What A Day - Meet Joe Bill

Episode Date: January 15, 2021

Biden unveiled his proposal for a $1.9 trillion COVID rescue package yesterday, which includes $1,400 stimulus checks, an increase in federal unemployment benefits, plus $160 billion for a national vaccine program.New York attorney general is suing Mayor Bill De Blasio and the NYPD for excessive force against protestors this summer. This marks the first time in history that the state AG has sued the NYPD.And in headlines: US Capitol Police are being investigated for failing to keep a pro-Trump mob from storming Congress, Jared and Ivanka can’t share their toilets, and Disneyland suspends its annual pass program.

It's Friday, January 15th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick, and this is What A Day, coming to you on the last follow Friday of the Donald Trump presidency. Yeah, I'd like to follow the moving truck that is getting him out of town, just to make sure they don't come back. At Two Men in a Truck, we love your work. Keep it up. Drive speedily but safely. Yes. Quick announcement before we get started. We're going to be off on Monday for Martin Luther King Day.

And Crooked Media is going to be celebrating his memory by participating in the Presidential Inaug inaugural committee's National Day of Service. So join us and find COVID safe volunteer opportunities at votesofamerica.com slash volunteer. And we'll be back in your feeds next Tuesday. Yes. And moving now to today's show, we'll talk about Biden's plans for the economy and COVID plus a new effort for police accountability in New York, then some headlines. But first, the latest. There is real pain overwhelming the real economy. One where people rely on paychecks, not their investments, to pay for their bills and their meals and their children's needs. You won't see this pain if your scorecard is how things are going on Wall Street. But you will see it very clearly if you examine what the twin crises of a pandemic and this sinking economy have laid bare.

That was soon-to-be President Joe Biden unveiling his proposal for a sweeping COVID rescue package yesterday in Delaware. Biden is taking over a very difficult situation as he takes office next week unveiling his proposal for a sweeping COVID rescue package yesterday in Delaware. Biden is taking over a very difficult situation as he takes office next week on the economic front, on the health front, and not to mention the democracy front. Can't be overstated. We are in some crises. But last night he spoke about his economic plans, and later today we're expected to hear from him on vaccines. Before we get into the details of the economic proposal, let's just start with where things stand with the economy. Yeah, they don't stand in a great place. We got another wake up call from this week's unemployment claims,

which showed a big jump up in the wrong direction. 965,000 people filed, which is the highest number since August. And an economist who spoke to The Washington Post said that the jump could maybe be because there were backlogs over the holidays and there might be more incentive for people to actually file now because their benefits from the recently passed aid package can start kicking in. But overall, others said that this reflects the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and its impact on service industries, for one example, that we've seen in the last few months. And it comes after the economy also lost jobs last month. So the big concern is that the recovery isn't just slowing down, but maybe

actually reversing. Yeah, it's not good news. Well, let's talk about what's in Biden's bill to address the situation. Right. So this initial rescue package that Biden wants to get done is going to cost about $1.9 trillion. And here are some of the key details that are within it. $1,400 direct payment checks. That is an effort to bring the total to 2,000 after Congress only passed 600 last year. And after this came out, Representative Ocasio-Cortez and others quickly said that it should be 2,000 in addition, not total. There's about $160 billion for a national vaccine program. Biden has said that he wants to deliver 100 million doses in his first 100 days. There's an increase of federal unemployment benefits from 300 a week to 400 through September, and also a plan to work with Congress on automatic stabilizers.

That basically means benefits could conceivably increase or extend if unemployment rates increase. It's not necessarily stuck there. Then there's also a proposal to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, among other things. Yeah. So if this passes, it would be a big increase from where we are now. So what do we think in terms of whether it'll pass or not? I'm going to wait on optimism. But here's where things get interesting. So we know that Democrats will have control of the Senate with VP-elect Harris' deciding vote. But without it, the chamber is split 50-50. And The Washington Post reported that this initial package is intended to get some GOP support to get over 60 votes total. So that's hard to say if it would work, given the price tag and the events of this past week. And remember, even before that, this is in the price range that

