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The last bout of the fight for the U.S. Senate runs through Georgia. And this time, no one has any reason to pull punches. Guest: Greg Bluestein, reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Joe Biden takes office in two months, the federal government will take on a new stance in its fight to contain the coronavirus. The broad strokes of that strategy have been outlined in debates and on campaign websites, but now the real work begins.Two weeks ago, the president-elect appointed a team of 13 advisers to answer some key questions. How can the new government win the trust of the 73 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump? What would a national mask mandate look like? How will the different vaccines be distributed?A member of President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 council takes us behind the scenes.Guest: Celine Gounder, member of the Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board, and host of the American Diagnosis and Epidemic podcasts.HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Joe Biden takes office in two months, the federal government will take on a new stance in its fight to contain the coronavirus. The broad strokes of that strategy have been outlined in debates and on campaign websites, but now the real work begins.Two weeks ago, the president-elect appointed a team of 13 advisers to answer some key questions. How can the new government win the trust of the 73 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump? What would a national mask mandate look like? How will the different vaccines be distributed?A member of President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 council takes us behind the scenes.Guest: Celine Gounder, member of the Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board, and host of the American Diagnosis and Epidemic podcasts.HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are two basic camps of thought when it comes to upholding the norms and laws that the Trump administration has broken. On the one hand: How will these norms and laws ever be respected again, if President Trump and the people around him are not investigated, and possibly charged, for any abuses? One the other hand: Could additional investigations into Trump tear the country apart?Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, host of the 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.

Joe Biden and his chief of staff have negotiated a massive fiscal stimulus package before. How should the incoming administration regard the 2009 Recovery Act -- as a blueprint, or a cautionary tale?Guest: Mike Grunwald, senior writer for Politico Magazine and author of The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bob Moore has covered all kinds of crises as a journalist in El Paso, Texas. But the COVID-19 surge is enough to make him crack. There’s a time for dispassionate journalism. This isn’t it. Guest: Bob Moore, founder of El Paso Matters.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 summer of 2020, a group of people tried to imagine the most likely outcomes of the presidential election. They nailed it. But what may come next is harder to fathom. Guest: Rosa Brooks, co-founder of the Transition Integrity Project. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Barack Obama first won the White House, back in 2008, with Joe Biden as his vice president, the executive branch’s stance towards tech and tech companies was seen as cooperative, progressive, and forward-thinking. This time around, the tech giants can expect a very different relationship.Will Biden be the president to finally rein in big tech?Guest: Cecilia Kang, technology reporter at The New York TimesHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Barack Obama first won the White House, back in 2008, with Joe Biden as his vice president, the executive branch’s stance towards tech and tech companies was seen as cooperative, progressive, and forward-thinking. This time around, the tech giants can expect a very different relationship.Will Biden be the president to finally rein in big tech?Guest: Cecilia Kang, technology reporter at The New York TimesHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, Iowa polls had Biden and Trump running neck and neck to win the state’s 6 electoral votes. However, one poll in late October showed that Trump had taken a seven-point lead over Biden. Many political observers and Democrats dismissed it as an outlier, insisting that Iowa was up for grabs. On election night? Trump won Iowa by just over eight points.How did Ann Selzer see this coming? And what does the “Outlier Queen” have to say about the state of her industry?Guest: Ann Selzer, public opinion pollster and President of Selzer and Company.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even though the 2020 presidential race has been called for Joe Biden, President Trump is still baselessly asserting that he is the true winner. His accusations of voter fraud may give republican held legislatures all the ammo they need to further infringe on voting rights. Guest: Ari Berman, senior writer for Mother JonesSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some early exit polls showed Joe Biden winning a strong majority of Latino voters but if you look closely there’s a more complicated story. In some key areas, Biden and Democrats more broadly underperformed with Latino voters compared to Hillary Clinton in 2016. How did the Biden campaign miss the mark?Guest: Chuck Rocha, head of Nuestro PAC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Saturday, the US presidential race was called for Joe Biden, making Donald Trump a one-term president. However, the outcome of the down ballot races may spell trouble for an incoming Biden administration. Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s Senior Business and Economics CorrespondentSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have always argued that their workers are independent contractors, not employees. This distinction has been crucial in their rise from startups to multi-billion-dollar companies.On Tuesday, Californians sided with these companies by approving Prop 22, a ballot measure that enshrines workers’ non-employee status. Why did progressive Californians side with Big Tech? And will the rest of the country follow California’s lead?Guest: Sam Harnett, Tech and Labor reporter at KQEDHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have always argued that their workers are independent contractors, not employees. This distinction has been crucial in their rise from startups to multi-billion-dollar companies.On Tuesday, Californians sided with these companies by approving Prop 22, a ballot measure that enshrines workers’ non-employee status. Why did progressive Californians side with Big Tech? And will the rest of the country follow California’s lead?Guest: Sam Harnett, Tech and Labor reporter at KQEDHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s still a lot that’s unclear about one of the most contentious elections in recent history. Here’s what we do know: that many pollsters overestimated the depth of Biden support. That Trump held onto the white working class more than many pundits predicted. And that if Biden does become our next president, he’ll likely have to make good on his promise to be the great compromiser.Guest: Will Saletan, Slate’s national 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.

