All Eyes On Gaza As Hunger Crisis Grows

Summary

What A Day: All Eyes On Gaza As Hunger Crisis Grows – Detailed Summary

Release Date: July 29, 2025

Introduction

In the July 29, 2025 episode of "What A Day," hosted by Jane Coaston from Crooked Media, the spotlight is firmly on the escalating hunger crisis in Gaza. The episode delves into the multifaceted issues contributing to the dire situation, including international aid restrictions, US political dynamics, and the broader geopolitical tensions involving Israel and Hamas. Through in-depth reporting and a compelling interview with Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, the episode sheds light on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza and examines the roles various stakeholders play in exacerbating or alleviating the crisis.

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The Gaza Hunger Crisis: An Intensifying Humanitarian Catastrophe

The episode opens with Jane Coaston outlining the severity of the hunger crisis in Gaza. As of mid-2025, approximately 2 million residents in Gaza face the threat of starvation, with children being particularly vulnerable. Reports from multiple aid organizations indicate that children have already succumbed to starvation, igniting global outrage. The crisis is largely attributed to stringent aid restrictions imposed by Israel, originally enacted over suspicions that Hamas was diverting humanitarian aid.

Despite Israel officially lifting the total blockade in May, the volume of aid entering Gaza has plummeted. The Wall Street Journal highlighted a stark decline: while around 300,000 tons of aid were delivered during a temporary ceasefire at the year's start, this figure has dwindled to below 40,000 tons in recent months. Jane notes President Donald Trump’s recent acknowledgment of the crisis, quoting him from [02:28] saying:

Donald Trump [02:28]: "But we're going to be getting some good, strong food. We can save a lot of people. I mean, some of those kids are. That's real starvation stuff. I see it and you can't fake that. So we're going to be even more involved."

US Involvement and the Role of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

Jane Coaston emphasizes the complicity of the United States in the burgeoning crisis. She explains that the main aid distribution in Gaza is managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli-supported and US-backed nonprofit. The United Nations reports that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while attempting to secure food near GHF sites. The US's continued financial and political support for GHF is criticized as a direct contributor to the hunger crisis.

Interview with Senator Chris Van Hollen

To provide deeper insight, Jane interviews Senator Chris Van Hollen from Maryland, a leading Democratic voice criticizing US policies towards Gaza.

• Concerns Over the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation

  Senator Van Hollen reveals that he and 20 of his Senate colleagues have formally requested Secretary of State Marco Rubio to halt US funding for GHF. He states:

  Chris Van Hollen [04:11]: "Almost everybody I talk to has serious concerns with this so called Gaza Humanitarian foundation which has become really a death trap where starving people swarming for food get shot at."

  Van Hollen underscores that GHF's operations have resulted in increased violence and fatalities among aid-seeking civilians, labeling the foundation as a "death trap."

• Refuting Claims of Aid Diversion by Hamas

  Addressing allegations that Hamas is systematically stealing food aid, Van Hollen references credible reports discrediting these claims. He cites a New York Times report and a USAID study indicating no substantial evidence of aid diversion. This stance is encapsulated in his statement:

  Chris Van Hollen [06:29]: "This is a big lie and I know it for a couple of reasons... the US's former humanitarian coordinator...said when he asked the government of Israel for evidence, they could not provide evidence."

  He argues that these accusations serve as a pretext to dismantle UN-organized food distribution networks, replacing them with mechanisms like GHF that further endanger civilians.

• Critique of the Trump Administration's Policies

  Van Hollen is critical of the Trump administration's lack of effective action despite acknowledging the crisis. He remarks:

  Chris Van Hollen [05:13]: "Basically, the Trump administration is giving Netanyahu a blank check to keep doing what it's doing."

  He advocates for leveraging US influence to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to permit UN organizations to resume aid delivery. Additionally, Van Hollen suggests pausing the supply of offensive weapons to Israel until significant humanitarian improvements are made.

• Challenges Within the Democratic Party

  The Senator highlights the political pressures hindering more robust Democratic responses, particularly from powerful lobbying groups like AIPAC. He states:

  Chris Van Hollen [11:25]: "They feel a lot of political pressure from different organizations. For example, AIPAC always threatens to come after people if they depart from the AIPAC position."

• Call to Public Action

  Emphasizing the role of public accountability, Van Hollen urges listeners to monitor and hold their elected officials accountable:

  Chris Van Hollen [12:32]: "They should be putting their energy on holding their elected officials accountable for doing something about it."

