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The Daily Recount
A bullshit-free mashup of today’s political news
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Friday, 07.23.2021

Roll [Up Your Sleeves] Tide!

After signing a ban on vaccine passports, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is now at a loss for what to do about the state’s COVID spike. During the pandemic, the combined stock value of seven Silicon Valley companies grew 70% to more than $10 trillion. Plus, imagine this: social workers responding to 911 mental health calls instead of police. It’s happening in New York City.

After signing a ban on vaccine passports, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is now at a loss for what to do about the state’s COVID spike. During the pandemic, the combined stock value of seven Silicon Valley companies grew 70% to more than $10 trillion. Plus, imagine this: social workers responding to 911 mental health calls instead of police. It’s happening in New York City.
3:37
Friday, 07.23.2021
Roll [Up Your Sleeves] Tide!
MORE EPISODES
Republicans are doubling, tripling, even quadrupling down on the revisionist history of January 6th. In China, streets have turned to rivers, subways to swamps, and regular people into first responders. And in California, frat boy gaming culture is finally getting its day in court.
3:54
Thursday, 07.22.2021
A “Loving” Crowd of Insurrectionists?
The Western U.S. is facing a devastating fire season. American life expectancy is dropping amid COVID. President Biden is appointing an unprecedented number of Black women to lifetime seats on federal appeals courts. And Google searches are revealing Americans are a bit rusty when it comes to dating.
4:01
Wednesday, 07.21.2021
Hot Vax Summer … If You Remember How To Date
Jeff Bezos launched into space and landed back on Earth … all within a whopping 11 minutes. And if you are an Amazon customer or employee, he’d like to thank you for funding his joyride.
4:06
Tuesday, 07.20.2021
Same-Day Delivery: Bezos' 11-Minute Spaceflight
For the first time since January, COVID cases are trending up in all 50 states. But the U.S. isn’t alone. As COVID infections surge in Japan, the Summer Olympics have become a polarizing topic. Exhibit A: Toyota just pulled all of its Olympic-themed ads from Japanese TV.
4:14
Monday, 07.19.2021
Pandemic of the Unvaccinated
From the streets of Los Angeles to the dugouts of New York, COVID-19 and its variants are paying unwelcome visits to cities across the country. Meanwhile, another health crisis is playing out online — and President Biden says the spread of COVID misinformation is literally “killing people.” (He’s looking at you, Facebook.)
3:50
Friday, 07.16.2021
COVID-19 Setbacks: From LA Streets to NY Dugouts
The first round of Child Tax Credit payments hits the bank accounts of more than 35 million families. In more alarming news: The Amazon rainforest has now become a *source* of carbon dioxide, 2020 was the year for attempted government censorship, and Amazon attempts to dodge a federal liability lawsuit.
3:46
Thursday, 07.15.2021
Elections Have Consequences (Like Reducing Child Poverty)
Top Democrats have a $3.5 trillion budget deal … with themselves … for now. Sen. Schumer introduces legislation to decriminalize cannabis at the federal level. Norwegian Cruise Line sues the state of Florida for banning vaccine passports. And just like that, Russia’s cybercrime kings have disappeared.
3:46
Wednesday, 07.14.2021
Where Oh Where Did The Ransomware Gang Go?
Everything’s bigger in Texas — including showdowns in the state legislature, apparently. Tennessee fired its top immunization official, and now she’s sounding the alarm on the state’s politicization of the vaccine. Plus, a vandalized mural in England reveals the worst (and best) of British sports culture.
3:59
Tuesday, 07.13.2021
Texas Voting Rights Battle Goes National
Chaos in Cuba: Protesters took to the streets in one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in the last 30 years. A hotel maid in Denver prevented what could have been a mass shooting. The GOP pushes to ban discrimination on the basis of … vaccine status. Oh, and billionaires are blasting into space.
4:20
Monday, 07.12.2021
$pace Race: See Ya Later, Planet Poor
In historic news: A 14-year-old became the first Black American student to win the Spelling Bee. In COVID news: Pfizer thinks Americans need a vaccine booster shot, but the CDC and FDA disagree. In business news: Toyota relents to pressure after donating to 2020 election deniers.
4:18
Friday, 07.09.2021
Remember The Name: Zaila Avant-garde
An Olympic-sized mess in Tokyo. A game of Monopoly with Google. A special session in Texas. And a seven-figure ad campaign against MLB. Here are today’s top stories.
3:55
Thursday, 07.08.2021
Batter Up: Right-Wingers Headhunt MLB's "Woke Capitalism"
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack at his home on Wednesday. Donald Trump is suing America’s three big tech giants. And Jeff Bezos’s net worth just hit a record $211 billion.
4:32
Wednesday, 07.07.2021
Another Trump Lawsuit — This Time He’s Plaintiff
A new study finds the Pfizer vaccine is 30% less effective in preventing the spread of the contagious COVID strain. The U.S. withdraws from its longest war’s largest army base by shutting off electricity and slipping away in the middle of the night. And it turns out, four-day work weeks can actually lead to higher productivity.
3:53
Tuesday, 07.06.2021
Delta (Variant) Blues
