What A Day - GOP Goes WWE

Episode Date: November 15, 2023

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed Speaker Mike Johnson’s bill to avoid a government shutdown. The measure passed with bipartisan support, and it now heads to the Senate for approval ahead of Saturday’s deadline to avert a shutdown.Republicans also spent Tuesday fighting mostly among themselves: GOP Senator Markwayne Mullin challenged the president of the Teamsters Union to a fight during a committee hearing, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett said Rep. Kevin McCarthy elbowed him, and Republican Rep. James Comer told Democratic Rep. Jared Moscowitz that he looked like a smurf.And in headlines: Israel said it raided Gaza’s central Al-Shifa hospital, a new report says every region in the U.S. is feeling the effects of climate change, and inflation rates cooled last month to the lowest increase since July.Show Notes:AAPI Data/AP-NORC: “Many within Asian American and Pacific Islander communities have endured discrimination” – https://tinyurl.com/ys2uvrhqWhat 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, November 15th. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And I'm Juanita Tolliver. And this is What A Day, where we advise lawmakers to never challenge someone to a fight, especially teamsters from Boston. Seriously, we have seen how organized the unions can be and how disorganized Congress can. Right. I don't think it's a good situation.

Don't do it. Nope. On today's show, we'll recount how several Republicans almost came to blows yesterday. Why'd you elbow me in the back, Kevin? Hey, Kevin, you got any guts? Fair question. I mean, really? Plus, a new White House report says no place in America is safe from the effects of climate change. But first, yesterday evening, the House of Representatives passed Speaker Mike Johnson's bill to avoid a government shutdown. The bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Just days before the country ran out of funding, Johnson was able to win bipartisan support from over two-thirds of the House. 209 House Democrats, which is all but two of them, joined 127 Republicans to get this short-term funding effort passed. 93 Republicans

actually voted against it. So it's really thanks to the Democrats here that this is now moving forward. Now this bill heads to the Senate where it needs approval from that chamber ahead of this Saturday's deadline to avoid a shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that they'd be voting on it there ASAP. Once again, it's Democrats who are the adults in Congress getting things done.

And this bill is a bit different than your typical continuing resolution bill. Can you give us a breakdown of what's in it? Absolutely. I mean, we talked about this a little bit earlier on the show, but this bill basically works in two phases. It'll fund certain departments like state, justice, commerce, labor, and health and human services until February 2nd of next year, while other departments like transportation, housing and urban development, military and veterans programs, and certain agricultural agencies will only be funded through January 19th. This phased approach is a bit unconventional. Can't really say it was very popular. The White House actually panned it as

quote, unserious over the weekend, but it was intended to be another short-term fix to give lawmakers a little more time to work on annual spending bills. It also notably did not include any funding for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and the U.S.'s southern border as requested by President Biden. Without that, it is not clear if there will be a deal at all to deliver aid

to any of these areas from the U.S. before 2024. Yeah, I think it's important to really emphasize the language of this continuing resolution because this is what can happen when there are no threats for spending cuts or threats against funding or poisonous, harmful, legislative, extremist MAGA language. So I would love this to be more regular, but let's talk a little bit more about this breakdown and who supported the bill based on the numbers you just shared. Yeah. I mean, as we've learned, government shutdowns are catastrophic for, you know, so many Americans who rely on government programs, who are employed by the federal

government, don't get paid during shutdowns, and regular citizens who have the very reasonable expectation of living in a country with a functional government, as they should. But, you know, as we continue to see, the Republican majority is slim and their caucus is extremely fractured. The hard right House Freedom Caucus once again opposed this measure. Some of the same people who were responsible for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster were not happy about this. Fortunately for Johnson, it doesn't look like they're coming for his job over it, at least not quite yet. But for many of these House Republicans, there's a real absence of any sense of duty or urgency to keep the lights on. Instead, they play politics so they can get spending cuts or, you know, conservative strings attached to bills, all those things you were mentioning. And that's why the

Republicans who do want to avoid a shutdown need the support of Democrats because so many people in their party don't care. And House Democrats, as we've seen, understand this responsibility fully. They weren't into this staggered timeline of this bill. They didn't like it at all, but they were not willing to let the American people suffer through a shutdown because of it. So the TLDR here is really that the U.S. government will remain funded through the end of this year. This funding problem now becomes an issue for 2024 after the Senate votes on it. So we will see you all back here in a couple months. By now, you know the drill. We'll stay tuned to just for another another chaotic showdown in January. Yeah. And every time again, back to the vote counts, it just is a reminder that Republicans are in it for the