  He stresses the importance of voters making their voices heard to influence policy changes that could alleviate the hunger crisis in Gaza.

Shifting Public Outrage and Media Attention

Jane Coaston discusses the recent surge in public and political attention towards the Gaza crisis, attributing it to the undeniable humanitarian suffering being broadcast globally. She notes that while severe aid restrictions have been in place since March, the current spike in media coverage and political discourse signifies a possible shift in US policy approach. Van Hollen concurs, suggesting that President Trump's acknowledgment is a first step, albeit insufficient without actionable measures.

Additional News Highlights

Following the interview, the episode transitions to broader political news:

• Trump's Stance on Russia and Ukraine

  President Trump announced plans to shorten the deadline given to Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to Russia's aggression in Ukraine. From [18:15], Trump states:

  Donald Trump [18:15]: "I'm disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him... we'll have to look... I think I already know the answer."

• Planned Parenthood's Legal Battle

  A federal judge indefinitely halted the Trump administration's provision that banned Medicaid funding to certain Planned Parenthood affiliates. The provision, part of the One Big Beautiful bill, targeted clinics generating over $800,000 in Medicaid payments in 2023. Planned Parenthood has criticized the provision as a backdoor abortion ban, resulting in the closure of five California locations this month.

• Roy Cooper's Senate Campaign

  Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced his candidacy for the state's open Senate seat, highlighting the erosion of the American middle class. Cooper's entry strengthens the Democratic bid in what is expected to be a highly competitive race. His campaign message focuses on addressing economic disparities and opposing policies that jeopardize healthcare and social security.

• Trump's Remarks on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

  In a press conference, President Trump addressed past associations with Jeffrey Epstein, denying personal connections and dismissing rumors about visiting Epstein's private island. Additionally, Democratic Senators Dick Durbin and Sheldon Whitehouse called for the DOJ to release recordings related to Ghislaine Maxwell, to which Trump responded by leaving the possibility of a pardon open.

Conclusion

The episode of "What A Day" presents a compelling examination of the worsening hunger crisis in Gaza, emphasizing the intricate web of international politics, US funding policies, and on-the-ground humanitarian challenges. Through the insightful dialogue with Senator Chris Van Hollen, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the factors perpetuating the crisis and the political inertia hindering effective intervention. The episode serves as a call to action, urging the public to hold their elected officials accountable to foster meaningful change and alleviate the suffering in Gaza.

Notable Quotes:

• Donald Trump [02:28]: "Some of those kids are. That's real starvation stuff. I see it and you can't fake that."

• Chris Van Hollen [04:11]: "No American taxpayer should have to be financing this kind of scheme that is leading to even more people dying."

• Chris Van Hollen [06:29]: "This is a pretext to replace that with this so called Gaza Humanitarian foundation... their ultimate goal is... to drive Palestinians into concentrated enclaves."

• Chris Van Hollen [12:32]: "Holding elected officials accountable for doing something about it... end starvation in Gaza."

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Note: Advertisements, promotional content, and non-relevant segments from the transcript have been excluded to maintain focus on the core discussions and analyses presented in the episode.

Transcript

[Jane Coston]

Foreign It's Tuesday, July 29th. I'm Jane Coston, and this is what a day. The show that is here to tell you that the year we are currently in is 2025. Mark that down. Because apparently what year did things happen? Is a subject of open discussion for some of our Republican friends. Like, say, what years was Barack Obama president for which Oklahoma Republican Senator Mark Wayne Mullen had a really, really hard time with for some reason when discussing the EPSTEIN Case with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday.

[Jake Tapper]

It was 2008. It was the U.S. attorney at the time was a guy named Alex Acosta. He was a Bush appointee. He went on to become President Trump's Secretary of Labor. It all took place in 2008. Who was in office at the time? 2008? George W. Bush. Who was in office at the time? George W. Bush. No, 2009 is when the case came out and it was. And Obama was in office at the time. It's not true.

