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Jane Coaston: It’s Friday, October 10th. I’m Jane Coaston, and this is What a Day, the show congratulating Kendrick Lamar on defeating Drake again. This time in a federal court. On Thursday, a judge dismissed Drake’s defamation lawsuit against his own record label for publishing and promoting Kendrick Lamar’s anti-Drake diss track, Not Like Us. The judge found that, quote, “the average listener is not under the impression that a diss track is the product of a thoughtful or disinterested investigation,” conveying to the public fact-checked verifiable content. Or, as Lamar himself once said, quote, “the audience not dumb, shape the stories how you want. Hey Drake, they’re not slow.” [music break] On today’s show, a federal judge temporarily blocks President Donald Trump’s National Guard deployment in Chicago, and trick-or-treaters this year might find their bags less full of chocolate and more full of gum. But let’s start with, well, actually it’s hard to know where to start. Because this week has been a lot. First, there’s the Trump administration brokered ceasefire to end the war in Gaza. On Thursday, Israel’s cabinet approved the first phase of an agreement between Hamas and Israel. This phase would center on an end to the fighting in Gaza and the return of all Israeli hostages living and dead. And the reaction in both central Israel and in Gaza appear to be one of jubilance and relief. Here’s the town of Khan Yunis in Gaza. [sound of music playing and people clapping] But this is just the first step in a long process, one with plenty of potential roadblocks. The news didn’t stop there, with Trump threatening National Guard deployments in both Chicago and Portland, and both cities responding by heading to court. And don’t forget, we’re in the second week of a government shutdown with no end in sight. So much has happened, in fact, that you may have missed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announcing a brand new batshit theory to explain the rise in autism diagnoses on Thursday. 

[clip of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] There’s two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they’re given Tylenol. So you know, none of this is this positive, but all of it is stuff that we should be paying attention to. 

Jane Coaston: What? So to get to Israel, Portland, the shutdown, but sadly not RFK Jr.’s fascinating circumcision opinions, I spoke to Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor. Tommy, welcome back to What a Day. 

Tommy Vietor: Good to see ya. 

Jane Coaston: On Thursday, the Israeli cabinet approved the first phase of this peace plan. President Trump also said Thursday that the Israeli hostages will be released this coming Monday or Tuesday. But at the time of this recording, there are no details on a ceasefire timeline. So let’s say this all happens, like it’s supposed to. We complete the first phase. What happens next? 

Tommy Vietor: Right. Well, this is what’s so hard about this, because like I’m of two minds to this. First of all, credit where credit is due. President Trump got a ceasefire deal done that had not happened before. Joe Biden didn’t get it done before. Hopefully that is a permanent end to the war, and that’s a good thing and important.

Jane Coaston: And apparently all you have to do is just swear at Netanyahu. 

Tommy Vietor: Well, and and this is what makes me insane. All he needed to do was apply real pressure to Netanyahu, finally. And that’s what it took to get him to end the war. Right. Joe Biden, I think, could have done this. I think Trump could have gotten this deal done six months ago, eight months ago. It took until now, and that’s horrible because of the death toll, but here we are. Now, the challenge is Trump’s supporters are saying he solved the Middle East peace problem. And that is just not the case. Like Trump’s original 20-point plan, like steps 19 and 20 alluded to beginning a process that might lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. What he’s gotten them to agree to so far is just a ceasefire. And the IDF is still occupying the Gaza Strip. The reconstruction process is going to take generations in Gaza, and it’s going to take a lot of money and a lot of focus and a lot of time. There’s always concern that Netanyahu could backslide and continue airstrikes or other combat operations in Gaza, kind of upend the deal. So we don’t know. And even as you and I are talking here, like the hostages aren’t home yet. 

Jane Coaston: Right. 

Tommy Vietor: Nothing’s done. They’re spiking the football a little early, but I’m choosing to be hopeful. 

