What A Day - How Senate Dems Can Fight feat Sen. Tammy Baldwin

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

We are just 39 days away from President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. But Democrats are still trying to figure out what went wrong in 2024, and how to fix it before 2026. Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin breaks down why she thinks she won re-election in a swing state, in which Trump also won, and how Democrats are approaching the president-elect's cabinet picks. Later in the show, Politico senior defense correspondent Conner O'Brien explains what's actually in the big defense bill House lawmakers passed Wednesday.And in headlines: FBI Director Christopher Wray says he will resign when President Joe Biden leaves office in January, Grocery store chain Albertsons called off its merger with fellow mega grocer Kroger, and a federal judge in Texas put a stop to the sale of Alex Jones's Infowars to the Onion.Show Notes:Check out Connor's reporting – politico.com/staff/connor-obrienSubscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Thursday, December 12th. I'm Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show that did not fake its Spotify rap list to show a bunch of songs by Bruce Springsteen, unlike New Jersey representative Josh Gottheimer. My Spotify rap is perfect and real and contains no Bruce Springsteen because I am not a sports writer in my late 50s. On today's show, Dr. Phil, yes, Dr.

Phil, talks immigration policy with the incoming border czar. And the sale of Infowars is going back to the drawing board. Let's get into it. We are just 39 days away from president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, and I am not excited about it. And probably neither are you. So it makes sense that Democrats are still trying to figure out what went wrong in 2024 and how to fix it before 2026, when midterm elections could flip the

House and maybe, just maybe, the Senate. Clearly, something went wrong. How can we get it right? Did we lose because we moved too far to the center? Too far to the left? Were there too many groups? Was it Gaza? Inflation? Anti-incumbency? Not enough press conferences? Too many press conferences. Podcasts? Social media? Misogyny? Racism? Not enough dudes? Trump's weird celebrity? Should Democrats just sound more like Republicans? Okay, not that. But seriously, what was it? I don't think we can learn much from cable news pundits.

Trust me, I've been a cable news pundit. But I do think that someone who might have some ideas on what can work to win elections, and what doesn't, is someone who won a tough Senate race in a critical swing state that Donald Trump won. So I called up Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. We talked about what she learned from her race that could help the next generation of Democrats and we chatted about Trump's cabinet picks and what she and other Democrats are trying to get done before the holiday recess. Senator

Baldwin, welcome back to What a Day. It's great to be back. So you have about a week left before Congress breaks for the holidays and when you come back a new class and a Republican majority will be sworn in. What are the three things you want to tackle before returning to Wisconsin? Well, we want to keep the government open. We want to fund the government. So we have that to do before all is said and done. I want to get as many Biden nominated judges on the federal

bench as absolutely possible. We think we can get a few more across the finish line. There's a couple of vacancies on important boards and commissions that we want to make sure we follow through with before we lose President Biden. And so, lots of work in front of us in the remaining week and a couple days. I don't know if you know this, but Donald Trump has nominated a lot of unorthodox people for really important jobs in the government. Democrats don't have the power to sink them on their own, so what can the party do to

push back on some of these picks? Well, I think what we can do is make sure that we're insisting on full vetting, including FBI background checks. And when we convene in January, these nominees are going to come before the committees. And I think being really prepared to highlight when these nominees are not in line with our values. You know, I look at all of these folks with an eye towards fighting for the people of my state.

And so I'm gonna, you know, first, are they qualified? But secondly, are we gonna be able to work together to make sure, say, in the event of the health and human services, that Wisconsin children have access to vaccines? We don't want mumps and measles outbreaks. These are the type of priorities that I, and then the lens through which I'm going to look at these nominees, the ones especially that come before my committee.

But can you enforce a full vetting process on these nominees? What can Democrats do if the Trump team, which has been intimidating Republicans for the last three weeks, won't do it. And if you can't force that, what recourse will you have? Yeah. Well, we have folks that are trying to do independent vetting from the public record. They don't have access to the same things that the FBI does. But if they are obstructing that process and not allowing the FBI to do a full review, we also have to point that out and, you know, just make sure that the record is entirely clear.

And then I'm also reaching across the aisle as we get more and more information about these nominees. You know, I'm going to talk to some of my Republican colleagues who I think might have some of the same doubts about these nominees as we're talking about publicly. Who have you been reaching out to? Well, I'm going to wait until January, but I've been listening to some of the conversations that have been going on behind the scenes.

