DHS Dysfunction

Summary

Podcast Summary: "DHS Dysfunction"

What A Day — February 20, 2026
Host: Jane Coaston
Notable Guest: Michelle Hackman (Wall Street Journal immigration reporter)

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Overview

This episode delves into the ongoing dysfunction within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), exploring the persistent shutdown, the management controversies surrounding DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the broader political and public fallout. Host Jane Coaston is joined by Michelle Hackman, who provides insider reporting on agency turmoil, funding holdups, and the personal dynamics driving agency chaos. The episode also covers side-stories on Trump’s peculiar concerns about DC’s sewage crisis, developments in the Epstein-Prince Andrew scandal, and a controversial executive order on glyphosate.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DHS Shutdown and Immigration Funding

• Partial DHS Shutdown: The agency is in its second week of partial shutdown due to Democrats refusing to fund DHS without changes to federal immigration policy ([00:53]).
• Impact on Agencies: Core immigration enforcement functions—like ICE and Border Patrol—continue, as they are funded via a separate $170 billion appropriation from Trump’s “big Republican spending law,” so only non-immigration-related units (FEMA, TSA) are hit hardest ([03:36], [04:11]).
• Political Blame Game: White House press secretary Caroline Levitt publicly blames Democrats for the shutdown’s effects on FEMA, TSA, and Coast Guard workers ([01:51]).
  • QUOTE: “We hope [Democrats] get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this.” — Caroline Levitt ([02:13])

2. What Is and Isn’t Being Shut Down?

• FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund still functions: Disaster response funding continues, but normal staff operations are slow, and public-facing disaster response is purposefully restricted to increase political pain ([04:29]).
• TSA Agents Impacted: If the shutdown drags on, unpaid TSA workers could lead to under-staffing and major air travel disruptions—these are the shutdown consequences Americans are most likely to notice ([05:11]).
  • QUOTE: “I think DHS has an incentive not to try to move around money to pay TSA agents because they want it to hurt.” — Michelle Hackman ([05:47])

3. Kristi Noem’s Controversial Leadership

• Management Culture: Kristi Noem and advisor Corey Lewandowski are seen as running DHS as a “personal fiefdom”—firing and yelling at staff, creating widespread internal dissatisfaction ([06:18]).
  • QUOTE: “[They] fire people seemingly at random. They yell at people constantly. Their management style...is all but driving people to sort of mass quit.” — Michelle Hackman ([06:23])
• Unpopularity: Not just a “left-wing” critique; even Trump loyalists want Noem out because she undermines the administration’s deportation agenda ([06:54]).
• Trump’s Reluctance to Fire: Trump’s hands-off stance is attributed to his loyalty to Lewandowski (a close friend), desire to not contradict his previous claim he had chosen the “perfect cabinet,” and resistance to admitting a misjudgment ([07:41]).
  • QUOTE: “Trump...appointed [Noem] partially as a favor to Corey Lewandowski...he considers him a loyal soldier.” — Michelle Hackman ([07:41])

4. Scandalous Anecdotes & Leadership Style

• The “Blanket Incident”: Lewandowski apparently fired a Coast Guard pilot mid-trip because a favorite blanket of Noem’s was left behind. When they realized no one could fly them back, the pilot was rehired ([08:33]).
  • QUOTE: “Noem was so upset that Corey Lewandowski fired the pilot. But once they landed...they realized they didn’t have anyone to fly them home, so they had to reinstate the pilot.” — Michelle Hackman ([08:44])
• Obsessive Photo Ops: Noem is more focused on being photographed at flashy immigration raids or with dramatic visuals than delivering substantive policy outcomes. This has caused tensions with those seeking quieter, strategic approaches ([09:17]).

