The Discourse | TikTok Ban: The Final Loop?

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Tammi 202127min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

19 Tammi 202126min

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 Beast Host Lizzie O’Leary   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Tammi 202120min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Tammi 202130min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Tammi 202126min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Tammi 202129min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Tammi 202127min

This week, in the wake of violent protests at the Capitol, the social media platforms took unprecedented steps to rein in the president. Facebook banned his account at least through Inauguration Day. Twitter removed tweets and locked his account for 12 hours. Will these measures really make a difference? And how is it that two CEOs came to have so much power over the president’s reach? Guest:  Danielle Citron, professor at UVA Law School and vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Host Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Tammi 202119min