What A Day - Cuom Alone 2: Lost In New York

Episode Date: March 15, 2021

Covid cases continue to decline, though at a much slower rate than in January. That leveling off, plus the continued threat of variants has public health officials warning people to stay vigilant. Meanwhile, Italy goes back into lockdown. The Governor Cuomo saga continues to worsen with new reporting that his vaccine czar inappropriately called local officials to secure their support for Cuomo. This comes after a flood of Democratic lawmakers from New York called on the Governor to resign last Friday, including Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.And in headlines: London police face backlash for breaking up Sarah Everard vigil, FEMA at the border, and Avatar reclaims its place as the highest-grossing film ever. Show Links:Follow What A Day on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday.

It's Monday, March 15th. I'm Gideon Resnick. And I'm Erin Ryan, filling in for Akilah Hughes. And this is what a day where we really think we should have had a shot at the best spoken word album Grammy. Hard to deny that we are both speaking words and doing a pretty good job. On today's show, the Governor Cuomo saga continues to get worse than some headlines. But first, the latest. Even though the decline was steep, we absolutely need to avoid the urge to say, oh, everything is going great, which it is going in the right direction. But once you declare victory, you know, that metaphor that people say, if you're going for a touchdown, don't spike the ball on the five yard line.

Wait until you get into the end zone. Well, you know, there are some circumstances where you might want to spike it at the five yard line, but that's a clock management issue that I don't need to debate with Anthony Fauci. That was Dr. Fauci on Meet the Press yesterday with a familiar message for Americans. Don't stop while you're ahead. We'll know that the pandemic is over when we don't hear his updates all the time. But in all seriousness, let's talk about where things stand right now. Yeah, I would love for you at some point to debate him on clock management at the end of an NFL game. I think that's like the one thing that Dr. Fauci knows less about than me is like football clock management.

That's or the one thing that I know more about than him. Maybe we'll have to see. Yeah. So on that front, right, it is a bit of a strange situation because he and others have been talking about this kind of plateauing in cases for a while in the US. We dropped like crazy from the worst part of our hellish winter. And if you look at the seven day moving average now, it's been about 50 to 60,000 a day. That's kind of in the range of last year's summer peaks. So that in and of itself is down slightly from even a couple of weeks ago, but it's not on a steep trajectory we saw in January. And we still have over 1,500 Americans dying from COVID in recent days. Then at the same time, last Friday, we passed 100 million

doses of the vaccine administered in the U.S., which had been a goal for Biden in his first 100 days, which we are not at yet. The states are going to need to keep scaling up in the next couple of months to reach some of those new May goals that Biden set out last week. So all that is to say it is a weird moment where we and public health officials have to negotiate these overwhelmingly positive bits of news with continued caution. Oh, man, I am not sure I trust my fellow countrymen to be good at doing that. Okay, let's talk about variants. We're well into March, which is when the CDC said that the variant from the UK would become dominant in the US. Do we know if that's actually happening yet? Kind of.

So here's the thing that's weird. And like many weird things, it begins with Florida. Just over a week ago, there was reporting that the number of new cases that were there that were the B.1.1.7 strain was like 30% of all cases. That's pretty high. And yet it wasn't driving up new cases overall in the state or countrywide like we had seen with this strain in the UK where it just kind of exploded over the winter. And then by yesterday, the number seemed to be closer to 50% in Florida, and the story is still largely the same. This could all change, of course. And so once again, public health experts are in a wait and see mode. But it's possible that some combination of climate for Florida, some immunity from prior cases,

and vaccinations is playing a role for now in keeping this from really exploding. The state is going to possibly get a further stress test with the only two words scarier than COVID variant. That is right. Spring break. Oh my gosh. I just hope the people that go to Florida for spring break are going to do cool kids spring break, which is outside in the sun and not dumb kid spring break, which is inside crowded together. Do cool kid spring break. Be outdoorsy for spring break. And while we're in wait and see mode, the thing that seems to be making Fauci and others the most nervous is what's going on in Europe. Yeah, so when he was talking about restrictions and variants, he drew a direct comparison to Italy. That's because according to the New York Times, they have seen something like a 15% increase in cases over the past week, driven in part by the B.1.1.7 variant, the UK one. As of today, the government as a result is imposing a lockdown for about 75% of the population. I, for one, do not like hearing about scary things happening in Italy and wondering if it could be next year. Don't want to offer too controversial of a take, but that

