What A Day - Default In Our Stars

Episode Date: May 3, 2023

With the debt ceiling deadline now projected for June 1st, House Democrats are taking action in case negotiations fail. The move would allow Democrats to collect signatures to force Congress to consider a “clean” bill to raise the debt limit and avoid a catastrophic default.Members of the Writers Guild of America are officially on strike after negotiations with Hollywood studios failed to reach a new contract. Alex O’Keefe, one of the writers behind the hit FX series “The Bear,” joins us from the picket lines to talk about the issues driving the strike.And in headlines: a Montana judge ruled that State Representative Zooey Zephyr cannot return to work on the statehouse floor, the Biden administration plans to send more troops to the southern border, and a proposed bill would require campaigns to disclose whether they use AI-generated content in political ads.Show Notes:Pencils Down: WGA On Strike – https://www.wgacontract2023.org/What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday 

It's Wednesday, May 3rd. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And I'm Juanita Tolliver, and this is What A Day, where we are fully prepared to cover Katy Perry and Lionel Richie's American Idol duties when they leave to perform at King Charles III's coronation. To be honest, it's been a long time since we've watched American Idol, but we are guessing that Katy Perry is the Paula of the situation. I mean, sure, but let's be real. They gave us Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. So this is the least we can do. We got y'all. We'll show up. On today's show, a judge rejected Montana Representative Zoe Zephyr's bid to return to the statehouse floor. Plus, President Biden plans to send more troops to the Mexico border before Title 42 expires next week. But first, Janet Yellen lit a fire under Washington, D.C. when she announced that the projected default deadline

has moved up to June 1st. So let the 28-day countdown begin, y'all. President Biden is responding in kind by calling a meeting with the four leaders of Congress, but that doesn't mean he's ready to negotiate. And House Democrats have concocted their own plan to push a vote on a clean bill to avoid default by using a trusty tool known as a discharge petition. When I tell you they've been planning this move since January, it just shows they ain't messing around. Yeah. OK, so for those of us who are not in the know, what exactly is a

discharge position and what do we know about the plan that House Democrats have put together here? Look, a discharge petition is kind of like a break glass in case of emergency move. It's a procedural process that allows Democrats to collect signatures on a petition to force the consideration of a bill, in this case, a bill to raise the debt limit and avoid default. According to the New York Times, this discharge petition has been planned since January and is associated with the Break the Gridlock Act, aptly named, which was introduced by Representative Mark DeSunye of California. Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a Dear Colleague letter on Tuesday that, quote, House Democrats are working to make sure we have all options at our disposal to avoid a default.

And, quote, it's now time for MAGA Republicans to act in a bipartisan manner to pay America's bills without extreme conditions. Now, a discharge petition isn't a guarantee, but it is a clear indicator that Democrats are fighting to protect the critical programs that House Republicans want to cut. And with this discharge petition making the rounds in the House on the Senate side, Majority Leader Schumer is making it clear that he has Representative Jeffries back, and he's already put the discharge petition on the Senate calendar. Additionally, Schumer has also scheduled a vote on the heinous Republican bill that passed the House last week. And I think it's safe to say that this bill doesn't have a chance in hell in the Senate. This is just a move to force Senate Republicans

to show where they stand. Okay, got it. So it really sounds like Democrats are in a ray here, as they never want to say it, but it sounds like they are. But remind us here, what are some of the extreme cuts that Republicans are wanting to make? I mean, plain and simple, if people need it, you better believe House Republicans put it on the chopping block. I'm talking about everything from Head Start to Medicaid to veterans health care. If Republicans get their way, children literally wouldn't be able to eat because they want to cut SNAP benefits and free and reduced price lunch programs. If they get their way, tens of thousands of teachers will be fired due to cuts in education budgets. If they get their way,

millions in climate investments will be rolled back. They're truly trying to edit, undo a lot of the provisions that congressional Democrats and the Biden administration put into the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act.