destructive behavior, right? Like they want to cause harm. That's it. That's the only goal. Absolutely. Now, we also want to talk about what was making headlines in D.C. beyond yesterday's big vote, because, y'all, something is in the water on Capitol Hill. The Republicans are fighting. What is going on? And it's wild. So they have taken their chaos to an entirely new low by throwing fits largely at each other. And this behavior is merely our weekly reminder of how unhinged Republicans are and how they're making an entire mess out of Congress. Naturally, I've brought all of the receipts. So you know exactly what's been happening because there were so many fights. Ding, ding. Let's go. First up, here is republican senator mark wayne mullen yes his first name is one word

challenging the president of the teamsters union sean o'brien to a fight during a senate committee hearing take a listen you want to run your mouth we can be two consenting adults we can finish it here okay that's fine perfect you want to do it now I'd love to do it right now. Well, stand your butt up, then. You stand your butt up. Oh, hold on. Oh, stop it. Is that your solution? No, no, sit down. Sit down.

No, no, you're a United States senator. Act it. Okay, okay. Sit down, please. All right. Can I respond? Hold it. Hold it.

If we can't... No, I have the mic. I'm sorry. This is what he said. You'll have your time. It's chaos. Can I respond? No, you can't. No, I have the mic. I'm sorry. Hold it. You'll have your time. It's chaos. Can I respond? No, you can't. This is a hearing. And God knows the American people have enough contempt

for Congress. I cannot get over how chill Sean O'Brien sounded. He was like, let's go right now. Let's do it. I have so many thoughts on this chaotic piece of audio. I mean, first of all, there is Bernie Sanders having to break up this fight, which we'll get into more in a second. Second of all, I didn't really think that was where we were going when he started off by saying we're two consenting adults. Not the direction I thought we were moving in. Not going to lie to you. But neither are appropriate for Congress. Just going to say. Neither appropriate. I just want to fill in the gap of the visual as Sean O'Brien was like, you stand your butt up. Mullen actually did stand up. He

squared up. He was ready to go. It's insane that this is happening. And the fact that Senator Bernie Sanders had to be the adult in the room and remind Mullins that he is in fact a senator, a member of the upper chamber that is supposed to have some common sense and decency is blowing my mind. Right. I mean, what is this, the House? Crazy. So pair that with Sanders is rightful statement that the American people deserve better. And this entire scene is representative of the broader circus that the Republican Party has brought to Congress. Next up, we have a hallway encounter featuring Republican representatives Kevin McCarthy

and Tim Burchett and NPR reporter Claudia Grisales. Representative Burchett says that this interaction was the first time McCarthy had spoken to him since the vote on the motion to vacate McCarthy as Speaker of the House, and it was quite the encounter. Listen to this as Grisales was interviewing Burchett. Sorry, Kevin, didn't mean to elbow. Why'd you elbow me in the back, Kevin?

I know, I felt so bad. Hey, Kevin, you got any guts? Jerk. Has he done that before? No. Huh. That's a new move. That's a new move is how NPR's Grisales ended that clip.

But now Burchett says that he was elbowed in the back, but McCarthy says that they merely bumped shoulders. Here's how Burchett described the physical contact to CNN. At that time, I got elbowed in the back and it kind of caught me off guard because it was a clean shot to the kidneys. And I turned back and there was Kevin. And for a minute, I was kind of, what the heck just happened? And then I chased after him, of course. And here is the statement McCarthy gave to reporters. A reporter was interviewing Virtue or something. I guess our shoulders hit because Virtue runs up to me. I didn't know what he was talking about. So he was asking me. I did not run and hit the

guy. I did not kidney punch him. I did not shoot anything like that. You didn't shot him? No. Didn't that no sound like when you ask a three-year-old if they stole the cookie? Yes. No. I know we're laughing, but take this as like laugh to keep from crying for how far Republicans are taking things in a post-January 6 reality. But anyways, this, you said, is their first interaction after the vote to remove McCarthy as speaker. Apparently, it's not the first time McCarthy has allegedly bumped a Republican colleague. Tell us more about this backstory, though, because this has been brewing. It's so messy. According to former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger's book, this stiff shoulder bump approach is common practice for McCarthy as he attempts to exert power and control over other House Republicans.

It sounds like some playground bullying to me and he needs to be checked. Right. Unfortunately, the person who has opted to lead that effort is Representative Matt Gaetz. And he filed a formal ethics complaint against McCarthy yesterday. Of course, this is the latest in the Gates McCarthy saga, as it was also Gates who initiated the motion to vacate McCarthy from his speakership. Yes, the enemy of our enemy in this case is not our friend. Absolutely not. Yeah, we do not claim him. But anyways, because this isn't even the end. Tell us about the other petty move from Republicans on the Hill yesterday. Yesterday, really a banner day for just craziness.

