Shownotes Transcript
It's Thursday, April 3rd. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What A Day, the show asking you, my friends and listeners, when do you think the last time Donald Trump bought groceries was? Likewise, an old-fashioned term that we use, groceries. I used it on the campaign. It's such an old-fashioned term, but a beautiful term, groceries. It sort of says a bag with different things in it. Groceries went through the roof, and I campaigned on that. I talked about the word groceries for a lot.
Like, he hasn't gone to a grocery store since the 70s, right? If ever. On today's show, Wisconsinites give Elon Musk the middle finger and send a liberal judge to their state Supreme Court. And Amazon makes a bid to buy TikTok in the 11th hour. Let's start by talking about Liberation Day, in which we finally took on our lifelong enemies, the Falkland Islands.
In a rose garden ceremony featuring props, charts, and yet another reference to the old-fashioned term that is groceries, President Donald Trump announced his big tariff scheme, and it is big indeed. In a few moments, I will sign a historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world.
alongside 10% tariffs on all countries. Trump installed massive tariffs on countries he thinks have treated the United States, quote, unfairly. And some of those countries, well, I have questions. I mean, for one thing, at least one of the entities we're tariffing, the herd in McDonald Islands, doesn't have any people. Population, zero. Another place we're taxing with tariffs is a U.S. military base.
China will be hit hard. 34% tariffs on top of the existing 20% tariffs put into place earlier this year.
But many of our closest allies, the European Union and India, for example, will experience some of the bigger tariffs, as will countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, both of which export billions of dollars worth of goods to the United States. But again, some of the countries chosen just seem kind of strange. For example, there is now a 32% tariff on Indonesian coffee imports, despite the fact that the United States doesn't export coffee to Indonesia or, well, anywhere.
We're putting a 41% tariff on Syria, which has been a little too busy with a civil war to really be a big trade issue for us, I think. And the highest tariffs of 50% are on the country of Lesotho and a French territory off the coast of Newfoundland. Because I actually have no idea.
This is all, to put it very kindly, not ideal. And Treasury Secretary Scott Besant isn't making me feel better with this advice given on Fox News to other countries. Well, we'll see what they do. My advice to every country right now is do not retaliate. Sit back, take it in. Let's see how it goes. We punch you in the face and you just deal with it. Cool?
And the U.S. stock market seemed to agree with me, with big drops across the board after Trump's announcement. But as we talked about on yesterday's show, Trump 2.0 doesn't care about the stock market, or your 401k, or your dad's retirement fund. He cares about the workers.
He invited Brian Panabaker, a retired auto worker and longtime UAW member, to sing his praises at the Rose Garden ceremony. We support Donald Trump's policies on tariffs 100 percent. So, Mr. President, we can't thank you enough. And in six months or a year, we're going to begin to see the benefits. I can't wait to see what's happening three or four years down the road. Thank you, Mr. President.
But Trump doesn't care about workers equally. While he waxed nostalgic about the great American factories of the past and something about President William McKinley, his administration is continuing to wreck the jobs and lives of thousands of unionized federal workers. Since Inauguration Day, the Trump administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency have fired more than 120,000 federal employees.
Those workers stretch across every federal agency, from the National Institutes of Health to the National Park Service. And with an executive order signed last week, Donald Trump has now decided to go up to the rights of federal employees to unionize and collectively bargain for better working conditions and higher wages. So I had to talk to Everett Kelly, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers. He's been a member of the AFGE since 1981. Everett, welcome to What A Day.
Thank you for having me. According to CNN, more than 120,000 federal workers have been fired since President Donald Trump took office, and thousands more layoffs are coming down the pipeline. The past several weeks have been defined by pure chaos and uncertainty. What have you been hearing from union members who have lost their jobs or are scared that they will in the coming weeks?
It's very chaotic right now. Members are very confused. They are afraid. They don't even know how to plan, you know, next week. Some of them are being fired for no apparent reason whatsoever. It just left everybody in a state of shock and confusion.
Let's talk about the Trump administration's fork in the road offer. About 75,000 people took the deal for deferred resignations. Some federal agencies are giving workers a second chance to take the offer, extending the deadline to mid-April. What has your guidance been to union members? Does the AFGE want members to stand their ground?
At this point, we are just kind of allowing our members to make the decision for themselves. We still don't trust the fork in the road, but we decided that it's best just let employees make that decision for themselves and working with their financial planners and legal advisors. I think that there are some people who don't understand what
this is doing to our country. And they're thinking like, this is what I voted for. This is the smaller government that I was promised. What do you say to those people? What are some of the unexpected consequences of these cuts that will impact everyone? And that's exactly the truth, because it's going to affect the services that we provide to the American public. It's going to affect the very democracy, if you will. Now, take for instance, you say you want to cut 83,000 jobs at the V8.
Now, that means that veterans are not going to be able to get the services that they need. Okay? You want to cut 75% of the people that inspect our food. That means that this food is not going to be inspected or it's going to be contracted out. And I think that's
the end game is that this administration want to contract out these jobs. So they want to put the federal workers into a mission failure position so that they can say, look, I told you they couldn't do this work. And so they contracted out. And who get those contracts? You know, who paid for this election?
Indeed. And the president isn't just firing federal workers. He's going after federal worker unions like the AFGE. He signed an executive order last week to end collective bargaining with unions that represent employees at the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, the State Department. The list goes on and on and on. How has this order already impacted you and your fellow union leaders' ability to fight for your members?
That was a very devastating attack because he put about a million federal workers in a position where they don't have a union to speak up for them, to talk up for them. But AFGE is going to be there. AFGE has already filed a lawsuit against this action. We're going to be there. We're going to represent our members. But if I told you that it didn't affect us in any way, that wouldn't be the truth. It has. But we're going to continue. We live for
Our members, you know, they say it's about efficiency. It has nothing to do with efficiency. It has to do with the fact that we have been whooping them in court. We've been standing up for our members. And so this is a form of retaliation. That's what this is all about. Yeah, the AFG was founded in the 1930s, but I think a lot of our listeners might not be familiar with the work you all do. Can you tell us a little bit about some of the fights the organization has taken on in the past? We...
a labor union that want to make sure that employees
are treated with fairness and dignity and that there is some accountability in the federal government. We make sure that if there is waste, fraud, and abuse, we point that out. We've done that on many occasions. We make sure that people are treated with fairness. When you start talking about promotions and stuff like that on a merit base, these are the faults that we fault. We fault to make sure that employees inside of the federal government are hired based on
merits and not based on the color of their skin, not based on where you live, not based on where you went to school, not based on who you know, but purely on merits. And what this administration is doing is coming in and completely tearing that down and saying, I want to be able to hire people because I like them, because they've donated their time to me in a political campaign. That's the difference in what we have stood for and what this administration is doing.
I don't know about you, but it feels different this time, the way that the Trump administration is going after federal employees specifically across the board, whether you are working in the library system or whether you are working for the park system. Aside from the courts, what other course of action can AFGE take? We would have to fight this fight through the court of public opinion.
Because if the courts doesn't do us justice, the only other recourse we have is for the American people to begin to realize that their very democracy is at stake. The services that the federal employees provide for them is at stake, such as, you know, Social Security, veterans'
administration, the warfighter equipment that he or she would need on a battlefield. When that began to be hampered, then the American people would stand up and say, hey, enough is enough. I think that they are almost there. I think that the fact that we have been able to get some wins in court and the judge actually said to the federal government, you lied. These employees were not
fired because they were poor performers. In fact, they were great performers. And government, why are you not telling the truth? So I think that is coming to light with a lot of people and people are rising up. You're seeing rallies across the country. These are the type of things that we are asking people to do, you know, to show their support toward federal employees and the services that they receive from the federal employees and their unions.
Everett, thank you so much for being here. The pleasure is mine. Thank you for having me. That was my conversation with Everett Kelly, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads.
Waterday is brought to you by Fast Growing Trees. Did you know that Fast Growing Trees is the biggest online nursery in the U.S. with thousands of different plants and over 2 million happy customers? They have all the plants your yard needs or your apartment, from fruit trees and privacy trees and flowering trees to shrubs to indoor plants and so much more.
Whatever plants you're interested in, Fast Growing Trees has you covered. Find the perfect fit for your climate and space. And Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to get your dream yard. Order online and get your plants delivered directly to your door in just a few days without ever leaving home. Their Alive and Thrive guarantee ensures your plants arrive happy and healthy. Plus, get support from trained plant experts on call to help you plan your landscape, choose the right plants, and learn how to care for them.
I love to garden, but I don't really have the space for it. But Fast Growing Tree has over 6,000 plants to fit any space, from apartments to a house with a big yard. Pretty much anything you can think of. And their 14-point quality checklist ensures you're getting the best quality plants possible. Each plant is cared for individually based on their needs, from watering routines to the amount of sunlight, giving your plants the care they deserve from the time they start growing to when they ship to your home.
Want to get into plants and gardening but don't have any experience? Their website has all the information you need, and every plant comes with instructions and tips to care for your new plant. This spring, they have the best deals for your yard, up to half off select plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get 15% off their first purchase when using the code WAD at checkout.
That's an additional 15% off at fastgrowingtrees.com using the code WOD at checkout. Fastgrowingtrees.com, code WOD. Now is the perfect time to plant. Use WOD to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply.
Today, the beverage aisle looks a lot different than it used to. America's beverage companies are working together. We're delivering the options everyone wants. In fact, nearly 60% of beverages Americans buy have zero sugar. You'll find more variety than ever, including more of your favorites, now available with zero sugar. You'll also find more sizes and clear calorie information on the front of every can, bottle, and pack.
We know when it comes to finding balance, the more choices, the better.
We all need someone who's on our side. Johns Hopkins Medicine is always there for our patients. And now our newest location in Northern Virginia has comprehensive quality care when and where you need it. You'll find primary and specialty care all together under one roof with on-site parking at our new center in Ballston Quarter in Arlington. Our care is closer than ever. Learn more at hopkinsmedicine.org slash Arlington.
Here's what else we're following today. Headline. But I've got to tell you, as a little girl growing up in Chippewa Falls, I never could have imagined that I'd be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin. Liberal County Judge Susan Crawford defeated her conservative opponent Tuesday night in a race for the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. It was seen as a litmus test for Democratic momentum against the Trump administration and Elon Musk.
He and his allies poured more than $20 million into the race. The takeaway? Money. Even tens of millions of dollars. Can't buy you everything. Because the race wasn't even close. Crawford beat conservative county judge Brad Schimel by 10 points. That's a lot in a swing state that Donald Trump won by less than a point just a few months ago. Crawford said her resounding win sends a clear message. Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy.
That's right. Our fair elections and our Supreme Court. And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price. Our courts are not for sale. I think it also sends a clear message that people do not like Elon Musk.
Democrats also got some positive feedback in two special congressional elections in Florida. Now, did the party's nominees pull off a miracle and win seats Republican candidates carried by 30 points in November? Well, no. No, they did not. But they lost by less. Significantly less. In the race to fill the seat vacated by Trump's new national security advisor, Mike Waltz, the Democrat Josh Wheal lost to Republican state Senator Randy Fine by 14 points.
And in the Florida Panhandle District, vacated by disgraced former Republican Representative Matt Gaetz, Democrat Gay Valamont lost to Republican Jimmy Patronus, also by about 14 points, because we love a Hogwarts mafioso in this country. So while those aren't wins, Democrats are taking the narrower margins as a positive. There are some signs of hope.
But
But in February, Trump officials argued in court that the case against Adams should be dropped entirely for a couple of reasons. They said the charges were filed too close to the upcoming mayoral election and that the attorneys who originally filed the case had bad motives. But most notably, the administration argued Adams couldn't do his job as mayor and enforce Trump's immigration crackdown if he's under criminal investigation. They also wanted the option to bring back the charges in the future.
On that point, Manhattan District Judge Dale Ho said in his dismissal Wednesday, quote, Everything here smacks of a bargain. Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions. He called bullshit on the administration's other arguments, too. Adams, who's running for re-election this year, has maintained his innocence all along. He did so again Wednesday after the dismissal. Let me be clear. As I've said all along, this case should have never been brought up.
And I did nothing wrong. I'm now happy that our city can finally close the book on this and focus solely on the future of our great city. But Adams also seems to know who really holds his fate here. At the end of his speech, he held up a copy of the book Government Gangsters, written by Trump's FBI director, Kash Patel. Adams said he would encourage all New Yorkers to read it. Do yourself a favor, New Yorkers. Don't read that book.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday that Israel is seizing territory in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Here he is in a video statement. We are now stopping the operation. We are adding pressure, step by step, so that they give us our weapons.
Netanyahu says there, quote, Netanyahu hinted the newly claimed area could cut off the southern Gaza city of Rafah from the rest of the Strip. Israel has already issued evacuations for Rafah.
The country's defense minister said that some of the land captured by Israel would be added to security zones the Israeli Defense Forces maintain in Gaza. It comes as Gaza's civil defense said an Israeli airstrike hit a United Nations building in the north, killing several people. Israel resumed its attacks on Hamas in Gaza in March after negotiations to extend an earlier ceasefire broke down. Amazon is throwing its hat in the ring, allegedly.
According to multiple news sources, the e-commerce giant has made a last-minute bid to purchase TikTok, The New York Times' first report of the story. A law that was passed with bipartisan support last year and upheld by the Supreme Court over national security concerns requires TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the app to an approved buyer or face a potential ban in the U.S.,
The original sell-by date was set for January, but on his first day in office, President Trump extended the deadline. The company now has until Saturday to figure out how to keep it online. As of our recording time, Amazon has not commented on the matter. It remains to be seen if ByteDance will, you know, bite. It has previously said it did not plan to sell the app. And that's the news.
Before we go, on this week's Hysteria, Sam Bee joins Alyssa Mastromonaco to co-host. They dig into the South Carolina Planned Parenthood Supreme Court case that could cut off Medicaid funding and set a dangerous precedent for other states. As a board member of her state's Planned Parenthood affiliate, Sam shares her perspective on what's at stake.
And as we talked about on yesterday's show, Planned Parenthood isn't just about abortion access. It's a lifeline for millions of people who rely on it for cancer screenings, birth control, basic health care, checkups. They also break down how Canada is processing the chaos in the U.S. because, as a Canadian, Sam has thoughts. Listen to Hysteria now wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss one.
That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, check that you aren't on a Mike Waltz signal chat, and tell your friends to listen. And
And if you're into reading, and not just about how, according to a new Politico report, National Security Advisor Waltz had at least 20 different signal groups for various conflicts around the world, like me, What Today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston. And seriously, Mike, we can talk on Signal, too.
Waterday is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Fore. Our producer is Michelle Alloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Clare. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.
Have you experienced serious complications with the Perigard IUD, like breakage or fracture? You're not alone. Kelly
Keller Postman is here to help. Tap the banner now for a free case review. We're helping women hold manufacturers accountable. If eligible, you may be entitled to compensation of up to $200,000. Don't wait. Tap now or visit iudinjury.com slash audio to see if you qualify. Your health matters and justice is within reach. Tap the banner or visit iudinjury.com slash audio to get started today. This is attorney advertising.