFL-CIO canceled it due to coronavirus. So right now, these decisions are mostly being made by the campaigns. They're getting their information. They're deciding based on that information that they're getting, similar to how private businesses and brands are making decisions to cancel events or keep their employees at home. And meanwhile, for the campaigns,

the canvassers that are working on behalf of them are still having to go about what they're doing, too. So, you know, separate sort of challenges in doing that. We're not in a situation yet where the federal government or states are calling for a lockdown or end to these events. Yeah. So that's how the coronavirus is beginning to impact the presidential campaigns. But what else do we need to tell people about it this week? Yeah. So in Italy, cases have shot up and the government has locked down northern parts of the country, including Milan and Venice. It's likely to have major economic ramifications for the country, and the quarantine is set to last until at least April 3rd. By Sunday, Italy had reported more than 7,000 cases, with 366 being fatal. That makes the most deaths from coronavirus outside of China. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a port in Oakland, California, is being prepared for the arrival

of a quarantined Grand Princess cruise ship that is going to be evacuated and quarantined beginning today. Officials said that 46 people on the ship were tested and 21 tested positive. And finally, Senator Ted Cruz said on Sunday that he interacted with someone at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C., who tested positive for coronavirus. While Cruz said that he hadn't experienced symptoms, he is remaining at home in Texas this week. He is most certainly going to be watching Princess Bride. Yeah, it's a sick kid movie. Yes. That's what you watch. Sick adult, sick kid events. Well, we will keep you updated as these storylines progress. Take care of yourself out there. Don't touch me.

A quick heads up, our next story involves violence against women. So if it's too upsetting, skip to a couple of minutes from now. Sunday was International Women's Day and people around the world from Spain to the Philippines to Turkey came out to demonstrate for gender equality and an end to exploitation. Today, women across Mexico are following that up with a nationwide strike to protest the rise in gender-based violence in the country. Activists are calling on women to boycott work, school, shopping, and even using social media. In English, the day of action translates to a day without women. Akilah, tell us a little bit more about what's behind the strike. Yeah. So the real motivation for this demonstration is, like you said, violence against women in Mexico. So here are some stats. There were about 1,000 femicides, so girls and women killed because

of their gender, in Mexico last year, up 10% from the year prior. An average of 10 women were killed per day in 2019 and most by men that they know. About two-thirds of women in Mexico have reported experiencing some kind of violence. Failures in the justice system to adequately prosecute offenders and their accomplices has allowed this crisis to worsen. And the murder rate in Mexico is at a multi-decade high, and women and other vulnerable groups are bearing the brunt of that. Also, there were two especially brutal murders recently that caused public outrage. One involved a 25-year-old woman allegedly killed by her husband in a really gruesome manner, and the other, a 7-year-old girl who was assaulted, killed, and disposed of in a horrific act of violence.

Got it. Yeah, it's absolutely terrible. We've seen women's strikes in other countries like Iceland and Argentina and Poland. The idea is to leverage economic power to raise awareness, and in this case, demand more protection from authorities. Yeah, that's right. So about 22 million women work in Mexico or 40 percent of the total workforce. So suddenly being without their contributions to bring international attention to these dire issues is the entire goal. Federal and local government offices and dozens of universities are granting leave to female employees and students in a show of solidarity. And some of Mexico's biggest companies are also helping to support the Day of Action. So Walmart says its 100,000 female employees in Mexico are free to join the strike.

And other corporate supporters include Ford. But quick side note, not everyone who wants to be there will be able to take part in the strike. Many women work in situations where they can't afford to take the day off. So for you all, we see you. We feel you. Solidarity. afford to take the day off. So, you know, for you all, we see you, we feel you, solidarity. According to a local employers association, the economic losses in Mexico City alone could hit $300 million. But if you want the economic benefits of women, then you have to pay attention to what's happening to them and commit to stopping it. Yeah, that's right. And

how is the government responding to the murders of women and calls for action here? Yeah, a lot of the organizers would probably say poorly. A poll released last week found that 82 percent of respondents disapproved of President Lopez Obrador's handling of violence against women. And that's largely because there's a sense that the violence isn't a priority for the president. During the protests surrounding these deaths, some women spray painted statues and historic buildings. which is just really not the concern or fear that women would like him to be focusing on. And it really does go beyond him. You know, women say that their plight isn't taken seriously by authorities, that it's difficult to get restraining orders and other protective measures where they're, you know, there's an actual threat to their lives. And what's kind of ironic is that women