[Jane Coston]

If you're attempting to refute the time space continuum in order to defend President Donald Trump, you might be a little far gone. On today's show, President Trump amps up pressure on Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine. And former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina launches a Senate bid. But let's start with the food crisis in Gaza, which has descended into new depths of horror because multiple aid groups say Gaza's 2 million residents are at risk of starving to death, particularly Gaza's children. Some have already died, and global outrage is building. Even the aid workers themselves, the people tasked with helping Palestinians find food and water, say they, too, are starving. The ballooning hunger crisis in Gaza is a result of months of severe aid restrictions imposed by Israel over allegations Hamas was stealing aid. But while the Israeli government officially lifted its total blockade of aid in May, the amount entering Gaza is still way below what it had been earlier in the war. Here's an example. The Wall Street Journal reported that while a temporary ceasefire was in effect at the start of the year, roughly 300,000 tons of aid was being delivered into Gaza. In more recent months, it's dropped below 40,000 tons when President Donald Trump, one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest backers, gets that something is going horribly wrong in Gaza. You know, things are bad here. He is speaking to reporters Monday from his golf course in Scotland.

[Donald Trump]

But we're going to be getting some good, strong food. We can save a lot of people. I mean, some of those kids are. That's real starvation stuff. I see it and you can't fake that. So we're going to be even more involved. We did some airlifts before, some air drops, and the people are running for it.

[Jane Coston]

Over the weekend, Israel began airdropping more aid into the territory and began daily humanitarian pauses in fighting to help with aid distribution. But as Israel's most powerful ally, the United States has funded and fueled this crisis across two presidential administrations. It's not just supplying weapons to Israel. The US Also played a role in the hunger crisis because right now the the main aid distribution centers in Gaza are run by the Gaza Humanitarian foundation, an Israeli supported U. S. Backed nonprofit. The UN Says hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while trying to source food near GHF sites. But more and more American politicians are saying that what is happening in Gaza is morally wrong. So to talk more about the situation in Gaza and what America has done and should do next, I spoke to Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. Senator Von Hollen, welcome to what a day.

[Chris Van Hollen]

It's good to be with you.

[Jane Coston]

You and 20 of your colleagues in the Senate sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urging him to stop US Funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. This is the American backed Israeli approved aid distribution group in Gaza that's come under heavy international criticism for the way they've been delivering aid and the horrible violence that sprung up around them. Was it difficult to get those signatures from your colleagues? Did you speak to other senators who didn't feel comfortable signing?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, I was glad to get the senators that we did to sign on. Others were encouraged to do so. Almost everybody I talk to has serious concerns with this so called Gaza Humanitarian foundation which has become really a death trap where starving people swarming for food get shot at. So I hope that the Trump administration will terminate funding and that's why we sent them the letter, just to say no American taxpayer should have to be financing this kind of scheme that is leading to even more people dying.

[Jane Coston]

Trump and Vice President J.D. vance did acknowledge that more needs to be done to get aid into Gaza, which I think everybody knows. And that's been a small break in their otherwise steadfast support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Do you see that as an opening for a fundamental shift in how the US has been approaching this war? Because I feel like, I'm not sure if you felt it. There is a shift on how people are talking about this in America.

[Chris Van Hollen]

Yeah, look, I mean, if Donald Trump and J.D. vance cannot acknowledge what our eyes can tell us and what the experts are telling us, which is people are starving in Gaza, but everybody in the world can see that that's what's happening. The reality is that the Trump administration has not put any pressure on the Netanyahu government to allow the UN organizations to resume their food supply. In fact, essentially, the Trump administration is giving Netanyahu a blank check to keep doing what it's doing. So I wouldn't read into the fact that President Trump has acknowledged what everyone can see, which is people are starving. What he should be doing is calling publicly upon Netanyahu to immediately allow those international organizations to resume supplying aid, instead of turning to this ghf, which is a private organization backed by mercenaries and backed by the IDF.

[Jane Coston]

On Sunday, you were on CBS's Face the Nation and you said that it was a lie that Hamas was systematically stealing food that the UN was delivering to Palestinians. How do you know that?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, this is a big lie and I know it for a couple of reasons. One, it was just reported, very credible reports in the New York Times that senior Israeli military officials had admitted that they don't have evidence to support the claim that Hamas is systematically diverting those funds. Just earlier this week, usaid, despite Musk's effort to axe it, and he's done incredible damage. But they released a report with the same finding that when the UN organizations were providing humanitarian assistance, it was not being systematically diverted by Hamas. I also know because Cindy McCain has said that, and the US's former humanitarian coordinator, a guy called Ambassador David Satterfield, when he was there, I would call him regularly about these reports that Hamas was systematically taking the food. And he got back to me, including in writing, saying when he asked the government of Israel for evidence, they could not provide evidence. So this is a pretext for getting rid of the UN organized food distribution, which, however imperfect, was at least getting food to people who were in great hunger and need, it was a pretext to replace that with this so called Gaza Humanitarian foundation, whose really real goal is to use food to try to force Palestinians in Gaza to go to certain areas. And of course, we've heard from members of the Netanyahu government, their ultimate goal is once you drive Palestinians into concentrated enclaves, you then push them out of the country. I mean, we all remember when Donald Trump was standing next to Prime Minister Netanyahu and saying we should just essentially kick all the Palestinians out. That is ethnic cleansing by another name, and the United States should not and must not be complicit in doing that.