We still don’t have a winner for the 2020 presidential election. It’s all coming down to states where vote-counting is happening slowly, amid a flurry of lawsuits. 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.

Larry Nance Jr. is an NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s also a first-time voter. After the NBA players’ ranks exploded with activism this summer, Nance and his teammates realized that they could change their states, themselves. They were the political activists they had been waiting for.Guest: Larry Nance Jr., player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeffrey Yaw lives in the Fingerlakes region of upstate New York. He’s a recent convert to Catholicism who attended the March for Life back in January. He’s anti-abortion but pro-Medicare for All and has very little faith in the two-party system. So, with his first presidential ballot ever, he’s voting for a third-party candidate, but that doesn’t mean he’s given up on democracy.Guest: Jeffrey Yaw, a student at SUNY Geneseo and a first-time voter.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 one day to go and several hundred lawsuits around the election still swirling about, which legal cases are raising major red flags? And how could they impact not just the 2020 election, but elections going forward?Guest: Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UC–Irvine and the author of Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy.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 2016 general election changed the way we think about information online and its power to sway results. Four years later, Americans will vote amid a surge of misinformation, collected and distorted to fit political narratives.What can people and platforms do to protect the truth in this most consequential election?Guests:Renee DiResta, Research manager at the Stanford Internet ObservatoryJustin Hendrix, founder of Tech Policy Press Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2016 general election changed the way we think about information online and its power to sway results. Four years later, Americans will vote amid a surge of misinformation, collected and distorted to fit political narratives.What can people and platforms do to protect the truth in this most consequential election?Guests:Renee DiResta, Research manager at the Stanford Internet ObservatoryJustin Hendrix, founder of Tech Policy Press Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s actually good news about this virus. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean you’re safe.Guest: Ed Yong, staff writer for The Atlantic. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attica Scott is the only black woman in Kentucky’s state legislature. It turns out, that doesn’t make advocating for Breonna Taylor much easier. Guest: Kentucky state Representative Attica Scott. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Elena Schwartz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rafa Lombardino wasn’t planning on becoming a citizen. Originally from Brazil, Rafa has spent nearly two decades in America content with her green card. After Trump's election in 2016, though, she watched increasingly draconian immigration policies go into effect. And this year, she finally set out to make her voice heard.Guest: Rafa Lombardino, first-time voter, translator, and co-host of Translation Confessional.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 pro-choice movement is in the wilderness. For activists serving women on the margins, that’s been clear for years. Guest: Laurie Bertram Roberts, executive director of the Yellowhammer Fund. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been 22 years since the federal government last brought a meaningful legal challenge to a big tech company. Back then, when the Justice Department sued Microsoft, the outcome changed the direction of the company for years to come. Now, the Department of Justice is coming for Google. Can the search giant resist this challenge to its role as the gatekeeper of the internet?Guest: Tony Romm, technology reporter at the Washington PostHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been 22 years since the federal government last brought a meaningful legal challenge to a big tech company. Back then, when the Justice Department sued Microsoft, the outcome changed the direction of the company for years to come. Now, the Department of Justice is coming for Google. Can the search giant resist this challenge to its role as the gatekeeper of the internet?Guest: Tony Romm, technology reporter at the Washington PostHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iowa is home to less than 1% of the U.S. population. So why is this year’s Senate race the 2nd most expensive in U.S. history? Democrats hope to use all that cash to unseat a Republican star in a state that President Trump won handily in 2016.Guest: Andrew Batt, senior producer at Iowa PBSSlate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, maybe you’re feeling a little uneasy. Jim Newell says, despite Biden’s consistent lead in the polls, you should still totally be sweating it.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.

