What A Day - Minimum Wage, Maximum Rage

Episode Date: February 26, 2021

The House is expected to pass its COVID relief bill as soon as today, but there's still a question of what happens when the bill gets to the Senate. Yesterday the Senate parliamentarian said the minimum wage increase couldn’t pass via the budget process. We explain the ruling, the reaction and where things could go from here. With Black History Month almost over, we spoke to Black history educators from across the country about what it means to them in 2021 and who they are celebrating this year. And in headlines, we're joined by special guest Nicole Byer: Lady Gaga's friend shot and dogs stolen, a man implicates himself at the Capitol riots by texting his ex, and Trump's tax records are in the hands of Manhattan prosecutors.Show Links:"2020 and the Recognition of HBCU Power"https://crooked.com/articles/2020-hbcu/"The Overlooked Role of Black Greek Organizations"https://crooked.com/articles/black-greek-organizations-harris/Journalist Farai Chideya on building a media that’s more representative and better connected to all communities (Pod Save America)https://crooked.com/podcast/party-of-q/Activist Alicia Garza on organizing for change under Biden (Lovett Or Leave It)https://crooked.com/podcast/teds-excellent-adventure/Journalist and host of the Black Diplomats podcast Terrell Jermaine Starr on how domestic activism fits into American foreign policy (Pod Save The World)https://crooked.com/podcast/the-coup-in-myanmar-explained/Comedian and commentator Baratunde Thurston on how Black and White America moves forward post Trump (Keep It)https://crooked.com/podcast/free-against-the-music-with-baratunde-thurston/OB/GYN and women’s health advocate Dr. Heather Irobunda on racism in medicine and how she’s using Tik Tok to “empower vagina owners"https://crooked.com/podcast/whats-up-doc-with-dr-heather-irobunda/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday.

It's Friday, February 26th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick. And this is What A Day, where we are learning to cook new meals in quarantine like pasta, but different. Yeah, I enjoyed pasta for the first six months. But in the last six months, making the pasta just a little different has been essential for me. Yeah, honestly, I'm going to go no sauce. On today's show, we hear from Black History educators about what Black History Month in 2021 means to them, then some headlines.

But first, the latest. Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour has not been raised by Congress since 2007. Got that? Minimum wage not been raised by Congress since 2007, 14 years ago. And let us be clear, no ifs, buts, and maybes. $7.25 an hour is a starvation wage. That's what it is. That was Senator Bernie Sanders at a hearing yesterday making the case for raising the federal minimum wage. He and others have been hoping to do that in the upcoming COVID relief bill. And speaking of that bill, things are in flux as usual, but the House is expected to try and pass it as soon as today, which means it's time for a new segment we're calling Stimulus Countdown, which is a working title. Let us know if you have any suggestions

at all. We are listening. Wow. Accurately captures all of our feelings. We're tired of waiting for this, but let's get into it. So getting the bill through the House would be a major step forward, but of course, there's still the Senate, and the minimum wage increase is one of the most uncertain issues there. You, me, senators, and basically everyone were waiting to hear from the Senate parliamentarian on whether or not it could even be included in the Senate bill, and we got an answer to that yesterday evening, so let's start with what the answer was. The answer was no, unfortunately. Bad news, yeah, from the Senate parliamentarian saying the minimum wage increase could not be included in the budget reconciliation bill. So to get a sense of where we are now, let me back up for a second

to explain how this all went down. On Wednesday, we had Republican and Democratic staff making arguments to the Senate parliamentarian. Her name is Elizabeth McDonough. If she had said yes at that point, it can be included. Democrats would have had to figure out how to structure it in their bill and then get all 50 Democrats in the Senate on board. We knew also that at least one Democratic senator, you guessed it, it is Joe Manchin, has recently countered with an $11 offer per hour, that is. And we also know that Republican senators are absolutely a no-go too, with their counter pitch being $10 an hour.

So all due respect, when a lot of these guys started work back during the Dust Bowl, a nickel was like $100. So I guess this checks out. Yeah, you're not wrong. Okay, so now the parliamentarian has ruled. What do we do now? Yeah, that's the question. So this is only pertaining to the Senate. So as far as we know, it's going to stay in the House bill that is set to be voted on today. Also, House Speaker Nancy

