
Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador Wednesday to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man who the U.S. government wrongfully deported to a Salvadoran super prison last month. While the administration continues to dig in on its allegations the Salvadoran national was a gang member, courts are also showing their willingness to challenge the White House’s claims. On Wednesday, a federal judge found probable cause to find Trump Administration officials in criminal contempt of court over sending Venezuelans to the same maximum security prison in El Salvador where Abrego Garcia is currently being held. New York Congressman Ritchie Torres talks about why it’s important for Democrats to speak up about these cases. And in headlines: California sued the Trump administration over the president’s heavy tariffs, the Department of Justice sued Maine for allowing trans girls to compete in school sports that align with their gender identity, and...
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Erin Ryan
It's Thursday, April 17th. I'm Erin Ryan in for Jane Coston. And this is what a day. The show that says do not dye potatoes for Easter. I don't care what the Atlantic magazine says is okay or how much eggs cost right now. Do not die potatoes. On today's show, California sues President Donald Trump over his terror. And surprise, surprise, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made some green of her own off Trump's tariff flip flop. But first, let's talk about immigration. On Wednesday, Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to push for the release of Kilmar Obrego Garcia. He's the Maryland man who the government wrongfully deported to a Salvadoran super prison last month, alleging despite paper thin evidence that, that he's a member of the gang Ms. 13. Van Hollen held a press conference after meeting with El Salvador's vice president. He said the Salvadoran officials denied his request to see or speak with Abrego Garcia. He also forcefully disputed the White House's story about him.
Chris Van Hollen
I want to emphasize that President Trump and our Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Vice president of the United States are lying when they say that Abrego Garcia has been charged with a crime or as part of MS.13. That is a lie.
Erin Ryan
Van Hollen said he asked the Salvadoran vice president why the country was continuing to hold Abrego Garcia in a maximum security prison known as C cot if neither the US Nor El Salvador has evidence he's actually committed a crime.
Chris Van Hollen
And his answer was that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at ccon.
Erin Ryan
Paying them? Paying them with what? Money. Taxpayer money. Hmm. Seems like a little bit of a waste. But anyway, back in the U.S. the administration continued to dig in. Not that we'd expect anything different. Here's White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt during her press briefing Wednesday.
Caroline Levitt
Nothing will change the fact that Abrego Garcia will never be a Maryland father. He will never live in the United States of America again.
Erin Ryan
Okay. I acknowledge that that's how a lot of news articles have been describing Abrego Garcia, Caroline. But nothing will change the fact that he is a father and he was living in Maryland, hence Maryland father. But in the courts. The administration is also facing more pushback over both the Abrego Garcia case and its hardball immigration tactics. More broadly, on yesterday's show, we talked about how a federal judge in Maryland said she wanted to see some receipts from the administration detailing the ways it's trying to, quote, facilitate Abrego Garcia's return, as the Supreme Court directed it to last week. And early Wednesday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. said he found probable cause to find Trump administration officials in criminal contempt of court. This is over whether the administration violated another order, this one barring it from sending alleged Venezuelan gang members to the same prison where Brego Garcia is currently being held in El Salvador. Because undoubtedly, there are more Abrego Garcias who the government has deported. We know at least one, a gay makeup artist from Venezuela who was seeking asylum in part because his sexuality made him a target of gangs. Here's the hard thing. If you're a Democrat or, to me, a person with, like, morals and stuff, you think this is wrong and evil, you know it is. You're also aware that the immigration issue has been a third rail for liberals for the last few years. But a lot of Democrats are standing up and speaking out about cases like Abrego Garcia's and others and saying that what is happening to him could absolutely happen to American citizens. One of them is New York Democratic Representative Richie Torres, who has introduced a bill to require the US Government to act if a court orders the return of someone who has been wrongfully deported. I spoke with Congressman Torres on Wednesday afternoon. Representative Torres, welcome to what a day. On Wednesday, a federal district judge said there was probable cause to open a criminal contempt inquiry related to his order to stop some deportations to El Salvador back in March. What's your side of the aisle in the House doing about this?
