What A Day - I Like Big Budgets And I Cannot Lie

Episode Date: March 10, 2023

President Biden unveiled his $6.8 trillion budget plan for the 2024 fiscal year. The plan would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade while shoring up Medicare, bolstering military spending, and raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans.A third Norfolk Southern train derailed in Alabama, just hours before the company’s CEO testified before Congress about the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio last month.And in headlines: Russia launched its largest airstrike in weeks into Ukraine, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will remain hospitalized after he fell at a fundraising dinner, and Daylight Saving Time begins for most of the U.S. on Sunday.Show Notes: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 friday march 10th i'm treyvel anderson and i'm priyanka arabindi and this is what a day the only podcast that apparently adheres to california's indoor smoking laws listen cole sprouse we want to hear about your childhood for sure but the effects of secondhand smoke are well documented yeah we just to look out for ourselves here. Sorry, buddy. On today's show, Russia launched one of its biggest airstrikes on Ukraine in weeks. Plus, Tennessee's lieutenant governor has apparently fallen for someone's thirst traps. Happens to the best of us, so it's fine. But first, President Biden unveiled his $6.8

trillion budget plan for the 2024 fiscal year yesterday. The plan would cut deficits by $2.9 trillion over the next decade while shoring up Medicare, bolstering military spending, and raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans. $6.8 trillion is a lot of money. I'd say. Tell us more, Priyanka. What is in this budget? So this budget is how Biden is showing us his priorities. They include reining in our deficit. The primary way he plans to do that is through new taxes on corporations and the ultra wealthy. The plan calls for a new 25% minimum tax on billionaires income, an increase in the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% and raising the tax on stock buybacks to 4%. I believe that's up from 1%. It would also get rid of the carried interest

loophole for certain financial professionals and raise the top tax rate back to 39.6% from 37% that it's been at since Donald Trump's presidency. But aside from these changes to the tax code, Biden is also offering new savings for the government through more aggressive negotiation over prescription drug pricing. The White House estimates that their proposal would save the government an additional $200 billion over 10 years, And his proposed tax increases would end up extending the life of Medicare by at least 25 years. This is explicitly named, stuff that he clearly cares about. Of course, you know, this is an American budget, large request for defense spending, no way around it. The $885 billion in overall defense spending

requested would go towards supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia, countering Russian efforts more generally with things like cybersecurity, increasing the Pentagon's budget, and making investments to, quote, out-compete China. Some of Biden's longstanding pledges like universal preschool, paid parental leave, and increasing funding for child care, things that would have a huge impact for many, many families across the country. All of that sounds cute, or most of it. I don't know about the whole, you know, more defense spending part. But will this plan ever become a reality? Yeah, I might have buried the lead here. It's not happening with this Congress, I'll tell you that much. Republicans control the House, but they are

very unenthusiastic about increases to government spending and any plan that would raise taxes at all. They have been demanding spending cuts in return for their votes to lift the debt ceiling ahead of the summer. But they haven't offered any kind of blueprint of their own. Biden's budget is really like a challenge to them to present their alternative to the American people, preferably one that doesn't cut things that people like, like Social Security and Medicare. But aside from, you know, daring Republicans to do it better,

this proposal is being discussed as a campaign blueprint for Biden as he heads towards a possible run for reelection. He unveiled this plan in Philadelphia. It's a city in a major swing state with the message that this budget will lift the burden off of American families and generate economic growth. You can kind of see how he might carry this message through to 2024. Okay, but I'm old enough, Priyanka, to remember when we were talking about him being just a one-term president. No, no, we don't do that conversation anymore. Sorry. I don't know where it went, but we don't do it anymore. We just don't. We don't know her. We don't acknowledge her anymore, I guess. Sorry. Wow. I hate that for that for us okay on to an update in the story about Norfolk

Southern that is the company that's been having all these train derailments over the last month or so the first was in East Palestine Ohio which we've talked about before the second was near Springfield Ohio this past weekend we mentioned that earlier in the week. And then yesterday morning, a third train derailed in Alabama, just hours before Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw testified before Congress. Okay, it's a little difficult for me to think of any entity that is having a worse year than Norfolk Southern. Before we get to what the CEO said, can you give us more details about this latest derailment?