Jane Coaston: Right. Meanwhile, here in the United States, we are a week and a half into the government shutdown. And it doesn’t really look like Democrats and Republicans are any closer to any kind of deal. What are they doing? And–

Tommy Vietor: I don’t know! [laughing]

Jane Coaston: And I think a better question is what do you think is the tipping point for both parties in the shutdown? And who do you think is going to come out looking better if anyone does? 

Tommy Vietor: In the end. I think most voters just don’t want the government to shut down. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: And they find it annoying and they’re annoyed that people are fighting. And that’s kind of their takeaway. I think on balance, you’re right. Like the conversation Democrats want to have about healthcare subsidies going up if we don’t fix it is breaking through. And that’s really good and positive. And I think Democrats probably had some wind in their sails when they heard Donald Trump start talking about the need to deal with healthcare and fix these extended or enhanced ACA subsidies to ensure that people’s premiums don’t go up like seventy-five percent, you know, astronomical numbers. That said, previous shutdowns ended because there was like a gang of fourteen, right? Or some like ad hoc gathering. 

Jane Coaston: This is wow. This is all deeply triggering for anyone who was alive in like–

Tommy Vietor: Yeah. 

Jane Coaston: –2013 or 2018.

Tommy Vietor: And if you aren’t as lame as us, like these so-called gangs were like ad hoc groups. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Of relatively moderate senators, often who would forge a consensus and figure out a deal and a path out of a shutdown. There’s just no evidence that that is happening. 

Jane Coaston: Right. 

Tommy Vietor: And so I think Democrats are very dug in that they want to solve this problem and prevent the price of healthcare from going up. Republicans are very dug in that they don’t want to give Democrats a win. I think maybe the Democratic path is you can sort of sense that Trump wants to fix the ACA, the prices issue, and maybe they can work with him directly, but it’s not happening yet. 

Jane Coaston: I mean, I also think Democrats are under incredible amounts of pressure to not look, and I say this um, not look like bitches. But for a lot of Americans, government shutdowns are the kind of thing you notice slowly over time. People are starting to notice like flights getting canceled, and we might see members of the armed services not getting paychecks. When do you think a majority of Americans are going to start really feeling the effects of the shutdown? And do you think that’s going to be what forces a deal? 

Tommy Vietor: I’m with you in that I think shutdowns kind of are a slow burn. You notice them over time. It’s like a certain kind of hot wing, right? You take that first bite and you’re fine, and then ten minutes later you’re like on the floor. 

Jane Coaston: You’re like oh my yeah, yeah. You need yogurt immediately. 

Tommy Vietor: Yeah, you’re like, I’m never gonna breathe again. Um. For me, that happened this week. I have a flight tomorrow out of an airport that on Monday had no air traffic controllers. That got my wife’s attention. She’s she’s not hooked up to a news IV. She was like, what is this thing? Why is that happening? 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Um. So that kind of ah ha moment will continue to happen for people. I do think this October 15th deadline of ensuring that members of the US military don’t just not get a paycheck. That’s 1.3 million people. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Like that’s gonna be a big deal and a big pressure point. But I don’t know, that’s it’s more of a headline thing. It’s like a political pressure headline than like the whole country feeling it. 

Jane Coaston: So President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Portland and Chicago has also been a major news story this week. 

Tommy Vietor: Yeah. 

Jane Coaston: There have been multiple legal challenges and a lot of news coverage. And I’ve been also interested in how the news coverage is contributing to these deployments. 

Tommy Vietor: Yeah. 

Jane Coaston: Like Fox News keeps pretending that Portland is 2020 and it’s not. So where are we on this right now? 

Tommy Vietor: It’s funny you say this. I talked to um Ben Smith from Semafor earlier this week, who has a piece out about Trump’s information bubble and how it’s evolved into even more right wing kind of like– 

Jane Coaston: Is he even more online than he was like? 

Tommy Vietor: Yeah. 

Jane Coaston: Before? 

Tommy Vietor: Well, remember back in the day he used to like hate watch morning [?]–

Jane Coaston: Yes. Yes.

