What A Day - The South Yawn

Episode Date: August 28, 2020

Trump closed out the RNC last night, with a meandering 70-minute long speech that saw him paint a rosy picture of his administration’s handling of COVID-19 and promise a vaccine before the end of the year. Trump also tried to suggest that Biden would usher in chaos, while tending to ignore or misrepresent the chaos that’s happening under his administration.Later today thousands of protestors are expected to gather in Washington, DC, bringing the energy of this year’s many racial justice protests to the nation’s capitol. Jacob Blake’s father is set to speak at the event, along with other family members of people who have experienced police brutality.And in headlines: early impact of Hurricane Laura, an update on coronavirus in Europe, and Bon Appétit hires Dawn Davis as its editor-in-chief.

It's Friday, August 28th. I'm Akilah Hughes. And I'm Gideon Resnick, and this is What A Day, where we are proud to say we have no memory of what happened between 5.30 and 9.30 Pacific last night. Yeah, I mean, it's kind of weird, but we tried to think of what we watched on TV and just came up completely blank. Yeah, I like to think I was out grilling. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I like to think I was out grilling. On today's show, protesters get ready to march on Washington for racial justice, then some headlines.

But first, the latest. You want to see a bird graveyard? You just go. Take a bird graveyard go under a windmill someday you'll see more birds than you've ever seen ever in your life oh god all right well that was uh donald trump and the final night of the rnc so last night speaking in front of a crowd that didn't seem to be socially distancing, wasn't tested generally and was largely maskless. Trump accepted his party's nomination on the South Lawn of the White House. It capped off a week in which various government officials and family members use federal property as backdrop for campaign rallies. You know, the whole swamp draining thing outside the White House. Protesters were gathered and at times in the background of Trump's speech, you could hear the faint sound of sirens or horns, which brings us to the series of

crises that the country is facing right now and that are overhanging this entire event. So before we get into Trump's speech, let's just take stock of this moment. Right. There's a failed federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic with over 180,000 deaths and nearly six million cases, the most in the world, resulting economic crisis that has left millions unemployed. Just yesterday, for instance, data showed that another million-plus people filed for unemployment just last week. Yep, horrendous.

Then there's also the immediate and dangerous threat of climate change with wildfires raging in California and a massive hurricane that made landfall in Louisiana earlier this week and is moving inland. And yet another instance of police brutality in the shooting of Jacob Blake by a Kenosha police officer sparking protests throughout the week. And unlike in 2016, when Trump could posture as an outsider, a reelection campaign is ultimately in large part about how voters are going to judge this term happening

right now. And needless to say, this is all happening while Trump is president. Yeah, he didn't do great. Well, let's get into some of Trump's speech. Here is a clip. If the left gains power, they will demolish the suburbs, confiscate your guns, and appoint justices who will wipe away your Second Amendment and other constitutional freedoms. Biden is a Trojan horse for socialism. Yeah, there was literally like a Twitter ad they had that was an actual Trojan horse with an animated Biden side. So as it has been, the Biden is a hidden socialist and that's bad mantra

was and continues to be a big theme. Trump called the task force plans that were created by Senator Bernie Sanders and Biden the quote Bernie Bideno, and frequently used the term Marxist labels that, if anything, could maybe draw more young voters to actually voting for Biden. Interestingly, though, I don't think he mentioned Senator Kamala Harris, the VP pick throughout the speech. But in all seriousness, even before this speech, where Trump called Biden a, quote, destroyer of American greatness, if he were elected, he and his campaign have seemed to struggle to define him. There was the sleepy Joe and mentally deficient stuff. And more recently, they've tried really hard to make Biden seem politically radical.

And it hasn't really worked thus far because people have eyes, ears and Google. And a lot of policy that is supposed to be wildly radical in the first place is broadly popular. Yeah, I mean, who wants health care? Imagine ending the COVID crisis. Yikes. Well, Trump also tried to paint a rosier picture of the administration's handling of COVID-19, which again has resulted in over 180,000 deaths and said that it was basically China's fault. So here's another clip from Trump.

Again, he starts by going after Biden. He oversaw the rise of ISIS and cheered the rise of China as a positive development for America and the world. Some positive development. That's why China supports Joe Biden and desperately wants him to win. I can tell you that upon very good information. China would own our country if Joe Biden got elected. Unlike Biden, I will hold them fully accountable for the tragedy that they caused all over the world they caused. Yes, that's obviously a reference to COVID-19. And Trump also said that Biden's plan was a quote, surrender to the virus. And he also promised a vaccine before the end of the year, something that is possible, but very far from 100 percent. The surrender part is basically about the potential of another lockdown to stem the spread in the future, which the Trump administration wants to portray as hurting the economy.

But again, Trump does not have trust from the American public on this. Yeah. Before we move on, do you have overall thoughts on the speech and the week? My primary thought is that was the longest speech I have ever heard. It was like clearly well over an hour. And the Biden one seems super economical in comparison. It was like 25 minutes. But I think overall, Trump seemed pretty unfocused and ticking through like a list of 2016 hits on trade, but also Space Force and Qasem Soleimani and the old law and order stuff, you know, refurbished with new updates. It really seemed like he was kind of bored at times and going through the motions.

