Today’s episode of The Daily Whatever opened the way this week felt: a little unhinged, a little necessary. Lawrence Winnerman kicked things off proudly, unveiling a new soundboard, which immediately devolved into poltergeist voices, church reverb, echo effects, and both of us cry-laughing before we’d said a single substantive thing.
It was goofy and cathartic, but honestly it was the most honest way to start a Fucked-up Friday after the week we’ve had.
Once we got our footing, we brought in our guest, journalist Ahmed Baba, who was already backstage laughing along.
Ahmed’s voice matters right now because he’s been documenting authoritarianism in real time for years, including sounding the alarm early on Project 2025. Also because he’s deeply grounded in history while being very clear-eyed about the present.
Ahmed joined us from Brooklyn and immediately helped broaden the lens, talking about New York’s political climate under Mayor Zohran Mamdani and what it looks like when genuinely progressive leadership shifts.
He talked about what’s possible, even moving more cautious figures into action. Universal childcare coming together quickly wasn’t just policy to him; it was proof that persuasion plus conviction can actually work.
From there, the conversation turned darker and more honest. We talked about Minneapolis, about the killing of Reneé Good, and about the immediate lies told afterward. Ahmed didn’t hedge. He described feeling morally furious, and then resolute, arguing that journalists should treat every statement from this administration as false until proven otherwise.
Ahmed drew a sharp line between Gestapo analogies and something even closer to American history, pointing out that what we’re seeing also echoes slave catching and Jim Crow authoritarianism. That framing landed hard.
When we shifted into Fucked-up Friday, the stories reflected that escalation. I shared my fear response to reports that the Trump administration demanded a list of Jewish faculty from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lawrence followed with reporting out of Minneapolis, suggesting the use of hexachloroethane, a toxic chemical banned in international warfare, against civilians, including children, and noted how links describing it seemed to disappear overnight.
Ahmed closed with an NBC News report detailing how ICE used AI to fast-track recruits without proper training, raising chilling questions about who is being sent into communities and why. The audience voted, and Lawrence’s story took the crown, though “winning” felt like the wrong word.
It wasn’t comforting exactly, but it was steadying, which felt right for where we are.
We closed with Ahmed sharing that he’ll be delivering the keynote address for PBS Wisconsin’s Martin Luther King Day broadcast, framing this moment as the edge of a new American founding. Be sure to catch Ahmed’s broadcast.
We’ll be back Monday morning. bright and early for our The Daily Whatever Show on Martin Luther Day with our guest Dr. Mary M. Marshall.
Thank you Cat, Caro Henry, Polly Walker Blakemore, Char Sundust, Egberto Willies, NeuroDivergent Hodgepodge, Sushipheliac 🍣🍥🍣, and our moderator Karen Marie Shelton and many others for tuning in.
We love you all—truly!—mean it.