Because this is wild that this happened a third time. Yeah. So the train was traveling from Atlanta to Meridian, Mississippi, when it derailed in Calhoun County, Alabama. According to officials, 30 cars in total derailed. And there have been no reports of injuries, thankfully. There are also no reports of any sort of hazardous materials leaking, anything of the sort. None of that.

So no danger to the public. Good news there. Yeah, very good news for the people nearby. I know that is very much not the case for other people in areas where this has happened. But what did the CEO have to say for himself? In testifying before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Shah could do nothing but apologize, right, to the communities that have been impacted, particularly in East Palestine with the derailment there.

He said, quote, I am determined to make this right. Norfolk Southern will clean the site safely, thoroughly, and with urgency. Shaw then outlined some financial commitments that the company is undertaking. We've already talked about them on the show before. This includes what they say is a direct investment of over $21 million to the East Palestine community, which he called a, quote, down payment, which, you know, I guess we're supposed to think of that as just like a place to start. A start.

Yeah. I'm going to hold you to that one. Right. Well, and we know, right, that there is like well over 4,000 families that were impacted in East Palestine and $21 million for over 4,000 families is not actually a lot of money when we're talking about the type of impact. Right, that this had. Yeah, that this had for them. But he also, you know, had to face some fairly tough questioning,

especially from Senator Bernie Sanders regarding some of the company's labor practices that may have led to these derailments. For example, just a few months ago, Norfolk Southern rail workers did not get a single day of paid sick leave. Take a listen to this exchange from the hearing between Sanders and Shaw. When I'm asking you right now, you provided paid sick days to some of your employees. I got it. Thank you. Will you now do it? What most America, what we get here in Congress, our employees get sick, they get paid sick days. Will you make that commitment right now to guarantee paid sick days to all of your workers?

That's not a radical demand. It really is not. Will you make that commitment, sir? Senator, I share your focus on our employees. I will commit to continuing to discuss with them important quality of life issues with our local craft colleagues. And all due respect, you sound like a politician here, Mr. Shaw. Yeah, I mean, you gotta love Bernie for saying it how it is. That was like the, what kind of word salad answer was that?

I'm sorry. No, that makes no sense. Congress has been discussing the potential need for rail safety legislation. Did Shaw have anything to say about those efforts? I mean, he kind of, sort of did, but basically did not, I would say. Because earlier in the hearing, right, one of the lawmakers who introduced this new bill called the Railway Safety Act of 2023. That's Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. He literally said that he wanted to hear CEO Shaw endorse the bill. The bill, by the way, includes new safety requirements and procedures for trains carrying hazardous materials, a requirement for advance

notice from railways to state emergency response officials about what their trains are carrying through their states, requirements to prevent blocked railway crossings, and new rules for train size and weight. But Shaw didn't fully endorse the legislation. He'd only say that the company supported tighter railroad tank car standards and more training and funding for first responders. And he said, quote, we are committed to the legislative intent to make rails safer, which, you know, okay, but no specifics there. Yeah, I mean, it's exactly what Bernie said. Like, what a great way to say absolutely nothing. Thank you, sir. Right. So what happens now with Norfolk Southern? Well, the National Transportation Safety Board has opened a special investigation

into the company's safety practices and culture. In a statement they released earlier this week, they noted that they've had to look into the company since 2021 when an employee was killed on the job. So, you know, there's a history of safety issues at the company. We will obviously have to wait for those results. But in the meantime, right, there's a lot of political and public pressure on the company to get their shit together and to support the communities that they've harmed.

We will, of course, be following this story and I'm sure more is to come. But that is the latest for now. Let's get to some headlines. A massive Russian airstrike struck several Ukrainian cities on Thursday, killing at least six people. Most of the deaths were reported in the western region of the country in the city of Lviv. The attack also knocked out power in several areas, including the capital of Kiev. Ukrainian officials said that dozens of missiles were launched in the attack and that at least six of the missiles they intercepted were Kinzals. Those are Russian-made missiles that travel at hypersonic speed and are capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.

