What A Day - Tommy Tubervillainy

Episode Date: December 6, 2023

GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama finally backed down on Tuesday after single-handedly blocking nearly every single military promotion for almost a year. He released the vast majority of his holds, and shortly afterwards the Senate confirmed the promotions of 440 service members.Georgia’s Republican-controlled state senate passed a redrawn Congressional map that preserves the GOP majority among the state’s delegation to the House of Representatives. The map also splits Democratic Representative Lucy McBath’s Congressional district in half to create a new majority-minority congressional district.And in headlines: Hundreds of Washington Post staffers will walk off the job for 24 hours on Thursday, SAG-AFTRA members finished voting on the proposed three-year contract between actors and Hollywood studios, and Panera Bread was hit with a second lawsuit that claims that the franchise’s Charged Lemonade drink killed a customer.Show Notes:What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Wednesday, December 6th. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And I'm Juanita Tolliver, and this is What A Day, where I am counting down to the finale of Squid Game, The Challenge, y'all. Yes, the Netflix reality show wraps tonight. I'm just glad that no one dies. At least, no one's died yet. They pretend to when the ink packet bursts in their shirt, and it's pretty funny, actually, the way some people are flopping to the ground. I think a montage of that alone is pure entertainment.

Love that. On today's show, I'll explain how Georgia Republicans are trying to gerrymander a black Democrat out of Congress again. Plus, nearly 16,000 people have been killed in Gaza. But first, after single-handedly blocking nearly every single military promotion for almost a year, Alabama Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville finally decided to back down yesterday, releasing the vast majority of his holds on Senate votes to confirm their promotions. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's reaction sums it up pretty nicely.

Take a listen. And one thing I would say, Senator Tuberville, I hope no one does this again. And I hope they learn the lesson of Senator Tuberville. And that is he held out for many, many months, hurt our national security, caused discombobulation to so many military families who have been so dedicated to our country and didn't get anything that he wanted. It's a risky strategy that will not succeed. I hope it doesn't happen again. He got nothing. He stopped short of calling it unserious, but why not add that into the mix? Right.

Shortly after Tuberville's announcement, the Senate confirmed the promotions of 440 service members, all of which were delayed by Tuberville in his role on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Look, I know Tuberville is not up till 2026, but I need Democrats on it in Alabama. One, recruit your slate of candidates to start investing in them. And three, run all of this footage of Tuberville standing in the way of these military nominations on repeat for the next two years, please. Please. Seriously, give everybody the backstory here. Yes. So Senator Tuberville is a first term senator who is best known for his role as the former football coach at Auburn University. No background in this lawmaking thing. And quite frankly, it shows he has been attempting to protest a Pentagon policy that ensures time off and travel reimbursements for U.S. service members who are seeking abortion care or fertility treatments if that kind of care isn't available

where they are in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade. There is a Senate tradition where any member can put a hold on a nomination, and that is how he protested. He blocked the Senate from voting to confirm any military appointments or promotions for the past 10 months, which has resulted in a backlog of 445 senior military promotions. And his timing is just impeccable because we have conflicts emerging around the globe. So what kind of position did that leave our military in? This has prevented the Pentagon, a.k.a. the United States Department of Defense, from being able to fill its top ranks, hire support for their new positions, or even move people into the right quarters.

So very, very disruptive for 10 months, which almost a year. Apparently he is so anti anybody's rights to receive abortion care that he was willing to treat military officials like political pawns, which par for the course for today's Republican Party with pretty much anybody.

And the only reason he stepped aside was because, as we reported three weeks ago, the rest of his colleagues came up with a plan that would let them go around the Senate's rules to confirm these nominees. That is how unpopular his stance has been on both sides of the aisle. Tuberville clearly isn't in Congress to make

friends, not here to make much of a difference either. As Schumer said, he has accomplished nothing with respect to that Pentagon policy that he has been trying to protest. It's all a mess. Did Tuberville say anything more once he announced yesterday he would finally back down? Oh, I mean, you might think he would be embarrassed, have regrets, maybe shame. But no, Tuberville said that he has no regrets. Here is what he told reporters yesterday. They didn't get what they wanted. We didn't get what we wanted. And, you know, when they change the rules, it's hard to win. And so they changed the NDA rules. We didn't get to fight for it to leave it in the Senate. And so just unfortunate the American people didn't get

a voice. What a toddler. Oh, my God. If that wasn't enough, when asked what his message was to the military families who have been harmed by his actions, all he had to say was, quote, thank you for your service. I don't know about you, Juanita, but that is ringing a little bit hollow over here. Like 100 percent. And as the daughter of two Navy veterans, let me just say this. Service members remember who steps in their way. So every military family impacted by this, every person who had their nomination delayed,

