What A Day - The Devil Went Down To Georgia

Episode Date: August 1, 2023

A Georgia judge on Monday rejected former president Donald Trump’s effort to stop an investigation into whether he interfered in the 2020 election results in that state. It comes as Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis says her office is “ready to go” to announce her decision on whether to charge Trump in that case.And in headlines: a federal judge in Arkansas temporarily blocked a state law that would have made it a crime for librarians and booksellers to provide “harmful” reading material to minors, trucking company Yellow is filing for bankruptcy, and scientists have revived an ancient roundworm that’s been frozen for tens of thousands of years. 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 Tuesday, August 1st. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And I'm Juanita Tolliver, and this is What A Day, where we are actively training for the upcoming season of reality show Special Forces World's Toughest Test. If it helps me stick it to Tom Sandoval, I'm ready. All day, every day, Team Ariana. And if this show doesn't kill Tom, the next season of Vanderpump Rules definitely will. And that is way more up my alley. Let's get me on that show.

On today's show is the end of the road for a 99-year-old trucking company, plus scientists have revived an ancient animal that's been frozen for thousands of years, tens of thousands of years, in fact. Yeah, I'm just gonna widen my eyes even bigger because yikes. But first, another day, another indication that there will be more indictments coming for Donald Trump. As we flagged for y'all in recent weeks, Trump has been doing the most to try to neutralize

the threat of an impending indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis, including filing multiple requests with the Georgia courts to prohibit prosecutors from continuing to investigate him. Well, his latest attempts failed in embarrassing fashion on Monday as Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that it's premature for Trump and his allies to request such action because he hasn't even been indicted yet. Its translation for all of this is that, sir, you have to wait until the case is presented to try to get it to go away, you know? Yeah, it's giving a little hit dog will holler, you know?

Yes. So Judge McBurney, who, by the way, is not like a liberal judge. He's a pretty staunch conservative judge here in Georgia. What else did he include in his ruling? The judge essentially used his ruling to call out Trump for trying to use the courts to undermine prosecutors, writing, quote, while being the subject or even target of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere

with or halt the investigation. He proceeded to also make reference to Rumpelstiltskin, which I hadn't thought about or even seen spelled out since elementary school. He added, quote, for some, being the subject of a criminal investigation, can, a la Rumpelstiltskin, be turned into golden political capital, making it seem more providential than problematic. That's a clear reaction to the fact that every time Trump faces another criminal indictment and charges, he uses it as a fundraising opportunity. And considering that Trump is leading all polls for the Republican primary by more than

30 points, I assume he'll treat an indictment from Georgia in the exact same fashion. Yet and still, it's clear that Judge McBurney wasn't interested in Trump's preemptive arguments. And that tracks because this was the same judge who oversaw D.A. Fannie Willis's special grand jury investigation into Trump. I do have to say that I love the energy of this is an inconvenience for me and I don't like it. So you should drop the charges. I mean, if only one could, right? If I'm ever charged with a crime, I too will be filing that kind of a motion. So speaking of DA Willis, how is she responding to all of this? I mean, she's completely unbothered and 100% prepared to move forward. For those of us who heard her say that decisions on criminal charges will be

coming imminently back in January, she clearly meant within seven to eight months. And here we are on August 1st, waiting for that announcement. Last weekend, during a back to school event, D.A. Willis said this to NBC affiliate 11 Alive. The work is accomplished. We've been working for two and a half years. We're ready to go. Later in the interview, D.A. Willis added, quote, some people may not be happy with the decisions that I'm making. Now, after two and a half years and a recorded call of Trump asking state officials to find 11,780 votes specifically, I hope that I am not part of that discontented group, like, at all. To ready the courts for an indictment announcement, though, D.A. Willis has written to the local sheriff to increase security at the Fulton County Courthouse,

which is why we've seen fencing and barricades added around the perimeter of the building. And back in May, she sent a letter to the chief judge there requesting that he not schedule any in-person trials or hearings during the weeks of August 7th and August 14th. And this is where Judge McBurney comes back into play. Two weeks ago, Judge McBurney impaneled two grand juries that are likely to hear the case against Trump and ultimately decide whether or not Trump and his allies will face charges. And that's yet another layer behind the reasoning and the ruling that the judge issued on Monday.

Though I'm sure Trump is thoroughly annoyed with how things are going for him down in Georgia. Nonetheless, D.A. Willis is sticking to her commitment to announce charges by September 1, and there are still a lot of steps to cover between now and then, but we should all expect a flurry of activity at the Fulton County Courthouse during the next four weeks. It's going to be a mess here in Georgia for the next few weeks. And now we wanted to give a little bit more background on the person expected to prosecute Trump. So as you noted, Trump faces charges here in Fulton County, Georgia, where I live.

