Richie Torres (4:21)

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 (5:08)

And are you seeing common ground with your GOP colleagues on this?

Richie Torres (5:14)

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 (5:39)

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 (5:59)

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 (6:49)

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 (7:11)

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 (8:20)

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 (8:29)

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 (9:13)

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 (9:30)

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 (10:12)

Representative Richie Torres, thank you for being here. Thank you for the conversation and keep doing the hard work.

Richie Torres (10:18)

Absolutely. Take care.

Erin Ryan (10:20)

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 (12:41)

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 (13:19)

The geopolitical impacts are outsized.

Erin Ryan (13:22)

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 (14:09)

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 (14:19)

Include higher inflation and slower growth.

Erin Ryan (14:22)

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 (14:56)

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 (15:15)

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 (18:31)

Respond to the criticism that's been published?

Caroline Levitt (18:33)

You know, I think that criticism is lackable. President Trump has been talking about tariffs for decades.

Erin Ryan (18:39)

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 (19:22)

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 (19:42)

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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What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily4. Our producer is Michelle Aloy. We had production help today from Shaun Ali, Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra and Greg Walters. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America east do.

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