That's why I'm so glad that Senate Democrats are dedicating time and energy into laying all of this out for the American public in a series of hearings in the coming weeks, because this is going to hurt a lot of people and families that benefit from these programs. And while Republicans are pushing these cuts,

they're not doing the one thing the Constitution requires them to do, pay the United States' bills. Yeah, seriously. And I mean, they're pushing ideas that would hurt their constituents, and people deserve to know that. So good on Democrats for making that as loud and clear as possible. But what comes next from all this? Well, next Tuesday, President Biden

is meeting with Senator Schumer and McConnell and Representatives McCarthy and Jeffries. And based on reports, this isn't to acquiesce, but to emphasize the need to avoid default, which could potentially trigger a recession for us and economic chaos across the world, to put it mildly. And back in the House of Representatives, House Democrats could start collecting signatures for their discharge petition by May 16th. So I'm sure they're already working on the five Republicans. They need to flip in order to get that across the finish line. But the default drama is only gearing up. Seriously. And the clock keeps ticking. 28 days. I'm terrified. I'm sure everyone else is too.

But switching gears a little bit. Yesterday, 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America officially went on strike after negotiations with Hollywood Studios failed to reach a new three-year contract. We touched on this a bit in yesterday's show, but now that the strike is official, we wanted to dive deeper into the reasons behind the strike and how this will play out for many of the television and film writers who are now on the picket lines. All right, break it down for us. Tell us more about what's happening. As we know, the advent of streaming platforms has radically changed the film and TV industry

over the past decade. You know, you don't have to be an industry insider to know that. You can just think about the way that you consume TV and watch movies as opposed to how you did it maybe when you were a kid. And the writers argue that the models that are in place currently

have them working for shorter periods of time at the bare minimum pay, for the most part, and have severely impacted their ability to support themselves and earn a living doing their jobs. The strike has already had immediate effects. Live late-night TV shows all ran reruns yesterday night. They will continue to do so for the duration of the strike because these shows, like many of your other favorites, need writers to continue to happen. And scripted TV shows that are in production will be very difficult to continue making without the help of any of these writers. The economic impacts of a strike are expected to be felt across Southern California, obviously, but also in places like

New York, Georgia, New Mexico, and other production hubs around the country. To learn more about the issues driving this strike and the experiences that have led writers here, I spoke with Alex O'Keefe. Alex is a TV writer who worked on the hit FX series, The Bear. I watched that series last summer. I loved it. You probably did too.

And he is also a member of the Writers Guild of America West. We caught up with him as he was picketing outside of Netflix HQ in Los Angeles, which is why you will hear some noise, some car horns in the background. I really loved our conversation. It was illuminating and he shared so much of his personal experience with us. Take a listen. It was very surreal. I got this wild gig writing for The Bear.

The showrunners got my spec script. They hired me after two episodes had already been written. It was like, can you start tomorrow? So I came in. I previously had more political experience. So it was a wild transition. And the studio did not pay for me to come out to L.A. for the writer's room. So I wrote for The Bear from my Brooklyn apartment, Okazuma.

Oh my God. It was a pandemic winter, so I didn't have heat. I had a little space heater underneath my desk as I typed away writing for the bear. And sometimes I'd plug in that space heater and it would last out all the power in my house. Episode eight, I was in a public library trying to get Wi-Fi, speaking very quietly, and a librarian insisting me when I would pitch. So the conditions were tough. But what was really beautiful is that this was a show that was about the working class. My mom was a service industry worker my entire life.

And to elevate that kind of work and show the everyday stress and elevate it to the highest form of art. I mean, that's one of the greatest privileges of my life. And I've written for senators and everything, but I think that culture makes such an impact on the psyche and the consciousness of the nation. So I'm really grateful for that experience. Totally. I think your experience is so different than what one might think it's like for a writer in Hollywood, maybe like going to some fancy place and being in a writer's room. Like I think people might have that basic understanding, but like you're painting a really different picture of like what the reality was like, much less glamorous than it might seem.

