What A Day - The Jan 6th Of The Tropics

Episode Date: January 9, 2023

After four days and 15 rounds of voting, Rep. Kevin McCarthy was finally elected Speaker of the House early Saturday. But in order to get enough votes, he had to cut some deals with the most conservative and hardline members of the GOP.Backers of Brazil's far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country's congressional building, the presidential residence, and its Supreme Court on Sunday, days after leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn into office. Lula blamed his predecessor's baseless allegations of election fraud for riling up his supporters.And in headlines: Iran executed two more prisoners for their involvement in anti-government protests, President Biden traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since taking office, and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin continues to make progress in his recovery.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/whataday/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Monday, January 9th. I'm Treville Anderson. And I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And this is What A Day, where we're pooling our resources to purchase one egg amid a nationwide bird flu-induced egg shortage. You know, as somebody who typically has eggs with their breakfast every morning and currently doesn't have any eggs in the refrigerator, this is not good. New year, new you, and not of your own choices. Right. Forced upon me. On today's show, President Biden made his first trip to the southern border since taking office. Plus, health officials warn that a new COVID subvariant could be the most

contagious one yet. I really need Ms. Funky Covadina to sit down. Like, please relax. Please relax. We're done. We got it. Her and all her children. Okayena to sit down. Like, please relax. Please relax. We're done. We got it. Her and all her children. Okay, go sit down. Right. But first, Kevin McCarthy is finally Speaker of the House after four days and a truly absurd

15 rounds of voting. Josie, I have to say that watching this all go down as I was wrapping up living my James Baldwin fantasy for the new year. It was quite entertaining how wild it all has been. Yes. So Travolta was in Paris, y'all, for the new year. And I bet from there, this was entertaining. Paris looked amazing.

It probably looked like WWE Congress or something. So no wonder they were enjoying it from Paris, from Georgia, where we did the countdown at nine o'clock so my kids would go to bed. I was feeling secondhand embarrassment, mostly for all of Congress and also for myself, for being here. So next time, Trayvon, please take me with you to Paris. That's what I take from this whole thing.

I can do that. Yeah, it was entertaining, but it was also concerning because as you mentioned, as you all mentioned on the show last week, this whole thing. I could do that. Yeah, it was entertaining, but it was also concerning because as you mentioned, as you all mentioned on the show last week, Kevin McCarthy was courting votes from these far riders of the so-called Freedom Caucus in the House. And it was their refusal to negotiate that made this whole process as difficult as it's been, all of which basically forced McCarthy to yield to many of their demands. It's like we're in The Little Mermaid all over again, and Ariel has just signed over her voice to Ursula. Now,

of course, I hate to compare the right-wingers in the house to such a legendary Disney villain, and we will just have to ignore the long history of Disney coding its villains as queer people for the time being. But my point, Josie, here is that McCarthy basically made a deal with the devil. And starting today, we're going to begin to see some of the implications of it. Let's go over the major concessions that Kevin McCarthy won for this very Pyrrhic victory. Yes. Okay. So one of the big deals McCarthy made to secure his position was changing the rules to allow any single member of the House to call a motion to remove him as Speaker. This is significant because it makes it a whole lot easier than it currently is to trigger

what would basically be a vote of no confidence in McCarthy. So it ends up being like a weapon that the most conservative of the GOP in the House can use to potentially wreak havoc if something doesn't go their way. And to that end, McCarthy also agreed to give these hardliners greater representation on major committees in the House. Mind you, this so-called Freedom Caucus consists of a few dozen of the most conservative Republicans. So they're getting outsized influence and control overall here because just a few of them wouldn't initially vote for McCarthy. It's kind of absurd.

Matt Gaetz is essentially my five-year-old child, but you have to negotiate with him versus my five-year-old child who you can just say, go to sleep. No. I wish we could tell Matt Gaetz, just go to sleep. Just go to sleep.

Right. Like, come on. So in addition to that, McCarthy also agreed to a rule that would give lawmakers 72 hours to review bills before they come to the House floor. That sounds like a positive, I think. Right, Josie? We like that one. Right. I mean, I think that it feels like if you're voting on a bill, you should take 72 hours to read it. And you know what? I don't feel like these people are such geniuses that they can absorb it all in, you know, 24. That's not the vibe I'm getting from this entire thing.