Pelosi raised the possibility of doing a separate minimum wage bill if it does get cut in the Senate. But then I think you're kind of back at needing 60 votes in the Senate, which is sort of square one again. Or hypothetically, Vice President Harris could overrule the parliamentarian's decision. And that's one way that's been talked about doing this, though White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain recently said that wasn't going to happen. Okay, so the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Senator Sanders have been the main drivers behind the minimum wage provision. So what are they saying about this? Yeah, they're pretty obviously disappointed. After the news broke, Sanders said he was going

to try a different route, taking tax deductions away from corporations that don't pay workers at least $15 an hour. And you also have Democrats like Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the chair of that caucus, saying it's time to play hardball here. Here's a clip of her talking to Rachel Maddow on Wednesday before the parliamentarian decision even came out. I did want to make a clarification, though. The parliamentarian issues an advisory opinion. Once the parliamentarian issues that advisory opinion, it is up to the chair of the Senate to decide whether or not to incorporate that opinion. It's a small technicality, but I do think that we've got to use every tool in our toolbox here, whether it is reconciliation, whether it is, you know, ultimately reforming

the filibuster. We're going to need to deliver on our promise to raise the wage for 27 million Americans. Yeah. Yeah. So not backing down at all. And then on top of all this, some Senate Democrats are raising the possibility that other parts of the bill, too, like the expanded child tax credits, will maybe not make it through the parliamentarian either. So it's going to be very telling to see who ends up fighting for what here. I think the big question is, do we have an unelected official that gets to dictate who remains in poverty? Or will this get overruled? And or will it just push Democrats to get rid of the filibuster for once and all? I mean, I sure hope so. So while this is all getting finalized, there have been more updates

on companies going their own way on wages. So give us an update on that. Yeah, so back to that hearing with Sanders that we played at the top, the CEO of Costco testified at that hearing that the company was going to raise its starting salary to $16 an hour. They were already at $15 an hour ahead of a lot of other companies. And the CEO also flat out said this wasn't an altruistic move, but rather one that he saw as being good for business. He also said, according to NPR, that more than half of the company's hourly U.S. workers are paid more than $25 already. He wasn't speaking overall to whether or not a $15 federal minimum wage was a good thing, but he said, quote, wages don't usually put you out of business in response to Republican questioning,

which has mostly centered on this idea that, you know, if we did this, this would hurt smaller retailers. The CEOs of McDonald's and Walmart declined to testify at this hearing, but a McDonald's worker testified that his family had become homeless due to low wages. So a lot of attention on this issue right now that we are going to keep track of where it all goes. But let's move on to our next story. doesn't mean we should stop talking about Black history. This past year in particular has been filled with unprecedented events from the pandemic to racist police violence that led to historic civil rights protests in the U.S. and around the world to the election of a new president, our first Black woman vice president, but also an attack on that election and our Capitol. So we wanted to check in with Black history educators

and museums around the country to hear their perspective on the past year, what Black History Month means now, and a few of the people that they are choosing to celebrate this year. So I'm Faith Morris, Chief Marketing and External Affairs Officer at the National Civil Rights Museum. You know, when I think about Black History Month for 2021, and it's a lot different from Black History Month 2020 and past years. It's a time for us to learn and understand and celebrate, but absolutely to recommit, to understand that a lot of the injustices that we saw in 2020 and that honestly did not go away in 2020 and it didn't start in 2020. But it became more vocal and more

visible in a very different way. And the nation responded, frankly, in a way that I've not experienced in my lifetime. Big, big statements from corporations, big, big statements from foundations, big, big statements from icons and everyday people deciding that, one, they're mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore. So it is it's an activist decade. It's an activist year. And I don't see that there's going to be less of that for 2021. So I'm Dr. Jessica Klanderud. I am the director of the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education at Berea College. And I'm also an assistant professor of African and African-American studies. I work at Berea College, which is a very special place for a lot of reasons. But one of them is that it is the first home of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is considered the founder of Black History Month. And so we kind of claim him, as most people

do, but the fact that he really worked his way through school and felt it was super important for Black history to be readily available for everybody, because to him and to me as well, Black history is American history. And every time we try to compartmentalize it or make it something that doesn't include all of the stories that make up America, then we're diminishing our whole for doing that. So for me, it's pretty important to make sure that everybody has access to good knowledge and learning about Black history, and especially to see how it is so important to what we do as people. It's not separated. It's very included. My name is Christopher Miller. I am the Senior Director of Education and Community Engagement at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

