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Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence.  Sign up now  to listen and support our work. For pregnant women in the U.S., there are plenty of reasons to mistrust the medical establishment. Mortality rates are high compared to other western countries, and one-third of women in the U.S. give birth by C-section. It’s no wonder that many women...

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence.  Sign up now  to listen and support our work. For pregnant women in the U.S., there are plenty of reasons to mistrust the medical establishment. Mortality rates are high compared to other western countries, and one-third of women in the U.S. give birth by C-section. It’s no wonder that many women...

Emily, John and David discuss Super Tuesday, COVID-19's spread and the Supreme Court's hearing of a crucial abortion case. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss pandemics in fiction. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest every week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support the show. You can tweet...

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence.  Sign up now  to listen and support our work. Super Tuesday gave Joe Biden a blowout, in part because of a surge from black voters. While white voters tended to split their votes more evenly between Biden and Bernie Sanders, black voters overwhelmingly chose the former Vice President. So, what doe...

The coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, 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? And what does the virus’s transmission from animals to humans say about how we interact with the greater ecosystem? Guest: Peter Daszak , president of EcoHeal...

The Democratic primary field has been dramatically re-shuffled since Saturday. After Joe Biden swept up votes and delegates in South Carolina, moderate candidates dropped out to strengthen his challenge against front-runner Bernie Sanders. So, with over a thousand delegates on the table across a slew of states, are Democrats inevitably headed for a contested convention?  Guest: Jim Newell , Slate’...

Lower courts have consistently ruled against the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies. But at the Supreme Court, the conservative majority almost always reverses lower court opinions, even in the most shocking cases. Last week, justices ruled that a Customs and Border Protection agent cannot be sued for shooting and killing a Mexican teenager in 2010, presenting the grim prospect t...

David Plotz and John Dickerson discuss Biden's win in South Carolina and what it could mean for Super Tuesday and the Democratic Primary overall. Become a Slate Plus today to hear this bonus episode in full www.slate.com/gabfestplus You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may...

This week, Felix Anna and Emily talk about how coronavirus is affecting the stock market, Disney’s two Bobs, and the crazy story of the “ Madoff of France .” In the Slate Plus segment: The four-hour work week. 'America’s Broken Social Safety Net Can’t Withstand The Coronavirus' by Emily Peck 'The Leap Day Employee Finally Gets Her Birthday Off This Year' by Alison Green Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Dahlia Lithwick asks the new president of the American Constitution Society, Russ Feingold, if it’s too late for progressives to respond to the conservative steamroller that is the Federalist Society.  Slate Plus members have access to a bonus segment in which Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern breaks down the headlines, cases, cert grants, and conundrums from the Supreme Court and federal appellate courts...

OpenAI was founded in 2015 with a billion dollars and an idealistic mission: Create artificial intelligence that could address humanity’s biggest problems, and do it out in the open. Then came the money problems. Guest: Karen Hao , senior A.I. reporter at MIT Tech Review   Host Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

OpenAI was founded in 2015 with a billion dollars and an idealistic mission: Create artificial intelligence that could address humanity’s biggest problems, and do it out in the open. Then came the money problems. Guest: Karen Hao , senior A.I. reporter at MIT Tech Review   Host Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the Democratic presidential primary, Harvey Weinstein’s conviction, and conservative ascendency in the courts. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment: with inspiration from Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light , Emily, David, and John discuss the historical figures and events they’d like to read about in novels (not yet written). Join today: www.slate.com/gabfes...

As Bernie Sanders becomes the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, pundits have started wringing their hands about Bernie’s chances of winning in a general election. Are any of these fears grounded in reality? Guest: Steve Kornacki , National Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Gabfest listeners, today we're featuring a special election-themed episode of the Slate podcast How To! with Charles Duhigg .  Anthony is that rarest of things in American politics—a swing voter who is up for grabs in 2020. Caught between his Republican voting history and his current dislike of President Trump, Anthony is now registered as an Independent. So should he follow his head or his he...

Colorado has one of the highest rates of officer involved shootings in the country. After looking at the data, reporters from Colorado Public Radio found that the problem is exacerbated by a complex mix of meth addiction, illegal firearms, and car theft. Guest: Allison Sherry , Reporter for Colorado Public Radio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brendan Nyhan is a political science professor at Dartmouth College who focuses on misinformation and so-called fake news. His views on how fake news affects election outcomes might surprise you.  Try Slate Plus free: slate.com/amicusplus Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attorney General William Barr has lost the confidence of more than 2,600 former Department of Justice employees. We talked to one of them.  Guest: Donald Ayer, who served in the Department of Justice under George H. W. Bush. Read his piece in the Atlantic, “ Bill Barr Must Resign .” Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Republicans have relied on one organization in particular to help pass conservative laws in states across the country: The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. The kicker is that ALEC learned its tricks from public-sector unions. Guest: Alex Hertel-Fernandez , Assistant Professor of Political Affairs at Columbia University.  Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle He...

Conor Dougherty joins Slate Money to talk about his new book Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America and all things housing crisis.  Plus: An extra long housing bonanza. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fifth and final part of this special series of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined live on stage in Washington by former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, MacArthur fellow Professor Danielle Citron of Boston University law school, director of the ACLU’s voting-rights initiative Dale Ho, and election law professor Rick Hasen of the University of California, Irvine. Together, they...

After years of controversial content moderation decisions, from deepfakes to deplatforming, Facebook is trying something new. In January, the social network announced that its new Oversight Board, which will act as a sort of supreme court for controversial content, will begin hearing cases this summer. Could this independent board change the way we govern speech online? Guest: Kate Klonick, assist...

After years of controversial content moderation decisions, from deepfakes to deplatforming, Facebook is trying something new. In January, the social network announced that its new Oversight Board, which will act as a sort of supreme court for controversial content, will begin hearing cases this summer. Could this independent board change the way we govern speech online? Guest: Kate Klonick, assist...

Emily, John and David discuss the fiery Democratic debate, Trump’s white-collar pardoning spree, and A Very Stable Genius with authors Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss how they would design a new source of news. Join slate plus today! You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail ch...

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 has dominated Nevada politics for years. Last week, leaders announced that the union would not endorse any of the Democratic primary candidates before the caucuses this Saturday. Did union leaders make that call because of the tricky politics of Medicare for All? Are they just trying to preserve the union’s reputation as a political kingmaker? Or is the non-end...