But I guess when it came down to it, he tried to convey two things, that he would do a better job on COVID-19 than Biden, and that Biden would usher in chaos, which is kind of like what he said last time. And one of the lasting things from Trump's 2016 convention speech, which was dark and unfocused on this twisted conception of law and order that he has, is the sentence he used saying, quote, I alone can fix it. So people are going to naturally ask when they are voting, did you fix it? Yeah, and I'd like to answer clearly he did not. And also, you know, acting as if Joe Biden's response to COVID-19 would be chaos as if we're not living in chaos currently is laughable. Yeah, I think that's a great point. And in trying to warn about Biden and Democrats destroying the country in the future, they're basically saying don't assess us on what is happening right now.

And talking about a bunch of stuff as if they were not currently in charge. It's sort of like a national, you know, MIB memory wipe. But the long and short of it is Trump barely won while losing the popular vote in 2016, and has had low favorability throughout his term. And now the difference is on top of that, there's a monumental crisis affecting everyone that he has been terrible at responding to. And that still seems to be the crux of the election after these two weeks. For sure. All right, that concludes the Republican National Convention. Thank God we made it, folks. We are done. Yes, indeed. Moving sure. All right. That concludes the Republican National Convention. Thank God we made it, folks. We are done. Yes, indeed. Moving on. Later today, thousands of protesters

are expected to gather in Washington, D.C., bringing the energy of protests we've seen over the last few months to the nation's capital. So let's talk about what is planned. Yeah. So today is the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, where the late John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against racial prejudice, inequality, and lack of opportunity. I'm really glad those are things we don't still have to march about. Just kidding. This is America, and the cops and unregulated militias are killing Black people in lieu of due process still. So this year's march is titled the Get Your Knee Off Our Necks March on Washington, and it'll also take place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It's led by Al Sharpton's National Action Network in partnership with the NAACP,

the National Urban League, the Hispanic Federation, unions, clergy, and more. The event will feature family members of police shooting victims, including Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and will focus on voting in November, specifically on the issue of criminal justice reform. Due to the pandemic, the crowd is expected to be a slightly smaller 50,000 attendees, which is according to a permit that was issued on Tuesday, which surely Donald Trump will hate since one, black people,

and two, that rally that killed Herman Cain, that the TikTok kids trolled to smithereens that also certainly inspired Trump's threats to ban the app and the subsequent lawsuit filed against Trump by TikTok just this week. But you know, if you can't be there in person, it will be streaming almost everywhere online. And speaking of racial injustice protests, we also got some updates yesterday on the status of the NBA and other sports leagues after so many athletes decided to strike following the

police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. So beginning with the NBA, where do things stand now? Yes, last night's games were postponed as well in light of all of this. But despite it seeming like the rest of the season was in serious jeopardy as players met and discussed what they wanted to do next, by yesterday morning, they decided to continue playing. The NBA said that games could continue today or tomorrow, but we'll have to see how things actually shake out there and what other details emerge, as well as what the players are going to want to be seeing in concrete form from ownership. As we talked about, all of this was set off by the Milwaukee Bucks deciding to not play on Wednesday, a decision which they reportedly made without telling their opponent

the Orlando Magic or two NBA officials. It was an unprecedented and brave move that continues to reverberate across tons of leagues. Some NFL teams canceled practices yesterday, with teams like the Baltimore Ravens putting out a detailed statement saying, among other things, that the officers who shot Blake and shot and killed Breonna Taylor need to be arrested and charged. They also called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Justice in Policing Act to the floor. And the NHL, which ended up playing on Wednesday, joined other leagues in postponing its Thursday and Friday games. So we'll track where this all goes from here, but a pretty unbelievable moment we are witnessing. And then lastly, we got some updates from Kenosha yesterday, so let's go through those. Okay, so Kenosha has officially filed charges against Kyle Rittenhouse.

The complaint details how Rittenhouse used an AR-15-style rifle to shoot and kill 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum and 26-year-old Anthony Huber, as well as injure one other protester. Under Wisconsin law, Rittenhouse, who is 17 years old, is being charged as an adult. Also yesterday, Jacob Blake's father told reporters that he visited his son in the hospital and found him handcuffed to his bed, which is horrific to think about. This is a paralyzed man who was paralyzed because of the police, and they are also handcuffing him. Well, Blake's family says that they're not aware of any charges brought against him or why he might even be under arrest. At the time of this recording, Kenosha's police and sheriff's department haven't responded to reporter questions on this. Jacob Blake's father is set to speak today at the March on Washington.

And that's the latest for now. It's Friday WOD Squad, and it's been a really long week, so for today's Temp Check, we want to briefly brighten things up. The oldest married couple with a combined age of almost 215 years was recognized this week. Julio Cesar Mora and Waldramina Quintero live in Ecuador and have been married since 1941. He's 110, she's 104. And they credit their long marriage to, quote, mutual respect, honest work, and proper education based on family values. So Giddy, good tips there.

