Slate News

The coronavirus crisis has risen to new levels in California. Even as vaccines get distributed, hospitals are maxing out their ICU capacity, and sick people in ambulances wait outside for a bed to open up. Amidst the nightmare, one first responder explains how he’s making it through.  Guest: Dr. Clayton Kazan , an emergency physician in Torrance, CA, and the medical director at the L.A. County Fir...

With just over a week left in the Trump presidency, Congressional Democrats are asking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and strip President Trump of his power. Is that the right way to hold the president accountable?  Guest: Brian Kalt, law professor at Michigan State University. His latest book is Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendme...

In 2009, Department of Homeland Security official, Daryl Johnson, warned the government that right-wing extremists were building power. After his report leaked to conservative media outlets, the agency sidelined Johnson and his investigations. In the meantime, right-wing extremists have only grown their ranks. Guest: Daryl Johnson, former senior analyst for domestic terrorism at the U.S. Departmen...

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Joshua Geltzer , a former senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama and the founding executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law. He also wrote this piece in February of 2019.  Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Slate Money talks about the insurrection at the Capitol, those $2,000 stimulus checks, and Roblox’s plan to go public through a direct listing.  In the Slate Plus segment: The Google union.  ‘ Trump’s $2,000 Stimulus Checks Are a Big Mistake ’ By Lawrence H. Summers for Bloomberg Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: Felix Salmon on Twitter / https://twitter.c...

This week, in the wake of violent protests at the Capitol, the social media platforms took unprecedented steps to rein in the president. Facebook banned his account at least through Inauguration Day. Twitter removed tweets and locked his account for 12 hours. Will these measures really make a difference? And how is it that two CEOs came to have so much power over the president’s reach? Guest:  Dan...

This week, in the wake of violent protests at the Capitol, the social media platforms took unprecedented steps to rein in the president. Facebook banned his account at least through Inauguration Day. Twitter removed tweets and locked his account for 12 hours. Will these measures really make a difference? And how is it that two CEOs came to have so much power over the president’s reach? Guest:  Dan...

Emily, John and David discuss the invasion of the U.S. Capitol and Democrats’ historic win in Georgia. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:  Yuval Levin for the National Review: “ Failures of Leadership in a Populist Age ” Anne Applebaum for the Atlantic: “ History Will Judge the Complicit ” Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “ The Pandemic Election ” Emily Bazelon...

On Wednesday, as Democrats celebrated wins in Georgia that gave them control of the Senate and as U.S. lawmakers convened to certify Joe Biden’s election win, President Trump addressed supporters gathered outside the White House. He told them to walk to the Capitol and tell Republicans to “take back our country.” Two Slate correspondents were there -- one walking with the violent mob as it stormed...

Today, Congress will meet in a joint session to confirm Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president of the United States. Even though the process is ceremonial, some Republicans are using it as a last-ditch effort to vindicate President Trump and burnish their own Trumpist bona fides.  Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics reporter. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast fee...

So far, the vaccine roll out in the United States has been underwhelming. States are scrambling to get doses out to patients before they expire. We won’t be behind schedule on vaccine distribution forever, but to make matters worse, a more infectious variant of COVID-19 has increased the urgency.  Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli is a health and science reporter with the New York Times. Slate Plus member...

On Tuesday, Georgia voters will decide which party holds the majority in the United States senate. Activists like Nse Ufot have been criss crossing the state trying to rally new voters to the polls. Will this flurry of activity flip Georgia blue again?   Guest: Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project  Cleve Wootson, National Political Reporter for the Washington Post Slate Plus members get bonus...

The incarceration of tens of thousands of Japanese Americans in the 1940s is one of the most shameful acts in American history. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Judge Edward M Chen and Don Tamaki, members of the legal team that worked to clear Fred Korematsu’s name almost 40 years after his conviction, to discuss the overlooked context, corruption, and cover-up that enabled the policy, and to examine...

Jacob Goldstein of Planet Money joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski to talk about his book Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing and explain the varied history of this thing we call “money”. In the Slate Plus segment: A deeper dive into Jacob’s wonky Numbers Round number.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon , @Three_Guineas , @...

Larry Kramer always made sure you heard him loud and clear. He was a playwright, a novelist, but he was perhaps best known for his work as an AIDS activist. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kramer sought to wake up the world to the plague that was killing millions of people through provocative demonstrations, fiery essays, and righteous anger. A world class troublemaker, Kramer died last week leaving a bod...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz reminisce about 15 years of podcasting together. They look back on past mistakes and deliver fresh kindnesses. This live show was recorded on Dec 9, 2020. You can watch a special tribute video here and a video of the entire 15th Anniversary Show is here .  Here are some references from this week’s show:  Jonathan Rauch for the Atlantic: “ How American...

On Friday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87. Her work as a lawyer and a judge forever changed how women are viewed under United States law. As the nation mourns, her absence sparks a fight in the senate about who is going to choose the next Supreme Court Justice.  Guest: Dahlia Lithwick , host of Slate’s Amicus podcast.  This episode originally aired September, 2020. Slate...

Over the summer, comedian Laurie Kilmartin took to Twitter to joke about something that wasn’t funny: Her mom was dying. JoAnn Kilmartin, Laurie’s mother, had contracted the coronavirus in her nursing home and was on her deathbed only a few miles from Laurie’s home in southern California.  Guest: Laurie Kilmartin , comedian and author of Dead People Suck: A Guide for Survivors of the Newly Departe...

Hybrid learning is a massive educational experiment playing out in schools across the country. No two classrooms are alike. We took a look at one teacher’s experience.  Guest: Christopher Pinto, a high school math and statistics teacher outside Houston, Texas. This episode originally aired in September, 2020.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on...

Zach Carter joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski to talk about his book The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes and discuss the life and philosophy of the man whose ideas built the foundation for modern economics.  In the Slate Plus segment: Best books of 2020.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon ,...

The images are familiar now. The police in their face shields, armed with batons and cans of pepper spray. The protestors, sporting bruises, pouring milk on each others’ faces. What happened in the spring might make you feel uncomfortable and angry. Kellie Carter-Jackson says: that’s the point. And she says that a nice, peaceful protest may not accomplish the structural change America needs. Guest...

Emily, John, and David end 2020 considering listeners’ most perplexing conundrums—with special guest Alexandra Petri! Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: The Life of George Washington: With Curious Anecdotes, Equally Honourable to Himself, and Exemplary to His Young Countrymen by Mason Locke Weems Marching Bands Are Just Homeless Orchestras, Half-Empty Thoughts Vol. 1 by Tim...

The coronavirus that gave rise to our present pandemic started in China as a bat virus that eventually made contact with humans. Researchers say this leap between species was highly predictable – so why were communities and governments caught flat-footed?  Guest: Peter Daszak , president of EcoHealth Alliance. This episode originally aired in March, 2020. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and...

Dahlia Lithwick talks to Justice Stephen Breyer of the US Supreme Court for a Slate Plus exclusive, as part of Slate’s 80 over 80 coverage . Sign up for Slate Plus  now to listen and support our show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congress has agreed on another stimulus package, but to do so both Republicans and Democrats had to give up on high-priority demands. Why did this bill take so long, and why isn’t anyone all that excited about it? Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate's senior business and economics correspondent Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...