A Small Business Owner's Dilemma
Georgia has confirmed more than 24,000 cases of COVID-19 and tallied close to 1,000 deaths from the disease. However, Governor Brian Kemp is still allowing a number of the state’s businesses to reopen this week, citing an increased capacity for testing and hospitalizations. Employers, for their part, have been left in a lurch. How do small business owners reopen? Should they? And, if an owner chooses to remain shuttered, can it count on the government for help? Guest: Christopher Escobar, owner of the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
28 Huhti 202023min
We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Stimulus
With 26 million Americans filing for unemployment in the last five weeks, it’s obvious that the economy is still broken. However, Congress hasn’t been sitting on its heels—trillions of dollars of aid have been approved with billions more signed into law this week. The problem? It just hasn’t been enough. Now, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecasts unemployment could reach 16 percent later this year. So, what else can Congress do to resuscitate the economy? Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 Huhti 202020min
TBD | Can We Really Make a Safe Vaccine in 18 Months?
There are over 60 vaccines for the coronavirus currently in development. Four of them are already being tested in humans. As researchers move at breakneck speed to find a vaccine, they’re debating breaking (or at least bending) the rules that ensure the end product is safe. How do we balance speed with safety in the rush to develop a vaccine? Guest: Dr. Timothy Lahey, an infectious diseases doctor, ethicist, and vaccine researcher at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 Huhti 202022min
What Happened on the Cruise Ships
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, cruises were the poster-child of viral spread. For the world’s largest cruise company, Carnival Cruise Line, the problems began in February and quickly escalated, as more passengers and crew fell ill, and Carnival struggled to dock its cruise liners. As ships went from floating cities to floating quarantines, what did the bosses know, and when did they know it? Guest: Austin Carr, reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek. Read his story. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Huhti 202027min
How Sioux Falls Became a Hot Spot
More than 700 cases of COVID-19 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota can be traced back to the city’s Smithfield pork packaging plant. Weeks before the coronavirus outbreak was confirmed, employees were asking for protective measures that didn’t materialize until it was too late. And Smithfield isn’t unique: Meatpacking facilities across the country are also struggling to minimize the spread of the virus. Guest: Kooper Caraway, president of the Sioux Falls AFL-CIO. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
22 Huhti 202019min
Democrats’ Plan to Win the Senate
No one thought 2020 was going to be a boring election year. Several key Senate seats are in play, presenting Democrats with a real shot at winning back the chamber. However, with an unstable economy and a critical phase of the campaign cycle going virtual, candidates are facing new challenges. Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer 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 Mara Silvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21 Huhti 202022min
What’s Happening in Florida’s Nursing Homes?
Ever since COVID-19 surfaced in Florida, local journalists began wondering how the virus was going to impact nursing home residents and employees. For weeks the facilities and the state's health department were reluctant to release data on the more than 600 assisted care centers. On Saturday, Governor Ron DeSantis finally released a list of nursing homes with confirmed cases, but only after pressure from news outlets and the public. Guest: Mary Ellen Klas, capital bureau chief for the Miami Herald. 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 Mara Silvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 Huhti 202028min
TBD | Can the U.S. Really Track the Coronavirus?
Before the U.S. can start opening back up, states will need to put systems in place for “contact tracing,” or meticulous tracking of the disease within communities. South Korea’s extensive tracing program has all but eliminated the spread of the virus within its borders. What will it take for the U.S. to do the same? Guests: Raphael Rashid, a freelance journalist, and Dr. Mike Reid, professor at University of California, San Francisco Host Henry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 Huhti 202022min
