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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 EcoHealth Alliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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’s senior politics reporter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 that federal agents are free to act with impunity. Guest: Mark Joseph Stern covers the courts and the law for Slate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/gabfestplusYou can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (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.

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.com/privacy for more information.

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 JosephStern breaks down the headlines, cases, cert grants, and conundrums from the Supreme Court and federal appellate courts. To start your free two-week trial go to slate.com/amicusplusPodcast production by Sara Burningham. 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 HostLizzie 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 HostLizzie 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/gabfestplusYou can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (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.

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 heart? In this episode of How To!, we bring in veteran political advisors David Axelrod, chief strategist for Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, and Mike Murphy, a Republican consultant, who co-host the podcast Hacks on Tap. David and Mike discuss how to weigh ideology vs. electability and rank the issues that really matter. Can their advice help Anthony—and all of us—make sure our vote counts in November?Subscribe to How To! with Charles Duhigg — the show Adweek honored as 2019’s "Interview Podcast of the Year" — wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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/amicusplusPodcast 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 for more information.

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 Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 pick themselves up from the rug of despair with a pile of can-do fixes for the stress points threatening the integrity of U.S. elections. Rick Hasen’s new book Election Meltdown forms the basis for this special series of Amicus. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, assistant professor at St. John’s University School of Law, and fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, assistant professor at St. John’s University School of Law, and fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (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.Follow@SlateGabfest on Twitter / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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-endorsement an indication of a deeply divided left? Guest: Steven Greenhouse, author of “Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present & Future of American Labor.”Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unaccompanied minors at the border are required to speak to a therapist on a weekly basis. Now, officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement are able to use what was once confidential against these young migrants in court. Guest: Hannah Dreier, national reporter for the Washington Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since he launched his bid for the Democratic nomination, Michael Bloomberg has been trying to distance himself from the legacy of ‘stop and frisk.’ He says stops went down 95 percent by the end of his time as mayor. Darius Charney, one of the lawyers that helped bring down the policy, doesn’t buy it. As he tells it, there’s little evidence that Mayor Bloomberg means it when he says “I’m sorry.”Guest: Darius Charney, Senior Staff Attorney for the Center for Constitutional RightsSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s episode, Felix, Anna, and Emily discuss Judy Shelton, Trump’s nominee to the Federal Reserve Board, tech antitrust investigations, and the JEDI (Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure) contract.In the Slate Plus segment: Wells Fargo ends forced arbitration for sexual harassment. 'Behind Amazon’s HQ2 Fiasco: Jeff Bezos Was Jealous of Elon Musk'- https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-02-03/amazon-s-hq2-fiasco-was-driven-by-bezos-envy-of-elon-musk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth part of this special five-part series of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen and Professor Carol Anderson, Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University and author of One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy.Together, they try to sort through the rhetoric and the reality of “stolen” elections. Rick Hasen’s new book Election Meltdown forms the basis for this special series of Amicus. Join Slate for the Election Meltdown live show on Feb. 19 in Washington. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every so often, the What Next team wants to share another great podcast with our listeners. This time, it's The United States of Anxiety from WNYC. In its fourth season, host Kai Wright is figuring out how the intense debates happening during the 2020 election can be traced back to a key point in American history.To listen to the rest of the episodes, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last month, as coronavirus spread across China, Xi Jinping’s vast surveillance and censorship infrastructure went into high gear. But with outrage growing over the death of a beloved doctor, and surveillance technology under strain, the virus is exposing the limits of the Chinese Communist Party’s techno-authoritarian network.Guest: Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal reporter covering Chinese politics and tech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last month, as coronavirus spread across China, Xi Jinping’s vast surveillance and censorship infrastructure went into high gear. But with outrage growing over the death of a beloved doctor, and surveillance technology under strain, the virus is exposing the limits of the Chinese Communist Party’s techno-authoritarian network.Guest: Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal reporter covering Chinese politics and tech Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the Democrats after New Hampshire, Trump’s emboldened post-impeachment moves, and COVID-19.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss the possibility that Trump will order that future federal buildings have only neoclassical designs.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 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.