[Jane Coston]

Senator, is there anything that can be done to make Israel Resume allowing the UN Aid into Gaza?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, I think the United States should use its considerable influence. I mean, first of all, President Trump, if he has credibility anywhere, it's with people in Israel. So if he were to call publicly upon Netanyahu to immediately allow the UN to resume the delivery of food and humanitarian supplies, that would put a lot of pressure on them. I believe that we should pause the delivery of offensive weapons to Israel until they stop using food as a weapon.

[Jane Coston]

Of war, just offensive weapons. What about stopping all weapons supplies to Israel?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, I have supported stopping those while these ongoing breaches of international law are continuing. I have supported providing the Iron Dome air defense systems. But again, we got a Trump administration that won't even say publicly, won't even say publicly that the Netanyahu government needs to allow the UN Delivery system to resume. So for President Trump to talk about, hey, people are doing some airdrops. That does not meet the moment, the urgency of the moment.

[Jane Coston]

It does feel like, and you know, I mentioned this earlier, that there's been this tidal shift happening with regard to public outrage over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But to your point, the blockade actually started in March and ended in May. And children and civilians have been dying in Gaza for a long time. The death toll is in the tens of thousands. Why do you think now is the moment where people are finally starting to speak out? Like when you're hearing Trump talking about how like, no, no, no, children are starving. What happened now, do you think?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, you're right. I mean, some of us have been trying to raise the alarm about this since last March and really for even longer before that. During the war in Gaza, we pointed out that, you know, the horrors of October 7th, and they were horrible when Hamas attacked Israel. But that does not justify the actions that the Netanyahu government have been taking, including using food as a weapon of war. So it's taken the world way too long to wake up to the dire moment we're in, which has been ongoing. And unfortunately, the Trump administration, while finally acknowledging what the world can see, is still not willing to take the action necessary to make sure that food gets in at scale.

[Jane Coston]

You've been very outspoken, way more outspoken on this issue than a lot of Democrats in the Senate on this. And as you say, like, you've been talking about this for more than a year. What do you think is holding back more of your colleagues, more of your liberal colleagues from forcefully speaking out about the crisis in Gaza and America's role in it publicly, as you have?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, obviously, each can answer for themselves. But my view is they feel a lot of political pressure from different organizations. For example, AIPAC always threatens to come after people if they depart from the AIPAC position. I mean, they ran ads against me in my state of Maryland since I've been outspoken. So we need more people who are willing to stand up to organizations like aipac.

[Jane Coston]

I think what people are listening to this, want to hear is not just what you're doing because you're acting on this front. And I think a lot of people are starting to hear more voices of people in positions of power, such as yourself. But is there anything you think the public should or could be doing to support aid entering Gaza? There are lots of people, obviously, who feel very strongly about this. I don't know how much time you spend on Instagram, but that's my entire Instagram feed is people talking about children starving to death in Gaza, but they aren't sure where to put their energy. Where should they be putting it?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, I think they should be putting their energy on holding their elected officials accountable for doing something about it. And what that means is tracking how people are voting, whether they're willing to take meaningful positions, whether they're willing to hold the Netanyahu government accountable. So it's about time here in the United States, you know, people started waking up here. I do think what they need to do is call upon their elected officials to actually take meaningful positions. There have to be some consequences to using food as a weapon of war.

[Jane Coston]

But by that measure of holding elected officials accountable, as you say, that would necessarily include a lot of Democrats. Should they be held accountable, voted out of office, too, on this, on this issue?

