
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments today in a big case about healthcare access and Planned Parenthood. The years-long court fight centers on South Carolina’s bid to push the reproductive care provider off the state’s Medicaid program. The actual question in front of the justices is a technical one, but a decision in South Carolina’s favor could prompt a wave of states to strip Medicaid funding away from Planned Parenthood. Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood’s president, explains what’s at stake in the case.
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Jane Coston
It's Wednesday, April 2nd. I'm Jane Coston. And this is what a day. The show saying get out your Rosie the Riveter cosplay because apparently we're at war, according to FOX News.
Alexis McGill Johnson
Look, when this nation used to go to war, people in this country would support the war effort with their materials at home and making things for weaponry and all of that. We gotta do 100% buy in over this bumpy period.
Jane Coston
Just communicate. To be clear, Harris Faulkner is comparing voluntary tariffs to the sacrifices Americans made during World War II. We are not actually in a global conflict, but grow your own cabbage and smelt steel for Trump. On today's show, the White House admits to an administrative error when it deported a Salvadoran man and fired Health and Human Services employees are told to take their complaints to a dead person. But let's start today by talking about Planned Parenthood. As you probably know, the Republican Party and Planned Parenthood do not exactly get along. Defund Planned Parenthood, as in cut off federal funding for the organization, has been a rallying cry for the GOP for more than a decade. Here's the head of Students for Life, Kristen Hawkins on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. This brings us to today's historic moment.
Alexis McGill Johnson
Where the pro life movement stands unified behind one single defund the entire abortion industry, defund their longtime standard bearer of Planned Parenthood once and for all.
Jane Coston
And with a new Supreme Court case, they might get their wish. At issue is Medicaid, a government program that insures low income adults and children. Nearly half of the people who use Planned Parenthood for health care use Medicaid to pay for it. But back in 2018, the state of South Carolina prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding. Why abortion? Now, the actual question before the justices is a little bit of a technical one and not explicitly about abortion. At issue is whether Medicaid patients can sue the state over a legal provision that says they have the right to choose the healthcare provider they want, even if that provider is Planned Parenthood. People in South Carolina already can't use Medicaid to pay for an abortion in most cases. But the state argued in a brief to the Supreme Court that the money Planned Parenthood gets from Medicaid to cover birth control or sexually transmitted infection testing could be used for the procedure procedure. So you shouldn't be able to sue the state to let you go there. The state writes, quote, because money is fungible, giving Medicaid dollars to abortion facilities frees up their other funds to provide more abortions. So even if Medicaid doesn't pay for abortions in South Carolina. The state of South Carolina is arguing it just does anyway. So if a patient on Medicaid wants to see a doctor at Planned Parenthood in South Carolina, even to just get a checkup, the state says no. Bueno. A Supreme Court ruling in favor of South Carolina could be devastating for Planned Parenthood, not just in that state, but in red states across the country. And that would be a big win for the anti abortion movement and a big loss for millions of patients nationwide. So to talk more about the Supreme Court case, I had to HEAR From Alexis McGill Johnson, the President of Planned Parenthood. Alexis, welcome to what a day.
Alexis McGill Johnson
Thank you for having me, Jane. I'm happy to be here.
Jane Coston
So can you tell us a little bit more about the case that's in front of the justices today? What's at stake here?
Alexis McGill Johnson
Yeah. So the Supreme Court is about to decide whether or not people who use Medicaid can fight against politically driven, legally driven policies that want to take away access to their right to use government based insurance to decide which provider they want to have. Right. So to be clear about this, through this case, it is clear that the court is trying to pave the way for lawmakers to try to defund Planned Parenthood by trying to take away access to the insurance that 50% of our patients use in order to get the care if they elect for us to be their preferred provider.
Jane Coston
I think that something that's interesting about this case is that South Carolina already bans abortions after six weeks and federal law bans Medicaid from paying for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest or life endangerment. But, but South Carolina is saying, like, no, no, no. Any Medicaid money going to Planned Parenthood for STI testing for basic healthcare services somehow pays for abortion. So what services would be hit hardest if the court sides with South Carolina? Because again, Planned Parenthood does a ton of other things besides abortion. Yeah.