Fannie Willis has been all over the news lately for this case. So I thought I'd take a second and give some context for both Willis as DA and, you know, the local prosecutor's office. What it means for the former president to be facing charges in a local prosecutor's office. Because after all, it's not every day that a local prosecutor becomes a national story like this. Yeah, I feel like we can just say it's a pretty tall order for her to take on Trump. But tell us a little bit about Fannie Willis. Yeah, so Willis was elected just a few years ago in 2020. She defeated the former prosecutor who had held the office since like the 90s, like for 20

to 25 years. And before she became DA, she was a line prosecutor, which is what we call prosecutors who work under the head district attorney. And they're usually the ones who actually prosecute cases, right? Unlike a lot of other prosecutors who have been elected in relatively big cities over the past couple years, Willis did not run as a reform prosecutor, or as they're sometimes called a progressive prosecutor. Instead, she kind of ran on this like pretty tough on crime platform, which she has largely lived up to. Like she's the prosecutor who brought the charges against Young Thug and other alleged members of the YSL gang. She controversially charged them under Georgia's RICO statute, which I won't get into right now, but it allows prosecutors to broaden the scope of who is charged with a crime.

She used that same RICO statute when she prosecuted Atlanta public school teachers a few years ago for allegedly cheating by changing students' answers on standardized tests, another very controversial decision of hers. Also worth noting, she is prosecuting the man responsible for the Atlanta spa shootings. If you remember those a few years ago, killed three Asian women here in Atlanta. That has been a very controversial decision as well because during her campaign, Fannie Willis said that she opposed the death penalty, but then she decided to seek it in this case, which happened just a few months after she came into office, even after the perpetrator had already been sentenced to life without parole in another county. So I say this all to say that, of course,

the news has mostly been focused on this Donald Trump case, which makes sense because he is the former president and he did try to overthrow our democracy. It's not a small thing. But that's actually just like a relatively small part of what our office is doing day to day, right? And that really goes for any office prosecuting a high profile criminal case. Whether you agree with that one case or not, as a person who spends all their time looking at prosecutor's offices, I'll say it's worth trying to get a full picture of an office like this because broken clocks are right twice a day and vice versa. Yeah, the context is helpful. And I'm catching some subtle shade coming from you some thoughts and opinions. I was trying to be very

subtle about it. But I guess I was not successful. I mean, I caught it, but I do think that she's a local prosecutor here. And what you're framing is really revealing because we know that Trump's facing additional charges too. Like he's facing federal charges in the documents case. He's also facing local charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg regarding payments to Stormy Daniels. So how is the documents case. He's also facing local charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg regarding payments to Stormy Daniels. So how is the Atlanta case different from both of those cases? It's different in a few pretty key ways, right? The first is resources. Local prosecutors, there are 3,000 local prosecutors in the United States, right? Over 3,000. And they just don't

have the resources that federal prosecutors have. Like the DOJ is the biggest prosecutor's office in the country. And honestly, one of, if not the biggest in the world. So federal prosecutors just have more to work with. They have more money. They have more senior people in the office. They have more agencies. They have more help. And so really like comparing the Fulton County DA's office to the DOJ is like apples to oranges, truly, like in terms of resources. It's just not going to be even comparable. And then there's the Manhattan DA's office, which is also a local office. But they're also pretty well resourced, right?

Like, they're one of the biggest offices in the country. They've historically had even more funds than the average office because they prosecute a lot of financial crimes and they benefit from the fines paid in these cases. So here in Georgia, Fannie Willis just doesn't have those things. She doesn't have resources. She doesn't have access to the DOJ. She doesn't have the money Manhattan DA's office has. So, you know, it's worth understanding what she's facing. And I say that as someone who's not her biggest fan, as you may have sensed, but she is facing a very different kind of fight than these other offices. And she doesn't have an allied state government, right? Like Georgia is run by Republicans. We might have gone blue a couple of elections. Don't get it wrong. Most of our state officials are Republicans. Many of them do not want their presumptive nominee prosecuted. It's not looking good.

Especially when some of them are on that target list and some of them had direct interactions with Trump when he tried to do his criming, like Secretary of State Raffensperger is included in that. So it's like a two pronged issue here with resources, but also with the kind of internal pushback she's feeling in Georgia. Yeah, exactly. She's facing a very, as you said, uphill battle when we talk about what's going to happen in this case and what it means to be a county prosecutor prosecuting the president for something this serious. Like, again, you know, me largely skeptical of prosecutors, including in this case and what it means to be a county prosecutor prosecuting the president for something this serious. Like, again, you know me, largely skeptical of prosecutors, including and maybe especially

my own local prosecutor. But I do think it is worth noting that as much as I've disagreed with her in former cases, like this is a very different case. She is prosecuting someone who had power, who has power, who has state power for really trying to undermine the very tenets of our electoral process. And I think many people don't understand how different this is from the DOJ or even the Manhattan DA's office. So we will, of course, keep you updated on this and other developments in Trump's legal saga as they come.