actually have made a lot of strides in terms of representation in Mexico's Congress. Nearly half of lawmakers in Mexico's Congress are women, and that's ranking fourth in the entire world. So, you know, that's well above the 24 percent of the United States. It's definitely just high. So the question is how to translate political power and economic power into this culture shift and, you know, real accountability. Well, if you are striking in Mexico, Godspeed. We will follow up if more comes from this. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. President Trump is getting a new chief of staff for the fourth time in three years. The chief of staff role has now been played by almost as many people as the Joker. Representative Mark Meadows from North Carolina

will be stepping in and replacing Mick Mulvaney. And Trump broke the news on Twitter, along with an announcement that Mulvaney will move on to be the new U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland. He did not provide reasons behind his decision, but it's safe to assume that Trump wasn't happy with Mulvaney after he revealed some incriminating evidence about Trump during impeachment. Meadows was predicted to get the new gig because of his diehard Trump defending record. His hiring is just another example of

how Trump loves to reward loyalty because in addition to being president, he is also president of being insecure. Yeah, you just got to be nice to Mr. Donald. Two big endorsements were made over the weekend as the primary race narrows down to two frontrunners. Senator Bernie Sanders received an endorsement from Reverend Jesse Jackson, a well-known African-American civil rights leader. Their relationship goes all the way back to the 80s when Sanders endorsed Jackson during his second run for the presidency. Jackson said a progressive path laid out by Sanders would help black Americans socially and economically. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden the presidency. Jackson said a progressive path laid out by Sanders would help Black Americans socially and economically. Meanwhile, former Vice President Joe Biden got an endorsement from

California Senator Kamala Harris, who once challenged Biden on the debate stage as a 2020 candidate herself. She posted a video saying, quote, We need a leader who really does care about the people and who can therefore unify the people. Harris follows a chain of former presidential candidates this cycle that have also endorsed Biden. Betsy DeVos's brother and the founder of the small private army called Blackwater, Eric Prince, has been revealed to have hired former government spies to infiltrate liberal groups like a Democratic congressional campaign and a teacher's union. Going from being a real spy to recording teachers figuring out how to pay for textbooks is like going from driving a race car to driving an ice cream truck that's all room temp lemon ice. It's like, what a downgrade. Prince's role was to recruit spies for Project Veritas, a right-wing group,

which then embedded them in places like the Michigan chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. Both Prince and Project Veritas have had ties to the Trump administration, but the New York Times, who first reported this story, said it's not known whether the White House was involved this time. Prince is one of the dozen or so Trump associates who had contact with Russian officials during his 2016 campaign. He's currently under investigation by the Justice Department over allegations that he lied to Congress during the Mueller investigation.

You know, it's impressive that a guy this busy found time to be the James Bond of Midwestern elementary schools. Yeah, a cornucopia of scumbags. The government might be scrambling for a coronavirus plan, but one man has it covered. That's formerly incarcerated televangelist Jim Baker, who advertised his cure on his show last month. This influenza that is now circling the globe, you're saying that silver solution would be effective. Well, let's say it hasn't been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it's been tested on other strains of the coronavirus and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours.

Lord, have mercy. God rest your soul. Turn that off if you're listening to it right now. I'm not fully convinced, but it can't hurt to consume my body weight in wet, slimy silver anyway. The New York Attorney General said that there is no FDA-approved treatment or vaccine for COVID-19

and wasn't happy with Baker's endorsement. As of last week, the AG gave Baker 10 days to stop marketing the silver solution as a coronavirus cure. Cut it out, man. And those are the headlines. The first two episodes of Crooked's brand new sports podcast, Hall of Shame, are out today. Each week, Rachel Bonetta of Fox Sports and comedy writer Rechna Frukbam will break down some of the craziest scandals in sports history to get to the bottom of what went down, why these stories matter, and how they're still relevant today.

Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, move our car to the other side of the street so we don't get a ticket, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just yield signs like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe.

I'm Akilah Hughes. I'm Gideon Resnick. And don't forget to drink your silver. I don't know if you should do that. I cannot advise. Don't you melt your rings. What a day is a product of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis. Sonia Tun is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our senior producer is Katie Long. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.