Alexis McGill Johnson
And Planned Parenthood, look, is a nation's largest sexual and reproductive healthcare provider. Right. We provide access to birth control, to STI testing, to wellness exams, to breast screenings, gender affirming care.
Jane Coston
My mom found out she was having me at a Planned Parenthood that was her primary care provider back in 1987.
Alexis McGill Johnson
Oftentimes the first point of entry into the healthcare system, period. Right. And so, you know, as you know, then, the Planned Parenthood provides life saving, affirming care. And all of those things would be under attack if our patients in South Carolina would not Be able to walk through Planned Parenthood Health center and use their insurance with Planned Parenthood as their preferred provider. And it's just clearly a political attack. Right. You have Governor McMaster, who has taken it upon himself to drive his own political agenda to say, you know, we don't want any money going to Planned Parenthood because of abortion, so we're just gonna take away access for, you know, hundreds of thousands of patients who walk through the doors every. Every year.
Jane Coston
And to be clear, other states have barred Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid money. What has that meant for patients in those states?
Alexis McGill Johnson
Yeah, I mean, obviously, when you deny access to people by taking away their ability to. To pay for care, you are opening up yourself, you know, to the idea that people may not actually seek access to the care that they want. So in states like, like Texas, we've seen tens of thousands of women not being able to get care, traveling out of state as not just the Dobbs decision, but for that. In Tennessee, we saw, I think, almost a 1400% decrease in services because patients weren't able to get that care. We are already in a public health care crisis right now because of the Dobbs decision and the impact on many providers choosing not to work and operate in banned states. And Planned Parenthood is still there opening their doors, even with not being able to. To get reimbursed by Medicaid in some instances. So, like, my message is clear, like, Planned Parenthood is here. We are here every day opening up doors, opening up health centers, walking through protesters, walking patients through protesters in order to provide high quality sexual and reproductive healthcare that we believe our patients deserve. And on the other side, we see these lawmakers like Governor McMaster trying to use their political agenda to rip away that access in their own communities.
Jane Coston
To what extent are you bracing for a bad outcome here? I know that conservative supermajority on this court has been hostile to advocates of abortion rights. And even though this case isn't explicitly about abortion, I think everybody on kind of the anti abortion side thinks it's about abortion. And this court has been no friend of Planned Parenthood.
Alexis McGill Johnson
I think that's right. I mean, look, you know, our job at Planned Parenthood is to be professional scenario planners. And you are absolutely right. The Supreme Court has not been particularly friendly to Planned Parenthood, but certainly not friendly to. To access to abortion. The concern here is that if South Carolina prevails, that other states will follow suit and find ways to remove Planned Parenthood as a provider of choice in state after state, which would jeopardize access for healthcare for millions of patients across this country.
Jane Coston
Could Planned Parenthood as an organization survive if, say, half the states restrict Medicaid payments?
Alexis McGill Johnson
It's going to be a very tough road. Obviously, the Medicaid defund threat is looming incredibly large. You know, it could impact as much as 300 health centers across country. It's a little more than half of all of our health centers. And it would be obviously a very devastating impact. Again, not to Planned Parenthood. Right? Not just to Planned Parenthood, but to the millions of patients that are seen at Planned Parenthood health centers across this nation. Um, and that's where I think we have to. We have to center the impact on the people who are being attacked through these policies.
Jane Coston
Prohibiting Planned Parenthood from getting Medicaid funding is included in Project 2025, that super conservative policy agenda that Trump disavowed on the campaign trail because he did not want to talk about abortion. He, like, wanted to get keep as far away from abortion as he could, but he appears to be implementing Project 2025 anyway. So how could a decision in South Carolina's favor embolden the Trump administration to further attack Planned Parenthood?
Alexis McGill Johnson
Well, I mean, as I said, the attacks are already looming. Right. Just yesterday, the Trump administration used an executive order in order to deny access to funds under the Title 10 program to several Planned Parenthood affiliates. Right. Title 10 is the nation's largest family planning, contraception, public policy funding that many of our affiliates rely on to provide that basic level sexual and reproductive care. State after state, we have already seen the attacks coming through Congress with these attempts to engage in a Medicaid defund that would impact so many people across this country. And obviously, we're sitting here at the Supreme Court today waiting to, you know, to hear the justice's questions about whether or not a governor can use a politically motivated agenda to deny people the right to choose their own provider. Right. I cannot think of anything more actually antithetical to conservative or libertarian ideology. And yet here we are. Which goes. Which shows you, right, that, that they are willing to pull out all of the stops to attack Planned Parenthood and all of the patients that Planned Parenthood serves.