seems a little bit too familiar for me, especially in March, no less. But one big, big difference, though, between last March and this March, is it's something like less than 3% of their population has been fully vaccinated versus in the US, we're at about 11% fully vaccinated and 21% with at least one shot. So maybe we won't see a repeat here. Oh, my gosh. The worst thing in the world, Gideon, would be if 2021 is the Home Alone 2 of 2020, where it's just the same movie, all the same beats, slightly worse because I've already seen it before. No surprises.

I just I wouldn't I wouldn't I would walk into the sea. I wouldn't make it. The second I see Tim Curry at any point this year, I know it's trouble. That's how I'll know. We just have to edit out any and all Donald Trump cameos preemptively, just not have a minute at all. Just to be safe. That's that's what public health experts are saying. Yeah. So the vaccine rollout has been troubled in a number of ways across the EU, and you can see a rise in cases happening at the same time. There was a report in the AP suggesting another lockdown could be on the way for Paris, and cases in Eastern Europe have been on the climb too. And then outside of Europe, another major, major trouble spot is Brazil, where an estimated 5%

of people have been vaccinated, and they are reaching new peaks. A lot of it is driven by a variant circulating within the country that has been shown to reinfect many who previously had COVID. It is a pretty scary situation. So there's a reason why scientists call them quote unquote variants of concern. But for now, the major difference between places like the UK and US seeing the steadier decline since the beginning of this year is the way more effective vaccine rollouts. We'll stay on top of all of this. But in other news, Erin, let's talk about a particular American politician we've been following. Yay, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's slow motion, or should I say Cuomotion? Yes, you should.

Okay, I will. Political implosion has really ramped up in the past few days as more allegations of misconduct have led to more prominent Democrats calling for his resignation. Yes. And so what is the actual latest news then on the accusations themselves? We now have had six women come forward. The most recent person to accuse Governor Cuomo of sexual misconduct alleged that the governor reached under her shirt and groped her in the governor's mansion late last year. Gross. Cuomo's other accusers include current and former members of his staff. All this is on top of other ways that Cuomo has messed up, including a scandal over undercounting COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. And things are starting to compound. There was a report yesterday that Cuomo's vaccine czar called up county officials across the state to gauge their loyalty to Cuomo.

It's pretty nice antibodies there. Be a shame if something happened to him. And that those conversations happened in proximity to other conversations about vaccine distribution. Cuomo's vaccine czar said he did make the calls, but that they weren't connected in any way to vaccines. Sure. Giant wink. Yeah, I've been convinced. I have no further questions at this time myself. It all checks out. Meanwhile, politicians like Democrat AOC and Republican Elise Stefanik have been calling on Cuomo to take these accusations seriously for weeks now. But last Friday, it seemed to reach a new level. Yeah. Apart from the Cortez-Stefani caucus, their only issue, disliking Andrew Cuomo, 16 of the 19 Democrats serving in the state assembly

have called for Cuomo to quit. And on Friday, Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand called for Cuomo to step down. And that was on top of a new wave of Congress members calling for the same. In total, 18 of New York's Democratic congressional delegation have now called on Cuomo to resign. Outside of New York's Democratic congressional delegation have now called on Cuomo to resign. Outside of New York, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave an interview on ABC's This Week where she said, quote, Cuomo should look inside his heart. He loves New York to see if he can govern effectively. So I'm not friends with Nancy Pelosi, but as a Midwestern native, I'm fluent in passive aggression. And honestly, if any woman over 50 that I knew said those words, I'd interpret it to mean I shouldn't have to answer any questions about this guy at all.