Of course, they want to keep their powder dry on the Republican side before the confirmation hearings actually start. But I know folks who have been expressing doubts, and I certainly want to connect with some of them moving forward. Are you meeting with or do you plan to meet with any of Trump's cabinet picks? I want to meet with as many of them as I can. And in fact, I will be meeting with Sean Duffy, who's a former Wisconsin congressman who's been nominated to run the Department of Transportation. Looking forward to the meeting and having worked with him across the party aisle on some Wisconsin transportation issues in the past,

I think it's going to be an interesting discussion. I know it's early. I know. Do you plan to vote in favor for any of Trump's nominees? I think there's a good chance with somebody like Sean Duffy, who I think would be serious about the role of running the transportation department. But there are many who I am very concerned about serious about the role of running the transportation department. But there are many who I am very concerned about and very skeptical that they'll be able to earn my vote based on what I know so far. Who are those nominees that you're most worried about?

Well, I would say Mr. Hegseth and Cash Patel. Those are two right off the bat that I'm extremely concerned about. So far, Democrats seem to be letting Republicans kind of cannibalize themselves over these nominees, which I won't lie, it seems to have worked. But as we head into the actual confirmation hearings next year, how do you see the Democrat strategy changing to combat some of Trump's more problematic picks? So I think we have to use the process that we have to really make the record and pin down these nominees on critical issues and make it very difficult

for some of our Republican colleagues to cast a vote and support to confirm some of these folks that have very troublesome records, have said very troublesome things about politicizing their departments, and especially those who are embracing elements of Project 2025, we need to bring that out. Are there areas where you think you can work with the Trump administration? You know, I've been through a Trump administration. And so, you know, there were a handful of issues, sadly not too many, but a handful

of issues on which I did work with the administration. I consider myself a big champion of buy America rules. And Trump talked a lot about Buy America provisions. He didn't do a lot of follow through, but I reached out a lot to say, you know, this bill would be a really good opportunity to add some Buy America rules. There's a couple of other issues. You know, he always claimed that he wanted to close the carried interest loophole. I'd love to see that closed.

I'd work with the administration on that particular provision. But there are, you know, the issues are few and far between. But yeah, I'm gonna try to seize anyone that I can, especially when it helps me fight for my state. Now, Democrats are still working through why Vice President Kamala Harris lost the election and every swing state. You're in an interesting position

because there are a host of voters in Wisconsin who voted for Donald Trump and you. So what's your theory of the case? Because your state, Wisconsin, was one of those swing states and you won. Right, so I could tell you what I did that I think was helpful in leading to my victory, and that is that I have a strategy

of trying to get everywhere around the state and to listen, deeply listen, and then deliver for the people of my state. And I've had a period of time now to do that. Kamala Harris had 107 days to do that. And she did come to Wisconsin very frequently, and it was super, super close. And the other thing that's said about this election, and it was super, super close.

And the other thing that's said about this election is that it was a change election. People really, really are worried about the cost of things and frustrated and concerned about the direction the country's going in. So it's not surprising from that perspective that they would vote against the incumbent party in the White House. And I think one of the reasons why I escaped those heavy headwinds was, again, because I built relationships across the state over many years. Now, our listeners are, like me, anxious about Trump's return to the White House.

And just anxious in general, honestly. So what's your message to my listeners over the next four years? Okay. Breathe. Seriously. I understand that anxiety is real. And for some, it's sleepless nights even. So we do have to take care of ourselves

so that we're strong to fight. We also have to work as hard as we can in the midterm elections to flip the house back to democratic control. We're so close right now in terms of the spread between the two. And we also have to try to do the same with the US Senate. It's a little more complicated because only a third of the Senate is up every two years. But we also have to lay the foundation of proving to the American voters whose side we are on and reminding them that Donald Trump is betraying them. He said he was for the working person.

Wait until you see his tax proposal. Wait until you see him take money out of the pockets of hardworking people to give them to the very rich and big corporations. We gotta make sure that everyone is crystal clear that he promised a lot of things in this last election and he is breaking his word. And we know this is coming.

Senator Baldwin, as always, thank you so much for being here. Jane, thank you so much for having me on. It's great to see you and be with your listeners. That was my conversation with Wisconsin Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends.

More to come after some ads. And now, the news. Head of Lines. Well, there's three rails we'll start the first day. Number one, we're going to secure the border. Number two, we're going to run the deportation operation. Number three, we'll look for these 300,000 kids. We'll find them too.

Tom Homan, the incoming White House border czar, went on Dr. Phil Primetime on Dr. Phil's network, also known as Merit TV, to talk about Trump's mass deportation plan. Reminder, Homan led ICE during the first Trump administration's zero tolerance policy, which separated thousands of kids from their parents. Those are the missing kids he mentions in the clip. In the multi-part interview this week, Homan told Dr. Phil exactly what he wants to do starting January 21st, 2025. Day one, we're going to be looking for these public safety threats,

arresting them, detaining them, and deporting them. And if these sanctuary city mayors don't want help, they get the hell out of the way, because we're coming, we're doing it. Homan also mentioned that there will be a citizen phone number he hopes people use to report their undocumented neighbors to ICE. I'm sure that will go just as they expect. Texas land commissioner Dawn Buckingham was a guest at one of the live recordings.

