Slate News

Over the last week, millions of Texans have been forced to live without power or heat. At least 16 have died since Monday. In a state that’s no stranger to extreme weather and high power demand, how did it all go so wrong?Guest: Josh Rhodes, research associate at the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas at Austin HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last week, millions of Texans have been forced to live without power or heat. At least 16 have died since Monday. In a state that’s no stranger to extreme weather and high power demand, how did it all go so wrong?Guest: Josh Rhodes, research associate at the Webber Energy Group at the University of Texas at Austin HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss Republican allegiance to Trump, schools during COVID-19, and they're joined by guest Jonathan Cohn to look back on Obamacare and to explore the current state of COVID-19 vaccinations.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Susan Dominus for the New York Times Magazine: “Rhode Island Kept Its Schools Open. This Is What Happened.”Shawn Hubler for The New York Times: “Vaccinating Oregon’s Teachers Might Not Be Enough to Reopen its Schools.”The Ten Year War by Jonathan CohnHere’s this week’s chatter:Emily: Anna Holmes for the Atlantic: “The Magazine That Helped 1920s Kids Navigate Racism”John: Radio GardenDavid: Pick of The LitterListener chatter from Ming Richie: Cathy Free for the Washington Post: “This Man Mistakenly Left his Wallet in Antarctica. Some 53 Years Later, He Got it Back.”Slate Plus members get great bonus content from Slate, a special segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss the legacy of Rush Limbaugh.You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rush Limbaugh’s radio show provided a roadmap that the Republican Party has been following, more or less faithfully, for decades. Guest: Nicole Hemmer, author of Messengers of the Right and co-host of This Day in Esoteric Political History. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the year since the pandemic began, the number of attacks against Asian Americans has skyrocketed. The most recent wave of assaults left a number of victims injured and one man dead. Many Asian American activists say the attacks reflect a pattern of violence “as old as America itself.” Guest: Kim Tran, an anti-oppression consultant and the author of the forthcoming book, The End of Allyship: A New Era of Solidarity.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Anna Szymanski, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies. This week, Felix and Anna are joined by Taffy Brodesser-Akner to discuss the 1993 film Indecent Proposal starring Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Robert Redford. They get into topics like whether there can possibly be a feminist read of this film, the moral value of money and why Taffy quotes this movie all the time in her professional life. Email: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeckTaffy Brodesser-Akner is an author and a journalist for New York Times Magazine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gustavo Arellano’s father is what he would call a ‘pandejo’ - someone who doesn't take COVID safety seriously. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Gustavo has been fighting the uphill battle to dissuade him of his skepticism. And two weeks ago, his father finally got vaccinated. We all know a ‘pandejo.’ What can we learn from Gustavo’s relationship with his father?Guest: Gustavo Arellano, columnist for the LA TimesSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by renowned communications researcher and campaign adviser Anat Shenker-Osorio to talk about the messaging of impeachment outside the lens of the law. Then, Bob Bauer, former White House counsel under President Barack Obama and senior adviser to the 2020 Biden campaign, joins Dahlia to discuss the significance of this impeachment as a legal matter, and the next steps needed when the trial ends (in acquittal). In our Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern on the guessing-game that is the law of Covid and death-penalty protocols in late-night SCOTUS orders.Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski talk about Tesla’s $1.5 million Bitcoin investment, the recent growth of fast fashion and Bumble’s IPO. In the Slate Plus segment: Birkinstocks. (Not to be confused with Birkenstocks.) ‘Ultra-fast Fashion Is Eating the World’ by Rachel Monroe for the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/03/ultra-fast-fashion-is-eating-the-world/617794/ Email: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most of the last year, Clubhouse—the audio-only social media app—has been dominated by conversations about business, branding, and Elon Musk. But as users picked up the app around the globe, something extraordinary happened. Censors in mainland China overlooked it. And for two weeks in February, it hosted a series of unusual, unfiltered conversations. Han Chinese, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese, and Uighurs all flooded to the app to speak freely about authoritarianism, democracy, and propaganda. Here’s what happened when the censors looked the other way. Guest: Melissa Chan, journalist with the Global Reporting CentreHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For most of the last year, Clubhouse—the audio-only social media app—has been dominated by conversations about business, branding, and Elon Musk. But as users picked up the app around the globe, something extraordinary happened. Censors in mainland China overlooked it. And for two weeks in February, it hosted a series of unusual, unfiltered conversations. Han Chinese, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese, and Uighurs all flooded to the app to speak freely about authoritarianism, democracy, and propaganda. Here’s what happened when the censors looked the other way. Guest: Melissa Chan, journalist with the Global Reporting CentreHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David, Emily and John discuss Trump’s impeachment trial; lawsuits about election lies; and the execution of a possibly innocent man.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over the United States by Brian Rosenwald “New US Capitol Riot Video Shows Mob Rifling Through Senators' Desks” The TelegraphEmily Bazelon for the New York Times: “Did Tennessee Execute an Innocent Man?”Slate Culture Gabfest: “‘Magic or Manipulation’ Edition”Slate’s The Gist: “Illusions, Delusions, and Flat Out Lies”Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: Emily: Christopher Z. Mooney for the Chicago Tribune: “How the Census Delay Could Hand Control of Illinois Redistricting to the GOP”John: A letter from George Washington that ended with the sign-off: “Your Most Humble and Obedient Servant" may reveal, or remind us, what our contemporary sign-offs mean.David: The New York Times Presents: “Framing Britney Spears”Listener chatter from James Dillard: Amanda Ripley for Comment: “The Mystery of Trust”Slate Plus members get great bonus content from Slate, a special segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Tuesday, workers in an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama started voting on whether or not to form a union. Amazon has been fighting the vote on multiple fronts. A “yes” vote could possibly spark unionization drives in warehouses all across the country. Guests: Jay Greene, tech reporter for the Washington PostSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As soon as the Democrats won a slim 50-50 majority in the senate, the jokes about President Joe Manchin started flying. The Senate's self described “conservative Democrat” from West Virginia is in a key position to influence legislation during the Biden administration. How will he wield that power? Guests: Jim Newell, senior politics reporter for SlateKen Ward Jr., co-founder of Mountain State Spotlight and distinguished reporting fellow for Pro-PublicaSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the insurrection at the nation's capitol on January 6th, the House of Representatives impeached Donald Trump for a second time. The only article charges him with high crimes and misdemeanors for inciting a riot. There's no shortage of evidence backing up that claim, but the politics make it an open question if the senate will convict. Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate’s Amicus podcast Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The COVID-19 vaccine roll-out has been a mess across the country, but the failure has been particularly egregious in Philadelphia. The city entrusted a large part of its vaccine distribution to a start-up company run by a 22-year-old with zero medical experience. It wound up with a shuttered clinic and stolen vaccine doses. Guest: Nina Feldman, health reporter for WHYY.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lionel Barber, former editor of the Financial Times, joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski to discuss his book The Powerful and the Damned: Private Diaries in Turbulent Times, the “devil's bargain” involved with being a journalist who has direct access to some of the most powerful people in the world, and what it’s like to run a newspaper like the Financial Times. In the Slate Plus segment: Nick Clegg.Email: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the stimulus bill, racial inequities in vaccine distribution, the return to in-person learning, and Majorie Taylor Greene’s GOP.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Ezra Klein for the New York Times: “The Senate Has Become a Dadaist Nightmare”Uché Blackstock and Oni Blackstock for the Washington Post: “White Americans Are Being Vaccinated at Higher Rates Than Black Americans. Such Inequity Cannot Stand.”Shreya Kangovi and Uché Blackstock for the Washington Post: “Community Health Workers Are Essential in This Crisis. We Need More of Them.”Thomas B. Edsall for the New York Times: “The QAnon Delusion Has Not Loosened Its Grip”David Blight’s Open Yale Course: “HIST 119: The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877”Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World, by Liaquat Ahamed Monica Potts for The New York Times: “In the Land of Self-Defeat”Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: Emily: Moe Tkacik for Slate: “The Lousy Tippers of the Trump Administration”John: Vala Afshar’s tweet of a clip from DisruptTV, Episode 