Republicans have just not liked before. And then getting all the Democrats might not be a lock either. For instance, Senator Joe Manchin has expressed some pushback to adding to the debt with stimulus checks. And that's despite the fact that I think one could reasonably argue the $2,000 promise helped Democrats win those Senate seats in Georgia. So we'll have to see how this all goes down. Yeah, man, Joe Manchin is always just shitting the bed. Well, the Biden team is already talking about another bill to come after this one targeted at recovery and infrastructure spending. And the idea of using the budget reconciliation process has also come up for these bills. So can you break down how all of this is going to work? Yeah, we are going to budget reconcile hard, my friend. So the Democrats are now in charge of the committees in the Senate,

and Senator Sanders is going to be the chair of the budget committee. And so he wants to use budget reconciliation, which basically allows for the passage of certain budgetary legislation with a simple majority instead of those 60 votes. There's very recent history for it to be used for large legislation like the tax cut bill under Trump and none other than the Affordable Care Act. And then also in a recent interview with the New York Times, Sanders talked about, quote, an emergency universal health care program

being added to a future bill. So that would allow for anyone to get medical treatment during the pandemic, whether they have insurance or not. I actually haven't seen more detail on that specifically, but it kind of sounded like a bit of a test run for Medicare for all in some respects. Anyway, I imagine that this first bill from Biden is a kind of testing of the waters. It's more conservative in certain ways than some Democrats would want in order to bring in Republicans, I suppose. So it'll be telling to see how Republicans actually do respond and then how Biden reacts if they don't get on board. Yeah, I think you should just push it on forward. You know, if that's how we want to play politics, then fine. But that's the economic side. And then

there's also the actual pandemic side of things. You know, we've been talking about the Biden vaccine plan, which we'll hear more about later today. But what's the latest news on the vaccine front in the US? Okay, so at this point, over 11 million people have been vaccinated in the U.S. overall. Distribution, of course, has been slow and supplies have been limited, but one thing that could obviously help is getting another vaccine approved. So there was some important news on that in the past few days, and it has to do with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As a refresher, the huge upside of this one is that it is a single dose and can apparently stay stable in a refrigerator for months.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses and different cooling conditions. It's like freezing and very freezing. According to a recent New York Times story, Johnson & Johnson is expecting to release their results from their trials in the next few weeks, and if those are positive, that would be huge, of course, it could potentially get emergency use authorization. But the same story said that that company has already acknowledged some lags in their production schedule. They said they were supposed to have 12 million doses ready

to go by the end of February and 100 million by the end of June. But apparently, Johnson & Johnson may be two months behind that original schedule, which is not good. So we'll be keeping an eye on that and the new administration's planning. But to close here, we wanted to focus on a story that might be flying under the radar out of New York. Yes. So New York's first Black Attorney General, Letitia James,

has proven to be fearless in holding powerful people and entities accountable. You'll remember last year when she filed a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association and announced a slew of charges, including misappropriations of charitable funds for things like family trips to the Bahamas, private jets, and paying family members hella money and contracts for which they performed little to no work.

You may also know her from taking on Louis DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service debacle and forcing Eric Trump to be deposed in person regarding Trump organization illegalities. Well, the big news is that James is suing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD for excessive force against protesters this summer and is demanding changes and a third party federal monitor to oversee their tactics at future demonstrations. This lawsuit is the first time in history that a state attorney general has sued the NYPD. Yeah, and depending on what they find, it may not be the last. The timing

could also not be more apt with the comparisons that we've been seeing between the treatment of Black Lives Matter protesters and the kid gloves used on the Capitol insurrectionists. So what exactly is James saying about the NYPD's use of force? All right, so her investigations found that the force was excessive and violated the constitutional rights of protesters. Her office says the largely peaceful protests saw more than 2,000 people arrested and police used batons, rammed people with bicycles, used dangerous kettling tactics to corral individuals for mass arrests, and arrested legal observers, journalists, and medics with little to no justification. In a statement, she said, quote, with today's lawsuit, this longstanding pattern of brutal and illegal force ends. No one is above the law, not even the individuals charged with enforcing it. Okay, so then what are the next steps here? The lawsuit has been filed, but is the city

actually proposing anything in the meantime? Well, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed his disappointment with James and her move to take this to court because he believes that the bureaucracy of the court will slow down his administration's plans for major changes in regards to law enforcement. But, you know, given that de Blasio has had seven years to do anything about this not exactly new issue, it makes sense that concrete legal precedents needed to be set. And in the grander sort of what's next, the New York AG's office will be key in the ongoing investigations into Donald Trump and the Trump organization. So change is on the way. We will keep you posted on all of the accountability on the horizon. You know, I just love it. And that's the latest for now. It's Friday, WOD Squad.