Tommy Vietor: So in addition to being [?]–

Jane Coaston: And then complain about that. Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: He would at least get like accurate information. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Now he’s just living in like OAN world. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Which I think is why he believes that Portland is being torn apart by thousands of black bloc Antifa warriors when in reality it’s like 22 people, mostly seniors, outside of an ICE facility. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Some of them wearing Halloween costumes. 

Jane Coaston: Right. 

Tommy Vietor: So you’re right. I think the media coverage is absolutely like contributing to these deployments, but it’s like his weird, fringy right wing crap. 

Jane Coaston: And I was also interested, you know, the president has been sending National Guard troops from other states. 

Tommy Vietor: Yeah. 

Jane Coaston: Namely Texas, to Portland and Chicago. And the Democratic governors of both California and Illinois have threatened to leave the National Governors Association unless their peers speak out against what Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker called, quote, “a federal and interstate overreach.” I was interested to see that on Thursday, Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt, who’s a Republican, came out and was like, if Joe Biden had sent troops, like federal troops to Oklahoma to enforce something, we’d all be furious. 

Tommy Vietor: Yeah. I’m glad you brought this up because in February of 2024, so a lifetime ago. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Then governor Kristi Noem said if Biden sent National Guard troops into her state, they would have war on our hands. If Biden is willing to do that and take away my authority as governor, as commander in chief of those National Guard troops, boy, we do have war on our hands. She called it a direct attack on states’ rights. I believe Leah Littman from Strict Scrutiny said basically it was a a presidentially directed civil war to send one state’s national guard to another without that governor’s will. I think it’s an obvious point. I I’m wondering where all the states’ rights limited government people you know went?

Jane Coaston: Um. 

Tommy Vietor: Maybe they’re just being quiet now? 

Jane Coaston: Some of them are very mad and then some of them I think have decided that what they meant was their right to do stuff. 

Tommy Vietor: Right. 

Jane Coaston: Other people’s right to do stuff is just less important. 

Tommy Vietor: That’s like a lot of the free speech advocates. 

Jane Coaston: Uh huh, mm hmm. 

Tommy Vietor: Right? Yeah, you have the right to do my speech. Speech I like.

Jane Coaston: Mm-hmm. My speech is so cool.

Tommy Vietor: I do think when you watch some of the videos coming out of Chicago or Portland right now, when you have like ICE guys shooting pastors in the head. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: With pepper balls. 

Jane Coaston: Yeah. 

Tommy Vietor: Hopefully when people see that, they realize, okay, this is not okay. This is bad. 

Jane Coaston: Right. Especially they are not responding to a natural disaster. They are not responding to an effort to block African Americans from attending school. They are responding to a thing that the federal government is also doing that is also, to me, bad. Where you’re just, you know, you’re having American citizens tackled and having their licenses taken away and being told you either come with us or you get the dog. This is a a literal story that happened in Portland to a man who is trying to explain that he’s from California. 

Tommy Vietor: Right. 

Jane Coaston: Like it’s bonkers. Now, before we go, is there an actual chance that President Trump will actually win the Nobel Peace Prize today? 

Tommy Vietor: There is um some reporting that suggests the committee had already chosen before this Gaza ceasefire deal. So I’m guessing no, but who knows. I do think there’s genuine concern among committee members that they may be targeted with sanctions and or drone strikes if they do not choose him. So we’ll find out. 

Jane Coaston: Tommy, as always, thank you so much for joining me. 

Tommy Vietor: Thanks for having me. 

Jane Coaston: That was my conversation with Pod Save America co-host Tommy Vietor. 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. 

[AD BREAK] 

Jane Coaston: Here’s what else we’re following today. 

[sung] Headlines.

[clip of J.B. Pritzker] Meanwhile we have to we have to rely upon the courts to protect us from a president just saying things and then doing it, even though it’s unconstitutionally illegal. 