91. David: Stefanos Chen for the New York Times: “The Downside to Life in a Supertall Tower: Leaks, Creaks, Breaks”Listener chatter from Phillip Cleveland @pwcleveland: a Twitter thread by Mark R. Miller@4T9NER about a meaningful family photographSlate Plus members get great bonus content from Slate, a special segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, listener Norman Townsend asks John, Emily, and David to discuss David’s new startup, CityCast.You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, in response to protests by farmers outside New Delhi, India, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi restricted access to the mobile web in areas where the protests were unfolding. The move is the latest in the Indian government’s long history of throttling internet access and censoring speech online. Why is the Modi government increasingly shutting down the internet and stifling digital dissent? And what does the party’s history of internet shutdowns tell us about India’s future?Guest: Pranav Dixit, correspondent for Buzzfeed NewsHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, in response to protests by farmers outside New Delhi, India, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi restricted access to the mobile web in areas where the protests were unfolding. The move is the latest in the Indian government’s long history of throttling internet access and censoring speech online. Why is the Modi government increasingly shutting down the internet and stifling digital dissent? And what does the party’s history of internet shutdowns tell us about India’s future?Guest: Pranav Dixit, correspondent for Buzzfeed NewsHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The pandemic has hit many of us in different ways. But women in particular find themselves at the intersection of multiple crises. Across the economy, jobs in female-dominated industries are disappearing. Inside the home, moms are often shouldering the brunt of the extra childcare burden that comes with school closures. How are women getting by right now? And will the setbacks they’re experiencing be permanent?Guest: Jess Calarco, professor of sociology at Indiana University.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Senate Republicans offered President Biden a stimulus deal one-third the size of the administration’s plan. With a compromise looking less likely, Democrats might have to resort to reconciliation to get it passed - a process fraught with headaches. 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/privacy for more information.

Dubbed “the QAnon candidate,” Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has her Republican colleagues doing some major handwringing. But does her presence on Capitol Hill actually represent a war within the GOP or more of a polite disagreement? Guest: Greg Bluestein, political reporter at the Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands of people are signing a petition to recall California Governor Gavin Newsom. The Democrat was praised for his response to the coronavirus at the beginning of the pandemic, but he has started to lose his constituents’ trust. Now, it could take just one big endorsement to end his term. Guest: Angela Hart, correspondent at California Healthline. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Daniel Goldman, who spearheaded the first round of impeachment hearings in the House in December 2019 as the senior adviser and director of investigations for the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. They examine what impeachment last time can teach us about impeachment this time, and why we’ve got to stop thinking like lawyers when it comes to the Senate trial.In our Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern joins Dahlia to discuss the attempted sub-coup at the Justice Department, the first Biden-era sightings of the long tail of Trump’s judicial appointments, and the conservative legal establishment’s choice to embrace Trumpists after Jan. 6. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You asked for it! Slate Money devotes the whole episode to explaining the crazy GameStop story that has taken over everything this week. Hope King (formerly of Cheddar, CNN, Business Insider) joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski to help untangle the situation. In the Slate Plus segment: What does AMC have to do with all of this?Email: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets.Guests: Brandon Kochkodin, reporter at BloombergHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets.Guests: Brandon Kochkodin, reporter at BloombergHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the Senate obstruction that may be ahead; delegating deplatforming; and GameStop.