5. DHS Enforcement Trends and Future Outlook

• Operation Style Shifts: Despite perceptions, the administration remains aggressively committed to high deportation numbers (a “million people” goal), but strategy may shift to less-public, more methodical workplace and home raids ([10:01]).
• Potential for Leadership Change: The White House is frustrated with Noem’s insubordination and public image issues; tensions may rise if Trump feels her press is hurting him, but her replacement could mean even harsher enforcement ([10:47]).
• Michelle Hackman’s Watch Points: Will Trump eventually turn on Noem? If a more competent hardliner takes over, could actual enforcement ramp up even higher? ([10:51])

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Extended Headlines & Notable Moments

6. Trump and the Potomac Stench / 250th Anniversary

• Trump worries summer events for America’s 250th birthday (and his 80th) will be ruined by a sewage spill in the Potomac—prompting federal-local finger-pointing ([11:33], [19:25]).
  • QUOTE: “The president wants people from all over to come to the nation's capital. Is he worried...the Potomac river will still smell like poop?” — Peter Doocy ([19:25])
  • QUOTE: “He is worried about that, which is why the federal government wants to fix it.” — Caroline Levitt ([19:37])

7. Prince Andrew Arrested, Global Reaction

• Britain’s former Prince Andrew arrested over Epstein ties; unprecedented royal accountability ([15:50]).
  • Noteworthy fact: First royal family arrest since 1649.
  • Trump’s reaction: Focuses on his own “exoneration”—“I’m the expert...because I’ve been totally exonerated” ([16:46]).

8. Roundup Executive Order

• Trump issues order defending glyphosate/phosphorus (Roundup) as vital “for national defense”—directly contradicting health concerns and prior anti-pesticide activism from officials like RFK Jr. ([17:10]).

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Notable Quotes

• “You can always bet on Trump being weird as hell.” — Jane Coaston ([00:53])
• “Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski...have basically been running DHS as, like, their personal fiefdom.” — Michelle Hackman ([06:18])
• “It’s not like a left wing criticism of Kristi Noem. These are people who really want to see President Trump’s mass deportation happen and succeed...” — Michelle Hackman ([06:54])
• “Trump...appointed [Noem] partially as a favor to Corey Lewandowski.” — Michelle Hackman ([07:41])
• “They claim they want to arrest a million people in a year.” — Michelle Hackman ([10:01])
• “What a weird way to answer this question.” — Jane Coaston, on Trump’s Epstein/Prince Andrew comments ([16:58])
• “If it makes you feel any better...FBI Director Kash Patel took the FBI plane to Milan on Thursday to watch the US Men's hockey team play. At least one member of the Trump administration is focused on the real issues.” — Jane Coaston ([22:37])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump's Take on Aliens: [00:20]
• Shutdown Situation Explained: [00:53]–[03:36]
• Michelle Hackman Interview: [03:17]–[11:36]
  • Shutdown impacts: [03:17]–[05:51]
  • Noem/Lewandowski’s management: [06:18]–[08:33]
  • “Blanket incident”: [08:33]
  • Photo ops and enforcement strategy: [09:17]–[10:47]
• Potomac Stench & Birthday Concerns: [11:33], [19:25]
• Prince Andrew/Epstein Developments: [15:50]–[16:58]
• Trump’s Roundup Executive Order: [17:10]
• FBI Director Kash Patel’s Hockey Trip: [22:37]

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode blends serious reporting (DHS policy, governance, public safety) with Jane Coaston’s signature sardonic, irreverent tone—often highlighting the absurdity of political theater (see: Trump’s obsession with sewage, Lewandowski’s “blanket” tantrum, and performative cabinet hiring/firing). The central message: while flashy headlines and personalities dominate, real governance (or lack of it) impacts everyday agency workers and public safety—often for all the wrong reasons.

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This summary covers major content up to [22:47], skipping sponsor ads, intros/outros, and non-content segments as requested.

Transcript

[Jane Coston]

It's Friday, February 20th. I'm Jane Coston, and this is what a day. The show that knew that whatever former President Barack Obama said about aliens this week, President Donald Trump was going to say something even weirder. Here he is responding to Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on Air Force One on Thursday, something that got a lot

[Donald Trump]

of attention this week. Barack Obama said that aliens are real. Have you seen any evidence of non human visitors to Earth?

[Peter Doocy]

Well, he gave classified information. He's not supposed to, to be doing that, you know.