And for today's Timp Check, we're talking about a classic Christmas movie with one really bad cast member. Home Alone 2 lost in New York. So, as you may know, Trump has a brief cameo on Home Alone 2. And after the events of last week and, you know, the past four years, some are calling for his appearance to be cut out. Even the star of the movie Macaulay Culkin is in. He replied to a tweet that proposed replacing Trump with a 40 year old Macaulay Culkin by saying sold. Next up would be editing out Trump's brief roles in Little Rascal, Zoolander, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Nanny, and more. So Giddy, my question for you,

do you support a Trump-free reissue of Home Alone 2? And if so, how should he be replaced? I think they can do whatever they want. I also don't think it's super necessary. I know that's like... I mean, how many times have you seen Home Alone 2, though? Many times, actually, many times. And there's Alone 2 though? many times actually many times and there's always everybody now always pauses

and is like holy shit that's Trump I think that like leaving him in is just like yeah like acknowledging this fucking guy was a big deal around that time in New York and we have our

cast of bad characters who evolve over the years and decades that are preserved in all shapes and fashions throughout movies and books. And if you know, you erase him, that's cool. I don't really care. But if you keep him, it's just a reminder of like, hey, pretty bad character arc on this fella in real life. but i do think i do think as an addendum if he does get replaced you could do like another new york fixture like big bird or something which would be a very funny thing to see giving directions to a small child in a hotel yeah i mean maybe big bird could be asking macaulay culkin how to get the sesame street so there you go there you go i dig it you know there's lots of edits that are possible. Yeah, we tie in the universes.

So Big Bird's an option. But what else are you thinking here? OK, so I definitely am pro getting him out of the movie. You know, he's in enough news and other shows, although I will defend the Fresh Prince by saying Ashley says several times in the show that he ruined her life because she hates him being there. So I feel like, you know, they could smell a little bullshit on him. But I think if they were going to replace him, you know, there are several levels, you

know, like the chaotic evil version is JFK Jr. Like, just CGI him in just to make the conspiracy theorists lose their minds. You know, we could go the justice route where it's like the Central Park Five is in the plaza giving directions. I love that. We could have, you know, aged down Barack Obama as, you know, as young as he would have been in the 90s. It's like, hey, kid, it's down the hall. Or, you know, just other people he's had feuds with, like Rosie O'Donnell. That's sort of like, I think the map, if I had like, you know, a pitch session, I'd be like, these are my ideas that I'm bringing.

I think they're all valid in different ways. I love it. I think honestly, there should be a different version of Home Alone 2 for every single person who sees it. And then it's like a weird, I'm forgetting the word, but like, you know, everybody has the effect of remembering a different person that they've seen in that scene.

And they're all right. But then everybody else thinks that they're wrong. Fun social experiment. I totally dig that. Yeah. Just not having him in a holiday movie at all is like really my motivation because I don't want to think about him then of all times. It's true. I already think about him at work, you know, like all the time.

Yes. You shouldn't on your on your vacations have to be reminded. Big Bird would be a lot better, I all the time. Yes, you shouldn't on your vacations have to be reminded. Big Bird would be a lot better, I think. Exactly. Big Bird is a universal beloved character. And just like that, we have checked our temps. Stay safe. Don't let Trump back in the plaza.

