MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

FRIDAY
JUNE 13, 2025

I do not recognize you anymore.”

 
— LA Mayor Karen Bass, [addressing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem]([link removed]), who she served with in the House.

WAR & SHEESH

Donald Trump shattered his self-ordained image as a “peacemaker” today, warning of “more to come” following Israel’s devastating attack on Iran.

- The world watched in shock and awe last night as Israel [conducted a massive strike]([link removed]) on Iran, damaging nuclear facilities and killing several of Tehran’s top brass, including its chief military commander and the leader of its armed forces. It’s a monumental blow to Iran’s chain of command, coming as President Donald Trump’s team claimed to be negotiating a deal to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The attack is “a declaration of war,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.
 

- Even more stunning is Washington’s secretive role in the matter. One of Trump’s top aides was set to meet with Iranian officials on Sunday, and few people thought anything would happen before then. Hours before Israel's strike, Trump himself even warned that an attack [could ruin his chances]([link removed]) at making a deal with Iran.
 

- But Washington seemingly tricked Tehran into believing Israel wouldn’t strike immediately, and Trump now says the U.S. [knew about the plans]([link removed]) all along. “I gave Iran a 60 day ultimatum to ‘make a deal. Today is day 61,” he posted on Truth Social. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left.” There was full coordination between the U.S. and Israel on the attack, an Israeli official told the Jerusalem Post.

 
With this new warmongering, the president tossed one of his core pledges onto his flaming trash pile of broken promises.

- For years, Trump bragged that no wars were started during his first term in office (though that period [wasn’t necessarily peaceful]([link removed]), by any means). “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier,” Trump boasted in[​]([link removed]) January. He promised to end foreign wars, and now he may have helped spark a new one. He promised to keep American troops out of conflicts abroad, and now that may be difficult. 

- “It seems the plan of your leadership is to avoid any participation in any war, but make it much easier for other states to start wars,” a person outside the U.S. who works closely with Trump officials told What A Day. (Trump, of course, has also threatened to take Greenland and the Panama Canal by force.)

- MAGAworld warned Trump [against becoming]([link removed]) too deeply involved in the conflict in the Middle East. “How does the America First foreign policy doctrine and foreign policy agenda … stay consistent with this right now?” Charlie Kirk, the popular right-wing influencer, said on a livestream after the attack. That’s the balancing act Trump will likely attempt: Supporting Israel without joining a war.

- Meanwhile, the U.S.-Israel relationship is “better than ever,” Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Israel’s special envoy for trade and innovation, told What A Day. 

What’s next? Iran has already retaliated, and the U.S. is [helping Israel]([link removed]) defend itself. We’ll see whether the country turns toward American bases next, as it [threatened to do]([link removed]).

RAIN CHECK

It might [literally rain on]([link removed]) Donald Trump’s parade tomorrow. At the same time, thousands of protests are planned to protest his authoritarian tendencies across the country.
 
“He is deploying an entire authoritarian playbook to crack down on dissent across society, and he's employing fascist theatrics in D.C.,” Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg, who is helping to organize the “No Kings” demonstrations, told the [What A Day podcast]([link removed]). “It's a moment … we stand with our neighbors, with our communities, and for our democracy to come together and push back.”
 
Ahead of the protests, Trump’s radical immigration agenda is embroiled in court drama. 
 
Last night, District Judge Charles Breyer ([yes, from that Breyer family]([link removed])) ruled that Trump acted illegally when deploying National Guard troops to California without Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA)’s permission amid anti-ICE protests. Hours later, an appeals court [decided that]([link removed]) Trump can keep control over the troops for now.
 
It’s worth taking a moment to remember: Many people being swept up in ICE raids are beloved members of the community. In one Los Angeles neighborhood, agents raided a car wash and took the workers, one resident told What A Day. They also took the “very sweet” man who runs the local fruit stand, she added.
 
Nannies across the city are too terrified to come to work. “They're making a living. They're taking care of all these people, and they're so integral in our lives,” a mother of three told What A Day. 
 
Hearing stories of these people being taken away is what has fired up Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), who was forced on the ground and handcuffed yesterday after attending DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference.
 
The Trump administration hasn’t “offered proper justification for these moves,” Padilla [told Pod Save America]([link removed]). “So yes, I get a little worked up when I hear the misinformation … Look what they did. What worries me even more is if they can do this to a U.S. senator, imagine what they're doing out there when the cameras are not on.”
 
Call out to DC residents: Will you be near Trump’s Army parade this weekend? The What A Day podcast team wants your videos! Send them to [email protected] — they plan on featuring some.

WHAT A SPONSOR

 
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Amazon sells over 60% of all books in the US.
 
Read that again.
 