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So aliens are real?

[Peter Doocy]

Well, I don't know if they're real or not. I can tell you. He gave classified information. He's not supposed to be doing that. He made a big mistake. He took it out of classified information. No, I don't, I don't have an opinion on it. I never talk about it. A lot of people do. A lot of people believe it. Do you believe it, Peter?

[Jane Coston]

You can always bet on Trump being weird as hell. On today's show, President Trump worries America's 250th birthday might be soiled by the smell of feces emanating from the Potomac. And former Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's 66th birthday gets soiled by his arrest. But let's start with the Department of Homeland Security. It's been about a week since DHS entered a partial shutdown. Democrats refusing to fund the agency until changes are made to federal immigration enforcement. And according to the White House, we are still no closer to a deal. That doesn't mean that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is slowing down. If you'll recall, they got billions of dollars from Trump's big Republican spending law debacle disaster adventure. But the partial shutdown does mean that some DHS employees may soon be working without paychecks. And at a briefing this week, White House press Secretary Caroline Levitt unsurprisingly placed the blame entirely on the Democrats.

[Caroline Levitt]

Now we have FEMA workers, the men and women of the United States Coast Guard, men and women of TSA who keep our airports moving, who will be working without paychecks for no good other than the Democrats wanting to pick a fight with Donald Trump. And the president thinks that is irresponsible and despicable. He wants the government to be open. We've been engaged in good faith negotiations with the Democrats. Last night they sent over a counter proposal that frankly was very unserious. And we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this.

[Jane Coston]

But if you look at public opinion, Democrats aren't being so unserious. After all, most Americans think ICE has gone too far with its enforcement operations and believe that the agency is making the country less safe. And a poll from earlier this month found that most Americans also want DHS Secretary Kristi Noem fired. Actually, a lot of people seem to want Noem out of her role, and that includes plenty of Trump administration personnel. According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the DHS under Noem has been, for lack of a better term, a total cluster. In her colleague's view, she's prioritized getting photo ops for herself over getting results for the Trump administration. In my view, DHS has been running roughshod over the constitutional rights of undocumented immigrants and American citizens. Al. So there's that. So for more on DHS scandals and what the future holds for Nome, I spoke with Michelle Hackman. She's a reporter covering immigration for the Wall Street Journal. Michelle, welcome back to what a Day.

[Michelle Hackman]

Thanks for having me.

[Jane Coston]

Let's start with the ongoing DHS shutdown. The White House told reporters earlier this week that Democrats and the GOP are, quote, still pretty far apart in terms of making a deal to reopen dhs. Are you expecting to see any movement there before President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday? Because it seems like nothing is happening.

[Michelle Hackman]

Almost certainly not, no. And honestly, the Republicans have very little incentive to work with Democrats because through their one big beautiful bill, their huge bill that they passed over the summer, they've given the immigration parts of DHS roughly $170 billion to work with. And that money is unaffected by the shutdown. And so the things they care about, ice, the Border Patrol, building, of the border wall, all that stuff is still going on. And what Democrats have basically effectively done is kind of shut down FEMA and tsa.

[Jane Coston]

Yeah. To that point. In a tweet this week, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed Maryland Democrats for the handling of the sewage spill in the Potomac river and said, quote, democrats in Congress have shut down FEMA funding. So to your point, does FEMA not have access to disaster recovery funds right now or what's going on there?

[Michelle Hackman]

So FEMA still does. FEMA has something called the Disaster Relief Fund, which Congress sort of funds separately from annual, you know, the annual budget. And so FEMA does still have access to a lot of that money that they can use to disperse to states. A lot of FEMA's sort of daily work, you know, their employees salaries is on hold. And dhs, I think, to increase the pain, has purposefully been canceling, you know, staff visits to disaster sites, things like that.

[Jane Coston]

Are there other parts of DHS that are directly affected by the shutdown at the moment, like TSA or something like that? Because I think people don't get how big DHS is and what it includes.

[Michelle Hackman]

Yeah, I think people think of DHS as primarily the immigration agency, which, you know, that that is one of its primary functions. But dhs, you know, is the tsa. It does cybersecurity. It does a whole host of things. One of the main things that people are concerned about are TSA agents at airports are not getting paid. And so if this stretches a while, you know, I think DHS has an incentive not to try to move around money to pay TSA agents because they want it to hurt. And so eventually that could lead to understaffing flight delays. Those are typically the types of things that make the American public actually really notice a government shutdown.

[Jane Coston]

Understandably. Now, let's get back to my favorite person, Kristi Noem. Earlier this month, you published extensive reporting on Secretary Noem's leadership of dhs, as well as her relationship with her top advisor, Corey Lewandowski, A real blast from the past for those of us who remember the 2016 election. Both of them are married to other people and have denied that they are having an affair. But I digress. But what did you uncover in your reporting about their reputation within dhs?

[Michelle Hackman]

So we've been hearing for months that Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, who's her top advisor, have basically been running DHS as, like, their personal fiefdom. They fire people seemingly at random. They yell at people constantly. Their management style is what has really pissed people off and is all but driving people to sort of mass quit.

[Jane Coston]

Yeah. Reading the tea leaves in your reporting, it's pretty telling how many Trump administration people were willing to talk to you to talk about how much they hate Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski. How popular or unpopular is Noem right now, even with her own colleagues?

[Michelle Hackman]

Extremely unpopular. You know, without going into details about who spoke to us, people are frustrated. It's not, you know, this is not like a left wing criticism of Kristi Noem. These are people who really want to see President Trump's mass deportation happen and succeed and feel like Kristi Noem is the wrong person to sort of do that job.

[Jane Coston]

Yeah, that. That's odd to me because Trump cares about very few things, but among the things he really cares about is public perception of himself in a very specific, weird Way, that's complicated. But considering Trump's immigration policies are unpopular right now, which he knows, which, you know, you've saw what happened in Minneapolis, and Noem has been getting all of this bad press, why is she still in charge of dhs?

[Michelle Hackman]

I think it comes down to loyalty. You know, Corey Lewandowski is Kristi Noem's chief advisor. He's sort of her political booster, and he's very close to Donald Trump. We have reported that Donald Trump considers Lewandowski a friend. He considers him a loyal soldier. And we've reported in the past that he appointed Christine Owen partially as a favor to Corey Lewandowski. The pair of them thought that being DHS secretary would sort of be a stepping stone in her political career. It's interesting. I don't know if they still feel that way. But, you know, the other problem is that Trump has gone around saying, I appointed the perfect cabinet. And so that has created some hesitation on his part to fire someone because that would almost prove himself wrong.

[Jane Coston]

You reported on an incident in which Lewandowski allegedly fired a Coast Guard pilot because a blanket of gnomes was left behind on a plane. What do your sources say happened there?

[Michelle Hackman]

Isn't that crazy what we were told happened? It's. It's pretty much as crazy as it sounds. Basically, Noam was on a trip. They had to switch planes because their. Her original plane had mechanical reasons and the crew didn't bring over a prized blanket of hers. And so she, you know, she was so upset that Corey Lewandowski fired the pilot. But once they landed in their destination, they realized that they didn't have anyone to fly them home, so they had to reinstate the pilot.

[Jane Coston]

That gives me, like, 0% confidence in anything these people do, which actually leads to my next question, which is that something you also you got in this reporting is how what Kristi Noem wants are very flashy immigration raids. She wants to be, you know, photographed at that, you know, super prison in El Salvador. She wants to be photographed wearing a flak flak jacket and holding a gun. She just wants to be photographed. And she's been pushing out people who want to do immigration in a more subtle way. Kind of less ridiculous, to my view. Do we have a sense of what DHS is planning right now as far as future ICE operations, knowing that Noem wants to get big, flashy press opportunities?