Oh, all that glitters is not gold. And these studios that have been around Hollywood for over a century, right? They are now owned by tech companies who call themselves disruptors. And what these tech companies are really disrupting is workers' rights, degrading working conditions and basically forcing everything to become a gig economy. Now, that's what they're trying to do with writing right now.

And if you see so many different news outlets are shuttering or going bankrupt or they're trying to replace us with ai the professional writer is going extinct and that's why we have seen more solidarity both within our union and across every union of hollywood than literally ever before because we all realize this is an existential battle against capitalism run amok. What these corporations that now own the studios of Hollywood don't realize is that Hollywood is a union town. A lot of people, they see the celebrities, they see the big stars, but behind the camera are hundreds of craftspeople, workers who are producing the shows that you see. You don't know their names, you don't know their faces. But without them, nothing gets made. And we're about to put that to the test.

Yeah, a thousand percent. I also want to ask you about some of the hidden aspects of being a writer that a lot of people who are just consuming TV don't see. There are a lot of people involved in the process of getting writing gigs. There are agents, representatives, managers, like all the things. Can you talk about some of the hidden expenses in having a writing career? Well, that's what I've learned. I mean, a lot of solidarity on the street right now. Noisy. When I was first called by my manager and he said hey they want to hire you on this show for fx they're gonna give you i think it was like 43 000 you know i'm a working class guy i said 43 000 i'll take it that's amazing that's amazing my eyes started vibrating it sounded like so much

money he said hold up alex that's not all your money let me break it down for you you know what i've also realized is that this is an image focused industry. You got to show up looking like a million bucks if you want to make a million bucks, or at least you got to show up looking like $43,000 if you want to make $43,000. I won an award for the fair from my union. The Writers Guild of America gave me, my fellow writers, the award for outstanding comedy last month. And when I went to the award show, I had a negative bank account. The suit that I wore was bought by my family, my fiance.

My bow tie was bought on credit. I'm actually paying off the last payment of that Affirm credit that I bought the bow tie on. So it looks good on a Getty Images. But to keep up, you have to look the part. You have to pay many dues and you have to live in either New York City or Los Angeles, which are just seemingly expensive. So what does that mean?

That means that young black writers like me, working class writers, indigenous writers, writers of color, writers who come from poverty, writers who come from very different backgrounds than what Hollywood has usually embraced. They are creating a new wave of creativity and you're seeing it in shows like The Bear, which feels different than anything you've ever watched. You're seeing it in shows like Abbott Elementary. But we cannot keep making these shows if the studios and the corporations don't invest in our basic survival.

We cannot pay our rent in clout. Yeah, definitely. I mean, what are you hoping comes out of this strike? We're hoping a new deal. We're not trying to just increase minimum. You know, this is not a regular contract battle. The industry has changed so much than 15 years ago when the Writers Guild last went on strike. And our contract doesn't reflect the modern reality of the business and certainly

does not reflect the modern reality of our economy. So what we're hoping for is to create a contract that can create a middle class, create a real avenue of survival and advancement for especially the new wave of young writers of color who are being pushed out of the industry because they simply can't afford their rent. And there are so many writers who have told me, I work at Barnes & Noble now, and I see posters of the show I worked on. I was a waitress while working on this big show. When these shows are watched by everyone, when it's one of the dominant exports of our country at this point, we deserve a fair piece of it. We're not all asking to be rich.

We're not asking for racquetball courts in the Hollywood Hills. We're asking for basic survival, a middle class existence like workers are asking across this entire country. And if they will not give it to us by asking nicely in negotiations, we have to fight for it. That was our conversation with TV writer Alex O'Keefe. We stand with him and all of our friends on the picket lines. That is the latest for now. Let's get to some headlines. A Minnesota court yesterday convicted former Minneapolis police officer Tu Tao of aiding and abetting the 2020 murder of George Floyd. This comes a year after Tao was convicted in federal court for violating George Floyd's civil rights, along with two other officers. Tao is the last of four Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's killing to face judgment in state court.