This isn't the first time that Russia has used these missiles in combat, but a spokesman for Ukraine's Air Force said that these are the most they've seen in a single attack. The strike also temporarily cut off power from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant from the rest of the country's power grid. The plant, which also happens to be the largest atomic energy facility in all of Europe, has been under Russian control for months, and U.N. officials renewed their calls to keep the plant safe. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will remain hospitalized for the next few days, after he fell Wednesday night at a fundraising dinner at a Washington, D.C. hotel. A spokesperson for the Kentucky senator said that he suffered a concussion, but didn't say how long he's expected to be away from the Senate. McConnell, who is 81 years old, is the longest serving Senate leader in that chamber's history

and has had at least one other fall since he's been in office. Back in 2019, he fractured his shoulder after tripping on his home patio. On the Senate floor yesterday, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said this. I offer a prayer of strength and healing for the leader. I join every single one of my colleagues in wishing Leader McConnell a speedy and full recovery. Sending our thoughts and prayers to whoever is sharing a hospital room with Mitch, who is probably watching C-SPAN on full volume,

dying to get back into the action. Like I said, yelling at the screen like the grandfather in The Simpsons, I'm sure, because he's missing out on all the hot action happening in the chamber. I don't know. Hopefully C-SPAN scratches the itch for him. We will see. As Tennessee lawmakers continue to push for even more anti-LGBTQ legislation, the state's lieutenant governor is sending a very different message to the people he follows on Instagram. According to the advocacy site Tennessee Holler, Randy McNally used his official verified account to leave some, shall we say, encouraging comments on a young gay man's racy post.

Shall we? Shall we say that? Shall we? The images in question show Knoxville native Franklin McClure in varying stages of undress with McNally responding with heart and flame emojis or with some unusual words of encouragement. In one particularly revealing post, McNally commented, quote, you can turn a rainy day into rainbows and sunshine. It's giving like old school Mac Daddy pickup line. That's the vibe it gives to me.

OK, the vibe it gives me is very discordant. It's basically a nude. The photo is like nude. And that is what this man is commenting. It's wild. Mm hmm. is like nude and that is what this man is commenting it's wild you know he basically said that this guy turned his very rainy day into uh one field of sunshine and that's how you flirt these days i guess you know i don't know when approached by reporters yesterday about the posts

the lieutenant governor had this to say try to encourage people on my post and I try to support people just because he's gay. I also have friends that are gay, relatives that are gay, but I don't feel any animosity towards gay people. That's interesting because your policies definitely do. Right. That's a weird thing. Exactly. Make it make sense okay and in a statement a spokesperson for McNally added quote trying to imply something sinister or inappropriate about a great grandfather's

use of social media says more about the mind of the left-wing operative making the implication than it does about Randy McNally but you you know how the old saying goes, Priyanka. Where there's smoke, there are flame emojis. Get ready to spring forward this weekend, whether you like it or not, as daylight saving begins for most of the U.S. on Sunday. But if you're tired of throwing off your sleep cycle twice a year, trust that we are keeping a close eye on the Sunshine Protection Act. It would make daylight saving permanent and is one of the few truly bipartisan bills hoping for a

shot in this year's deeply divided Congress. You may remember that we covered it on the show last year. The bill unanimously passed the Senate, but ended up going dark, as they say, in the House. It was reintroduced last week, and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, who has been championing this cause since 1985, that is such a long time, told the Washington Post that he thinks this could finally be the year that it passes because, quote, the sun doesn't have any enemies.

Okay. I don't get what that means, but best of luck to you, sir. And you can bet that you'll definitely have a better weekend than former President Donald Trump. That's because the Manhattan DA's office gave him a chance to testify next week before the grand jury investigating his alleged payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. We're not legal experts here, but it could mean that prosecutors are gearing up to indict him on criminal charges. In the meantime, if you're eager to read up on his missives with other celebrities, mark your calendar for April 25th. That's when his new

coffee table book, aptly named Letters to Trump, comes out. It will feature 150 private letters that were sent to him over the years from the likes of former President Richard Nixon, Princess Diana, the one and only Oprah Winfrey, and even his good friend, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. It can be yours for just $99

or $399 for a signed edition, though the publisher has stated on its website that all sales are final. So you can't get your money back, okay? Even if you like Donald Trump, this just sounds like it won't be an aesthetically pleasing coffee table book. I just can't see that being the case.