Broken clock twice a day. Y'all know the saying. Right. Also, McCarthy agreed to create an investigative committee to probe the, quote, weaponization of the federal government, which, okay, waste money, waste time. And he made a guarantee to hold votes on a number of key conservative bills. Those include legislation about abortion, border security, congressional term limits, and more. The Holman rule will also be reinstated, which basically allows lawmakers to amend appropriations bills to reduce the salaries of specific government officials. Why do I feel like they're never going to reduce their own salaries? That's my

guess, right? The specific government officials are somehow not going to be congressmen. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. But arguably the biggest concession is in regards to the debt ceiling. In anticipation of the government needing to raise its borrowing limit later this year, a deal was made so that any effort to do so must also be paired with spending cuts. This is probably where we'll see a lot of the proverbial fireworks. As we know, the Democrats in the Senate will likely oppose any demands for spending cuts. So this deal almost guarantees political gridlock, and that would have a destabilizing effect on our entire financial system. The New York Times says we could be in for, quote, the most perilous debt limit debate

since 2011. That was when Obama was president and he and Democrats were up against the then new Republican majority in the House. If not for an 11th hour deal, the country would have defaulted on its debt and been unable to pay its bills, which include things like military salaries and social security benefits. Oh boy. So this just seems like a disaster waiting to happen, given that it took 15 times for him to actually become Speaker and all the things he sacrificed in the meantime. So what will all of this mean for the House going forward?

Well, it means that we'll likely be doing a lot of stories this year about foolishness and political malarkey afoot in the House. So, you know, Josie, Juanita, Priyanka, get ready. Like I mentioned, this far right faction of House members basically has more tools in its arsenal to make even simple governing difficult. So the word of the year will likely be turbulent. So, you know, get ready, everyone. Oh, boy. I'm as ready as I can be, I guess. I wouldn't say I'm excited, but it's definitely going to be an eventful year. And speaking of eventful political happenings. Yesterday in Brazil's capital, thousands of people invaded

the country's presidential residence, Congress, and its Supreme Court to protest President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office last week. The protesters were supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right reactionary who was defeated in October's election.

Okay, another truly wild thing to witness as, you know, the videos and the photos and stuff were coming out. What spurred this particular protest? Yeah, well, there are a lot of Brazilians who believe that President Lula and the political left stole the presidential election in Brazil. That idea, which has no actual evidence behind it, was sparked by Bolsonaro, who for months before the election proclaimed that Brazil's voting machines

couldn't be trusted and called Lula a thief. He even refused to concede the election after it was over and has repeatedly implied that the results are wrong and he is the rightful president. You know, Josie, just a few days ago, okay, was the second anniversary of a one January 6th. And, you know, it's giving deja vu vibes, okay?

It is giving deja vu vibes. And not the good kind, you know? Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. I have to say the similarities between the two events are truly uncanny. First of all, Bolsonaro has a ton in common with former President Donald Trump. They love each other. They're very similar. Both of them are these right-wing personalities who have built a very loyal, very extremist following. Both of them traffic in conspiracy theories and have successfully radicalized significant portions of the electorate.

And now they've both encouraged insurrections. So truly two peas in a pod. This also isn't the first threat of violence since Lula's election. Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters have threatened violence in the past few months, even camping outside army headquarters in an attempt to force the army to stage a coup. Yikes, yikes, yikes. So these far-right protesters, they stormed Congress, the presidential residence, and the Supreme Court yesterday. What happened when they got inside? Well, Travelle, again, it was much like January 6th, right? Lots of broken glass, marching the halls, taking stuff from offices as trophies. Some protesters began to assault a police officer. And according to the Washington Post,

the protesters placed a flag in front of Congress that said, quote, intervention, a reference to calls for the military to depose Lula. They also set off fireworks from the rooftops. Now, one difference between what happened in Brazil in January 6th was that Lula and the lawmakers were not there. So in some ways it was different. But the actual actions that they took while in these buildings really echo what we saw two years ago. Yeah. How did law enforcement respond? Did they manage to intervene here? Good question. So according to recent reports, around 200 people were arrested and Lula has said that protesters whom he called, quote, fanatic fascists will be

prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But the role of law enforcement here is somewhat contested because according to President Lula and others, supposedly much of law enforcement was on the side of the invaders. So Lula stated the police didn't do anything at all. They just let the protesters in. Which you never really want the police to be letting people in, you know, who want to take over the government. That's not a good sign. When the police are on the side of fascists, things are bad. Right. Very, very bad. Clear rule. And where was Bolsonaro through all of this?