She spoke with Homan and Dr. Phil about her offer to build deportation facilities on 1,400 acres of state land. If there's a way to help get these violent criminals off of our soil who are raping and murdering our sons and daughters, we want to be a part of that. Is there a plan to utilize that? I'm writing the plan as we speak. I was working on it last night, matter of that. Yeah. Is there a plan to utilize that? I'm writing the plan as we speak. I was working on it last night, matter of fact. The role of Bordesar does not require Senate confirmation.

That may explain why Homan has done at least 20 interviews in the past month promoting Trump's plans for mass deportations. FBI Director Christopher Wray says he will resign when President Joe Biden leaves office in January. He told bureau workers at a town hall on Wednesday. Wray's decision means he will be leaving what's usually a 10-year term early. Trump appointed him back in 2017, after he fired the previous director, James Comey.

But Wray's early departure also isn't a surprise. Trump made it pretty clear he wanted someone else to head the FBI on his second term, after he nominated loyalist Cash Patel for the job last week. Trump also complained about Ray during his interview Sunday on Meet the Press. I can't say I'm thrilled with him. He invaded my home. I'm suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago.

I'm very unhappy with the things he's done. Never mind that Trump brought this on himself when he didn't turn over thousands of federal documents. While Ray's departure clears the way for Patel to take over the FBI, he'll still need to be confirmed by the Senate. And given his penchant for conspiracy theories, election denialism, his vows to seek retribution against Trump's enemies and his weird children's books, it's still an open question whether enough Senate Republicans will get in line and vote for him. Albertsons, the parent company of grocery store chains like Safeway and Vons in the U.S., called off its merger with fellow grocery store operator Kroger on Wednesday.

That's after a federal judge blocked the deal. The merger, valued at $25 billion, was proposed two years ago. It would have been the largest grocery store merger in U.S. history and put control of nearly every major supermarket in the hands of one company. But earlier this year, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit to block it, arguing that the deal would raise prices for customers. And a federal court ruled in favor of the government on Tuesday. Instead of fighting to save the merger,

Albertsons backed out and sued Kroger on Wednesday. Albertsons blamed Kroger for the deal's failure. Kroger responded by saying it was actually Albertson's fault. There's lots of beef here, and sadly, not the tasty kind. A federal judge in Texas put a stop to the sale of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones's Infowars to the Onion at auction on Wednesday. The sale was a result of Jones's bankruptcy after a defamation lawsuit brought by the

families of Sandy Hook victims. Jones responded in his signature level-headed, very normal, totally understated style. It's our choice to be slaves or be free humans. It's our choice to join Team Satan or join Team Humanity. It is Wednesday, December 11th, 2024, and we are still in the Infowar studios, surviving. Tell me more about Team Satan. Anyway, the judge said the auction process didn't result in the Sandy Hook families getting enough money. Both the Onion and the victims' families have expressed disappointment with the decision. A court-appointed trustee will decide what happens next.

And that's the news. One more thing. The House voted to pass a nearly $900 billion national defense spending bill on Wednesday. This is one of the big things on lawmakers' to-do list before the new Congress is sworn in next month. It was a bipartisan vote. It usually is every year since both chambers need to approve this thing on a tight deadline. But this year, more than 100 Democrats voted against the measure because it includes a bunch of bullshit.

For starters, there's a ban on gender-affirming care for trans kids and military families. The bill specifically bans military health care insurance from covering treatments like hormone replacement therapy and puberty blockers if the treatment could result in sterilization. Of course, cis kids and military families would be able to access the same care if they needed it, because as a wise man once said, cruelty is the point. Democratic representative Adam Smith, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, spoke out against the provision this week. In a statement, he said that he would not support the bill, because it puts the lives

of trans kids at risk, and forces their parents to choose between their service and their children. The bill also bans the military from teaching critical race theory, because when a third of the military comes from a non-white background, it's important that you absolutely don't discuss how race functions in our politics and culture. Remind me again, why did the armed services need to be desegregated in 1948? Hmm. Now you're probably wondering, how did culture war nonsense get thrown into our budget for national defense? Why are elected officials asking other elected officials

to decide between pay raises and new equipment for our soldiers and support for kids and their families? So am I. So to break down what's actually happening in this bill, I called up Connor O'Brien. He's a senior defense correspondent for Politico. Connor, welcome to Water Day. Thanks for having me.

So before we get to the transphobia of it all, tell me what's in this bill that actually relates to national defense with regard to our military and foreign policy. What we're talking about, the National Defense Authorization Act is a pretty sprawling bill, pretty all-encompassing. It has passed each year for over 60 years.