But in the meantime, that is Elitist for now. Let's get to some headlines. A federal judge in Arkansas temporarily blocked a state law that would have made it a crime for librarians and booksellers to give minors reading material seen as, quote, harmful. That is a term defined by GOP leaders as anything containing sexual content or, quote, lacking serious literary, scientific, medical, artistic, or political value for minors. What? I don't want Republicans deciding what has artistic value. So if convicted offenders could face up to a year behind bars or a $2,500 fine,

Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, remember her, signed this five-part law back in March and it was supposed to take effect today. However, Judge Timothy L. Brooks, an Obama appointee, sided with librarians and booksellers who sued to stop the law and blocked three parts that he found unconstitutional while also calling its definition of appropriateness,

quote, fatally vague. Brooks also cited Ray Bradbury's classic dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 in his decision, saying, quote, there is more than one way to burn a book and the world is full of people running about with lit matches. That's a perfect characterization of what we're seeing right now. Truly, truly. President Biden will keep U.S. Space Command's headquarters in Colorado, reversing a decision made by former President Donald Trump to move its operations to Alabama. According to a Pentagon spokesperson, Biden made the decision after consulting with the military's top brass about the best course of action for the four-star command post, which is responsible for the military's presence in outer space.

The official word is that keeping it in Colorado means less disruption and better readiness for the newly formed unit, especially considering that its proposed new headquarters in Alabama wouldn't be built until 2030. However, there's more to this space opera than meets the eye. Lawmakers in Alabama, including Senator Tommy Tuberville, are pretty pissed off. Tuberville has already been up in arms over the Pentagon's policy granting service members leave if they need an abortion. And he's holding up hundreds of military nominations

and appointments as a result. Honestly, take that Tuberville. Like seriously, you don't deserve anything new or nice considering your anti-abortion policies and your impact on the military. Truly. Okay. Truly.

Look, I went to space camp on a field trip. Yeah! Huntsville! You remember? Huntsville, Alabama, baby. And the movie, because that was top-notch cinema. And the movie.

That was like a peak. That was a peak of my life. And part of the reason I thought Alabama was like the center of... I'm sick. ...like science and innovation for like a very long time. I was shocked to find out they were not.

I mean, Huntsville. We'll give it to Huntsville. Huntsville, baby. Anytime you want to leave Alabama, we got you. Yellow, one of the oldest and largest trucking companies in the U.S., is reportedly shutting down and heading for bankruptcy. The Teamsters Union, which represents 22,000 of Yellow's 30,000 employees, made the announcement yesterday.

Though as of our record time, no filings have been made just yet. News of the company's bankruptcy preparations comes just days after Yellow avoided a strike from its unionized workers. After weeks of tense negotiations, the Teamsters gave the company an extra month to contribute to its pension and health insurance plans, but emphasized that Yellow's financial problems are not related to its labor contract. As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Nearly half of that is owed to the federal government because in 2020, the Trump administration gave the company more than $700 million in pandemic relief funds on national security grounds.

According to government records, Yellow was only a third of the way through paying that off, even though the loan is due next September. Yellow trucking. Anytime you want to get on that loan forgiveness plan, that part will be pretty happy to have you. And finally, some long overdue studies into potential treatments for long COVID are officially kicking off. The National Institutes of Health announced yesterday that it's enrolling hundreds of patients in clinical trials to at least four possible treatments for survivors of COVID-19 who are still feeling the effects of the virus. The announcement is part of the NIH's $1.15 billion recover initiative, which began in 2021 to study the impact of long COVID. The trials will focus on therapies targeting viral persistence, as well as brain fog, memory loss, difficulty with attention, and other cognitive issues.

In the coming months, additional trials will also evaluate treatments for sleep problems and disorders involving involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, breathing, and digestion. It's estimated that at least 65 million people worldwide are living with long COVID, and scientists still don't know what exactly causes the prolonged symptoms. The NIH says it expects to launch at least seven more clinical trials in the coming months. Bring it on. 65 million people worldwide now living with new disabilities is something that requires this type of investment and something that requires this type of investment and something that requires this type of solution. In the meantime, while these clinical trials

are going on, though, I need governments to provide these people with support. Like, what type of assistance and immediate support can they provide to them? And, you know,

this has been made into a political thing, but it's not actually political because it does not matter what your political views are. Right. If you suffer from this, you suffer from this.