One person that illuminates with me is Ida B. Wells Barnett. She was a part of the women's suffrage movement, but she also was an advocate for justice. She was a crusader for justice, and often she goes overlooked. She was a part of many organizations, including the NAACP. And keeping in mind, the NAACP, back in 1917, birthed what we would call the contemporary protest movement with the silent protest march that they did in New York City in 1917. And so keeping in mind that she was a part of this organization that was making this monumental change and addressing the social violence that was being inflicted upon Black lives, Black families during this time. So Ida B. Wells is someone that I want to encourage all American families to be more aware of. And so if I had to select one, definitely I'd be Wells Barnett. My name is Aaron Bryant, and I'm a museum curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I think for many people, it can be overwhelming or even difficult to realize that you're in the middle of historic or epic change, which is what this past year has been. And even if you realize you're

in the midst of some sort of transformation, what do you do if you do anything at all? I'm someone who really appreciate that history happens right before our eyes every day, and that history is made by everyday people in the course of their everyday lives. So for me, I'm always asking, what role will I play? It's part of the reason I became a historian. And so I've given a lot of thought to that over the past year. It was just one history-changing event after another from COVID to the Capitol insurrection. And I think it's incumbent upon all of us, particularly Americans, to ask, as we go through this transformation, what role will we play? Thanks to our producer, Sonia Tan, for putting that together and for everyone who

shared their voice. Also, shout out to my alma mater, Berea College. You know, some smart people didn't go to Harvard. So shout out. That is the truest thing ever said. By the way, we put some links in our show notes so you can check out more of the stories and interviews that Cricket has put out this Black History Month, including a new piece our political director, Shaniqua McClendon, wrote about historically Black colleges and universities and how they and their graduates are shaping our politics today. But since Black History Month is still not over, we've got one more black person up next as a special Headlines guest. We'll be right back with that after these ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines.

Headlines. Today, we've got a special guest with us. It is Nicole Byer. She's a brilliant comedian, actress, and writer. You might know her from her hit Netflix series, Nailed It, or her hit podcast, Why Won't You Date Me? Nicole, we are thrilled to have you with us. Thank you for taking the time. Thank you for having me.

What a dang treat. It's such a treat. All right, so I will get us started. One of the few crimes that will make me root for the police, asterisk, to stop killing black people, but to root for the police, just happened. Two men shot Lady Gaga's friend and dog Walker on Wednesday night and stole two of her French bulldogs in Los Angeles. These people are little monsters, but in the bad way, not in the way you'd want. Gaga has already suffered so much to give us her art. And if life was fair, in a few days, she'd be scraping parts of the dog thieves off the front of the Chromatica truck. But we are in COVID and just eating those Oreos.

Gaga is offering $500,000 for the return of her dogs. That seems low almost, right? No questions asked. That's if her dogs, who I assume are really smart and talented, don't get inside their captors' heads and mind game their way to freedom. I would watch that movie. Her friend Ryan Fisher

has been hospitalized and per page six is recovering well. So, well soon, Ryan. Okay, real quick. Did you see the video of him there's a video of it happening i saw it on citizen but like yelling yes it's so sad he's so scared and i was like he took it better than me he was just like i've been shot and was like audibly saying he'd been shot i was like if i been shot, I just would have been like screaming. Like, who did it? Why did you do it?

Like, he was very composed. You're not wrong. Like, he seems like professional in every aspect. I would for sure be like doing that big comfy couch, like clock dance on the floor. Like, I would just be like moving in a circle with my legs, just like, why? Yeah.

Also just like, I mean, I think the screams might've been a little louder, but you know. Yeah. have been yeah i just he took it well or they took it you know yeah i i was just like wow also i couldn't believe there was a video okay well there's a new way there's a new way to tell your ex you're over them text them while doing terrorism on the United States Capitol. That's what Richard Machete did on January 6th. He and thousands of other pro-Trump guys rioted. He sent his ex videos and pictures and bragged about dodging tear gas. Wow. He also wrote, isn't that wild?

He also wrote, quote, if you can't see the election was stolen you're a moron romance romance you're very romantic I'm dying for a man to call me a moron and then has to fuck me oh boy they didn't work out well for Richard though

his ex later forwarding their entire conversation to the FBI which is what led to his arrest. In the future, the best way to win someone back is just by buying them an expensive necklace. Do it that way, you know? Work hard. Don't call him a moron. Don't try to overthrow your government.

Classy. No. Also, we like stopped talking about it. And I was like, this was bad. Yes. This was a bad opener to 2021. And we, two months in, stopped talking about it. Yeah.

Like, honestly, it was one of the wildest things I've ever seen on live television. And I'm like, that's just happening now. But, you know, America's been on a slippery slope towards that's just happening now for a while. I'm almost mad that I only know upstanding people who wouldn't be there, because I'm like, I would like to turn someone in. That seems like a good thing. I would have loved to have turned my television on

and seen one of those idiots from high school and been like, I know him. I absolutely know him. Oh, so many microaggressions from that person. I know them. Exactly. I only remember how they made me feel. Not great.

