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On Thursday morning, the House Intelligence Committee publicly released a whistleblower complaint providing evidence of President Trump’s alleged abuse of presidential power. The complaint came just before the Acting Director of National Intelligence was due to testify before the committee. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick and Jeremy Stahl take stock of the rapid changes in Washington since House Democrats...

Parents in Howard County, Maryland, are pushing back against a school redistricting plan that would address overcrowding and a lack of diversity. Opponents say the changes will disrupt communities and strap kids with longer commutes. They say it’s not fair for their families and their kids. How are educators supposed to make the case that something that upsets individuals is better for the public...

Host Shannon Palus talks to Roxanne Leitao, a UK-based designer researching ways to make the smart home gear safer for victims of domestic abuse. They’ll discuss the ways that smart thermostats can be used to gaslight victims, the security measures that can help everyone in a home have agency, and the reason why smart home tech that’s hard to understand is all the more dangerous. They also touch o...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an official impeachment inquiry into President Trump on Tuesday evening. After a year of Democratic leadership holding off, what makes this time different for Speaker Pelosi? And what happens now? Guests: Dahlia Lithwick , covers the courts and the law for Slate. Jim Newell , political reporter for Slate. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcas...

Last week, Time Magazine released photos of a 29-year-old Justin Trudeau in blackface. In the days following, the Canadian Prime Minister admitted to two more instances of using blackface. The Canadian election is a month away. How will Trudeau’s latest scandal effect it? Guest: Jesse Brown , host of Canadaland podcast . Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt and Mara S...

Somewhere in Washington right now there is a whistleblower. We don’t know who they are, what their job is, or if they’re a man or a woman. The only thing we do know is that they are in the middle of a political firestorm. So, how did this all come about? And will it be enough to push Congress to act? Guest: Shane Harris , covers intelligence and national security for the Washington Post. To learn...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first rally in the U.S. when he was elected in 2014. Now, he’s coming back to appear in front of 50,000 people in Houston, Texas. The other person expected to take the stage is President Trump. So, what do the leaders of the world’s two largest democracies plan to gain from the visit? Guest: Milan Vaishnav , director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie E...

A buzzy new drug to help treat people with a peanut allergy was recommended for approval by an FDA advisory board this week. It would be the first government-approved method intended to combat these kinds of allergic reactions. The story behind that drug helps explain how the cost of many prescription drugs ends up being so high. Guest: James Hamblin , staff writer at The Atlantic. Slate Plus memb...

Host Aaron Mak discusses with journalist Nithin Coca his attempt to abstain from using any Google products in his daily life.  They discuss why he did it, the useful alternatives he found for specific apps, the quirks of using different tools abroad, and the surprising benefits he found in starting over.  They also speculate on whether or not a normal consumer could sustainably do the same thing,...

A star college athlete can help rake in millions for the schools they attend but never see a cent for themselves because of existing NCAA rules. California lawmakers just passed a bill that would allow collegiate athletes to profit off of their name, likeness and image in a step to rectify the discrepancy. The Fair Pay for Play Act is just a piece of the larger conversation about paying college at...

Last week the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on new investigative procedures the panel will use as they inch closer and closer to possibly writing articles of impeachment. So, has the impeachment conversation changed on Capitol Hill? And is today’s hearing with Corey Lewandowski the first test? Guest: Rachael Bade, Congressional reporter for the Washington Post Slate Plus member...

Last week the lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, came out in support of modest background checks for gun sales. In the past, even the mere suggestion of tighter gun laws was a career ender for Texas Republicans. Are the political winds shifting on guns in Texas? Guest: Ross Ramsey , executive editor of the Texas Tribune Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign...

There’s a fight brewing between four auto makers and the Trump administration. This fight is largely about environmental regulations -- but it’s also about what kind of governance is required to have a thriving national economy. And the U.S. might be losing its edge.  Guest: Tim Puko , reporter covering energy policy for the Wall Street Journal. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, D...

Vice President Joe Biden still holds a wide lead in Democratic primary polls. Candidates who want to attack him at tonight’s primary debate do so at their own risk. Guest: Slate’s Jim Newell. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Shannon Palus discusses how today’s vaping panic is connected to the rise of the cigarette with Jacob Grier, author of the new book The Rediscovery of Tobacco: Smoking, Vaping, and the Creative Destruction of the Cigarette . Grier argues for a nuanced view of tobacco and nicotine’s place in America, and just how much parents should worry if their teen comes home with a Juul. They’ll also disc...

President Donald Trump and his now former national security adviser, John Bolton, have had their differences. From North Korea to Iran, the two have been at odds with one another on some of the most important foreign policy decisions. That tension boiled over with the president tweeting, "I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked...

A group of unpaid miners has blockaded a railway in Harlan County, Kentucky. The goal? Stop a train car full of their former employer’s coal from going to market until they get what they’re owed. It’s a straightforward protest that has been going on for more than six weeks now. One thing that isn’t so straightforward, however? How to help coal mining communities, like the ones in Harlan County, co...

Twice in two decades, the Electoral College has created great, big questions about presidential legitimacy. Is it time for a tune-up? Guest: Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month, Representative Joaquin Castro tweeted out a list of Trump donors living in his district in San Antonio. Actress Debra Messing asked for an attendance list at a Trump fundraiser in Beverly Hills. Both efforts were likened to doxxing or blacklisting. Should political donors be named if they might also be targeted? Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, legal correspondent and host of the Amicus podcast...

Just weeks into his role as prime minister, Boris Johnson has kicked the U.K.’s Brexit drama into high gear. It culminated yesterday in a vote that would force him to delay Britain’s EU exit until Jan. 31, 2020, unless Parliament (in an unlikely scenario) votes to approve a new deal or support a no-deal Brexit by Oct. 19. Johnson has responded by threatening to call a general election in hopes of...

New York Times technology reporter Mike Issac discusses his new book Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber , which traces Uber’s rapid rise and fall under co-founder Travis Kalanick.  He and host Aaron Mak talk about Uber’s fraught relationship with the media, how public perception of the company enabled one of its competitors to stave off extinction, the necessary paranoia required to investigate the...

When Christopher Werth saw some paint chips falling off a radiator in his daughter’s New York City classroom, he picked one up and sent it to get tested. The results spurred him to launch a larger investigation into lead exposure in New York City classrooms. Just across the river in Newark, New Jersey, another city is dealing with its own lead troubles. Elevated levels of the metal have been found...

What would it look like if the U.S. Senate ditched its filibuster rule, allowing legislation to pass with just a simple majority? Guest: Slate staff writer Jim Newell . Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How has Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador changed his country’s approach to migrants heading north? Guest: León Krauze , Slate columnist, Trumpcast co-host, and Univision news anchor. This episode originally aired in April 2019.  Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in March, Rep. Ilhan Omar spoke passionately about pro-Israel political forces that “push for allegiance to a foreign country.” She later apologized for unwittingly deploying an anti-Semitic trope. Why were Omar’s words so triggering? And is she making a fair point?  Guest: Slate economics & policy writer Jordan Weissmann.  This episode originally aired in March 2019.  Podcast production...