And it's worth noting that Tao rejected a plea deal, claiming that he did nothing wrong and that pleading guilty would be, quote unquote, lying. But Minnesota prosecutors argued that Tao knew that his colleagues were restraining Floyd in a, quote unquote, extremely dangerous way, but did nothing to stop them, which ultimately led to Floyd's death. A Montana judge ruled yesterday that state representative Zoe Zephyr cannot return to work on the state House floor. We told you earlier that Zephyr, who was formally censured by Montana's GOP-led legislature last week, filed a lawsuit to allow her to return to the House floor for the last remaining days of the legislative session. Zephyr, who is the state's first transgender lawmaker, has been blocked from any in-person proceedings since April 24th after denouncing a bill that later passed banning gender-affirming care for trans youth. That hasn't stopped her from actually doing her job, though. She's been working from a hallway just outside the chamber itself and even from the state house snack bar.

Let's be real. Zoe Zephyr's doing what she needs to do. But, you know, those those I can't call them what I want to call them. People who sat on that public bench. Yeah. Fuck all the way off. Her attorneys say they're considering an appeal. Meanwhile, Zephyr's girlfriend, trans activist and journalist Erin Reid tweeted yesterday morning that someone unsuccessfully tried to swat her.

Reid told the Advocate magazine that she checked in with the police in her area months ago because her home address and her personal information had already been posted to far-right forums. It's sickening that this is what this wonderful trans couple is having to do to protect themselves. Proactively talk to the police to be like, hey, someone's gonna swat us. Don't pay attention to it. Like, it's sickening. Yeah, that's absolutely terrifying.

And for what? For doing her job, the job she was elected to do and trying to protect people. It's infuriating. The Biden administration will temporarily send another 1,500 active duty troops to the southern border in the coming days ahead of an expected surge of migrants. This comes a week before Title 42 is set to expire. That is the Trump-era policy that has blocked some migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Homeland Security said that the extra military personnel

will not be performing any law enforcement duties, such as making arrests, nor will they be interacting with any individuals who are held in custody. Their purpose is to free up resources for Border Patrol agents so more of them can stay in the field. The troops will remain at the U.S.-Mexico border for 90 days, bringing the total number of troops there to about 5,000. By comparison, then-President Trump had deployed over 7,000 troops by the end of 2018, which Democrats and even former military officials denounced as an abuse of power. A bill was introduced in the House of Representatives yesterday that, if passed, would require the disclosure of any AI-generated content in

political ads. This comes amid a rise in fake photos and videos used in political messaging. You'll remember the doctored image of former President Trump being arrested in New York that went around earlier this year, which was unfortunately fake, but it's already getting used to persuade voters. The RNC recently put out an ad using AI-generated visuals to create a dystopian image of what a second term under Biden would look like. The ad did disclose the use of AI technology. However, the bill's sponsor, Democratic Representative Yvette Clark of New York, said the rapid growth of artificial intelligence is outpacing current U.S. laws. And if the technology continues to go unregulated, it could have serious consequences for the 2024 campaign cycle.

Clark's bill would make the AI disclosure requirement part of existing federal campaign finance law, though it's unclear how well the bill will fare amid the House's Republican majority because, you know, they like to lie blatantly. So they don't need AI. Yeah, seriously. I mean, anyone who isn't supporting this is basically straight up telling you that politicians should be able to lie to you without consequence, which is crazy. We have heard of a healthy media diet, but one South Korean art student took it to a whole new level when they ate part of Maurizio Catalan's Comedian, an installation that is currently on exhibition at Seoul's Lyon Museum of Art.