And we'll be back after some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. this month. Several officers have been suspended and at least 12 are being investigated. And a new ProPublica report ties the force's failures to a climate of racism that has largely been ignored by superiors there. According to the report, more than 250 black officers on the hill have sued the U.S. Capitol Police for racial discrimination since 2001. Black officers who filed complaints against their racist colleagues were denied opportunities or experienced other forms of retaliation. And on top of the white supremacist-friendly officers at the Capitol last week, a separate investigation is looking into allegations that members of Congress may have given tours to rioters before the failed insurrection. Democratic Representative Tim

Ryan announced the investigation yesterday after Representative Mikey Sherrill said on Facebook Live that tours may have been given. More on that soon. Yeah, we love to see them reaping what they've sown. All right. Well, last week, the CDC recommended that grocery store employees should receive the COVID vaccine after health care workers and nursing home residents. And now large chains are giving employees incentives to receive their shots. Dollar General announced they'll give employees four hours of pay if they get vaccinated and Trader Joe's plans to give employees two hours of pay per dose. So, you know, I guess Dollar General won that round. Even Instacart got on board,

offering its workers a $25 stipend to get the vax. Wow. Well, switching gears to people who will be getting vaccinated first, some health care and nursing home workers are reportedly hesitant to get the vaccine, causing a lag in vaccine rollouts in some areas. And that's why some hospitals and long-term care facilities are offering employees that get the vaccine, causing a lag in vaccine rollouts in some areas. And that's why some hospitals and long-term care facilities are offering employees that get the vaccine perks, like one Georgia-based nursing home that is giving away Waffle House gift cards. We call that a stimulus check, so please spend it wisely. Yes, and based on past precedent, it may not come around again.

Congress does not like to give that stuff out. Okay. Jared and Ivanka have brought that patented billionaire hospitality to Washington these past four years by reportedly refusing to let their 24-hour Secret Service detail use any of their home's six-and-a-half bathrooms. They're so greedy. Sorry, but their plumbing just isn't built for working man's excretions.

The scoop comes from the Washington Post who said the Secret Service team had to resort to increasingly desperate tactics to relieve themselves while protecting the Kushners. First, there was a porta potty out front that annoyed rich neighbors. Then Obama's security team let them use the bathroom in his garage. Then they drove a mile to Mike Pence's house. And finally, they secured a $3,000 a month full bath studio apartment nearby, a.k.a. a turd nest. OK, one really funny detail to this story

is the reason they had to move on from Obama's house. So per the Post, the arrangement there ended when one agent left behind a, quote, unpleasant mess. Sir, you are in the former president's home. Please do do better. A White House spokesperson said it was the Secret Service that actually decided to ban agents from going inside the Kushner's house,

but Post sources said the request came from the family. It's amazing how you can have hundreds of millions of dollars and still not afford to buy everybody poops. Yeah. Wow. I mean, I just love any story about government officials blowing out a bathroom, just exploding garage bathroom every day on their lunch break. Woof. All right. Well, there's a new way the world will be different after COVID. Adults in Southern California will no longer be able to stop by Disneyland multiple times a week. I am heartbroken. Disney reps announced yesterday that Disneyland and Disney California Adventure will end their annual pass programs, which gave diehard fans admission, priority access to rides, plus discounts on food and beverages.

The pandemic shuttered both parks in March, and when they finally reopen, they'll be at reduced capacity. That's a recipe for a lot of angry annual pass holders not getting reservations and storming Space Mountain. So Disney is cutting its losses and issuing refunds. I can't wait to get mine. A new annual pass program will be unveiled once the parks are allowed to fully reopen. By that time, hopefully we'll all be able to get cool N95 helmets that make us look like Buzz Lightyear.

I can't wait. I can't wait for all of this. I want mine to look like Woody's hat. Those are the headlines. One last thing before we go, Crooked Media's editor-in-chief, Brian Boitler, is launching the second season of his podcast, Rubicon, to walk us through the Biden administration's first 100 days. Subscribe and listen to the trailer right now. Episodes will drop every Friday starting January 22nd.

That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, build us a turd nest, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just Ivanka's copy of Everybody Poops Like Me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Akilah Hughes. I'm Gideon Resnick. And we'll see you at Waffle House.

Getting them smothered and chunked and whatever else they say about the waffles. Yes. I'm spending all of my stimmy money. The whole check. One meal. about the waffles. Yes. I'm spending all of my Simi money. The whole trip. One meal. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis.

Sonia Tan is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milstein and our executive producers are Katie Long, Akilah Hughes, and me. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.