Richie Torres
Look, we're committed to fighting back. You know, I introduced legislation known as the Rescue act, which would impose consequences on any country like El Salvador that refuses to release someone who's been wrongfully deported in violation of a federal court order. For Democrats, the stakes are high. The stakes are high for the country of everything that Donald Trump. There's nothing worse than his frontal assault, his war on due process. And it has implications far beyond non citizens like the Trump administration can label anyone a non citizen gang member, abduct them in the dead of night, and then render them onto a foreign prison to be tortured. And so he is setting a dangerous precedent for the future of our democracy.
Erin Ryan
And are you seeing common ground with your GOP colleagues on this?
Richie Torres
I suspect that there are Republicans who privately have concerns, but none of them are willing to speak up publicly against Donald Trump. You know, the Republican Party is no longer a traditional political party. It's become a cult of personality. The MAGA movement is organized not around principle, but around personality. It's all about Donald Trump. He can do no wrong. It's religiosity without religion.
Erin Ryan
Well, on that note, Democrats kind of lost big to that religiosity without religion in November, especially when it came to immigration, migrants, and deportation. And a lot's happened since then. And folks in your party have been sorting out who could be deported and when, under what circumstances. Where have you landed on this?
Richie Torres
Look, I. I have no objection to deporting those who genuinely violate either criminal law, immigration law, or both, especially if you pose a public safety risk. But you're entitled to due process. Like, there is no contradiction between border security and due process or between a rational immigration system and due process. And the Trump administration is attempting to create a contradiction where none exist. You know, due process is based on the recognition that the government is every bit as corruptible and fallible as human nature itself. Right? The government can err. It can abuse its power, it can falsely accuse. And due process is what protects all of us from false accusations and abuses of power on the part of the part of the government. And if we lose due process, as far as I'm concerned, we lose everything.
Erin Ryan
Let's talk about a specific case, the one over Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He's the migrant who has not been convicted or even charged with a crime, but was still sent to a prison in El Salvador. The administration says with practically zero evidence that he's a member of the Salvadoran gang. Ms. 13, what does that tell you about how this administration is going about deporting people?
Richie Torres
Look, Donald Trump claims that he has the authority to label anyone a gang member and then deport them to a foreign prison to be tortured and then wash his hands and claim that the courts have no jurisdiction because he's deporting them to a foreign country. Never mind that he's paying the foreign country to detain these people. So he clearly has responsibility. He clearly has leverage. But we're entering dangerously unchartered territory throughout. For me, the lesson learned from the Trump presidency is that Congress historically has passed too many laws that have ceded too much power to the executive. We should repeal the Alien Enemies act, which has enabled Trump to deport hundreds of people without due process, without the slightest semblance of due process. We should repeal the International Emergency Economic Powers act, which has enabled Trump to set tariff rates that have destabilized the global economy. The US Constitution envisions a system of congressional supremacy, right? There are three co equal branches of government, but Congress is the first among equals. We are Article 1 branch, and we should return Power back where it belongs, which is in Congress.
Erin Ryan
But to do that right now, you would need Republican buy in. Just because of the makeup of both chambers, that seems pretty unlikely. So what can you do right now?
Richie Torres
Look, we have to throw the kitchen sink. Whether it's mobilization on the streets, legislation in the halls of Congress, even a discharge petition and litigation in court, obviously there are limits to what we can do when we're in the minority. But I'm convinced that the momentum is on our side. I mean, Donald Trump is uniquely unpopular as president. Like he's the only president since 1937 whose approval rating is underwater in the early months of his administration. So Democrats are well positioned as to take back the House, to make Hakeem Jeffries the next speaker and to restore some measure of checks and balances. But I have no faith that the modern Republican Party is going to stand up to Trump because he's their lord and savior.
Erin Ryan
I've seen this on my TikTok FYP. I'm sure you've seen this on social media. I feel like the conservative line is, well, he's playing chess and we're playing checkers. So take this with a grain of salt, but are you concerned that Democrats are playing into the administration's hands right now by highlighting the Abrego Garcia case?
Richie Torres
Well, first, fighting for due process is the right thing to do. Like, I'm in favor of free speech, not because it polls well, but because it's a matter of principle. So not everything has to be reduced to a political calculation. There are some issues that are so important that it transcends politics. Habeas corpus, due process are among them. But the polling would tell a different story. I mean, Donald Trump is self destructing in real time. You know, since his inauguration, we've seen the destruction of $11 trillion in wealth. His tariffs are deeply unpopular. His trust on issues with the American people is declining rapidly. So the momentum is clearly on the Democratic side, largely because Donald Trump is self destructing. He's his own worst enemy.