President Biden summons his skills as consoler-in-chief in Surfside, Florida. The Trump Organization and its CFO get charged with a slew of tax crimes. And NCAA student athletes can now cash in on their name, image, and likeness. Secure the bag!
4:31
Thursday, 07.01.2021
Consoler-in-Chief Visits Grieving Surfside
Bill Cosby walked free today — and somehow the former president’s (not-so-great) second impeachment attorney is involved. Meanwhile, a world-class rescue team from Mexico has landed in Surfside, Florida. Meet Los Topos, aka "the moles."
4:04
Wednesday, 06.30.2021
Bill Cosby Freed in Shock Ruling
Devastating new details from Surfside, Florida: Condo owners recently approved $15 million worth of repairs to the building — with payments set to begin this week. Over on Capitol Hill: Nancy Pelosi is seriously considering pulling a member of the GOP to serve on a House committee to investigate the January 6 insurrection.
3:54
Tuesday, 06.29.2021
The Warnings Before Surfside Tragedy
Toyota donates to 37 Republicans who objected to electoral certification on January 6. Scientists say the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may protect against the coronavirus for years. And Olympian Gwen Berry faces right-wing backlash for turning her back to the American flag.
3:56
Monday, 06.28.2021
Toyota Funding 2020 Election Deniers (And They’re Ok With That)
Over a year after murdering George Floyd, former police officer Derek Chauvin receives his 22.5-year prison sentence. After months of mounting bipartisan pressure to address the migrant surge, Kamala Harris visits the U.S.-Mexico border. And in honor of Pride Month, President Biden signs an important bill.
2:49
Friday, 06.25.2021
The Chauvin Verdict Is In
Britney Spears bravely speaks out about her conservatorship. A multistory condo building partially collapses in Florida. A bipartisan group of senators breathes new life into President Biden’s infrastructure deal. And Black TikTok creators go on strike.
3:47
Thursday, 06.24.2021
#FreeBritney Fallout: “This Is Like Handmaid’s Tale”
One city in New York gets a surprise socialist mayor. President Biden lays out his plan to combat a rise in violent crime. Britney Spears has her day in court. And MLB’s crackdown on sticky substances turns into an outright spectacle.
3:27
Wednesday, 06.23.2021
Socialist Surprises and Sticky Stuff Spectacles
Senate Republicans block a procedural vote to advance the For the People Act. The digital currency market takes a hit to the tune of $400 billion. And for the first time in the NFL’s 101-year history, an active player comes out as gay.
3:21
Tuesday, 06.22.2021
Filibuster Strikes Again: GOP Blocks Voting Rights Debate
In the NCAA vs. SCOTUS matchup, student athletes clinched the W. The unanimous ruling opens the door to significant compensation increases. In more sports news: Fans will be allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics after all. In Hot Girl Summer news: ERCOT is asking Texans to turn up their thermostats to conserve energy amid a heat wave.
3:13
Monday, 06.21.2021
NCAA Loses at SCOTUS 9-0
Federal prosecutors say a decision about whether or not to bring charges against Rep. Matt Gaetz could come as early as July. California’s Death Valley hits temperatures as high as 129 degrees. And The Boss has spoken: Only vaccines born in the U.S.A. allowed.
3:01
Friday, 06.18.2021
It’s Heating Up, And Not Just For Matt Gaetz
It’s official: 156 years later, Juneteenth is a federal holiday. In a turn of events, Sen. Joe Manchin is now offering a compromise on the Democrats’ sweeping voting rights legislation. And Ukrainian police just became the first law enforcement agency to arrest a major hacker group for extorting Americans.
3:38
Thursday, 06.17.2021
Hacker Bust and Manchin-buster
In the highest stakes moment of his first foreign trip, Joe Biden meets face-to-face with Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Airbnb will prohibit landlords from profiting off pandemic evictions. The MLB will crack down on pitchers’ “sticky” substances. And the U.S. will have a new federal holiday.
3:51
Wednesday, 06.16.2021
Sticky Diplomacy and Sticky Baseballs
AG Merrick Garland is introducing an agenda to fight domestic terrorism in the wake of January 6th. Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters says “f*ck you” to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. Vermont reaches the 80% vaccination threshold, while the U.S. passes 600,000 COVID deaths.
3:40
Tuesday, 06.15.2021
Pink Floyd v. Facebook
Hasta la vista, Bibi. A historic government coalition of left-wing, centrist, right-wing, and Arab parties brings a new political era to Israel. President Biden’s Eurotrip continues at the NATO Summit in Belgium. And one lucky (read: rich) bidder gets the trip of a lifetime.
3:27
Monday, 06.14.2021
Would You Pay $28M to Go to Space with Bezos?
Turns out the Trump DOJ subpoenaed the phone records of at least two Democratic congressmen. Across the pond, the leaders of the world’s richest democracies are meeting face-to-face at the G7. And while the president is overseas, it’s still infrastructure “week” on Capitol Hill.
3:32
Friday, 06.11.2021
Biden DOJ Investigating Trump DOJ
President Biden announced the U.S. will donate 500 million vaccine doses to low-income countries. The controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline is officially canceled. And it turns out: More vaccinations mean more baseball.
3:19
Thursday, 06.10.2021
Joe Biden’s Vaccine Diplomacy
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