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Jamelle Bouie for the New York Times: “Democrats Should Act as if They Won the Election”Tom Wilson and Kate Starbird for The Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review: “Cross-Platform Disinformation Campaigns: Lessons Learned and Next Steps” Matt Levine for Bloomberg: “GameStop is Just a Game”David Leonhardt for the New York Times: “Underselling the Vaccine”Andy Rose for CNN: “Health Workers, Stuck in the Snow, Administer Coronavirus Vaccine to Stranded Drivers”Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David AllenHere are this week’s cocktail chatters: Emily: A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet; Matt Stieb for New York Magazine: “The Fyre Festival of Vaccine Rollouts”John: Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of ItselfDavid: David Blight’s Open Yale Course: “HIST 119: The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877”; Dessa’s “Who’s Yellen Now?”Listener chatter from Ghael Fobes @GhaelFobes: a Twitter thread of animals interrupting wildlife photographers by @JoaquimCampaSlate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment a listener asks John, Emily, and David to discuss how they organize their work, lives, and minds.You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in March, nobody knew how long kids would be learning from home and isolating from their peers. Now, with some kids returning to schools after 10 months away, one school counselor says getting kids back into physical classrooms is just the start to healing from the massive toll the pandemic has had on their mental health. Guest: Jan Desmarais-Morse, school counselor in Goshen, Indiana.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Republicans used to lead the way on environmental legislation. Are they about to come back around on the urgency of climate change? Guest: Carlos Curbelo, former Republican congressman from Florida.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a lot riding on the working relationship of President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. They are bonded by their service in the U.S. Senate, their ideological flexibility, and their respect for norms -- unless those norms stand in the way of their ambitions. Guest: Alex Thompson, White House reporter for Politico. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Back in 2015, Farai Chideya was a senior writer covering politics at FiveThirtyEight. Her time there was instructive in understanding how the media failed to take Trump’s presidential candidacy seriously. Now that she has her own show, she’s speaking up about how journalists -- and the news outlets that employ them -- could better serve the public. Guest: Farai Chideya, host of Our Body Politic.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ron Lieber of The New York Times joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski to talk about his book The Price You Pay for College on the economics of higher education, and how to work within the (terrible) system to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In the Slate Plus segment: Pardons. Email: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people thought developing the vaccine in record time would be the hard part. That, or shipping millions of doses at subzero temperatures to every corner of the country. But nobody--or, almost nobody--guessed that the biggest barrier between U.S. citizens and vaccination would be … online scheduling. What went wrong with the vaccine websites? And what will it take to get them right?Guests: Raphael Lee, director of USDR’s Health Program Hana Schank, director of Strategy for Public Interest Technology at New AmericaJessica AllenHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people thought developing the vaccine in record time would be the hard part. That, or shipping millions of doses at subzero temperatures to every corner of the country. But nobody--or, almost nobody--guessed that the biggest barrier between U.S. citizens and vaccination would be … online scheduling. What went wrong with the vaccine websites? And what will it take to get them right?Guests: Raphael Lee, director of USDR’s Health Program Hana Schank, director of Strategy for Public Interest Technology at New AmericaJessica AllenHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the unusual but uplifting inauguration, Joe Biden’s priorities, and the Trump aftermath.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Joe Biden’s inauguration speechInauguration video from former Presidents Obama, Bush, and ClintonKevin Quealy for the New York Times: “The Complete List of Trump’s Twitter Insults (2015-2021) Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: John: The books of P.G. Wodehouse read by Jonathan CecilEmily: Beth LeBlanc and Craig Mauger for the Detroit News: “Michigan Republicans Seek to Replace GOP Canvasser Who Certified Election”David: Jules Suzdaltsev’s Twitter thread of photos of weird things Trump did in office.Listener chatter from Clay Jeffries @clayjeffries: Sam Kean for the Atlantic: “22 Orphans Gave Up Everything to Distribute the World’s First Vaccine”Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John imagine some classes they would like to teach.You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At his inauguration, President Joe Biden argued that “unity is the path forward.” But it’s still an open question whether he’ll be able to get anything done.Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new presidential administration begins today. In pivotal moments like this, it’s hard to know what to say. But eight years ago, Richard Blanco was called upon to say something anyway - in front of a million people at Barack Obama’s second inauguration. And eight years later, he has some thoughts about the crossroads we’re at now.Guest: Richard Blanco, author of How to Love a Country and the Inaugural Poet for Barack Obama’s 2012 Inauguration.