We don't hang out. We're not friends. This is annoying. I'm annoyed. Andrew Cuomo, consider stepping down, you piece of shit. Again, that's just my translation, but that's kind of how I read it. I appreciate it and I agree with it. I think that, yeah, you should look inside your heart does not have good connotations attached to it. I appreciate it and I agree with it. I think that, yeah, you should look inside your heart.

It does not have good connotations attached to it. It means that you're in massive trouble. Somebody wearing lipstick from the South or the Midwest, or I guess even the West Coast, telling you anything to do with your own heart. That's bad for you. Bless your heart. Look in your heart. That's bad for you. I want none of it. Talk about any other part of my body and I'll feel more safe. So who are Cuomo's allies at this point and what are they saying? Besides the vaccines are, what allies?

As Cuomo's problems have grown, one thing has become clear. Cuomo has been a dick for so long that he barely has any friends left in Albany. He's more image obsessed than he is results obsessed, and that's made many key people mad. I actually read a New York Times article today where several New York Democrats are quoted by name

talking smack about Cuomo. Now, if that doesn't mean the man is out of credibility, I don't know what does. Yeah, this is definitely the biggest set of crises overlapping that he's ever faced. I don't think that he is going to end up stepping down. I will laugh at myself if and when something does occur like that. But what is your read on the situation?

Well, you're closer to the action than I am, Gideon. But I think Cuomo believes that he'll be able to ride this one out for many reasons, namely because other people have done it a lot in the very recent past. Like for example, Donald Trump wrote out like five very bad crimes. Cuomo has denied most of the allegations and minimized others, brushing aside the most minor of them by insinuating that creeping out women who are as young as his daughters is just how he likes to joke. Okay. He did do one press conference where he pretended to be sad. And on Friday, he blamed all this on cancel culture. And to that, I say thumbs down and fart sound.

Yeah. I mean, I guess his official stated position had been wait for the investigations to happen. But what does Cuomo think cancel culture actually means? I think it simply means when I personally may face consequences. Like Gideon, have you ever noticed that there's a pretty high correlation between people who are getting pretty mad about cancel culture and people who have said or done things in the past that could make a lot of people mad? Not until this moment. No, I'm just noticing it now. It is a quite high correlation, people who have done things to make people mad and people scared of the anger of people. So I also sometimes wonder what would happen if powerful men took all the time and energy that they devote to acting creepy around women. Instead of doing that, they did literally

anything else, like learned how to build model ships. I feel like that's a dying art and I would love to see more of it. Maybe they could study a foreign language. That's good for your brain. Keeps your brain young. I think it would also be great if these guys would do their goddamn jobs. The main thing they're supposed to be doing. Like, is it the powerful men have too much free time? Do we need to invent new things for them to do so that they have less time left over to bother us?

Like, hey, governor, there's no hitting on anybody until you've fixed all the problems. You know, otherwise, if you can't follow that rule, you should step aside and make room for somebody who will actually take the job seriously. So we'll keep tracking this, but that's the latest. It is Monday, WOD Squad, and for today's temp check, we are talking about the Black Market Password Exchange. Netflix has begun testing a feature that would make users verify they actually live with the account holder, prodding those who do not toward buying their own subscriptions.

These titans of the streaming industry are kicking us out with all the subtlety of parents sending their kids Zillow listings after they've been in the basement for too long. In this economy, this Emily in Paris isn't going to watch itself, is what I say to Netflix.

So I ask you, Aaron, how do you feel about Netflix coming for the people's passwords? Are you a password sharer yourself? Okay, I think I might be the only person who feels like this. But I am a very like lawful good person when it comes to passwords and password sharing. Like I don't do it. I have a subscription to everything that I watch in my house, and I almost get it. I do get it.

I get annoyed when my husband borrows his parents' password for things. Wow. It's like, dude, you're 42. No password. I feel like password sharing should be legal, like how Obamacare covers health insurance. Like, you can be on your parents' health insurance

until you're 26. But after 26, I think you you got to get your own subscription. On the other hand, I think there should be a COVID dispensation for this because it's been a hard year. We should let people maybe share passwords, give them a grace period. Maybe it should have been part of the Biden COVID relief package. Give them a grace period. But after that, I think we should I think they're a company that can crack down if they want. That is quite a take to extend your analogy there. I guess I would be more of a Medicare for all type person in this situation. And if you got a password, share a password.