And long term, what does this mean for you? We have know and those are the headlines we will be back after some ads to consider why scientists are so dead set on bringing creepy ice age animals back to life i'm already cringing i'm already upset no it's bad it's bad it's bad it's bad. It's bad. It's bad. It's bad. It's Tuesday, WOD Squad. And today we're putting on our lab coats to bring you the latest installment of an ongoing experiment we like to call Josie versus science. Oh, were you being electrocuted like the bug zapper? I'm being electrocuted by information. Yikes. Josie, we already know how you feel about

cloning woolly mammoth meat to make meatballs absolutely disgusting. But this week, we have a similar, albeit much less appetizing story from the world of paleobiology. You ready for this? I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for this at all. I guess we'll go forward. Also, apologies to my mother, who is an actual scientist. Oh, my God. It must be very disappointed in the child she got. Wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry, Mom.

Did she not take you to the lab with her? Like, did you not get exposed? No, she is a physicist. Was space camp the end of it? But she did try to be an astronaut. It didn't work. But that was her goal. Okay, there's the space camp connection. Josie's mom, I've got your back. We'll work on her. She loves science. I hate science.

Here we go. This one comes from Germany, where researchers have successfully revived a newly discovered type of roundworm that was found frozen in Siberia several years ago. According to a radiocarbon analysis, these creepy crawlers have been chilling, pun intended, in the frigid permafrost for over 46,000 years. To put that in context, that's around the same time that mammoths and saber-toothed tigers were still alive. We don't need them in our lives today. I'm sure we don't need this roundworm in our life today, but here we go. We just figured out society like 20 minutes ago. Did we?

Why would we go backwards? That's true. We just figured it out as much as we have figured it out. And that's like 60% at best. Why would we go back? Now, even though this particular species of worm has never been seen before, God, this is blowing my mind. Scientists aren't completely sure

if it actually went extinct or if it's just that well adapted to the cold. And here's the part where it gets worse. One of the worms in question wasted no time trying to reproduce because as soon as it woke up, so to speak, it actually started having little baby worms inside the lab dish.

I'm laughing, but inside I'm sobbing because every single movie. Starts like this. Told us about this. Starts like this. It starts like this. You do not unfreeze something. And then if you unfreeze it and it immediately starts reproducing after 46,000 years of being frozen. Oh my God.

You freeze it again. You freeze it again. You freeze it again. You kill it with fire. It's literally given alien. I'm imagining the worms climbing under the nail beds of the scientists, getting in their skin. But Josie, Josie, what do you make of this breakthrough discovery? If you can't tell, I hate every single part of it. Everything about it, I hate it.

I hate it. I hate it. Don't do this. But science isn't always about solving problems. It's about exploring what was. No, no. It's a curiosity. That is where we went wrong. Science should be about solving problems. Do not create problems as a scientist. That is your goal. Josie said, don't recreate Jurassic Park in your lab, people. Have you people seen Jurassic Park? Have you seen it? We learned the lesson right then and there.

Find ancient languages. Let's search for some old times capsules that haven't yet been opened. Why are we unfreezing things like worms? Why? I don't like it. I don't like it at all. Well, here's the thing. Our producer, Lita, made it very clear that with climate change, all the things in permafrost are going to thaw out anyway.

So brace yourself, people. More of this is coming. It's so bad. And just like that, congratulations, Josie. You have survived another round with science. Your mom's proud. I think she'd be proud of this one. Well, she'll be proud of me when we both die by worm.

Whatever is going to happen to all of us. I just feel like we deserved a couple more years of not being killed by worm. Whatever is going to happen to all of us. I just feel like we deserved a couple more years of not being killed by worm. And that is obviously what's going to happen. We know what's going to happen. Yeah. We can feel it in our souls. Yeah. Yeah. It's bad. It's not cool. One more thing before we go. We are excited to announce that Crooked Media's first book published under our new imprint is out now. Mobility by Lydia Kiesling is a coming-of-age novel about navigating a world filled with corporate greed that's both laugh-out-loud funny and politically incisive. It is the perfect addition to your summer reading list. You can get your copy now at crooked.com slash mobility.

I have to say, I read her previous novel, The Summer, Golden State, and I loved it. I'm into it. Before I even knew that she was on our imprint. That is an unbiased opinion. I love it. That is an unbiased endorsement. I really loved it. I recommend it to a lot of people. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, pack your bags for Space camp, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, and not just all the books that Arkansas Republicans want to ban,

like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter, so check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. I'm Juanita Tolliver. And leave those frozen worms alone. Don't pick them up in Siberia while you're out for a walk and put them in your pocket. Don't get involved. My creepy thought, the worms crawling into my ears.

Oh, that's 100% going to happen. We actually told you guys that climate change was a thing and you guys ignored it. And now there are worms crawling in my ears. As the world is burning, Josie will just be like, I told you so. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itzy Quintanilla. Raven Yamamoto and Natalie Bettendorf are our associate producers.

Our intern is Ryan Cochran. And our senior producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kshaka.