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Almost two weeks after the siege on the Capitol, Rep. Tim Ryan still has questions about why Congress was left with such meager defenses. How is Congress dealing with the fallout from the attack? And with one day left before Joe Biden’s inauguration, is the nation’s capital safe?Guest: Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH 13).Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Juliette Kayyem, former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security under President Barack Obama, currently serving as the faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, to look at the violent extremist elements of the MAGA movement and how counterterrorism tools can inform the response to the attack on the Capitol and President Trump’s “stochastic terrorism.”In our Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern joins Dahlia to discuss developments in the judiciary in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, the high court’s decision to greenlight more federal executions in the last days of the Trump administration, and the first abortion case of the Amy Coney Barrett era. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cathy O‘Neil returns to Slate Money to talk with Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski about Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic package, social media platforms banning Trump, and hackers attacking Parler...and male chastity belts. In the Slate Plus segment: The near future of COVID.Email: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Facebook and Twitter banned thousands of accounts in the wake of the Capitol riots, fringe groups are flocking to platforms like Signal and Telegram. With the inauguration just days away, and government officials warning of violence, QAnon believers and Stop the Steal protesters are now communicating in encrypted spaces. What, if anything, is being planned? Guest: Will Sommer, politics reporter at the Daily BeastHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Facebook and Twitter banned thousands of accounts in the wake of the Capitol riots, fringe groups are flocking to platforms like Signal and Telegram. With the inauguration just days away, and government officials warning of violence, QAnon believers and Stop the Steal protesters are now communicating in encrypted spaces. What, if anything, is being planned? Guest: Will Sommer, politics reporter at the Daily BeastHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, David and John talk about impeachment, whether Americans can be deradicalized, and guest Juliette Kayyem joins in to discuss vaccine distribution.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “People Are Dying. Whom Do We Save First With the Vaccine? Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and the Battle for the Meaning of America by John Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavrek Amarnath Amarasingam’s Twitter thread on de-platforming extremists. Amarnath Amarasingam, Shiraz Maher, and Charlie Winter for the Centre for Research andEvidence on Security Threats: “How Telegram Disruption Impacts Jihadist Platform Migration”The music of Ludovico EinaudiThe music of Joan ArmatradingThe music of John PrineThe music of M.I.A.The music of Joan JettThe music of Maren MorrisThe music of Joni MitchellThe music of Bob Mould and Husker DuThe music of Nick ThompsonNicholas Thompson for Wired: “To Run My Best Marathon at Age 44, I Had to Outrun My Past”“Iko Iko” performed by the Grateful Dead “You’ll Never Walk Alone” performed by Gerry and the PacemakersTusk by Fleetwood MacDesire by Bob DylanIn Search of Lost Time by Marcel ProustHere are this week’s cocktail chatters: John: Nathaniel Popper for The New York Times: “Lost Passwords Lock Millionaires Out of Their Bitcoin Fortunes”Emily: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell David: The Dancing Bird of Paradise Scene from “Our Planet”Listener chatter from Richard Medlicott: Steven Levy for Wired: “A 25-Year-Old Bet Comes Due: Has Tech Destroyed Society?”Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John talk about the music they turn to in order to clear their heads.You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the storming of the Capitol, Democrats’ victories in Georgia’s runoff Senate races sort of got lost in the shuffle. But Georgia going blue for the first time in nearly two decades is a big deal. And the state's Democratic activists say the moment is still worth recognizing.Guest: Tiffany Roberts, civil rights attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights, Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, and Renee Montgomery, activist and player on the Atlanta Dream.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Fire Department. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Amendment. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Department of Homeland Security. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 more information.