The majority of books — those treasured worlds we love so much — are arriving to readers via a retailer who has misery built into its supply chain. A retailer who exploits its workers, avoids its taxes, and is one of the biggest carbon polluters in the US. We don’t think Amazon should be in charge of our literary culture, do you? 
 
That’s why it means so much when you choose to shop with [Bookshop.org]([link removed]). Every time you make a purchase with Bookshop.org[​]([link removed]) — instead of Amazon — you’re directly supporting independent bookstores. Bookshop.org believes local bookstores are essential community hubs that foster culture, curiosity, and a love of reading, and they’re committed to helping independent bookstores survive and thrive. Join Bookshop.org in uplifting independent bookstores today.
 
What A Day is proud to partner with Bookshop.org[​]([link removed]) in supporting independent bookstores. Every purchase you make on Bookshop.org[​]([link removed]) directly funds local booksellers. Thanks to fellow readers like you, over $38 million has already been donated to help keep local, independent bookstores serving their communities. [Bookshop.org]([link removed]) is a certified B-Corp and all deliveries are carbon-neutral.

 

 

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WHAT ELSE?

[The Trump administration gave deportation officials]([link removed]) the personal data of millions of Medicaid enrollees, including their immigration status, the Associated Press reports. Medicaid officials tried to block the transfer, but top advisers to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ordered Medicaid officials to comply with the directive. The data likely makes it easier for immigration officials to find people to deport. George Orwell is rolling in his grave.
 
[Salvadoran native Kilmar Abrego García pleaded]([link removed]) not guilty to human smuggling charges. Last week, the Trump administration brought Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador and accused him of illegally transporting undocumented migrants across the United States. 
 
[The Trump administration withdrew from]([link removed]) an agreement with tribes to protect salmon and other fish in the Pacific Northwest. The Biden-era deal had been the culmination of a decades-long legal battle with tribes, which will now resume. The White House didn’t even appear to understand the dispute at hand, falsely attributing the issue to “speculative climate change concerns.”
 
[The sole person to survive the devastating]([link removed]) Air India crash is telling his miraculous story: “I still can’t believe how I got out alive,” Viswash Kumar Ramesh, 38, said in an interview from his hospital bed with Indian state media. “When my door broke, I saw there was some space — that I could try to get out.” He was in seat 11A, causing people to wonder if that’s the safest spot on the plane. Spoiler: [Not necessarily]([link removed]).

[There are many juicy tidbits in this]([link removed]) New York Magazine feature on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s dumpster fire of a tenure, but this stood out to me: “In the secretary’s office are a half-dozen prints known as ‘jumbos.’ Typically these would be pictures of tanks and troops in battle. In Hegseth’s office, instead, are seven giant pictures of Jenny Hegseth, many of them showing her in the same pink dress.” We get it, Pete, you’re a Wife Guy!

THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
 
Why are Democrats losing young voters? Because the game has changed — and the old playbook doesn’t cut it anymore.
 
In the latest episode of Assembly Required, Stacey Abrams talks with Aaron Parnas, journalist and political commentator, and Kahlil Greene, a Gen Z historian who knows social media inside and out. They break down how the right has dominated platforms like TikTok and YouTube by putting the right messengers front and center — and why Democrats need to stop chasing the same strategies and start listening to the voices that actually get it.
 
Tune into [this episode of Assembly Required now,]([link removed]) wherever you get your podcasts, or on [YouTube]([link removed])!
 
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[A federal judge blocked Donald Trump’s attempt]([link removed]) to change the rules on voting in U.S. elections. “The constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections,” the judge wrote, siding with Democratic state attorneys general. Remember, Donald: No kings!

[Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist running]([link removed]) a stunning campaign for New York City mayor against certified creep and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is defending his bagel order: a toasted poppy seed bagel with scallion cream cheese — and “some pulp” orange juice on the side. “The thing that New Yorkers hate more than a politician they disagree with is one they can't trust. I just want to be honest with you,” Mamdani told Pod Save America. Sorry, Lovett, this is literally my bagel order, too.

[Bill Nye The Science Guy quizzed members]([link removed]) of the Washington Nationals and schooled them on some elementary science facts. He also brought the jokes: “Where should you hit it?” he asked Dylan Crews. “Out of the park?” Crews responded. Close! Nye’s response: “Where they ain’t — but out of the park is good.”
 
Meet Woobis (left) and Tevye (right)!

“Woobis is a 5-year-old Mountain Cur mix with a passion for shredding fluffy toys. Tevye is a 95 lb, 2-year-old Borzoi who loves to chase flies and collect tree branches from the ground on walks. Squirrels of the U Street corridor fear them both.”

— Danya & Parker

 

 

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