Winning November’s presidential election will likely mean turning out a whole host of people who have never voted before. In our new series, First-Timers, we speak with voters from around the country and across the political spectrum to ask them what’s bringing them to the ballot box for the first time.Guest: Dewayne Comer, a formerly incarcerated first-time voter from Syracuse, New York.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 spike in COVID cases this fall led to new restrictions in several parts of New York. Many of these locations were home to Orthodox Jewish communities which were hard hit early on in the pandemic.Feeling singled out by these new rules, Orthodox communities across the city rebelled and began protesting by burning masks and flouting social distancing guidelines. That anger has given rise to a new political figure whose openly squaring off with the mayor, the governor, and the media.Guest: Jacob Kornbluh, national reporter at Jewish Insider.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years ago, Mark Zuckerberg held up Holocaust denial as an example of the type of speech that would be protected on Facebook. The company wouldn’t take down content simply because it was incorrect. This week, Facebook reversed that stance. Is this decision the first step toward a new way of policing speech on the social network?Guest: Evelyn Douek, Lecturer at Harvard Law School and affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & SocietyHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two years ago, Mark Zuckerberg held up Holocaust denial as an example of the type of speech that would be protected on Facebook. The company wouldn’t take down content simply because it was incorrect. This week, Facebook reversed that stance. Is this decision the first step toward a new way of policing speech on the social network?Guest: Evelyn Douek, Lecturer at Harvard Law School and affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & SocietyHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Olivia Troye spent nearly two years in Trump’s White House. In that time, she sat in on meetings about natural disasters, border security - and the coronavirus task force.In July, she announced she had resigned. The White House says she was fired. One way or another, she’s speaking out about what she saw, why she stayed, and what ultimately pushed her out the door.Guest: Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security, Counterterrorism, and Coronavirus Task Force advisor to Vice President Mike Pence.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 White House, Senate Republicans and the House Democrats are all on completely separate pages about another coronavirus relief package. With the election just three weeks away, is now the best time to strike a deal? And what would it look like? Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate senior economic and business 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.

Earlier this summer, Senator Kelly Loeffler leaned into a war of words with the WNBA. She may have underestimated her opponents. Guest: Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor at Penn State and cohost of the Burn It All Down 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.