Erin Ryan
Representative Richie Torres, thank you for being here. Thank you for the conversation and keep doing the hard work.
Richie Torres
Absolutely. Take care.
Erin Ryan
That was my conversation with New York Democratic Congressman Richie Torres, who represents the Bronx. 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.
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Erin Ryan
Here's what else we're following today. Head of Lines Trump may claim he's a great businessman, but Trump's tariffs are truly terrible for business. And they're breaking the law. California is suing the Trump administration over the president's heavy tariffs on U.S. trading partners. Democratic state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the suit at a press conference Wednesday alongside Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor emphasized that Trump's trade war has hit California, the world's fifth largest economy, especially hard. This is recklessness at another level.
Chris Van Hollen
The geopolitical impacts are outsized.
Erin Ryan
The trade impacts are outsized, not just the economic. The White House has justified the president's steep and unilateral use of tariffs on pretty much every country by declaring a national emergency on Trade that allowed him to unlock special powers to sidestep Congress and impose his sweeping tariffs earlier this month. California's lawsuit argues everything that's happened since the neck breaking whiplash from Trump's constantly changing trade policy poses a bigger threat to the economy and that the president does not have the power to do what he's doing. He needs congressional approval to levy tariffs. California's suit comes as the economy is flashing major warning signs in the wake of Trump's tariff palooza. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday it's now, quote, highly likely that Trump's trade policy will worsen inflation and push prices up. Here he is speaking to reporters in Chicago.
NetCredit
The level of tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated. And the same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will.
Richie Torres
Include higher inflation and slower growth.
Erin Ryan
Powell added that unemployment rates could rise, too. Oh, and while Powell was speaking, the stock market fell again. And speaking of states that have a beef with the White House, the Department of justice is suing the state of Maine for allowing trans girls to compete in school sports that align with their gender identity. This is all because the state's Democratic governor, Janet Mills, said she would not comply with an executive order Trump signed earlier this year to, quote, keep men out of women's sports. Back in February, Mills and President Trump shared a moment about this at the White House.
Pam Bondi
Your population doesn't want men playing in women's sports, so you better come, you better comply, because otherwise you're not getting any, any federal funding. Every state. Good. I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. That should be a real easy one. And enjoy your life after Governor, because I don't think you'll be in elected politics.
Erin Ryan
You better do it, or you're going to. You're going to wish you did it. You better do it. Okay, well, let's talk about it in court. Yeah, you better do it. Go to court. Yeah, I'll see you there. Great comebacks, guy. The DOJ lawsuit alleges that Maine discriminates against women and girls, but also endangers them by refusing to ban trans athletes from school sports. And when I say trans athletes, I mean it's barely plural. I mean, two. Two out of tens of thousands of high school athletes in Maine's public school system. 2. Attorney General Pam Bondi acknowledged this when she announced the lawsuit. I don't care if it's one. I don't care if it's two. I don't care if it'S 100. It's going to stop and it's going to stop in every single state. Why is it that every time I see her speak, I think that she's about to call the police on a child with a lemonade stand? The lawsuit is Trump's latest attempt to punish Mills in the state of Maine. His Department of Agriculture tried to cancel millions in grants to the University of Maine last month. Also, the Social Security Administration canceled some big state contracts. Those contracts were reinstated and Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek said he regretted terminating them. But I'd take his apology with a grain of salt. The Washington Post reported that just a week before that, Dudak wrote an email where he called Mills a, quote, petulant child. The Trump administration has reportedly asked the IRS to strip Harvard University of its tax exempt status. CNN broke the story. Trump floated the idea of revoking Harvard status in a truth social post on Tuesday. He said the school should be taxed as a political entity because it refused to meet his demands. To fight what he called anti Semitism on campus, the White House froze more than $2 billion in federal funding to Harvard over its rebuke. We're putting this together on Wednesday night. Neither the IRS nor Harvard have said anything else about this before we put it to bed. But on the upside, this is a great opportunity for people who went to Harvard to remind everybody else that they went to Harvard. And while we're on the subject of the irs, the Trump administration plans to nix a free electronic program that lets taxpayers file directly with the agency. Because under the Trump administration, we're just making everything a bigger pain in the ass. That's according to anonymous sources that spoke with the Associated Press. Direct file gives People in 25 states a free and easy way to file taxes so long as they don't claim rental or other kinds of non wage income. It should come as zero shock that the Trump administration wants to end the program. After all, swaths of Republican lawmakers asked him to cut the program back in December. They claimed it was government overreach. And then Doge took aim at it in February. It's government overreach for the government to let you file things to the government without having to pay what. The GOP fought such a service for decades with help from private tax Prep companies like TurboTax. I mean, you don't want to pay taxes anyway, so why pay to file if you can do it for free? If you live in one of those 25 states, you can still use the service this season, but after that we'll have to pour one out for Direct File. There's been a lot of coverage on stocks buys that you made in these 4 and 8 of the announcement that it's harsh for me to pause. Was there anything that you knew ahead of time or can you at least.