Jane Coaston: That was Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker speaking to Pod Save America Thursday afternoon, before a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to the Chicago area for at least two weeks. Looks like relying on the courts has worked. For now. A Justice Department lawyer said that the Guard’s mission would be protecting federal properties and government law enforcers in the field. In making her decision, U.S. District Judge April Perry said allowing troops into the state would, quote, “only add fuel to the fire,” according to CNN. Perry also noted that she had not seen critical evidence, quote, “that there is a danger of rebellion in the state of Illinois.” Of course, this is the Trump administration, so an appeal is likely on its way. And Governor Pritzker had some thoughts on Trump’s approach. 

[clip of J.B. Pritzker] So why are they sending troops in? Donald Trump is telling them to and they’re coming up with any argument that will work. 

Jane Coaston: The fight to keep National Guard troops out of Chicago resembles a similar fight in Portland, Oregon, where two dozen Democrat led states have joined a legal challenge to deployment there. 

[clip of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule. 

Jane Coaston: That’s Secretary Kennedy back in May, making a controversial change to the government’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations. Except now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seems to have changed its policy again. The Adult Immunization Schedule says online that the COVID vaccine is recommended, quote, “based on shared clinical decision making with healthcare providers for all adults, including pregnant women.” This means the vaccine will be much easier for expectant mothers to get. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted on the recommendation back in September. But according to Politico, it’s unclear if the panel members were aware it would undo RFK Jr.’s decision. An advisory committee work group will also be, quote, “assessing the safety and effectiveness of the childhood and adolescent schedule,” according to a document posted on the CDC website this week. This all comes at the same time as a KFF poll published Thursday that found that 59% of Americans don’t approve of RFK Jr.’s performance as Health and Human Services Secretary. And 62% disapprove of how he’s handled vaccine policy. No surprises here. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson went on C SPAN Thursday morning as the government shutdown entered its ninth day, taking calls from people across the country, which no one should ever do. One caller from Virginia, whose husband is serving in the military, demanded that Johnson end the shutdown before troops miss their paychecks next week, saying they have bills to pay. Medical bills. 

[clip of unnamed Republican voter] As a Republican, I am very disappointed in my party and I’m very disappointed in you because you do have the power to call the house back. You did that or you refused to do that just for a show. I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die. 

Jane Coaston: Johnson could stop this. He could push his colleagues in the Senate to negotiate with Democrats to end the shutdown. He could also call the House back to pass separate legislation to get troops paid on October 15th. But oh no, not Johnson. He instead responded with this. 

[clip of House Speaker Mike Johnson] I want you to hear something very clearly. The Republicans are the ones delivering for you. We had a vote to pay the troops. It was the continuing resolution three weeks ago. Every single Republican but two voted to keep the government open so that your paycheck can flow. Every Democrat in the House except for one voted to close it. The Democrats are the ones that are preventing you from getting a check. 

Jane Coaston: Blaming Democrats to a scared military spouse who is uncertain if their family will receive a paycheck. Great work, Mr. Speaker. Bravo! The short-term resolution Johnson referred to here would open the government up at the same funding levels as before the shutdown. But it wouldn’t address the Affordable Care Act subsidies Democrats are fighting for, which expire at the end of this year. Johnson also blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying sending a bill to the Senate would be pointless because Schumer would hold it up. A spokesperson for Schumer’s office told NBC News, quote, “We have no idea what Speaker Johnson is talking about.” Chocolate lovers, brace yourselves. Cocoa prices have more than doubled since early 2024, sending candy costs to record highs just in time for Halloween. Cocoa futures topped $12,500 per metric ton earlier this year, the highest in decades. The cause? A disastrous harvest in West Africa, where Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana together produce about 60% of the world’s cocoa. Heavy rains in late 2023 triggered a surge in quote, “black pod disease and crop rot,” which sound like things RFK Jr. might contract from getting down with roadkill. Subsequent El Niño-induced droughts in 2024 compounded the issue, and voila! A trip to the candy aisle now costs about 8% more than last year. Shoppers can expect smaller bars, higher prices, and fewer chocolatey options overall. Experts warn that some chocolate makers might substitute other ingredients, adding more nuts or other fillers like cookie wafers. You can also expect candy bowls to be filled with cheaper alternatives this year, like chewing gum or suckers. And uh speaking of suckers, Trump’s recently imposed tariff on cocoa products didn’t help either. Luckily, a National Confectioners Association survey found 94% of consumers plan to share chocolate and candy for Halloween. Because in America, we annually pump our children full of sugar, no matter what. And that’s the news. [music break] One more thing. Let’s talk about Argentina. Specifically, Argentina’s president, Javier Milei. He’s a libertarian economist and a self described anarcho capitalist who once said, quote, “The state is not the solution, the state is the problem.” You might remember him as the guy who gave a very normal Elon Musk a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year. 