Jane Coston
Will Planned Parenthood sue over those Title 10 cuts?
Alexis McGill Johnson
No, I am not at liberty to talk about any. Any potential litigation and legal actions right now. But I will tell you, we are going to fight and fight and fight like hell to ensure that we can continue to provide the care and receive the resources to do so.
Jane Coston
No, this is all very hard to hear for people who care about reproductive rights or for people who just care about people being able to see their doctor. I seem to remember something during the fight over Obamacare about conservatives being very mad that you might not be able to see the doctor you wanna see. And apparently that's not true anymore. But I wanna know what can our listeners do to help?
Alexis McGill Johnson
I think the most important thing right now is that this is the moment, right? This is the moment when the policies of this administration, when the threats that we are seeing before our nation's courts, when we are seeing the impact of the conversations that are happening all throughout Congress around taking away access to healthcare. This is the moment that we actually have to show up and show up strong and we're not going anywhere. We're definitely not backing down from a fight and we're not backing down from providing the services that we think are critical for our communities.
Jane Coston
Make America healthy again, indeed. Alexis, thank you so much for joining me.
Alexis McGill Johnson
Thank you.
Jane Coston
That was my conversation with Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson. 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 What a Day is brought to you by Magic Spoon. Magic Spoon makes high protein, zero sugar cereal and treats reinvented from your childhood. And now Magic Spoon is also launching a brand new high protein granola. True to the Magic Spoon promise, it's packed with protein and totally delicious. Magic Spoon's high protein treats are crispy, crunchy, airy and an easy way to get 12 grams of protein on the go. They come in mouthwatering flavors like marshmallow, chocolate, peanut butter and dark chocolate. And now Magic Spoon's brand new granola packs in 13 grams of protein and zero added sugars. It comes in delicious flavors like dark chocolate, almond, honey almond and peanut butter. Get $5 off your next order at magicspoon.com day or look for Magic Spoon on Amazon or in your nearest grocery store. That's magicspoon.com day for $5 off Amazon.
C
Pharmacy presents Painful Thoughts 20 more minutes to kill in the pharmacy before my prescription is ready. Maybe I'll grab some deeply discounted out of season Halloween candy. I never had a chocolate pumpkin with raisins before. Those were raisins, right? Next time use Amazon for pharmacy. We deliver and no, those were not raisins. Amazon Pharmacy Healthcare just got less painful. My name is Nicolo Minoni and for years I have been obsessed with one of Europe's greatest mysteries. Who killed God's banker?
Jane Coston
The Wire said Calvi found dead suicide.
C
Question mark what truly happened to the banker who had the Vatican and the Mafia and a secret far right branch of the Freemasons all pounding on his door? From Crooked Media and Campside Media, this is Shadow Kingdom Season 1, God's Banker. Find it wherever you get your podcasts or get early access to the full season by joining Crooked's friends of the pod@crooked.com friends.
Jane Coston
Here's what else we're following today.
C
Head of Lines this is when the most precious ideas of our country are being tested, where the Constitution and the question is being called where does the Constitution live? On paper or in our hearts?
Jane Coston
Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey broke the record for the longest individual speech in Senate history Tuesday after holding the podium for more than 25 hours. The previous record stood at 24 hours and 18 minutes. Here's Minority Leader Chuck Schumer telling Booker he made history Tuesday night. Would the senator yield for a question?
C
Chuck schumer, it's the only time in my life I can tell you no.
Jane Coston
I just want to tell you a question. Do you know you have just broken the record? Do you know how proud this caucus is of you? Do you know how proud America is of you? It all started Monday evening around 7pm Eastern, when Booker took to the Senate floor and told his colleagues he would stay there and speak for as long as he was, quote, physically able. And stay he did. Booker talked through the evening and well into Tuesday night, taking his sweet time to rail against President Trump and his administration's policies on everything from immigration and health care to the economy. Here he is on the floor Tuesday.