The long, boring forums we all love so much, Trump's tax records are in the hands of prosecutors in Manhattan after a nearly 18-month battle. Good for them. The announcement came after the Supreme Court denied Trump's final attempt to block the records from being given over earlier this week. So the full scope of the Manhattan DA's investigation isn't clear, but according to reports, they'll be looking into possible tax or bank fraud committed by Trump and the Trump Organization

between 2011 and 2019. That is a pretty wide range of dates. Tiffany will take the fall for this. I'm predicting a narrative that says she started cooking the books at age 15. Just throwing it out there. It's a possibility. If the Manhattan DA does end up indicting Trump, it could lead to a criminal trial. Woo woo. Following the Supreme Court decision earlier this week to release these records to investigators, Trump responded with a long statement calling it a witch hunt. So going

on permanent vacation in Palm Beach hasn't made him any more relaxed or chill. How do you know he said that? Where did he say that? I don't know. I can't find him anywhere online. I also can't either. I really love it. Like, I love not seeing his insane barrage of tweets every fucking day.

It's been lovely. Yeah. I honestly feel like I've, like, aged backwards. Not just because of Black History Month, but also because, like, I'm not dealing with somebody

tweeting from the shitter that, like, it's a witch hunt and that they're allowed to do crimes. Yeah. Okay. You've spent the last 10 years learning that Kelsey Grammer

is a pro-life... Oh, I didn't know that. Pro-God. I didn't know that either. I didn't... Pro-Trump Republican. I had no idea. Which means Which means

now is the perfect time to announce that the Frasier show is getting rebooted! Oh, no. Grammer confirmed yesterday that the series is coming to the new Paramount Plus streaming service at some point. Another 90s favorite that is set to return to

the service is Rugrats, complete with the show's original voice cast. The big change to Rugrats is a transition from 2D animation style that we know and that we love to a 3D style reminiscent of the Charmin Bears commercials but hairless. Rugrats

is set to premiere on Paramount Plus this year. I really hope that that's how they pronounce it. I've been saying it wrong this whole time. Thank you for correcting me. For whatever reason, I like to call the Plus platforms Plus. Disney Plus.

Paramount Plus. I don't know why. And it'll eventually be followed by two other shows that came out before kids and their target demographic were born door the explorer and the fairly odd parents would both return as live action oh i'm auditioning tomorrow i've got to be one wow how wild yeah it's a lot of that i didn't know i heard one of the most fun theories about dora. It was like a meme and this man was like my wife very seriously was like

is Dora visually impaired? And then there were so many examples because she like asks what things are that are right there. And she's like Swiper no Swipey. It's like why can't she see Swiper? Yeah she's always like do you all see the goat? Yes.

And my nephew never responded. He would just look at me like't she see Swiper? Yeah, she's always like, do you all see the goat? Yes. And my nephew never responded. He would just look at me like, do we see the goat? I don't want to engage with her. Let's just see if she keeps talking. And then she would. So he was like, all right. Because you think it's a trick? You're like, can she see it or is she not seeing it?

Does she see what I'm seeing? Right. Are we looking at the same thing? Yeah. Wow. Well, thank you so much, Nicole, for being here, choosing to do this and spend your core with us. Is there anything you would like to plug? Yeah.

Okay. So, Wipeout comes out April 1st. Hell yeah. I have a podcast called Why Won't You Date Me? That's on Team Coco's network. Newcomers with Lauren Lapkus where we watch Star Wars, then Lord of the Rings. Now we're watching the Madea universe.

Their original MCU. And that's what had come. And then I have a 90 Day Fiance podcast on Patreon where me and my friend Marcy literally watch four hours of TV every week and then talk about it for a long time. I'm tired. Yeah, you're out here doing it. You are

the hope for the future. You are truly, you know, Black history. You know, I'm trying. I'm trying so hard. I'm trying so hard to have my ancestors say, bitch, you can go to sleep if you want. Exactly. I mean, you know, Nicole, you are an absolute joy. I've been wanting you to be on this podcast for so long and it finally happened.

What a dream. Thank you so much for having me. Wait, do I have more to read? No, you're good. No. Great. That's it. You're perfect.

And those are the headlines. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review. Don't text evidence to your ex and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just Trump's tax records cover to cover 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 vote blue, Frasier. Yeah, like those scrambled eggs aren't blue.

They're definitely voting Democrat. Yeah. I wish I had Frasier references to play in here, but I don't. Toss salad, scrambled eggs. That's all I've got. 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 Kshaka.