It doesn't actually spend money. That needs to be done separately in an actual spending bill, but it kind of gives you the broad outlines of the Pentagon budget. So it does a number of things like prescribes the number of ships the Navy should put on contract, the number of aircraft that the Air Force can buy or what systems the Pentagon can retire.

It lays out the military pay raise each year. This year was a lot of provisions for military quality of life, which includes an expansion of pay and benefits. There's a four and a half percent military pay raise for the entire force. But then for the junior enlisted members, there's 14 and a half percent pay raise. And that's, that's been the focus of a lot of the work. It's interesting because it sounds like there's like real issues and real stuff getting hashed out in this bill, but there's also like bullshit messaging. And when it comes to the gender affirming care ban, can you tell me what trans kids have to do with national defense? How did Republicans sneak this in there in the first place?

And what is the argument for why this is necessary for national defense or ever? That's the interesting part of this. This was really a push by Mike Johnson. There's not unanimity among Republicans about should this be in the defense bill, despite maybe a lot of Republicans agreeing on the actual policy. House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers, who is a very conservative guy, basically said this didn't come from us. The way this works is, you know, if there is something they believe could be a red line or a poison pill, it usually gets dropped because Democrats and Republicans want to get a bill done.

They don't want it to be the first year that there isn't a bill. Speaker Mike Johnson was really the driver behind this. He had a statement talking up that and then a couple other provisions that were in there like critical race theory, a couple things on diversity, equity, inclusion, and saying basically the military is distracted by these things. That's been the argument against a lot of these. I mean, it also sounds a little bit to me, and please push back if I'm wrong, that it's like, if Democrats are like, we don't wanna vote for this,

then Mike Johnson's gonna be like, so you hate our troops. I think there are two aspects to this. Mike Johnson is doing a lot of things to keep conservatives happy because he does have a speaker election, he needs to win in early January. He's really trying to lock down the right flank,

more so than trying to put Democrats in a tough spot. He's also not going to cut a deal, it looks like, with Democrats to finish up spending for the year, instead gonna punt it into next year when Donald Trump is president, when they have the majority in the Senate, and can maybe get a better deal for conservatives. The argument from Republicans as to why this wasn't needed

is Donald Trump's gonna be president in six weeks, and he can undo a lot of these. So I think perhaps a bigger issue is going to be does he reinstate the previous policy that he had in his administration, which is effectively a ban on transgender service? You mentioned the other provisions that ban the military from teaching critical race theory and DEI. I feel like to me, it seems like this is a thing that happens a lot, but I'm curious,

is it typical for lawmakers to use annual defense spending bill to do culture war nonsense? It is interesting to me that in the last couple of years, Republicans have really leaned into many of these culture war fights when they brought a defense bill to the floor. Usually stuff kind of comes out in the negotiations between the House and the Senate. They had language on abortion that did not make it through. They had broader language on transgender troops that didn't make it through. But to me, this was pretty notable that it survived the process and really that it was insisted on by House leadership.

This is not something they typically do. So I think we'll have to see what the implications are for kind of this process. Does this get built upon? Does this become a regular thing? I think we're gonna have to see how do senators handle this. Yeah, I was just about to ask they're expected to vote on the defense bill next week and propose amendments. Could they block the bill altogether? I mean nothing's impossible. Interestingly enough, this provision originated in the Senate despite it being a Democratic-led Senate. In the Armed Services Committee, I was kind of surprised to see this, actually,

but multiple provisions on transgender medical care were included when they marked up their bill behind closed doors. It remains to be seen, I think. Maybe you could see it sway some people, but I would assume we're going to see a fairly bipartisan vote on it. Mm-hmm. Connor, this has been super informative. Thanks so much for joining us. Thanks for having me. That was my conversation with Politico senior defense correspondent, Connor O'Brien.

The Senate will vote on the spending bill next week and it's expected to pass. Before we go, critics are calling Empire City, the untold origin story of the NYPD, riveting, thought-provoking, and essential listening. Haven't started it yet? Now is the perfect time. Hailed by vulture as not just an expose but a call to action, in just eight episodes, Empire City takes you back to the origins of the NYPD and completely reframes the way we think about policing today. Listen to the series now wherever you get your podcasts, or binge all episodes ad-free

on Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts. That's all for today. If you liked the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, make fun of the Ohio Republican who wants to make it illegal for opposing teams, like the Michigan Wolverines, to plant flags in the center of Ohio State Stadium after they win, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, and not just about how Ohio State had many opportunities to stop Michigan from planting a flag in their stadium by winning the game, but they didn't, like me, what today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out

and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Coaston and maybe just get better at football Ohio State, then we won't plant flags. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Raven Yamamoto. Our producer is Michelle Eloy. We have production help today from Tyler Hill, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Clare. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison,

and our executive producer is Adrian Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka.