The Side Door Into College

Vice President Joe Biden still holds a wide lead in Democratic primary polls. Candidates who want to attack him at tonight’s primary debate do so at their own risk. Guest: Slate’s Jim Newell. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Syys 201923min

President Donald Trump and his now former national security adviser, John Bolton, have had their differences. From North Korea to Iran, the two have been at odds with one another on some of the most important foreign policy decisions. That tension boiled over with the president tweeting, "I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning." Bolton responded quickly saying, "I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’ " Whatever the case, again there’s a hole waiting to be filled on Trump’s national security team. What happened that pushed Trump’s fight with Bolton over the edge? And what does it mean that Trump is now 0–3 on national security advisers? Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence and national security reporter for the Washington Post Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Syys 201920min

A group of unpaid miners has blockaded a railway in Harlan County, Kentucky. The goal? Stop a train car full of their former employer’s coal from going to market until they get what they’re owed. It’s a straightforward protest that has been going on for more than six weeks now. One thing that isn’t so straightforward, however? How to help coal mining communities, like the ones in Harlan County, confront a future with less and less coal. Guests: Gary Lewis, Harlan County miner, and Ken Ward Jr., reporter at the Charleston Gazette-Mail. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Syys 201919min

Twice in two decades, the Electoral College has created great, big questions about presidential legitimacy. Is it time for a tune-up? Guest: Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

9 Syys 201924min

Last month, Representative Joaquin Castro tweeted out a list of Trump donors living in his district in San Antonio. Actress Debra Messing asked for an attendance list at a Trump fundraiser in Beverly Hills. Both efforts were likened to doxxing or blacklisting. Should political donors be named if they might also be targeted? Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, legal correspondent and host of the Amicus podcast. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Danielle Hewitt. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Syys 201925min

Just weeks into his role as prime minister, Boris Johnson has kicked the U.K.’s Brexit drama into high gear. It culminated yesterday in a vote that would force him to delay Britain’s EU exit until Jan. 31, 2020, unless Parliament (in an unlikely scenario) votes to approve a new deal or support a no-deal Brexit by Oct. 19. Johnson has responded by threatening to call a general election in hopes of regaining a governing majority. Is a general election the answer to this Brexit mess? Guest: Josh Keating, international editor at Slate. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Syys 201922min

When Christopher Werth saw some paint chips falling off a radiator in his daughter’s New York City classroom, he picked one up and sent it to get tested. The results spurred him to launch a larger investigation into lead exposure in New York City classrooms. Just across the river in Newark, New Jersey, another city is dealing with its own lead troubles. Elevated levels of the metal have been found in the city’s drinking water. What do these two cases tell us about the legacy of lead in America? And what can be done about it? Guest: Christopher Werth, Senior Editor at WNYC Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Syys 201927min

What would it look like if the U.S. Senate ditched its filibuster rule, allowing legislation to pass with just a simple majority? Guest: Slate staff writer Jim Newell. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Syys 201918min