What A Day - Poetic Justins

Episode Date: April 13, 2023

In a unanimous vote, county officials sent State Representative Justin Pearson back to his seat in Tennessee’s House of Representatives. His reinstatement comes less than a week after he and another Black Democratic colleague were expelled for leading a protest on gun reform.And in headlines: California Senator Dianne Feinstein will temporarily give up her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Donald Trump is suing his former lawyer Michael Cohen, and NPR has decided to ditch Twitter after the platform mislabeled the news organization.Show Notes:Vote Save America: Support Democracy in Tennessee – https://tinyurl.com/96xf7xthWhat 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 thursday april 13th i'm priyanka arabindi and i'm juanita toliver and this is what a day where we're still adjusting to hbo max wanting us to just call it max now it's not giving what i think they want that's like if we decided to call our podcast a day like what, what? Why? Stupid. We hate it. On today's show, NPR has decided to ditch Twitter. Plus, Donald Trump is suing his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. The jokes just write themselves these days. You literally can't make this shit up. But first, yesterday made me proud to have grown up in North Memphis because probably the fastest vote they've ever done, the Shelby County Commission voted to reinstate Justin Pearson to his seat as the state

representative for the 86th District of Tennessee. And now both representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are rightfully back in the Tennessee State house where they belong. And when I tell you the celebrations immediately after the vote gave me goosebumps, I'm not exaggerating. Take a listen to what newly reinstated representative Pearson had to say after the commission's unanimous vote. So the message for all the people in Nashville who us. You can't expel hope. You can't expel justice. You can't expel our voice. And you sure can't expel our fight. We look forward to continuing to fight, continuing to advocate until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Let's get back Come on. I'm fired up right now. You're fired up.

And how fired up if he is your representative? How exciting. Right. That's amazing. Yes, I feel inspired right now. Thoroughly inspired. But every time Representative Pearson steps to the mic, he drops knowledge. He delivers an entire sermon.

And I'm here for it. But let's be real, I wish he didn't have to, because what's not lost on this moment is the reason why we're here in the first place. Remember, this all started because Tennessee Republicans got into their feelings, because Representatives Jones, Pearson, and Representative Gloria Johnson joined in with a few young people and their parents as they protested the mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, and they spoke from the well of the statehouse. Based on that peaceful protest, the Republicans in the statehouse decided that they violated decorum rules and voted to expel two-thirds of the Tennessee Three. Of course, in keeping with the traditions of white supremacy

and racism that the state where the KKK was founded knows so intimately. Only Representatives Jones and Pearson, two young black men, were expelled, while Representative Johnson, a white woman, was not. And throughout this ordeal, the Tennessee Three have stuck together to cheer on Representative Jones when he was reinstated on Monday by the Metro Nashville Council, and Representatives Jones and Johnson stood side by side with Representative Pearson on Wednesday in Memphis. And Priyanka, the visual of the Tennessee Three speaking to a crowd of hundreds of supporters at the Lorraine Motel and National Civil Rights Museum where Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down, put the gravity of this moment into perspective. Take a listen to a bit of Representative Pearson's speech before the march.

This is the democracy that is going to transform our nation. This is a democracy that's going to lift up the victims of gun violence instead of supporting the NRA and the gun lobbyists. This is the democracy that they're scared of. This is the democracy that they're worried about because this is the democracy that changes the status quo. Yeah, I think that's the democracy that we here believe in and we get excited about. So take us in to the special hearing. What was the tone when the commission voted yesterday? Let me just put it this way.

Representative Pearson got a fabulously warm welcome from the hundreds of people who were cramped into the hearing room, as well as from the hundreds of people who were cramped into the hearing room, as well as from the commissioners. Look, before the hearing even started, Commissioner Mikkel Lowry made it abundantly clear that every commissioner who was present was on Representative Pearson's side. He said, quote, we're going to limit public comments because what you all see here is a vote. And what happens after this is a lot of paperwork that needs to get done. And we need to get that to Nashville as soon as possible. So there you had clue number one, like this is friendly, right? He added quote, as you can see here, you'll be speaking to the choir because we're all with you. And with that, it was clear how this vote was going to go down like plain as day. Totally. Now earlier,

I mentioned that this was a unanimous vote, but that comes with a bit of an asterisk because of the 13 commissioners currently serving, only seven were present at the special hearing. It was previously reported that two Democratic members are currently out of the country and thus unable to join. But that leaves the four Republican commissioners who chose to stay home yesterday. And I assure you that won't go unnoticed by the voters in this county. Yeah, those seem like some very glaring absences. Not anything to be proud of. So what are the other hurdles that Representatives Pearson and Jones will face now that they've been reinstated?

Well, beyond the resentment of the racist Republicans in the statehouse, both representatives will have to run in special elections to retain their seats. But the dates of those special elections have not been announced yet. Of course, the voters in their districts will be highly engaged and highly mobilized, just as we saw over the past few weeks. And considering that they're both from very blue pockets of Tennessee, it's unlikely that they will have any GOP challengers, but you never know. So here's to the voters of Metro Nashville and Shelby County who've been showing up and showing out and who will most definitely do it again for them when these special elections happen. Thank you. Thank you. Like, literally, they wouldn't be there without you.

Now, looking beyond Tennessee, what's the national response been so far? So these expulsions sparked outrage across the country, both because of the racism as well as the extreme retaliatory partisanship on display here. I mean, not a lot to like about any of this. All of this is bad. And in less than a week, Representatives Jones and Pearson garnered national support for their reinstatement, as well as for the issue that, you know, brought us here in the first place, demand for tougher gun control laws. Officials on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners said that they received thousands of calls and emails from people around the country asking for Representative Pearson to be reinstated. Papers in Tennessee have said that they've received letters from around the world expressing their outrage over this situation.

So a lot of eyes here on this. You mentioned the mood in the Capitol as these lawmakers returned. When Justin Jones returned to the state Capitol on Monday, he was met with cheers on the House floor. You know, a lot of people excited to see their colleagues back. But the mood isn't just celebratory. You know, this expulsion was so extreme and anti-democratic. President Biden even said so himself. As we mentioned last week, it could prompt other states with GOP super majorities like Tennessee to act in similar ways going forward, which is a huge problem and incredibly scary, especially when you consider the political climate that we live in now. Like,

it's not a stretch of reality to imagine that happening. Separately, five senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have called on the DOJ to investigate whether the civil rights of Representatives Jones, Pearson and or their constituents were violated in the process of this expulsion. So not just an episode that's happening in isolation in Tennessee, a lot more people getting involved and wondering what went on here and was something actually very wrong. I mean, I think we can answer that for ourselves, but they want it officially. Obviously, we'll keep you posted on what, if anything, comes of that. Right. This is not just something that's going to go away. You can't sweep it under any rug. And I appreciate Representative Jones emphasizing that these Tennessee Republicans are in the find out portion. So here we go.

Seriously. Let's talk about their Republican colleagues, though. What are their reactions? What has that been like for them? It's tough to say exactly how they're feeling about the very same people that they tried to kick out of the statehouse returning in just days. Clearly, this didn't work for them. If they could feel shame, I imagine that's what it feels like. A lot of them haven't been really talkative about their feelings. I understand why that would be. But in the wake of the gun control protests that Representatives Pearson and Jones' expulsions amplified,

as we said on yesterday's show, Tennessee's Republican Governor Bill Lee signed an executive order to tighten background checks for purchasing guns in the state and to speed up the review process of criminal history and mental health information from the courts. You know, he has not particularly been on the side of people calling for gun control in the past. I mean, like, cool that he's doing something now, like the minimum, but I wouldn't call this an ally. He also called on the state legislature to create an order of protection law that would prevent people deemed by a judge to be a danger to others or themselves from having access to firearms. He's not calling it a red flag law. Apparently conservatives, including some in his own state house, are not into ideas like that that can keep people safe, but that is effectively what it is. It's

very similar to those that are on the books in several other states. We'll keep you posted if there's any progress on this or other gun control laws in Tennessee. That is the latest for now. We'll be back after some ads. Let's wrap up with some headlines headlines california senator diane feinstein said she will for now give up her seat on the senate judiciary committee in a statement released right before we sat down to record the show wednesday night feinstein asked senate majority Leader Chuck Schumer to tap another Democrat to take her place on the panel. Feinstein, who is 89, has faced growing criticism within the party in recent days because she's been unable to return to work at the Capitol. She was hospitalized for a bout of shingles early last month.

She also hasn't cast any votes since mid-February when she announced that she won't run for reelection in 2024. And that's holding up the confirmation process for President Biden's judicial nominees. Earlier Wednesday, Representative Ro Khanna, another California Democrat, called for her to resign outright. And it was a pretty bold statement. Definitely bold statement. I mean, she is a trailblazer in her own right. But if there are calls, I think that's something we should talk about. I think we probably will in the coming days.

An enormous industrial fire is burning in the city of Richmond, Indiana, about 70 miles east of Indianapolis, forcing more than 2,000 people living in the nearby area to evacuate their homes. Emergency officials say that the blaze started Tuesday afternoon at the site of a former plastic recycling plant, sending toxic fumes and other harmful particulates into the air. The property in question had been cited as a fire hazard and its owners were ordered to clean up the site. But the city's mayor said that the property owner ignored those warnings until a local court stepped in. It's not clear how the fire started, but so far the investigators don't think that foul play was involved.

Fire officials warned that the flames could burn for several more days and that the evacuation zone could change depending on where the wind is pushing the massive plume of smoke. This is so scary. Scary and it sounds like it was preventable, so it's a mess.

Totally. Former President Donald Trump is suing his former lawyer michael cohen for at least 500 million dollars in damages trump's lawyers filed a 32 page lawsuit yesterday accusing cohen of breaching a confidentiality agreement and spreading falsehoods with quote malicious intent and to holy self-serving ends. Like what? Yeah, I don't know. Like complying with being subpoenaed or like going to court. Like what are you mad at him for? Something Trump fights with all of his might to avoid doing. Seriously.

Go off. File a lawsuit for 500 million. Okay. Of course, this lawsuit comes after Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. A key witness in that criminal trial is expected to be none other than Michael Cohen himself, who in 2017 told Fox News that he will, quote, do anything to protect Mr. Trump. But changed his tune a year later after he pleaded guilty in his role in the hush money scheme. So quite the turn of events here. Cohen's attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said in a statement that Trump, quote, appears once again to be using and abusing the judicial system as a

form of harassment and intimidation against Michael Cohen. This is gonna be a mess of Bravo proportions, and I can't wait. Seriously. Once again, need some more popcorn. And staying on the topic of lawsuits, e-cigarette company Juul Labs has agreed to pay $462 million to six states and the District of Columbia. The settlement will resolve lawsuits across the country, claiming that the company marketed e-cigarettes as less addictive than regular tobacco cigarettes and targeted young people in their advertising. While Juul didn't admit to any wrongdoing, the settlement will restrict the company from,

among other things, marketing their products to people under 35 years of age and will impose purchasing limits to customers at retail shops and online orders. The agreement with New York, California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and D.C. marks the company's largest settlement yet. Bankrupt them for all I care. I hate right. I was like, take it all. Take all their coins and then some take it all. National Public Radio said Wednesday it will no longer be active on Twitter after the site labeled the news organization as quote unquote state affiliated media on the platform last week. The phrase, which Twitter later changed to government funded media, is the same used to describe media outlets controlled or heavily

influenced by authoritarian governments like those in Russia and China. That ain't it, y'all. Nope. Not at all equivalent. Turns out the updated language didn't sit right with NPR either. In a statement yesterday, NPR said the platform was, quote, taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent. And we should note that NPR relies on the federal government for just a tiny fraction of its funding, less than 1% of its annual operating budget. NPR's main Twitter account, which has been active since 2007, posted for the first time since April 4th yesterday, with a thread listing all the other places online where

you can find his journalism. For his part, Twitter CEO Elon Musk simply tweeted in response, defund NPR. What an idiot. I hate this guy, but you know who's backing him up? The worst of the worst and none other than Lauren Boebert. Like, come on. Truly, the dumbest people have flocked together. Congratulations. Hysteria has a segment on their show called Fuck That Guy, and I have never wished that we had that segment more than today because fuck that guy he is terrible truly after months of will he won't he buckingham palace confirmed yesterday that prince harry will be attending the may 6th coronation ceremony of his father king charles still sounds weird to say

notably not attending wife and mother of harry's children megan markle who will be staying stateside with the ex-royal couple's two young children. This may come as no surprise to anybody who's been paying attention since Harry and Meghan peaced out from the royal family back in January 2020, but there is a strong chance that she just got invited to a better party.

The Duke and Duchess's firstborn child, Prince Archie, happens to be turning four years old on the same day as the royal coronation. Feels like they could have scheduled that a little better. But no effort was made at all they know this boy's birthday according to people magazine megan will be staying back to celebrate with the tiny prince and his princess sister and hey we get it only one of those parties is probably gonna have a bounce house and i think we all know which one is gonna to have the better food. Let's be real. One, I love a bounce house. Two, fuck colonizers. And three, it's truly giving. I hate my in-laws with a passion. So I'm not surprised. Can't fault you on any of that. Good for Megan. You know what? I like this

for her. It seems like healthy boundaries. Happy for her. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. Get ready to be transported back to New York City in 1973 with Stiffed, the new podcast from Crooked Media and iHeartRadio. In this eight-part series, host Jennifer Romelini takes you on a wild ride through the rise and fall of Viva, the erotic magazine for women that rock the publishing world. Check out the first three episodes of Stiffed right now wherever you get your podcasts. That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, RSVP for your dad's big day,

and tell all your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just your daily dose of state-affiliated media like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Juanita Tolliver. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And do less,

Elon Musk. Literally just disappear from our lives. So much less. So much less. Why don't you just offload a company or two? And I feel like the world would be a better place for it. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our producers are Itzy Quintanilla and Raven Yamamoto. Jossie Kaufman is our head writer and our executive producer is Lito Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka.