PODCAST · news
What A Day
by What A Day
If you’re looking for hype, fake outrage, and groupthink, kindly keep moving. Our mission at What a Day is simple: to be your guide to what truly matters each morning (and the fun stuff you might have missed) in just 20 minutes. Host Jane Coaston brings you in-depth reporting and substantive analysis on the big stories shaping today and the creeping trends shaping tomorrow—and when she doesn’t know the answers, she asks someone even smarter to fill us all in. Radical, right? New episodes at 5:00 a.m. EST, Monday–Friday in your favorite podcast app and on YouTube. Being informed was never this easy.
Episodes
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Sentenced To Death in the U.S.
Executions are on the rise in the U.S., even as more Americans oppose the death penalty. An October 2025 Gallup poll found that 44% of Americans oppose capital punishment, the highest level since 1966. Recent headlines, including a proposed public execution by firing squad and the botched…
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Florida Voters Concerned With Pocketbooks, Not Party
Nate Silver, statistician and host of Crooked Media's Still Counting, made a bold prediction about the 2026 Senate Midterm races today. Silver argues that Democrats have a 75% chance of winning the Senate, which feels VERY optimistic. Jane talks to Erinn Haines, co-host of Crooked's Long Play…
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Angie Nixon's Fight To Uplift Everyday People In Florida
This weekend, Senator Bernie Sanders will rally with Florida Democratic State Representative Angie Nixon, who is challenging Republican Senator Ashley Moody for Florida's U.S. Senate seat. Running on a platform of lowering costs, raising wages, and putting everyday people first, Nixon joins Jane…
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How Dark Money Is Funding The Midterms
The midterms are just around the corner, and that means you’re probably seeing more political ads than ever in your mailbox and on your screens. But who’s funding those ads… and the campaigns they’re supporting? Jane speaks with Judd Legum, a contributor to the The Guardian newsletter How We Win,...
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The State That Might Re-Ban Abortion
Abortion is back on the ballot in a handful of states – including Missouri, where voters are being asked to repeal the rights they just instated two years ago. Jane sits down with Carter Sherman, co-host of the Guardian podcast, Stateside with Kai and Carter, to hear more about the states…
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Can We Reform the Court?
The Supreme Court is back in session — and nearly two years into Trump’s presidency, we have more questions than ever about the justices' ethics rules, shadow docket, and more. Jane sat down with Strict Scrutiny co-host Kate Shaw to hear her four ideas to reform the highest court in the land.…
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What’s the Method to the Midterm Madness?
The 2026 midterm elections are anxiety inducing. Will Democrats take back the House? The Senate? Can we believe the polls? 2016 PTSD is getting real, so Jane spoke with POLITICO's Dasha Burns to break down what's really going on this cycle. Show Notes: ‘The Conversation with Dasha Burns’ –...
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Will Voters Flip A Colorado House Seat Back To Blue?
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, Republicans are working to keep voters who showed up for President Donald Trump in 2024 engaged in down-ballot races. One key battleground is Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, where freshman Republican Rep. Gabe Evans faces Democratic challenger Manny...
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Should Anyone Automate Their Life?
New polling out Thursday shows that concerns about artificial intelligence are crossing party lines. According to an AP-NORC survey, 64% of Americans think AI is developing "too fast." But we wanted to hear from someone who sees the opportunities AI presents and how the technology can make our...
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Are Republicans Losing Their Grip In North Carolina?
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with a top Senate Republican, began dialing back its funding for the North Carolina Senate race last week and shifted it elsewhere. Now a group affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, WinSenate, is doing the same. Jane talks with...
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When Gender Identity is on The Ballot
This midterm election introduces a surprising ballot measure for Washington State voters to weigh in on -- whether to require girls to undergo genital inspections if they want to play sports. Jane speaks with Washington State House Speaker Laurie Jenkins about who's behind getting the issue on…
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Is This Samuel Alito’s Swan Song?
The Supreme Court is back, and once again a lot is on the docket. Like climate change, and what cities and states are allowed to do about it. This major climate case also saw Justice Samuel Alito's recusal — which is uncommon. To discuss what lies ahead for the court and Alito, Jane speaks with...
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Is Trump Escalating The War In Iran?
The Group of Seven wealthy democracies said Friday that they plan to release 100 million barrels of oil and fuel products in the coming weeks — starting with “substantial” amounts of diesel. The announcement comes as Trump’s trade battles and his war in Iran have increased U.S. prices for oil and...
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Are Democrats Saying The Right Things To Win?
The midterms are next month, and President Donald Trump's approval rating on issues like the economy is slipping. But are Democrats capitalizing on it? Is their messaging keeping pace with the moment? On today's show, Jane sits down with Sarah Longwell to discuss how Democrats can communicate…
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The ICE Surge Isn't Over
The Venezuelan man who was shot in the back by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Austin, Texas, last week has been charged with assaulting an officer. Burundi is the latest country to accept U.S. deportees to a country they have no relationship with, and the U.S. Supreme Court…
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Profiles in Cowardice: A Study of Collaboration in the Trump Era with Jacob Weisberg
Let's talk about cowards. The people who surrendered to President Donald J. Trump's Administration – and why. Jane talks to Jacob Weisberg, author of the new book, “Profiles in Cowardice: A Study of Collaboration in the Trump Era, ” about five principal factors playing into the dynamics of...
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Trump's Government-Sponsored Ad Campaign
If you watched NFL football on Sunday, you may have seen President Donald Trump's new ad campaign, featuring a 2024 Trump ad. The ad was re-released and shown dozens of times, paid for by the US government. Trump is fixated on making the midterms about him. Jane talks to political commentator and...
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Can Trump Purge The Voter Rolls Now?
The Supreme Court issued an emergency ruling today lifting restrictions on a controversial federal voter database. The order grants President Donald Trump a win, for now, in his aggressive campaign against noncitizen voting. So what does this mean for the midterms? To find out, we spoke with Norm...
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Should You Trust Midterm Polling?
With the midterms just around the corner, new polls are hitting the headlines every day. But why are there so many polls, and what can they actually tell us? On today's show, Jane talks with Galen Druke, co-host of Crooked's new podcast, Still Counting, about what he's seeing in the latest…
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Secretaries of State Prepare For A Midterms Showdown
The Constitution says states, not the federal government, run elections. But the Trump administration is trying to mess with the midterms. Jane talks to Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar about what states are doing to protect elections for their constituents. Show Notes: Check out Cisco's...
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The Elections That Changed the World with Dana Bash
President Donald Trump delivered a very Trumpian speech before the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly today. He, of course, touted the United States as being the hottest country and made more threats of "annihilation" toward Iran in the midst of the ongoing war. Trump said that…
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Trump's Media Ban Backfires
MSNOW, CNN, and Politico are suing the Trump Administration after it banned their reporters from the White House press pool. President Donald Trump said on Friday, "I don't want them in my office," because of the news organizations' coverage. Erin Ryan talks to Will Sommer, Senior Reporter for…
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The Kennedy Center Still Stands, For Now
A federal judge ordered the Kennedy Center to provide notice before making any major physical changes to the building, on Thursday, including demolishing it, as President Donald Trump has threatened. But why is Trump so obsessed with the Kennedy Center? And what will he do if his name doesn’t end...
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Fed Up: Kevin Warsh Defies Trump
On today's show, we get into a rebellion at the heart of President Donald Trump's empire, led by some of the least rebellious guys you can think of: the finance geeks at the Federal Reserve. Greg Walters is joined by labor economist and policy consultant Kathryn Anne Edwards to talk about Trump…
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Fox News Forgets Trump’s Failed War
For a third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the Iran war, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump's ability to continue military action without congressional approval. And apparently the American people agree. According to new polling shared exclusively with...
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Texas GOP Rebukes Candidate's Racist Comments
One of the biggest elections everyone is watching this year is the Texas Senate race. But the race that's getting a lot of attention right now for allegations of bigotry is the Railroad Commissioner race. The Republican who wants the job spent his weekend complaining about non-white students at a...
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Bernie & Bannon Agree: AI is Dangerous
A string of recent warnings from AI industry insiders, including a former Anthropic employee who puts the odds of human extinction at over 10 percent in the next 10 years. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are feeling pressure to do something. And tomorrow we're going to see a very rare...
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Still Counting: Trump vs. The BLUE WAVE: A Midterm Extravaganza
Nate Silver, Clare Malone, and Galen Druke discuss the most competitive Senate races heading into the midterms in this excerpt from their new podcast, Still Counting. To hear the rest, head over to Still Counting and subscribe! New episodes drop every Wednesday evening. You can request a…
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More Than True Crime Content with Elizabeth Smart
In June 2002, a 14-year-old girl named Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her Utah home and held captive for nine months. She endured abuse and torture before police finally rescued her. Now, she's an advocate for other survivors, and she has a new true crime podcast, "The Survivor Files with...
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The Forgotten Victims of Sept. 11
Friday marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11. And earlier this week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release of records related to the government’s response in the aftermath of the attacks, as well as the settlement of two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch. On today’s show, Jane...
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The High Stakes Politics of College Sports
College football is back and so is Congress. What does one have to do with the other? More than you think. Jane talks to veteran college sports analyst Paul Finebaum, host of The Paul Finebaum Show, about the Protect College Sports Act and why some members of Congress have taken an interest in...
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Will The GOP Come To Trump-a-Palooza?
President Donald Trump is going all in on... President Donald Trump. And he's hoping GOP lawmakers will do the same at their midterm convention in Dallas this week. Jane talks to Antonia Hylton, host of the new MSNOW show, "The Assignment," about Trump's strategy for the midterms. Show Notes…
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Why The Tech World Is Spooked About AI
On today's show, our guest host, Todd Zwillich, talks with Nate Soares, co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies, and the President of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, about recent AI hacks, the great AI debate, and Vice President JD Vance's comments about the end times on the...
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No One Can Escape The Time Tax
Here at What A Day, we’re keeping an eye on the midterms — which are likely to hinge on which party can tackle the skyrocketing cost of living. On today’s show, Jane speaks with The Atlantic’s Annie Lowrey about why it's so damn expensive and complicated to be low-income in America. Show Notes:...
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Timing Is Everything For Maine's Troy Jackson
On today's show, Jane talks with Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson about what he thinks it will take for him to beat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s midterms. Show Notes: Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter –...
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Democrats Zero In On Midterms
The House passed a short-term measure today to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection. On today's show, Jane speaks with Slow Boring’s Matt Yglesias about what Democrats need to do – and avoid – to make...
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Donald Trump Dreams of Empire
In case you missed it, President Donald Trump announced a deal that would give the United States a stake in Venezuela’s vast oil reserves on Friday. And over the weekend, the United States and Iran exchanged fire for the first time in a month. The Bulwark’s Tim Miller joins What A Day host Jane...
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Trump’s Obsession With Trump
In the last year and a half, President Donald Trump has put his name, image, or both, on a whole host of things — federal buildings, passports, the resident National Park pass, the administration’s child savings accounts, the under construction border wall, and of course, the Kennedy Center. But...
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Some Aid Workers Turn To Sex Work Amid USAID Cuts
Yesterday, we heard from former USAID administrator Dr. Atul Gawande about the lives lost because of the gutting of the United States Agency for International Development. On today's show, we focus on people in Nepal and their experiences before and after the cuts to foreign assistance. In Nepal,...
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The Deadly Dismantling Of USAID
It’s been more than a year since Elon Musk and the DOGE boys fed the United States Agency for International Development – or USAID, into a QUOTE “woodchipper.” And since then, according to reporting from NPR and other outlets, the dismantling of USAID has resulted in the deaths of more than…
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Why Is CBP Detaining American Citizens?
We’ve all seen how Customs and Border Protection has run roughshod over the civil rights of immigrants both legal and undocumented alike across the country. But if you’re an American citizen, you might not think that these abuses could ever happen to you. In fact, maybe the only time you’ve ever...
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Trump's Tariff Tirade Targets Our Friends Up North
President Donald Trump is back at it with his nonsensical trade wars, and this time he’s targeting one of our closest allies: Canada. After trade negotiations crumbled at the eleventh hour, Trump’s 50% tariffs on scores of Canadian imports kicked in over the weekend. Meanwhile, Trump is also...
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How Trump Increasing The National Debt Impacts You
The United States national debt reached a record-breaking $40 trillion dollars this week. If you spread out that debt to every resident of the U.S., we would each owe more than $115,000 dollars. So how did we get here? To find out more about what our big bad debt means for you, we spoke with…
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The Age Of Self-Optimization
Americans spend nearly $30 billion a year on plastic surgery procedures, including fillers and Botox. And there's probably no better example than the White House, where the "Mar-A-Lago face" – a very specific, very smooth, very… augmented appearance – runs rampant. But maybe that's starting to...
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The Reality Of Being Trapped On The USS Lincoln
You may have heard about the conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln — the carrier where sailors have been facing food shortages and broken toilets. They’ve gone without a traditional port call for eight and a half months, and counting. But they’re not the only vessel facing long deployments…
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Is Democratic Socialism Taking Over The Party?
You’ve probably heard a lot about the Democratic Socialists of America this year. Political figures who are either members of the organization or associated with its beliefs are running in primaries across the country, sometimes even winning against their more moderate opponents. But what does...
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Reining In The Congressional Culture of Harassment
The fact that the US Congress is absolutely rotten with creeps is one of the worst-kept secrets in Washington. From former Representatives like California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, to sitting lawmakers like North Carolina Republican Representative Chuck Edwards –…
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Politics In The Paint
The Women’s National Basketball Association has been making the headlines lately. In fact, according to a Media Matters report, since the end of June, Fox News has devoted at least 206 segments to the WNBA. But why are the likes of Sean Hannity and Bret Baier suddenly paying such close attention…
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MAGA Media’s Trump Slump
Donald Trump’s poll numbers are trash — and numbers for right-wing influencers on YouTube, Twitter and elsewhere are going down the tubes, too. As the New York Times reported at the end of last month, some of the biggest names in right-wing media are experiencing massive declines in clicks and...
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Is Wisconsin A Warning for Democratic Socialists?
On Tuesday, Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong narrowly lost to Milwaukee’s county executive, David Crowley, in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary. Now, the somewhat unknown is facing Republican Representative Tom Tiffany in November — but Crowley he may not have an easy time winning over the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
If you’re looking for hype, fake outrage, and groupthink, kindly keep moving. Our mission at What a Day is simple: to be your guide to what truly matters each morning (and the fun stuff you might have missed) in just 20 minutes. Host Jane Coaston brings you in-depth reporting and substantive analysis on the big stories shaping today and the creeping trends shaping tomorrow—and when she doesn’t know the answers, she asks someone even smarter to fill us all in. Radical, right? New episodes at 5:00 a.m. EST, Monday–Friday in your favorite podcast app and on YouTube. Being informed was never this easy.
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What A Day currently has 1000 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is What A Day about?
If you’re looking for hype, fake outrage, and groupthink, kindly keep moving. Our mission at What a Day is simple: to be your guide to what truly matters each morning (and the fun stuff you might have missed) in just 20 minutes. Host Jane Coaston brings you in-depth reporting and substantive...
How often does What A Day release new episodes?
What A Day releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 1000 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
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What A Day is created and hosted by What A Day.
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