C
He promised to lower your grocery prices. They're higher. He promised I'll be a better steward of the economy. It's worse than when inherited. Over and over, he's breaking promises and doing outrageous things like disappearing people off of American streets, violating fundamental principles of this document, invoking the Alien Enemies act from the 1700s that was last used to put Japanese Americans in internment camps. Do we see what's happening?
Jane Coston
Senate Democrats chimed in here and there to ask Booker questions or make remarks so the New Jersey senator could take a break from speaking while keeping the podium. Some House Democrats stopped by to show their support for Booker from the sidelines of the Senate floor, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Booker's speech technically isn't a filibuster, since he wasn't blocking a piece of legislation or nomination. Now that the administration has conceded that there was an error of one Salvadorian national, will there be any reviews conducted? And does the president express any thoughts.
C
On the one error that was disclosed in court last night?
Alexis McGill Johnson
Well, first of all, the error that you are referring to was a clerical error. It was an administrative error.
Jane Coston
Okay, so that's still an error. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt Tuesday defended the Trump administration's deportation of a Maryland man with protected legal status to El Salvador last month. Administration officials admitted to the mistake in a court filing Monday. They said Kilmar Armando Obrego Garcia, who is Salvadoran, was deported because of a, quote, administrative error. But they're not exactly keen to fix the mess they've created. In the same filing, Justice Department lawyers said federal courts lack the authority to have him sent back. Basically, the TLDR version of the White House's stance is, oops, too bad. So what actually happened? According to a complaint filed by his lawyers, Abrego Garcia was arrested in March by immigration officials. He was then sent to El Salvador on one of those deportation flights carrying alleged gang members. But in 2019, an immigration judge awarded Abrego Garcia protection from being deported back to El Salvador on the grounds that he would likely be targeted by gangs there. But none of that is stopping the administration from pushing the narrative at once. Vice President JD Vance posted on Twitter Monday night that court documents showed Abrega Garcia was a, quote, convicted Ms. 13 gang member with no legal right to be here. They didn't. Only that an informant claimed he was an MS.13 gang member and that a judge once held him in detention on evidence supporting that claim. That's not even close to a conviction. Abrego Garcia disputes those claims. His lawyer said he's never been charged or convicted of any criminal charges in the US or any other country. That wasn't the only oopsie the Trump administration made. The Department of Health and Human Services, or hhs, began laying off employees Tuesday. And surprisingly, that's not the mistake. The department announced last week it would cut 10,000 jobs at key federal health agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration. You know, the departments that study human health, track disease outbreaks, and make sure our food and medicine are safe. That's bad. According to CNN, more than 100,000 federal workers have been fired by the Trump administration. And the Department of Government Efficiency plans to cut tens of thousands of more jobs. And as if we needed more evidence that these cuts are haphazard and not inclusive of folks who actually work in these offices and know what the hell is going on. The agency apparently made a major fuck up in a notice it issued to workers who were laid off. The Washington Post reported that employees who felt they were discriminated against in their firing should submit complaints to Anita Pinder. As of our recording Tuesday night, Pinder is listed on the HHS website as the director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But there's just one problem. Pinder is dead. She passed away last year. Karen Shields, a government health employee who worked with Pinder, commented on the air. She told the Post, there's just a better way to do this. Couldn't agree more. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday she's directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson. Thompson was fatally shot outside a hotel in Manhattan in December. In a statement, Bondi said she made the decision to pursue the death penalty after careful consideration. She said Mangione's alleged murder of Thompson was, quote, a premeditated, cold blooded assassination that shocked America. Mangione was arrested in December. He pleaded not guilty to state charges. He's also facing a federal indictment in which Bondi is asking prosecutors to seek the death penalty. Bondi said her directive is in line with President Trump's agenda to, quote, stop violent crime and make America safe again. On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order directing the attorney general to pursue the death penalty, depending on the severity of the crime. Mangione's lawyer said in a statement that by seeking the death penalty, quote, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric. And that's the news. One more thing. I know the last few days and weeks and months in American politics have been absorbing. Yes, that's the word I'll use. Absorbing. Insane. Making also works. But it's important to take a look around the world to see how other countries have responded to rulers who seem to believe that they have permission to do pretty much anything they want. Case in point, Turkey. Over the past week or so, Turkey has been engulfed in massive protests, the biggest in a decade after Turkey's president Recep Erdogan, had the mayor of Istanbul his biggest political rival and perhaps the person best positioned to beat Erdogan at the ballot box. Arrested last week, he was imprisoned on charges of corruption and bribery charges, which the Istanbul mayor rejected in an opinion piece he wrote for the New York Times from prison. The Turkish government even revoked his college diploma, which matters because presidential candidates in Turkey are required to have a university degree. Erdogan has been in power since 2003, and under his control, Turkey has seen a gradual erosion of individual liberties. And civil liberties have even been threatened by Turkish authorities outside of Turkey. Back in 2017, when Erdogan visited the White House during Trump's first term, his bodyguards brutally attacked protesters in D.C. leading the late Senator John McCain to demand the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador.
Alexis McGill Johnson
You could call it a bodyguard riot. Security men guarding Turkey's President Erdogan kicking and pummeling protesters at outside the Turkish Embassy Tuesday in one of Washington's fanciest neighborhoods. Eleven people injured, two seriously, two protesters arrested.
Jane Coston
And in case you're wondering, the Trump administration's relationship with Erdogan is complicated. Back in January, Trump said, quote, president Erdogan is a friend of mine. He's a guy I like, respect. I think he respects me also. But Erdogan and the Turkish government are not a huge fan of Israel. He allegedly called for the destruction of, quote, Zionist Israel during Eid prayers on Sunday. And as you know, the US And Israel have very, very close ties. But then there's the comments Trump's Middle east envoy, Steve Witkoff, made on Tucker Carlson's podcast late last month.
Alexis McGill Johnson
I think the president has a relationship with Erdogan, and that's going to be important. And I think that there's some good coming. There's some just a lot of good, positive news coming out of Turkey right now as a result of that convers. So I think you'll see that in the reporting in the coming days.
Jane Coston
Those comments were made just before the Istanbul mayor's arrest, which raises some questions for me. But Trump has a way of overpowering everything and anything, and I think it's important not to let him do that here because the Turkish people are standing up to Erdogan in the hundreds of thousands. Even after the arrest of more than 1500 people and the detention of several journalists, including a BBC journalist who was deported because he was, quote, being a threat to public order. Even after the government banned protests altogether, the Turkish people are still protesting before we go. With Pope Francis in critical condition after recent hospitalizations, Vatican insiders are already scheming over his successor. But decades before Francis worked to rebuild trust in the church, a scandal rocked the the mysterious death of banker Roberto Calvi, found hanging under a London Bridge in 1882. Calvi's death was ruled a suicide, but plenty of people weren't convinced. Forty years later, journalist Nicolo Manoni got a tip that there was more to the story in Crooked's newest series. Shadow God's banker Niccolo unspools the thread of this immersive true story to answer one question. Who killed Godspanker? Listen to Shadow Godspanker wherever you get your podcasts or binge all episodes now@crooked.com friends or on the Shadow Kingdom Apple podcast feed. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, Leave a review, celebrate people who say the quiet part out loud and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just about how Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy well, just listen to him. But let's look at Medicare. Is there some way that we can cut Medicare so that it's shoot me.
C
Reform Medicare so the benefits stay the.
Jane Coston
Same, but that is less like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe@qriket.com subscribe I'm Jane Coston, and sometimes people just say things out loud, don't they? Water Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Foer. Our producer is Michelle Aloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Claire. 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.
Podcast Summary: What A Day – "Why Planned Parenthood Is Back In Front Of SCOTUS"
Introduction
In the April 2, 2025 episode of What A Day, hosted by Jane Coston from Crooked Media, listeners are guided through the pressing issue of Planned Parenthood's renewed appearance before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). The episode delves deep into the ongoing battle between the Republican Party and Planned Parenthood, exploring the implications of a pivotal Supreme Court case that could reshape reproductive healthcare access in America.
Background: The GOP's Longstanding Campaign Against Planned Parenthood
Jane Coston sets the stage by highlighting the Republican Party’s enduring campaign to defund Planned Parenthood, a strategy that has been central to their agenda for over a decade. She introduces Kristen Hawkins, head of Students for Life, who underscores the pro-life movement’s unified front in their demand to "defund the entire abortion industry," specifically targeting Planned Parenthood as a primary beneficiary of federal funding ([00:25] Jane Coston).
The Supreme Court Case: Medicaid Funding in South Carolina
The core of the episode revolves around a landmark Supreme Court case concerning Medicaid funding in South Carolina. Jane explains that nearly half of Planned Parenthood’s patients rely on Medicaid for their healthcare services. In 2018, South Carolina prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds, a move that has now reached the highest court in the nation.
Alexis McGill Johnson, President of Planned Parenthood, provides an in-depth analysis of the case ([03:21]). She emphasizes that the Supreme Court is tasked with determining whether Medicaid patients can sue the state over provisions that restrict their choice of healthcare providers to exclude Planned Parenthood. Despite South Carolina already banning Medicaid from covering abortions in most cases, the state contends that any Medicaid dollars spent at Planned Parenthood could indirectly support abortion services, arguing that "money is fungible" ([01:34] Jane Coston).
Impact of a Potential Ruling Favoring South Carolina
Jane and Alexis discuss the far-reaching consequences of a favorable ruling for South Carolina. Such a decision could not only cripple Planned Parenthood in South Carolina but also set a precedent for other red states, potentially jeopardizing healthcare access for millions across the nation. Alexis warns that a ruling in favor of South Carolina would be a significant victory for the anti-abortion movement and a devastating loss for reproductive healthcare providers and their patients ([07:32] Alexis McGill Johnson).
Healthcare Services at Stake
Alexis elaborates on the breadth of services offered by Planned Parenthood beyond abortion, including birth control, STI testing, wellness exams, and gender-affirming care ([04:34] Alexis McGill Johnson). She shares a personal anecdote about her mother using Planned Parenthood as her primary care provider in 1987, underscoring the organization's role as a critical entry point into the healthcare system.
Broader Implications and Future Challenges
The discussion shifts to the broader implications of the case. Alexis expresses concern over the conservative supermajority in SCOTUS and the administration's continued efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. She highlights recent actions by the Trump administration, such as the use of an executive order to deny funds under the Title 10 program to several Planned Parenthood affiliates, further threatening the organization's financial stability ([09:08] Alexis McGill Johnson).
Jane probes the potential for further attacks on Planned Parenthood, questioning whether the organization can survive if numerous states restrict Medicaid payments. Alexis grimly anticipates a challenging road ahead, with the possibility of up to 300 health centers across the country being affected ([08:11] Alexis McGill Johnson).
Call to Action: Supporting Planned Parenthood
As the segment concludes, Jane asks Alexis what listeners can do to support Planned Parenthood. Alexis urges immediate action, emphasizing the critical moment to defend healthcare access and stand against policies aimed at dismantling essential services. She calls for strong community support and unwavering commitment to providing vital care ([10:59] Alexis McGill Johnson).
Additional News Highlights
Beyond the main focus on Planned Parenthood, the episode also touches on various other news topics:
Political Highlights: Democratic Senator Cory Booker breaks the record for the longest individual speech in Senate history, addressing issues from immigration to healthcare ([14:23] Jane Coston).
Administrative Errors: The White House acknowledges a deportation error involving a Salvadoran man, highlighting systemic issues within the administration ([15:58] Jane Coston).
Health Department Layoffs: The Department of Health and Human Services announces significant layoffs, affecting key federal health agencies and raising concerns about public health infrastructure ([16:36] Jane Coston).
International Affairs: Protests erupt in Turkey against President Recep Erdogan, reflecting global tensions and authoritarian governance issues ([22:16] Jane Coston).
Conclusion
Jane Coston wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of staying informed and engaged. She encourages listeners to subscribe, leave reviews, and share the podcast with friends, ensuring that critical issues like Planned Parenthood's battle before SCOTUS remain in the public discourse.
Notable Quotes
Alexis McGill Johnson on the SCOTUS Case:
Jane Coston on Potential Outcomes:
Alexis McGill Johnson on Organizational Survival:
Final Thoughts
This episode of What A Day provides a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the critical battle facing Planned Parenthood as it stands before the Supreme Court. Through engaging dialogue and expert analysis from Alexis McGill Johnson, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the stakes involved and the potential ramifications of the Supreme Court's decision. The episode not only informs but also mobilizes listeners to support reproductive healthcare access in these challenging times.