The piece, which sold for $120,000 in 2019, consists of a single banana duct-taped to a gallery wall. In a video posted online this week, the young man takes the banana from the wall, eats it over the course of a minute, and tapes the peel back up. When asked why he ate the art, the student told local reporters that he was hungry

and hadn't eaten much that morning. Oh, that explains that. All I can visually see is him setting up his tripod to prepare to say I was hungry. Okay, seriously. Yeah, while recording the whole thing. This isn't the first time that someone has eaten the banana. In 2019, a self-proclaimed

performance artist, David Datuna, ate the piece's banana while it was on display in Miami before it was swiftly replaced. While eating the art isn't normally encouraged, the attention-hungry admirers probably won't face any consequences. Guerrilla art stunts notwithstanding, the banana is typically switched out with a fresh one every two or three days, which is, you know, how this installation continues, if you were wondering that. And when Catalan was informed about the incident in South Korea, the artist simply remarked, no problem. It's only natural that the artist behind a piece titled Comedian

has a decent sense of humor about the whole thing. I mean, of course Catalan doesn't mind. Look at all this press they're getting, like, period. But also, I'm just like, can we talk about the perfect banana ripeness? Because for me, there are no brown spots. It's delicately sweet with a little bit of a crisp, but that's just me. I like that. I honestly like a little not quite ripe yet. Oh, you like a little bitter dry. Sometimes it's not all the time, but sometimes I'm like, that can be a nice refreshing banana, dare I say. But anyways, my question about this really kind of is about the $120,000 that they paid,

but like, does that include replenishing the banana? Like, what's the banana fund? How much has been spent? I don't know. I got some questions. I feel like these people who eat the banana should be required to pay the 20 to 45 cents to replace the banana. Plus.

That's my thought. And those are the headlines. We'll be back after some ads. It's Wednesday, Wild Squad. And for today's temp check, we are talking about birds of a feather learning how to virtually flock together. A recent study from Northeastern University involving 18 pet parrots observed how video calls with other parrots

might fulfill the social needs of the otherwise isolated birds. Parrots are highly intelligent animals with complex social needs. While they naturally flock together in the wild, a high percentage of pet parrots have diseases that are easily transferred to other nearby birds. In the study, owners taught their parrots how to that are easily transferred to other nearby birds. In the study, owners taught their parrots how to ring a special bell, after which a tablet would be presented to them with images of one or two fellow birds. Using their beaks or their tongues, they could then indicate

who they would like to talk to, and then a call would be requested. The scientists were fully prepared for negative reactions, but instead the study's subjects really came alive during these video chats. The birds acted typical to how those in a true flock might, dancing and singing with each other over the course of the interactions. And while the research period has since concluded, the study's co-author says that some of the parrots are still requesting to talk to each other. So Juanita, what do you make of this, and how soon will you be training your dog to use FaceTime with her friends?

One, these poor birds. Let them out of captivity, y'all. Stop the pet parent plant. Like, let it go. They clearly need each other. And two, I am never showing Josephine how to ring a bell to summon me because that would drive me crazy.

Here's your iPad. Absolutely not. Yeah, I'm sorry ipad kids are enough of a problem like i don't think we need ipad dogs or ipad parrots that's so crazy but i'm with you i think birds as pets uh no disrespect to anyone who has them i think it's fucking weird and we shouldn't she said no disrespect but i will promptly judge the hell out of you yeah i think it's weird as hell i think pets should be um furry i guess i don't know like i yeah the hairless cats no the fish i think is a disappointing pet so you just got a roster of people you're shading with this segment okay go off i guess i mean i guess fish are acceptable. I don't know. How do they feel? Do they want to FaceTime a friend? Because then I don't know. Anyways, just like that, we have

checked our temps. They are lukewarm on this. I don't know. Burning up steadily, like getting a little heated in here. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, teach a parrot about Zoom happy hours. Oh, God. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just how to make $120,000 with only a banana and some duct tape like me, What Today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe.

I'm Juanita Tolliver. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And solidarity with the WGA. We love ya. Come on. Like, nobody better cross that fucking picket line. Absolutely. Like, stand up with WGA.

Or they're gonna ruin Succession, y'all. Yeah, that was a poster. They were like, we're gonna leak it. And I was like, shit, I believe it. The gloves are off. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itzy Quintanilla and Raven Yamamoto is our associate producer. Jossie Kaufman is our head writer and our senior producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gillillyard and Kashaka.