[Chris Van Hollen]

Well, I think every elected official, regardless of party affiliation, should hear from their constituents on issues that are important to their constituents. And I would hope the fact that the United States is complicit in the starvation of people in Gaza is something along those lines. So, I mean, yes, tell, tell elected officials that you're watching whether they're going to take meaningful action on this and hold them accountable. I will say, unfortunately, look, the Repub Republican Party In Congress is 100% down the line with Netanyahu. I don't call that pro Israel. I just call that pro Netanyahu's government. And so when you're trying to do something in Congress on this issue, you start with a Republican party that is 100% with Netanyahu. That's where Trump's been, as you say. There are also a lot of Democrats that I wish had been speaking up for much longer and even now. So. But this is where the voters, I believe, can make a difference, overcoming some of these very narrow interest groups that essentially threaten to spend money on ads or other actions against elected officials who simply want to call out the fact that we need to end starvation in Gaza and that the Netanyahu government is the one right now using food as a weapon of war.

[Jane Coston]

Senator Van Hollen, thank you so much for joining me.

[Chris Van Hollen]

Thank you.

[Jane Coston]

That was my conversation with Maryland's Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. 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 why Today is brought to you by Nutrafol Hot days, humid nights and non stop plans. All that heat can increase hair shedding. While a packed schedule can add stress which can impact your hair. Nutrafol's whole body approach and clinically tested formula support your hair from within so you can focus on living your best life all summer long. Nutrafol is the 1 dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over 1 1/2 million people. Anything truly worthwhile takes time and effort, and with Nutrafol you can see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair and less shedding in just three to six months. Everyone's root causes of hair thinning are different, so a one size fits all approach to hair growth doesn't cut it. Nutrafol has multiple formulas designed to give your body what it needs to grow and support your hair's unique needs. Whether you're navigating postpartum menopause, a plant based lifestyle, or simply looking to see less hair shedding, Nutrafol has you covered. And while many supplements rely solely on ingredient studies, Nutrafol clinically tests final formulations to ensure their efficacy. In a clinical study, 90% of women saw overall improvement in their hair. After taking Nutrafol Women Hair Growth Supplement for six months this summer, stop worrying about your hair and start making memories. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to nutrafol.com and enter the Promo Code Day. Find out why Nutrafol is the best selling hair growth supplement [e-mail] spelled n u t r-a f o l.com promo code day. That's Nutrafol.com promo code day.

[Roy Cooper]

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[Jane Coston]

Here's what else we're following today. Head of Lines.

[Donald Trump]

I'm disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him. So we're going to have to look and I'm going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number because I think I already know the answer, which is going to happen. Thank you very much everybody. We'll see you later.

[Jane Coston]

President Trump says he plans to shorten the 50 day deadline he previously gave Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the country's attacks on Ukraine. Trump made the comments Monday at his golf club in Scotland, where he was hosting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to talk trade and other matters. Speaking to reporters later in the day, the president revealed his new timeline for Putin to come to the negotiating table. 10, 12 days sleep. So the businessman version of two weeks, because it's always two weeks. Trump went on to threaten consequences for the Russian economy if Putin doesn't meet his new deadline.

[Donald Trump]

It would be sanctions and maybe tariffs, secondary tariffs. You know what a secondary tariff is. And look, the Russian economy. I don't want to do that to Russia. I love the Russian people. They're great people. I don't want to do that to Russia. But they're losing a lot of Russians. They've lost a million Russians.

[Jane Coston]

That was cogent. Trump's announcement came just hours after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles Sunday night, according to Ukraine's air force. Russia and Ukraine have been at war for almost three and a half years. So far, multiple rounds of direct peace talks in Turkey have failed to bring the two countries closer to reaching a ceasefire deal. Their most recent meeting last week ended after less than an hour. A federal judge in Massachusetts Monday indefinitely stopped the Trump administration from withholding Medicaid funding from certain Planned Parenthood affiliates. The judge's ruling extends a temporary block issued earlier this month. At issue is a provision in President Trump's new tax and spending law, AKA the One Big Beautiful bill. It imposes a one year ban on Medicaid payments to healthcare nonprofits that perform abortions, even for services not directly related to abortion. But there's a catch. The law only applies to clinics that generated more than $800,000 in Medicaid payments in 2023. Planned Parenthood argued in a lawsuit the provision was specifically designed to target its clinics, and the judge agreed. Planned Parenthood CEO has referred to this provision as a backdoor abortion ban. In its suit against the Trump administration, the organization argued the Medicaid ban would disproportionately affect blue states. Five Planned Parenthood locations in California have already closed this month in the wake of the cuts.

[Roy Cooper]

It wasn't always this hard because being in the middle class meant something. You could afford a home, your kids went to good schools, your job paid enough to cover the basics, and most summers you could get away for a few days. For the most part, life was pretty good. I'm Roy Cooper and I know that today, for too many Americans, the middle class feels like a distant dream, bro.

[Jane Coston]

I am aware. Former North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper announced Monday he's running for the state's open Senate seat. He made his big announcement Monday via a video released online saying the American middle class is on the brink of disappearing.

[Roy Cooper]

Politicians in D.C. are running up our debt, ripping away our health care, disrespecting our veterans, cutting health for the poor, and even putting Medicare and Social Security at risk just to give tax breaks to billionaires.

[Jane Coston]

Cooper's entry into the race gives Democrats a big boost. He's a proven statewide winner, and the North Carolina Senate race is expected to be one of the most competitive in next year's midterm elections. To retake the majority in the Senate, Democrats need to win four seats while keeping the ones they already hold. The former two term governor is set to be the frontrunner for the state's Democratic primary to ultimately fill the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis. And on the MAGA side, it's rumored that Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley has plans to run with his lord and savior, President Donald Trump's blessing. Of course, while Watley has not made his run official yet, Trump endorsed him on Truth Social last week. And in the latest drip drip of news around President Trump's old ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Trump acknowledged his privilege during his press conference in Scotland Monday. But unfortunately, it wasn't in a self aware way. It was more predictably in a really creepy and upsetting way.

[Donald Trump]

And by the way, I never went to the island. And Bill Clinton went there supposedly 28 times. I never went to the island. But Larry Summers, I hear, went there. He was the head of Harvard and many other people that are very big people, nobody ever talks about them. I never had the privilege of going to his island.

[Jane Coston]

That's right. The President of the United States says he never had the privilege of vacationing on the private island owned by a man accused of sexually abusing hundreds of young girls and women. Epstein died by suicide in prison awaiting trial on those charges, but pleaded guilty to state charges years prior. Some witnesses have referred to the financier's private island as, quote, pedophile island. I want to be clear. I hate that I had to say that. But here we are. And oh, good, there's yet more Epstein news to relay. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode island demanded the Department of Justice release recordings of its recent meetings with Epstein's former accomplice and girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. They also asked the DOJ to make a public commitment to not advocate for a pardon for Maxwell. But Trump didn't rule it out.

[Donald Trump]

Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon. Nobody's approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it. It's in the news about that, that aspect of it. But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.

[Jane Coston]

So cool. Also on Monday, Trump's personal lawyers made a request to depose media mogul Rupert Murdoch in the next 15 days as part of Trump's lawsuit against him in the Wall Street Journal. Earlier this month, the Journal published an article alleging Trump wrote Epstein a lewd birthday message in the early 2000s when the two were known to be friends. Okay, that's, that's all, that's all we've got. And that's the news. Before we go, as a listener of this Crooked media podcast, we wanted you to be the first to know that Crooked just announced its first ever Crooked con in Washington, D.C. crookedCon is the first annual, or once in a lifetime chance to join America's smartest organizers and least annoying politicians to strategize, debate and commiserate about where we go from here. Hopefully up on Friday, November 7, Crooked will be joined by some of the most influential names in politics for a full day of conversations, workshops and live pods as we all figure out how to build the big pro democracy movement. We need to defeat rising authoritarianism before it's too late. If you like this podcast, you're definitely going to love CrookedCon. And while we can't say officially, I'd say there's a strong chance we'll be there. So get those tickets while you can. Head to crookedcon.com for tickets, lineup announcements and more. That's C-R-O-O-K-E-C-O-N.com and we have a discount code that you can use to buy your November 7th ticket early. It's freedom and content. One word ALL CAPS. Discount tickets are limited, so act fast. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review and subscribe. But remember that God does not want you to run a crypto scam. And tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how a pastor in Denver and his wife created and sold a God inspired cryptocurrency and raised nearly $4 million. And you will be stunned to know that most of that money went to plane tickets and home renovations like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe subscribe. I'm Jayden Costin and no one wants you to run a crypto scam, not even the Lord. Whataday is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Foer. Our producer is Michelle Aloy. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Gina Pollack and Laura Newcombe. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adrienne Hill. We had help with the headlines from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America. East.

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