Yeah, funny you should ask, because Bolsonaro, like President Trump, is in Florida. Less than 48 hours after his term ended, he boarded a flight to Florida. He is allegedly in Orlando right now, and he reportedly boarded that flight on a one-way ticket. So it's unclear when or if he plans on returning. He is at risk of prosecution for a number of crimes he allegedly committed while in office and seems likely to avoid going back to Brazil

as long as the threat of criminal charges continues. Who knows if he's going to Disney? In the meantime, world leaders have condemned the actions of these far-right protesters. President Biden tweeted that Brazil's democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. That is the latest for now. We'll be following the story and we will be back after some ads. Now let's wrap up with some headlines. Iran executed two more prisoners over the weekend in connection to the ongoing protests over the police killing of Masa Amini.

Mohammed Mehdi Karami and Syed Mohammed Hosseini were accused of killing a member of a paramilitary force during a demonstration late last year. A prominent lawyer who has long defended political activists in Iran said that Karami wasn't allowed to say goodbye to his family before his execution, and Hosseini's lawyer claimed that his client was brutally tortured while in police custody. The United Nations and the European Union both condemned the killings. According to Amnesty International, at least 13 other detained protesters are currently on Iran's death row. President Biden traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, yesterday.

It was his first trip to the border since taking office and comes after he unveiled his administration's new policy on asylum seekers last week. El Paso recently declared a state of emergency to deal with the influx of migrants entering the city, many of whom don't have immediate access to housing or other resources. Upon meeting the president Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose solution to the border crisis has been to bus people to blue states, gave Biden a scathing list of demands. They include resuming construction on the border wall and detaining and expelling more migrants. Biden is in Mexico today where he will attend the North American Leader Summit where the migration issue is expected to be the top focus. DeMar Hamlin,

the Buffalo Bills player who suffered cardiac arrest during play last week, continues to make progress in his recovery. Hamlin can now breathe on his own and was able to cheer on his teammates from his hospital bed

as the Bills defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday. The NFL has reportedly reached an agreement with the Players Union to pay the full remainder of his salary this season. The team was initially planning to put him on what's known as the injured reserve list, which would have given him a reduced payout. The 24-year-old is halfway through a four-year contract with the Bills. The blue latex gloves have officially come off because thousands of nurses in New York City could go on strike this morning if they don't reach a tentative labor agreement with their employers. According to the union representing these nurses, many of them have been forced to treat patients in common hallways because of hospital overcrowding,

and some emergency rooms are so short-staffed that nurses are caring for as many as 20 patients at a time. This comes amid a nationwide simultaneous spike in COVID flu and RSV infections that health officials have called a triple-demic. Never a word you want to hear. Most of the hospitals involved in the dispute reached deals with their nurses over the weekend to avert the looming work stoppage. But as we go to record at 9.30 p.m. Eastern, two hospitals still have yet to reach an agreement. And speaking of triple-demics, we're tracking the new Omicron sub-variant that indicates scientists have gotten too comfortable asking us to memorize long strings of letters and numbers,

XBB1.5. The sub-variant has been described as the most transmissible version of coronavirus yet, and according to estimates that the Center for Disease Control released last Friday, it now accounts for 72 percent of new cases in the Northeast and more than a quarter of new infections nationwide. XBB1.5 was the product of genetic recombination in a person infected with multiple COVID strains last year. The mutations that it carries do make it better at evading antibodies, but there's no evidence that infection by XBB1.5 is any more severe than infection by previous Omicron subvariants. Still, it's a good reason to get your bivalent coronavirus vaccine dose if you needed another reason besides the opportunity to relax in a chair for 15 minutes at Rite Aid.

COVID has made its point and needs to go home. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. You're doing too much. You did enough. Please retire. Goodbye, COVID. I mean, we've been saying that for a little minute, but like, we mean it for real.

We really mean it. We really mean it. And if you don't leave, we're gonna, I don't know what we're gonna do. We can't do much. We've tried, but we're asking nicely. We are asking nicely. And those are the headlines. That's all for today.

If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, relax at a Rite Aid, and tell your friends to listen. And if you are into reading and not just 10 letters and numbers in the name of an Omicron subvariant like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. I'm Traevel Anderson. And wish us luck buying an egg. Okay, what are you gonna do with yours when you get it though? I mean, I feel like we should eat it. I mean, maybe that's too simple. I don't know. But what if you need it later? What if eggs never come back? What if they never come back?

What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Jazzy Marine and Raven Yamamoto are our associate producers. Our head writer is John Milstein and our executive producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kachaka.