[clip of Elon Musk] President Milei has a gift for me. Javier Milei from Argentina, you guys know who that is, right? [music plays] This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy. Chainsaw! 

Jane Coaston: The chainsaw was supposed to represent Milei’s commitment to cutting red tape, slashing government spending, and reducing the size and scope of government. After taking office in 2023, Milei fired 36,000 public workers, cut spending on universities, and closed government ministries focused on the needs of women and minorities. Sound familiar? Now, to be fair, Argentina was in a tough economic position when Milei took power. Like, really tough. The country’s inflation was nearing 200%. And in early 2024, it looked like Milei’s quote, “economic shock therapy” was working. Inflation was down, and deregulation did bring down prices. It’s no wonder then that Milei got a ton of praise for his policies from Donald Trump, Musk, and a host of American libertarians who have been waiting for decades for someone to prove that they were right the whole time about pretty much everything. Here’s a libertarian pundit John Stossel back in January. 

[clip of John Stossel] Milei has showed that cuts are possible, and as Milei cut government, he actually gained popularity. Freedom can work if only our politicians will learn from Javier Milei.

Jane Coaston: Actually, I’d rather they didn’t, because things have not exactly worked out in Argentina. As the Wall Street Journal reported, the country has 200,000 fewer jobs than when Milei took office, unemployment has risen to nearly 8%, and there’s also a massive corruption scandal involving Milei’s sister. Voters have noticed. Milei’s political party lost badly in a September election in Buenos Aires. Times are tough for our anarcho-capitalist friend. But don’t worry, he’s getting a lifeline from you. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US would be sending Argentina a $20 billion bailout in order to prevent a financial crisis that wouldn’t just imperil Argentina, but also a bunch of wealthy investors who bet on Argentina’s economy when Milei was waving a chainsaw around. So in the middle of a government shutdown centered on the GOP’s refusal to help everyday Americans afford health care, and as farmers face potential financial ruin because of Trump’s tariffs, the US government is rescuing Argentina so that Javier Milei can hold more book launch turned rock concerts broadcast on state television. [clip of music plays of people singing in Spanish] Fantastic. [music break]

[AD BREAK]

Jane Coaston: That’s all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, mourn the closing of a hair museum, and tell your friends to listen. And if you’re into reading and not just about how Layla’s Hair Museum in Independence, Missouri, which had a massive collection of intricately braided wreaths, watch bands, and other trinkets all made from human hair, has closed following the passing of the museum’s founder, like me. What a Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at Crooked.com/subscribe. I’m Jane Coaston. And don’t worry, many of the more than 3,000 pieces at the Hair Museum will be heading to other institutions across the country. Maybe one right near you, so that you too will be close to, for example, a hair wreath made from the locks of every member of the League of Women Voters from Vermont in 1865. Fun! [music break] What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It’s recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Emily Fohr and Chris Allport. Our video editor is Joseph Dutra. Our video producer is Johanna Case. We had production help today from Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Sean Allee, Gina Pollack, and Caitlin Plummer. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our senior vice president of News and Politics is Adriene Hill. We had help today from the Associated Press. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East. [music break]

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