they vote and they will show up and bring their entire battalions with them because this is ridiculous. Please, please do. I will say it's not even completely over yet. Tuberville, he agreed to release the promotions for three star nominees and below, which is the majority. But he's still committing to holding up the process for 11 four star generals, which, as you're noting, these are probably not the people to make enemies of. Nope. But the end

of his blockade is obviously good news over at the Pentagon, even if it's incomplete. Officials are urging him to drop these last holds as well. They emphasized everything going on in the world at the moment, as you just were talking about, and why it might not be a good idea to have any uncertainty in the chain of command. As of right now, I would have to agree with them. Imagine this being your crowning jewel for your time in the Senate. Like, OK. It's so embarrassing.

Beyond embarrassing. Like, literally, are you not embarrassed? And his constituents, are they not? Now let's get to Georgia, where yesterday the Republican-controlled state Senate passed a redrawn congressional map that preserves the GOP congressional majority of nine to five among the state's delegation to the House of Representatives and splits Democratic Representative Lucy McBath's congressional district in half to create a new majority minority congressional district.

Of course, Georgia Republicans are saying that the map is within the confines of the Voting Rights Act. But what it looks like is yet another map that's been gerrymandered to the nth degree that disenfranchises voters and will potentially force a black woman out of her congressional seat. Great. OK, same old, same old for the Republicans down in Georgia. Right. Let's rewind here. Why are Georgia legislators redrawing their maps right now? So the legislators were called back for a special session after a judge threw out their last set of maps in October. U.S. District Judge Stephen Jones ruled that Georgia's congressional, state senate, and statehouse maps violated federal law. That's because they dilute black voting power and he mandated that the legislators create black majorities in one additional congressional

district, two additional state senate districts, and five additional state house districts. Naturally, Georgia Republicans took that as a challenge to carve this map so that they don't fulfill the judge's mandates, just like what we've shared about that maps in Alabama in recent months. In Georgia, instead of creating a second majority black congressional district, they broke apart Representative McBath's district where no one race makes up a majority. And this is the second redistricting process Representative McBath's district where no one race makes up a majority. And this is the second redistricting process where McBath's district has effectively been dissolved. Yeah, seriously, they are targeting her repeatedly. And it's very obvious. So what do you mean exactly when you say dissolved? Well, in 2021, when the Republican controlled state house

redrew the maps, they were clearly upset that Representative McBath had won a predominantly white district, the same district former House Speaker Newt Gingrich used to represent. And so they redrew it to be more Republican. They also made the neighboring district more Democratic, so McBath switched districts and successfully challenged another Democrat for her current seat. So this new map is a second attempt by Republicans to get McBath out of Congress. And it's beyond blatant at this point. Like you said, Priyanka, thankfully, Democrats and advocates have been calling out Republicans at every step of this process, really emphasizing the systematic discrimination and

disenfranchisement at play here. So what happens next with these maps? Next, the congressional map will go to the Georgia State House, where it will likely pass before Friday's deadline. Then all three maps will go back to Judge Jones for review. And this, this is where he could rule that they don't satisfy his mandates and appoint an expert to redraw all of them. If that's the case, though, Georgia will have to brace itself for appeals because Republicans are going to fight that tooth and nail. I'm also watching the calendar and all of this because we have 11 months until the 2024 election. And sorting all of this out is going to impact ballots and polling places and voter information. So there's a lot on the line here.

Yeah, of course. We'll keep following this closely. But that's the latest for now. Let's get to some headlines. Headlines. The Israeli military said yesterday that its forces were, quote, in the heart of Han Yunis, the largest city in southern Gaza and where Israel claims Hamas leaders and fighters are located. Military officials said that they were in the, quote,

most intense day since the beginning of its ground offensive. And a representative for the World Health Organization in Gaza told reporters that the situation was getting worse by the hour, saying, quote, there is intensified bombing going on all around, even here in the southern area, Han Yunis, and even in Rafah. Nearly 16,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7th, 70% of whom were women and children, according to the health

ministry in Gaza. The ministry said that hundreds were killed since the temporary truce came to an end just last week, and many others remain trapped under the rubble. The U.N. said that nearly 80 percent of the people in Gaza have been displaced as a result of the war. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday during a news conference that the Israeli defense forces should retain control of security in Gaza after the war, adding, quote, no international force can be responsible for that. Stateside, President Joe Biden yesterday condemned the Hamas militants who reportedly raped and attacked women in Israel on October 7th. Hamas denies those claims.

Speaking at a fundraiser in Boston, Biden said, quote, it's on all of us, government, international organizations, civil society and businesses to forcefully condemn the sexual Hundreds of Washington Post staffers will walk off the job for 24 hours tomorrow, their union announced. Here's a clip of the video that the Post's Guild published on X yesterday. We've been in contract negotiations for 18 months. And our bosses have refused to bargain in good faith. They have failed to offer us a fair deal that keeps pace with the economy and our competitors. So on Thursday, I'm walking off the job. I am walking off the job for 24 hours with hundreds of my Washington Post colleagues. Last month, the company announced

plans to offer voluntary buyouts to their staff in an effort to cut 240 positions. If not enough staffers accept those buyouts by the end of the year, management warned that more layoffs are imminent. The Guild is fighting back, blaming poor leadership and business decisions for the staff cuts that could be avoided otherwise. This summer, publisher Fred Ryan announced that he was stepping down. And a New York Times investigation found that the post was set to lose 100 million dollars this year. As a reminder, Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos owns the post. So make it make sense. The Guild encouraged readers to refrain from engaging with any of the post content for the duration of their strike tomorrow to avoid crossing the picket line. The Washington Post does really essential work. 240

positions is just unfathomable. So please, please support these staffers as they walk out of the job. Moving now to Tinseltown, SAG-AFTRA members voted yes yesterday and officially ratified a three-year contract between actors and Hollywood studios. This vote ends the longest labor fight in Hollywood's history. Members started casting ballots last month after the tentative deal brought an end to the 118-day strike. SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a message to union members that this, quote,

marks the dawning of a new era for the industry. The contract includes a 7% increase in general wages and streaming bonuses, among other things, but there was some opposition to the provisions about, quote, synthetic performers playing human roles, consent requirements, and the use of performances by members to train AI tools. SAG-AFTRA leaders, however, defended the terms, saying that the AI safeguards are a starting point and can be built on during future negotiations.

This new contract is valid through June 30th, 2026. Panera Bread was hit with a second lawsuit on Monday, claiming that the franchise's charged lemonade drink killed a customer. Dennis Brown, a 46-year-old man from Florida, went into cardiac arrest on his way home from a local Panera after he drank three charged lemonades back in October. The drink, which was introduced earlier this year, has about 30 teaspoons of sugar and 390 milligrams of caffeine.

Oh, my goodness. I'm sorry. That's insane. And to put it into perspective, the FDA says that it's dangerous to consume more than 400 milligrams of caffeine in an entire day. Like, wow, off the charts levels of caffeine here. Brown's family is suing for wrongful death, and they allege that the restaurant should have known that the drink wasn't safe for children

or people like Brown who have sensitivities to caffeine because of his high blood pressure. Monday's lawsuit comes just two months after Panera was sued by the family of a 21-year-old college student who also died from cardiac arrest just hours after drinking one Charged Lemonade. The student, Sarah Katz, had a pre-existing heart condition and was very mindful of her caffeine intake, but her family claims that she couldn't have known that the lemonade would be lethal since there were no warnings posted anywhere about its ingredients. Panera said it updated its disclosures about the Charged Lemonade's caffeine levels in its restaurants and on its website after Katz's death.

In response to Monday's lawsuit, Panera expressed their condolences to the Brown family, but maintained that it, quote, stands firmly by the safety of its products. Okay, look. What? Two people have passed away from drinking your Charged Lemonade. You do not stand by that safety anymore, Panera. Maybe just ditch it. No, if anything, it needs to come with a warning label like cigarettes that this could cost you your life.

Yeah, I'm sorry, Panera Bread. This isn't even like a standout thing in the lineup. This is not what I think about from Panera Bread. I think about a bread bowl personally. Mix it. Get rid of it. Why? Yeah, I'm confused about why they're holding on to this so tightly. It is not your number one selling product. Like it's just been introduced. Let it go. It's also like December. Who wants a

lemonade right now? Please. None of this is making sense. Just get rid of it. You know what also doesn't make sense? Why lemonade has any caffeine at all? I had no idea lemonade had caffeine. None of this shit makes sense. All of these people grow up and order a coffee or get an energy drink. Like, what are you doing ordering a caffeinated lemonade? Yeah, this is very strange. Crazy. And those are the headlines.

We'll be back after some ads so we can dish about some juicy updates on the scandalous romance that left the world of daytime television in shambles. I cannot wait. It's Wednesday, Wild Squad, and we're ending with a segment that we like to call What a Dish, a segment where we spill some tea, dish some dirt, and get into some gag-worthy gossip, because we love mess here on this program.

And I mean, talking about celebrity news helps keeps us sane in the midst of everything else happening. And I will add it's news. People talk about this stuff. So you should know about it. So when people bring it up, you have things to contribute to the conversation. We're doing you a favor. Water cooler group chats will thank us. Yes. Oh, yes. From dissecting the TikTok beef between Kelly and Joanna, if you know, oh, you know, to breaking down Beetlejuice Gate, we are here for all of it. And today we have no choice but to dive back into the saga of Amy Robach and TJ Holmes. They were the co-hosts of Good Morning America.

They were suspended from ABC last year when it was revealed that the two of them were dating despite being legally married to other people at the time. Juanita's head is buried in her hands. I'm cringing so hard. It was a morning show love story, a forbidden love story. Anyways, the couple denied that they were having an affair, saying that they were in the middle of finalizing divorces behind the scenes. Yeah. As one does behind the scenes. Yeah.

As one does, I guess. Yeah. Who could forget? But yesterday, the two of them spoke out for the first time since their exit from the network with their new podcast that launched yesterday. It's called simply Amy and TJ. I cannot believe these people thought they had enough to talk about to launch their own podcast, but here they are.

In it, they talk about how much they love each other and how hard this past year has been for them after they were, quote unquote, outed by the tabloids. Our producers were gracious enough to pull some clips from their debut episode. Shout out to Raven. You're a real one for this. Juanita, are you ready? I am bracing myself. I can't wait. When we talked about names for this podcast, like one of them we were going to go with was Scandal Less. Because this was a scandal that wasn't. Look, a lot of people know. They used to call us brother, sister, almost.

When they would make any kind of joke about what's going on with you two, we would almost go, ew, it's like my sister. That is actually true. Oh my God. I can say that I've never been happier. I am with my best friend. I'm not going to get cheesy. I promise.

Although that was kind of cheesy. So I apologize. Sorry. Sorry. Go ahead. More cheese. More cheese. Yes, let's Velveeta this.

Bottom line, we have not said this. I'm in love with this woman and she's in love with me and we are planning a life together okay okay okay wait wait wait wait wait you know i've worked really hard to mind my business when it comes to random people's relationships but once they get past the us against the world stage of this they're really not gonna like each other and that's what this podcast is they really think it's them against the world stage of this they're really not gonna like each other and that's what this podcast is they really think it's them against the world yeah i gotta say i've never felt more lactose intolerant in my life than right now okay but we also have to talk about how amy and tj's

exes are now dating according to multiple reports andrew shu and marley feinbing the divorcees of this entire saga have reportedly bonded over their shared experiences and kindled a flame oh my god I hope everybody's in therapy listen I don't even care about Amy and TJ do your podcast whatever you're in love do your thing the fact that their exes have found love with each other I don't know I'm sure people have a lot of thoughts I kind of think it's amazing I kind of love it for them because these two people are bonded over being wronged, being wronged in the most public of fashions by their spouses who fell in love, had the audacity to do it on TV in front of everybody every single morning for however long. And now these two get

their happy ending together. I kind of like that for them. Well, also, I don't think there's any mistake that this podcast dropped and the news about the exes dropped on the same day. This is intentional. Pay their publicist. It is intentional. I still think it's a fumble of a century that ABC did not keep them on

after the news of this affair. I'm like, what would have gotten higher ratings than watching these two people who have just been outed as dating slash everything else on the air? But anyways,

this is the latest tea. The exes are dating, everyone's dating, and our stomachs hurt a little bit. A lot. A lot of it. Anyways,

surely we will have more drama to dissect in the coming days or weeks, so stay tuned for our next installment of What a Dish. I used to be rooting for love, but then I heard them articulated in their own words, and now I'm not anymore. Now I'm like you. One more thing before we go. This week on Pod Save America, strict scrutiny's Melissa Murray joined the guys to talk about the latest

Trump trial updates, what Trump's second term might look like, and the latest chaos to rock Congress. If you're brave enough to listen, you can check out that episode out now on the Pod Save America feed.

That is all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, serve up a good dish, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just avoiding squid game spoilers like me, What A Day is also a nightly newsletter.

Check it out and subscribe at Cricut.com slash subscribe. I'm Juanita Tolliver. I'm Priyanka Arabindi. And there's no scandal between these hosts. Yes. I feel like our partners would be so surprised. Are we falling in love on the air right now? Is that what's going on?

Hearts, hearts to you. Guys, you are watching this in real time. Lucky all of you. 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. And our showrunner is Leo Duran.

Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. you