But what's your advice for someone looking for an 80-year marriage? Well, as a marriage counselor, I have to say, you know, one of the key things seems to be not living in the United States. I've seen a lot of this. It seems to be like the rarer, older couple that is in Ecuador. But I feel like I've seen a lot of older couples that are in Japan, for instance. You know, it just seems like there might be a little bit less stress that's going on, maybe a little bit more healthy eating, potentially a nicer environment. That would

be my first advice to couples is flee. Yeah, I think that's fair. I don't know if I could do 80 years of marriage the way America's going currently in Trump's America, you know? Yeah. And I also just think the idea, all due respect to these folks who sound lovely, but the idea of being 110 just seems unbelievably taxing to me, like waking up and being 110. My joints already hurt. But same question for you, Akilah. What would you advise? Yeah, I mean, I guess sort of going off of that, I would say hopefully your life expectancy is, you know, you were old enough to get married and then have 80 more years together because I don't see it happening for me. No one in my family's ever lived to be 104. I think that, yeah, that's honestly, if you can live that long, you can pretty much do anything, including stay married. So, you know, I'm just happy for them that they're still kicking it. Yeah. Yeah. It's an uphill battle to live over 100.

And at that point, marriage is a cinch. See, we turn this around. It was getting bleak and then we made it nice. Yeah, truly. All right. Well, just like that, we have checked our Tim's stay safe and in love forever. And we will check in with you all again next week. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. A soldier who went missing last week from a military base in Texas was found dead on Tuesday. 23-year-old Elder Fernandez has been stationed at Fort Hood, and his body was found hanging from a tree about 30 miles from the base.

Before Fernandez went missing, he transferred units after reporting that his sergeant had sexually assaulted him. Natalie Kawam, the lawyer representing his family, said he was bullied and hazed for sending in that report. Kawam also represents the family of Vanessa Guillen, another soldier at Fort Hood who went missing in April and was later found dead. She was also allegedly sexually harassed before her death. In a statement, Kawam said Fernandez is the 13th person this year from Fort Hood to have vanished or been killed. Hurricane Laura made its way north yesterday after making landfall as the strongest storm to ever hit Louisiana. Tens of thousands of people lost access to clean drinking water, 800,000 people lost power,

and six deaths have been confirmed. The aftermath was not as bad as officials expected, but it was still substantial. Buildings and cars were destroyed, and vulnerable communities were left in hazardous conditions. The storm pushed through an area with large factories and chemical plants, which many worried could put neighboring low-income communities at risk. One massive fire at a Westlake, Louisiana chemical plant created clouds of hazardous smoke, which led officials to urge residents to stay inside and close their windows. A Confederate monument in Lake Charles was also destroyed. Local officials had voted to keep it two weeks earlier.

So, you know, not all bad news. Yeah, maybe it should just stay down. Coronavirus cases are back on the rise in Europe with the UK, France and Italy all reporting new case numbers yesterday that were on par with what those countries were seeing in the late spring and early summer. Spain now has the highest incidence of COVID-19 in Western Europe. Case numbers are similar to where they were during the country's first peak, although the deaths are lower because the virus is mostly spreading among young people. To give a sense of the scale here, COVID prevalence in Spain is approximately 900 cases per 100,000, where in the US it's 1,800

cases per 100,000 people. Interestingly, the European conversation around school reopening is very different than ours, with widespread agreement among leaders and politicians that children need in-person classes. Countries are trying different things to pull this off safely, including hiring more teachers, building temporary outdoor classrooms, and quarantining classes when one student tests positive. Bon Appetit encouraged us to try new foods, and now they're trying something new too, taking direction from someone who isn't white. Dawn Davis is now set to take over as the magazine's editor-in-chief. She's a black woman who currently works as a vice president at Simon & Schuster, where she founded an imprint focused on

marginalized voices. Before that, Davis edited books like Pulitzer Prize winner The Known World by Edward P. Jones. Bon Appetit's last editor-in-chief was Andrew Rappaport, who resigned after photos of him in brownface at a Halloween party went public. That led to a broader examination of the culture at the magazine,

which, spoiler alert, was really fucking bad. This month, three Bon Appetit journalists of color resigned because even after the initial controversy, they weren't able to be paid fairly to appear in their videos. The magazine's only two black editorial staff members resigned soon after. Hopefully things will get better now, but that still doesn't mean I'm going to read their recipes unless they make one for my favorite dish, hot old takeout. It's the best. And those are the headlines. That's all for today.

If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, send us recipes for hot old takeout, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just the Bernie Biden manifesto 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 keep your speeches under an hour.

Especially if we don't care what you're talking about. Like if it's all going to be lies, it could be 15 minutes or a text. Just keep it moving. What A Day is a Crooked Media production. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis. Keep it moving. This episode of What A Day is brought to you by Quibi. If you're looking for new content to fill your time this summer, look no further than Quibi. Quibi is a brand new streaming platform that offers new episodes of original shows every single day, like Emmy-nominated Free Raishan, a gut-wrenching series about a wrongfully accused war veteran trying to clear his name. Produced by Academy Award-winning director Antoine Fuqua, the show is packed to the brim with action featuring a high-stakes showdown Thank you.