That's my my egalitarian and socialist view uh that and and to and to crack down on it i think that's the bigger offense right if you want to pay for all of these subscriptions by all means but like to actively be like hey quit doing this it's just why you you're you're fine. You're doing okay. As a company, I think I haven't looked at their books, but I think Netflix is probably doing okay as a company. And just like that, we have checked our temps. Stay safe. Share your passwords or don't. I'm not going to tell you what to do with your lives and your streaming accounts. But we'll be back after some ads.

Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. Police in London are being widely criticized for how they responded to a peaceful mass vigil over the weekend. Hundreds of people on Saturday came together in a park in London to pay tribute to 33-year-old Sarah Everard, who was abducted and killed while walking home alone at night. Her death made national headlines and sparked discussions about public safety for women. The suspect, London police officer Wayne Cousins, was charged last Friday. Just an hour into the vigil, officers began making arrests by handcuffing and, in some cases, tackling women onto the ground. The city's police commissioner defended the officers, claiming that the attendees were

violating COVID protocols. Lawmakers and activists are calling the officers' actions disproportionately harsh, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday ordered a full independent investigation into the police response. The Biden administration deployed FEMA, the agency typically responsible for handling natural disasters, to help manage the surge of unaccompanied migrant children at the border. The agency will help with moving children from border facilities into the homes of family members or sponsors within 72 hours. They'll be participating in a government wide effort over the next three months to shelter and find homes for unaccompanied minors at the border. Right now, a record number of over 9,400 migrant children are being held in detention

centers that are way over capacity and for way longer than the typical three day period. Immigration lawyers have said that the facilities are becoming more dangerously overcrowded every day. President Biden ended a policy under Trump that expelled children crossing the border alone, but expulsions of families and single adults are still happening. It was a pretty good weekend for everybody's favorite cellist. And no, we're not talking about your nephew, Bradley, because let's be honest, he's cute, but he's not that good. On Saturday, renowned musician Yo-Yo Ma put on an impromptu concert during his 15-minute observation period following his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The 65-year-old cellist performed Ave Maria and Bach's Prelude in G Major for the people at the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, vaccination site. If everybody's going to start doing the thing they're known for after they get

vaccinated, let's just say I do not want to be there when the blue man group gets their second dose. Those guys are messy and I do not want to participate as an audience member. No audience participation. No, no, no,

no. It would also be loud too. And it's like neon. It's like neon pink. Yeah. I would think I was having a bad reaction to the vaccine. am i hallucinating in this observation room yeah i see yeah um terrible but speaking of blue people navi nation rise up i've been waiting to say that for my entire life that exact phrase uh after a theatrical re-release in china this weekend the 2009 3d sci-fi adventure

avatar has once again reclaimed its place as the highest grossing film internationally of all time, narrowly edging out Avengers Endgame. That's pretty good for a movie that is just Pocahontas in space. This highest grossing crown title basically makes Avatar the Bible of movies. I don't make the rules, but that's what it is. Here's to a future where your grandma gets you a copy of Avatar every year for Christmas, and you can always find an Avatar DVD in your hotel room bedside table and people hold up their favorite avatar quotes on signs at baseball games wow i want a teen study avatar you know they have teen study

teen study like for there's bibles for teens and they'll like put little it's a whole thing it's it's pretty funny went over my head Jewish that's going to be my claim for not understanding I'll give you one for your birthday this year it's going to be real fun for you

I hope that you do but those are the headlines that's all for today if you like this show make sure you subscribe leave a review score some unobtainium and and tell your friends to listen. And if you are into reading and not just totally balanced screeds against canceled culture like me,

What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Erin Ryan. I'm Gideon Resnick. And give us that Grammy. It's about time. It's about time. It's about time. I've been snubbed before,

and I shan't be snubbed again for Pop Folk Album. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis. Sonia Tan is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our executive producers are Katie Long, Akilah Hughes, and me. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.