A few weeks back the Trump administration made an announcement. They rolled out a new health care policy called the Healthy Adult Opportunity. It’s a policy that would give states the option of reducing benefits for millions of Medicaid patients.This is only the latest in a line of attempts to scale back the Medicaid program by Seema Verma. Why is this such a priority for the Trump administration and Verma herself? And how are Republicans trying to square cuts to such a popular program in an election year?Guest: Dan Diamond, host of Pulse Check and writes the POLITICO Pulse — a morning briefing on health care politics and policy.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 past summer, while Ryan Thorpe was doing his day job as a reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press, some frightening posters started appearing around town. They were recruitment posters for a white nationalist organization known as The Base. Over the course of several weeks, Ryan went undercover. Joined the organization, met with a recruiter. What he didn’t know is that the person he met would become a target of law enforcement in two countries. Someone who prosecutors say was planning attacks here in the US. What does his story reveal about an international group of white supremacists obsessed with violence?Plus, producer Mary Wilson checks-in with Slate’s Senior Politics Writer, Jim Newell, about the results of the New Hampshire primary.Guest: Ryan Thorpe, reporter at the Winnipeg Free Press. Check out his story about infiltrating The Base, Homegrown Hate.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 border towns across the country, high school students are participating in an after school program run by the U.S. Border Patrol. When journalist Morley Musick first encountered the Border Patrol Explorers, he saw it as another example of the contradictions of life on the border. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Homelessness in Los Angeles isn’t a new problem. But it has become a bigger problem. And it’s gotten really easy to see. Guests: Theo Henderson, host of the We the Unhoused podcast. Emily Alpert Reyes, City Hall reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edmund Lee, media journalist for The New York Times, joins the Slate Money hosts to discuss the demented rollercoaster that is Tesla stock, The New York Times’ surprising subscription numbers and the revenue of Youtube and other social media sites.Plus: Spotify buying The Ringer.Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third part of this special five-part series of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen to unpack the bag of dirty tricks that may be deployed in 2020’s election, and to examine the debris of the Iowa caucus debacle to find clues to what’s coming. Rick Hasen’s new book Election Meltdown forms the basis for this special series of Amicus. Join Slate for the Election Meltdown live show on Feb. 19 in Washington. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, the Iowa caucuses went off the rails. As the hours stretched into days, and still the results remained unclear, a new piece of election technology was identified as a central cause of the delay.An app designed to make the election process speedier and more secure had the opposite effect. And its failure is symptomatic of deep-rooted issues in the way the Democratic Party develops and deploys election technology.So, what exactly went wrong on Monday? And what does it say about the party’s effort to regain its digital edge in 2020? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday, the Iowa caucuses went off the rails. As the hours stretched into days, and still the results remained unclear, a new piece of election technology was identified as a central cause of the delay. An app designed to make the election process speedier and more secure had the opposite effect. And its failure is symptomatic of deep-rooted issues in the way the Democratic Party develops and deploys election technology. So, what exactly went wrong on Monday? And what does it say about the party’s effort to regain its digital edge in 2020? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss the Iowa debacle, Mitt Romney’s impeachment vote, and Trump’s expanded immigration ban.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss George Packer’s acceptance speech for the Hitchens Prize, published in the Atlantic: “The Enemies of Writing.”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 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.

