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The protests in Puerto Rico are about so much more than nasty messages endorsed by the governor. The island’s political grievances were decades in the making -- and even if protesters get the governor to resign, there are more complicated power struggles ahead. Guest: Natalia Rodríguez Medina, who has been covering Puerto Rico’s protests for Latino Rebels. 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 1990, David Duke ran for Senate in Louisiana, appalling the Republican establishment and freaking out the Democratic consultant-class. Duke didn’t win -- but he did well enough to feel emboldened, and a year later he launched a campaign for Louisiana governor. The coalition that formed to defeat Duke has some advice for anyone trying to squelch racist policies and rhetoric today. Guest: Tim J. Wise, author of the books White Like Me: Reflections on Race From a Privileged Son and Dear White America: Letter to a New Minority. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I’m 10-15.” That’s the border patrol code for “alien in custody.” It's also the name of a secret Facebook group where a number of Customs and Border Protection agents posted racist and sexist memes. What about this agency allows such rampant misconduct?Guest: A.C. Thompson, reporter at ProPublica. Read his story on the secret Border Patrol Facebook group.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deutsche Bank was the one lender that couldn’t quit Donald Trump. Now the bank holds the key to understanding President Trump’s finances.Guest: David Enrich, finance editor for the New York Times. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was all lined up just how President Trump wanted. A "safe-third-country" agreement with Guatemala was nearly complete, but over the weekend it fell apart. This is the second time the administration has tried to negotiate a safe-third-country agreement with a Central American country. Why is this the thing the Trump administration wants? And where does it leave those who are desperate and seeking asylum in America?Guest: Jonathan Blitzer, staff writer at the New Yorker. Read his story on how the negotiations between the Trump administration and Guatemala fell apart. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Shannon Palus talks about the journalistic ethics of Amazon affiliate links with Jacqui Cheng, former Editor-in-Chief of Wirecutter and current Editor-in-Chief of Music at WQXR in New York. As Cheng explains, it’s possible for news organizations to make money from Amazon links without turning into a shill for a giant company. After the interview, Shannon talks to Aaron Mak for this week’s edition of Don’t Close My tabs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is the most unpopular senator in the country. Yet, he has represented the state of Kentucky for over 25 years, defeating an array of opponents along the way. Will his challenger in 2020 suffer the same fate as the rest?Guest: Ryland Barton, Capitol Bureau Chief at Kentucky Public Radio. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend President Trump's timeline filled with racist comments directed at members of the so-called "Squad." This includes Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley. In a press conference on Monday, the president defended his racist rant while at the same time trying to deepen divisions between House Democrats -- divisions that are very real and have become very public. How did the conflict between House Democrats make its way to the President Trump’s timeline?Guest: Ryan Grim, DC Bureau Chief at The Intercept and author of We’ve Got People: From Jesse Jackson to AOC, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why not go by they/them? Would a gender-neutral world be better? And what would it look like? Guest: Farhad Manjoo, New York Times op-ed columnist. Read their latest, “Call Me ‘They.’” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, an appellate court in New Orleans heard oral arguments on the constitutionality of the ACA. The argument? That Obamacare is more coercive without a tax penalty. This position - one that has lawyers on both sides of the isle scratching their heads - may end up at the Supreme Court. Could this bad legal argument spell the end of the line for Obamacare?Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The intriguing story of a British ambassador’s hasty resignation, and why it perfectly encapsulates our current geopolitical moment. This story has everything: leaked confidential reports, world trade implications, and a reference to the movie The Terminator. Guest: Slate’s Josh Keating, international editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Aaron Mak talks about federal law enforcement's use of facial recognition technology with Jake Laperruque. He’s Senior Counsel at The Constitution Project, which is part of the Project on Government Oversight. According to The Washington Post, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FBI officials have been partnering with state DMVs to scan through millions of drivers license photos. Jake explains the civil liberties implications of the practice and suggests regulations that might provide some level of oversight. After the interview, Aaron talks to Slate’s own Shannon Palus for this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is there something fishy about the way Hunter Biden made money while his father was serving as vice president? One reporter looked into it. But he didn’t find corruption. He found something far more complicated -- and commonplace. Guest: Adam Entous, staff writer for the New Yorker. Read his piece on Hunter Biden. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend, multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking. But back in 2003, journalist Vicky Ward had the inside scoop on Epstein: She interviewed two of his victims and wrote up the story for Vanity Fair. And then, her editor spiked the allegations from the story. This is the story of how Epstein used his connections to evade scrutiny... again and again. Guest: Journalist Vicky Ward. Her latest book is Kushner, Inc. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At a prison in southern Mississippi, guards can’t do basic population counts. They can’t keep cellphones, drugs, and weapons out of the building. They are at the mercy of gang leaders to control the inmates. Is this just what happens when you try to do corrections on the cheap? Guests: Joseph Neff and Alysia Santo, staff writers for the Marshall Project. Read their story on Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Shannon Palus explores the growing telehealth industry, where doctors and patients connect via video chat or sometimes just a secure message system. To figure out the benefits and potential drawbacks of telehealth, Shannon talks to Roy Schoenberg, president and CEO of American Well, one of the first big players in the space. Then Shannon talks to Slate writer Aaron Mak in this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jumaane Williams has been an activist, a city councilman, and is currently New York City’s public advocate. However, before that, he was a student in New York City’s public education system. As a product of the system, Williams is thinking about ways to address the segregation that exists among public schools in New York City today.This show was recorded live at Slate Day 2019.Guest: Jumaane Williams, public advocate for New York City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Kamala Harris challenged Joe Biden on his record with respect to busing. Most Americans understand busing in the context of the segregated south, but for Kamala Harris, the story is different. What does her experience as a child in the Berkley school system tell us about busing? And why could this issue be a tricky one for some Democrats going into 2020?Guest: Matt Delmont, Professor of History at Dartmouth College Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the days after rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed, members of rival gangs across Los Angeles came together to mourn his death. In the months since, that mourning has turned into action as gang leaders attempt to broker peace within their warring factions. Now that some have reached a tentative cease-fire, the question now is: Will it last?Guest: Cindy Chang, a reporter covering L.A. police for the Los Angeles Times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court blocked the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census and delivered a staggering win for the Republican party in the case of partisan gerrymandering. Is this just another case of a small win for progressives and a huge win for conservatives? And what do the decisions tell us about the roles of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Kavanaugh on the court moving forward?Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, covers courts and the law for Slate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Republican state senators in Oregon are refusing to go to work. In a state legislature where Democrats hold a supermajority, the walkout is one way Republicans can put a halt to their rivals progressive agenda. With several statehouses throughout the nation being held by a supermajority, is walking out going to become more common?Guest: Jason Wilson, journalist and columnist at The Guardian Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, April Glaser catches up with her former co-host Will Oremus. Then the two of them are joined by Future Tense editor Torie Bosch and New York Times opinion writer Farhad Manjoo to discuss why tech journalism has become far more critical in recent years.Plus, April and Will discuss futuristic science fiction scenarios on this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Logan, a black resident in South Bend, Indiana, was shot and killed by a police officer in the early morning hours on Father’s Day. Mayor Pete Buttigieg returned to the city, putting a halt to his presidential campaign, to deal with the fallout. The return home hasn’t been so welcoming.Guest: Adam Wren, contributing editor at POLITICO and Indianapolis Monthly Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For years the residents of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana thought their town was simply the victim of bad luck. Suffering more than their share of illnesses. Almost everyone in the town knows someone that has died of cancer. It was only in July 2016 that the EPA informed the people of St. John that the local neoprene plant was emitting carcinogens leaving the small town with the highest risk of cancer from air pollution in the whole nation. With the residents in a fight for their very lives, what could the way politicians reacted to another town’s poisonous air pollution tell us about why nobody has acted to save St. John, Louisiana?Guest: Sharon Lerner, environmental reporter at The Intercept Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, a series of escalations brought the US to the brink of a strike on Iran. But only a few short years ago, the leaders of both countries were celebrating a landmark nuclear agreement. What changed? One of the architects of the Iran Nuclear Deal takes us through the journey, and lays out the Trump Administration’s limited options in the coming weeks.Guest: Ambassador Wendy Sherman, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mexico has agreed to crack down on immigration in response to threats from President Trump. But that isn’t stopping the flow of migrants -- it’s pushing it further underground.Guest: Emily Green, freelance reporter. You can read her latest story on VICE News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a long time, Brandon Flood kept his criminal history quiet - he worked in the Pennsylvania state government, and didn’t want his former convictions to detract from his career success. But now, that history makes him uniquely suited for his new job as secretary of the state’s Board of Pardons. How did he go from submitting his own pardon application - to one year later, leading the body that helps make those clemency decisions? This episode was originally posted in April. Guest: Brandon Flood, Secretary of the Pennsylvania state Board of Pardons. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, guest host Henry Grabar looks at how Zillow is trying to disrupt the real estate business—and why it might work in some cities but not others. Then Horace Dediu answers Henry’s questions about bikes, scooters, and other miniature contraptions that might replace the automobile in cities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s political philosophy is an elegant one: If you want to do something bold, you must follow public sentiment, not lead it. Now why can’t House Democrats seem to shape public sentiment? And what makes them so afraid to cross their caucus leader? Guest: Rachael Bade, Congress reporter for the Washington Post. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s June, which means it’s the season of highly anticipated Supreme Court rulings. We’re taking a look at two cases that shook up the typical partisan fault line on the bench. How did conservative and liberal justices find themselves making unusual alliances on double jeopardy and racial gerrymandering?Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate’s courts correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the Women’s World Cup this year, the U.S. players talk about living in a “bubble” -- thinking of nothing but the game, eschewing any distractions. What looms outside that bubble is their lawsuit against their federation for gender discrimination, and it’s already shading the reactions to their games. Guest: Nancy Armour, sports columnist for USA TODAY. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bernie Sanders campaign billed his speech on Wednesday as a “major address on how democratic socialism is the only way to defeat oligarchy and authoritarianism.” Besides being a mouthful, the speech was an attempt for Bernie to explain why he calls himself a socialist. However, he gets a key element of the pitch wrong. Was it an accident or is Bernie intentionally trying to change what being a socialist in America means? Guest: Jordan Weissmann, economics and policy writer at Slate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Zuckerberg used to avoid traveling to Washington, D.C., leaving a lot of the political outreach Facebook needed to do to COO Sheryl Sandberg. Now? He’s personally putting in phone calls to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (who won’t return his calls). What does the incident concerning the distorted video of Pelosi that went viral show us about how the social media giant’s relationship with policymakers is changing? And what does it mean for the 2020 elections? Guest: Elizabeth Dwoskin, Silicon Valley correspondent for the Washington Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode April Glaser talks to Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora, a company that builds the technology for self-driving cars. Urmson offers a timeline for when we might see autonomous vehicles on the road and lists the different hurdles the industry still needs to overcome. According to Urmson, driverless cars shouldn’t require a lot of extra infrastructure or government funding. Instead, they should work within our existing system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you walk to the Ohio riverfront from Owensboro’s City Hall, past the Courthouse, and the Museum of Science and History, you’ll get to McConnell Plaza. Mitch McConnell Plaza. For years, this town has been courting the Senate majority leader and, recently, its paid off. What does the relationship between his office and his wife, Elaine Chao’s, office have to do with the grants this small city is receiving? Are ethics being violated?Guest: Tanya Snyder, transportation reporter at POLITICO. Read her latest story on Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elizabeth Warren might be a different kind of presidential candidate. Is America ready for that? Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, Slate writer and host of the Amicus podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before Chris Hurst was a legislator in Virginia’s House of Delegates, he was a local news anchor. Working out of the same newsroom as his then-girlfriend, Alison Parker. Alison was tragically shot and killed on live TV alongside her colleague Adam Ward nearly four years ago. In the years that followed Chris has been a proponent of gun control in a state that is reluctant to change its gun laws. In the wake of the mass shooting at Virginia Beach on May 31, Virginia’s democratic governor called for a special legislative session to consider new gun laws in the state, but will the Republican Legislature rise to the occasion? Guest: Chris Hurst, delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates for the state's 12th District. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Democrats try to find an economic message that can win in 2020, a group of like-minded millionaires is making the rounds, telling any politicians who will listen, “We want to pay more in taxes.” Why, though?Guest: Morris Pearl, chair of Patriotic Millionaires. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Washington and Connecticut set out to change health care in their own states using “public option” legislation. With the 2020 candidates discussing Medicare for All, these two states may serve as an example on the kinds of resistance the idea will meet in practice.Guest: Jordan Weissmann, writer at Slate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, April Glaser revisits an interview with Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who released a policy paper proposing possible regulations for U.S. social media and technology companies. In the interview, April and her former co-host Will Oremus talk to Senator Warner about what worries him most about the largely unregulated tech industry, which can’t seem to keep our data private and stop muddying our elections. They also ask him what he thinks congress can do to rein in these companies and why lawmakers haven’t been quick to act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The strange tale of how a group of Trump supporters started building the border wall themselves, and why the southern border has become a proving ground and businesses and politicians who want to catch the president’s eye.Guest: Politico reporter Ben Schreckinger. Read his latest story from the Southern border. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Hofeller was a dedicated Republican operative, committed to achieving GOP political dominance and doing it with utmost discretion. Now, his political legacy is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court—and all because his daughter shared his old computer archives with the wrong group of lawyers. Guests: Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause North Carolina. David Daley, author of Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Notre Dame basketball coach Muffet McGraw wasn’t planning on making a speech about feminism and gender equality. But at a press conference before the Final Four tournament, that’s just what she did, launching into a screed about the dearth of women in government, politics, corporate C-suites, and sports. “We don’t have enough female role models,” McGraw said. “Men run the world!” The viral moment was a lifetime in the making. Guest: Muffet McGraw, head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“California is full.” That’s effectively what some residents and lawmakers in the state said when they chose to punt on a bill that would build more financially sane housing across its biggest metropolitan areas. What does the story of that bill tell us about policymaking for housing and transportation in America? And in a state where homelessness is increasing at an alarming rate, how long will it take California to build the housing it desperately needs?Guest: Farhad Manjoo, a New York Times opinion columnist, who covers technology, global affairs, and culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller breaks his silence to reiterate the conclusions of his investigation’s report -- and remind the American people to read it. Guest: Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick, host of the Amicus podcast. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode April Glaser is joined by Max Read, an editor and writer at New York Magazine who writes the column Life in Pixels.First, April and Max talk to Patri Friedman, founder of the Seasteading Institute, which he started in 2008 with seed funding from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Seasteading is the process of forming new societies on the open ocean, and it’s getting a lot of attention from Silicon Valley. Then Robert Vicino joins the show to talk about his company, Vivos, which designs and builds high-end bunkers to help people ride out natural disasters and other potential catastrophes. Vicino talks about his clientele and the concerns that drive people to buy fancy underground apartments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was the election that was never supposed to happen in the UK in the first place. Several delays, a few milkshakes, and a resignation later the British found themselves voting over the weekend for European Parliament. How did Brexiteers and Remainers fare in this past weekend’s vote? And what does it mean for the UK and Europe writ large?Guest: Josh Keating, International Editor at Slate Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everywhere President Trump turns, he’s finding himself hemmed in by the courts. But could upcoming rulings from the Supreme Court make lower court judges take a more expansive view of the president’s executive powers? Guest: Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, U.S. forces scoured Afghanistan for Taliban fighters. They weren’t expecting to find John Walker Lindh, a young man from California who had converted to Islam and moved abroad to study the Quran. Lindh was dubbed the “American Taliban,” but his case ended in a plea deal, leaving his treatment while in custody a secret. At the time, Lindh’s story seemed uncomplicated: He was associating with extremists. Now, years later, his case feels like a missed opportunity. How did it happen that he went through our criminal justice system, but we learned so little about extremism and the nation’s treatment of detainees?Guest: Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security at Fordham University School of Law. Her book is Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Georgia joined the wave of states passing stringent anti-abortion laws in a bid to topple Roe v. Wade. One Democratic state senator says she hasn’t lost her resolve to fight for women’s bodily autonomy. Guest: Georgia state Sen. Jen Jordan, representing parts of Atlanta and its northwestern suburbsPodcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.