Chris Van Hollen
Respond to the criticism that's been published?
Caroline Levitt
You know, I think that criticism is lackable. President Trump has been talking about tariffs for decades.
Erin Ryan
This is Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene laughing off some financial scrutiny over what Greene recently disclosed. She purchased anywhere from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stock. No immediate issue there, but she bought them one day before President Trump announced he was pausing most of his global tariffs and then she did it again that same day. Of course, the market was flailing from all the trade chaos. According to disclosures made to the House, Green also sold between $50,000 and $100,000 in treasury bills. To be fair, Trump did yell at his Truth social followers that, quote, this is a great time to buy. You know, Just hours before he paused the tariffs, Greene told reporters Tuesday that she had no prior knowledge of Trump's flip flop.
Caroline Levitt
I have a fiduciary agreement with my portfolio manager. I don't place my buys and sells. That's something that the portfolio manager does for me. And he did a great job. Guess what he did. He bought the dip. And that's what anybody that has any financial sense does when they know the market's going to be going down. That was obvious to everyone.
Erin Ryan
Guess what he did. He bought the dip. Sounds like me defending a man who went to the grocery store and only bought three of the 10 things he was supposed to buy. Democrats in Congress are asking for an investigation into Trump's back and forth on tariffs and whether his reversals violated securities laws. Members of Congress are required to report their stock trades, so we might hear more about this soon. And that's the news before we go. If you're looking to support Crooked Media's mission of building a progressive media counterweight to the right, the best way to do so is by subscribing to our Friends of the Pod community. And for a limited time, you can test drive all the cool stuff a Friends of the Pod subscription has to offer for 30 days, absolutely free. When you subscribe, you'll gain access to our amazing Discord community and exclusive content like Polar Coaster with dan Pfeiffer and Inside 2025. Your subscription helps power everything we do here at Crooked. Sign up today@crooked.com friends to start your 30 day free trial. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a nice review, find something better to dye than a potato, and tell your friends to listen. And if you are into reading and not just about how if you cut up your dyed potatoes and put the potato in the ground, you could have more potatoes to hoard when groceries get even more expensive like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe@qriket.com subscribe I'm Erin Ryan and that's what we call buying the dip. And that's what anybody that has any financial sense does.
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Five hours.
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Podcast Summary: What A Day – Dems Go To Bat For Due Process
Release Date: April 17, 2025
Host: Jane Coaston (Erin Ryan as guest host)
Podcast: What A Day by Crooked Media
The episode opens with a critical examination of the Trump administration's immigration policies, focusing on the case of Kilmar Obrego Garcia. Wrongfully deported from Maryland to a Salvadoran super prison, Abrego Garcia's detention has sparked significant backlash.
Chris Van Hollen's Advocacy: Senator Chris Van Hollen highlighted his efforts to secure Garcia's release. During a press conference, Van Hollen stated:
"I want to emphasize that President Trump and our Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Vice president of the United States are lying when they say that Abrego Garcia has been charged with a crime or as part of MS-13. That is a lie."
[01:12]
Van Hollen confronted Salvadoran officials, questioning the lack of evidence against Garcia and the financial arrangements behind his detention:
"The Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at Ccon."
[01:43]
Administration's Stance: White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt maintained a hardline position, declaring:
"Nothing will change the fact that Abrego Garcia will never be a Maryland father. He will never live in the United States of America again."
[02:14]
Judicial Pushback: Federal judges in Maryland and Washington, D.C., have taken action against the administration's immigration tactics. A Maryland federal judge has demanded detailed evidence of efforts to repatriate Abrego Garcia, while a D.C. judge found probable cause to hold Trump administration officials in criminal contempt for sending alleged Venezuelan gang members to Salvadoran prisons, violating court orders.
Representative Richie Torres on Due Process: New York Democratic Representative Richie Torres discussed the importance of due process in immigration, criticizing the administration's misuse of executive powers:
"Donald Trump claims that he has the authority to label anyone a gang member and then deport them to a foreign prison to be tortured... He is setting a dangerous precedent for the future of our democracy."
[07:11]
Torres emphasized the necessity of legislative action to restore congressional authority and protect individuals from wrongful deportation:
"There is no contradiction between border security and due process or between a rational immigration system and due process."
[05:59]
The podcast delves into California's legal battle against the Trump administration concerning the president's heavy tariffs on U.S. trading partners. Attorney General Rob Bonta and Governor Gavin Newsom declared that these tariffs are both economically damaging and legally questionable.
Governor Gavin Newsom's Statement: Newsom highlighted the severe impact of tariffs on California, the world's fifth largest economy:
"This is recklessness at another level."
[13:19]
Economic Implications: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that Trump's tariffs are likely to exacerbate inflation and increase unemployment rates:
"The level of tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated... We are highly likely that Trump's trade policy will worsen inflation and push prices up."
[14:09]
The White House defended the tariffs by declaring a national emergency on trade, allowing unilateral tariff impositions without congressional approval. However, California's lawsuit argues that such actions overstep presidential authority and threaten the broader economy.
The Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of Maine for allowing transgender girls to compete in school sports according to their gender identity. This legal action stems from Governor Janet Mills' refusal to comply with Trump's executive order, which sought to ban transgender athletes from women's sports.
Attorney General Pam Bondi's Rhetoric: Bondi dismissed the plaintiff's numbers, asserting:
"I don't care if it's one. I don't care if it's two... It's going to stop and it's going to stop in every single state."
[14:56]
The lawsuit claims that Maine's policy discriminates against women and girls and endangers them by not enforcing a ban on transgender athletes, despite the actual number being minimal.
Broader Context: This legal action is part of a series of Trump administration efforts to challenge state policies that oppose the president's directives, including attempts to revoke Harvard University's tax-exempt status and the cancellation of state contracts by the Social Security Administration.
The Trump administration has intensified its scrutiny of educational institutions and government programs, targeting prominent entities like Harvard University and proposing alterations to taxpayer services.
Harvard University Tax-Exempt Status: President Trump has suggested stripping Harvard of its tax-exempt status due to the university's stance against anti-Semitism on campus:
"The school should be taxed as a political entity because it refused to meet his demands."
[14:56]
This move is part of Trump's broader strategy to penalize institutions that do not align with his policies.
End of the Direct File Tax Program: The administration plans to terminate the Direct File program, which allowed taxpayers in 25 states to file their taxes electronically for free. Republican lawmakers have long opposed this initiative, citing it as government overreach, despite its benefits for taxpayers.
"It's government overreach for the government to let you file things to the government without having to pay what."
[17:55]
Private tax preparation companies like TurboTax have lobbied against the program, arguing that it reduces their business opportunities.
Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene faced financial scrutiny for her stock trades coinciding with Trump's policy changes on tariffs. Greene disclosed significant stock purchases right before Trump paused global tariffs, leading to investigations into potential securities law violations.
Greene's Defense: Greene attributed her trades to her portfolio manager's actions, stating:
"I have a fiduciary agreement with my portfolio manager. I don't place my buys and sells. That's something that the portfolio manager does for me."
[19:22]
She further explained that her portfolio manager capitalized on the market decline by "buying the dip," a common investment strategy.
Democratic Response: Democrats in Congress are calling for thorough investigations to determine if Greene's trades were influenced by inside information or if they violated ethical standards.
The episode of What A Day provides an incisive analysis of the Trump administration's controversial policies on immigration and trade, highlighting significant legal battles and political fallout. Representative Richie Torres and Senator Chris Van Hollen emerge as key figures advocating for due process and legislative reforms to counteract executive overreach. Additionally, the episode sheds light on the administration's contentious actions against states and institutions, alongside scrutiny of Republican lawmakers like Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Notable Quotes:
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the critical discussions and insights from the episode, providing listeners with a clear understanding of the topics without needing to access the original podcast.