Over the last decade, born from the chaos of the 2008 financial crisis, automated tenant screening has grown into a billion-dollar industry. Now, nine out of 10 landlords rely on automated tenant-screening reports, scraped from eviction history, criminal background records, and terror watchlists, to decide if they can trust potential renters. The problem? Often, the reports contain major errors, mistaken identities, and criminal records that are supposed to be expunged. Can these reports really be trusted?Guest: Lauren Kirchner, investigative reporter at The MarkupOriginal reporting with Matthew Goldstein, reporter at The New York Times HostCeleste Headlee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last decade, born from the chaos of the 2008 financial crisis, automated tenant screening has grown into a billion-dollar industry. Now, nine out of 10 landlords rely on automated tenant-screening reports, scraped from eviction history, criminal background records, and terror watchlists, to decide if they can trust potential renters. The problem? Often, the reports contain major errors, mistaken identities, and criminal records that are supposed to be expunged. Can these reports really be trusted?Guest: Lauren Kirchner, investigative reporter at The MarkupOriginal reporting with Matthew Goldstein, reporter at The New York Times HostCeleste Headlee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who will be able to cast a vote in Texas? And will Texans be able to figure that out before election day -- or after?Guest: Emma Platoff, justice and politics reporter for the Texas Tribune. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Vice President Mike Pence does agree to show up at the debate on Wednesday in Salt Lake City, he’ll have plenty to answer for -- in particular, why the White House’s coronavirus task force wasn’t able to do more to fight the pandemic here in the U.S. Guest: Dan Diamond, reporter for Politico and author of the Politico Pulse newsletter. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a sitting senator with a COVID-19 positive test. We have his opponent, admitting to an extramarital affair. And we have a surge in mail-in ballots, even as absentee rules change before voters’ eyes. Guest: Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College. 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 president has tested positive for COVID. Does he realize what that means for the rest of us?Guest: Slate’s Will Saletan, author of Bearing Right. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Spanish-speaking voters in Florida have been exposed to a steady uptick in falsities and conspiracy theories. This misinformation is shared in WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, and YouTube channels, then amplified by enormously popular local radio stations. Now there are signs that the flood of misinformation is having an effect. Groups that voted Democrat in 2016 seem to be leaning to the right.Will this onslaught of misinformation tilt the Latino vote in Florida? And if so, what does that mean for Florida’s 29 electoral votes?Guest: Eduardo Gamarra, professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University. HostCeleste Headlee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Spanish-speaking voters in Florida have been exposed to a steady uptick in falsities and conspiracy theories. This misinformation is shared in WhatsApp groups, Facebook groups, and YouTube channels, then amplified by enormously popular local radio stations. Now there are signs that the flood of misinformation is having an effect. Groups that voted Democrat in 2016 seem to be leaning to the right.Will this onslaught of misinformation tilt the Latino vote in Florida? And if so, what does that mean for Florida’s 29 electoral votes?Guest: Eduardo Gamarra, professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University. HostCeleste Headlee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There have been instances in the past when kids did not go to school for long periods of time. The history and research show that it’s devastating for kids. Will this period of remote learning have lasting effects on the most vulnerable students?Guest: Alec MacGillis, reporter at ProPublica. Read his story The Students Left Behind By Remote Learning in the New Yorker.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donald Trump has spent the last four years refusing to release his tax returns. When the New York Times published 20 years worth of them, it revealed a possible reason why. The president’s balance sheet listed huge losses, which he used to dramatically cut down what he owed in taxes. Were these the dealings of a savvy businessman, or an unscrupulous swindler? And what does it mean for the election to have a candidate who still has a stake in their business and an alarming amount of debt?Guest: Andrea Bernstein, co-host of the Trump, Inc. podcast and the author of “American Oligarchs: the Kushners, the Trumps and the Marriage of Money and Power.”Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Elena Schwartz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you settle in to watch the Presidential debate tonight, maybe you’ll be listening to hear how Trump talks about the New York Times story regarding his tax returns. Maybe you’ll want to hear what Joe Biden has to say about the Supreme Court. But Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UC-Irvine, says he’ll be listening for something else: how the two candidates talk about the integrity of this election.Guest: Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UC-Irvine and the author of “Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy.”Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend, President Trump announced that Amy Coney Barrett would be his pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. What can we glean from her biography and past rulings about what kind of Justice she would be? Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, covers the 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.

As of Sept. 24, there are 42 vaccines in clinical trials on humans. At least 92 others are being developed but have not yet gone to trial. For months, the world has tracked the progression of these vaccines closely, with the expectation that once one arrives on the market, we can finally start to go back to normal. But, is that true? Does the world really look much different with an effective vaccine?Guest: Dr. Paul Offit, professor of pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.HostCeleste Headlee Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.