Yeah. And at this point, it's like Republicans aren't even attempting to govern because the mess continued as Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene called Representative Daryl Issa the P word and tweeted that he has no athletic balls, like literally emojis of footballs, baseballs, golf balls, tennis balls. All right, then. Also, Republican Representative James Comer told Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz that he looks like a Smurf. Does he, though? That's a quick Google. Okay, he was wearing a blue tie and a blue pocket square and a blue shirt.

That is all. It's probably not something you should be saying to your co-workers. No, it's not something you should be saying to your co-worker doing a committee hearing. All of this went down because Comer referenced Biden giving a loan to his brother. And then Moskowitz called Comer out for his hypocrisy about loaning his own brother $200,000. So, you know, he just got mad. He got mad. He got mad and thought to call him a smurf.

Just a reminder, this is how Republicans prefer to spend their time. And this is exactly why the public must vote them out in 2024. Absolutely. VoteSafeAmerica.com. You know what to do to get involved. If you are like, this is hysterical, but not OK. No more. We're with you.

Join us. And that concludes today's episode of The Real Housewives of Capitol Hill. Even though I'm sure Republicans will find more ways to embarrass themselves and to drag Congress into the depths of disarray before they leave town for Thanksgiving. That's the latest for now. We'll be back after some ads. Let's get to some headlines. Headlines. The latest in the war in the Middle East is that the death toll of Palestinians now sits at over 11,100 people. That is according to Gaza's health ministry.

That means that one out of every 200 people in Gaza has been killed since the Israeli bombardment began last month. Israel began carrying out a raid inside of Gaza's central al-Shifa hospital yesterday. According to Israeli and U.S. intelligence, Hamas members used the hospital for operations and to store weapons, a claim that Hamas denies. The conditions at the hospital have been a focus around the world for the past few days because of the worsening conditions. 40 people have died there since Friday, including three premature babies from the lack of electricity and basic necessities like water. The health ministry said that more than 100 bodies need to be buried,

but Israeli forces are preventing movement around the compound. The lack of fuel in the hospitals has made communication difficult and counting the dead almost impossible. The international NGO Human Rights Watch said this week that Israel's attacks on Gaza hospitals, quote, should be investigated as war crimes. Meanwhile, more than 500 U.S. officials representing over 40 government agencies have signed on to a letter protesting Biden's Israel policy. The letter says, quote, Americans do not want the U.S. military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East. The effects of climate change are being felt across every region in the United States, and it's expected to get worse with continued warming. That's according to a new major report from the federal government released yesterday that comes out every four to five years.

The report, called the National Climate Assessment, found that the U.S. is warming more rapidly than the global average. And climate change is leading to more intense and frequent extreme events like drought, flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, and more, many of which we've covered here on the show. The climate assessment also found that communities of color and low-income folks are disproportionately

at risk. President Biden delivered remarks at the White House yesterday and called out Republican legislators and his predecessor for denying climate change. Anyone who willfully denies the impact of climate change is condemning the American people to a very dangerous future. The impacts we're seeing are only going to get worse, more frequent, more ferocious and more costly. Like he's spot on. And the sad reality is that we know, as outlined in the report, which communities are going to get hit first and hardest. Right. The report also outlined some solutions and actions that can be implemented to reduce emissions. And the Biden administration yesterday announced more than six billion dollars to strengthen climate resilience, including bolstering the electric grid, advancing environmental justice,

supporting conservation efforts and more. Honestly, I hope this is a talking point in his 2024 campaign because this is going to be critical for all of our futures. Absolutely. I mean, this report says every single region, every single place in the U.S. will be affected by this. This can't be an issue that people upsettingly continue to deny. It just will become impossible. It is now at the point where it's so far beyond. We're warming more rapidly than the global average. It's unavoidable. There is such a big problem here, and we need to all get on the same page about fixing it. Inflation rates cooled down last month to the lowest increase since July. That is according to a new Labor Department report, and it's optimistic news for consumers. It also might

convince the Federal Reserve to hold off on raising interest rates again. Falling prices on things like cars and airfare helped to drive this trend, but it's not all great news. Most of you know that the cost of essentials like groceries remain stubbornly high. And so the pressure is on President Biden to make Bidenomics and tackling inflation even more of a centerpiece in his administration. Last week's New York Times Siena poll said that 81 percent of voters in battleground states rated the U.S. economy as fair or poor. We are going to need to see those numbers change a lot before this time next year. Senate Democrats finally found a possible way to move forward with hundreds of stalled military promotions and bypass Republican colleague

Tommy Tuberville. The Rules Committee voted yesterday along party lines to temporarily change the rules and send roughly 400 military nominations to a full Senate vote. They were all stuck in the Senate Armed Services Committee for the past nine months because Senator Tuberville single-handedly led a blockade. That's because he disagreed with the Pentagon's policy to reimburse service members who travel to seek an abortion. And his stance meant several key positions dealing with national security and more were left unfilled. But the fight's not over. For the new rule to go into effect, 60 senators must vote for it next. So if nine Republicans join all Democrats, then those hundreds of nominations can go to the Senate floor to get approved by a simple majority.