Michael Bloomberg has toyed with running for president many times. He has the money and the political clout, but 2020 is the first time he’s thrown all his weight behind a White House bid. It might also be the only year where his abnormal approach to politics could actually pay off. Guest: Edward-Isaac Dovere, reporter for The Atlantic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Iowa caucuses on Monday were a mess. Only 71 percent of precincts were reporting by late Tuesday night. Rick Hasen says, we’re just lucky this disaster happened early on. That means that election officials in other states have time to get it right. Guest: Rick Hasen, author of “Election Meltdown” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired in October 2019.Growing up in D.C. during the civil rights era made the fight for D.C. statehood deeply personal for civil rights advocate Wade Henderson. He’s said that being unable to secure a voting representative in Congress is one of his greatest disappointments. Christina Cauterucci speaks with Henderson about the fight for statehood and why he still has hope for the movement.This episode is a part of Slate’s Who Counts initiative. In the run-up to the 2020 election, Slate will be investigating who counts in the voting booth, who counts as an American, whose money counts in the democratic process, and whose doesn’t. And we need your help. Your support will let us assign more stories, travel to overlooked places, commission special podcast projects, and pay for reporting we otherwise would not be able to do. To learn more about this project and how to support our work, please go to slate.com/whocounts.Guest: Wade Henderson, former head of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human RightsSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Friday, Senate Republicans blocked efforts to hear new witnesses and evidence in the impeachment trial of President Trump. The decision signals an unwillingness to challenge the executive branch, despite several Republican lawmakers conceding that Trump was wrong to launch a pressure campaign against Ukraine. And even though the Senate trial is drawing to a close, we may be headed for unending impeachment-related investigations.Guest: Dahlia Lithwick writes about law and the courts for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus.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 second part of a special five-part series of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen to take a close look at what happened with Michigan’s failed recounts in 2016, exploring how small mistakes can cause big problems in elections, and why democratic areas seem much more prone to incompetence in election administration. Rick Hasen’s new book Election Meltdown forms the basis for this special series of Amicus. Join Slate for the Election Meltdown live show on Feb. 19 in Washington. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Izabella Kaminska, editor of FT Alphaville, joins the Slate Money hosts from London to discuss Brexit Day, ESG (environmental, social and governance) and LIBOR (London InterBank Offered Rate). Plus: An extra long Brexit segment. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Barbara McQuade, professor of law at the University of Michigan and former U.S attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, to explore the ramifications of the last two weeks in the Senate. Join us for a live show on Feb. 19 in Washington. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently a special delegation of senior Trump administration officials arrived in the U.K. Their mission? To convince prime minister Boris Johnson to bar Huawei from their new 5G network.Why is the U.S. so keen to influence Britain’s decision on 5G? And now that the U.K is officially withdrawing from the European Union, how will they manage competing pressures from the U.S. and China?Guest: Dan Sabbagh, defense and security editor at the Guardian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recently a special delegation of senior Trump administration officials arrived in the U.K. Their mission? To convince prime minister Boris Johnson to bar Huawei from their new 5G network.Why is the U.S. so keen to influence Britain’s decision on 5G? And now that the U.K is officially withdrawing from the European Union, how will they manage competing pressures from the U.S. and China?Guest: Dan Sabbagh, defense and security editor at the Guardian. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David, Emily and John discuss outlandish impeachment defenses, the approaching Iowa caucuses, and the Supreme Court allowing the “public charge” rule to go into effect.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss the Washington Post suspending Felicia Sonmez for her tweets about Kobe Bryant.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 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.

Joe Biden’s presidential campaign is making two arguments in the last few days before the Iowa caucuses. One is all about the heart—you know Joe, you love Joe. The other argument is all in the head—Democrats need to vote for a candidate who can beat Trump. But how does that argument fare when you look up close at voters in Iowa? Guests: Slate’s senior politics writer Jim Newell and What Next producer Mary Wilson.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Republican lawmakers in Montana came up with a plan to help taxpayers fund scholarships for private schools, including religious ones. But Montana’s constitution makes it clear that public funding for parochial schools is not allowed. Now, religious school parents have appealed their case to the Supreme Court. The resulting decision could undermine the separation of church and state.Guest: Mark Joseph Stern covers courts and the law for Slate. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.