[Michelle Hackman]

Yeah, I think it's sort of. It's become a misnomer that, like, we're going to see less immigration enforcement. I think this administration and everyone There is still hell bent on doing numbers, right? They claim they want to arrest a million people in a year. That's sort of the number that they've come up with to do their mass deportation. But I think you should expect to see fewer of those huge flashy raids like sending 3,000 agents to Minneapolis. I think you should expect ICE to do more sort of methodical searches for people, going to people's homes, going to their workplaces, doing more workplace raids. And that's going to be happening all around the country. I don't necessarily think it's going to look less aggressive per se, but it might lead to fewer huge media ops.

[Jane Coston]

What else will you be watching for next with DHS and Kristi Noem?

[Michelle Hackman]

I will be wondering if the president turns on her. You know, we, we've been hearing that he, even though he's not ready to fire her, that he's really upset about the press that she's been getting about her management style. People at the White House are frustrated that she doesn't take direction from them. You know, this, this White House likes to prize itself on sort of running the cabinet agencies itself, not really giving people autonomy. And so we're wondering sort of what, what happens to flip Trump to finally get him to the point where he appoints someone new? And if there is a new DHS secretary who's maybe more effective, does that mean we actually do see more immigrants getting arrested and deported?

[Jane Coston]

Michelle, thank you so much for joining me.

[Michelle Hackman]

Thank you.

[Jane Coston]

That was my conversation with Michelle Hackman, immigration reporter for the Wall Street Journal. More news Huzzah. If you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack, hydration and coffee sponsor. IQ Bar Protein Bars, IQ Mix Hydration mixes and IQ Joe mushroom coffees are the delicious, low sugar brain and body fuel you need to win your day. All IQ Bar products are packed with clean, delicious ingredients that keep you physically and mentally fit, like magnesium, lion's mane and more. The new year gives us all the chance to reset. Maximize your brain and body's potential with IQ Bars, protein bars, hydration mixes and mushroom coffees. Their ultimate sampler pack includes all three. My favorite IQ Bar flavor is chocolate sea salt. I always have a bar in my bag for a snack or after the gym. And right now IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, including the ultimate sampler pack plus free shipping to get your 20% off. Text WAD to 64,000 text WAD to 64,000. That's WAD to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See Terms for details.

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[Jane Coston]

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

[Peter Doocy]

this is our first meeting, but every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious. It's a region that's so important, it's so vibrant, it's so incredible. The people are so incredible. But we want to have a harmonious Middle East. The Middle east is amazing.

[Jane Coston]

Donald Trump said that nine countries will pledge $7 billion to help rebuild the Gaza Strip. It's a notable investment, but far short of the estimated $70 billion needed to revamp the war torn territory. He added that the United States itself would be contributing $10 billion. Money from where? Who knows? Trump made that pledge announcement at the first meeting of the so called Board of Peace, which includes very few of America's closest allies. But as the first meeting did include a lot of sycophancy, world leaders spent much of the event praising the President. Pakistan described him as the savior of South Asia. Indonesia said that with the leadership of President Trump, this vision of real peace will be achieved. Kazakhstan proposed giving Trump an award to recognize his outstanding peace building efforts and achievements. Reconstruction in Gaza won't begin until Hamas fully disarms, according to both American and Israeli officials, and there are no current plans in place to ensure that the militant organization does so. But that didn't slow Trump's hustle. On Thursday, he ended the meeting by banging a golden gavel and blasting YMCA. This week, 250 years after Americans rebelled against a monarch, it's the British crown that's looking like a bastion of democratic values and public accountability. The king's brother, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, was arrested Thursday over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. In the most high profile crackdown on Epstein's network of global elites, yet its familial ties to Buckingham palace didn't save him. King Charles III expressed his, quote, deepest concern over his brother's legal troubles before throwing his full and wholehearted support behind the police and investigation. It's the first time a member of the British royal family has been arrested since 1649 during the English Civil War. That arrest of then King Charles I ended in his execution. So this definitely isn't a good thing for Andrew. The split screen comparison with Trump world couldn't be more stark. Here's Trump on Air Force One during that press gaggle Thursday.

[Donald Trump]

I got a question about something big overseas today. The former Prince Andrew arrested by the police there related to something with Jeffrey Epstein. Do you think people in this country, at some point associates of Jeffrey Epstein will wind up in handcuffs, too?

[Peter Doocy]

Well, you know, I'm the expert in a way because I've been totally exonerated. That's very nice. I can actually speak about it very nicely. I think it's a shame. I think it's very sad. I think it's so bad for the royal family.

[Jane Coston]

What a weird way to answer this question. The Lincoln Project, an anti Trump group, wrote on social media, quote, donald Trump has mentioned 37,750 times more than Prince Andrew in the Epstein files. By the way, in its continued effort to make the people who supported it in 2024 look stupid, the Trump administration has decided that what America needs most are pesticides. On Wednesday night, President Trump signed an executive order using the Defense Production act to argue that glyphosate and phosphorus chemicals used in the weed killer known as Roundup are, quote, critical to the national defense in order to ramp up domestic production of the pesticide. If you've heard of Roundup, it's probably because it's been the target of anti pesticide campaigners. They argue that glyphosate has been linked to boosting one's risk of developing a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. In fact, on Tuesday, the agrochemical company Bayer, which produces Roundup, agreed to pay nearly 8 billion billion in damages to resolve thousands of lawsuits in the US from people alleging that the company didn't do enough to warn of Roundup's cancer risk. One of those anti pesticide campaigners was Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Who won a $300 million jury verdict back in 2018 against the then makers of Roundup Monsanto over those cancer risks. When he was running for President back in 2024, RFK Jr. Said that his USDA would quote, ban glyphosate. But that was then and this is now. On Wednesday, the now Health and Human Services secretary issued a statement that read in part, donald Trump's executive order puts America first where it matters most, our defense readiness and our food supply. Of course, Donald Trump is worried that his big birthday bash this summer might end up smelling like shit. Seriously. That's thanks to a historic sewage spill, which we mentioned earlier on the show in the Potomac River. The river flows right through Washington, D.C. and is prompting Trump, a notorious germaphobe, to fret that an evil stench might overshadow his planned festivities for America's 250th anniversary, which just happened to fall around the time of Trump's 80th birthday. On Wednesday, a reporter asked White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt whether the president is concerned that downtown D.C. will smell during the summer when he plans to host a UFC fight on the White House lawn, an IndyCar street race through the nation's Capitol, and other festivities.

[Donald Trump]

The president wants people from all over to come to the nation's capital. Is he worried that by the summer the Potomac river will still smell like poop?

[Caroline Levitt]

He is worried about that, which is why the federal government wants to fix it, and we hope that the local authorities will cooperate with us in doing so.

[Jane Coston]

Local officials are taking steps to clean up the mess. D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency and requested federal assistance. In short, Trump's anxiety is based on nothing but his own inordinate squeamishness and disdain for local officials in big blue cities. In other words, the stench is coming from inside the house. And that's the news. Before we go, a brand new episode of Polar Coaster with Dan Pfeiffer is out now for friends of the pod subscribers. In this episode, Dan breaks down CNN's poll on where voters would stand if the 2024 presidential election were held today. Spoiler Kamala Harris leads by 8 points. By subscribing, you also unlock access to Pod Save America only Friends, our new subscriber exclusive show every other Thursday and opentabs the behind the scenes newsletter from POD Save America Editor Reid Sherlin. Why subscribe to Friends of the pod? It supports independent progressive media, reduces dependence on tech platforms, and you get a great community of fellow crooked listeners across the country. If you're listening, hit pause and subscribe to friends of the [e-mail] friends. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, enjoy the not at all terrifying sight of Donald Trump's giant face on a banner on the Department of Justice, and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how the banner was unfurled on Thursday as the DOJ continues to investigate Trump's enemies like me, what a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Kostin, and in general, giant portraits of leaders on government buildings has never led anywhere good. If it makes you feel any better, though, FBI Director Kash Patel took the FBI plane to Milan on Thursday to watch the US Men's hockey team play. At least one member of the Trump administration is focused on the real issues. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producer is Emily Foer. Our producer is Caitlin Plummer. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters and Matt Berg. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison and our senior vice president of news and politics is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Cantor. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. Record sales have not exactly been stellar.

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