So this feels like a terrible way to waste, you know, either $100 or $400. Nobody do this, please. This is just dumb. Yeah, please don't do this. Don't buy anything. And hopefully he will, you know, leave us alone. And those are the headlines.

We'll be back after some ads to tell you about an old school Boston brawl on Capitol Hill. It's Friday, Wild Squad. it's friday wild squad so that calls for a little section that we like to call rent free my fave we love this you may have heard us mention this in you know every single episode we have done but in addition to the pitch perfect podcast that you hear five days a week, we also put out an equally hilarious nightly newsletter. Joining us again is Crooked Associate Editor Julia Clare. Julia, welcome back to WIPE. Hello, my friends. Happy Friday to us all. So Julia, another week of foolishness, okay, from finding out what Tucker Carlson really thinks of former President Trump to JetBlue trying to buy Spirit Airlines.

But Julia, what's the one headline that's been living rent-free in your brain this week? The Senate Committee for Healthcare, Education, Labor, and Pensions, also known as HELP, they held hearings with a bunch of labor leaders this week. And there was this exchange between the president of the Teamsters Union, who is a man from Boston named Sean O'Brien. Imagine a man from Boston, a middle-aged man from Boston named Sean O'Brien. Whatever you're imagining, it's correct. He and Senator Mark Wayne Mullen. I can't believe that we have a senator named Mark Wayne.

One word, Mark Wayne. Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen got into a heated exchange, and I would love to play the clip. You're out of line. I should have it. No, don't tell me I'm out of line. You are out of line. Don't tell me I'm out of line. Well, you frame the statement. You need to shut your mouth, because you don't know what you're talking about.

You're going to tell me to shut my mouth? Yes, I do. Hold it. Hold it. Tough guy. I'm not afraid of physical. Hold it. But don't sit there and tell me I'm out of line.

Oh, my. He's not afraid of physical what? Exactly. The girls are fighting. Yeah, they are. The girls are fighting. And poor chairman of the committee, Bernie Sanders, is in the back just like sadly banging his chairman's gavel. And you can hear that exchange back and forth.

Senator Mark Wayne Mullen telling a witness, someone being deposed in a hearing, shut your mouth, which is batshit in and of itself. And also what I've learned from this clip is that I would die for the president of the Teamsters Union. And I feel comfortable putting my life on the line for him. I'm trash from Boston as well, okay? I just, I love to see my people represented in the highest levels of government.

And he just reminds me of so many of my uncles. I'm not afraid of you tough guy act. It made me very fired up. It's clearly just such a corporate villain versus Joe Everyman moment that I think we should be running those ads in perpetuity. And I think that Teamsters' Sean O'Brien should be the next Secretary of Labor.

A new fave. That was Crooked Associate Editor Julia Clare. She works tirelessly through this news cycle to bring you what a day's nightly newsletter. It is fantastic. If you haven't already, you can subscribe to it at crooked.com slash subscribe. Julia, thank you so much for joining us. This is great as always. Priyanka, Trevelle, an honor and a privilege. Love you both. Love you too. See you again next week.

One more thing before we go. If you are looking for more ways to stay up to date with what's going on in the world or just need to cleanse your timeline, give us a follow on TikTok. Just do a quick search for Crooked Media to see our daily curation of the hottest takes, biggest news, and funniest jokes from around the network. Some of us also have personal TikToks. Feel free to follow us there. Yeah, what she said.

That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, figure out how to change the time on your microwave, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just letters to Donald Trump like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. I'm Trevelle Anderson. And stop commenting on our posts, Randy McNally.

Listen, I know I'm cute. I look good. But, you know I'm cute. I look good. But, you know, it's not welcome, sir. It's not the vibe. Stop. What Today is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Jazzy Marine and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers.

Our head writer is Jossie Kaufman. And our executive producers are Lita Martinez, Michael Martinez, and Sandy Gerard. Production support comes from Leo Duran, Ari Schwartz, and Matt DeGroote. With additional promotional and social support from Awa Okulate, Julia Beach, and Jordan Silver. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka.