What A Day - Talking Cash With Cory Booker

Episode Date: March 19, 2020

Senator Cory Booker joins us to discuss a proposal he’s drafted with fellow senators to give payments to Americans to help them through the pandemic, and how the current situation reveals the flaws in America’s safety net systems. The Senate passed the House Bill on paid sick leave to help some US workers affected by Covid-19. And in headlines: an earthquake near Salt Lake City, Russian archeologists discover bone house, and the US and China have an old fashioned journalist fight.

Today's episode of What A Day is brought to you by HBO. Coming to HBO is The Plot Against America, a limited series from the executive producers of The Wire that reimagines an alternate American history told through the eyes of a working-class Jewish family. Based on Philip Roth's novel, the family witnesses the rise of Charles Lindbergh, whose run for president turns the nation towards fascism.

The Plot Against America is streaming now only on HBO. And tune in to The Plot Against America podcast podcast where David Simon and NPR's Peter Sagal break down the major themes and critical moments from each episode. Available wherever you get your podcasts. It's Thursday, March 19th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick. And this is What A Day, the only daily news podcast that will come preloaded on the PlayStation 5. Yeah, it's us and Spider-Man, who is not a podcast. Yeah, so you know which one to pick.

Don't be stupid. What do you want, a game? Or do you want news? On today's show, an interview with Democratic Senator Cory Booker about cash payments during the coronavirus crisis, then some headlines. But first, let's get to the latest. We'll kick it off with a quick reminder from California's former governor. So stay away from the crowds, go home, and then we can overcome this whole problem, this whole virus in no time. But you got to go and follow those orders. Just remember, stay at home. Don't go to crowds. Put that cookie down.

Okay, so that deafening bubble sound is Arnold's hot tub. And to be clear, putting that cookie down is not a defense against COVID-19. That's right. It's a line from the hit movie Jingle All the Way. hot tub. And to be clear, putting that cookie down is not a defense against COVID-19. That's right. It's a line from the hit movie Jingle All The Way. The United States and Canada agreed to close the shared border to, quote, non-essential travel yesterday. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference that people looking to travel between the countries for recreation and tourism are shit out of luck for the time being. No timeline yet on when that will be reopened. Okay, so it looks like we're pretty much stuck in America at this point. What's

happening here then? All right, so the Senate finally passed the House bill on paid sick leave and Trump wasted no time signing it. The legislation provides paid sick and family leave for some, not all, U.S. workers impacted by COVID-19. It expands unemployment assistance, includes nutrition assistance, and allows Americans to get free testing. Senator Chuck Schumer said the next step is to work out a Phase 3 funding bill to fight the virus and support the economy. He's pushing for nearly a trillion dollars. Okay, so that's a lot of money that we're dealing with. But that's not all that is happening in Congress, though, right? Wasn't there some other big news on this?

All right, so two members of Congress have now tested positive for COVID-19. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, and Representative Ben McAdams, a Democrat from Utah. I'm assuming that all of Congress has gotten tested, but we have no way of knowing that. All we know is they have it. And TBD. President Trump invoked the Defense Production Act, a Korean War era law allowing him to lift restrictions and order American factories to boost production of critical supplies like ventilators and masks. But Trump later said in a tweet that he didn't plan to actually use this power anytime soon. So fine, I guess. Makes sense, sure. Yeah, right. But what isn't

fine is Trump still referring to the novel coronavirus as the, quote, Chinese virus. Obviously, this is shameful and backwards rhetoric that has already inspired bigotry against Asian people. So it's weird that he's doubling down. But why would I expect any different? I certainly wouldn't. But wad heads know it's COVID-19. It's COVID-19. We call it by its name. All right. And in things that should be a given and not considered extraordinary, but are because we are living in weird ass times, the Department of Housing and Urban Development will suspend foreclosures and evictions through the end of April. Good. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will stop most immigration enforcement inside the U.S. and will instead only focus on actions against people with a criminal record during the coronavirus crisis.

The message here is that no one should avoid medical care and basic services right now because they're afraid of immigration authorities. By the way, this brings us back to the policy that we had under President Obama, as in his non-crisis policy. So cool that it took a pandemic to make this administration do the right thing. Right. And all around the country, we're seeing states and cities and towns take similar actions to halt evictions, debt collection and parking tickets. Plus, expand things like small business loans, shelters for the homeless, meal programs for seniors and kids, getting things in place for the new reality that we now live in. Right. It sounds so wild when you say that. Okay. The New York Times got a hold of a federal government virus report, which lays out how it plans to respond to the crisis. The report says the pandemic will last 18 months or longer, and that's based on health experts' estimates of when

a vaccine will be available. Okay, so don't panic. This doesn't necessarily mean that we have to be on strict lockdown like we are now that entire time. So again, relax. Experts are predicting the outbreak and response will come in multiple waves. And until we have a vaccine or better treatments, we should just be prepared for more isolated times to help flatten that mother effing curve. Too long, didn't read. This is not going to be over in the next two weeks. But we'll make it.

On tomorrow's show, we're going to bring back epidemiologists and former public health commissioner, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. Let us know if you have questions you want him to answer, and we will try to ask them. Go ahead and tweet at us with some of those. In addition to immediate health concerns, the coronavirus pandemic is also having major economic ramifications for families across the country. Given the immediate hardships, there are a number of big spending plans in Congress that have been discussed to institute forms of regular payments to Americans that are intended to help people stay afloat during difficult times. One of those

proposals is one offered by Democratic Senators Michael Bennett, Cory Booker, and Sherrod Brown. The plan would go something like this. All adults and children below certain income thresholds would receive $2,000 from the government now. Then, if there is still a public health emergency by July, there would be another payment of $1,500 each. Then if it's still going on in October, another $1,000. All told, a family of four could receive something to the tune of $18,000 through the remainder of the year. I spoke with Senator Booker about how this would work, what else the government needs to be doing, and why this is a moment of reckoning for the broader American social safety net. We have what could end up being the worst financial crisis of our lifetimes. And we're already seeing estimates of getting upwards beyond 20% unemployment rates, a massive dislocation

economically of small businesses, manufacturing, and a lot as consumer demand falls. So we have a crisis. What our plan really says is that resources during a crisis should go directly to people who will not only be economically stabilized, but will provide the quickest way to a economic stimulus that would come by the multiplier effect of people who need resources getting it and then spending it. And we now know that there are a lot of people that are hurting economically who really have no options, no support. And that could be everything from a college student who comes home, is being told to stay home, social distance, can't go out and get a job, and meanwhile jobs are less available. All the way to the erratic worker or the part-time worker who's lost it, people in the gig economy, even parents who might now have added expenses like childcare. We need to get money into our economy directly to people who really need it. actual kind of number that has been settled on here, it's kind of amazing that there have been

a lot of people on both sides of the aisle over the past couple of weeks talking about some kind of monthly payment. But how exactly did you settle on $2,000 for that first tranche? So we looked at a measure that we thought was as robust as possible to stabilize families during an economic crisis. And so when I say a family of four, if you include the two children, all of them getting our payments could get upwards of $18,000. We felt that that was a good floor for families to give them some economic security in addition to other critical things that might be available that we've been calling for, everything from a paid family leave to food supports and more. Remember that we believe this has to be done in concert with the social safety net. A lot of people on the right often say that these universal basic income plans that they come up

with, I believe are often ways to try to erode essential safety net that they're out there. So we just see this as part of in concert with what Chuck Schumer and others have been put forward as a $750 to $800 billion package. And looking more broadly now at the entire crisis and the response to it, to what extent do you think this is going to change the role of government broadly in people's lives in terms of the healthcare system and the economy? You know, is this kind of a depression leading into New Deal sort of moment? Is it even possible to say at this point? So I've always tried to operate from my moral compass. That's what drives me to do what I want to do every day. But when I make larger arguments, especially to my friends on the other side of the aisle, I often make to them a balance sheet analysis argument.

We know from studies, for example, in Seattle, that it is more expensive to society to have people with mental illnesses homeless on the streets. It's more expensive to taxpayers because they often end up in jail cells or hospital emergency rooms. That's an economic argument. Our competitors are doing things that are more morally right and economically right, leaving America further behind on issues that matter for our economy and overall competitiveness. If there's anything that's been revealed in this crisis, like just pull the curtain back and shown the naked vulnerabilities of this country,

it is just common sense things that economists have been telling us for the longest time. Not having paid family leave in America before this pandemic was leading to the deaths of thousands of Americans because when upwards of 80 plus percentage of our food service handlers do not have paid family leave every year, the flu is spread more and more because those folks, and I know these people personally, many people listening to me right now know folks personally, they go to work sick and they're dealing with the elderly. They're dealing with children. They're dealing with our food. And so this is a naked vulnerability for our country that is absurd that we have never

addressed. And now this pandemic is exposing it in a deeper way. For our economic well-being, for our physical well-being, and God, for the state of our soul, this nation must have a robust paid family and sick leave policy that is the federal law of the land. And perhaps it is a moment too where you do have more people who are inclined to agree with that at this stage. I wanted to ask quickly also about the sort of evolution that we've seen from the way that the president has talked about this. Just a few weeks ago, it was something along the lines of it will go away. And now it is, we're at war. What has sort of concerned you when you're thinking about the

kind of big picture here the most about how he and the rest of the administration have handled it so far? Look, this is not a time to tear down people over the past. There'll be a post-mortem opportunity for this. And dear God, in November, if not before, I'll be one of the loud people talking about how this crisis has exposed the president for who he is. And his lack of proactivity, his personalizing everything in his universe that is about him, has put Americans at risk, has left us far behind the curve, has endangered the well-being of our country, not to mention in moral moments when there's a moral crisis in our country. What I mean by that, fear and anxiety. We have seen president after president from Lincoln to FDR rise to those occasions and help to hold our country together. This president has done things to me that have

undermined that great tradition in our country. And I want to say this, and you know that I'm a Democrat from New Jersey, but when things like Hurricane Sandy happened, just having Chris Christie's just humanity come out in those moments, holding people who lost their homes, standing up and taking responsibility for the crisis. Usually for executives, crises like this are times that we see who they are and their spirit and their heart, regardless of their policies, help to hold this country together. And this president missed a wide window to do that and seems to be in the last 24, 48 hours beginning to play catch up

in terms of the kind of leadership that we need. Booker also said he's working on legislation to support incarcerated people with measures like making calls from prison free and stopping parole arrests. He's also focused on people who are undocumented as well as victims of domestic abuse. Excellent. Well, at this point, all of us are feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in our everyday lives. But there are some people in communities who are more vulnerable and need extra support right now. Help those who need it most, plus the groups working to meet this moment head on through our Coronavirus Relief Fund. Go to crooked.com slash coronavirus. Donations will support groups

like Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Restaurant Workers Community Foundation, CDC Foundation, and Direct Relief. So that is crooked.com slash coronavirus. What's good, EWOD squad? Another day in our houses means another day for endless possibility we're taking it slow and steady and using this time to work on us pretty chill vibes all around gideon you listen to any good music these days i have not i need i actually need a consultation with perhaps you perhaps other people about what it is that I should be. You know what? Actually, I lied.

I heard some of the Jay Electronica album that had been promised since I was reading Pitchfork when I was like 15. Yeah. And that was pretty solid. Yeah, it's pretty good. I mean, if other people are looking out for Rex, I guess. I have a playlist on Spotify called Chill Times, bro. Somehow no one else has a playlist called that. So that's a good chill one.

That's genuinely shocking. I know, right? It's pretty weird, right? What kind of meals are you getting into outside? Is there meals while you're listening to music? What's the vibe here? Yeah, okay. So I've definitely been really getting into cooking in this new at-home time.

So I had a really good steak salad for lunch. It was wild. I'll have to figure out the name of the dressing and tell you all about it, but it was really, really excellent. Just some steak and some salad, and that was it. That's all you need, really. Yeah, it was delicious. All right, well, this was Life During Lockdown. You know, I kind of like the name What It Do, but I'm open. Thank you need, really. Yeah, it was delicious. All right, well, this was life during lockdown. You know, I kind of like the name What It Do, but I'm open.

Thank you for that suggestion. Shout out to everyone at home or still out in the world having to go to work. We see you. We appreciate you. And we hope that this felt like grabbing a coffee and catching up with an old pal. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. Tensions between the U.S. and China elevated after the Chinese government expelled American journalists from the country earlier this week.

Around a dozen reporters in China from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post were asked to turn in their press credentials by next week. Beijing said the move was a response to the Trump administration's decision last month to cap the number of people working for the Chinese state-run media outlets in the U.S. Trump responded yesterday saying that he wasn't happy about the retaliation despite his own issues with the press. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the situation wasn't apples to apples, claiming that China is targeting individual journalists while the U.S. was limiting what the White House saw as Chinese propaganda. My brain is so broken that I thought apples to apples. I heard it and I thought the first thing was the board game. So that's good. Having a normal one. It sure wasn't. Absolutely not. A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Utah yesterday morning, 15 miles from Salt Lake City.

It was the largest quake the state has felt since 1992. The tremors knocked out power for tens of thousands of buildings, stopped flights from the capital's airport, and caused minor damage, like making a golden angel statue on top of SLC's Mormon temple drop his trumpet. It's almost as if the higher power is telling us that he hates jazz. We hope not. No serious injuries have been reported in the quake, which also halted many coronavirus-related relief efforts from state and local counties. Those programs are set to continue today.

Russian archaeologists announced a very normal discovery on Monday of a 40-foot-wide, 25,000-year-old circular structure made entirely out of mammoth bones. This is what people did before the Internet, cobbled ancient bones into shapes for clout. Mammoth bone houses have been found before. They gave warmth and shelter to cavemen during the Ice Age. This one is apparently too big to be a house, leading scientists to speculate that it had ceremonial significance or was some kind of prehistoric refrigerator for raw mammoth. If a bone car is discovered nearby, my Russian Flintstones theory won't seem so crazy after all. So suck it. I'm going to try the salad recipe, but with raw mammoth next time.

New documents published by The Intercept indicate that Gen Z video app TikTok suppressed content by users who were considered too ugly, poor or disabled to use their platform. Wow. Wow. cracks on the wall or a variety of other traits TikTok considered undesirable. A spokesperson for the company said the rules were to prevent bullying, but it's clear from leaked documents that the intent was to cultivate growth. Joke's on you, TikTok. Danny DeVito has an unusual body shape, and he's one of the most beloved actors of all time. Additional leaked documents offered proof that TikTok censored political speech. That's something The Guardian also reported on last year. Merely documenting

police activity could get you temporarily kicked off the app. Well, I hope there's some competitors soon. And those are the headlines. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, sing us a song, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just the tags on mattresses that are illegal to remove 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 please search Russian Flintstones on Google. The truth is out there. Only the courageous will discover it. Great. A very long one for a very disjointed ending god bless you truth seekers out there Thank you.