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
1. Immigration and the Abrego Garcia Case
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]
2. California Sues Over Trump's Tariffs
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.
3. DOJ Sues Maine Over Trans Athletes in Sports
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.
4. Trump's Actions Against Harvard and IRS Program Changes
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.
5. Financial Scrutiny of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
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.
Conclusion
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:
- "Due process is what protects all of us from false accusations and abuses of power on the part of the government." – Richie Torres [06:49]
- "Habeas corpus, due process are among them. But the polling would tell a different story." – Richie Torres [09:30]
- "Nothing will change the fact that Abrego Garcia will never be a Maryland father." – Caroline Levitt [02:14]
- "The Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at Ccon." – Chris Van Hollen [01:43]
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.