Again, Democrats leading the way on this. Nine Republicans better step up. About a third of Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders say that they have experienced an act of abuse based on their race and ethnicity in the last year, including verbal harassment, slurs, physical threats or cyberbullying. This all comes from a new poll from AAPI Data and the Associated Press NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Their survey also contains stats on how many Asian American and Pacific Islanders are not optimistic about this racism easing in the future, despite ongoing awareness and legislation to combat anti-Asian racism since it rose during the pandemic. Of those who have been hate crime victims, 20% believe it's very or extremely likely to happen to them again sometime in the next five

years. That is horrifying. We will link to the survey in our show notes so you can read more. Yes, please y'all click that link just to get a better understanding of what AAPI individuals are facing today. It is a disheartening reality. It really is. And finally, we'll wrap up today's headlines with good and bad news impacting LGBTQ plus folks in the U.S., starting with the bad. A North Dakota judge declined to temporarily block

a state ban on gender-affirming care for minors. That law makes it a felony for a health care provider to perform gender-affirming surgeries on minors and a misdemeanor to prescribe or administer puberty blockers or hormone treatments for trans kids. On Monday, District Judge Jackson Lofgren denied a temporary restraining order requested by three families and a pediatrician. They filed a lawsuit back in September saying that the ban violates the North Dakota Constitution and is, quote, unconstitutionally vague. The plaintiffs also requested a preliminary injunction and a hearing that is slated for

January. And in good news, as promised, the show can go on in Sherman, Texas. That's because a school district there reversed a decision that removed a transgender student from a role in the musical Oklahoma. To get you up to speed, Max Hightower, a transgender student at the school, was cast in the lead role in the play, but earlier this month, he was informed that he would lose the part due to a new policy that didn't allow students to play roles different from their sex assigned at birth. Several trans and non-binary students lost their roles, as did girls cast in male roles. But late Monday night, the school board voted unanimously to reinstate the original script and casting. Dozens of people showed up at the

meeting to support the students. Take a listen to what some of them had to say. I'm appalled to see that the bullies have moved from the hallways to the administration offices and this school board. I'm transgender. I am risking coming out to my entire homophobic family for this because this is a hill I will die on. Wow. Heartbreaking, but honestly, very real statements in support about how systematic it's becoming to have these anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ plus policies on the books. Seriously. In a statement after the vote, the board president apologized to students, parents, and the community for the books. In a statement after the vote, the board president apologized to students, parents, and the community for the situation and will take that win, especially if they change

this policy. You can't just backtrack on this one situation. Change the policy now. Yes, change the policy. And just for a moment, let us all imagine all of the things that these school boards, that these states, that all of these people who spend all of this time and effort worrying about what trans kids are and are not able to do and trying to prevent them from being able to do things that they want, what they could accomplish if they set their mind to literally anything else. Imagine. I don't know.

I think it'd be a much better world. Also, I want to shout out these individuals who stood up and showed support for the students because this is the type of support that trans kids lgbtqia plus kids need not just in sherman texas but across the country so keep that energy and let's see it elsewhere too absolutely and those are the headlines one more thing before we go the holidays are coming up y'all the cricket store has everything you need to get festive which i know is everyone's first priority. At least it should be. Fact.

From candles to crew necks, our new pieces will help you stay warm and snug this season. Plus, a stocking ready gift will make your to do list a little shorter. Head to Cricut dot com slash store to shop. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe. Leave a review. The first rule of Republican Fight Club is we all talk about Republican Fight Club. And tell your friends to listen.

And if you're into reading and not just watching non-politicized high school musicals like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe. I'm Juanita Tolliver. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And why did you do it, Kevin? Why? It's a good question.

I'm also curious of why Kevin thought he could lie about it after a reporter witnessed the action. These are mysteries. Don't know if we'll ever have the answer, but we'll be here on WOD to investigate. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itsy Quintanilla. Raven Yamamoto and Natalie Bettendorf are our associate producers, and our showrunner is Leo Duran. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Hey, listeners. I'm excited to tell you about a new podcast from Tenderfoot TV's Up and Vanish team, The Vanishing Point.

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